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the-ss-zemyx · 4 years

Text

PVP(umpkin Spice Lattes)

Zexion and Arpeggio are Discord friends. They chat in private messages, raid in Verum Rex together, and may or may not have feelings for each other.

Ienzo and Demyx are college roommates. They hate each other, for the most part. At least they can both agree on pumpkin spice lattes.

Happy 2nd Zemyx Day of 2020!!

Specifically for today, the S.S. Zemyx Discord Server hosted a collaborative fic-writing event! Over the course of the past five days, four of our writing members teamed up on a Google Doc in one glorious, inspirational, chaotic, frankenstein-esque fic-writing bonanza! That's right, the fic you're about to read is the product of -four- people's efforts! Enjoy!! :D

(A HUGE thanks to my co-writers: Aliceslantern, Ennarcia, and Carbonpixel. This was a hell of a lot of fun to do and I'm immensely proud of us!! - Mod Arxsia)

Also available on AO3!

__________

Demyx hated his roommate. Okay, no, hate was a strong word, and Demyx did his best to be a friendly, outgoing sort of guy, so ‘hate’ was definitely too strong a word. He liked to make friends. Having friends was nice. Having friends was very nice, and so, he tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But his roommate was a different story, and Demyx did not like his roommate very much at all.

At least he was easy on the eyes, because everything else about him got on Demyx’s last nerve. His name was Ienzo, but his name might as well have been "Jerk," with a capital J. When he wasn't hogging the Internet bandwidth doing God-knows-what on a chunky Alienware laptop, he was lecturing Demyx on the virtues of keeping the floor free from dirty clothes and giving empty soda cans a proper burial in the plastic wastebasket by the door. Lame. Also, he was a little condescending. That jerk .

One day, Ienzo burst into their dorm room with the gusto of a hurricane aiming to speak to a manager about a botched coffee order. He swung his laptop bag onto his mattress. It bounced when it landed. "Out," he commanded.

Demyx looked up from his phone. He sat with his legs crossed on his own bed, his Discord app open to a private message thread on his phone. In a few minutes, one of his server friends, a guy with the display name "The Cloaked Schemer" but going by his Discord handle, Zexion#1309, would be starting a voice call with him. It was kind of a big deal--they had been chatting in their shared server for almost a year, and in private messages for almost as long, but they had yet to actually speak to each other. "I'm actually busy," Demyx said.

"I don't care. Out."

It turned into an argument, of course, neither yielding and probably disturbing their neighbors with the yelling. Yep, Demyx didn’t like his roommate one bit.

He ended up in the lounge by the kitchen, utterly fuming, cursing his idea to “go rando” with a roommate all the while. It’s the best way to make friends, Demyx , his mother had told him. What better friend than a roommate?

Very funny.

At least he’d been able to grab his phone. Of course, Zexion was wondering where the hell he was.

The Cloaked Schemer: Do you need to reschedule?

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: roommate’s being a dick and kicked me out. Sorry!

The Cloaked Schemer: Ah, I too am having roommate troubles. I can sympathize. I know too well what it’s like when one’s privacy is denied.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: he’s driving me NUTS!

The Cloaked Schemer: Have you tried talking to him about it?

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: He didn’t exactly uh seem receptive to talking

The Cloaked Schemer: It’s always a good idea to try for maturity first.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: I did! Not my fault the guy wasn’t having it.

Anyway. Id hate to let that guy take up any more time.

Hru?

The Cloaked Schemer: Doing as well as I can, I suppose. I’m enjoying my classes so far. It seems a little easy, but then again, it is only one of the first weeks. Things should pick up more by midterms.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: ure too smart zexy. And didnt you skip a grade?

The Cloaked Schemer: A year, yes. I don’t think they call them grades in college.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Considering some of the people ive met, couldve fooled me.

The Cloaked Schemer: If I’m hoping to have a grad degree within five years, I have to fast track it. I’d rather not spend much more time in undergrad than necessary.

Though I am especially resentful that, despite the fact that I am technically a sophomore, I’m considered enough of a freshman to still be required to dorm.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: That blows

But dude, ure here. Might as well try to enjoy the journey, yaknow?

The Cloaked Schemer: Oh, Arpeggio. Your naivete is too obvious sometimes. It’s sweet, I think.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: har har

The Cloaked Schemer: I am disappointed though. I was looking forward to meeting you--in a manner of speaking. You’re probably one of the most sane people from our Verum Rex server.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Issa game, bro. Some of them, idk, take it a little too seriously

The Cloaked Schemer: Well, aspects of it are worth being taken seriously, but I understand what you mean.

Though the ship wars are grating.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: ha! Yeah.

The Cloaked Schemer: We’ll have to find some other time, then.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Mann i was hoping to see if you sound as smart as you type

The Cloaked Schemer: You flatter me.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Do you think if we lived near each other we would hang out?

The Cloaked Schemer: If it’s all the same, I’d prefer to keep my location anonymous.

At least for now.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: I know. Just a hypothetical question

The Cloaked Schemer: I’d like to say yes.

But for all I know, you’re actually a forty year old serial killer who lives in his mother’s basement.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: harsh

You listen to 2 many true crime podcasts

Anyway, I g2g. See if the roomie will let me back in. Got homework.

The Cloaked Schemer: Enjoy your night, Arpeggio.

Hopefully one of us has a good one.

Demyx closed the app and repocketed his phone. He flopped back on the lounge couch, eyes squinting at the fluorescent lights above and his limbs ragdolling in uncomfortable directions. A good night, huh? It’d be better if he could spend time in his own room without having to engage in guerilla combat whenever he wanted to exist in his own space. Wishful thinking, he thought.

__________

Ienzo stared at the chatlog open on his computer screen. The circle next to Arpeggio’s icon turned a dull gray, and the remaining bits of Ienzo’s hope for decent conversation dulled with it. He had finally caught up enough with his classwork to have some free time to spend, finally arranged to voice chat with Arpeggio, finally gotten Demyx to leave the god-forsaken room so he could have the one conversation he’d been looking forward to for weeks , and now… nothing. All that planning, gone to waste. Another wave of irritation hit him, and suddenly he was out of bed and grabbing his keys. He needed some tea.

Ienzo didn’t get tea at the coffee shop, despite his plans. The alluring, hipster scent of pumpkin spice hit his nose instead, and he caved before he could stop himself.

The college employed students as baristas in the campus coffee shop, as part of the work-study financial aid, so it wasn’t uncommon to see one’s peers at the shop. “Hey, Ienzo,” Riku said. It was getting late; chairs were already on top of all the tables. They’d met in Ienzo’s anthropology class.

“I’m not too late, am I?”

“I can bend the rules for you.” He went back behind the counter. “What’ll it be? Your usual?”

He blushed guiltily. “Pumpkin spice. Please.” Curse that glorious, wonderful scent.

He smirked. “Coming right up.”

“I know it’s dreadfully popular.”

“Yeah, cause it’s good ,” Riku said. “As long as you’re not one of those “half-caff, no whip, vanilla and almond, five shots” type of people.”

“Why complicate coffee so much?”

Riku handed him the paper cup. “At that point, just drink coffee-flavored syrup.” There was a pleasant lull for a moment. Riku began cleaning the espresso machine. “So why are you out so late? Don’t you have an early class tomorrow?”

Ienzo grimaced. “My roommate and I got into a fight.”

“...Again?”

“We are not well suited for each other.” A sigh. “I went to the Residence Life office to try and apply for another room, but the period for that is over. I was told, and I quote, “unless he’s hurting you, tough it out.””

Riku chuckled.

“He is simply-- obnoxious ,” Ienzo continued, the pressing need to vent taking over. “Slobby, loud, and always around at precisely the most inopportune times. I was supposed to have a call with a good friend of mine, and it took some doing just to get him out.”

“Right, your Discord friend.”

“You have a good memory.” Ienzo swished the coffee around a little; it was slightly too hot to drink.

“The one you have a crush on,” Riku said with a grin.

Ienzo flushed painfully. “I do not have feelings for him,” he said.

“Dunno. You managed to bring that call up in almost every conversation we’ve had. If he was really just your friend, would you be that excited? Enough to hype about it for weeks?”

Ienzo shrugged. “I do not know where he’s from, I don’t know his real name, I don’t even know what he looks like. For all I know, he only uses he/him pronouns online.”

“And?”

“I just… see no reason to desire something I cannot have.”

Riku wiped at the counter. “Oh, don’t be so doom and gloom,” he said. “If the call matters so much, it’s going to happen eventually.”

“I know.” He smiled. “Well, thanks for the tea and sympathy. Er, coffee and sympathy.”

“Any time.”

“Enjoy the rest of your night.”

“You too. Play nice.”

“Just promise to bail me out if things go awry, will you?”

“Ha, on my salary?” Riku winked.

Ienzo left the coffee shop. He didn’t want to return to the dorms yet, but the fall night was calm and quiet. He checked his phone (maybe Arpeggio was free? Though he did say he had homework…).

As a stroke of luck, he had a message waiting for him.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: I have a room again! \o/

the jerk was gone when I got back!

The Cloaked Schemer: How fortunate for you. I assume you’re flying through your homework now?

Mel0d10us N0cturn3: nope! :p

this science paper is kicking my ass!

Im really no good at this sort of thing

The Cloaked Schemer: Do you have any tutors available? Ordinarily I’d love to help but it might be easier and more private to go there instead.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: \o/

We actually do have one of those tutoring centers I think! Thanks for the idea!

Don't want you to waste your special brain-powers on little ol’ me lol

The Cloaked Schemer: I’d hardly call helping you a waste of my “special brain powers.”

It’s not a bad idea to check your local resources though.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: o7

Don’t think I’m gonna make any progress on this paper tonight tho lol

The Cloaked Schemer: Giving up already? I didn’t have you pegged for a quitter.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Awww, come on! Don’t guilt meeee

My poor brain!

It’s mush!

;-; will you not spare some mercy for my poor mushy brain?

The Cloaked Schemer: I suppose just this once, provided you use your resources and go to the tutoring center.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: o7 Yes sir !

First thing in the morning!

My mushy brain thanks you for your mercy and endless kindness!

Ienzo’s cheeks grew warm, but whether it was from the message on the screen or the sip of pumpkin spice coffee currently running down his throat, he neither knew nor was willing to explore.

Despite the late hour, there were plenty of students milling about campus, taking up their little spaces. It had taken him some time to find an empty bench to sit on, but one eventually caught his eye and he claimed it immediately, sitting down with his coffee in one hand and phone in the other.

The sky was inky black, dotted with stars, the sun long gone by now. Nights were starting to grow just a tad chilly, the beginnings of autumn seeping into the atmosphere. It was Ienzo’s favorite season and the aroma of pumpkin spice wafting past his nose was just what he needed to make up for the disappointment of having his voice call with Arpeggio abruptly cancelled.

Well, maybe not entirely. He’d been really looking forward to hearing Arpeggio’s voice for the first time, but this did nicely enough, he supposed. It was better than sitting around stewing in annoyance over his damned roommate anyway.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: so what are you up to right now?

The Cloaked Schemer: It’s a lovely night out. I needed some tea. Got coffee instead.

What is it about pumpkin spice that’s so irresistible?

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Never wouldve pictured YOU as a devotee of the PSL.

The Cloaked Schemer: Guilty pleasure.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: theyre so good. I can’t have that many of them cause caffeine makes me SLEEPY

The Cloaked Schemer: Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me at all.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: whats that supposed to mean?

The Cloaked Schemer: Nothing derogatory, I assure you.

Though the idea of you being hopped up on caffeine amuses me.

You seem like one of those people who has energy all the time.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: i wish

The Cloaked Schemer: I should--begrudgingly--head back to my room.

You should try working on that paper.

I mean it about the tutor.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: yeah, yeah. I hear ya

Hopefully your roommates not being a dick anymore

The Cloaked Schemer: Fat chance. M3l0d10us N0cturn3: enjoy your coffee~~

__________

Demyx sat for a long time looking at that exchange. He could’ve heard Zexion say those words. He was just so painfully smart, but Demyx could listen to him say anything. About anything. For hours.

He showered and got ready for bed, hoping that Ienzo would stay gone. But as it was, he was back. Ienzo scowled in greeting.

“Nice to see you too,” Demyx muttered. He noticed the coffee cup Ienzo had set down. Ienzo seemed to live on caffeine and spite.

