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saviorsbookcafe · 3 years

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The Savior’s Book Café in Another World: Chapter 6

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Chapter 6: A Visitor and a Change

Translated by: sydney Proofread by: Necro

The day after I gave Ill the book cover as a gift, I was waiting excitedly for him to come while at the counter, organizing coffee beans and tea leaves.

A sound rang in my head to notify me of a customer, and a smile came onto my face reflexively.

“Welcome.”

I had assumed it must be Ill, but this time the person who entered was a man I’d never seen before.

He looks around the same age as me, but he has the smile of a mischievous child on his face.

He has a very different look from Ill, but with his bright and amusing features, he looks like the popular type.

“Hey, looks like everything’s going smoothly.”

Having someone I’ve never met before speak to me as if we were close friends leaves me bewildered.

In this world, the only person I know should be Ill.

Just as I thought that, I realized that there’s one more person, although I don’t know if I should count him as a person, that I know here.

He may look different, but I remember this atmosphere.

“...God?” I asked softly, and the man looked at me, his smile growing wider.

He walked over to me with that same smile and took a seat at the counter.

“Sorry for the sudden visit. Don’t worry, it’s not like you called me, I just decided to come here, so this won’t be included in the three wishes I gave you.”

I was relieved to hear something along the lines of what I was expecting.

I was afraid I might have just called a normal person “God” otherwise.

“You’re really...God?” I asked.

“Yeah, I decided to change my form to match the humans here.”

I wasn’t sure if God could drink anything, but I offered him some coffee and he drank it normally.

His long light-colored hair was braided loosely beside his face, and his clothes were distinctly from this world, but he had an other-worldly aura that seemed like it would follow him if he walked around the town.

“Are you just checking up on me like you had said you would before?”

“Well, that too. Oh, and you don’t need to be so formal with me.”

“O-oh, okay.”

Since he didn’t seem to mind at all, I decide to talk casually, and look at his face.

He takes a sip of his coffee again before opening his mouth.

“The reason I’m here today is because it looks like we’re going to have a bit of a problem soon. It’s related to the other Savior in this country, so that’s why I came to you.”

“Other Savior? Wait, there’s another Savior in this country?”

“Huh? Did you not know?”

“Not at all.”

At my response, God’s expression changed to an indescribable, almost sorrowful expression.

“You know, you should really go outside, even just a little. Well, certainly in your situation I can understand hiding away, but still.”

I averted my gaze, unable to say anything when I know he’s right, and God continued with a wry smile.

“In this country, there’s another Savior besides you. I sent her here shortly before I sent you, but she’s living in the castle. When someone in this country mentions a Savior, they’re usually talking about her.”

“I see, is something wrong with her?”

The castle, that’s where Ill lives, isn’t it? I wondered, as God continued talking with a grave expression.

“I said it looks like there’ll be a problem soon, right? The Savior living in the castle is a young girl, announcing that she’s a Savior and refusing to learn low-level magic, let alone Great Magic, spending all her time playing around in the castle.”

“Huh, but isn’t she there as a Savior?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s...kind of amazing.”

If I were in that situation, it seems like I’d end up leaving my intentions behind, be considerate of those around me and be swept away by my surroundings to work as a Savior.

And I know that if I failed to do that, I’d hate myself.

Which is exactly why I’m hiding away in here, making sure no one knows, and so that not only do I not have to work, but I don’t have to worry about getting dragged into anything weird.

“She’s young, or perhaps ‘childish’ is a better word for her. You don’t want anyone to find out that you’re a Savior, so you’re hiding away deep in this forest. It’s almost certain that if the humans here knew, they’d throw a big festival to celebrate you and cause a big commotion. Certainly, you have no option but to hide that if you want to live normally. But like I said earlier, the other girl is loudly proclaiming that she’s a Savior, and spending her days playing around in the royal castle.”

“Wow.”

I’m the same in that I’m not cooperating as a Savior, but I certainly don’t have the courage to refuse to cooperate while announcing that I’m a Savior.

“So, is something going on with her?”

“Yeah, today I’m here with a warning, or information, something like that.”

“I think whichever one of those it is will change the meaning,” I say.

“Whichever you’d like to take it as depends on you. First, I told you that she hasn’t learned a single spell. Her wish when she came here was to be pretty, and she doesn’t have an ounce of fight in her. I’ve granted a lot of wishes, but I still don’t understand how humans think.”

“Huh....”

Excluding any case where people knew they could wish for multiple things like I did, if you could only wish for one thing and you were going somewhere dangerous, would someone actually be okay with wishing for that?

No, it’s not my business anyways.

“Separate from the fact that she hasn’t learned any magic and is only being protected there, she’s been doing whatever she wants in the castle. Not only has the Second Prince been fawning over her, but a Savior who has powerful magical abilities but hasn’t learned any spells is too much for the castle, and it’s not like they can hand her over to another country,” God continues.

I wonder if the reason Ill has been so tired is because of that Savior.

I feel a chill go down my spine.

“She was an only child born to a rich couple who had been wanting a child, so in her old world she was doted on and generally listened to her parents. That’s why she hates having to put up with anything she doesn’t like.”

“If she were rich, it seems more likely that she’d put more effort into being educated.”

“Well, that depends on the person.”

God placed his cup on the counter and sighed before smiling wryly.

He leaned his head onto his hand and looked at me with a seemingly pleasant expression, but he also seemed troubled.

“I mentioned it before, but as long as a Savior is in this world, balance will be maintained. I don’t know about those around her, but I generally don’t care how Saviors spend their time as long as this world’s balance is maintained. But she’s being far too selfish. I’ve sent plenty of Saviors to this world before, but this is the first time I’ve seen a Savior so unwilling to learn magic.”

You should have a little consideration for those around her.

Although as someone who’s also not working as a Savior, it’s not my place to say.

No, if I look at it from this God’s perspective, I’d probably end up in the ‘working’ category.

“While there is the fact that she got anything she wanted while growing up in her old world, it seems that somehow because of that, things are starting to head in a strange direction.”

“A strange direction?”

“First, there’s the fact that the Second Prince is head over heels for her, which could be either that he’s just taken with her herself, or that he’s drunk on some very strong magic. There’s never been any case of someone being drunk on magic for a Savior before, but that Prince is very susceptible. It could be that the appearance she wished for is having an effect on him similar to charm magic. It’s most likely because that Prince is approving of her that she’s being tolerated, but....”

He looks at me, and I falter slightly as I return his gaze.

“You’ve learned quite a bit of magic, haven’t you.”

“Huh? Well, it’s fun to learn something that didn’t exist in my world. That and it’s convenient.”

“All the other Saviors until now have been like that too. Whether they want to save the world, learn Great Magic, or simply because they’re interested, no matter the reason everyone’s learned at least one spell. Do you know that magic is influenced by the user’s mind?”

“Yes, I know that.”

“Frankly speaking, what I’m concerned about is this Savior losing control of her magic.”

“Losing control of her magic?”

I don’t like the sound of that.

God’s serious air and expression only encourage that feeling of dread.

“Normally, by using smaller spells like you have, you gain more control over even the Savior’s most powerful magic. Even without that, a reasonable person would try to restrain their magic. But the Savior at the castle doesn’t have the reason to control herself. If she hates something, she won’t do it no matter what the situation is. A mind like that and powerful magic she can’t control. If something happens and she loses control of herself, she’ll lose control of her magic as well. And when powerful magic goes out of control, there’s only one outcome.”

God stared straight at me, gaze unwavering, and I somehow understood what he wanted to say.

His expression didn’t budge even as my face froze.

“It’s happened once before, though it wasn’t over something as trivial as this. But the scale of damage was the same. If a Savior’s magic goes out of control, it’ll cause a catastrophe capable of blowing away an entire country.”

Unable to think of a response, God and I stared at each other.

The music that always builds the peaceful atmosphere of the café played in a space that had gone cold.

“...are you going to leave that dangerous girl here as a Savior?”

“If I could return anyone to their old world at will, I would have sent you back when you were being so difficult. In any case, right now this is all hypothetical. The only times I could retrieve a human I had sent to this world would be if that human has died or if they have caused grave harm to this world. If nothing happens, I can’t do anything.”

“I don’t know how ‘retrieving’ works, but hasn’t she caused quite enough damage to the people at the castle?”

“I told you, no matter what a Savior does here, as long as the world’s balance is maintained it doesn’t matter. But if the world were to be destroyed because of the selfishness of a Savior, then I’ll have failed to recognize what’s actually important. Let’s see, for instance, if someone powerful borrowed the power of a Savior to try to unite the world and started a war, I wouldn’t get involved. Of course, if it were at a level that the world would go to ruin, I would consider doing something. But if a Savior themself tried to bend the world to their will and destroyed it, then there is no question that I would retrieve that Savior. I can only do what I like here so far as it is relevant to me as the head of it.”

“So you’re saying you dragged us here, but you can’t give that same power to the people in this world?”

“That’s about right. It may sound cold, but I intend to grant wishes for everyone who is brought here. Along with that, Saviors here are celebrated just for existing, and while I keep watch over the Saviors that are brought here, as of now there haven’t been any Saviors who have been sorely inconvenienced in their lives either. I think it’s an extraordinary response.”

“If you would exhaust yourself granting wishes for everyone else like you did for me, then I might feel that way.”

“Yeah, that’s the first time I’ve gotten tired just from granting someone’s wishes.”

I let out a small breath at the feeling that the cold air in the café had dissipated with God’s wry smile.

Despite intending to land in a peaceful country, it seems that a Savior from the same world as mine has made this country dangerous.

Ill’s face appears in my head.

I don’t want this place to disappear.

“Can you really not retrieve her or do anything else about her?”

“Right now, there is nothing I can do. But, let’s see, if for example her magic went out of control but you were able to contain it with your barrier magic, then it would be possible for me to retrieve her without the country being destroyed. Even if the country was ultimately saved, it would mean she had still nearly destroyed it.”

Across the ocunter, God smirked.

When I first met him, I felt that he might not be a very good person, and now it certainly seems like I was right.

He seems kind but is cold, different from humans, like the kind of God you see in stories.

“So you’re telling me to stop her?”

“No, I’m not saying that. A disaster is only a possibility, but even if it happens then whatever you decide to do is your choice. This isn’t something I can force you to do.”

I was silent.

“I told you, this can be a warning or information.”

God’s eyes were completely serious.

In other words, there’s a fair chance of it happening.

After worrying for a moment, I figured that if I asked a question now, God would probably answer me.

“I wanted to ask, if two Saviors use their magic against each other, who would win?”

“Who?”

“Saviors have the most magic in this world, right? If two people with the same amount of magic, say, if that other Savior uses offensive Great Magic. If I try to defend with my Great Barrier Magic, who would win?”

“There are a lot of factors involved, so I can’t say for certain, but I think in the end both types of magic will disappear simultaneously. The offensive magic will lose it’s effect, and the barrier will also disappear.”

“In that case, then as the person who’s putting up a barrier, I have the advantage, right? The barrier will disappear, but the offensive magic I wanted to defend against will disappear too.”

“Yeah, and what’s more, if you’re up against her, then from the moment you learned to control your magic, you’ve been at an advantage. Learning magic has both increased your total magic and improved your ability to control it, so the barrier might stay up instead of disappearing. At that point, as long as it doesn’t take another hit from a Savior, the barrier will probably hold for some decades.”

“I see....”

“Like I said, whatever you decide is your choice. You should live as you like. If it goes too far, I might warn another Savior like I have with you. Well, it shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Having said that, he finished his coffee and stood up, at the same time as the music played to alert me of a customer.

It felt a little early, but not so much that it was a surprise for Ill to arrive.

Entering the café like usual, Ill’s eyes widened at the sight of a customer besides himself.

Oh right, there haven’t ever been customers besides himself before.

Speaking of God, he looked between Ill and myself before letting out an interested, “Oh?”

Then he said to me, “I’ll be off now. Well, if you need anything then just call me. I just came to talk this time.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.”

God waves, saying, “See you,” as he walks towards Ill, stopping once beside him before slipping past.

I feel like I was just given some pretty dangerous information.

I hope that doesn’t turn into something troublesome.

Ill lets out a sigh, still standing in the doorway and watching God leave, and I call out to him.

“Welcome, it’s cold out, you should come inside.”

“O-oh, yeah.”

“What a surprise, huh? No one besides you has come to this café until now.”

Although I don’t know if he really counts as a visitor.

“...yeah, was he, um, someone you know?”

“Well, he helped me out before.”

Normally the conversation would end there, but the way Ill was looking at me made it seem like he was waiting for me to continue.

Wondering how to explain, I remember the backstory I had decided on before coming here.

It’s a little difficult to talk about, but if I include things about my actual past, he probably won’t question it.

“I’m...originally from a village that burned down during the war. My parents passed away early on, and I was raised by my grandparents, but they’re both gone too. They passed away when I had already begun working, and they left me quite a bit, so I didn’t have any trouble living on my own, but ultimately during the war, the village burned down and I was the only one who survived. The man who just left was the one who helped me set up this café after that.”

By the way, most of that was true.

The fact that my parents passed away when I was young, and that I was raised by my grandparents until I was of age, and that they left me an inheritance so I didn’t have much trouble, that was the past from my old world.

God is the one who gave me this café, so I didn’t say anything false there.

“I, see....”

He hangs his head from having unintentionally touched upon a difficult subject, a bit flustered.

Honestly, my grandparents passed away after I had become independent, and because of their age, they passed away peacefully, so it wasn’t much of a shock.

The atmosphere felt a little tense after explaining, so I passed him the menu to change the topic.

“It’s nothing to worry about, my life now is very full.”

He took the menu and I nudged him towards a seat, and finally I felt the atmosphere return to normal.

I still have to think about the Savior at the castle, but for now I want to focus on spending time with Ill like usual.

As of now, nothing’s actually happened.

Even Ill, who seemed a little awkward, was acting normally by the time I brought him his food.

After he had finished eating and some time had passed, it looked like he had finished his first book and was going to pick up a second one as he walked towards the bookshelf, but then was reminded of something and came towards me instead.

“Do you have a moment?”

“What is it? Did you want to eat something else?”

“No, actually, today we had some vendors at the castle. I don’t know if it’s to your liking, but you’re always taking care of me here, so could I give you this?”

As he said that, he offered me a neatly wrapped box about the size of the palm of my hand.

“Oh, you don’t have to....”

“I wanted to.”

“...then, thank you.”

I carefully take the box, and it’s light.

I like the neat wrapping, it’s a design that makes me want to hold onto it.

“Um, I’ve never given a gift to a woman before, so I hope you like it.”

My heart beats at his shy smile, and I ask if I can open it before touching the wrapping paper.

I want to see what’s inside, but it feels like more than I deserve, so I open it carefully.

After all, this is the first time I’ve ever received a gift from a man.

My history with love only extends to being swept along by the flow and dating when I was in school a little bit, and since I started working, I’ve been too busy to even think of finding a boyfriend or anything.

Not including the fact that it isn’t high on my list of priorities in the first place, as I can’t imagine giving up my time to read books to spend it with a partner instead.

No, why am I thinking about love, it’s just a present, the thought passes across my mind as I open the wrapping and the box inside it.

A simple hair-tie with a larger white flower attached to it sits inside.

This flower looks similar to a lily, but I’ve never seen it before, maybe it’s a flower from this world?

It’s not flashy, so it looks like something I can use everyday, and it’s a design that wouldn’t be strange for someone of my age to wear.

Frankly, I love it.

“Wow, it’s so cute. Can I really keep this?”

“Yeah, I’m glad you like it.”

“Yeah, I really like this kind of design. I’ll take care of it, thank you.”

I know I’m getting really excited, but I’m happy about this.

It feels really nice to have someone pick something out just for you.

Upon noticing that Ill was smiling happily in front of me, I felt strangely embarrassed.

It felt like all of the coldness in the air after that conversation with God had suddenly cleared up, and I gently clasped my hands around the hair-tie.

The next morning, not because God told me to, I decide to go look around the town, and pull out a stone I had learned about that acts as an intermediary for teleportation magic.

Apparently without this stone, I wouldn’t be able to use teleportation magic, so I summoned it yesterday with my pendant.

This pendant can summon anything and everything, but that doesn’t mean it’ll suit all my needs.

Apparently with teleportation magic, I have to use my magic to set my destination, so even if I’ve summoned the intermediary stone, I need to use my own magic to set it up.

It seems there are specific rules, so even though I was able to summon the fireplace with magic in it, I can’t do that with this.

As of now, I haven’t been particularly inconvenienced, so I don’t pay it much mind.

Looking at the map of the town, it looked like there were a few shops lined up near the entrance, so I decided to survey the situation over there briefly before coming back home, and squeezed the stone.

My destination is in the shadows of a subdued building a little distance away from the entrance to that town.

Ill will be here in the afternoon, so I should make sure to be back early.

If I see something interesting, I can always go back later.

Since I’m going out for the first time, I tie my hair with the hair-tie Ill gave me yesterday, and check that I have my wallet just in case.

The money inside it is money Ill paid me at the café, which leaves me with a strange feeling.

Not only do I have no intention of summoning money just for fun, but I also don’t have plans to go shopping much, so even though my prices are low, since Ill always comes here I have more than enough.

Despite being able to summon anything I want, summoning money seems somewhat unfair to the other people of this world, so I probably won’t do it unless I have no other choice.

When I put some magic into the stone, it glows a little, and after a momentary feeling of weightlessness, I realize I’m in the shadow of a building I don’t recognize.

I’m wearing snow boots and a cloak to keep me warm, but it’s definitely colder out here.

Even so, I’m excited upon hearing people other than Ill and myself talking for the first time in a while, and about the various things I see as I approach.

Rather than a shopping street, it’s composed of really only just a few stores, and all of them seem to be selling daily necessities.

Out of all of them, one store seems to have hand-crafted items, and I enter that store.

“Welcome.”

It’s been awhile since I’ve heard that from someone else, I think as I decide to look around for some cloth that might be good for making book covers, and go to the fabric corner to compare several different types.

Near the register, a shop clerk and a customer were talking, but perhaps because I came in, they began speaking in hushed tones.

Within their whispering, I heard the word ‘Savior,’ and I jumped.

Luckily, no one seemed to be paying attention, but it didn’t look like the conversation the two were having was a particularly good one.

I hear words like ‘at the castle,’ and I realize they must be talking about the other Savior, and haven’t found out about me.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I selected a few fabrics and took them to pay and quickly left the store.

Perhaps because I had just stepped out of a store with heating magic, it felt even colder than before.

I watch where the breath from my sigh was visible in the cold air, and realize that there’s someone I recognize in that direction.

Black hair with some white snowflakes in it and a sword at his hip, from what I could hear, the tone of his low voice sounded colder than what I normally heard in the café.

It’s Ill, I realized, and my mood brightened.

I wonder if he’s doing work for the Knights right now, I think, as Ill, who was wearing a cloak to protect himself from the snow over his uniform, gave some orders to his subordinates.

This is the first time I’ve seen Ill as the Knight Captain.

His eyes, more sharply narrowed than in the café, were honestly very handsome.

I’m glad I came to the town at this time today, I think, a smile breaking out onto my face.

If something like this hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t have been able to see him working.

I can’t interrupt him while he’s working, so I’ll just wave to him if he notices me.

I watch him as I think that, only to see him turn as though someone behind had called to him, and I can no longer see his face.

Oh well, I think, slightly disappointed, before stiffening at the sight of the person who came running up to Ill.

...what a beautiful woman.

With skin as white as snow, and hair almost just as light.

The people in this country seem to generally have light skin, and I’m jealous.

I can’t see Ill’s face, but their conversation continues.

I only know the Ill that comes to my café.

But of course he would have plenty of other acquaintances outside of my café.

What is this...uncomfortable feeling.

I gently pull my hand to my chest.

My high spirits from earlier have dropped into this lonely feeling.

But this too is only for a moment, as the woman soon leaves Ill’s side, running back to a man in a Knight’s uniform farther away.

Next to the man is a little girl that looks just like the woman.

As she returns, they hug her happily.

No matter how you look at it, they’re clearly a family.

“I guess I was jumping to conclusions....”

I pressed my hands to my face, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

I hear the little girl yell something, and from it I learn that the woman was greeting Ill as the Captain on her way to meet her husband who was also a Knight.

That makes me even more embarrassed with myself.

No, why did I even feel like that in the first place?

Those certainly aren’t feelings you have upon seeing a friend.

“...wait, wait a minute,” I whisper in a voice so small and pathetic it barely made a sound.

Earlier when Ill was talking to the men that I assume are his subordinates, I didn’t think anything of it.

It was only when it was a woman he was talking to that I got this lonely feeling, there’s no way not to know what this feeling is.

The only person I know in a world of people I’ve never met before.

The person I spend time together with almost every day, and share the same hobbies with to talk about.

The person who I am now giving up my reading time to dedicate it to studying magic to help, despite never wanting to give up my reading time or do anything for someone else until now.

“No way.”

After all, this kind of feeling has never happened to me before.

A worry big enough to make me forget all my other worries until now.

I’m silent for a moment, before I lightly hit my cheeks with both of my hands and sigh.

Just calm down, it won’t help to rush right now.

Once I get home and clear my head, I’ll think about it.

It’s far too early to get an answer.

I leave it at that, my heart calming down, only to see that Ill has turned around and is looking at me.

His eyes that have been on guard until now widen a bit.

Good thing he turned around after I calmed down, I think, smiling and giving him a small wave.

...I wonder if I’m smiling properly.

I watched Ill return my smile, and I mouthed, ‘See you later,’ before turning on my heel and beginning to walk towards the path that stretches out behind me.

I reached the shadow of the building where I had originally used teleportation magic to arrive.

That’s where I was intending to return to the café from.

“Tsukina.”

“Huh, Ill?”

What I hadn’t calculated for was Ill following after me.

Even so, my mind that I was able to compose fortunately didn’t fall apart.

We were a short distance away from where we were before, so I didn’t see anyone else nearby, but from what I could see of the knights in the distance, they were looking over here surprised.

“Aren’t you in the middle of work?”

“We’re patrolling the town, but right now we’re switching shifts. The next shift is running late, so we’re a little disorganized handing it over to them. I’m already on my break now though.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Are you shopping?”

“Yeah, I don’t come to town often but I happened to today. Usually I stay in the café.”