“I needed to clear my head, as I do not have the luxury of privacy.”

“Well I gotta sleep somewhere,” Demyx said. He crawled into bed. Ienzo rolled his eyes. Demyx saw him grab his own shower caddy and head out to the communal bathroom. He thought he smelled--he blinked. Slowly, ever so slowly, he got up, crossed over to the cup, and sniffed it.

Of course he likes pumpkin spice lattes, Demyx thought bitterly. Ugh.

He went back to bed and fell asleep listening to music.

__________

The universe thought it was just so funny. Demyx had taken Zexion’s advice and the tutor he’d met with was his jerk of a roommate. At least Ienzo was unhappy too, if the scowl on his insufferably nerdy face was anything to go by.

“What are you doing here?” Demyx blurted before he could stop himself.

“I work here,” his jerk of a roommate answered in response, “as a tutor, for my work study. I take it your procrastinating finally caught up to you and you need some last-minute help?” Did he really have to be so damn condescending though?

Demyx hiked his backpack strap a bit higher on his shoulder and rapped his fingers on the tutoring center's reception desk. Ienzo could glare daggers at him all he wanted from his seat at the computer behind the desk, but the curious eyes of the other tutors and students around meant that he would have to maintain decorum. They both would, lest Ienzo lose his job and Demyx lose his tutoring privileges. He took a deep breath. "I need help with a biology paper."

Ienzo's expression tightened. "Would you like to make an appointment?"

"No? You said it yourself: this is last-minute." Demyx tapped on the desk. "I need to talk to the science tutor on duty, please."

"It seems like we're both out of luck tonight, then," Ienzo replied dryly, absently clicking at something on the computer monitor. "I'm the science tutor on duty at the moment."

"You? Gross."

"I'm not particularly happy about it right now, either."

Demyx considered his options, and cringed at his conclusions. His paper was due in two days, and it was only half-drafted. Without a passing grade on the assignment, he would set himself up to fail the class. Petty squabbles were not worth the hit to his GPA. He sighed. "Well, can you help? I'm kind of desperate, here."

Ienzo returned the sigh. "Fine. Follow me."

Demyx followed Ienzo around the reception desk to a square table in the far corner, a plastic chair on each side. Ienzo alighted onto the seat closest to the wall. "This better not be a waste of time."

Demyx pulled his laptop out of his backpack before sitting down across from Ienzo. "Has anyone ever told you that you have excellent people skills? Because if they did, they lied to you."

Ienzo rolled his eyes. Yep , Demyx thought, amazing people skills. They were off to a great start. Getting through this paper was going to be agony. "I'm paid to tutor, not practice social niceties."

The laptop screen lit up as Demyx swiped one finger over the trackpad. A screenshot from one of his more memorable raids in Verum Rex guarded the rest of his files behind his login password. Demyx typed his password as quickly as he could, shooing the image of his and Zexion's avatars away before Ienzo could ask any unwanted questions. Evidently, he did not type fast enough.

“Verum Rex? You're familiar with it?”

Demyx nearly jumped, shoulders tensing. He knew Ienzo was there; that shouldn’t have startled him as badly as it had.

“Duh? It's only the best MMO on the market right now. Not that you would know, since you're so committed to the whole 'smug asshole' thing,” He snarked on reflex, feeling slightly guilty about it afterwards. Ienzo was being friendly for once, or was at least making something of an attempt at it. Yikes. Demyx wasn't usually one to make low blows like that. He opened the Biology folder on his computer and selected the draft of his paper, making an effort to get along with Ienzo while they were forced to sit together. "Please help me with this? If you would be so kind, please?" Demyx made praying-hands in Ienzo's direction in apology.

Eyebrow rising - was it just one, or both? - Ienzo shot him a look, obviously unamused in the slightest. “If you’re trying to be cute, it’s not going to work.”

Demyx pouted and opened up his biology paper, turning the laptop toward Ienzo. “Fine, fine, just help me?”

Rolling his eyes yet again, Ienzo was just about to lean in to read what Demyx had so far, when the familiar sound of a Discord ping had Demyx scrambling to turn the laptop back toward himself. Shit. He’d forgotten to close his Discord window before showing up at the tutoring center.

While Demyx closed the Discord app, Ienzo watched him carefully, contemplative. “You use Discord?”

Turning the laptop back, Demyx gave him a look, half in disbelief because surely Ienzo was too much of a nerd, but not in the cool way, to know what Discord was, and yet he did. Shit, it would be really awkward to end up in a server together. “Yeah, who doesn’t use Discord these days? I mean, especially if you play games or are into, I dunno, any fan community stuff.”

For a moment, Ienzo said nothing, slowly turning to look at Demyx’s biology paper on the screen. “Alright, let’s see what we have to work with so far, if anything.”

Demyx sighed. Asshole.

__________

Was this some kind of joke? Ienzo was being pranked, wasn’t he? Any moment now Demyx would start laughing about wasting his time and walk out, like the lazy slacker he was. Halfway through, he half collapsed on the table.

“This is impossible,” Demyx whined. “You don’t really understand this stuff, do you? You’ve gotta be lying.”

Ienzo felt his eye twitch. “Not all of us are lazy fools who give up after 15 minutes. Why are you even here?”

“Because my friend said I should, and I trust his advice. He never leads me wrong, so even if I have to spend time with you , I’m gonna do this.”

"Your friend sounds like he has the sense that you very much lack," Ienzo deadpanned, scrolling through Demyx's paper. He took stock of the misformatted section headings, missing in-text citations, and the off-center data table in the middle of the mess. The topic of the paper did not appear in any of Demyx's written work. "Can you tell me what this assignment is supposed to be? I can't tell from what you've given me."

"It's…" Demyx shrank back in his seat. "I don't know what it's supposed to be. My professor gave us all a table of data-results-things and told us to organize and analyze them. I don't know what he wants, exactly."

Ienzo huffed, and almost slammed Demyx's computer closed on the spot. Thankfully, his better faculties kept him from breaking Demyx's laptop. "There's your problem. You can't complete an assignment if you don't know what the assignment is . Email your professor for clarification and request an extension. If you do it early enough, they might grant you leniency."

"Really? That's your advice? Beg my way out of it?"

"Not begging. Requesting. It shows forethought, self-awareness, and emotional maturity, even if you don't actually possess any of those things. The adage of faking proficiency to gain proficiency has some truth to it." Ienzo pushed the laptop over to Demyx. "Is there anything else I can help with?"

Demyx's arms crossed, and his expression took on the quality of a betrayed toddler. "You didn't even help me with what I came in for, asshole."

Ienzo waved away Demyx's indignation with a dismissive hand. "There's only so much I, or any tutor, can do without having a good idea of what your professor expects. Emailing is the best advice I can give right now."

"So if I email my professor, you’ll help me?”

“I give you my word.” A promise made in haste, if only to appease the barest responsibilities of his job. Hopefully Demyx wouldn’t make him live to regret it.

Not long after Demyx was gone, Ienzo checked his Discord app, surreptitiously on his phone behind the reception desk, to find a message from Arpeggio.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Zexy, this worst thing ever just happened!

My roommate is my tutor!

Save meeeeeee

The Cloaked Schemer: That is peculiar. Though colleges are small worlds, so I hear.

What did he have to say re: the paper?

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Ugh he couldn’t even help

Because I had licherally no idea what the professor wants

I mean, the dude has an F on ratemyprofessor so

He said to email and beg for clarity and an extension

The Cloaked Schemer: ...That is sound advice, actually.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Youre taking his side???

The Cloaked Schemer: Not exactly.

But in academic situations, it always looks good on you to take the initiative and seek help when you need it.

I guarantee the professor will work with you, and perhaps be able to refine that same assignment in the future.

If he’s worth his salt, he’s seeking to improve himself the way you are.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: I GUESS

You wanna do a raid tonite?

The Cloaked Schemer: Alas, I, too, am a college student with coursework.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: RUDE

Ienzo leaned back in his chair in the campus library. How coincidental, he thought. He’d just given Demyx the same advice. Then again, college papers--especially in the sciences--were not always diverse on the gen ed level. He recalled Demyx’s paper; he should’ve asked him to see the email, or post, or handout with the assignment on it. Chances are the moron had merely misunderstood.

Demyx liked Verum Rex. Perhaps they could have this to talk about. Ienzo wondered who he mained. Probably Yozora, he thought with a sneer.

The Cloaked Schemer: Actually, I can do one raid.

ONE. Brief. Raid.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Thats more like it! \o/

One raid turned into two, then Ienzo ended up staying in the library, at the tutoring center, until it closed.

__________

Demyx begrudgingly took Ienzo’s advice. After his marathon raid session with Zexion, he sent a brief email--agonizing over the wording--to his professor, who responded almost instantly with an apology. Several students had already asked him about the assignment, it turned out, so he was going to extend the entire class’s deadline. But if Demyx needed a few days after that, he could have it.

“You were right,” Demyx murmured out loud, as he read the email the next morning.

“Of course I was,” Ienzo said, not looking up from his desk. “See? All it takes is a little maturity.”

The irony. Demyx grimaced. He looked over at him. “So you’ll help me?”

“When--and only when--I am on duty,” he said. “I have a life outside of work, you know.”

Demyx wondered how true that was. Ienzo spent a lot of the time in the room if he were not in class or in the library. Did he have friends? Did he go to societies? He nearly asked. Then he looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time in weeks. He had bags under his eyes, and was washed out, books spread in a circle around him. “Outside of studying, too?”

Ienzo opened his mouth, then shut it. “I am not here to socialize. I am here for a degree.”

“But don’t you… have any friends?”

“Of course I do,” Ienzo said, just a little too quickly.

Like he would honestly tell Demyx. “Sure,” he said, shutting his laptop and tucking it into his bag. “Well. I got class. I’ll see you at the center later?”

“Much to my chagrin,” Ienzo responded evenly.

Demyx’s day was ordinary other than that. After the professor clarified what he wanted in class (and, to Demyx’s immense relief, it was much less daunting than what he’d thought), he stopped by the library to check out some books which might point him in a vague direction. Ienzo could tell him if they were any good. He stopped by the coffee shop to grab a croissant and a coffee, and, on impulse, got one for Ienzo as well. The idea of it made him nervous. Maybe I’ll say they made an extra by mistake, he thought. He already knew Ienzo drank them.

There Ienzo was, sitting in the office. “It’s you,” he said in an unreadable tone.

“It’s me.” He cleared his throat. “Um…” He thrust out the coffee without saying anything else.

“Is this for me?”

“Uh, yeah.” He felt his face heat--though why?

Ienzo took it, looking confused, and sniffed the small hole in the lid. “Oh,” he said softly.

“I wasn’t sure if you liked--”

“No. I do. That was kind of you.” He blinked, his expression odd, slackened; Demyx realized it was without malice. “Let’s get to work, shall we? I don’t want this to take any longer than it has to.”

Ienzo helped him structure the paper, and reviewed proper citations with him. It would take a little work, but seeing it outlined, Demyx felt a lot less overwhelmed. Something he thought was a mammoth project would maybe take an hour or two to write.

“Once you have it written, come back and I can help you with grammar and syntax,” Ienzo said.

“Awesome.” He took a deep breath. “I feel… a lot better now.”

“One typically does when one stops procrastinating,” Ienzo said. He leaned back in his seat. For a second--but just one--he sounded like Zexion, all firm and proper, genteel without being rigid.

__________

"You got your grade back already?"

Demyx beamed as he held his laptop screen-out, his browser logged into the university's online grading system. One score was listed under BIO 101, labelled "Paper 1." The percentage displayed next to the assignment name was higher than Ienzo expected from Demyx. "I didn't completely fail!" he practically cheered.

"So you didn't," Ienzo agreed, nodding slightly at the number from his desk. "It's amazing what a bit of work will do."

Demyx dropped himself onto his bed and turned his laptop. He bounced on the mattress a few times while he looked at the number. "This is the best news I've gotten all semester and it's the best feeling. Is this what it's like to be a genius and get good grades all the time?"

Ienzo returned his attention to his own laptop, where a half-drafted essay mocked him with its blinking text cursor and nonsensical thesis statement. He clacked another line of bullshit into the document. It was for English class, he reminded himself. Any answer was correct if it could be argued well. "No, not really. You get used to it."

"I… I should thank you," Demyx said, after a beat of silence. "For your help. I wouldn't have had anything to turn in at all if you hadn't told me to email my professor."

Another line of bullshit trailed across the screen. Ienzo squinted at it, unsure of what he had typed. "Don't mention it. It's my job."

"But still. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Ienzo could hear Demyx shuffling on his bed. "So… you play Verum Rex?"

"Fairly regularly, yes."

"Do you do raids or multiplayer at all?"

Ienzo shot Demyx a warning glance. "I already have a raiding group. I'm not looking for another one."

Across the room, Demyx had tucked himself into bed, his Star Wars sheets pulled all the way up to his chin. He blinked at Ienzo unceremoniously. "Jeez, forget I asked. No need to be snippy about it."

Demyx's head disappeared under the covers, and Ienzo returned his attention to his essay. At least, he tried. The Discord notifications in the corner of his screen kept distracting him.

Eventually, Ienzo admitted defeat and opened Discord. All of the messages were from Arpeggio.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: hey, do we have an opening on our raiding party?

Zexion?

Oh nvm he said no

What are you up to?

I'm taking a victory nap after getting a good grade on that paper I had to

write a while back

My roommate is typing something and he's so loud

What is he writing that makes him so angy

The Cloaked Schemer: I am also typing angrily at something

It is a universal collegiate experience

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: still so angy tho

Are you angy atm?

The Cloaked Schemer: I am… frustrated

I'm meant to be dissecting the themes in a short story but I feel like I'm only spewing garbage on the page

Perhaps if I present the garbage with enough conviction, I will be able to maneuver through this class

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: if youre writing it, it's definitely not garbage :P

you need to have more confidence in yourself, Zexy

The Cloaked Schemer: Ha. I think my roommate would disagree

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: well then he's a bum

Tell him that

Arpeggio says so

Ienzo looked back at Demyx, cocooned in spaceship bed sheets and doing who-knows-what under the cover of bed linens. He thought he saw the flash of a phone screen through the fabric, but the light disappeared as quickly as he caught it.

The Cloaked Schemer: I'll pass. He seems busy.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Busy doing what? Bum things?

The Cloaked Schemer: I certainly hope not. We're in the same room right now.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: oh. Awkward

The Cloaked Schemer: I’ll say.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: so you know ive been thinking

The Cloaked Schemer: Have you? What a concept.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: ha ha.

Its been a while since we tried voice chatting

Maybe we could try again?

The Cloaked Schemer: You would want that?

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: I want to hear your voice. To see if youre actually as smart as you write

Maybe youve got, like, a transatlantic accent, or something. Thatd be cool

Ienzo blinked, staring hard at the screen. His heart beat a little faster. It was so hard to determine tone through text.

The Cloaked Schemer: Maybe I’m not as cool as I seem.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: highly, HIGHLY doubt it

Youve kept me sane

I really appreciate our

Ienzo saw him type “thing” and then frenetically edit to “friendship.” He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

The Cloaked Schemer: The feeling is mutual.

A long, long pause. Ienzo did not know what else to say. His face was burning.

The Cloaked Schemer: Normally I’d rather be caught dead than admit this.

But it does get somewhat lonely here.

It’s nice to have someone to talk to.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: I know what u mean

Sometimes i feel like i dont really know who i am

And like college is supposed to be about finding that

But its hard.

The Cloaked Schemer: You don’t have to tell me twice.

Part of why it’s so easy to exist in online spaces, in games. Appearance doesn’t matter. It’s like being a more concentrated version of oneself.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Do u feel like a more concentrated version of yourself?

The Cloaked Schemer: When I talk to you.

Ienzo’s heart was pounding. He thought he heard Demyx sigh across the room. Was he typing too hard?

Arpeggio started and stopped typing several times, just making Ienzo more nervous. What is he going to say? Did I push it too hard? Was I too forward?

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Me too, Zexion

I wish we knew each other. Like, irl

Getting to do raids in person

That would be so fun

And i dunno, maybe do other things

Go out to eat. Go to the movies. Maybe go dancing.

Do u like clubs?

The Cloaked Schemer: I’ve never been.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: it takes some getting used to

But the energy of a crowd is electric

Especially with people you know

Oh god oh god oh god , Ienzo thought. His hands were trembling.

The Cloaked Schemer: Where would we go to eat?

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: anywhere you want

Well. on a college students budget anyway

-laughs in poor

The Cloaked Schemer: Ah, so, five star cuisine, then.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Just dont order the lobster

In all seriousness. We need to vc sometime

The Cloaked Schemer: Yes.

There’s going to be a raid event on Saturday. Perhaps then?

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Depends on if i have the room :/

Wanna say yes so bad

The Cloaked Schemer: I know the feeling.

I suppose if I get desperate enough I can rent out a study cubicle in the library.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Awww you’d do that for little ol’ me?

The Cloaked Schemer: Yes, I

His finger slipped, hitting the enter key a moment too soon before he could even finish the thought in his head. His hands felt almost clammy, the inner mechanizations of his mind working on overdrive, as if trying to race against the pitter-patter beat of his heart. Shit. Perhaps… Riku was right after all? Had Ienzo, usually so level-headed, actually developed a crush on Arpeggio? It was utterly nonsensical, and yet he couldn’t deny that he felt a comfort with Arpeggio that he didn’t feel with anyone else he knew, online or offline. Was it possible to fall- ...to develop a smattering of feelings for someone based on typed text alone?

Well, wasn’t that a theme in literature? Two people falling in love over written letters? For all Ienzo knew, there could very well have been instances of it happening in real life, in the days of old, long, long before the age of technology and the internet. A pair of penpals, miles and miles of distance between them, communicating through the written word; it could happen, couldn’t it?

Hold on. When the hell did he turn into a sap ? Frowning, Ienzo ran a hand over his face, feeling like a lovestruck fool.

No. No, this couldn’t be a crush. Just because it was so easy to talk to him, just because they’d been talking for a year or so by now, it didn’t mean-

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Zexy?

You ok?

Shit, how long had he zoned out for?

The Cloaked Schemer: Sorry. Got distracted.

But regardless, I think we should aim for Saturday.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Great!

Hoping we don’t get interrupted by our dick roomies

The Cloaked Schemer: Quite. It’s a date, then.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Yes :3

Ienzo took a deep breath. Regardless as to whether or not this was practical, it seemed that Arpeggio reciprocated his flirting.

Wait. Ienzo looked at the screen, cheeks heating up as he realized he’d typed the word ‘date,’ and Arpeggio said ‘yes .’ He couldn’t deny the little flutter of his stomach in that moment.

__________

Demyx set his phone aside, his heart beating heavily in his chest, his face bright red. He swallowed. There was no way sleep would come easily now, and it probably wouldn’t be until Saturday.

He thought about the nature of crushes. He’d never seen Zexy’s face, or heard his voice, but he was so adept at weaving words in the way Demyx wanted to be with music. He tried to imagine him, what he might be like.

He rolled onto his back. Ienzo’s frenetic, noisy typing had stopped. Demyx sat up, rubbed his eyes, and pretended he’d been napping the whole time. “You good?”

Ienzo shut his computer quickly, like he’d been doing something questionable. “Yes. Fine.” He was a little out of breath. What the hell had he been writing?

Demyx blinked. “I’m gonna go get a coffee,” he said instead. “Want me to bring you one back?”

“Sure,” Ienzo said, his face flushed.

Demyx shook his head. Well. If Ienzo needed to take care of that he had at least a few minutes now. “Cool.”

The whole time he was at the coffee shop, he kept thinking about Zexion, all their little conversations. It was evolving, and evolving fast. Demyx knew from brief experimentation with dating apps that just because a person sent you some flirty words didn’t mean anything would come of it. For all he knew, Zexion lived in New Zealand, or something.

That didn’t stop him from wanting it.

He drew a deep breath, exhaled. Well. Saturday he would find out.

Demyx wasn’t going to let Ienzo ruin his chances of meeting Zexion. He decided to strike preemptively, pausing at the door of their dorm room and sucking in a breath, steeling himself. He could do this. He could ask his roommate for the room for one night, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Hey, so, I have a thing Saturday,” he said vaguely. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t coming off as strongly as he intended, but he could still try. “Mind if I hang here alone for a few hours?”

Ienzo glanced up. The flush was gone, and he seemed much more composed. “Yes, that’s fine. I was going to go study anyway.”

“Study? Don’t you ever have any fun?”

“Perhaps I find studying fun,” Ienzo said.

“Suit yourself.” As he passed on his way back to the bed, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Ienzo had Discord open.

__________

Friday night, Demyx barely slept. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. Crushes didn’t usually… hit him this hard. It’s dumb. It’s so dumb. His loneliness was getting to him. Even Saturday morning, there were some hours until the events started. He looked at his DM history with Zexion. They’d spoken briefly, only to confirm a time and place for their characters to meet and chat. He sat at his desk, his hands trembling, as the game booted up.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: You ready?

The Cloaked Schemer: Of course.

M3l0d10us N0cturn3: Cool.

My mic isnt like great

But you can still hear me

He was shaking. He was shaking. “Get it together,” he muttered to himself.

The Cloaked Schemer: You’re a broke college student. I’m not expecting a professional setup here.

Though I will say my booth is pleasantly soundproofed.

Let me connect.

And Demyx thought his heart might stop. I’m so gay, he thought. A second later he heard that familiar call connection. He twitched a little, and his mic clattered loudly on the floor. Shit!

“Arpeggio? Are you alright?”

“I just dropped the--”

A long, long pause.

He knew that voice.

“Zexion?” He picked up the mic and set it down.

“Arpeggio?”

“I dropped the mic.” Demyx swallowed.

“You…” Zexion fumbled for words. “Speak a little more, please.”

“Is that really you?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re in a library right now.”

“And you had an event… Saturday.”

“Ohh my god,” Demyx mumbled. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, just that he was feeling a lot of it. “Ienzo. You’re Zexion?”

“It’s an anagram,” he said, his tone numb.

“Seriously, this whole time--”

“Evidently.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but at the same time, there was something warm in his chest.

Wait, no. No. This was Ienzo, and they hated each other--

Demyx realized he was panicking. He also, vaguely, in the back of his mind, realized the call had disconnected.

Demyx spent the next few minutes desperately trying to control his breathing, trying to not focus on how Zexion- No, Ienzo- was so disgusted it was him that he’d immediately dropped the call.

Of course. Of fucking course. The universe hated him. The universe had it out for him, surely. Why else would this have happened? He finally meets this sweet, smart, wonderful guy who takes him seriously and actually likes talking to him, on a regular basis , and then… And then… It turns out to be the very same roommate who hates him. That would just be his damned luck, wouldn’t it?

Grabbing his pillow, Demyx face-planted into it, pressing it furiously against his eyes to stop them from burning, to stop the tears that threatened to spill. Of all the people it could’ve been. Why Ienzo ?

Demyx had been nervous enough as it was, afraid the person on the other end would think him annoying - his voice, his tone, the way he just couldn’t fucking shut up sometimes when he got excited about something. Alternatively, the filter between his brain and his mouth was immensely weaker than the filter between his brain and his fingers, and he could’ve said the wrong thing, unable to stop himself in the same way his hand can catch itself on the enter key before hitting it, or quickly delete the message before Zexion could read it.

But this was so much worse, because Ienzo already knew him, already had an impression of him, and that impression was far from good. It’s no wonder he disconnected the call so suddenly. He likely couldn’t stand hearing the truth any longer, stomach churning with disgust, head filled to bursting with regret, and not just regret over the voice call, but everything .

An almost entire year’s worth of conversations, soiled now, because Demyx was, well, Demyx . A slob. A slacker. An idiot. He wasn’t worth Ienzo’s time, and now he knew he wasn’t worth Zexion’s.

A sharp ache spread over his chest, cold and numbing, all of him tense with it. He… liked Zexion. He very genuinely liked him, so excited to get to talk to him, his bristling nerves aside. All week he’d thought about it, daydreaming, wondering what the person on the other end would sound like, if he’d love that voice as much as he loved the text on his Discord screen.

It no longer mattered, not when it was now clear that Zexion - no, Ienzo , was utterly disgusted with him.