“I see, certainly with the collection of books that you have, it’s hard to want to leave.”

As Ill agreed, his gaze moved to the side of my face, and a light smile appeared on his face.

“You’re wearing it,” he says.

“Yeah, it’s easy to put on and it’s cute, so I like it. Thanks,” I say as I touch the hair-tie that he’s looking at, trying to hide my embarrassment.

If he’s going to be this happy that I’m wearing it, then I’m glad I wore it today.

“Tsukina, how did you get here? You don’t have a horse, right?”

“I used teleportation magic. Although I’m on my way out.”

I show him the intermediary stone, and after a moment of surprise, he smiled wryly with understanding.

After a moment, the atmosphere changes to a somewhat serious one.

“I think that’s fine then, but try not to take too many detours on your way back.”

“I’m planning to go straight home, but did something happen?”

In response to my question, he looks around, seemingly concerned, before leaning in a little and replying in a quiet voice.

“We haven’t told anyone, but there have been more reports of monsters showing up in places they don’t normally. It was in a place unrelated from here, but it’s certain that they’re moving differently. It’s better safe than sorry, and you don’t have any way of attacking, right? So you should probably avoid any walking around in the forest alone for now.”

At first I was flustered with Ill’s face and voice so close to me for a moment, but then I felt a cold chill in my heart at his words.

With my quiet lifestyle, it was easy to forget, but this place was still far more dangerous than my old world.

“Okay, thank you. Do you think you’ll be able to come to the café today?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there at the normal time.”

“Then I’ll be waiting. Good luck with work. You be careful too.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you after then.”

Despite being on break, Ill probably wasn’t able to go very far, but he came over to talk to me, which I thought about happily as I watched him return to the other knights.

Seeing a blond man run over to Ill and begin talking to him with so much energy, something seemed strange, but as soon as Ill showed him his watch, the energy of the other man went away and he became serious.

The two of them talked seriously, looking at their watches.

Ill said the next shift was late, so maybe that’s what they’re talking about, or maybe it’s about the monsters.

I feel a little bad for interrupting already, so this time I make sure to go into the shadows of the building and activate my teleportation magic.

Who’s that man Tsukina’s talking to?

Gently touching the gift I bought for her in my pocket, I look back at the man in the café who’s looking at me.

I had just opened the door as usual after rushing here with the gift I plan to give her in hand and leaving my horse to run around in the paddock she loves.

I had no doubts that our space in the café was filled.

Upon opening the door, two pairs of eyes looked towards me -- her and another man.

He seemed to be on his way out, having just stood up from his seat at the counter, and he told her to call him if she needs anything, before walking towards the doorway I was in.

He seems around the same age as me, until now there hasn’t been anyone else here but me.

I wonder if he’s close with her, I thought, noticing how casually Tsukina was speaking with him.

Maybe he’s actually been coming in the mornings when I’m not here.

An indescribable feeling spreads through my chest.

I only got to know her recently, of course she has a past here.

It’s obvious that there are other people she’s close with that I don’t know.

“At our age, almost everyone already has a partner,” Beork’s words echo in the back of my mind.

My mind hazy, the man moves to pass by me to exit the café.

I step to the side and as he walks past, he whispers to me quietly enough that Tsukina won’t hear.

“If you want that girl, you should make a move. I’d welcome more reasons for her to get attached to this place.”

I turned around unconsciously, only to watch him walk out without turning back.

Want?

Her?

Me?

My disorganized thoughts were quieted by her calling out to me.

I asked her if that man was an acquaintance of hers, to which the answer was a completely unexpected story of her past, which made me feel bad for asking.

I didn’t know she was an orphan.

She said there isn’t anyone left from her village, so I wonder where she met that man.

I wonder why he helped her set up this café.

It was a difficult question, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask her, ultimately leaving me with a feeling of uncertainty.

Even when I began reading my book, I wasn’t able to focus, so I read significantly less than usual.

Once I realized I hadn’t processed anything, I reread the same part, before deciding to leave it unfinished and closing my book.

I let my mind wander only for that man’s words to echo in my head.

I certainly won’t be getting anything out of reading now, I’ll need to borrow this book another day.

As I thought that, I stood up, taking the book in my hand back to the shelf.

Should I pick a different book...? Though I get the feeling I won’t be able to concentrate.

As I stood in front of the bookshelf thinking, I remembered what I had brought.

The hair-tie I had intended to give Tsukina, that until I arrived was the only thing on my mind.

I looked over to her sitting at the counter, where she was reading just like usual.

Hesitating for a minute, I took out the gift I had brought and walked over to her.

I wonder why I’m so nervous over just giving her a gift.

She asked if I wanted to order something else when I offered her the gift, and she took it uncertainly.

Watching her open it carefully, I feel more nervous than I’ve ever felt before, even at a subjugation.

I was tremendously relieved when she seemed to like it and smiled at me, saying she’d take care of it.

That was when I finally felt the usual calmness throughout my entire body.

I watched her clasp the hair-tie in her hands happily, and I was glad that I’d picked it out myself.

The next day, as we were patrolling the town, I got a less-than-pleasing report from one of my subordinates.

It was a monster sighting in an unusual location.

Maybe it was a good thing we reinforced our patrols, I thought as I waited for Beork to show up with the next shift, but even as it approached time for my unit to take a break, he hadn’t shown up.

After receiving a report that the next shift would be a little late, I decided to take my break, leaving only a few members to keep watch since I was going to stay in sight.

One of my subordinates’ wife had come up to say hello, and I greeted her before turning around to meet eyes with Tsukina, standing a short distance away and looking at me.

It surprised me, and she smiled at me and gave me a small wave.

I felt the usual tenseness from being on guard at work suddenly lighten up, and I smiled back at her.

Good thing I’m on break.

I see her mouth ‘See you later’ to me and turn to leave, and after checking if I have a little time to talk, I tell one of my subordinates nearby that I’ll be right back and I follow her.

When I call out to her, she turns back to me, surprised, and when I see her smile, I feel the same calmness, almost as if I’m in the café with her.

Along with that, she’s wearing the hair-tie I gave her yesterday in her hair.

Remembering that uneasy feeling yesterday, this happiness far exceeds that.

I didn’t realize that seeing her wear something I gave her would make me this happy, and that hearing her tell me she likes it would make me even happier.

I have to return to the castle during my break, and once I do, the Savior girl will probably be causing more trouble.

It was just as I was thinking along those lines, my stomach beginning to hurt, that it feels like I was saved by this surprise.

Even though I’m on break now, since the next shift hasn’t arrived yet, as the Captain I shouldn’t stray too far.

Tsukina tells me she’ll be waiting for me at the café and we part ways, and as I return to where I was before, I see Beork running over with a tremendous amount of energy.

It’s strange to me that my other subordinates are looking at me too, but I watch Beork stop right in front of me, out of breath as I tell him, “You didn’t have to rush like that.”

“You, you were, just, just now, with....”

Being overwhelmed by Beork’s energy as he tries to tell me something, despite being so out of breath, I remember the report I received earlier and take out my watch.

“Beork, we got a report.”

“A, a report?”

I bring up a map from the compass on the side of my watch and point at a specific place.

“A monster was spotted here.”

“Huh?”

Beork, who had been cloaked in a joking air until now immediately straightened up and looked at the location I had pointed to.

It’s a place where monsters would usually never be seen.

“A big one?”

“No, it was small. But it might be a good idea to investigate there. I’ll go to the castle to report and get permission to investigate. After my subordinates finish their break, can you take charge of them?”

“Yeah, got it. Sorry I was late. It looks like there was a small snowslide, so I got a report of that.”

“A snowslide?”

“Yeah, maybe it’s related. It was here.”

Beork uses his magic to put a marker on the map that’s up in front of us.

It’s a place that would usually never have anything like a snowslide.

“I’ll report that too,” I say.

“Yeah, thanks.”

I leave the rest to him and get on my horse, heading towards the castle.

It seems I can no longer just say I don’t want to go.

Depending on the results of the investigation, if it turns into a subjugation, I might not be able to go to Tsukina’s café for several days.

I hurried to the castle, feeling disappointed about the possibility.

Translation Notes:

“you don’t need to be so formal with me”: I made a TL note about this in chapter 4, but essentially here, Tsukina was using polite language (God was not) and he told her she doesn’t need to use polite language with him, and so she switches to casual language (this is also part of why Ill comments later that the two of them were speaking so casually and wonders if they know each other)

#savior's book cafe #savior's book cafe translation #bookcafenovel #chapter 6 #a visitor and a change #translation notes

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lovelivingmydreams · 3 years

Text

A story by heroes and Villains

Season 2: Secrets revealed Logan Anker: Old wounds and worries

Master list book 1

The wounds of the past can hurt. Not just you but your surroundings. No wonder we keep those secret to protect them... or is it ourselves we are protecting mort that way?

Waiting until the end of patrol was torture.

Logan didn’t like talking about the past. At all. He had trouble talking about Hannah and Caleb in any capacity to Virgil, or Patton, or Thomas or even Picani. And the Collector… Logan wanted to forget about him. But he couldn’t. If he was honest, that man showed up in his nightmares to this day. And he likely would keep showing up until he was behind bars. Patton and Thomas did their best to comfort him. A gesture he appreciated even though it wasn’t very effective. Finally Prince arrived. The young hero took in the atmosphere in the room and was clearly annoyed. “Listen, I promise I was safe. But I could’ve been in the middle of talking someone out of making a bad decision at the time. You can’t just shout in my ear out of nowhere. That was dangerous and frankly, I expect you to be more levelheaded BS. Anny other night and Logan would have insisted Prince gave him a detailed debrief on what exactly was so important that he couldn’t even let them know he was okay. But today… “That isn’t what this is about Prince. Take a seat,” Thomas instructed. Giving Logan a moment more to collect his thoughts. “Ok…” Prince said as he sat down, Looking around confused. Logan took a last moment to calm himself before he started his story with an apology. “Prince. I must offer you my sincere apologies. I didn’t want to tell you this right away, and maybe I should have.” Had his decision really been about allowing Prince to live his dream before burdening him? Was withholding the truth for Prince’s benefit? Or his own? “You shouldn’t have gone out without knowing the risks… We talked a little about nemeses during your training.” Prince nodded. Clearly still confused. “Yeah, but I doubt I’ve done anything that warrants one yet. Those come later in a career unless…” Prince paused, frowning. “But you were a villain. Any nemeses you had would be heroes… Right?” Prince was a good student indeed. He’d realized that Logan was telling him he was about to inherit his mentor’s past. And he had a good point. A nemeses of Logan would be on the side of the heroes. “Technically, the collector isn’t my nemesis. At least not in the traditional sense,” he agreed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Ever since he stopped using his powers, high stress situations got him small headaches that got worse over time. “I’ll start from the beginning,” he said, thinking back to a time he’d erase from his life all together if he could. “I became a villain because I needed the money and fast. Plain and simple. Any legal means were insufficient, so I made a name for myself and eventually, when I said ��give me 10.000 dollars or I destroy this building,’ people handed me the money because they knew I very easily could make good on my threats. I always picked an amount they could easily provide without harming the business or individual too much financially. One day I found myself running from the police force. I had misjudged the time it would take them to arrive,” he had gotten arrogant with success. “And I got helped by a stranger in a haphazardly put together disguise. When we lost them and caught our breath, he introduced himself as ‘the collector’. I fairly quickly understood him to be a fanboy of sorts. He was a big fan of my ‘work’, though he misunderstood the intention entirely. Not that I could get him to understand that.” Everything he said that didn’t fit Collector’s narrative was ignored or dismissed. “He thought I was taking the money as proof that I was superior or something like that. I didn’t listen too closely to his speech at the time. I was concerned with getting away. He said he wanted to help me. Gifted were still considered fairly new. Nowadays most people alive have lived most of their lives in a world with gifted.” The first super powered individuals had appeared around the time Logan was born. “But back then, most of the population still saw it as strange and there weren’t any real initiatives to help train the powers. So the gifted that were around often were untrained and had their powers act up without warning. Which could be quite destructive.” Logan recalled the park bench and every instance of loss of control after that, all the way up to a wine glass in a restaurant less than a year ago. He looked at his pupil to make sure he hadn’t lost his attention. The wide, attentive, green eyes and firm nod told him he still had an audience. “Anyway, the collector thought that people should respect and celebrate our existence. He compared the stigmas we faced to those of people of color, or the LGBTQ+ community, then still called the Gay or Queer community. He said it very nicely, it almost sounded reasonable, if you ignored the slight notes of supremacy. And if I had been trying to ‘stick it to the man’ as they say, I might have been tempted. But I just wanted…” to pay form my sisters treatment and my research for a cure. “I was selfish in my actions and therefore not interested in his big revolution, which turned out to be a good thing in some ways.” He didn’t want to even imagine the kind of person he’d be then. He wouldn’t have Patton that was for sure. And Virgil… No. He was glad Virgil was kept away from that madness. And he intended to keep it that way. “I told him I wasn’t interested in leading any resistance, thanked him for the assistance and left. Shortly after this, I encountered Manifestor for the first time. He blessed one of the people in the building with super speed.” Said gifted was now one of the heroes patrolling the city. He was actually one of the heroes who’s territory Prince shared. Thomas hadn’t gotten the hang of permanent and temporary power boosts yet at the time. It was always a game of chance. Thomas chuckled. “I remember. I was so pleased that it worked.” Pleased was one word for it. “You were insufferably delighted, even though I defeated your champion.” While he and StarBucker were amicable nowadays, at the time, Logan had been thoroughly annoyed at the inconvenience. But thinking back to Thomas’ triumphant smile he could not quite help his own amusement. “You did retreat though,” Thomas pointed out. “I stalled you long enough to make you give up that mark and head out. So it was a win for me.” Logan let out a sigh, he couldn’t argue with that, but they were getting of topic. “I saw the Collector a few more times after that, though I managed to avoid conversation. One day, during a stalemate with Manifestor, he asked me about him. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who’d been approached about his plans. He had actually advanced them. He was now not only collecting gifted, but also individuals worthy of a gift. Be it they joined him out of free will, or got persuaded through different means.” Blackmail, intimidation, manipulation. Those were the collector’s tools. “And he wanted me to ‘grant them that blessing’,” Thomas added uneasy. Logan patted his old friend on the back in support. A conversation with the collector had never been a fun experience for either of them. “Manifestor had enlisted the help of others to free some of his victims,” Logan continued. “The Collector claimed I was championing his cause. I assured Manifestor that I had no intention of assisting in his plans. That is about the time Manifestor started winning me over to redemption.” He thought back to those times with a bittersweet feeling. He’d been so excited by the idea. A nice place for him and Hannah to live. A good job that would let him take care of her and have her be proud of him. Things hadn’t gone quite how he’d wanted, but at the same time, one thing had gone better than he could ever have imagined. “Next time I spotted Collector, I told him in the plainest possible terms that I was not interested…” It should have been a firm ending to this story. Or so he had thought. That was naïve of him, he now knew that. Obsession and fanaticism don’t disappear just because one piece of that craziness did not cooperate. He’d been arrogant once again. Thinking too highly of himself. It took him a moment to continue. “He assured me I would be…” He suppressed a shiver as he recalled the polite, almost pleasant way he’d spoken. Sort of soothing. As if Logan had merely been a child afraid to go in the swimming pool and Collector was indulging him for the moment. “I haven’t seen him since, but that promise… I don’t know what exactly he has been up to in the past 14 years. But one can only imagine how someone like that matures... Or what he has planned for me when he finds me.” Or much more importantly, his loved ones. Thomas, Patton, Virgil, the Bullards who despite the current situation were still family to him, and Prince too if he was completely honest. There was no telling what Logan would do if any of them… Not now. “Prince, the collector will not consider you his enemy. But he is yours. Anyone who meets his criteria of ‘worthy’, is at risk. And he does not take no for an answer.” The words had barely settled in the room or Prince shot up panicked. “Phantom!” he exclaimed. “Phantom might be in danger! What if someone on the chief’s team passes on information to Him? Or what if he has connections to these crime organizations!? I’ve got to go out now and find him…” Prince was clearly about to head out again right away. Admirable, but not very prudent given the circumstances. “Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow you can try again. Even if you find him, you are not in the right state of mind to deliver this kind of news delicately.” Prince paused, clearly contemplating his words. Seeing, or feeling, an opening, Patton added his two cents. “You’ve done great today sport! You just go home and sleep on what you’ve learned. Tomorrow night there is another patrol and you might run into him then.” And to make the set complete, Thomas finished: “I’m glad you are so eager to meet this young hero Prince. Just know that there is no pressure. They’ve been evading unwanted contact for almost a year now. It is okay if you don’t find them right away. And we’ll give you the support you need.” Prince clearly did not like it but he conceded. “Can I ask a favor though? Can I bring him some of that dye and a modulator? I doubt he’ll have a very sophisticated disguise if he’s on his own. It could be a sign of comradery?” he explained awkwardly. Logan nodded. It made sense, and it wouldn’t take him long. He led Prince through a few doors to his lab. Once he got to his desk he put his family picture down. It was a digital picture frame that played an album of family pictures once the camera registered his face in front of the desk. Even if Prince didn’t look at it on purpose he might catch a glance of Virgil, Patton or him in passing. And Prince was a curious person. His territory included Logan’s new neighborhood, he might see Virgil on one of his runs while he was on patrol. Or see any of them in passing. For Prince’s safety and that of Logan’s family, he wouldn’t take risks. He handed Prince a black hairdye stick. Fitting for a gifted who relied on stealth. He picked up a dark purple modulator, the darkest color he had and plugged it in to program it. Prince clearly had an idea of how Phantom’s voice should sound. “Could you make it so it’s like, deepened by an octave and doubled? With an echo effect?” Logan nodded. It fit the moniker Phantom was given, that was for certain. “Thank you. This should help a lot,” Prince grinned as he took the modulator. “I shall be heading home now,” he bid before leaving the lab, followed by Logan who watched him get in the elevator to leave the facility. Logan let out a relieved sigh. “Come on. Let’s go home and see Virgil,” Patton said gently, knowing what Logan needed right now. Logan smiled gratefully and as they headed up, he handed Patton the keys. He didn’t feel clear of mind enough to handle driving tonight. He let Virgil know they were on their way so he would know to expect them. Otherwise he might think they were burglars.

When they got home they found Virgil on the couch with his headphones on. He looked up and smiled as he spotted them. “Welcome back. I gotta ask though. Who’s your fourth guy?” he asked playfully. Logan blinked confused. “What do you mean?” “For your poker nights,” Virgil joked. Patton giggled at Logan’s side, taking the lead. “No cardgames I’m afraid kiddo. We’ll tell you about the project once it’s finished. It’s all confidential for now I’m afraid,” he said. Virgil cocked his head and studied Patton for a moment, then he shrugged. “Okay, Keep your secrets,” he sighed as he stretched and got up. “Night Pat, night Lo,” he said casually as he headed to the door. Logan cringed a little at that. Lately his son, on occasion, used his surname. He was assured by Picani that this was in no way a reflection of Virgil’s affection for Logan as a father. He had no less than 3 fathers now. Him, Patton and an unknown biological father. To differentiate between the three he likely used surnames in his head. Which may slip out verbally on occasion. Even knowing that, it stung a little. “Goodnight Virgil, I love you,” Logan replied, trying not to show his inner discourse. Virgil paused in the door and looked back with a smile. “Love you to dad.” And just like that the tightening in his chest loosened. “Love you three kiddo!” Patton added. “Love ya Pat,” Virgil snickered before disappearing to his room. Logan kept staring at the door for a moment. Patton hugged him from the side. “What do you say I make us a nightcap before bed?” he suggested. Logan nodded. “That would be pleasant,” he told him.

The next morning, Logan woke up to hearing Virgil move about and singing to himself downstairs. That boy never sleeps in. He let out a yawn and stretched, feeling Patton curl into his chest. “Do you regret moving in with us yet?” he teased. “Never,” Patton muttered sleepily. “I smell bacon,” he hummed. “First awake makes breakfast in the weekend. It’s a tradition we have. He was ten the first time I found him trying to fix me breakfast in bed,” Logan recalled fondly. “He made a mess, but it was really sweet. He was following all my rules. He didn’t touch the knives or the stove without me there, which of course limited his options. I helped him make breakfast the that day. After that I made sure to lay some things ready for him on Friday and Saturday nights in case he tried again. Which he did.” “That is adorable,” Patton squealed with a kiss to Logan’s cheek. “Let’s see what our son has in store for us today,” Logan suggested as he got up. He waked to the closet to select some clothes for the day. He felt Patton’s eyes on his back and turned around. “Everything alright Patton?” Patton bit his lip. “It’s just… Our son. I really like the sound of that,” he explained. Logan nodded. “I do too.” Patton bit his lip. “I was thinking of maybe looking into… what it would take for me to adopt him? Make it official?” he suggested. Logan’s heart skipped a beat. Patton had mentioned adopting Virgil in a burst of emotion before. But it seemed like he meant it. He knew that it would mean the world to both him and Virgil to have Patton be an official part of their family. “That would be excellent Patton,” he told him sincerely. Patton’s face lit up at that. “Would you help me figure it out? I want to know what steps I have to take.” Logan walked back to the bed and sat himself next to Patton, taking hold of both his hands. “It would be my greatest pleasure,” he told him gently. Patton’s shoulders relaxed, his gaze still thoughtful, and then he let out a giggle. “May I inquire where your mind has taken you now?” Logan wondered fondly. “It’s just. Look at me being practical. You have rubbed off on me,” he scolded playfully. “Well if it helps, you have changed me too. For the better that is,” Logan assured him with a kiss to his forehead. “Now get downstairs before our breakfast gets cold.”