It was over. It was all over - their friendship, a year’s worth of personal conversations, these budding feelings he was beginning to have, or that he’s been having for a while now…

On the flipside, was Demyx disappointed that it turned out to be Ienzo? He… didn’t know the answer to that, still reeling in the fact that Zexion, his dear friend and crush, hated him. The pillow was starting to suffocate him and he instinctively pulled it away from his face, eyes still burning. He sucked in some deep breaths and just when he was finally on the cusp of calming down, his door swung open so fast Demyx feared it’d break off the hinges.

Ienzo leveled him with a determined stare. “You.”

__________

Ienzo sat.

And sat.

And stared, and sat some more.

He was dizzy. Slowly, so slowly, all the pieces clicked together. The coffee. The references to Verum Rex. How they were always just missing each other. The whole tutoring scenario. Good god . So this person he’d been harboring feelings for this whole time was--

He pressed a hand to his forehead. And yet, a small part of him… was relieved?

It could be…

No, it couldn’t be anything! They hated each other! They’d complained to each other about each other more times than Ienzo could count. They had--

Ienzo felt the walls of the study booth begin to close in around him, pushing the breathable air out of the room. His ribcage constricted around his lungs, and his heartbeat pounded at his temples. He gathered his laptop and microphone in his arms and burst out of the room, chest heaving.

He braced himself against the outer wall of the study booth and willed himself to breathe normally, his head tilted all the way back to rest on the door. This was real life, and he was fine. He would be fine, anyway, with a bit of finessing. Okay, perhaps a little more than a bit.

Ienzo retrieved his backpack and stowed his equipment inside as he analyzed the situation. Arpeggio and Demyx were the same person. A strange revelation, but not world-ending. He could find another raiding party. He could join another server. There was more than one person with whom to play Verum Rex.

But--

Ienzo caught himself zipping and unzipping the top pocket of his backpack, more forcefully than necessary each time. A new server didn't sound appealing. A new raiding party, even less so. He would have to chat with new people, learn their idiosyncrasies and fighting styles, learn their pseudonyms and remember how they differed from their usernames. It all sounded so… hard, and boring, and unnecessary.

He zipped his backpack closed for the last time and held it at his side by its tiny top handle. Its back straps kicked at his calves as he raced out of the study area, through the main lobby, and into the courtyard. His mind was set. His choice was clear. The only thing to do was follow through.

Ienzo made a beeline back to the room. He found Demyx sitting cross-legged on his own bed, his computer accessorized with a small budget microphone and his face awash with something that looked like guilt. His eyes widened when Ienzo crossed the threshold.

"You." Ienzo's statement rang out like a gong.

Demyx swallowed. "Yeah?"

"We need to talk." Ienzo shut the door behind himself. It slammed closed, though Ienzo had not intended for that.

"...yeah." Demyx turned back to his computer, fiddling at the USB port where his microphone connected to the rest of the machine. "Ienzo, I--"

"Shut up." Ienzo stalked into the room, single-minded. He stopped at the edge of Demyx's bed. "Shut up and listen, for once."

Demyx's shoulders rose to his ears. He stayed quiet.

Ienzo dropped his backpack to the floor. Though his fingers trembled, his resolve held firm. The moment of reckoning was upon him. "Did you know?"

Demyx shook his head.

"Did you want to know?"

He responded in a whisper, pained and hushed. "I wanted to meet Zexion."

Ienzo's hands trembled faster. He balled them into fists to compensate. "And now that you know," he said, "do you regret it? Wanting to know? Learning the truth?"

A tear trailed down Demyx's downcast cheek. "No."

Something deep inside Ienzo wanted to reach out and wipe away the tears that followed, while Demyx's breath caught in gasps over his laptop keyboard. Ienzo steeled himself. "I… don't regret it, either."

"You don't?" Demyx looked up and met Ienzo's gaze with caution. Aside from the red tinge at their edges, his eyes looked almost hopeful.

Ienzo softened, relaxed his fists. "I don't want to find a new server, or a new raiding party."

Sniffling, Demyx nodded. "I don't, either."

"I don't want to stop talking to Arpeggio," Ienzo continued, his heart playing timpanis in his chest. "He is a close friend of mine."

"He's also your lazy roommate." Another tear escaped, this time going down the side of Demyx's nose. Demyx wiped at it with the heel of his hand. "Ienzo, I--"

"We've had differences. We've also had commonalities, albeit in virtual space. There's no reason we cannot bring the two together."

"Ienzo--"

"There's no reason we should be at each other's throats. We--"

"Ienzo!"

He blinked. The drum performance in his chest missed a beat, then started from the top at full speed. "Yes?"

Demyx unplugged the microphone from his computer, sighed, and tossed it to the far edge of his bed. "I don't think that will work."

Ienzo frowned and crossed his arms. He was beginning to remember why he and Demyx didn't get along in meatspace. "Why, pray tell, is that?" he asked.

Demyx swallowed again, more conspicuously than before. "It's just… I…"

Ienzo leaned forward, his head cocked to the side. "You what?"

"I, um, I…"

"Go on. I don't have all night."

Demyx pushed his computer aside and drew his knees into his chest. "I… shit. I had a thing for Zexion." His shoulders hitched with sardonic laughter. "Shit. Fuck. This sucks." He reached behind himself for his pillow and buried his face in it. "This is so embarrassing," he whined, his voice muffled.

Ienzo's budding anger deflated. "You… you did?"

Demyx nodded into his pillow. "Uh-huh. And now you know, too."

Ienzo opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't make the words in his head form coherent phrases. His throat sputtered with half-formed consonants instead. Words. For fuck’s sake, wasn’t he good at words? Why was this suddenly so damn hard?

"This is the worst," Demyx groaned. "Just kill me now. Make it look like an accident. Tell my family I loved them. Don't let my sister take my bedroom at home."

Ienzo's faculties returned in the bumbling, clumsy way that drunkards stumbled home from dank local pubs. "I... don't think that will be necessary," Ienzo managed, through his own confusion.

"No?" Demyx put his pillow back in its place, and faced Ienzo with dried saline clumping in his eyelashes. "What, are you gonna torture me instead? Make me regret being born? Because you're a little late on that front, buddy, I already do."

Ienzo took a deep breath. His crossed arms dropped to his side, then held each other at the elbows. "I may have developed… similar feelings. For Arpeggio." Ienzo's mouth went dry. The drum performance upgraded itself to a full marching band drumline, twenty-five snare drums pounding paradiddles and rolls in synchronized sweeps.

A silence consumed the space between them, interrupted only by Demyx's sniffling and Ienzo's heartbeat. It stretched into the abyss and the stratosphere in equal measure, and stung more acutely than the idea of never speaking to Arpeggio again.

Demyx broke the silence by clearing his throat. "So…"

Ienzo coughed. "So..."

"Are we…" Demyx unfolded his legs and swung them over the side of his bed. His hands grasped at his mattress, and his head hung from his shoulders "Are we, y'know… do we still, like…"

"Do you want to be?" Ienzo shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Friends, cohorts, party members, server mutuals? Or…"

"Or what?"

"Or…" Ienzo trailed off. Or what, indeed? Friends with benefits? Significant others? Boyfriends? The mere thought made Ienzo's palms sweat. "Or…"

In the moment between Ienzo's efforts to name his emotions and act on them, Demyx had sprung up from the bed and slipped his hands around the sides of Ienzo's face, his thumbs resting just below the apples of Ienzo's cheeks. His breath tickled at Ienzo's nose and lips. "Or… this?"

Heat seared at every inch of Ienzo's face. If he could feel Demyx's breath, Demyx could feel his as well. "...I suppose, yes."

"In that case," Demyx murmured, somehow purring and wavering at the same time, "tell me no." He rested his forehead on Ienzo's. "Tell me no, and we won't. I promise. Things can go back to normal."

A whimper, wholly undignified and unbidden, escaped from Ienzo's higher register. "I can't," he whispered.

Demyx leaned forward, and Ienzo followed. At some point, they met in the middle, and the world's axis shifted two degrees to the left. It was a tentative press of lips, but Demyx’s hands on his face kept him anchored. It didn’t feel like Ienzo thought it would, and self-consciousness invaded. Suddenly Ienzo felt very young and immature; vulnerable .

But… after a moment or so, not so much. Demyx was so warm against him, and Ienzo realized it was a learning curve, one he was picking up with his usual speed. He was shaking a little in disbelief. It was so-- nice.

Demyx pulled away and brushed his fingers across his cheek. "You're trembling."

"Forgive me. I--" He swallowed.

"No, it's cool." Demyx pulled away and smiled, brighter than Ienzo had ever seen someone smile before. "Do you… want to go again?"

Ienzo did, very much so. "I'm not opposed, per se, but I think we should… explore our relationship a bit. Perhaps starting with our mutual interest in pumpkin spice flavors."

“Sounds like a plan to me, Zexy,” Demyx grinned.

__________

Riku set the pair of pumpkin spice lattes down on the little square table in the back corner of the coffeeshop, glancing at Ienzo, then Demyx, then back at Ienzo, one eyebrow shooting up into his hair. “Is the world ending? Did I miss a memo on the corkboard in the back room?”

Ienzo coughed. He was vaguely aware of the heat rising in his cheeks. Damn it all to hell. Of course Riku was here, why would it have been anyone else? Sighing, he gestured to Demyx, bracing himself for the inevitable bit of humiliation, courtesy of the one friend who knew about his very apparent crush on his Discord friend. “Riku, meet Arpeggio.”

Riku’s other eyebrow shot up into his hair. “You’re shitting me.”

Demyx looked across the table at Zexion, clearly trying to fight the incoming of a shit-eating grin. “You talked about me to people?”

"Only the unimportant ones," Ienzo said, picking up his cup and sipping loudly.

“Psh,” Riku spat with a roll of his eyes. “Yeah, and every damn minute of the day. If I had a dollar for every time you made heart eyes at the ceiling while talking about him, I could quit this job and pay off my tuition.”

Ienzo balked at that, nearly choking on his latte. “It was not that often.”

Waving a hand, Riku corrected himself, looking pointedly at Demyx. “Wait, no, he’s right. I’m forgetting that half the time, he’d be complaining about his horrible room-”

“Shouldn’t you be behind the counter?” Ienzo hissed, glaring at Riku. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Demyx’s gaze flicking between him, like he was watching a game of ping-pong. “Or should I text Sora and Kairi about all those little hearts you like to draw around their names on the garbage receipts every time they come in?”

"Go ahead. I'm ninety percent sure they're both into me, anyway."

Ienzo pulled his phone from his pocket and brandished it at Riku. "Are you willing to test that theory?"

"Make sure you write it down," Demyx chirped, blowing into the hole in his drink's lid. "If you write it down, it's science. I learned that in Biology this semester."

"I'll do more than that," Ienzo said, tapping on his phone screen with both hands. After his phone played a short 'whoosh' sound, he placed it face-down on the table. "Images sent. Now we wait for our results."

Riku scoffed, then balked, then turned beet-red. "You're an asshole," he hissed through his teeth.

"Relax. I was just kidding,” Ienzo said with a glint in his eye that Demyx barely caught.

"Forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical." Riku scowled for a moment, but eventually softened into a smirk. "Whatever. Enjoy your Discord date, Casanova." He knocked on the table once before returning to the checkout counter.

"Discord date?" Demyx asked, taking a swig of his pumpkin spice latte. "I thought we were hanging out in real life."

"Let's not split hairs. We're about to see a show." Ienzo jutted his chin in the direction of the cafe's front door. As if on cue, Sora and Kairi burst through it like a duo on a mission.

“Oh Riiiiiiiiku!” they chorused in sing-song at the top of their lungs.

"Sometimes," Ienzo said, turning back to Demyx, "I like to watch the world burn."

“Yeah, I know. That’s actually kind of hot,” Demyx admitted, taking another sip of his latte. "Remind me not to piss you off again, though."

#Zemyx #Demyx #Ienzo #Zexion #Kingdom Hearts #fanfiction #Zemyx Day #Zemyx Day 2020

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hypnotica-ships · 3 years

Text

Where Do We Go From Here?

Crow's decision on whether or not he stays comes to an answer, and a nightmare that might become a warning, rears it's ugly head.

Phase 1: Part 5

Word Count: (About) 1,810

1//2//3//4//5//6//7//8//9

He manages to get a good trip on him, and on the way down delivers a final blow. Knocking Crow out, once again.

"...I did say...no promises..."

Greeted with the familiar sight of the infirmary ceiling, Crow, closing his eyes in pain, tries to shift off his cot, but only manages to roll on his side.

"You lost."

Opening his eyes once more, he's greeted by Holger sitting on one of the guest chairs reading a newspaper. He seems almost unscathed.

"Yeah...I had a feeling...considering I'm back here again."

"...You shouldn't take this defeat to heart though. You've shown me that you are capable of learning and improving. You even got a single hit in."

Holger places his newspaper down, giving Crow a good look at his face. There's a pretty gruesome bruise on the lower left of his jaw. Crow gives him a slight smirk in return.

"But...if this was out on the field for like, a mission, or something, then I'd most likely be dead right now. Right?"

"You may be far from ready to join in on mission work, but I have faith that you can get there. Even if it means extra training lessons...which I don't mind giving, that is, if you are willing."

"~Ooooh, personal lessons from Herr Holger himself, how fancy.~"

Holger places the newspaper back in front of his face.

"...Never mind, I take it back. Leave."

"Aw, come on, I'm just joking. I do...want to take some time to think about your offer though. I'm just...in a strange place right now."

"...That's...understandable. I do...hope you stay though, I...haven't had a challenge like you in a while. I rather enjoy this change of pace."

"~That's sweet, you like me, we're gunna be the best of friends.~"

"Tsch, go back to being asleep. You were much more tolerable that way..."

"Oh, in your dreams, you're stuck with me now."

Later in Guile's office, Crow sits and waits in silence for his Uncle to return from a meeting. He had time to think about his future. He's confident in his new decision.

"Crow. I wasn't expecting you. Can I help you with something?"

"...I'm staying..."

"Speak up, little bird."

"I said, I'm staying."

"R-really? What's with the change of heart all of a sudden? Holger didn't hit you on the head too hard did he?"

"No, I just....I have a lot to learn. Holger, he...managed to get through to me, and I respect him, sorta-kinda...I'm willing to give this place a shot. Well, as long as you keep me in Holger's unit."

"That can be arranged."

"Thanks Uncle Bill, I'll try my best to make you guys proud."

"One more thing before you go. The room I gave you was only temporary. Since you're staying, we're going to have have to give you a change of rooms."

"That's...fine, I guess. Where will I be lodging?"

"I'll let you and your new roommate know after lunch."

"...Roommate?"

Soon enough, lunch came and went, and Guile led Crow to his new home for the time being. It was a small room, with a decently sized window looking out onto the air field, and fitted with a bunk bed. Clearly, his new roommate already claimed the bottom bunk considering all their clothes were placed about it.

"It's...cozy I suppose. Hope the new roomie doesn't mind me tossing and turning at night."

"Oh, I doubt he'd mind...Speaking of, he should be here soon."

"You're familiar with them I assume?"

"Heh, so are you."

As Guile was teasing his nephew, the new roommate walked in.

"Crow. What are you doing in my room? I'm supposed to be meeting my new roommate. Get out."

"...Holger..."

"Have fun you two, don't kill each other, and stay warm!"

Crow and Holger both stood in shock looking at each other as Guile left the room.

"Unbelievable."

"Heh, I told you, you're stuck with me now. Didn't think we'd be this close though, in fact I think Uncle Bill is trying to punish us for something, but I don't think I'd get along too well with anybody else as much as you."

"Hmm, could be...worse, I suppose. Just don't touch my stuff."

"Same goes for you."

As Crow gets his things in place, he notices a picture on Holger's nightstand. It's of him and a someone close to his age, they seem close. Crow grabs it to get a better look.

"Crow, what did I just say?"

"What? It's just a picture you had out on display, I'll put it back. Who is this? You got a lover back home?"

"...That's my twin you heathen."

"Hey, whoa, watch it, I didn't know! They seems nice though. You two seem close."

"We are...we were separated at birth, and it was hard at first, but we pushed through. They...are a very strong person. I plan to spend more time with them when I'm done serving. I think you two would get along, you both are....like that."

"Like that? I think I get what you're trying to imply Mr. No-fun-allowed, I hope that after all of this, though, we can all meet for lunch somewhere or something. Just hang out, ya know? I think it'd be neat to meet your evil twin."

"Funny that you assume I'm not the evil one."

Smiling as he puts the picture back, Crow gets his stuff taken care of, and decides to take a rest.

"I think I'm gunna sit the rest of the day out, Holger. I hope you don't mind me missing our private lesson today."

"...It's alright, I'm somewhat beat myself, and one of my men needed help with some of his equipment. I'll be back after dinner."

With that Crow climbs onto his bunk and lies down, staring out the window as he drifts off into a much needed sleep. Taking in his new path in life, and hoping he chose the best course of action.

It's cold. It's dark. Crow seems to be alone, surrounded by a foggy mist, but he feels a distant presence. Looking off into the dark, he sees two shapes that vaguely resemble bodies. One lying on the ground, and one standing, but hunched over. Both are shrouded in darkness. They seem oddly familiar, if only he could move and reach out to get their attention.

Fortunately, he doesn't need to move, both of the figures were pushed closer by an unknown force. With the closer distance Crow could feel some type of energy radiating off of them. The one on the ground gave off a cold, weak, almost dead sorta feel, as if what was inhabiting the body has left. The other one felt heated as if anger and rage consumed it, it didn't seem like it was too familiar with it though, it was....uncomfortable in this state. It didn't seem...stable. This figure also felt as though it was staring at him, or was it through him, if he could only see them clearly.

With one last push, the figures were almost eye to with him now. Both still covered in darkness, but Crow could make out some of their features better. The figure on the ground was wearing a flack jacket, and had a similar form to Charlie, but he couldn't see his face since it was turned away on the side. It seemed to be lying in a pool of something as well. The standing figure was in a blue uniform, one that Crow was all too familiar with, he couldn't see the figures face though, it was covered in complete darkness, except for the eyes. The eyes were plastered wide open, an icy cold blue that Crow wouldn't forget. Holger.

Why were these figures here? Why were they so...grim? Crow with every ounce of his strength managed to move his arm to reach out to this 'Holger' clone. Right before he made contact, he was pulled away by a strong force that seemed to have a bright light behind it. The last thing he saw was the figures dissapearing into the dark as he was being blinded by this new force's brightness.

"Holger!"

Crow awakes in a cold sweat, the room is dark, it must be late. The only light is coming through a small break in the curtain, but it's enough to prove he's back on Earth. Back in his room. Back to normal.

"Crow, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

Holger was standing near the edge of Crow's bunk, seemingly half awake, but alert enough to see that something was wrong.

"I-ah...uhm, it's....it's nothing. I'm alright. Just a...just a nightmare."

"You look pale, are you sure? You're shaking as well...Crow..."

"I-I'm fine. I just, I get nightmares often, but....they...uhm...God this is going to make me sound crazy if I explain it to you..."

"Go on, I'm sure I've heard stranger. Plus, I doubt either one of us is going to get any more sleep tonight."

"Yeah...my bad. I...I get nightmares, yeah, but sometimes they can be, uh, prophetic. I'm just hoping...this one wasn't one of those..."

"Prophetic dreams? ...Interesting."

"See, I told you! I sound nuts! It was nothing, just forget it."

"What was it about? If you don't mind me asking. You did scream my name, after all..."

"I'm....not fully sure, it was kinda vague. You and Charlie, well, what I'm to believe was you two. You were both shrouded in darkness, and you were both....off. Charlie seemed...dead, and you were...not normal, you weren't welcoming to say the least. When I was about to make contact, I was pulled away by some...light? I think. Then it just...ended."

"...Not welcoming? ...Alright, if it was to be taken as prophetic, what would that mean? Charlie dies, and what? I become less nice? That hardly seems like much to worry about."

"Wow you don't much care for Charlie either do ya? No, I...I don't think I can fully explain what you were in my dream it wasn't just...that. I...ugh, I can't word it correctly, but it wasn't good, at all. As for the light, which you'd think would be a good sign, seemed like it did more harm then good. I felt defenseless for most of this experience as well, I just...I hope it wasn't a warning. It makes me feel sick thinking that these figures might become a reality..."

"...I...see, I suppose. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, we make sure we can face almost anything before we go out on a mission. I don't think a little bit of darkness will turn any of us into monsters."

"Don't underestimate the power of darkness. It can and will take souls without mercy if given the chance. One can fall too easily into it, but I get what you're saying. You're right, I probably shouldn't worry about this it...it was just a nightmare after all..."

"Well...since neither one of us will be able to fall back asleep, would you like to make up for that lesson you missed out on earlier?"

"Yeah, actually, it might help me get my mind off things."

Continued in Phase 1: Part 6

#my writing #s/i #s/i x f/o #s/i story #s/i fic #s/i x f/o fic #wonder if that dream holds any weight....#krahenkoder #I also couldn't help myself I had to throw a certian cameo in here somewhere....at least before things got...bad...

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elisajdb · 4 years

Text

GoChi Week 2020: Day One: High School

Snippets in Time:

Future

With the multiple rings of the doorbell, ChiChi rushed down the stairs to open the door. Only one person rang the doorbell that way. Her boyfriend, Son Goku. They’ve been friends since freshman year but dated since their sophomore year when Goku kissed her during School Spirit Week. Goku was a great athlete; lead scorer on the basketball team and quarterback of the football team but he was a poor student. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the schoolwork. He could but he was lazy and only did enough to pass the class.

ChiChi knew if Goku wanted to get into college on an athletic scholarship, his grades had to improve so since sophomore year, ChiChi helped Goku with his homework and tests for classes. Goku went from a 2.0 grade point average to a 2.5 at the end of his sophomore year. At the end of his junior year Goku was a 3.0 student and receiving letters from several colleges. Now in his senior year, Goku receive visits from coaches pursuing Goku on a basketball and football scholarships. He had yet to make a decision and it made ChiChi nervous. If Goku picked a school far from her, what would happen to them?

Goku stood on the other side other door, wearing the school’s varsity jacket with his bookbag slung over his left shoulder.

“Goku,” ChiChi greeted Goku with a hello kiss. “You’re early.” She sniffed him. “Eww. You stink. Didn’t you take a shower?”

“I was talking to Coach, time flew, and I was in a rush to leave,” Goku explained as he stepped in the house.

ChiChi closed the door. That excuse didn’t make sense. “That doesn’t explain why you couldn’t take a shower before you left.”

Goku grinned as he winked at her. “I was in a rush to see you. Ain’t that enough?”

ChiChi couldn’t argue against that. “In that case, that’s all right.” She gave him another kiss on his lips. “You can take a shower in the bathroom upstairs. I can make lunch for us before we study.”

“Sounds good.” He looked around curious. “Where’s your Pops?”

“Still at work but he’ll be here in a couple hours.”

ChiChi left Goku’s side to go to the kitchen but Goku grabbed her and pulled ChiChi to him. “So, we have the house to ourselves for a while.” He grinned at her. “Wanna take a shower with me?”

ChiChi giggled as Goku dropped kisses on her neck while his hands moved up to grope her breasts. “No,” ChiChi squirmed. “We can’t do that.” ChiChi pressed her hands on Goku’s chest and gently pushed him off her.

“Why not?” Goku whined. “We love each other.”

True but that wasn’t enough, was it? They talked about this. Goku was very eager for them to have sex but he respected ChiChi’s decision to wait. She wanted it, too, but her upbringing forced her to not rush things. They didn’t have to wait for marriage but ChiChi wanted a real commitment. Goku hadn’t decided where he will go to college. ChiChi wanted Goku to be the only one for her. She didn’t want to have sex with Goku, then have him leave her to go to college hundreds of miles away. ChiChi wasn’t a fool. She knew it would be hard continuing a relationship hundreds of miles away. If only she knew where Goku stood when he thought of their relationship and their future.

“It wouldn’t be right, Goku. We’re going away to college next fall and who knows what will happen to us.”

Surprisingly, Goku became upset with ChiChi as he stepped back from her. “College, college, college,” he muttered with rolling eyes. “Is that all you care about?! What about how I feel for you?! What I’m giving up for you!”

“What?” ChiChi sputtered confused. Goku rarely got angry and never at her. Where was this outburst coming from? “What’s the matter with you?”

“Forget it,” he muttered before he stormed off and ran up the stairs to the bathroom to shower.

ChiChi stared at Goku’s retreating form for several moments before making a split-second decision and following him. Goku wasn’t a stranger to her house. Her father and Goku’s Grandpa Gohan became friends through her and Goku dating. Her father was a very sociable guy and hosted many parties. Her father always invited Gohan and Goku. Sometimes Gohan drunk too much and stayed the night in the guestroom.