Breakfast was pleasant. Virgil rolled his eyes and teased them with how ‘cute’ they were being this morning. Logan responded by giving Patton an extra kiss to his cheek. And then Thomas picked Virgil up for their trip to the zoo. Logan and Patton distracted themselves by preparing classes for the next week, answering email and spending some quality time together. Logan had told Thomas that he could tell Virgil about his teenage years. If the topic of parents and siblings came up, he could mention what he knew. Logan knew that he was risking moving up his time table. But part of him hoped he’d be forced to tell Virgil everything tonight. He should have told him long ago. But he kept finding excuses to postpone. He had still not decided whether he’d talk about BrainStorm or not. “I’m home!” Virgil called all of a sudden. Logan glanced up from his book. Time had flown by. Patton was almost done with diner after which they had to leave for Prince’s next patrol. Logan was torn on that subject too. On one hand he knew the young hero wouldn’t need constant supervision for much longer. But on the other, he’d worry about Prince the whole evening if he didn’t personally keep an eye on him. “Dad!” Virgil grinned brightly as he gave him a hug. Effectively ending his inner turmoil. “Virgil? Not that I do not appreciate you seem excited to see me. But is there a particular reason?” he wondered. Virgil let go and stepped back. Logan absentmindedly took note of the fact that the height difference between them was almost gone. Would he outgrow him? Caleb had been a little taller than him. “Uncle Thomas told me about your teen years. I didn’t know you were on the debate team!” he grinned excitedly. Logan was a little flattered that this little bit of information seemed to mean so much to his son. “Well, yes. It was a bit of a hobby of mine, as well as an attempt to get better at socializing,” he confessed. Virgil’s eyes sparked at that. “You were a socially awkward nerd,” he chuckled. Logan frowned at that. “Hey, that’s a complement. I’m a socially awkward artsy kid. Sounds like I’m your son after all,” he chuckled happily. “Speaking off. Uncle Thomas told me you wrote poetry back in the day.” “Really?” Patton exclaimed from the kitchen. Logan was flushing bright red. “I… Experimenting with different forms of self-expression is a natural part of discovering one’s identity as a teenager. It was a phase. I would like to forget about it,” he said stiffly. “Aw, but poetry is so romantic,” Patton pouted. Logan made a mental note of that. Just because he didn’t write anymore didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy reading it from time to time. There was something soothing in the format and he knew of a few poems Patton may enjoy. As far as Virgil was concerned though, poetry was firmly in his past. “That’s too bad. I thought I could maybe make a project around your old work for art class,” Virgil said disappointedly. Oh, that was not fair. “I’ll see if I still have one of my old notebooks,” he allowed. “Just ask my consent before you pick one.” And before he knew it he was once again hugged tightly by his son. “Thanks dad. You won’t regret it. I promise.” Virgil’s excitement was worth any embarrassment that his pubescent ramblings may cause. During dinner Virgil told them about the trip to the zoo and the many sketches he’d made. He also informed them that his session with Picani had gone well. After dinner Virgil bid both of them goodnight in case he’d be asleep when they got back from the university. Patton was smiling the whole way there. “What is on your mind?” Logan wondered. “Did you ever write something for a crush?” Patton asked giddily. He had sort of expected this. “I… Didn’t really have a romantic interest in high school. Thomas was the only person my age I got close to. I was… Well you know what I was going through back then. Between my mother and school… All I had on romance was rather resentful or, once Hannah introduced Caleb to me, from the eye of an observer. Perhaps I can find one of the latter. It might be nice for Virgil to use something inspired by his parents as a base for whatever project he is working on,” he mused. “That sounds like a lovely idea,” Patton agreed.

Half an hour later, Logan was pacing the floor. Prince should’ve called in ten minutes ago. He might just be late, but… Then a beep announced that Prince’s communicator went active. Logan rushed to the comstation. “DreamPrince you are late. What is yours status?” Had he ran into trouble? Was he hiding? Or had he simply forgotten about his com until now? “I am currently debriefing Phantom. I’ll let you know when I’m done here. Tell chief I’ll stop by with a package,” he informed them swiftly. “Radio silence until further notice.” And just like that, the line went silent once again. “He has him…” Logan muttered. Almost in disbelieve. “Oh thank goodness,” Thomas breathed in relief. They’d all be worried about the child out on their own. But it seemed like they were quite a few steps ahead of Collector. An advantage they sorely needed.

Hero au

@cirishere @hestianerd1 @moonlightshow00 @naturallyunstablegamer @alias290 @meowthefluffy @frida0043 @angelic-cali @selenechris @theblackveilinreverse

#sanders sides #ts sides #logan sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #thomas sanders #virgil sanders #heroau

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just-mirko · 4 years

Photo

lavender petals - part 1

MASTERLIST

Mirko x Reader

Angst, Slow-ish burn, fluff,

WC: 4.1K

MANGA SPOILERS IN LATER PARTS

A steady and constant roll of tapping continued outside

where the rain poured down in fleets of cold water. The little drops all

together sounded like thousands of typewriters; the tiny stamps pressing fresh

ink stains into parchment. The storm did not only darken the sky but slowly,

the concrete was dampened into a charcoal shade and the glass windows collected condensation. The scent of petrichor had not reached where I was, but the

second I stepped outside I could already feel it overtaking my senses. have caused me to be

upset, and make me curse the heavens, but today, the rain started just as the

the shop was about to close, only 30 minutes till I would lock the doors and turn

around the little double-sided sign; switching it to “welcome” to “come back

later. I could not anticipate any customers would actively rush to my store in

the terrible weather, so I accepted it as an easy break where I could stay inside

and relax with warm herbal tea.

My shoes squeaked beneath me when I turned back to the

service counter. Aromas and floral notes were everywhere I stepped. Even if you

stood still, they still changed. orchids, roses, daisies, and violets all

dancing together in harmony.

Once I reached behind the counter, I could see every

corner of the shop in its array of colors that seemed duller than usual from

the lack of sunlight. Nonetheless, they still stood out against the dull pots

and glass vases.

‘I should be done for the day’ I thought to

myself, already having swept the floor, put out the new flowers, and clipped

the old ones before the storm arrived. An overdramatized sigh passed my lips

when I went to sit at the stool next to the register.

Sitting behind the register was always slightly

inconvenient, because blocking my view of the entrance to the store was a

large, and I mean large, bouquet of fresh lavender sprigs. They were normally

used as filler plants but had just come in today and I still could not decide

what to do with them. Additionally, I lacked a new arrangement to add them too,

so they were left out to stand alone.

By far they were the most prominent in the store. Their

sized rivaled all the large wedding table pieces we had. And the smell, though

calming, gave me a headache after being with them all day.

It is not like anyone would buy them either. They were not

as easy on the eye as a rose, three times as expensive, and once again,

typically used as filler flowers.

I settled on scrolling on my phone to distract myself

from thinking about what to do with them. I did not want to wait too long to

sell them lest they wilt.

‘Oh look, my webtoons updated.’

Fifteen-minutes passed quickly and mindlessly. Only 15

minutes till I could lock up and go home. The storm still had not relented, and

now, the rain was accompanied by large clashes of thunder and lightning.

These days life was quite simple. It was not exceptional

nor terrible, but a mediocre and peaceful existence that brought me the chance

to do what I loved. I had friends I visited occasionally, a small business that

was doing well with the white day just around the corner (an eastern type of

valentine’s day). But no matter how many

flowers I had, it wouldn’t quell the little part of my heart longing for

something more.

“CLASH”

The lightning what getting closer outside. It got louder

and louder, making me jump in my seat a little.

“CLASH”

The rain slammed into the ground, but something else was

happening as well. Something in the background of sorts.

“CRASH”

A resonating bang that sounded nothing like lightning

erupted nearby. A car alarm blared as well.

‘Could it be a villain?’ I asked myself as I look

over the purple blossoms to see if I could see what was going on from outside

my window. Alas, it must have been a street down.

‘Why would they fight in this type of weather though?’

Villain activity has spiked rapidly in the last few weeks as the League of

Villains had risen to power than out of nowhere disappeared without a trace. Not

to mention the capture of stain had encouraged many of the morally grey

antagonists to step out of the shadows in pursuit of their own type of justice.

Everyone had their own definition.

I tried to stay up to date on villain activity but so

much was constantly happening. Three times a week we got a new story. In the

beginning, the attacks seemed petty and selfish. Things like; “3 criminals rob a

local bank” or “Enraged fire-type quirk user burns down workplace” but today,

they were more organized, harder to stop. All the villains were working towards

a greater goal that was easier to see.

A little bit ago, one of the most popular quirks inclusive

department’s CEO joined the LOV after an all-out fight. Many were injured. It

was practically a bloodbath. Citizens remember seeing ice and blue fire merge

in giant tornados in the sky. The entire building disintegrated without a

trace. A witness with still in shock commented that she saw a UA student emerging

from the rubble, but that claim was shut down instantly by that student’s very

own teacher.

Unease was everywhere. People even began to stop trusting

figures of authority out of fear they might not be who they said. I was not a

target to any kind of villain myself, but who knows if I could become just

another statistic on the news.

Police sirens came into earshot.

I guess it was a criminal after all. Soon enough I would

be able to find a nice little article online detailing everything that happened

with a cover image of an unscathed hero smiling at the camera as if all were

well. How they tried to convince us that all was wel-

The chime of bells interrupted my thoughts when someone

came through the store door, very close to closing time.

When I looked up at them, I completely froze, unknowing

of what to do say, even think.

Before me stood… Mirko? Mirko. Mirko the Rabbit Hero. The

number #4 hero. The best female hero. And she was- Injured?

She stood with her shoulders rolled back but she was

panting heavily. Her platinum hair dripped water onto the pristine checkerboard

floors I just mopped. Across her, the skin on one of her shoulders was a crimson

slash. The blood that came from it dripped partially into her hair, staining it

slightly; and partially mixed with the water she was absolutely drenched in. She

looked cold in the light hero gear.

In her weak state, she still held an air of strength. When

I looked up in obvious shock at her condition, I was met with piercing red eyes

and a smile I would describe as manic on anyone else.

“C-can I help you—are you okay?” I stumble out when I

started to panic, realizing that she just fought the cause of all the racket

down the street.

My response only looked to entertain her, and she smiled

wider chuckled then pulled her hair over one shoulder: twisting it to ring out

the excess water (and blood).

“Yea, you do sell flowers, right?” She said. We were

obviously on different pages. She seemed completely relaxed as she was still

bleeding a watered-down red puddle onto the floor. Meanwhile, I was seriously

concerned about her health. Online, I simply assumed that every pro-hero held a

façade. That they were not as cocky, brave, or positive as they seemed once the

cameras were cut. This though was a spitting image of every picture of her I

had seen. Despite that, nothing could have prepared me for this in person-encounter.

“Y-yes I sell flowers”

I frantically scanned across the store for something for

my eyes to latch onto. My fingertips pressed hard against the side of the

resister to the point where my fingertips were turning white and my knuckles

began to cramp.

Mirko walked forward. Despite her injuries, she did not

have any limp and strolled casually over to some of the display stands

near the front window. I fidgeted with my finger while I stumbled over to where

she was. Her gaze we currently focused on some white lilies, though she soon

switched to some yellow roses.

“What is the, um, the occasion- For the flowers?” The

words tumbled out of my mouth. They felt out of order and out of place. Seeing a

hero in public is a strange thing. As amazing as they are, you always suspect

that there is an underlying threat of danger. You are both drawn to them yet

repelled by the hint. It's always ‘Why would a hero be here.” That wasn’t

the occasion now though. She was just- here for flowers? She was definitely just

off from work and needed a few band-aids; at most, stitches. My mind still had a

rough time thinking over why she so casual. I hoped this doesn’t happen often

for her.

Mirko’s fingers paused when she traced the outline of an

imported lily.

“A friend of mine got his ass beat up by a walking flamethrower”

The way she said that, so lightheartedly, with a slight smirk on her face, but

sadness in her eyes confused me.

“Is he a hero too?” I inquired; taken aback by the lack

of filter. It had nothing to do with the

flowers, but my curiosity got the best of me.

“Hawks.” She shortly stated before turning back towards

me.

A look of recognition must have crossed my face as she did

not explain any further and just continued.

“So…” She crossed her hands over her chest and looked up

towards me (we using Mirko’s canon height today cause she short short lol).

“What flowers would be best for ‘get better idiot’” Her

hair was still disheveled and soaking wet but the ethereal glow the rain seemed

to give her face made me want anything but eye contact. I shouldn’t really get

flustered so easily, but when a celebrity built like a Greek goddess steps into

your shop looking like she’s straight out of war…

“Well, I wouldn’t be able to make any custom arrangements

today because I’m closing-“I looked down at my watch for the time. “5 minutes

ago, but we have many premade sets and custom vases if you’re interested?”

I tried to seem chipper and avert my gaze from her hair,

bleeding shoulder, and foot that was insistently tapping on the wet floor, but

in between each word I stole a glace that did not go unnoticed.

“That’s okay, I’m fine with a pre-made bouquet.” I

fiddled with my thumbs once more. She was really giving me nothing to work

with.

“Any flowers in specific you like?” I asked, grasping for

straws. Mirko’s expression was perfectly neutral and ambiguous. Even if she

gave me a color, I could work off that, but all I had was a name and extra

mopping to do.

‘I wonder if blood will stain my tile’

What she said next seemed to fit with the personality I

was slowly assembling her.

“You guess.” And with that, she turned to look at more

bouquets and potted plants that lined the shelves.

The lavender! I thought, finally thinking I had found a

way to get rid of them but realized that may not be well suited as a get well

soon gift.

Hawks. Hawks. Hawks. The bird hero. The bird men. Red

feathers, right?

Because of the hero’s color pallet, per

se, I was drawn to red roses and yellow daisies, maybe some red and white

lilies. I found an arrangement I thought fit on one of the shelves next to a

window, where it was still raining outside. I carefully picked the flowers up;

their silky petals caressed my hand. Two petals floated down onto the floor as

I relocated them back to the assembly station.

“Would you like a vase with this?” I questioned. Her ears

perked towards me, shocking me in the slightest. Of course, it was not unusual,

but with how she seemed to hear me from across the room without turning her

head made me fear that she would hear my heartbeat racing in my chest. This was

a hero. A real-life hero. God, I hope I do not mess this up.

“Mmmhnn,” She said, inflecting that meant yes. I walked

near a shelf where we stored them and looked at the variety of glass, plastic,

and even porcelain vases reserved for special occasions. My eye was stuck on a

red one that caught the soft lighting of the store beautifully. I reached up to

grab it and held the cool glass in my hand. With the sleeve of my jacket, I

began to brush off some of the dust, ignoring the mark it left.

“Ooh, I like that one” I heard from behind me. Quite

startled I jumped, and the vase left my hand, seconds from crashing into the

floor. Before I could blink, Mirko had caught it agilely.

“The color is nice,” She said as she turned it over in her

hands, clearly pleased with having shaken me.

Honestly, the banter was a nice break from today. I guess

it would not hurt to lighten up a little.

“Yea,” I said with a gentle smile.

I had almost finished totaling her order and was putting

the flowers in the box to protect from the rain when I looked over at Mirko and

saw her quite intrigued by the lavender practically overtaking my desk.

“We just got that lavender in! It's fresh and quite relaxing.”

I hummed to myself, pleased with the wrapping I did on Hawk’s bouquet.

“How much for them?” She asked turning to me inquisitively.

“Well lavender isn’t normally sold alone but that’s about

10 arrangements worth” I said pointing to the sheer number of flowers. Upon

the counter, they were more than two feet tall.

“So?” She said, resting her elbows upon the table and leaning

in to smell the lavender even more. The ivory ears atop her head sloped

downwards a little more reminding me of a little puppy when they got pet. An

obvious show of their aromatic effects.

“Two-hundred, though I could definitely get you a smaller

amount if you would like, they’re sold twenty per bundle just because of how

hard they are to transport and a how delicate they te-“

“I’ll take them all,” She said with an aggressive smile

and firm shake of her head. There was a switch in her tone like she suddenly

decided she revealed too much of herself to the general public. I did not like

thinking that though. That she saw me as the public. Everyone wants to be

special sometimes.

“How was errr- work today?” I asked, clearly insinuating

my concern for her condition.

A small shadow passed over her face. Her eyes got a

little darker and the corners of her mouth turned down before her typical passionately

a confident smile came back.

“Nothing I can’t handle” Those smug words were

accompanied by a flourished wink that was embellished her white eyelashes.

“I heard a crash nearby. Was there a villain?” This time

she did not hesitate to answer.

She finished paying and gave me an address to deliver

them to tomorrow. One to a hospital, and one to a home address. I expected a

PO box and assumed her address was not something she just gave away, but that was

not the only thing I was warmly excited about. Instead of signing “Mirko” her

formal hero title on the receipt, She signed her real name, Rumi Usagiyama.

---

The weather was much more considerate this morning. When I

awoke, golden rays filtered light through my lashes into my eyes. The faint

sound of birds chirping and bustling people in the city below faintly reached my

ears.

I lived right above my flower shop, making my commute to work

conveniently. I chose to dress a little bit nicer today, opting for a cream-colored

turtleneck and dark washed jeans instead of my normal gardening attire. Spring

was right around the corner in Musutafu Japan. Winter was leaving and the city

was in the awkward middle state where it's too cold to wear spring clothes but

too sunny to stay in jackets.

Since yesterday was Saturday, I had today off, kinda. I

just had a few flower deliveries to complete before I could go back home and lay

on the couch eating watermelon sour patch kids (ichor itself) and reading

terribly done 9k fanfics online. (Wow! Our reader!! Is super!!! Self!!!!

Aware!!!!!)

My brain had completely blocked out everything that

happened last night, so when I checked my order list and saw Rumi

written in neat handwriting, my confusion was immense.

‘So, It wasn’t a dream then…’’ huh.”

I walked downstairs into my store. I saw a few

schoolchildren peeking in the dark windows since there were no lights on to look

at the flowers. I waved to them and then chuckled to myself when they left tiny

little handprints on the glass. Tall buildings could be seen across. A café, a

tattoo shop, a little library, and many small businesses that were nestled right

in the center of town where they got lots of attention. Around the back exist to

the stores were where most of the employees parked. My friend and co-worker had

called in sick this weekend, so it meant I had to do all the deliveries myself.

I went over to the storage room. A wave of cold rushed

over me and sent tingles down my entire body. This was always kept cold to keep

the flowers alive longer, but always hated retrieving boxes from there.

I steadily grabbed the lavender-filled box and stacked

Hawk’s arrangement box on top of it. The white cardboard stood so tall in front

of me when I held them I could barely see when I walked out the back door and

over to my car where I nearly dropped them loading them into my car’s trunk.

I clumsily got into the driver’s seat and started the

engine to head to the first address. Hawk’s hospital. Right in the center of

town, it was only 10 minutes when you accounted for traffic.

The hospital was the nicest in Mafatsu, with white pillars

and balconies on some patient's rooms. Only the best for heroes. When I got out

of my car and drew near, the building felt like it was swallowing me whole in

its large size.

My soft footsteps appeared insignificant with prestigious

doctors and nurses bustling around in choreographed chaos. When I got to the reception

area, a pink-haired nurse with a kind smile greeted me cheerfully.

“Hello! How can I help you today?” She began typing before

I even said anything. Maybe a prediction quirk.

“Hey, I’m here to drop off flowers from Mirko for Hawks?”

She nodded in understanding and scanned her eyes over my

body, then the box I was holding, all while typing fluidly into a computer. Finally,

her gaze broke and she looked down at a small printer that made a small sticker

with the words visitor pass in bolded font.

“He will be on the top floor, level 60 in room 219. If he

isn’t in his room, just call a nurse with the pager in there, he’s been getting

out a lot recently.” She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“He really just wants to get back to work but whenever he

flies he leaves a trail of blood and feather in his path”

Her hair swished when she leaned over to give

me the papery sticker. Her fingertips brushed against my palm for a second

longer than platonic before she went back and waved goodbye to me. Her cheeks were tinted slightly pink.

The encounter made my heart rush but that might just because

it’s the first romantic-ish thing that has happened to me in a while. I mean

she was pretty- but we scarcely talked. My palm still tingled where our hands

touched though. I was so distracted I did not notice when I found myself in Hawk’s

room.

I had never delivered anything to a hero before. Should I

just drop them in and leave? My hand rested atop the doorknob questioning how

to do this. The fluorescent hospital lights desaturated everything including my

ability to make cohesive thoughts.

Just as I opened the door, I heard a shattering sound,

something collapsing, and then

“Wait no shit-“Another thing fell to the ground. “-fuck” I

carefully opened the door. To see Hawk’s the pro hero, clutching his side with

one hand, and holding a sideways IV drip in one hand, but the fluid bag itself

was on the floor, along with some kind of glass and a medical device I couldn’t

identify from the various dents and scratches on it. It did not look like he

noticed me yet, he was much too preoccupied.

“Hey should-“

“AH!” He yelled turning towards me. I couldn’t flinch

fast enough before three-foot-long red feathers with murderous intent came

spearing towards my head. Within that instant in closed my eyes prepared to be

dead but when I opened them up, the feathers were hovering just centimeters

away from my skull.

I shocked me that I was still holding the flower box when

I checked. My eyes were wide as I stood still, jaw open, not a single breath

leaving my mouth.

“Are you a new nurse or something?” The feathers remained

there. I gulped before answering, my body felt light, flight, or fight already taking

place.

“I’m a- a florist.” I gestured down at the box with my

logo on it, and he seemed to relax a little bit.

“Oh.” He replied and the feathers returned to beside him.

He tried to make the IV drip stand back up again, but in a futile attempt he

gave up, just letting it fall to the group beside the other tools. He turned away

from me.

‘He is obviously in pain right now’ He faced away just

to hide the scowl and how much he was now clutching his side.

He looked over his shoulder “Who sent you?”

“Mirko” I responded relieve that he was no longer about

to kill me.

“Where should I leave the flowers?”

“The table next to my bed” I stepped over there. An

assortment of papers where there is messy handwriting that I had no place in

reading. Nonetheless, I caught the words “Touya.” Too bad I didn’t know any Touyas.

I sat the box down and opened it up.

Luckily with everything that went on, I didn’t destroy any

of the blooms.

“Did Mirko say anything about me?” He questioned quickly.

As much as he tried to seem tough, he valued her opinion very much.

“Get well soon and all of that, nothing much, she was too

busy teasing me, you know?”

“Mirko was? Teasing you?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion

before settling into a knowing look.

“Ohhhh” He winked.

“No no, it's nothing like this I promise I just met her.”

“Mmmn k” He didn’t believe me in the slightest.

“Just watch out she packs a punch”

Hawks walked over to where the flowers were and observed

the arrangement. He had a particular fondness for the red lilies, the same ones

that Mirko liked. He talks about her punch though reminded me of the crashes

and villain attack last night.

“I hope she’s okay, she seemed pretty beat up last night

after the battle.”

“Eh, she recovers inhumanly quick. Something to do with the

rabbit in her.”

He looks over to me and paused.

“What’s your name?”

“(Y/N)”

“(Y/N Hmmm) He mumbled to himself like he was getting

used to the way it sounded.

“I can’t imagine this will be our last encounter (Y/N),

It was nice to meet you.”

I smiled graciously and sighed.

“Nice to meet you too.”

#bnhabookclub #mirkobnha #miruko #mirukobnha #bnha fanfic #bnha mirko #bnha x reader #flowershop au #kinda flower shop not really its just the reader who works at a flower shop lol ahaha #mirko x reader #rumi usagiyama #rumi usagiyama x reader #just-mirko #justmirko #Lavender Petals #pegahawks2020 #kinda gay

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dumplingfaye · 3 years

Text

AU Asta’s My r story (no song or lyrics)

Asta: (about to take his shoes off)

Mimosa: (about to jump)

Asta: (looks to her) HAY WAIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING⁉️

Mimosa: (blushes extremely heavily “taken aback”)

Asta: (thinking to himself) ‘wait a minute what did I just say it really doesn’t matter either way she got here before me for one reason or another actually I’m kind of annoyed that she is here today couldn’t she do it another day’

Mimosa: (blushes painfully) you probably heard it all before I I really thought the certain boy would be with me we get married turns out I’m just not his type

Asta: ARE YOU KIDDING ME THE NERVE YOU HAVE TO GET HERE BEFORE ME FOR A PITIFUL REASON SUCH AS THAT ARE YOU UPSET BECAUSE I REJECTED YOU

Mimosa: (blushes extremely heavily”nods“)

Asta:💢YOU’RE LUCKY THAT NO ONE EVER STOLE YOU’RE STUFF

Mimosa: (cries with a big bright smile) Thank you Asta (kisses him on the cheek)

Asta:.............maybe tomorrow will be a new day

(the next day)

Asta: (take his shoes off)(notices Noelle)

Noelle: (about to jump)

Asta: HAY WAIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING⁉️

Noelle: (taken aback)

Asta: (thinking to himself) ‘wait a minute what did I just say did I do it again I did it again come on Asta it really doesn’t matter either way she got here before me for one reason or another actually I’m kind of annoyed that she is here today couldn’t she do it another day’

Noelle: you probably heard it all before my family abuses me my siblings treat me bad everyone in school makes fun of me I don’t belong here everyone at home blames me for my mom’s death

Asta: ARE YOU KIDDING ME THE NERVE YOU HAVE TO GET HERE BEFORE ME FOR A PITIFUL REASON SUCH AS THAT............cause even so you are so loved by you’re brother at home there’s always dinner waiting on the table you know

Noelle: but it hurts you don’t understand I can’t continue on everyone doesn’t treat me right and it hurts

Asta: no you don’t understand you never worked a day in your life I worked all my life

Noelle: not true I work to be better but people constantly bring me down

Asta: do you have younger siblings that tell you you can never do anything right no matter how hard you try you just fail are you the oldest in you’re family and constantly look down upon because you’re so short

Noelle: uh......hmm (starts crying bright smile) i’m hungry I’m going home (kisses his cheek)

Asta:.............maybe tomorrow will be a new day

(the next day)

Finral: everyone in my family hates me

Asta: so what you’re brother is incredible so you’re just gonna let him make fun of you

Finral: don’t act so high and mighty I know you’re here for the exact same reason

Asta: huh what reason are you even talking about???

Finral: you know because you’re siblings make fun of you

Asta: no I’m not you don’t even know why am here in the first place stop acting like you do

Finral: well why are you here

Asta: yeah as if you care you only care about yourself

Finral: my family treats me so bad I can’t take the pain

Asta: don’t you have someone you love

Finral: (taken aback)

Asta: isn’t there someone you want to be with

Finral: I......

Asta: tell me don’t you want to make that girl you’re’s

Finral: I........(cries) I do thank you

Asta:.............maybe tomorrow will be a new day

(the next day)

Yuno: I am a prince I have a castle but I am an orphan my parents are dead I have everything and yet nothing at the same time

Asta: So..........you’re here because you want a family if that’s the case then why don’t you try to make you’re own family you know to make you’re parents happy even though they’re gone

Yuno: I guess I didn’t think of that (cries while smiling brightly) thank you stranger

Asta:.............maybe tomorrow will be a new day

(the next day)

Gray: My stepmother and stepsisters hate me

Asta: why do you care just run away find a friend and ask them if you can live with them at least for a little while until you can get you’re own home

Gray: can I live with you

Asta: we’re not friends besides my house is way too crowded for any more people to be there trust me it’s better if you just find a boyfriend after all you’re a pretty cute girl I’m sure someone will be happy to help you

Gray: Okay (cries a little “smiles slightly”)

Asta:.............maybe tomorrow will be a new day

(the next day)

Leopold: I’ll never be anything like my siblings my siblings are incredible and I’m not

Asta: I don’t care listen you aren’t anything like you’re brother and sister so be better than them you’ll never be anything like them because you’ll be better than them

Leopold: wow I’m surprised you caused my cousin so much pain I didn’t think you were an actual kind guy

Asta: why because I rejected her oh please she came here as well but I told her she was just being selfish after all both of you are rich beyond recognition you guys have parents siblings who love you. there are people who actually go through way worse than you do

Leopold: (cries smiles) I hope we can be friends No you’re my rival (put his fist on Asta’s chest)

Asta:.............maybe tomorrow will be a new day

“for the next year people will come to that spot and I would hear about what they had to say until one day”

Asta: (about to take his shoes off) (sees a person with long black hair” thinking to himself “ blushes) ‘is that? no it can’t be but what if it is‘ NACHT SENSEI

Nacht: Hmm Oh Hi Asta

Asta: uhh um what are you doing here???

Nacht: what are you doing here???

Asta: uhh just like looking at the view

Nacht: hmm i’m here for the same reason you are

Asta: to look at the view

Nacht: to kill myself like you

Asta: huh? what? why do you want to die???

Nacht: tell me Asta don’t you think it’s a bit strange

Asta: that you want to die

Nacht: no...... that everyone constantly came to the exact same place you were every single day and only one instead of everyone coming on the same day do you wanna know why

Asta: Why???

Nacht: because I made them feel horrible I told them how insecurity wasn’t healthy and that they would be better off dead

Asta: You Said That ⁉️

Nacht: WELL not exactly I mean I did tell them that insecurity was a bad thing but I didn’t say that they would be better off dead I just implied it

Asta: WHAT HOW ⁉️

Nacht: I told them that no one would care if they died and if maybe they did die someone would care for them for only a few minutes but those few minutes would be incredible

Asta: YOU’RE INSANE

Nacht: maybe but it’s their fault for listening to me do you want to know why I made them feel horrible

Asta: why did you do something so horrible why would you do that ⁉️

Nacht: because I know you were going through depression and you would’ve killed yourself and I figured that maybe you could’ve talk sense into them give them a reason to live

Asta: huh???

Nacht: I gave them a reason to die you gave them a reason to live but now there’s no more students left so I’m here instead give me a reason to live give me a reason to continue going please Asta

Asta: huh......I......I don’t.......I

Nacht: cat got you’re tongue?

Asta: why are you here???

Nacht: because my brother is dead

Asta: oh wow that’s why you wanna die

Nacht: disappointed???

Asta: well I mean yeah I heard the carbon copy of can’t stand my siblings they are bad. my parents are dead practically the entire year

Nacht: my parents are dead to

Asta: so you can’t keep on going on because life is difficult and painful

Nacht: isn’t that why you want to die

Asta: No. family has nothing to do with this

Nacht: I’m not talking about family I’m talking about how life is painful

Asta: huh

Nacht: you wanna die because no matter how hard you try you will never be good enough you work and work and work and nothing changes you’re family doesn’t acknowledge you’re hard work nor are they grateful for it and you’re sick of it you just want you’re suffering to end and even though you know it’s a stupid decision if it means you get to be free even just for a little bit you’ll take that chance won’t you Asta

Asta: are you making fun of me for being petty

Nacht: not at all you ask for help from people all the time and no one does

Asta:.............

Nacht: if anything they make a joke out of it

Asta:..........

Nacht: you spent this entire year hearing everyone’s pains but what you desire is having people who love you and appreciate you

Asta: is it wrong???

Nacht: of course not I was like you along time ago no matter how you feel at least you’re not the reason for you’re brother’s death

Asta: what???

Nacht: it’s complicated but when I was younger I was I was quite the scumbag not gonna lie my brother was perfect everyone loved him and everyone preferred him over me one day I got really jealous of him on my 18th year old birthday no one came but everyone celebrated his birthday

Asta: normally I would say aren’t you twins doesn’t that mean you have the same birthday but you already told me you’re birthday is on April 30th and everyone mistakes you’re birthday for May first

Nacht: everyone would celebrate his birthday eventually one year later I got sick of it I got sick and tired of him and I blocked him out of my life I ignored his existence I never thought he’d do something so stupid

Asta: what did he do???

19 year old Nacht: oh my god just stop trying to be in my life I don’t want you near me

Morgan: why not Niisan I’m you’re brother don’t you love me

19 year old Nacht: (cries extremely heavily) LOVE YOU I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!YOU TAKE EVERYTHING FROM ME YOU TAKE EVERYONES LOVE YOU TAKE MY FRIENDS YOU EVEN TAKE MY BIRTHDAY AWAY FROM ME

Morgan: I.......I’m sorry Niisa-

19 year old Nacht: I DON’T NEED YOU’RE PITY

Morgan: is there anything I can do for you Niisan

19 year old Nacht: WHY DON’T YOU DIE FOR ME!!!!!!!!

Nacht:(bites his lip)

The next day

19 year old Nacht: why is that annoying pile of crap alarm clock going off isn’t he going to turn that garbage off (goes to Morgan’s room) hey shut that off I don’t like the stupid sound (Open the door) (widen his eyes)

Dead Morgan: (hanging on a rope)

Nacht: no..... no..... no..... no..... no..... No......No......No...... No...... No...... No......No......NO.......NO NO NO

NO NO NO NO PLEASE GOD TAKE ME INSTEAD HE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG PLEASE I BEG YOU GOD PLEASE

Nacht: (bites his lip clenches his fist “bleeding in both”) DON’T GIVE ME THAT YOU IDIOT YOU DID WHATEVER YOU WANTED AND NOW WHEN THINGS ARE CONVENIENT FOR YOU YOU RELY ON THE GODS DON’T BE STUPID NO ONE IS GOING TO SAVE YOU

Asta: Nacht Sensei is everything-

Nacht: (deliberately falls)

Asta: (catches Nacht’s hand)

Nacht: UHH WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING???

Asta: SAVING YOU’RE LIFE!!!!!

Nacht: I DON’T WANT YOU TO

Asta: YOU KNOW YOU’RE EXTREMELY SELFISH

Nacht: HUH

Asta: YOU WERE LOVED BY YOU’RE BROTHER HE DID ALL HE COULD TO MAKE YOU HAPPY AND NOW YOU’RE JUST GONNA DEVALUE IT

Nacht: YOU CAN’T STOP ME FROM DOING THIS

Asta: EVEN SO PLEASE PLEASE NACHT SENSEI (tears coming down his face) PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME SEE YOU DIE

Nacht: (sighs) I guess today’s just not my day (let’s Asta pull him up kisses Asta’s forehead)

Asta: .............maybe tomorrow will be a new day

(The next day)

Asta: Nacht Sensei didn’t come to school today I wonder if he did it

there’s no one here today I guess it’s time it’s just me myself and I there’s no one who can get in my way I’m going to be set free today removing my yellow cardigan having my headband come all un done this petit boy short as can be is going to jump now watch and see

Nacht: you’re late I’ve been waiting for you

Asta: ha ha yeah um what should we do now

Nacht: anything you want

Asta: I want to meet my mom and meet you’re brother

Nacht: okay let’s go (grabs Asta’s hand)

Asta: (grabs Nacht’s hand)

Nacht and Asta: (walks in to the distance)

the end

#Black clover #Black clover Asta #Asta #Black clover Nacht #Black clover Nacht Faust #Nacht Faust #Black clover Mimosa #Mimosa #Black clover Mimosa Vermillion #Mimosa Vermillion #Black clover Noelle #Noelle #Black clover Noelle Silva #Noelle Silva

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lordpastawrites · 4 years

Text

One Last Dance

Pairing: SuFin

Word count: 1345

Classification: Historical one shot

"So It's finally over huh?"

The Swede looked over at the small Finnish sitting on a chair nearby the fireplace, stretching his one hand to get it closer to the warmth of the fire.

"I suppose it is".

Tino sounded exhausted, his voice had lost his usual cheerfulness. A day before he had just signed the Moscow Peace Treaty, a pact that meant the end of the Winter War.

"You don't seem too happy".

Berwald said, noticing how devastated his old friend was. Wars had always manifested on countries as physical injuries and in Tino's case, he was wearing an arm sling and had bandages surrounding part of his head. The Fin seemed beaten up, which was a natural consequence of losing a war. Perhaps it was unwise of him to tell Tino to cheer up after losing against the Soviet Union, who could possibly be happy about it? The Swede was embarrassed of himself, he couldn't even try to be empathetic around his friend, he felt like he was messing up big time.

"You're right, I should be happy that it's over".

Tino sighted, staring into the fire. Sure, his wounds were hurting and he had lost the war but it was finally over. His people were now liberated from this burden, the aftermaths of course were terrible but maybe for today, he could rejoice before facing the load of consequences of war.

"Come help me get up Berwald".

He called for the Swede, who came by quickly and helped him stand up. Even though he could do it with one hand, he sprained his ankle not long ago and it was still healing. Slowly and carefully, Berwald lifted the smaller male up from the chair, the Fin was wrapping an arm around his friend's neck.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess".

Tino's voice cracked a little as he looked at Berwald, who also had some bandages wrapped around his head. Most of them were minor injuries that the Swede didn't worry about.

"It's fine, I sent the Volunteer Corps on my own, you don't have to feel responsible for it".

A comforting smile appeared on Tino's face. How long has Berwald been in his house? About 2 months at least. It was time for him to go back to his country. Although he wished to have the Swede by his side a bit longer.

"You're leaving today?"

Berwald nodded, caressing the Fin's face gently. He too, wished to stay longer but he had other responsibilities back home, he was a country, after all.

"I know it's selfish to ask but, could you stay at least one more night?"

Sweden didn't know what to say. He really wanted to be by Tino's side longer if he could. The time they have spent together had been great, sure they were in war with the URSS and everyday was a hardship that came along with endless nights, but Berwald was satisfied. To give the love of his life the support he needed was good enough. They had happier days in the past but at least they were together, in the good and the bad.

"Just one more night".

Tino was delighted, laying his head on Sweden's chest. At least they were going to spend the night together, like the good old days. He should make the best out of their last night before Berwald goes home.

"Then let's celebrate!"

Now the Tino that Berwald knew was back, the happy and naive boy with that sweet smile. Finland walked slowly towards the radio, tuning it and trying to find a good song.

"I love this song!"

He cheered, moving back to Berwald's side with a grin, taking the Swede's hand and wrapping his fingers around it, making the larger male blush deeply. It was always these little things that made him feel so vulnerable.

"Let's dance, Sverige".

Berwald's heart was pounding so hard as he placed a hand by Finland's waist and the other squeezing Tino's hand tightly, his palms were getting sweaty because of it.

'Do I want to be with you

As the years come and go?'

The song was Only Forever by Bing Crosby, a popular singer of 1940, Berwald had heard a couple songs but wasn't as familiarized with it as Tino was.

'Only forever

If you care to know'.

The Fin's agile feet were gliding along the floor, making Berwald advance in delicate circles. The Swede wasn't much of a dancer, but he would do anything to please his sweetheart.

'Would I grant all your wishes

And be proud of the task'.

'Only forever

If someone should ask'.

Tino raised Berwald's arm and spun, impressing the Swede with his dance moves. Distracted by the amazing sight of his loved one, he accidentally stepped on the Fin's foot.

"I-I'm sorry, are you hurt?"

He apologized, hoping he didn't step on Tino's damaged foot, but the Fin shook his head with his usual smile.

"You're a great dancer, Berwald".

He said, wrapping an arm around the Swede's neck and reducing the distance between them.

'Do you think I'll remember

How you looked when you smile?'

Sverige leaned forward unconsciously, staring into Tino's sparkly eyes, their lips were just a few centimeters away from each other.

'Only forever

That's puttin' it mild'.

The distance between their mouths was closed by Berwald, who was tasting every bit of Tino's warm and smooth lips. Both of them shutting their eyes, consumed by the passion as the song kept playing.

'How long would it take me

To be near if you beckon?'

Finland was blushing madly and his breath was shaky, that kiss sure took him by surprise but he didn't dislike it.

'Off hand I would figure

Less than a second'.

Sweden tried to continue with the dance, following the rhythm. Words were unnecessary during their dance, they looked deep into each other's eyes and communicated by their looks. It didn't matter how well they danced or how well they looked as they danced. Berwald realised that the only thing that mattered was the person in his arms.

When the song ended, Tino and his lover were laying on the carpeted floor in front of the fireplace. Every gesture, every caress, every touch, every glance and every kiss were special for Tino, for he feared that they might be the last. The war in his country was over but the world was still at war, even if Sweden was neutral towards the conflict, danger still existed. He didn't know when he would see Berwald again, so he treasured every second of their last night together.

The next morning, the Fin found himself in his bed, although he doesn't remember falling asleep there. The fire had been put out and now the room was cold and quiet. Tino hurriedly got up from bed, his half naked body shriveling as he wandered around the house, calling for Sweden's name, but there was no reply. He had left, leaving only a card on the dining table. Tino's eyes filled with tears, holding the card against his chest as he sobbed. A few minutes later when he calmed down a bit, he opened the letter.

Dear wife,

Worry not, I left early in the morning with my troops. I will write again as soon as I arrive. Take care of yourself during my absence. Don't be concerned about me, I beg you.

Please focus on your recovery and when the time comes, we will meet again. In the meantime, remember me and know that you will are and always will be my forever love.

Just like the song we heard yesterday: Do I want to be with you as the years come and go? Only forever if you care to know.

Always yours,

Berwald Oxenstierna.

Tino had a strange expression, a smile that contained a certain amount of sorrow. The letter did make him feel a bit better, but he was still saddened by Berwald's departure. But at least, they had shared one last dance, until they met again.

Note: The art is not mine. It belongs to the amazing Haylee Barrios who allowed me to edit her art.

#sufin #hetalia sufin #aph sufin #ahp finland #hetalia finland #aph sweden #aph #hetalia #hetalia fanfiction #aph fanfiction #hetalia one shot #aph one shot #historical hetalia

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frankincenseisnotamonster · 4 years

Text

The Finish Line

EXPECT IT!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DEETS:

Today is the day we put things to rest.

Let the old demons die,

Let sleeping dogs lie.

So this is it. We did. Come hell or high water. And we really have been experiencing hellfire haven’t we all. Literal fires, and figurative fires. Its not easy to walk through flame, it is harder still to walk through flames and not be burned. Let us bask in knowing that if we are here, we are whole.

I had my last guitar battle on Saturday, the day before my birthday amongst friends who have been there for all the guitar battles and all the personal battles before that. Even in smoke, even in fire, my friends and loved ones, present and virtual came to gather round in our world now made camp fire.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I won. But what really is “winning” anyway. Is winning feeling better than someone else? Is winning learning a cool new lick on guitar? Is winning everyone voting for you? Is winning doing your best? Is winning just showing up?

Now at the end, after all the shenanigans, all the smiles, all the plotting, all the practicing and ruminating, I wonder, was it even a competition? And who really wins?

Winning is cool, and winning is good for me to work toward, but I didn’t do the battles to win.

I did the battles to battle myself and all the ways I had twisted up in self-sabotage and betrayal, setting myself up to fail constantly, and its not so much that I did fail but that I always “thought” I was.

I hope if folks look closely, or even look at all, they see what I see and know what I know, I did the battles, every guitar battle as an expression of pure self-love and healing, an unabashed (although I can be very abashed) display of what I thought, who I am and what I was, and most important who I could be. I won for myself, a vision of me being something else than what I thought I was.

I think I win, but not because of “winning the guitar battles”. All that I won was myself, the harder battle and the real one underneath, of learning to love and like myself.

I haven’t become amazing at guitar, or done a lot of cool shows were I stage dive into the audience, but I’ve met new people and been able to tell I resonate with them. I’ve reconnected with people from the past and realized there not for me. I’ve been hurt and hurt others. Similar to this new anime I adore, called K-ON, that is about a club that meets after school to eat and be in a band; I spent most of my time dreaming, and eating treats and snoozing probably a good deal more than I spent playing guitar.

The thing I love the most about picking up guitar and doing this strange and silly performance ritual has been all new fun memories with my friends I’ve made. And if I am being deeply honest, thats probably what I wanted most. I saw these other guys, something outside myself bringing folks together through music. I caught that love, and then I caught something more, or found something more in me, which was the dark, the envy the shadow.

The shadow is a special part. Its the part that made me keep practicing even if I thought it was a lost cause. Its the part that kept me feisty and petty with my rivals, I hope just enough to make it fun! Its the part that needed answers, needed to be seen, needed to be liked. But there was only one person that could really give love to my shadow and that was me. I had some pain inside me and I couldn’t even really say truly where it came from. What I found healing was acknowledging it existed, that even with my love of psychology and astrology, I still found it hard to give myself grace, to say its okay to make mistakes, its okay to be selfish sometimes, its okay to be wrong, its okay to be bad, its okay to just be.

So many times I have let things change me and sometimes there’s just no stopping that. But when I play guitar or make art, I’m shaping my own change. Octavia Butler says, god is change, but also we can also shape change. We can future cast, and we have to.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was listening to a podcast recently with Amanda Seals and Sonya Renee Taylor and they noted something so beautiful to me, “compassion and kindness can exist in the same space as honesty and truth”. I love this so deeply, through out my whole body. Truth doesn’t have to hurt and honestly doesn’t have to wound you. The guitar battles were my way of telling the truth in the most compassionate way that I could tell it, especially to myself.