It’s where ChiChi followed Goku.

ChiChi pushed opened the bedroom. “No. You’re not leaving me like this without explaining yourself.”

Goku dropped his bookbag on the floor, shrugged off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. “Get out of here!” he spat at her as he pushed down his pants. “You don’t wanna be with me when I’m taking a shower so get out!”

“I’m not leaving with you mad at me!” If Goku was angry with her, he better explain why or ChiChi was gonna be mad back. “You better explain yelling at me!”

Goku flipped his middle finger at ChiChi and stormed in the bathroom.

Red with anger, ChiChi followed him. By the time ChiChi entered the bathroom, she saw a sliver of Goku’s backside as he stepped in the shower. “Goku!” ChiChi screamed. “You better explain why you’re mad at me or I’m gonna get really mad at you!!”

Goku responded with silence. ChiChi knocked on the glass door. Goku responded again with silence. Flustered with anger, ChiChi pushed aside the shower door and stepped in the shower. This time Goku was startled. He didn’t expect ChiChi to do this.

ChiChi poke Goku’s chest. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing but you have no right to flip your finger at me or yell at me and not explain why!” She poked him again forcing Goku back with each poke. “So, you tell me why you’re angry or I’ll really get mad at you!”

Goku stood directly under the shower. Water poured down his head making his spiky hair droop. He should be angry at ChiChi. He wanted to be angry at ChiChi but seeing she came in the shower after him, wetting her clothes, her hair, so blinded by her own anger she didn’t realize what she had done made him love her even more.

“You’re so beautiful right now.”

Confusing slowly replaced ChiChi’s anger. “What?”

Goku cupped ChiChi’s face in his hand and kissed her. Warm water splashed down over them but neither noticed. Goku curved ChiChi’s petite body against his hard one; his hand slid down to grip her backside and press her further against him as he rubbed his naked body against her clothed but wet one for some temporary relief.

Their mouths parted at the desperate need for air, but they remained close together.

“Sorry,” Goku apologized. “I’m just upset.”

“About?” ChiChi softly questioned.

“I’m not mad at you.” He wanted her to know. “It’s my coach.”

“Coach Piccolo?” ChiChi inquired about the school’s basketball coach.

“Yeah. I told him where I wanted to go, and he thinks I’m nuts and throwing my future away at a professional sports career.”

ChiChi’s heart skipped a beat. “How?” She turned her head up to see Goku looking down on her. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to Paouz University with you on a basketball scholarship.”

“Paouz University?” She smiled hopeful. She didn’t know if the water falling down her face was from the shower or her tears. “You wanna go to school with me?”

Goku nodded. “Yeah. The basketball team isn’t in the top twenty, but coaches still recruit kids professionally from all schools. As long as I play great and I will, I will get recruited.” He grinned at ChiChi. “The really good news is I only need to play for a year or two before I can quit and be eligible for the NBA.” He laughed. “We can get married.”

Married. Goku mentioned marriage once but only after ChiChi brought it up and from how he spoke ChiChi always thought it was several years from now and not something he was interested in. Now she saw she was wrong.

“Until we officially marry, we can practice being married,” ChiChi told him hopeful. Unsurprisingly, Goku was confused. “I wasn’t gonna say it but now I will. Dad’s getting me an apartment. It’s part of his graduation gift for me. As long as I maintain my grades, he’ll pay for it. We can live together while we go to college.”

Goku had no problem with that but Goku wondered if ChiChi understood what this meant. Sometimes ChiChi was too innocent for her own good. “Your Pops will be okay with us living together?”

ChiChi laughed. “Dad adores you, Goku, but not as much as me. We’ve looked at few places a couple weekends ago and I found the perfect place. Dad already worked a deal with my future landlord. It’s five miles from college, has two roomy bedrooms, two baths, a nice kitchen with a pantry I can stock with lots of food and a gym in the building. It’ll be perfect for us.”

Two bedrooms? Did she really think….? Maybe they will start off sleeping in two rooms but Goku knew it will be a matter of time before it’s one. “I know you adore me more than your Pops,” Goku teased. “Your Pops would never follow me in the shower naked.”

Now ChiChi was no longer angry, reality set in at what she did. She gasped horrified. She was in the shower with Goku who was completely naked! Automatically, her eyes looked down. “Oh my gosh!” Blushing, ChiChi pushed the shower door open. “I can’t believe I did this!”

Grinning, Goku shook his head at a soaked ChiChi sprinting away from him. So fiery, so innocent and so his. Whatever the future held for them, Goku knew ChiChi will be in it.

#goku #Son Goku #ChiChi #Son ChiChi #Gochiweek2020 #Day One Prompt #High School AU

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long-bodyswap · 5 years

Text

Ryan & Jason in the Dorm

by Ry

I couldn't believe I was doing this. My heart was pounding. I was completely unable to stop myself from crossing the room. My hands trembled as I reached down and found them. My roomie's boxers! No! I never do things like this I told myself. I dropped them back on his dirty clothes pile. But then I couldn't take my eyes off of them.I remembered back to earlier in the day when I came back from class and found my roommate Jason laying on the floor naked save for this pair of old red boxer shorts. He was in the middle of doing his daily repetitions of sit-ups. A former high school QB, he was still obsessed with his physique and he did at least one thousand sit-ups every day.

I found myself staring at his perfectly chiseled abs, partially obscured by a thick carpet of sweat-soaked hair that also covered his perfect pecs. Then the large bulge in his shorts captured my attention. Fortunately, he took no notice of my gaze as he was grunting through another rep. What's the matter with you, Ryan? I forced myself to avert my eyes and I headed back to my corner of our large dorm room.It was Friday and our other roommates had gone home for the weekend early. I knew that Jason was headed off to a frat function this evening. You know the type I mean. They all put on ties and act professional in a dinner meeting with some other groups to show that fraternities are respectable organizations.

Then they go out and get wasted and try to lure every sorority skirt they can back to their frat house.I stretched out on my bed for a nap. I was pissed at myself for checking out my roomie again. I was beginning to realize that maybe I was attracted to guys too. I hated that tho and blamed it on the fact that the girl I'd been obsessed with was only playing me and I hadn't come close to getting any action. As I was about to fall asleep, Jason finished his exercises and got up to make a phone call. Turns out he was calling a buddy of his from back home. He proceeded to tell a story about this hot blonde chick he nailed the night before. I tried to stifle a laugh. Truth was he had fallen asleep in front of the TV watching Conan. But that was Jason; everything out of his mouth was a tall tale. Even when he didn't have to, he made up stories. We weren't close, but I was still friendly and we got along decently.When I woke up he was long gone. I thought about what I wanted to do this evening. Some friends were going to grab dinner and see a movie, but I decided to go see Sarah, the chick I had a crush on. She was a hottie and had even done some modeling. I went down to her room and somehow she talked me into taking her out to dinner and then she used me to drive her to a friend's apartment. She and some of her friends were going out clubbing. I wasn't invited. You're right. I was pathetic. Live and learn.I sullenly headed back to my dorm.

I walked in, locking the door behind me. After a few swigs of Jaegermeister, I figured since I had the place to myself for the evening, I could catch up on some long overdue stroking. It'd been over a week since the last time I had any privacy and I needed to get off so bad. I wasted no time in taking off my clothes. I checked my six-foot, 190 lb, tanned frame out in the mirror. I wasn't in bad shape, just not even comparable to Jason. I realized I was better looking tho. Jason, despite his perfect body, had been described by one girl as kind of chipmunk-like. He had a large nose and a beard that was visible even after he shaved, but he was still a handsome guy. The girls were drawn to him, I think because of his self-absorbed asshole jock personality. I realized I was jealous. That's what started everything. Before I knew it, I was wishing I was more like him. Then I pictured him there nearly naked and I wished I could be him. That thought suddenly caused my dick to stir.And now here I was looking at his boxers on top of his pile of dirty clothes. I had to grab them again.

As soon as my hands touched them, I felt a growing heat in my crotch and my cock twitched slightly. I had never done anything gay like this in my life, but I had to. I lifted his shorts and examined them. There were damp spots from his sweat. I ran my fingers over the fabric that only hours earlier had encased his manhood. I shuddered when I noticed small stains that I had no doubt were once drops of Jason's pre-cum. I brought the boxers up to my face, as I knew I had to smell them, smell him. When I inhaled, I was amazed at how wonderful his musk made me feel. At that point, I dashed back to my area of the room and leaped onto my bed. My dick was already rock hard and leaking strings of pre-cum. I sniffed the crotch of Jason's boxers again and I felt my cock throb. I rubbed his shorts against my cheek, then over my hairy chest, and down my stomach. My groin felt like it was on fire. I slowly draped Jason's shorts over my hard-on. Before I knew it, I was jacking my rod encased in his undies. It was so wrong. But I was in pure ecstasy.I almost shot, but I stopped myself. I had to try something. Jason was shorter and thinner than me, but it looked like I could fit. I got off the bed and stood up. I slipped my right foot in first. I paused and looked across the room at my reflection in the mirror. There I was hunched over naked with one leg in my roomie's boxers. I felt my dick drool a huge glob of pre-cum down onto my left foot. I knew there was no going back now. I threw my other leg in and pulled his shorts up by the waistband. When I got to my thighs, they were a little tight, but an extra tug and I had them on! It felt like I was wearing Jason's skin.

I felt another throb in my member and I noticed that my mushroom head was poking up above the waistband. It was begging me to give it attention. I touched the tip with my index finger, gathered a dab of my juice and licked it. I imagined it was Jason that I was tasting and it was the best sensation my tongue ever experienced.I laid back down on my bed. My head was swimming in a sexual frenzy. I didn't care anymore if this was gay. I had never felt so good. I absently began rubbing myself through the cotton of Jason's boxers. This was the home of Jason's sex and now here I was trespassing. I loved it! I ran the palm of my right hand up and down the underside of my still very hard dick. With my left, I massaged my cum-loaded balls. I pulled up the waistband so that my entire cock was encased in his shorts. I felt the cotton ride up into the crack of my ass and I nearly creamed right there. I pictured Jason sprawled out, hot and sweaty, in these very boxers. His perfect hairy jock bod wasn't doing sit-ups tho. He was just like me, with a steel rod straining to be free and a pair of nuts ready to explode. He started masturbating slowly without removing his undies. I did the same. He began a full-length stroke of his cotton-sheathed cock and I kept pace. Faster! He... We squeezed our balls hard. Our hips lifted up off the bed. We moaned in pleasure and jacked even quicker. Our asscheeks clenched and we began an involuntary fucking motion with our hips that we couldn't stop. We had to pump faster! The bed creaked as we went into overdrive. We were nearing the point of no return. We furiously stroked as hard and fast as we could! We were CUMMING! Me! Jason! Me! Jason! JASON!!!I shot the most incredible load of my life! It never seemed to end. I kept cumming, flooding my boxers with cream. My entire body was on fire. It felt like I was shooting myself out of my body. It was overwhelming! I began to pass out from it all. My last thought was the realization that I had lost myself in this orgasm.

I woke up sometime later. I don't know how much time passed. I felt sick to my stomach. I thought maybe it was because I was feeling disgusted with myself for what I had done. But as I thought about it, I knew I had enjoyed it and had no regrets. My stomach was churning for some other reason. I started to sit up and my head started to spin, so I collapsed back down onto my back. My mouth was dry and my tongue felt fuzzy. Then I smelled it. No wonder my head was spinning. I reeked of pot and alcohol. I must have gotten so wasted again that I couldn't even remember doing it.I cursed myself and tried to just go back to sleep, but I was too uncomfortable. The room was too warm and I was sweating. I was thirsty, but didn't want to get up. My hairy chest started to itch and I scratched to sooth it. I continued scratching down to my stomach. It felt unusually hard, almost like I was finally developing some abs, but then it dawned on me that my stomach was just clenching up trying to deal with the discomfort of my overindulging. I spent ten minutes staring up at the dark ceiling, before I realized that I needed to unload my bladder. Damn beer always makes you have to piss too much.Slowly, I sat up and got to my feet. No wonder I was so warm. I was still wearing my clothes, even my shoes. The long sleeve shirt was unbuttoned, but I guess I had been too wasted to take it off. After a pause to get my balance, I headed for the door. I tripped over something in the dark and fell to the floor. I grumbled and blamed Jason for moving my chair. For a second, I thought to myself that I could have turned on a light, but no, it wasn't my fault. I had the sudden urge to beat him up a bit to teach him a lesson.The floor wasn't that uncomfortable to me in this state, but I really had to get to the bathroom, so I forced myself to get to my feet. I wobbled the rest of the way to the door.