They were a manifestation of what I believe, which is that fighting the power can be fun, saying hard things can happen with whimsy and joy, and you can do little things all the time to shape change and embody the love you want to see for everyone, by loving yourself, and the ladies of you know I had to add that in lol! ^,^

I haven’t always follow my own rules, or stuck to how I intended to do this whole thing, but thank you thank you to my lovely folks, my friends, my family, my bandmate, and my community thank you thank you (deep bows) for your ear, your time, checking in, looking out for me, hosting my battles, sharing my struggles, adjusting cameras and filming, contributing, joking and laughing, celebrating and being thank you thank you.

Through this whole process, I wanted to change and now in some ways I have. Its not my business what people think of me, but it is my business what I think of myself. I don’t need to be the protagonist of my story.

I hope there will be more challenges more strange adventure to go on. Sometimes I almost love the adventure itself, more than anything else. All I ask is that I have a fun story, and maybe one with a little adventure, a little whimsy, and atonement mixed in.

3 times over 3 times under I release my old stories. I love them for what they made me, And now may I let in something new.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

UPDATES

Im done play with the big boys now! To all my rivals I’ll catch you on the flip side.

I learned enter the sandman or some of it and it may not seem like a big deal, but y’all when I feel the power when I play it I gotta say! So today I make a promise and I don’t always like promises, as they are hard to keep. But if I cold promise anything ever, I would promise this:

Even if it takes everything in me, until my very last breath, I am going to shred so hard FOR THE LADIES. HUZZAH!

youtube

#staylazystaycrazy

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thorne93 · 5 years

Text

Stan Lee University (Part 19 - FINAL)

Prompt: What would the Avengers be like in college, more importantly, what would they be like if Y/N existed around them?

Word Count: 3850

Warnings: language and “adult themes”

Notes: This is based on a HC from @carryonmyswansong. They helped brainstorm and write part of this series. In this AU, no one will have powers, everyone is a normal human. Beta’d by @carryonmyswansong.

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

Just before spring break, Wanda had approached you after work and sat you down.

“Hey, I want to apologize for what I did. About this whole job and internship nonsense. I was a real bitch, and I shouldn’t have been.”

All you did was slowly nod as you listened.

“Look, I only did it because I really needed it and I figured you’d find another internship easy, but this was looking like my only option.”

You didn’t say anything and she started to get desperate.

“You’re some tough competition, alright? I only did it because I’m threatened by you, doesn’t that make you happy in some way?”

You shook your head. “Wanda, I didn’t want some stupid internship to come between us. So no, I’m not happy you felt like you had to dick me over to get an internship. If you’d just come to me and said you wanted it, I would’ve backed off.”

She bobbed her head, biting her lip as she played with her fingers. “So, still mad?”

“I was never mad. I was hurt. That our friendship meant less than an internship.”

“Well, to be fair, I only said that you were busy, not that you weren’t qualified, if that helps,” she offered, a smile slowly growing on her face.

You couldn’t resist smiling back at her.

“I suppose that’s true, and I do work there now, so… I forgive you.”

“Oh, thank you so much. I’m so sorry,” she cried as she hugged you tight. “It’ll never happen again.”

“As long as we’re friends again,” you said, happy to hug her back.

“Absolutely.”

------------------------------

Following that spring semester, you and Stephen spent all of your time together. If you weren’t at his house, he was at yours, or you were out doing something together. His whole family went on a vacation to the Bahamas and took you with them, then when you all got back from that, your family went to Hawaii, and he came along.

The sex, after your first time together in the lab, only grew better, somehow. You weren’t entirely sure how it could get hotter or better but it did. There was a deep connection every time, and there was always something new, something fresh, something exciting. He wasn’t a selfish lover by any means, and you had no problem repaying that feeling. In some ways, if you weren’t being affectionate, it was hard to keep your hands off each other. Whenever he was overtly kind to your loved ones, whenever he impressed you with science, whenever he did something completely responsible, you were rearing to go. Because like your friends had said long ago -- you have a type -- the successful type. That’s what Stephen was. Mature, well-adjusted, goal oriented, intelligent, funny, and sweet. He filled all the roles you wanted in a partner and more, and how could that not turn you on?

Since senior year was approaching, so were MCATs and med-school applications, so you two discussed your options. Stephen had his sights set on Columbia, whereas you were gunning for Johns Hopkins. Of course, you both applied to every medical college east of the Mississippi.

At first, you agreed that you should go where your careers would take you, that you shouldn’t sacrifice for the other. It felt right to both of you that if you were going to dedicate yourself to this line of work, it needed to be at the place that fit you best, not a place to compromise on.

But when the acceptance letters started coming in, decisions had to be made.

Stephen brought over all of his letters to your house and you were in the dining room, trying to discuss where to go.

“Well if I went to IU, and you went to Columbia--”

“Y/N,” he started, staring at you. You were pacing, talking to yourself, while he sat at the dining room table.

“But then I think it’d be closer if I went to--”

“Y/N,” he said again.

“But then we need to consider.”

“Y/N, I got accepted to Johns Hopkins and I’m going,” he finally said, hoping you heard him.

Still rambling and rattling, his words finally registered with you and you stopped, turning only your head to him. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I got accepted to your school and I’m going to go with you.”

“What? No, no that’s not what we agreed on. We agreed we shouldn’t sacrifice our careers for each other, we’d never do that.”

He stood from the table and put his hands on your biceps. “I’m not. We sacrificed time with each other so I could study abroad. You did that for me, so I could have opportunities like this. I’m repaying you. Johns Hopkins is where you want to go, and I want to be with you. I can’t stand the idea of us living states apart for four years, and that’s not including residency.”

“But what about Columbia? What about neurosurgery?”

“Is all at Johns Hopkins. I can do that anywhere. What matters to me is that you’re happy. It’s not like Hopkins is exactly a downgrade.”

You half smiled. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to wait and look down the road ten years and resent me for this.”

“I’m making this choice, not you. I’m not going to resent you. I’m still getting my degree, it’s no big deal.”

You nodded. “Okay, only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure about us, about you, the rest is just details.”

He kissed your forehead, then rested his against yours.

“So we’re really doing this? Med school? Together? For four years?”

“Hopefully it’s longer than that.”

------------------------

Four years later….

You had just graduated medical school, about to go into your residency. The graduation ceremony had just ended and your parents and sister found you, along with Stephen’s parents and his brother.

“Oh, get together you two for a picture!” your mom gushed, trying to not cry any more. You two held up your diplomas, smiling proudly with your caps and gowns on.

It was a long, grueling road, but you made it. Both of you made it out with MD-PhDs, somehow, by some crazy miracle. He was guaranteed a fantastic residency, as were you.

“Oh, we’re so proud of you,” Beverly said, coming over and hugging you two at the same time.

“Thank you,” you gushed.

“Oh, wait, shit,” Stephen suddenly said, checking his pockets. “I think I dropped my class ring. It was in my pockets. Hang on,” he said and you started to look around on the ground. He got down on his hands and knees and started to look around, patting the ground.

You turned around to talk to your family for a second, giving him time to look. Then suddenly, he said, “Ah, here it is.”

“Oh, did you find it--” you started to ask, whirling back to face him, only to be stunned when he was on one knee, a ring box opened.

You gasped, throwing your hand over your mouth, you nearly dropped your diploma. Your eyes flashed to the Strange’s who were merely grinning, they must’ve known this was coming, but your family seemed just as shocked as you.

“Y/N, I could list all the ways I love you. From your amazing laugh, to your intelligence that at times, can put mine to shame, putting my ego back in its place. But know that it’s your kind heart, your driven mind, your stunning humor, and overwhelming love that made this decision easy for me. So, Y/N, you started out as my lab partner, how do you feel about being my life partner? What do you say? Will you marry me?” he asked with a giant grin.

“Yes!” you all but screamed, and he laughed, standing so you could hug him quickly before giving him a huge kiss. He slid the ring on your finger and you kissed him again. Then hugs and kisses from both sides of the families went all around. Congratulations were in order and everyone went out for dinner to celebrate a day of fond endings and bright beginnings.

--------------------------

Three years later....

You and Stephen weren’t thrilled at the idea of waiting to actually get married, but you agreed you wanted to have your careers before having a marriage. You waited until you completed your residency and gained licensure and then you’d get married.

Which is where you were today.

The ceremony had already happened, with Stephen in a sharp tux, Victor as his best man, Clint as your Man of Honor. You found a stunning wedding dress that was adorned in every clear crystal on earth.

You wore your mom’s veil, and borrowed Beverly’s bracelet. You got married under an oak tree older than even your grandparents. A garden as your backdrop, with a beautiful crystal ballroom and garden area for the reception.

You had a smaller-ish wedding with only about 65 in attendance, but this felt better to you. Of course, most of your families were there, along with several people from med-school, as well as colleagues at the residencies.

The vows were all said, the vendors were all paid, the dancing was all done.

The sun was just now setting, letting the air cool slightly, but not enough to give a chill at all. Stephen and you were sitting on a little bench that swung, a nice cushion on it, your hand laced with his, your wedding bands shiny and new.

All around you, filling out a little concrete slab under another oak tree, and the end of a small path through the back garden, were your friends.

Tony and Pepper were sitting together, an engagement ring on Pepper’s finger. Clint and Nat together, wedding bands on their hands, and Nat’s baby bump starting to show. T’Challa and his younger sister Shuri were there. Steve and Sharon, a girl he met at his new job. Bucky, Scott, and Sam were all there. Wanda and Pietro were there. Wanda had brought a date, a guy named Paul who had blonde hair who was inside currently. And of course, Peter was there.

Stephen and you had found a moment alone, and stole it, but then Tony found you, and soon after that, everyone else did.

Fourteen people, all but two you’d shared most of your life with. Up until medical school, these people were your family, by every sense of the word. Sure there were bumps, bruises, fights, but after everyone had grown up, you all stayed in contact.

Tony already amassed an empire, leading in engineering. Bruce was working independently on biomolecular research, but every once in a while, he teamed up with Tony to pioneer some project. Bucky and Peter were on his design team, with Scott heading up the mechanics and running a few independent projects. Pepper was Tony’s right hand and they did a wonderful job together. Clint and Nat opened up a training ground for agents for the government -- if they were CIA, FBI, or otherwise, they went to their camp. Steve was head of operations for a finance firm but got in some art in his free time, even selling some of his work. Wanda worked as a psychologist out of Manhattan. Pietro went on to be an Olympic athlete, winning four gold medals for four different categories of running. Sam got work with the Air Force, helping to design and implement their aircrafts. T’Challa went on to be elected as mayor for his hometown. He was the youngest in history, but his ratings were also the highest.

And now, they were all here, to support you two.

For the past hour, you’d been explaining how you and Stephen met, what all had gone down that year, and how everything had transpired to bring you two here.

“Wait, so that’s how you two met?” Sharon suddenly asked.

“Yeah. Kind of dorky, isn’t it?”

“I think it’s cute,” she noted.

“Wait, Tony, you knew Y/N and Stephen were having sex in the lab?” Bruce suddenly demanded, making nearly everyone laugh. “And you just sat there with music playing?!” he questioned, clearly horrified.

Tony grinned. “Hey, what do you want me to say? I wanted to see how far these two love birds would take it with me in the room.”

You two just shrugged, smiling.

“How often did this happen?!” he questioned.

“Well to be fair,” Stephen suddenly said, his cheeks a little pink as you peered up at him lovingly, “that was our first time together.” You scooted a little farther into his open arm, happily remembering the first moments together.

“And you decided to desecrate my lab in doing so,” Tony scoffed.

“Oh, don’t even pretend like you never did that in your lab, Stark,” Sam shot, a shit eating grin on his face.

“That’s besides the point. It’s my lab.”

“Actually, it was the school’s lab, and it was just once,” you assured, laughing.

“Ugh, now I’m going to have nightmares,” Bruce said, shuddering, sitting back in his lawn chair.

“I still can’t believe Loki did that shit to you,” Steve noted, looking down at his beer bottle.

You shrugged. “Hey, the way I see it now, I was a challenge.”

“Still shitty,” Scott noted. “You deserved better.”

“Hey, Debbie Downers, look around, she got ‘better’,” Nat defended and you smiled at her. She winked back at you.

“And clearly you two did too,” you noted. Clint and Nat did get married right after senior year but this was their first baby, and all of you were so thrilled for them.

“Yeah, little guy here is going to make things interesting, right, Daddy?” Nat asked, signing the question to him.

Clint nodded and signed back, “Absolutely, I’m so excited.”

“Shit, I forgot I dated that chick, Molly,” Sam suddenly said, his mind drifting back a few years.

“Yeah? How’d that turn out?” Steve wondered.

“Clearly not well. She ain't here,” he said with a serious face. “Nah, I think she was a little too spacey. Nice girl though.”

“Aren’t they all?” Bucky asked with a teasing tone before Sam slightly shoved him.

“What a wild ride,” Sam noted, thinking. “It seems like forever ago that we were in sociology together,” he noted.

“I know,” you agreed.

“I can’t believe I was such a bitch to you,” Wanda commented. “I don’t what was wrong with me,” she said with a sour face.

“Small town, lots of competition,” Bucky reminded. “Besides, clearly it worked out anyway, if Y/N got to be your boss.”

“Oh yeah, those first few months were just fantastic. Don’t let Y/N fool you, she totally threw her weight around for the grief I gave her,” Wanda informed to the group, pointing at you.

You nodded humbly. “Hey, can you blame me?”

A resounding “No,” hit your ears and everyone laughed.

“God, you guys,” Pepper suddenly said, “where has the time gone? It’s like just yesterday we were all juniors, just 21--”

“Or 19,” you corrected with a mischievous grin.

“Or 19, and now we’re approaching our 30’s. We’ve got careers. We’re getting married…” she stated, looking around and everyone slowly nodded.

“We graduated together almost a decade ago,” T’Challa remarked, his eyes going wide. “So much has happened. So much time has passed.”

“Where are we going to be in another ten years?” Steve asked as his eyes settled on everyone in the circle, but obviously no one had an answer.

Finally, you spoke up, “Exactly where we want to be.”

“Let’s hope so,” Bucky said.

“Let’s make a pact,” Tony suddenly said, standing up, raising his champagne flute. Everyone else stood as well. “We meet in ten years. No matter where we are, what we’re doing. Life gets busy, and I’m sure we can’t always meet every year, we can agree that on Y/N and Strange’s tenth anniversary, we can get together, just like this.” He paused a second, looking around. “While some of you are brand new to the group, and others have a few more miles than the others, and some of us have been around since the beginning, I think it’s important we keep this group together. Yeah?”

Everyone agreed and raised their glasses.

The rest of the evening, you spent reminiscing, talking about your time back in college, your time growing up in that town, and everyone’s lives since they left. It was the happiest you’d been since Stephen proposed. Your family was back together again.

------------------------------------------

The old gang did get back together ten years later at your anniversary party at your mansion.

Not much had changed for anyone. Tony and Pepper still ruled a technological empire, whom you often worked with to get top of the line medical gear and equipment. Bucky, Scott, and Peter all still working for Stark Industries. T’Challa had moved on to Governor and was talking about running for President, which you fully supported. Clint and Nat left their training program in capable hands and actually joined a private sector for work. Steve and Sharon had married and had children, in fact, so did Tony and Pepper. Peter met a girl named MJ at the company, and they were engaged now. Wanda and her boyfriend, Paul, from the party got married about four years back, and their first baby was on the way. Pietro had retired from Olympics but now he taught and trained other athletes and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Stephen had turned into the nation’s highest paid and sought after neurosurgeon. He was on the front of every discovery, every progressive and innovative surgery, every life saving method.

You were the nation’s highest paid and sought after psychiatrist. You were the pioneer for a deeper look into the human mind and psyche.

Both of you were invited to speak at symposiums, lecture halls, Ted talks, and conferences. You’d both been approached at different points to write books and while Stephen declined, you accepted the offer.

You had three kids, and they were just as bright as you and their father, maybe even more so. Curiosity burned in their veins and solutions lied on their tongues. Two boys, and one girl -- Donna.

After your careers got up and going, you offered to move your families out near you so that you could keep going with your work but not be far from family. Stephen’s parents said they’d move closer but refused financial help. Your parents accepted a small gift to help on a down payment but that was all they’d take.

Claire and Victor actually worked in the area as well, so they lived nearby, so you had everything you’d ever wanted.

Life couldn’t get any better. Every day with Stephen was full of love, adventure, family, and work. Your careers were never a competition, and no matter where the roads took you, you supported each other without ultimatums, expectations, or conditions. Each day was a blessing and more. You’d each given the other a life you’d always dreamed of, and that’s all you could ask for in a life partner.

Now, you stood in your living room with everyone, the kids in the parlor being entertained with the grandparents.

“Well, we made it another ten years,” Tony remarked. “Any regrets, anyone?”

Everyone shook their head as they looked around the room.

“So, everyone’s good? All the kids, all the gray hairs, all the stress?” he pressed.

“Yeah, man, no complaints from me,” Sam remarked.

“Same here,” Scott agreed.

“Wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Peter concurred.

“I’m living the life,” Wanda said happily as she put her head on her husband’s shoulder.

“So that’s it, huh? We all made it?” Tony asked. “Impressive. I was sure that it was touch and go there for a while with Scott and his run ins with the law. And let’s not forget Nat and Clint going total CIA.”

Everyone chuckled.

“No, I think everyone is exactly where they want to be,” you noted, holding Stephen’s hand and looking up at him lovingly. “I know I am.”

He smiled down at you before kissing you quickly.

“Me too,” he agreed.

“Oh, get a room, lovebirds,” Tony joked.

“You mean like your lab?” Stephen shot back before Tony shook his head.

“That’s never going to leave my mind…”

Just then, your mom said it was time to cut the anniversary cake. Everyone nodded and began to leave the living room before Stephen tugged your hand.

“Hey, hold on one second. I want to give you your gift now, in private,” he said.

“Oh?” you said, intrigued.

He nodded and walked over to a box that you hadn’t noticed before. It wasn’t wrapped at all, it was natural, dark wood.

“What is it?”

“Open it up and see, genius,” he quipped with an eye roll. “Honestly, two doctorates and I still have to instruct you on how to open a gift.”

“I’m about to open a can of whoopass on you so hard that not even you will be able to stitch it back up, doctor,” you shot, working on unclasping the box.

As soon as the lid was up, you recognized the contents, well, they were familiar at least. You reached in and pulled out a bundle of letters.

“Letters? Are these the letters from your time abroad?” you asked, leafing through them.

“Actually… these are new. A letter for every year. One on our wedding anniversary, one the day I proposed, one on the day we graduated SLU together, one on the day I got back from abroad, and every other year was one letter on your birthday.”

“You didn’t,” you said, happy tears immediately rolling down your cheek.

“I did,” he said with a cocky grin, reaching up to thumb away the tears. “And I’ll keep doing it.”

“I love you more than anything in the world,” you said in a hushed tone as you stared at him with admiration.

“I love you more than myself, and that’s saying something,” he said with a chuckle. You laughed too before leaning in to wrap your arms around him.

“Where’s my gift?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s right here.” You went to the coffee table and pulled out a loosely wrapped bundle. “Careful, it’s not in a box.”

“I gathered that much,” he shot back.

“Wasn’t sure you could deduce that, Sherlock,” you said, rolling your eyes.

He just smiled as he tore open the bag. “What is this?” he asked, pulling it out.

“Well, you once asked me if I wore a cape, being a superhero. I only thought it was right, then to give you this. You save lives every day, you deserve a cape. But most importantly, all those years ago, in my dorm, you saved mine.”

“This is cheesy,” he remarked before leaning down to kiss you. “But perfect. I love it, and I love you. Happy Anniversary, sweetheart.”

“Happy anniversary, darling,” you cooed back.

The two of you leaned forward, your lips brushing together for a kiss to signify ages of love past, and to come.

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

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#stan lee university #stephen strange x reader #stephen strange fic #stephen strange #steve rogers #bucky barnes #tony stark #pepper potts #sharon carter #bruce banner #peter parker #sam wilson #wanda maximoff

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cosmicmoved · 4 years

Note

" happy birthday to the sweetest, kindest pain in my ass! "

✨✨ ANSWER from TOMO ✨✨ / ( @castholy )

Birthdays are, in general, a little strange for Tomo. He likes them, for the most part, because, as always, they’re an excuse to throw a party. It’s just that most of that partying takes place late at night and early the next morning so he really spends very little of the day celebrating in any meaningful way. Not a problem, he’s a grown man and he can deal with that. Just like he can deal with the fact that people don’t really bother sending him gifts or money unless they’re terribly close to him. What do buy the rich kid with no impulse control? (Not that Min had been deterred by these sorts of concerns, having managed to surprise Tomo with a few items of expensive clothing and two Tamagotchi for his collection — both Tamagotchi SOME, the very new and Korea-specific release of an existing model from last year and in all four available colours — that he’d managed to pick up during a trip to Seoul a couple of weeks prior.)

He’d visited his mother earlier in the day, a matter of habit and tradition. If nothing else, Tomo knew he’d never heard the end of it if he didn’t show face and he didn’t want the rest of the day ruined by screaming matches over the phone. She had been about as enthusiastic as ever. The last time she’d shown any real interest in his birthday, he must have still been a child. As a matter of fact, he’s fairly certain the last birthday she’d cared all that much about was his thirteenth, wherein she’d near enough overwhelmed him in an effort to distract him from the fact it had been his birthday without his father. Although his father had been pretty distant at the best of times, he’d always put effort into birthdays, even before the divorce. Sometimes Tomo cannot help but wonder if his mother had always been like this and he’d just never really noticed but he’s quite certain she’d never been this frustrated until he’d run headfirst into adulthood, as though she was resentful of the fact he was no longer naive and malleable. This time around, she’d sat him down at the island in the kitchen taken it upon herself to complain that, at his age, she’d already married and had a child and that Tomo messes around far too much, that he’s wasting his time. The last point is a little fair, he thinks, he doesn’t know how to argue with it but it’s a tiring argument to keep having. Things had gotten particularly cold after he lost his patience and (accurately, he’ll maintain) told her that, at his age, she was less than a year into a rushed shotgun marriage to some guy who’d knocked her up on her trip abroad and all she’d actually done was give birth to a kid she barely wanted. It was around that point that the visit had found its natural end and she’d decided Tomo had overstayed his welcome. She handed him his gift and led him to the door but he’d excused himself, asking to take a quick toilet break before he left, before promptly throwing up his breakfast. When she’d discovered what was going on, she accused him of being hungover and he agreed without putting up a fight, finding it easier than explaining that the guilt of what he’d said had made him nauseous. If he’d told the truth, she’d have accused him of looking for sympathy and trying to make her feel guilty. He still hasn’t opened the gift.

Perhaps that’s why he doesn’t quite know how to handle Aeris’ simple birthday wish and can’t come up with a better response than an awkward joke. All in all, he’s used to Min being the only one who’s really sincere about the whole thing. Co-workers and staff will wish him a good day if it comes up and he happens to be working that day, and friends will save themselves for the evening. He wonders if more of them are more invested in the party than the actual date of it. One of his Japanese costars from the film he’d worked on earlier that year had sent him a small gift and he’d almost cried, just because it had taken him by surprise. Min had always put in a good effort; this year, he’d texted Tomo a string of emoji-riddled birthday wishes the minute midnight had hit. The thought of his best friend anxiously watching the time to ensure he got it at exactly midnight when Tomo himself hadn’t been paying much attention made up for everything else.

In fact, when he hears the words come out of Aeris’ mouth, he feels his head swim for a moment. For the umpteenth that day. Have you ever wanted to strangle yourself? Because that’s precisely how he’s feeling. But the words settle pretty quickly and the feeling passes with them, and he’s quickly all smiles. Just give him a moment to find his bearing and Tomo will always find a way to glitter. Until she showed up, he’d been waiting a good half an hour. It’s his own fault, he’d come to their agreed meeting place far too early, having realised he didn’t know what else to do with himself after the visit to his mother’s house and he’d been sure that finding an appropriate distraction would have resulted in him being late. Tomo hadn’t asked her to come along with any consideration for it being his own birthday, he’d just needed an excuse to get out the house and he hates navigating busy places alone. No matter how much he hides himself behind heavy sunglasses and shading hats, he can’t get the paranoia of being seen out of his head. They’re fears that seem to dissipate so long as he’s got somebody with him. And the fact that Aeris is usually quite willing to put up with his mile-a-minute bullshit is a welcome detail as well. He’d been shifting his mother’s gift, still wrapped, from hand to hand when Aeris appeared, trying to work out when and if he should bother opening it. If it’s a decent gift, he’ll feel even worse about his outburst but, if it’s terrible, he’ll feel even more like his mother doesn’t give a shit. If it’s neither of those things, that’ll probably guarantee he’ll be hit with that weird numb feeling he gets when he thinks too hard about these things. None of the solutions are favourable.

“N’awwww, you think that about me?” And he’ll absolutely take it. After all, it’s better to be lovely and annoying than plain old boring! All it means is that he has his own Tomo Flavour and he’s more than satisfied with that. As time goes on, he’s starting to realise that birthdays don’t mean as much to him as he likes to pretend. It’s fun to exaggerate and act it up because he gets to drag people to his favourite club and book out his favourite private room, while people insist on buying him drinks. He gets to be the centre attention and, as much as he’d deny it at any given opportunity, he loves that. He hates it at the same time, it’s all far too much, but there’s a kind of rush in being pushed past your limit. Or maybe he’s just weird. These are the sorts of things he’d never be able to explain to anybody, not without them thinking there’s something wrong with him. But the things that stick with him the most on days like this are simple kindnesses. Attention really only keeps him satisfied for so long, like a caffeine boost for loneliness, and before long he’s a wreck all over again but sincere affection, that’s more like a much-needed night’s sleep. He jumps up from where he was sat and, unwrapped still in hand, he pulls her into a tight hug. Tomo has been told before – by Min, unsurprisingly – that he’s a little clingy but he’d insisted that he meant it in a nice way, that it was a reassuring sort of clinginess. It’s not clear to Tomo what he’d really meant but he often remembers those words when he worries he’s being too much and finds himself feeling a little better about it.“Is it wrong that I feel like I need to buy you lunch as a thank you for remembering?” Tomo laughs, “Cause I don’t remember mentioning it. Did you check Wiki or something?” It’s probably an insensitive joke, given that she likely remembered on her own, but Tomo’s so busy trying to grin his way through the awkwardness that making sure the words that come out of his mouth aren’t stupid has kind of fallen back to second priority. He pulls out of the hug and, bouncy as always, throws an arm around her shoulder, giving her room to shove her off whenever she feels like it. Tomo’s not the sort of person to take that personally, everybody knows this much.

“I’m sorry I’m dragging you to the beach in fuckin’ November”, he adds, “I’m kind of surprised you agreed. I can think of a whole bunch of people who’d have told me to go fuck myself but you— you respect that I’m a pain in the ass!” There’s a chance, he’s aware, that he’ll regret putting this before lunch given that, technically speaking, he’s running on an empty stomach right now but that’s such a depressing topic to breach on a birthday. He doesn’t want to make her feel bad. Tomo always got the feeling Aeris was someone who had enough troubles of her own so burdening him with own bullshit, most of which makes little sense a lot of the time, seems unfair. Selfish even. “But you’re kind of outdoorsy, right? And it’s not that cold today. Maybe you’ll find some artistic inspiration or something.” Tomo beams up at her as he says this. Then, he remembers the small, wrapped box still in his hand. “And maybe I can throw this in the ocean if I hate it.”

He gasps, very suddenly. “No, wait, that’s pollution!” Hands are clasped together in apology and Tomo starts laughing. “Pretend I didn’t say that part!”

#« 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 (ᴛᴏᴍᴏ) » / 「 answered. 」#drinking mention #emetophobia mention #death mention #THIS TOOK ME SO LONG THAT IT'S NOT EVEN TOMO'S BIRTHDAY ANYMORE #i'm so sorry this is like 1.7k words this has no business being as long as it #esp since i don't even start talking abt aeris until the second half #i'm sorry this is a lil rough in parts.....i tried to keep the tone mostly lighthearted and fun but tomo's so...up and down in that regard #i feel like anything i write for him is gonna be total whiplash #IT NEEDED TO START OFF ROUGH TO SHOW THE CONTRAST AND WHY HE'S V TOUCHED THAT AERIS CAME ALONG WITH HIM ON HIS STUPID AUTUMN BEACH ESCAPADE #tHIS IS SUCH A MESS BUT OH WELL HOPEFULLY IT'S AN OK READ ASDFGHGFDS the power of friendship #both in ppl agreeing to go to the cold beach & also in me writing this many words bc ur my friend (:#just thinking abt how he doesnt even wait to see if she got him a gift or smth...partly bc that's GODMODDY but also bc he's probs not even #thinking abt that at all ASDFGHGFDS #castholy

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averagemarvelbitch · 5 years

Text

The Billionaire and The Mechanic / STONY

Summary: Steve is a billionaire who worked hard to get where he is. He meets Tony, the mechanic, and falls in love faster than he ever thought possible. But Tony has some issues to work through, and some secrets he’s clearly not ready to share, and Steve’s friends, ever so overprotective, are not really trusting of this strange mechanic who seems to have the billionaire wrapped around his little finger.

They soon find out that loving someone isn’t always easy, but it might be worth it in the end.

Chapters: 4/?

Tagging: @huntersociopathavenger @inmyownweirdworld

Read it on AO3

—

It was past eight when Steve finally managed to leave the office, tired and angry. His meetings had been a complete disaster and his head hurt from spending so much time with such egotistical, selfish people who cared about nothing but money. It never ceased to amaze him how awful these rich types could be. Maybe Tony is right, he thought to himself as he got in the car, slamming the door with a little bit more force than planned, maybe money really does turn people into fucking assholes. He sat there for a moment, hands on the wheel, just staring at nothing. A few weeks ago, after such an awful day, Steve would want nothing more than to go home, take a long, relaxing shower and just fall asleep watching old cartoons. That night, though, he found that his usual plans didn’t sound as good as they’d have weeks before. In that moment, all he could think about was burying his nose in Tony’s neck and holding him close. If he closed his eyes, he could almost smell the musky scent mixed with the accentuated smell of metal that exuded from the mechanic’s skin.

He opened his eyes slowly and found himself gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Would it be too weird if he called Tony and asked to come over? They had talked about meeting on Friday because of Steve’s busy schedule, but… he honestly didn’t think he could wait until then. Maybe he shouldn’t. They’d been on one date so far and maybe calling today, just to sleep over, would give Tony the wrong impression and he certainly didn’t want that. The mechanic was special and Steve wanted to make sure he knew just how special he was to him. So, with a heavy sigh, he decided to just send him a text saying goodnight. He didn’t expect, however, to find an unread text from Tony on his cell phone. The message brought a huge smile on his face.

<<So, I don’t usually do this, but screw the rules. I miss you. Come over?

>>Coming right now.

Soon enough, Steve was spending more time at Tony’s than at his own apartment. It had become such a common occurrence that every day he would tell Happy to pack him a small bag with necessities like clothes, shoes and a toothbrush. He’d leave the office early whenever he could and go straight to Tony’s, where they’d shower together until all the hot water was gone and then eat dinner, talking about their day and their past and whatever they felt like it. Sometimes, they’d cook. Steve was a great cook, thanks to his ma who’d taught him everything he knew. Tony wasn’t all that great, but he was eager to learn. While cooking, they’d drink a glass of wine and feed each other pieces of whatever they were making. They’d laugh, kiss, and occasionally make out and forget something in the stove, almost causing a fire. It was fun, it was easy, and Steve loved every second of it, which was precisely why he was so damn worried about Tony meeting his friends.

Steve loved his friends. They were his family, the only one he had. They had been together for years now, always helping each other through the tough times and celebrating together when life was going right. He loved them, he really did. But Steve also knew them very well, he knew just how protective they were of him and he was terrified of what they’d do to Tony when they finally had him at their mercy. He knew they meant well, but… God, Steve liked Tony. In fact, he was pretty sure he was very much in love with the mechanic already. Even the thought of losing him made his insides twist in an agonizing way. The uncomfortable feeling must have shown on his face, because he soon felt Tony’s hand softly touching his leg.

“Hey, handsome. You okay?”

Steve forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just nervous”, he replied without taking his eyes off the road.

“Look, I know I’m probably not what your friends are used to, but I can play the part with the rich kids. Trust me”, Tony said in a mocking tone, although Steve was sure he could hear some apprehension on his voice.

“Sweetheart, you’re perfect. I’m not worried about that, I’m worried that they’ll eat you alive. My friends tend to be a bit… overprotective”.

“I get it. My friend, Rhodey, the one I told you about, he’s very protective of me too”.

Steve parked the car right outside the bar, still looking worried. “Just stay close to me, okay? And if they make you even a little bit uncomfortable, you tell me and we’ll get the hell out, okay?”

Tony laughed. “Okay. I have to say, I’m a little relieved”.

“Relieved?”

Tony shrugged, smiling. “At first I thought maybe you were embarrassed of me. You know, introducing the mechanic to your rich friends”.

Steve shook his head. He took Tony’s hand in his and kissed his knuckles. “You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I could never be ashamed of you. Never”, he promised.

Steve and Tony entered the bar hand in hand. The blonde looked around for his friends and found them sitting on a big table in the back, Bucky waving his hands like a lunatic. Steve squeezed Tony’s hand, sending him a reassuring, although strained, smile. The mechanic smiled back at him, leaving a quick kiss on his shoulder before they made their way to the back of the bar. All conversation stopped as soon as they got close.

“Hey, guys. This is Tony Carbonell. Tony, this is everyone”.

A chorus of heys and hellos came soon after.

“Nice to meet you, Tony. I’m Clint and this is my husband, Phil”, the blonde man introduced himself, pulling his husband, an older man with brown hair, by the shoulders.

“This is Sam”, Steve said, gesturing to the dark skinned man, who promptly raised his beer in reply, “And these are Bucky and Natasha”.

“I gotta say, it’s nice to finally meet the guy who had my friend by the balls after just one date”, Bucky said, throwing his arm on Natasha’s shoulder. He looked relaxed, too relaxed.

Steve threw his friend a warning look. “Bucky…”

“Yeah, yeah”, he replied, “sit down, Tony. Hey, Steve, why don’t you go get your man a drink?”

“Actually, I was about to go there right now, so, Tony, what’s your poison?” Sam immediately chimed in, getting up.

“Uh, I’ll have a gin and tonic, please”.

“So, Tony, tell us a little bit about yourself”, Natasha asked, taking a sip from her drink.

“Well, I’m a mechanic…”

“That’s nice, that’s nice”, Bucky said in a tone that clearly meant it was not nice at all.

“… and I recently graduated MIT Summa Cum Laude. I was about to start my second PhD, but my parents died so I had to quit”.

A heavy silence fell on the table as they glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. Steve, who knew exactly what Tony was doing, smirked at his lover, his eyes full of mirth.

“But enough sad stories, tell me more about you guys. Steve talks a lot about you”, Tony added after a while, accepting the drink Sam had just handed to him.

Bucky was surprisingly well behaved after the whole “dead parents” incident. For hours, they shared stories, mostly about Steve’s childhood and army years and how they had all met.

“We met when we were kids. Stevie over there was my neighbor and he had the very bad habit of getting into fights he couldn’t possibly win. I had to save his skinny ass more times than I can count”.

“Skinny ass?” Tony had asked between laughs.

“Yep. He was half the size he is today, all bones and asthma”.

“We met at the army”, Natasha told him after, sipping her drink, “He was my Captain and one of the few men who didn’t treat me like I didn’t belong there”.

“We met at the VA. Bucky was getting his robotic arm; SI was choosing some candidates for it. He was the only one who actually passed the trials”.

At this point, Tony choked on his drink. “Your arm is Stark Tech?”

“Yep. Pretty good, too. But they shelved the program when it became Stane Industries. In fact, they shelved every single program that didn’t have weapons in it”, Bucky explained, flexing his metal arm, “I was lucky to get one before they did. It could use an update, but at least it’s still working”.

“I could take a look at that for you”, Tony offered, making Bucky freeze on the spot. “Improve it, if you want. My PhD is actually in robotics so…”

Bucky hesitated for a moment and Tony could swear he was going to say yes, but seemed to change his mind.

“That’s ok. It’s not giving me any trouble, so it’s fine”.

A loud buzzing sound interrupted the conversation. Steve took his phone out of his pocket and cursed loudly.

“Shit, I have to take this”.

“Go ahead”, Tony replied, touching his arm in reassurance.

“Come with me, it’ll only be a minute”, he whispered back to his lover.

“Steve, go! It’s fine. Trust me, I’ve had worse than overprotective friends asking intrusive questions”.

Steve still looked unsure, but in the end just took a deep breath, nodding to Tony. “Okay”, he got up, answering the cell phone while mouthing an angry behave at Bucky and Natasha.

“Ok, mechanic, so what’s your deal?” Bucky asked as soon as Steve was out of earshot, his eyes darkening all of a sudden, losing all the playfulness that had been there before.

“What’s my deal?”

“Yes. Let’s start with your name, shall we? Because we checked with some friends and Tony Carbonell doesn’t exist”, Natasha replied, looking untroubled as she sipped the rest of her drink.

Tony, on the other hand, was anything but calm. In fact, he was terrified. He couldn’t tell them the truth because, if he did, he’d have to explain a lot of things from his past that he was definitely not comfortable talking yet. Or, even worse, they could turn on him and tell Obie where he was, which would be a complete disaster. He took a deep breath, trying to come up with a plausible lie.

“I’m sorry, you checked with some friends and they said I don’t exist?”

“Our friends work for the FBI”, Natasha explained, “If they say you don’t exist then you don’t exist”.

Tony looked around the table. Clint and Phil were staring at him intently, clearly waiting for an answer. Sam, on the other hand, was looking down on his drink as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. The young mechanic felt trapped, like a wild animal locked in a small room. Before he could answer, though, Steve showed up and, probably sensing the tension, cursed loudly, glaring at his friends.

“Seriously? I leave for five minutes!”

“I’m sorry, Stevie. But Greg checked their database for an Anthony Carbonell and the only one he found was some Italian rich type who died before this kid was even born. So, forgive us for being overprotective of you, but this piece of shit is lying to you about who he is”.

Steve faltered for a second and looked at Tony. He didn’t look angry or upset, he just looked... confused. The mechanic didn’t know what to do. He was terrified that they would find out his secret, but he was also afraid that, if he didn’t come clean, Steve would leave him, and with good reason. And so, in that moment, he made a decision.

“I ran away from home. Well, not ran exactly. After my parents died, my legal guardian showed his true colors. My father left him everything we had, including the house, the furniture, and any and all inventions I had come up with. I had a robot, I built him myself from scratch. His name was DUM-E. He’s probably been destroyed now or sold for parts”, Tony told them, his eyes suddenly burning as the tears began to fill them, “My guardian threw me out right after the funeral. All I had were the clothes I was wearing at the time, nothing more. I couldn’t afford MIT anymore, so I had to leave there too. My friend Rhodey helped me out, let me stay at his mother’s place for a while”.

“That’s all very sad, but it doesn’t explain why the hell you’re using a fake name”, Bucky interrupted, earning a glare from Steve as soon as he opened his mouth.

“I created something during my MIT years”, technically not a lie, Tony thought to himself, I did create the Jericho while at MIT, just not AT MIT, “I put a code on it, something not even the best hacker in the world could crack. It was important and expensive”, and dangerous, “and I wanted to keep it safe from the wrong people. My guardian angel found out and he wanted the code. He came after me, tried to drag me home. I refused. According to my father’s will, though, I had to give him the code because everything I had was his property now. He said he would come back with some lawyers, get things straight. So I ran away”.

“Shit”, Clint whispered, grabbing his partner’s hand and squeezing it.

“So I moved to NY and changed my name. My friend Rhodey is the only person who knows where I am because he helped me rent the house I’m in. I’m afraid of what would happen if my legal guardian found me, so that’s why I changed my last name. Now, if you don’t mind”, Tony said, getting up and putting on his jacket, “I’d like to go home. Nice meeting you all”.

“I’ll take you home…” Steve tried, but the mechanic outright refused.

“No, I’ll call a cab. I’d like to be alone tonight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow”, and with a final wave, Tony left the bar leaving a brokenhearted Steve behind.

---

>>Hey, how are you feeling? Text me when you wake up, sweetheart ― sent at 6am

>>Tony, sweetheart, I’m so sorry about last night. Please, pick up the phone ― sent at 7.30am

>>Hey, it’s me. I understand if you need some time, if you’re mad at me for putting you in that situation, but please just tell me if you’re alright. I need to know you’re safe ― sent at 9am

“Knock knock”, a soft voice came from the door. Steve recognized the voice immediately. He knew he was behaving like a child, ignoring Bucky like that, but he couldn’t help it. He was just too angry to have a proper conversation with his best friend.

“Come on, Stevie. I’m really sorry, ok? I couldn’t have known…”

“No. You’re right, you couldn’t have known, so you shouldn’t have exposed him like that”.

“I was trying to protect you”, Bucky tried to explain, getting closer to Steve’s desk.

“FROM WHAT?” Steve suddenly shouted, making his friend shrink a little. He took a deep breath to compose himself once more before continuing. “Bucky, what were you trying to protect me from exactly?”

“I just didn’t want to see you hurt again”.

He laughed. “Look at me! I’m hurting! Tony won’t answer my calls or my texts. He probably wants nothing to do with me anymore and I can’t say I blame him!”

“Look, I just worry, okay? Or did you forget what happened the last time…”

“OH MY GOD! This again! I was stupid, I fell for the wrong person, I got my heart broken, BIG FUCKING DEAL! It’s happened to everyone. Or do I have to remind you of Connie?” Steve replied before covering his face with his hands, “How many times are you going to remind me of that? I fell in love, I got played, I was sad and I moved on”.

“Oh, come on, Stevie, it was more than that and you know it”, Bucky immediately countered, looking angry, “You were a mess! You didn’t leave your house for almost a month, you didn’t eat, you didn’t talk to anyone! You were a goddamn zombie! I know you like to see the best in everyone, but some people are just bad, okay? And when I found out Tony was lying about his name I got mad because I thought ‘great, here’s another Ophelia to tear him apart’. I was wrong about that, and I’m sorry, but I only did it because I care about you”.

“I know. I know”, Steve sighed. “Did I tell you my first date with Tony was not so good?”

That took Bucky by surprise. “No. No, you didn’t”.

“I showed up with a very expensive car, took him to one of the most expensive restaurants in New York. I booked the whole place just for us. And that’s not even counting the huge bouquet of flowers I sent before, or the chocolates”.

“See, that’s what I’m saying”, Bucky interrupted, pointing at Steve, “That right there. You fall too hard too fast and they take advantage of you”.

“Tony looked uncomfortable the entire night”, Steve said, ignoring his friend’s words, “so I finally asked him what was wrong, if I had done something that he didn’t like. And he told me that he’d had some contact with rich people before and that the only thing they really cared about was money so he wasn’t sure if I was worth dating. He asked me to tone it down with the expensive shit”.

“That doesn’t mean anything, he could be playing the long game with you, Stevie”.

“Why is it so hard for you to believe that someone could actually love me for me and not for my money?”

Bucky shook his head, “That’s not true and you know it”.

“I like him, Bucky. In fact, I’m very much in love with him. I’m happier than I have been in a very long time. And if you’re right, if he’s this horrible person you’re so convinced he is, if he does play for a fool and breaks my heart, then I’ll deal. Please, just… give me the respect of making my own decisions”, he pointedly said, knowing what that phrase meant to both of them.

“That’s low, Stevie”.

“She was always right. You said so yourself”.

Bucky unconsciously touched his metal arm, squeezing it lightly. “Yeah. You’re right. I’m sorry”.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try and get some work done so I can leave early to go beg Tony to forgive me”, he said, turning back to the computer, but not before glancing at his cell phone, where the screen was still empty, with no new messages.

Bucky nodded and got up, shutting the door behind him. He then turned to Hill. “Maria, I need Tony’s address. You have it, right?”

She nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe I do. Why exactly would you like that most valuable piece of information, Barnes?”

He sighed, glancing at the shut door of his best friend’s office. “I just want to fix the mess I made”.