The light in the hallway blinded me, but my eyes adjusted after a few seconds. Everything was clear. Sigh. I had fallen asleep with my contact lenses in again. I pondered whether I should get my stuff to take them out for the night, but I felt lazy and it wouldn't do any harm to wait till morning to clean them. I shook the cobwebs out of my head and continued on. The community bathroom was right next to our room, so I didn't have far to go fortunately.When I entered, Johnny, one of the guys who lived down the hall, was just on his way out. We weren't buds, so we only exchanged a simple "Hey" as we passed each other. It was the oddest thing. He was wearing a 49ers sweatshirt, but it was gray instead of red like the team colors. Whatever. I needed to drain my snake bad now, so I hurried into one of the stalls.I kicked the toilet seat up with my foot. Weird. I didn't own Doc Marten's. I must have really been fucked up if I put on one of my roomies' shoes. I went for the zipper on my pants and froze. My hands! They were pale. No tan at all. What the hell?! For a sec, I thought it might be the fluorescent lighting. Then I saw my torso! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My skin was white. And I was chiseled! Oh shit!!! I stared for an eternity. Had someone slipped me something? Was I hallucinating? Hell, if I was I didn't want it to end. I started rubbing my hands over my eight-pack and my perfectly shaped hairy saucer pecs. It was incredible! I felt the blood rushing to crotch. You bet I was getting turned on! I massaged the beast in my pants. Wait, these weren't mine.

These pants shouldn't have fit me, but I was so much slimmer now. Oddly tho, I was wearing my shirt; one of my nice shirts I wear when going out clubbing. I got more confused. The shirt was a little big for me, but it looked damn good on my body still.After several minutes of awe, it occurred to me that if my body had changed, what about my face? I hadn't looked at the mirror when I came in. I was almost afraid to turn around and look now, but I had to know. I spun around and I saw Jason staring at me! My jaw dropped. I stopped breathing. I thought I was going to pass out. My mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing. How could this be? I walked out of the stall closer to the bathroom counter. Every movement I made was duplicated by Jason in the mirror. I traced the contours of my face. My nose was larger and sharper. I had a shadow of a beard. Green eyes glistened back at me. I smiled and my reflection was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. My dick must have liked it too. It was rock hard and tenting out my pants obscenely. MY DICK! HOLY FUCK! I had Jason's erect cock on my body! That realization caused it to throb as it strained to break free of my pants. I had to see my new equipment! I almost whipped it out right there. Before I had the chance, Jason's and my buddy Brent stumbled into the bathroom, piss ass drunk. He was heading for a toilet, but he paused, as he had seen me staring at myself with a bone in my pants."Bwahahaha! You getting off looking at yourself again dumbass? You're such a narsus...narciss...fucking hell. You're a freak dude!" Brent slurred as he entered a stall. He quickly fell to his knees, preparing to worship the porcelain god."Fuck you, you cocksucking son of a bitch!" I was astounded that that flew out of my mouth. I normally would have been embarrassed. "I was just thinking about the great head your slut whore girlfriend Cindy gave me last night.""Shut the fuck up, Jason. I know that ain't true cuz my slut whore girlfriend spent last night fucking half the guys on my baseball team." We both laughed at that.

Then I heard a retch as Brent took care of his business. I suddenly was pissed that he and the other guys hadn't told me they were going out drinking after the movie. I missed out.No, I hadn't. I was still feeling the effects of all the beer I had downed earlier with Caleb and Nick. Wait. Who the hell are Caleb and Nick? My frat bros, of course. Hold up! I'm not a stupid-ass fratboy. I was more confused than ever. I remembered my life clearly, but whenever I started to think about an aspect of Jason's, it would pop into my head and seem totally natural. Was Jason still in this body? Was he in my body? Am I Jason, just whacked out thinking he's Ryan? Details only I would know and then details only Jason would know would occur to me. I was beginning to freak. The best thing I decided was to just think about the present. And in the present I had a pole in my pants that was crying for attention. I went back into the stall and closed the door behind me. Brent finished up and headed out, "Catch ya later, dickwad!"I did not waste a second. I ripped my pants open and saw what I had only dreamed of. Jason's cockhole was pointed up winking at me, as a drop of pre-cum began to pool at the opening. It was so beautiful. His entire dick was a work of art. The skin was creamy white-colored with a purple hue from the blood-engorged tissue underneath. He was slightly shorter than me, but he more than made up for it in thickness. I grabbed the shaft and nearly creamed when I felt how my hand barely fit around it. I squeezed and then fisted my way up to the edge of the head. With my other hand I touched the tip and gathered the pre-cum that had drooled from the hole. I touched it to my tongue and finally tasted Jason for the first time. I was in Heaven.I began rubbing the head, as I stroked the shaft. Jason had been cut like me and that was the only disappointment I felt, as I always wondered what it felt like to have a foreskin. I started to jerk off in earnest. I heard myself moaning rhythmically. That was something I never do, but something I've heard Jason do in his sleep. Now I know what he was dreaming about. I took one hand and fondled my tight assglobes. I started swaying, and then thrusting just like I was fucking someone with this fat monster cock. I reached the edge after only a few minutes. I stopped. Of course I wanted to cum! But not so fast. I wanted my first experience in my new bod to last longer and the bathroom stall wasn't exactly the best place either. Besides, I was becoming more aware of the fact that I had neglected my reason for coming in here in the first place.My bladder was near bursting. I don't know how much beer Jason drank...7 bottles. Oh, right. I needed release badly. There was a problem tho. I was still rock hard. I tried to make it go down so I could let loose. Nothing happened. I was simply too excited with my new body. I tried thinking about non-sexual things; baseball, cars, math. That didn't do any good. I was beginning to worry. The pain was growing. I scoured my mind for something sure to make me go limp. An image of Linda suddenly appeared. She was one of the fattest, nastiest, evil bitches in the building and I had the misfortune of seeing her in a bikini during a swim party a few months back. That did the trick. I felt myself going down a bit. Than a new image hit me. I saw Linda jump into the pool and when she surfaced, she was coming out of her suit! I damn near vomited.

That was something Jason had seen and I was sorry I had come across that memory. My dick was only half hard now at least. I finally let a golden stream fly out. I was fascinated by it. I don't know why. I was pissing Jason's urine and it just seemed like the most amazing thing. It went on for over a minute. As the last squirts left me, I felt that wonderful sensation that runs thru you're whole body and makes you shudder. It seemed twice as strong as usual, probably just because it was my first time as Jason and every sensation was amplified for me right now.I tucked myself back into place and zipped up. I felt the monster growing again and I wanted to get back to the room, so I could pick up where I left off. As I exited, I admired the handsome stud looking back at me in the mirror. He grinned, just like he does whenever he's up to something. I hurried out the door and back to our room.As soon as I got back into our dorm room, I was ready to rip my clothes off and really give this body a test drive. We had several lights around the room and I turned on the one with the least power. It only lit the room well enough to let us move about without running into things, as I had done on my way to the bathroom. Of course! That's why I had run into that chair. I had gotten out of Jason's bed earlier! And the gray-looking 49ers sweatshirt! Jason was colorblind to red. It was all coming together. Except how had this happened?I slid my arms out of my shirt. Hey. It was my shirt! Why was Jason wearing my shirt?

The reasons flooded my mind. Jason had seen me wearing it many times and he thought I looked good in it. He had come back from the frat dinner before going out partying and since I was out with Sarah, he helped himself to my shirt. Jason was disappointed that he didn't look as good in it and he wished he had my skin tone. Then he wished he was taller like me and had a smaller nose. Not long after he was wondering what it would be like to be Ryan. Wow. Maybe since we were both wanting the same thing and wearing each other's clothes, somehow our minds had reached out and we had given our bodies to each other. Whatever the case, I wasn't about to look this gift horse in the mouth.No more distractions. The room was still warm and I needed out of these clothes. I was in my birthday suit in seconds. My thick cock was pointing straight out. It was an incredible sight to see it jutting out underneath my perfect washboard stomach. I turned and took in my reflection in the dim light. I ran my hands over every part of this perfect form and returned to my beautiful new penis. I wrapped one hand around the beast and grabbed my hanging sack with the other. My body was trembling from the sexual excitement. I had never felt so turned on in my life.Just as I started to stroke again, I noticed the sound of breathing in the room. I squinted and could make out through the shadows that someone was in my bed. I quietly tiptoed across our large room, my hand never letting go of its prize. The person was under a blanket, but I had a good idea who it was. Who else would be in my bed? I was strangely excited by the prospect of seeing my old body in three dimensions. I reached for the blanket and pulled it off the bed. There I was! Spread-eagled and still in Jason's boxers. I whispered, "Jason?" There was no response, as he seemed to be out cold. I could smell the Jaeger on his breath. I cautiously reached out and touched my former chest. It seemed almost a forbidden thing to do, even though I'd done so all my life. I fingered Ryan's nipples, and then licked them with the tip of my tongue. A bulge in his shorts caught my eye. He was hard! I wondered what he was dreaming about. I moved down his body and slipped my fingers into the fly of the boxers to pull the rod out. It felt so hot in my hand, completely unlike holding your own. I crawled up onto the bed between his legs. I had a hand on each cock. I moved closer and touched the tips. Our pre-cum mixed, as I rubbed the bulbous mushroom heads together. Then I did something I always wanted to do, but couldn't no matter how hard I tried. I put my former dick in my mouth and suckled it softly. His breathing became irregular and I stopped to keep from waking him. I waited a couple minutes, before I grabbed his hips and gently began to turn him over onto his stomach. He didn't wake and now I had a view of my former ass encased in a tight pair of sweaty boxer shorts. My dick heated up and I couldn't resist pushing my groin up against his ass.

Instinctually, I began to rub my self up and down his cotton-covered crack. Before I knew it, I was dry humping him. Then I rammed him too hard and he stirred. I leapt off the bed and backed away. He turned on his side and looked in my direction. I don't think he could see me in the shadows, at least not clearly. I backed away some more, and bumped one of our other roommates' cabinets.I heard a grumble and then he rolled back onto his stomach, as he calmly spoke, "Ry, could you try to keep the noise down?""Sorry dude." Wow! That confirmed it. He figured I was Ryan since the other roomies were gone. Jason had no clue that he was now me. The polite way he asked me to be quiet was so unlike him that it made me realize that he was absorbing some of my personality traits just like I had his. He drifted off to sleep again. I pondered whether I should wake him. No, not until I have a chance to get off in my new bod!I headed back across the room to Jason's bed. I got down on my back and fondled my naked form some more. I slapped my fat dick around and let it come to a rest on my rocky abs. I was going to get blue balls soon if I didn't cum. I tweaked my nipples with my left hand and reached for my meat with my right paw. I didn't need any lube at all. My dick was like a faucet. I jerked my wet silky cock slowly, polishing the head with my thumb when I reached the tip. I picked up the pace. I moved my left hand down to stretch and squeeze my hairy ballsack. I began moaning involuntarily again. My ass clenched as hard as steel and I had to reach around to feel the pure muscle. I ran my finger along the sweaty crack and the sudden urge to penetrate my hole overcame me. I wondered whether Jason had ever fingered himself before and then I suddenly remembered having the desire to experiment, but always chickening out because it was too gay. Not this time! I paused my stroking long enough to allow my left middle finger to wet itself with my pre-cum. I pressed against my virgin rosebud and pushed! My finger slid in easily and I found my prostate. As soon as I poked it, I felt the most intense sexual tremor short of an orgasm rush through my body. My dick jumped and felt like it was going to burst out of its skin. I grabbed my throbbing hard cock and stroked like a madman, as I continued to massage my prostate internally.