Leave a comment and/or ask to be tagged // Feed my caffeine addiction

#stevetony #stony #superhusbands #sugar daddy steve #sugar baby tony #no powers au #the billionaire and the mechanic #fanfic #fic #mcu #marvel

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alexben10blog · 5 years

Text

Ben G-10 English Ver

Chapter 1

Benjamin Kirby Tennyson was a whirlwind of emotion at this time, hitting the ground with his feet repeatedly as symbol of barely contain his self. It was only one week for vacations, and besides today was Monday it was the last Monday of the school year. Oh almost can see himself with his grandpa in the road traveling for all the country.

―Mister Tennyson ― The annoying voice of the teacher bring him back to reality. ― Can you tell me the answer of the question in the board? ―

―Uh… ― The words panting in the board almost made fun of him for his lack of attention. The sound of the bell was a salvation and indicator the end of the last class. The kids don´t lose time to pick their things. Ben run toward the door with the hope of get out without any problem.

Start his path when was push form behind, knocking him down and spreading his things. In the ground he spun around look his attackers, who knew very well; Crash and DJ. He snorted while stand up to reach his backpack now in the hands of the bullies.

―Give me back ― He extend his hand, but if was a part with a slap.

―Why do not you come for her, Tennyson? ― They star to run an opposite direction been followed by Ben. Already had too much backpack lost because they fault and he had already finished the excuses for his parents. He had to recover or they were going to punish him without going to the trip with his grandfather.

He was reaching them just to see how he throws his backpack into the city's garbage dump, which, to make it worse, was fenced and closed. The last thing he listen of the duo it was mocking laughter moving away while his stands still looking the garbage dump. Just one thing he can do.

―The assholes, always getting in with the rest. ― He grumble, lowering careful not to fall while crossing to the other side, by no seeing the backpack close he in. Something illuminated the dark place, look up just in time to jump to the side before that it will impact against him.

Ben shook the dust with his hands that formed around him. Where before he was now there was a hole because the impact, curious he gets close looking the metal sphere completely intact completely intact.

This opened suddenly revealing a watch black, white and green. The curiosity and the wonder was paint in his face, almost feel how his hand itch for touching the mysterious watch, just had to stretch a little longer his arm and take it.

―Don’t you dare touch it! ― A severe voice it came out, apparently, out of nowhere. Making Ben turn around, just his eyes look down again to the watch find with them a little be with big green eyes similar to a frog.

Ben have no idea what to said, but something around him feel weird good, beside the point he almost dies for a strange objet of the space when now are a space frog and a mysterious watch.

―Who are you!? or What are you?! ― The frog don´t said nothing about his questions, merely took the watch, too big for him, getting tangled in his chest. Jump out the sphere and start walk far of Ben. ― Hey! Wait! You have not answered me! ―

Ben starts to follow him closely continuing with his questions, adding up new. “Where you from?” “What is that thing?”, in a second the be stop his walking and look right to Ben with the frown. The land kid finished his patience.

― Look, Kid. You should not get in my business. You should not even care. So I suggest you go for you came from and leave me alone. ― He took a step away from Ben, only to fall to his knees because of a great pain he feels. Carefully touch the affected area looking the fresh blood “Great, only this could happen me now”

―Are you okay? Are you hurt? ― Saw the kid with a truly worry of his healthy if was a bigger surprise he never going to admit, the human breeding has nothing with him and look truly worried of a stranger. Without your consent Ben took in his hands the alien carefully to not touch his wound.

―Set me down in this instant. ― Said with anger, but Ben ignore him a favor accommodate him in his arms.

― You can´t walk, you are going to hurt yourself ― The alien was going to replicate again when a familiar and unpleasant sound began to flood the place.

― Hide! ― Maybe was the change of tone in his voice or maybe because he hears the same sound but take the order with not debut hide in an old car. He peeked outside the car, raise the frog to look the same thing. They appeared something Ben just believe in comic and television: Floating robots! Two to be exact. Ben will be exciting if it were not for the angry and worried look of the dwarf.

The red robots scan the waste. Looking for something and as the only strange thing that was in the area was the frog with his watch, he already had an idea of what it was.

―What are those thing? ―

―Keep quiet ― Half scream half whisper to Ben. “Is worst then cousin Gwen” Ben saw with critical eyes the robots that continue to scan the place. One of them look where there are hiding. Ben bent naively believing that he would not see it and leave, but when he saw the robot again he had laser cannons pointing at him.

―Run! ―

―You don´t have to said twice! ― Ben get out of the sight of the robot throwing a side while he protects the alien in his arms, for later run far away being intercepted by him another robot. Being able to pass under this he evaded and continued running. ― Why they chase us!? ―

It was stopped for a tree robot, bigger and danger that other two. Ben use all his ability of soccer running and dodging all the attacks against them with a skill that later, if survive, it would make him proud.

―Stop! Get close that materials! ― He followed his indications, low the alien to the floor close to the jump. The alien took off the watch give him to Ben. ― Take it, this what they want. Distract them while I build something neutralize. ―

Maybe another person will scream his nuts. Maybe should let go the watch and run for his live, but he never guides for maybes. A lot less when someone need him. Ben nodded take it the watch with him. Approaching to the robots waved his arms and run opposite direction to them.

―Overhear metallic garbage! Look what I have here! ― The robots stay still analyzing a Ben, to then go to charge. He slid a side dodging and put obstacles between them. “Don’t get kill! Don´t get kill! Don´t get kill!”

Seeing a circular piece with affiliations took it and threw it towards them destroying one of the robots. The androids do not even have time to celebrate as they keep shooting him.

―Earth child! ― Ben turn his head to the alien. One of the robots threw another lightning bolt at what had to roll across the terrain, standing right next to the frog.

The robots stand front them. “Just like I expect” The alien without doubt it active the electromagnetic pulse causing a short circuit whom destroying the robots, falling apart.

Only when both of them are save, they allow themselves a sigh of relief. The alien turns his eyes to see the kid who save him, he was impress, yet do not allow his expression seeing. Ben turn to see him giving a brighter smile that made the being return his sight before the remains in front of them.

―Well, everything it okay now. Right? ― A moan caught his attention. ― Sure, you're still hurt. Let me help you. ― Take it in his arms got close to the robots. ― What are that things? ―

―Like I said, nothing of your business ―

― Hey! I save you! Don´t you thing I deserve to know why I almost get kill? ― Seeing in that way maybe informing him about the situation would make leave for his own safety. On the other hand, he was confronting the automatons against all logical judgment. It was a 50/50 of leaving or staying, something the alien did not like. With a sigh he addressed to the boy.

―Very well, listen carefully because I just gone said one time. These automatons were sent to capture me and mi invention, the omnitrix. ―

― The watch? ―

―Isn´t a watch, is a device who allowed the user change his shape to a number of alien specimens. ― Ben saw the watch with renewed amazement.

― Wow. You are not kidding? You could be a superhero with this thing! ― He just imagine in what can transform and all the bullies who will defeat. The snort catches his attention, looking the be with the frown removing materials from the remains.

―The person who chases me does not want it for this purpose. The purpose of being the tool to help the species to understand each other better. ― There was a bitterness innate and deep in his words lowering the spirits of Ben. Wondering the reason for so much pain in that prayer.

―What does he want it for? ―

― Conquer the universe. ―

―What!? ― All the universe. He felt a stake in his chest, he was sure the earth it was in the all. And with the watch it will essay pessy conquer his planet. For God, his planet not have idea aliens exist. What would remain of humanity? What would remain of his family? I hold the clock in my hand, squeezing it hard until my fist shakes. ― We can´t allow that happened! ―

“This kid is weird”, conclude the creator. He challenged all sense of logic and normally in a person. Looked like a really noble person, but he don’t believe all the act. Everybody have a selfish interest, no because is a kid exempt of that.

―How I help you? ―

―You want to help me? ―

―Well duhhh. My world is in danger! My family is in danger! Everybody is in danger if that guy get that thing! ― He shake the watch to give more emphasis to his words. He keeps thinking, he was hurt in a planet who had no idea in general how to go by and without way to communicate. He gone a regrets this.

―I need to recover; You have some place I can cure me? ―

―In my home we have an aid kit. ― Ben keep save the watch in his pocket then he grabs the alien in his arms. ― I´m Benjamin Tennyson, by the way. ―

―Azmuth. ―

―Nice to meet you, Azmuth. ―

―I wish to say the same thing. ― Azmuth smiled slightly at the sound of displeasure and babble of the boy.

Azmuth had bandages covering his chest, eating the dinner Ben given to him while was walking in the desk of Ben watching the old device could serve to build a communicator and contact his assistant.

Ben it was lying down in his bed playing with his videogame, without put really attention, looking every so often Azmuth.

―The watch ―

―Omnitrix ―

―That thing, could convert a person in any alien. Right? ―

―Yes, just like I told you before. ― Ben just frown his look to Azmuth for the condescending tone given to him, but do not discourage him.

―Then, why do not you use it to beat the bad guy? ―

―Because the omnitrix is incomplete. ― The confuse face of Ben make him to sigh of tiredness. ― The omnitrix can transform you into any alien, but an important piece that stabilizes it is still missing. Without that, whoever takes it will suffer a cell-level instability, a permanent and irreversible damage. ―

Ben understand part of what he said, in simple words who use the omnitrix will die. Ben grimaced hitting his face to the pillow to then let out a growl. Azmuth keep looking him with disconcerted. Ben turned to see him lowering his head, embarrassed.

― Bad thoughts. You know how to give the guy the watch and leave it, well that way. ― Azmuth saw him understanding what he meant while Ben was sinking deeper into his bed. The child was clearly conflicted and ashamed of himself, to wish someone's death was difficult and frightening at the same time. The child should not think like that, should not be so aware of the sacrifice for the greater good.

Azmuth could relate to that thought. That was the reason why he still didn´t fix the omnitrix, He could do it even with the primitive artifacts of the earth. But he didn´t do it, because of fear. At least if Vilgax grabbed the omnitrix in this state he would know he don´t have time to do his plan.

This kid without logic, no sense of self-preservation was aware of what would happened if Vilgax take the omnitrix, and thing the logic solution. Ben curled up more in his bed covering himself with the blankets refusing to see anyone, felt the desire to comfort him in some way only he did not know how. How did he help him without lying to him? How did he tell him not to worry?

He stayed stoic and returned to his business shaking those feelings like a fly, he should not worry so much. It was not so important what happened to Ben. That was repeated until the voice of an older man, Ben's father, pulled him out of his thoughts.

― Ben, I hope you do your homework! ― Ben took off the blank to answer.

― Yes, I ready finish it! ― He wait to have a reply of his father before to back to his videogame. He need to distract of the bad thoughts. Sideways he looks Azmuth glimpses with his two eyes of marble intertwined. ― What? ―

―I don´t remember that you have done your job. ― “Oh, please no.” Ben hide behind his videogame try ignore the reproachful look that small being was giving him. “It worse than my mom”

― Well, he doesn´t to know ―

―I suggest you to leave that distractor device and put yourself to do your homework, like you father said. ― Ben rolled his eyes with his back to Azmuth. "Insolent brat".

―Yeah, sure. Who will going oblige? You? ― Azmuth sharpened his gaze to the attitude of Ben and without saying anything returned to his. Ben smirked, thinking he had won.

How wrong Ben was.

When night came, the only thing that illuminated the darkness of the room was the desk lamp where Azmuth was while dismantling Ben's video game measuring its parts that he would use for the communicator. Ben wanted to have that arrogant attitude, good. Azmuth was going to teach a lesson to the brat.

#ben 10 series #ben 10 ultimate alien #azmuth #Ben tennyson #Ben G-10

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kakosindustries · 5 years

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Kakos Industries is ad-free. To help keep it that way, please visit KakosIndustries.com/Patreon, that’s p-a-t-r-e-o-n, and consider a pledge of a dollar or more a month.

Intro: What you are about to hear is gonna make that booty work work work work.

Junior: Hello and welcome to the Kakos Industries corporate shareholder announcements. At Kakos Industries, we squeeze every last ounce of Evil out of every person on the planet, and then we feed it back to them in preparation of beginning the process again. My name is Junior and I am a consultant here at Kakos Industries. Perhaps the best consultant. Everyone’s favorite consultant. Just the other day, they took a poll and I came out as the number one consultant in the building. You see, it’s because I’m so smart. I have the intellect of dozens of ordinary humans, leading to emergent properties of thought that you cannot even imagine. I know of one other mind that might be able to fathom my depths, but she spends all of her time making crossword puzzles.

Things have been in a slight disarray around Kakos Industries recently for obvious reasons, but I have decided that it is my responsibility to make sure that our responsibilities to you, shareholders, are being met. You see, while many of our employees have experience podcasting, because everyone has a podcast, I have slightly more experience doing actual broadcast like this. I’ve interrupted Corin so many times that I technically have more on air experience than just about anyone. Combine that with my vast intellect, and I am the obvious choice, albeit self-appointed.

What are you trying to tell me, Soundman? Oh, I shouldn’t be here? And what about you? Should you be here? You should be cowering in your home overcome with grief and guilt.

Today, our broadcast is coming to you from a fancy new cellular device you should have received in the mail. This cellular device is the new Evilixia 7, coming to us from the collaboration between our Division of Distraction and DigInfoDox, a company that will give you anything for free as long as you tell it your darkest secrets. While this is very nearly the production model of the Evilixia 7, it is slightly different in that it is much cheaper, and many of the functions were removed or never added so that it would be a perfect vessel for this very transmission and nothing else. The broadcast, as you may have noticed, has come to you as a phone call you couldn’t ignore, and now you must hold the cellular device to your ear and pretend like you’re having a conversation so that those around you will not be in any danger of finding out about us here at Kakos Industries before they’re ready. Be sure to pepper in some uh-huhs and some for sures and some yes daddys to make it believable. If you happened to have answered this call on behalf of a shareholder, or because you’re a snooping jealous lover, then I am afraid I must tell you now that you will have some difficulty putting this device down before its self-destruct mechanism is activated at the end of the broadcast. To save your life, you must now do something extraordinarily Evil and selfish to become a shareholder before your doom. We’ll give you some time to get creative. It may help you to land on our new and noteworthy list.

Now, I do not believe we still have an Automobile Celebration every year, but just recently, there were a lot of you shareholders and a handful of our employees who showed up to the building in modified and incredibly fast vehicles to do donuts in the parking lot and generally cause a ruckus. It seems that some people miss this festival. I do not. I do not fit in automobiles. When I need to get places, I use a helicopter. If you have never gone to the grocery store in a helicopter, I can firmly recommend it.

The Festival of Darkness was a smashing success as always. This one was even darker than normal. We painted the walls of the basement ballroom with pigments that absorb all light. We took away your cell phones and digital devices. Those of you who glow or have blinking lights just below your skin were placed in enormous black bags to keep any light from emerging. And then you were ushered down into the still and quiet room. You were placed on a special rug and allowed to spread out. We moved through the room quietly to make sure that everyone was behaving. Then, we walked through with a collection of man-eating beasts held on a tight leash. We have no reports of any of the handler making mistakes, but we would also have no way of knowing if they did as it was dark and quiet down there. If one of you shareholders disappeared, we would have no way of knowing. Perhaps you just never arrived. We can’t be certain. People disappear so often these days. Probably gone off the grid, I wager.

We also recently had the Festival of Genes. I believe it is technically the Festival of Genes Mark III. I’m not sure why we began to number them, but there you are. This festival holds a special place in my heart because I have genes. A whole lot of them in fact. More Evil genes than any other known living creature. It’s what makes me so smart and so great at everything, and so Evil. It’s always interesting for me to see what augmentations humans choose to get. Longer limbs. Enhanced bosoms. Softer elbows. At this year’s festivities, we wanted to make things a little more interesting. We allowed people to line up based on the type of changes they might like, and then we drew a genetic modification out of a hat and gave them that one. It would be in the right conceptual family, but not always what they wanted. We had one young woman get in line for cheek bones, hoping to get larger cheek bones, but instead, we gave her three more. She was quite displeased, but I personally found it to be very hot. A man waited in line for something to do with fire, hoping he could perhaps create fire with his mind or with some sort of secretion, but instead he became fire. That was something to see, although it didn’t last very long. We also had someone get in line for a tail, and end up with six tails. Some people find this to be unpalatable, but I can firmly get behind tails, if you know what I mean. We wrote “medley” on one of the slips of paper and mixed it into a random hat. When that one was drawn, we gave that person a huge number of modifications, so many that it should take a physiology as strong as mine to handle them. But the woman in question, Dana Govern, is still alive. She doesn’t seem to have changed much as of yet, but we’re keeping a close eye on her. I will say that something about her aroma has changed, and I find this change to be… alluring. No one else seems to be able to smell the difference, but I can’t get it out of my nose. I can tell where she has been, and I can find her in a crowd, and soon, I may even speak to her.

Coming up, we have the Shareholders’ Ball! This is one of my favorite celebrations. It is possible that this is because I have an enormous share in Kakos Industries. It is also possible that it is just the wildest, most debauched event we throw. This year, we will have grilled abominations as the main course. These abominations are anything that comes out of one of our genetic modification labs that we cannot suffer to live. Some have been on ice for a long while in preparation for this feast. We would love to tell you what sort of flavors to expect, but we cannot. We can only tell you that these creatures lived short and painful lives, and now we will consume them so that we can pretend that they never existed. There will, of course, be veggie options as well. The entertainment will be a combination of ventriloquism and puppetry that is certain to unsettle everyone in the audience. The dolls that the Puppetto Miserables troupe use reach an astounding 297 MegaNopes on the standard freakiness scale. But we will not nope out of there. We will stay, and we will witness, and our skin will crawl, and our anuses will pucker, and we will feel a strange arousal of a possibly sexual nature. I personally cannot wait. Following the show from Puppetto Miserables, we will have the blood orgy. This year, I am proud to announce the creation of the Blood Monster, an unfeeling, unthinking creation that produces incredible amounts of blood. It would possibly be useful in transfusions, or other medical applications, but instead we will poke a hole in it and allow its hot, red circulatory fluid to rain over all of us as we get busy. And get busy we shall. Those of you who are interested in doing the horizontal tango with me had better make arrangements soon, as my dance card fills up quickly.

We also have the Chili Cookoff coming up. I assume that many of you will create chili-as-performance-art again this year. And I will eat it all the same because my hunger will not be conquered.

Corin: Junior? What are you doing?

Junior: I’m doing the announcements. I wasn’t sure…

Corin: You weren’t sure what?

Junior: I wasn’t sure if you would be ready.

Corin: I was at work all day, Junior. I’m fine. I promise. I was just running around ten minutes late.

Junior: You should really take it easy.

Corin: I really appreciate that, but I’ve been fine for weeks. Everyone just keeps telling me that I should rest, and take it easy, and allow myself time to recover, but I’m totally fine. I don’t even need the crutches anymore.

Junior: I can see that.

Corin: So, please let me take over. This is my job.

Junior: Yes. Of course.

Corin: So where were we… What’s that, Soundman? He already did the Shareholders’ Ball? For fuck’s sake, Junior, it’s the best part of the announcements all year! Come on.

Junior: I think we can all agree that I did a fantastically Evil job selling it to the shareholders.

Corin: You don’t have to sell it to the shareholders. They’re already going to be there. It’s more of a victory lap. A chance to brag. A chance to tell them what they mean to us. What’s that Soundman? Well, okay, I guess you did okay, Junior. Been doing a lot of things okay.

Junior: What’s that?

Corin: Well, I know you took over a chunk of my workload while I was out of commission. No complaints, I hear.

Junior: I did my best, of course, and, as you know, my best is astronomically great.

Corin: I know. I just… I don’t like feeling replaceable.

Junior: Continue the announcements. While everything I do is amazing and better than anyone else could do it, I do not wish to step on your toes.

Corin: I feel like I owe you an update, shareholders. I took a little bit of unexpected time off recently after… Soundman shot me. I survived. I assume. I could be a clone of some sort, but I don’t think that was necessary. Soundman, in the throes of some sort of power fantasy, was pointing his firearm at my genital region when he had a terrible sneeze, or maybe some sort of whole body climax, that led to the gun going off. His aim is not that great, so he actually grazed my thigh. I was sitting at the time, so it grazed my thigh longways. It nicked the femoral artery, I assume, or something that bleeds like crazy in that area. I don’t actually know. I contend that I passed out due to blood loss, but they tell me it was far more likely the sight of the blood that caused me to lose consciousness. Then I hit my head. I was unconscious for a few days, but the speedy response of my medical team had me patched up in no time. If you’re keeping score at home, this means that Soundman came far closer to killing me than I did him. And let me tell you, our very own Soundman de Sade has had an unyielding erection ever since. It nearly tore through his pants when I hit the floor, I’m told. I understand that this detail is a source of great shame for Soundman, but I’m just happy to have him back at 110%. I am told that his return to his original stature has increased productivity here at Kakos Industries so much that it completely offset the month plus that I took off, and with Junior taking over some of my responsibilities, me getting shot was a greater boon to Evil than if I had just come to work in that time. I can tell you that feels great to know. I can personally think of no better way to enter my fifth year as CEO than from a hospital bed with the smallest hole in my leg slowly healing itself up. They even left the carpet bloody in here, which is really cute.

Here’s the strange thing about my time in the hospital. There was this beautiful woman taking care of me. A nurse practitioner, but I think I may have been her only patient. Striking eyes. One of those colors of gray violet-ish green that makes you think one of their grandparents had to be a space alien. I was sedated to some extent, probably unnecessarily, for the first week as my support staff tried to get me to take a break by any means necessary, so I only barely remember interacting with her. But she was so kind. I don’t believe I’ve ever been so doted on in my life. When I was getting ready to go home to finish my recovery, she offered to come check on me. She handed me a card with all of her contact information on it. I smiled and told her that I would be happy to see her. She walked away and I kind of laughed to myself until I looked down to see that her name was Tabitha.

Kimzzzzzzzzzzz has made a new decree. Apparently, in order to be sexy now, you must dye exactly half of your hair red. If your hair is already red, you have to make half redder. I think I’m just going to sit this one out. I’ve seen enough red for a little while.

Our drones down in hell have found Meredith Gorgoro’s left arm. We are unsure as of yet if this is the only remaining piece of her after some dramatic battle, or if the rest of her is still out there fighting monsters. We are hopeful, of course, but it cannot be easy to survive down there with this new disability, even for her.

I stopped by the Division of Erotic Experiences earlier to check on Jasmine Aashna and Dr. Dunkelwissen. They are still trying to answer the question “What is most sex?” They were both asleep in their boardroom with their heads down on the table while a very bored and very naked pair were sitting inside of an observation room you could see through a large window in one wall. I looked at the white board beside the sleeping duo. It simply said “putting it all the way in?” with a bunch of question marks at the end. It seems that they have been working tirelessly on this one, and it doesn’t look good. I don’t know what “it” is, and I don’t know where “it” is going all the way into, though I can imagine, and something tells me that’s not the answer to their question. I will keep you updated.

The Division of Figuring Out What All These Keys Go To has unchained a monster. In fairness, the monster was quite communicative and persuasive. In unfairness, it has since eaten three people and mailed their teeth to their loved ones. The missile they launched is still MIA.

They say that Evil once toured the planet in a traveling carnival. Its attraction was sitting quietly in a room full of people and making all of them feel gut-wrenching, insurmountable terror. This is Things We’re Taking Credit for Now. Today, we are taking credit for plastic litter, the aroma of decomposition, and the fact that your body is basically decomposing at all times. As always, some of these things are kind of big, and it’s difficult to tell if we actually caused them, but we did. And if you disagree, you’ll start to decompose a little faster than the rest of us.

Jonathan Ulrich has won today’s Ruin-A-Life Drawing. As a result, the life of Zweelee TeeHee Me Three will be ruined. We assume that Zweelee is Jonathan’s nemesis, but really that’s not strictly a requirement, though we often make it sound like it. We spun the wheel of misery in the same direction as Earth’s rotation and it landed on the space for covetous. From this day forward, Zweelee will be 90% more covetous, leading to an ever greater amassing of objects and lovers. For Evil measure, Jonathan Ulrich will be 13% less covetous, which might just push Jonathan over the edge to not having much interest in stuff at all. That could be trouble. Congratulations on the win, and best of luck.

This brings us to the end of today’s broadcast. Your Evilixia 7 will now self-destruct momentarily. If you’re not a shareholder yet, and that phone is stuck to your ear, it would probably be a smart idea to do something Evil quick. Like headbutting someone who would really be a lot better off without being headbutted, or telling your pet that they have been very, very bad, when in fact they have been completely obedient. The numbers are next.

337

Corin: Hey, Junior.

Junior: Yes?

Corin: Thanks.

Junior: Glad to help. You know, you can always give me more to do.

Corin: You know they don’t like that.

Junior: Yes. I know.

Credits: Kakos Industries is written and produced by Conrad Miszuk, who is also the voice of Corin Deeth, and the composer of the music. The introduction is read by Kim Aiello, and the credits are read by Kelsey Kemmer, the second most interesting conversationalist in the room. Any room. Please visit KakosIndustries.com for news, extras, and more episodes. There are also transcriptions on the website if you’d like to read along with the Kakos Industries announcements. That’s K-A-K-O-S-I-N-D-U-S-T-R-I-E-S dot com. Please visit store.KakosIndustries.com for merchandise and special offers and get wonderful benefits by becoming a subscription donor at kakosindustries.com/patreon. Questions, comments, or a strong desire to collaborate? Drop us a line at [email protected]. If you like Kakos Industries, be sure to rate and review us on your favorite podcasting service, and connect with us on YouTube (YouTube.com/KakosIndustries), Facebook (facebook.com/kakosindustries), Tumblr (kakosindustries.tumblr.com), and Twitter (@KakosIndustries). We encourage fan art and listener participation on all our social media platforms. Please visit our website for cast details and the credits for all of our social media contributors. We’ve recently expanded our social media team, so please visit the website to view their credits and current projects.

Special thanks to our esteemed shareholders Iain Croall, Dan Shumway, William Brandon, and Jack Attack. Also thanks to honored employee Dorkpool Dorkuss, who chewed enough gum to blow an enormous bubble, which saved the woman falling from the window of the Division of Defenestration, and Chris Leclerc, who scooted all of the glassware a little further away from the edge of the countertop moments before the earthquake. And thanks to our division heads Britney Garcia, head of The Division of Beanies, Booties, and Construction Projects That Are Probably Too Large for Yarn, Valerie Koop, Director of the Division of Inappropriate Games to Play in Public, Patrick Green, head of The Division of Oceanic Micro-Cryptozoology, Lynne Herman, director of the Division of Increasingly Improbable Slash Fiction, Carl H, Director of the Division of Unanswered Messages, Xavier Jarman, Director of The Division of We Know Magic Doesn’t Exist But We’re Going to Keep on Trying, Craig Czyz, director of the Division of Obscure Vintage Technology, And Lady Squidney, Director of the Division of Cephalopod Psychology. The Division of Beanies, Booties, and Construction Projects That Are Probably Too Large for Yarn has run out of Ultra Yarn in Dayglo Yellow. Everything in the building seems to have a dayglo koozie wrapped around it. The Division of Inappropriate Games to Play in Public has introduced public park mud wrestling. We looked it up. Mud wrestling is pretty much always pornographic in nature. The Division of Oceanic Micro-Cryptozoology claims they have found the puddle-cabra, a rare cryptid that lurks in small puddles, and resembles a goat, kind of. They say that it is very shy and doesn’t like being looked at too much.. The Division of Increasingly Improbable Slash Fiction has started shipping keeping things nice with having a thriving arts culture. There’s gotta be a give and take there somewhere. The Division of Unanswered Messages has left a “You up?” text message unanswered so long that the person who sent it is now monogamously married. It seems unnecessary to say that they never RSVP’d to the wedding either. The Division of We Know Magic Doesn’t Exist But We’re Going to Keep on Trying has given up on the hunt for magic words for now, but instead they are looking for ancient scrolls with some kind of power. They’ve gone right through our dry storage trying to read the paper towels. The Division of Obscure Vintage Technology has found a box of old brass finger screws. They’re not as hard as steel ones, but they still hurt like hell when applied to fingers. The Division of Cephalopod Psychology has discovered that the exectopuses do feel quite a bit, but usually they feel jealousy and frustration and anger. They tend to clam up when asked why. Clams are not cephalopods, in case you were expecting a pun there. Our esteemed shareholders, honored employees, division heads, and other Patreon patrons are the best. If you want a thank you in the credits, your own division, or other great rewards that help to keep this show running, please head to Kakosindustries.com/patreon. That’s Patreon: p-a-t-r-e-o-n.

Kakos Industries can be heavy sometimes. Try volunteering with a secular charity to bolster your indie cred.

#IFTTT #Kakos Industries #Do Evil Better

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rahullkohli · 6 years

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pairings: dean/cas word count: 2,010 tags: fluff fluff and fluff notes: i meant to do a 24 days of christmas thing, but december kicked me in the teeth, so instead i’ll just do small destiel stuff here and there throughout the month. they will all be in this tag

”Now, that is extremely inaccurate,” Cas exclaimed with lines filling his forehead. With a small sigh Dean pressed the button on the computer, pausing the movie. ”What is?” He asked and took a mouthful of beer. Every time this happened whenever they were watching a movie it called for alcohol.

”An angel doesn't get his wings just because a human rings a bell. We are created with wings,” Cas explained, and turned slightly to look at Dean where he was faced with an amused smile. ”What?” He asked. ”Do I have something on my face?” A small laugh fell from Dean's mouth with a shake of his head. ”No. But come on, man. That's not the point of the movie. You gotta... You gotta learn to separate things. It's not like they had angel consultants. People make up stupid shit for entertainment value.”

It happened from time to time. They would watch a movie, and Cas would point out mistakes. Whether it be something biblical or historical. Once he even corrected the narrator of a dinosaur program and Sam ate it all up. Dean found it both annoying and endearing.

”So what you are saying is that I should not pay attention to detail when we watch films?”

Dean chewed on that for a bit, let it sink in, and searched for a way to phrase what was on his mind. ”No, just... remember that it's just a movie. Like... when I watch a movie about vampires I know that ain't how they're really killed. You know, stake to the heart and all. But I don't let it ruin a good flick for me.”

Cas bit his lower lip and nodded quietly as he looked back to the screen where the Hollywood-angel in black and white was sitting with a pondering gaze. ”I can do that. I can do that, yes.”

Dean pressed the button and let the movie roll again as he clincked his bottle against Cas'.

To Dean, Christmas was definitely the most horrible time of the year. It came with a lot of baggage for him, and even though they had found a home in the bunker, it still didn't feel quite right to celebrate when childhood memories showed their ugly face, and with all the crap going on in the world. So this year Sam had taken a trip to Chicago to see old Stanford friends for the holidays, which was a welcome surprise for Dean who had already planned for beer and movies and nothing else. The fact that Cas was there to share it with him... Well, that definitely made it all way better.

The rest of the movie went by in silence, save for a few laughs here and there. Right up until the end of the movie where that line made its reprise. ”Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings,” little Zuzu beamed proudly, and Dean half expected Cas to come with another confused remark. But he didn't. He kept quiet, all through the roll of the credits.

They helped each other clean up and got ready for bed as usual. It had gotten late, and they had run out of drinks, so there wasn't much else to do than hit the sheets. Choosing to watch A Wonderful Life with Cas wasn't something Dean had done with the whole angel theme in mind. It was a classic, and he wanted to share a bit of the human experience with Cas. There was a lot he had missed, and how could Dean not let him have a little slice of the good things. They faced more than enough of the crap on a regular day.

They went about their business and soon found the warmth underneath the sheets with the dark of the room surrounding them. It was real nice, Dean always thought, how Cas would stay in bed with him even though he didn't need sleep himself. It was a good way to chase away bad dreams, Dean had found, to have Cas there with him. Close enough to feel and touch, to seek refuge with when the terrors crept into his head and filled him with adrenaline and fear. Cas was always there. To make him feel safe.

”Do you ever miss it?” Dean suddenly asked, not sure where he was going with it, but the question had been fiddling around the back of his head for a long time, maybe even years, and for some reason it felt like he was gonna choke on it if he didn't get it out.

With a small huff Cas turned around, meeting Dean's eyes through the dark. ”I thought you were asleep by now... Miss what?” He wondered, voice gruff with unuse. ”Just... Heaven. The other... Other angels, y'know.” Now that the words were out of his mouth he was a little scared. What if Cas said yes? It wouldn't be right for Dean to do anything but tell him to go back, then. If Cas really missed it, it would be selfish of Dean to keep a hold of him on Earth.

But there was no way in hell Dean could go through the rest of his life without Cas there.

”I don't get... Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?” Cas stared at Dean, eyes flickering and brows narrowing. ”I just – You know what? Never mind, okay? It was just a dumb thought,” Dean mumbled and squeezed Cas' arm gently, his thumb brushing over soft skin.

The room fell silent again, and Dean watched Cas for a while. He could see that a billion thoughts were flying around in his mind, and he didn't want to press him about it. It was a big subject, and not one that was usually brought up. Talk of angels and Heaven was rare – not just between Dean and Cas, but in general. It appeared that Cas wished to not speak of it, so nobody else did. It only ever resurfaced whenever they were working a case where it was pertinent, all other times Cas might as well have been a regular human there to live and die like the rest of them.

Dean had just returned to closing his eyes, ready to get some sleep, when Cas spoke again. His words were soft, and he almost seemed ashamed which broke Dean's heart. ”I do. But I don't,” he said. Dean kept his eyes closed, feeling like it might be easier for Cas to get the words out if there was no eye contact. Or maybe he was simply to scared to see it for himself.

”I mean... They were my brothers and sisters. It's my home. For ages. I have seen worlds created and destroyed with them by my side. I have fought and killed to protect them and our home. For eons the angels were the only ones I saw, and I had never been apart from them for more than days before I met you.”

The word pierced like needles in Dean's ears. Home. What he himself had longed for. For a lifetime before they found the bunker. And even that felt like it was missing something from time to time, in order for it to be a real home. Cas had left that behind to be on Earth with him.

”I'm sorry, man,” Dean said quietly. ”I don't think I've ever said it out loud. I guess I kinda just hoped that you knew, but... I'm sorry. I never wanted to take you away from your home. Your family. I can't even imagine –” He broke off, taking a moment to breathe. ”The times Sam and I have been apart for more than a couple weeks has always been wrecking. Not knowing how he was doing, or if he was even still breathing. It's scary. And the angels these days... They're falling like flies.”

”Dean,” Cas cut him off firmly, grabbing his wrist. ”Let me finish.” Their eyes met each other, and Dean gave a nod. They were so close, the beds of the bunker ridiculously small, and Dean could feel the moist warmth of Cas' breath on his skin, and the rising and falling of his chest when he breathed. He always found it strange how these so very human functions still were there even though Cas wasn't technically a living organism with need for it the way he did himself. But it always felt good when they were lying in bed, and Dean could use Cas' breathe as a way of calming himself. That was a part of what made the bunker home for him.

”What I mean is... I miss it. What it was. Before the wars, before God left us and the worst we had to worry about was humans losing faith in us, or using their faith as an excuse to do bad things in our father's name.” His fingers had started to dance up and down Dean's arm, tickling on skin that made his hair stand on ends and a rizzle run down his spine.

”But that's not how it is anymore. It hasn't been that for a long time. It was good for me. I was content. But I was also someone else than I am today. I had no thoughts that were bred of my own mind, nor any wishes or curiosity. I was a soldier in line with the rest of them. It was good because it was all I had ever known.”

A smile curled at the corners of his lips, and Dean couldn't help but return it. The knot that had been sitting in the back of his throat had started to desolve, and his chest was no longer heavy as it had been minutes before.

”Before I met you and Sam my existence wasn't my own. But now I've got a life. I am fighting because I believe that the war we are battling is for something good. I let myself be entertained by popular culture like movies and music, and you showed me that it can be enriching. Even when it doesn't make complete sense.”

Dean chuckled, the smile on his face now wide and open. As much as Cas never spoke of Heaven, he also didn't talk about how he was adjusting to Earth in this way. It was mostly a random remark every now and again, or Dean would pick up on small signs, like if Cas made a pop culture reference, or he turned up the volume when a song came on the radio.

”And you,” Cas continued. ”Not just my time on Earth with you and Sam. But my time with you. Alone. I can actually feel what humans sing about, and – at first I didn't understand when people talked about having butterflies. It made no sense for people to have insects in their organs. But the fluttering feeling when I'm with you... I get it now. It makes me feel like swarms are flying around inside of me.”

Now Dean was full on laughing, cheeks warm and his heart popping and dancing in his chest. If this wasn't what life was supposed to be, he didn't even want the real thing. ”Babe, that is some sappy ass shit,” he grinned and ran hand down the back of Cas' head. ”I turned you all soft and gooey,” he chuckled and leaned closer to press his mouth against Cas', letting it linger for a while.

#destielfanficnet #destiel #deancas #dean winchester #castiel #tv #tv:supernatural #ship #ship:burn with you #charlie writes destiel #mine:destiel #mine:deanwinchester #mine:castiel #mine:spn #charlies destiel xmas fun

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orthographewrites · 6 years

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💔 - marius and robin

THE MEME FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE HAPPINESS:

My muse breaks your muse’s heart ( @alicemorganwrites )

When opening his front door, strangely enough, Marius was the last person he had hoped to lay his eyes on. His heart, that had formerly beaten with excitement each and every time he had caught sight of his boyfriend, now dropped to the floor by his feet like it had turned to stone in a moment’s notice. Robin’s lips attempted a smile that matched his known spirit but found himself faulty at best, and thus washed it off the second his head turned away from the other male – swallowing at the thought of his own actions. He was not in the mood to talk. Not to him. Not today. The mere idea filled his body with an unknown fear of being caught, of having done something illegal although such a fear had never existed within his mind before.

Allowing Marius entrance, it didn’t take long for his fears to become reality. “Is everything alright? You haven’t answered any of my texts since you came back home again, I’m getting worried.” His dark hues traveled along the hallway before they glued themselves onto Robin with a steadfast eye, curious entwined with a mix of utter worry as he stood there in a now silence waiting for Robin to proceed.

“Uh, yeah… no I’ve – I’ve been a little busy, sorry about that.” Busy was one way of phrasing it, in a figurative way perhaps but far from the reality he had faced these past couple of days. This, which had consisted more of him flopping back into bed and ignoring every piece of responsibility that would usually have enlightened his interests – feelings of guilt holding him down against the sheets as he continued to pretend time was an illusion and that no one would miss him for a couple of days.

“Didn’t answer my first question”, Marius was quick to point out.

“No.” Robin pondered a lie, something to get him out of the situation for just another day or two, until he could find a way to propose his mess of thoughts. He fell short. “Um, maybe we should sit down?” What else could he do? Sometimes it was for the better to pull off the bandage before it grew itself a society of microorganisms and fungus left to treat, and Marius wasn’t impossible to speak to – he just… wanted things to last a little longer. That was all. A few days. Was that selfish of him?

Marius didn’t answer, he simply nodded and allowed Robin to show the way, following behind with knitted eyebrows that spoke of truth and knowledge. Of knowing he had been right, but the equal fear of Robin’s soon took its rightful place among his features as it became more evident by the second that the topic about to arise wasn’t one to cheer and celebrate. “You can start when you feel like it.” What else could he say?

Robin stayed quiet for a good two minutes, shifting around on the couch to find some sort of acceptable position whilst his mind worked overtime to find a beginning to his tale. How did he discuss this without it sounding like an accusation? Without blame? To have it ache the least? Was there even a way? “Marius… I have met someone else.” There it was. The truth. Spiteful, untasteful truth. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened. He lives near our camp and volunteers on his days off work. He, uh, has a son of six years and – “, a sigh, loud and clear echoed between the living room walls. Marius was yet silent. “It feels like everyone are progressing around us, except you and I. Pia and Mike have a child now, Sofia has a family and got married last year – but we are stuck. We are going to turn forty next year, we have dated for three years and yet we haven’t even gone so far as to discuss moving in together.”

“I – I see. And this is where… this other man comes into the picture?” Marius voiced reeked of hesitation, his own body stiff as he shifted himself upwards.

“Yes. We didn’t think of it first, we just had a few drinks together but then I started talking. About things that I didn’t fully realize how much I wanted. I can’t – I can’t think clear these days, all I can see is my own clock ticking further and further away. Fuck, I even realized I was full down and ready to give up traveling if that meant getting something more out of it.” By now, his heart and regained its place inside of his chest yet it still clung with a heavy knowledge as its beat offered no love, but pain for his surroundings and this situation he had promised himself would never happen with a partner of his. “He, well, expressed an equal devotion and said he had dreams of moving on – of finding a new partner and willing parent. He finally introduced me to his kid and before I was going home he – “ Robin pursed his lips, wanting nothing but to throw this all out the window and pretend it had never happened. His voice croaked as he exited the last piece of the puzzle, choking on the reality of what had become of a single meeting. “He asked me out and I nearly said yes.”

There was a beat of silence again. Something ill and foreboding where they sat as Marius processed the facts one by one. Eventually, his own thought rang through, low and unnerving. “And why haven’t you said anything? About how you want to, you know… all that.” He swallowed on his own, already possessing the answers but needing to hear them out loud.

Robin scoffed. “Don’t you think I haven’t tried? Marius, I tried a lot! When we were babysitting I tried to ask you if wanted something more stable of your own one day, you never answered. I tried to joke once about how it’d be if we lived together and you never seemed interested past it staying as a fiction of sorts. Not to mention all times you literally hushed me because you weren’t in the mood or didn’t have the time to talk right now. I – “ Robin’s jaw locked shut, feeling the hints of tears welling up as he broke away from the sight of Marius and placed it on the coffee table in front. “Honestly, sometimes I can’t say for sure if you’re just against the idea of growing stable in general, if you’re just scared of it somehow, or… if you are somehow against the idea of growing stable with me.” Marius was on his way to speak, but Robin shut him down with a glare. “I get it, okay, we have a long history and sometimes patterns can be hard to break. That is something you’ve shown signs off since the start but I can’t wait forever. I’m patient but I’m also not twenty-five with a whole life in front of me and I don’t want to reach the next stage in my life when I’m fucking fifty years old!”

Robin crossed his arms. Partly filled with relief and party filled with this still icky feeling of having done something bad and wrong. As a tear came breaking through at the corner of his eye he hurried to wipe it away, bracing himself for what seemed like the end of the world stuck in a vacuum of his home. “Well, do you have anything to say?” It was a faux stern, but it kept him in place.

Marius winced. “Hm… so what happens now?”

“Right…” It had been bold of his to even lightly assume Marius would come through and change his mind on the matter. “I don’t know yet. I’m confused.”

“How?”

“I don’t know what I want, that’s how. I haven’t stopped loving you and by the end of the day you give me so much, Marius. You – “, fuck another tear, this time impossible to hold back. “You have been with me since the start and perhaps a bit foolishly I hoped you’d be there until the end as well but… I don’t know. I just don’t know any longer. I feel like I need to try, see, where things will lead but I can’t do that while we are dating. I love you, I really do, but…” Robin shook his head, once again choking on his words – this time to force the topic to closure. His face found the safety of his hands, wishing to cover himself and the shame of his break-up from the man next to him. Of all the people he had dated, the one he had to break-up with was Marius. Oh, how ironic was that? They had given each other all, fought through indifference and found balance just for things to fall right back down on them.

And Marius knew this as he rose up from the couch. In any other instance, he would have stayed put, wrapped his arms around Robin until the situation calmed itself just as Robin would do him. However, he was suddenly struck with this understanding he no longer held the right to do so and at best another man was to take his place if Robin’s suggestions were to point in that direction. He had met someone with a child. Who wanted to grow as domestic as Robin wanted. Who worked with the same type of volunteer work as Robin did. A match made in heaven and as he stood there, he questioned what he, on his own, had to compete with. Because, by the end of the day, he had failed as a boyfriend. Failed to meet his partner halfway and consider his needs because of worries of his own. Thus, Marius left the apartment minutes later; his heart shattered into pieces, scattering about their relationship around the hallway of Robin’s home; and with his mind telling him it was rightfully so.

#this is probs not as good as i wanted it to b #but i wrote it before my sister arrived so i barely had any time??#but!! this is sort of an au in which #marius refuses to properly dicuss future plans with robin #*discuss #and robin realizes he wants more!!!#welp #meme: robin stenmark #other; marius engel #ship: perhaps what you crave has been with you all along #drabble

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