My hips began to lift off the mattress. I began thrusting into the air. I felt like I was fucking and being fucked at the same time! I fisted my dick furiously! I had to come! I felt a layer of sweat covering my entire body. FASTER! Every cell in my body was on fire! HARDER! I was careening towards the edge! I stuck my nose in my armpit to get a whiff. Yes! I smelled Jason! I looked at my wildly masturbating body. I saw Jason! I WAS JASON! I CAME!!!And I kept cumming! I shot up past my head to the wall. Another shot landed on my face. I soaked my whole body in cum! It was absolute sexual bliss. I can't explain it any other way. It was everything I had ever wanted. I had never felt so satisfied. I scooped up a pool of my cum and greedily sucked it down my throat. Then I relaxed, closed my eyes, and just let myself feel all the sensations of my new perfect body. I knew I was going to have so much fun being Jason...The sun was bearing down on me as I woke. In all the excitement last night, I had forgotten to close the curtain before going to sleep. I opened my eyes and everything was kinda blurry. I tried to focus. Shit! I couldn't. That meant I needed my glasses. I was me again. I was Ryan. Dammit! I sat up and felt really dizzy. I reeked of alcohol. That figures. It was all just a drunken fantasy. I had only had a couple swigs though. Sigh. Stupid brain. Oh well. It had been a fun ride while it lasted I told myself. I looked at my body. I was naked and covered in dried cum. I put my glasses on, got to my feet and threw on a robe to cover myself till I could get in the shower.I glanced across the room and my eyes bugged out. There on the bed sleeping was Jason. Jason was naked. Naked with his finger up his ass! No way! I just stared in disbelief.

Did it really happen last night?Jason began to stir and I turned around so he wouldn't see me staring at him. I heard him yawn and get up. "Shit, I'm a mess," he grunted.I had expected him to cover himself up, so I was shocked when I turned around and saw him standing naked and likewise covered in dried spunk. He saw the look on my face and laughed. Then he walked towards me without any embarrassment."Hey. You know what? Something odd happened to me last night," he said, as he looked me in the eyes.I damn near freaked. Was he going to say he noticed his missing boxers? Damn! What'd I do with them anyway? Stupid, stupid, stupid!Jason gazed deep into my eyes, as he continued, "I woke up and noticed that someone left the light on. Then I noticed I was in your bed. I got up to go to mine...and I freakin' saw my body laying there buck naked with a finger up the ass! Guess who I saw when I looked in the mirror. I thought I was going nuts or hallucinating...But it was real wasn't it?"I feebly nodded my head. I was shocked, but I was also aroused again at the prospect that it was true."So Ry... How often do you beat off with my underwear?" I'm sure he saw my face go pale. He laughed and tapped his temple with his finger, "I don't think there's going to be any more secrets between the two of us anymore, huh? Looks like you had some fun with my body," he said while gesturing to the dried cum all over his torso. I couldn't say a word. I was completely embarrassed. Jason could tell.

"Hey! Come on man! Relax. It's kewl. I had a good time with your body too." He pulled my robe open and pointed out all the jizz coating me. "Sorry about the hangover you've got. I finished off your Jaeger. Nice try hiding it, but like I said, no more secrets.""Guess not," was all I could mutter."You know. There's a lot more I'd like to do as you Ryan. You think we might give it another shot? We could have all kinds of fun. Seems like an awful gift to waste. Hmm." Jason tilted his head down and eyed my very erect dick, "Is that a yes?"He grabbed my rod and I swallowed hard before quietly begging, "Yes, please."Jason let go of my cock and threw my robe off. We were both naked and his dick was pointing to the sky with mine. He pulled me to him and we embraced, our hard-ons trapped between our stomachs. I looked into his beautiful green eyes and he stared right back. Our minds touched. I felt myself flow into him as he flowed into me. We were connected in a way beyond imagination, sharing our bodies, minds, and souls. Yes, this was a gift. The perfect gift.

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raindrop-on-a-spiderweb · 4 years

Text

Mommy Dearest, Part 1

"What if Leonardo was already married when he met Patience?"

****

Francesca ironed her husband's white dress shirt, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles. He was a dapper, handsome man and she wanted him to look perfect. Nothing less would do.

A distant cry made her look up and out the living room window. Her boys were carousing in their roomy green yard. Chris was trying to yank his brother down, fingers entangled in his black hair.

"Bambini!" She called out in warning, but they still tussled, and didn't separate until they heard the engine of their father's black car as he pulled into the garage.

The kids nearly stumbled over themselves, shouting joyously and running in through the back door as the front door opened. Her husband put down his suitcase, picked up Chris and swung him around. "You're being a good boy for your mama?"

As he passed, Leonardo brushed a soft, affectionate kiss on the nape of Francesca's neck. "How is our little Fiorella?"

"Sleeping. Finally." She smiled prettily and tucked a strand of her long, thick black hair behind her ear.

"We're having pasta e fagiole for dinner. No, don't get up. I'll make it. You've been busy all day, deserve a break."

Sometimes Francesca wondered what he did out all day. He said he was managing his father's businesses, but Francesca was from Sicily. And she knew what kind of a man Silvio had been. So sometimes, as she fed the baby or did the laundry, her mind wandered, and she wondered.

But watching her husband's back, head bent and light shining off his beautiful golden curls as he tilted his head to listen to his son's chatter...

She wasn't sure why she would even want to.

***

Patience flexed her fists. In. Out. In. Out.

Fifteen minutes.

Michael had fifteen minutes to plant the wire.

Borghese was lingering by an oak tree, by Central Park. He was carefully watching something in the distance in the grove of trees that surrounded them.

Patience stomped up, gripped his leather-clad coat and turned him around.

"You better LISTEN to me," she spat in his face. "I know what you're doing. You fucking criminal. You can hire as many fancy lawyers as you like--"

His eyes were clear blue and opaque as the day she had stormed up on the courthouse steps and screamed at him. "Ssh," he said, voice a hush. His pupils focused on hers, fixed in a terrifyingly intense way. He pressed a finger to her lips just as a dirty-faced toddler stumbled out of the sandbox and latched on her leg.

"Leonardo, cosa non va?" Chirped a pretty voice. A dainty dark-haired woman was walking towards them, holding the hand of a little boy.

Patience stood there, bare in front of his devouring eyes, the warmth of a child against her leg.

"I--I'm sorry," she stammered, picking up the baby girl and clumsily cradling into her shoulder. "I never meant--"

The woman--Mrs. Borghese--regarding her hesitantly. "Who are you?"

The baby kicked at her chest and babbled. Patience looked down. "I'm sorry. I thought you were--" alone "someone else. What a beautiful girl you have."

"Her name is Fiorella," said Borghese softly, taking his daughter from her arms. "You are good with children. Do you have any of your own?"

His gaze was making her tremble. "No," she said quickly, under the disturbing eyes of Borghese and the more confused ones of his wife. "I need--I need to go now." Michael should have had plenty of time to plant the wire. Plenty. She hurried away, hearing Mrs. Borghese erupt in a chattering of Sicilian behind her. Borghese himself did not answer. He was silent, and the silence echoed behind her, and it disturbed her more anything in her life.

***

Patience stumbled backwards, her torn ankle wrenching in pain. "You disgusting murderer," she spat. "You--you let me go r-right now, I have friends, friends in high places."

"No one's going to look for you, Pazienza, and you know it." He was calmly taking off his jacket.

She cast a desperate look outside the window. They were in an apartment--high up, too high up for her to jump out the window.

"You're a married father, Leonardo BORGHESE! You have a god damn family and you're kidnapping young women! I feel sorry for your wife, I really do, unless that whore is in on it with you."

He didn't seem to be particularly bothered by her spat threats, even when she called his wife a whore. "She's a good wife. That's all she is."

For some reason, that infuriated her father. "Two sons. They're old enough to know what their father gets up to. And I pity your daughter."

That seemed to irritate him. "Lie down and take your dress off."

She spat in his face, and he slapped her without his face twitching or changing. "Oh, dolcezza. You're, as they say, a tough nut to crack."

***

Francesca could not get the worry out from her mind.

"I had the ball!"

"No, I had it!"

Christoforo and Giuseppe. Chris and Johnny. Different as night and day. Both had their mother's thick, dark hair and father's elegant features, but Johnny was loud and rambunctious, his brother quiet and thoughtful. Chris had always been her favorite. He always helped his mama in the kitchen and looking after his baby sister, Fiorella.

"I'm off, my darling," Leo said to her as he shrugged on his dress jacket. He looked so handsome with his hair slicked back, those golden curls teased straight. Where was he going? Why was he dressing up?

"You be careful, dear," Francesca murmured, kissing Leonardo on the cheek. Instead of turning and kissing her back, he simply smiled warmly at her and left through the front door.

As he left, and as she saw him turn, his neck shifted, and Francesca saw a faint bruise on his nape. One that looked like a…

Hickey.

***

A hickey.

Francesca agonized and mulled and worried. The thought festered and nibbled at her even as she fed her baby.

"Mama, Johnny won't let me have the football," whined Chris, who instead of fighting his brother, had come to her. Francesca barely spared him a glance. "You sort it out with him then."

Francesca was from Sicily. She knew what her husband was involved with. He was a good husband--she wanted for nothing. He took her along on his galas, made love to her, bought her jewelry, adored their children. Even if their marriage had been arranged, she had dared to think he loved her.

Until now.

She knew that men--especially men as powerful as Leonardo--liked to have mistresses. It was natural. However much he had spoiled her, he was a man.

But it didn't stop worrying her.

She had been a good wife, had she not? Borne sons, raised them, not complained? What had she done wrong?

The keys to his other houses hung on the rungs by the door. She had not touched them before now.

***

The first house was still shuttered, and there were dead leaves in the driveway. It had not been inhabited for some time.

Francesca almost decided to just go home, but decided to check the apartment building he rented. After that, she decided, she would go home.

The inside of the lobby was cold and quiet, marble floors clicking under her heels. She checked her key. Room 2103.

She took the elevator, nervously worrying if someone should spot her, one of her husbands' "friends". Francesca had never done this before--but she had never mistrusted him like this before.

The silence of the hall rang in her ears. It looked new. Artificial. Like no one lived behind any of the lacquered doors.

She twisted the key into 2103, and slowly pushed it open. The onside stunned her--it was a wreck. It looked like a bunch of hoodlums had come through and trashed it. As she stepped onto the mussed rug, she heard a distant gasp and a moan.

Her heart went into overdrive. She crossed the room in one stride, yanked open the bedroom door, and saw her worst nightmare

Inside the bedroom, on a bed with the sheets crumpled and tossed over the edge, Leonardo, her… her… husband was lying on top of what looked like a young girl, his body between her thighs.

As soon as the door swung open, Leonardo whipped around onto his back, next to the girl, and his eyes displayed a wild panic before they focused on her and recognized her. "Chicca. I can--"

He had not called her Chicca since they had courted. Somehow, that detail made her fury rise to neverending heights. "You disgusting disgrace!" Francesca screamed, tears streaming down her face. Ten years of marriage were slipping down a black hole in front of her horrified eyes.

The girl had rolled over onto the floor, covering her small breasts with the sheet. She had to be in her teens at the very least, early teens if Francesca was being truthful. She felt the disgust roil in her belly.

"Francesca," said Leonardo finally, and he stepped towards her, curving his hand over her tear-stained cheek. For a moment they were back in Sicily again, in Scafapani, at their first meeting in the cathedral, him with his hair in rebellious curls framing his gentle face, her hiding behind her scarf to shield her beet red flush. But he had laughed and taken her hand and kissed it anyway.

And his hand drifted down to her neck.

***

Patience ran out of the bedroom, clutching the sheet around her like a cape, and burst through the front door. She heard Borghese's wife wailing behind her, calling him mixed insults in English and Italian. When she came to the elevator, her high, despairing voice stopped as quickly as it began.

Cut off. Like a pig's throat slit, or a goose's neck strangled.

Tears beaded in her eyes as the silver doors of the elevator opened. When they klinged on the first floor, Patience ran out of the building, never looking back.

***

Chris knew there was something wrong as soon as his father called upstairs. There was a stern, sorrowful edge to his voice. "Giuseppe. Christoforo. Come down here. Your father wants to talk to you."

"I didn't do it, dad!" Johnny protested immediately as their father sat them down in the sitting room. Dad was holding baby Fiorella on his lap.

Chris felt the chill rest over his shoulders before he started speaking. He knew it was more enormous than that.

"You didn't do anything, Johnny. It's about your mother."

"What about mama? Is… is she all right?"

"Mama isn't coming back. She… had an accident."

There was a pause, and Johnny began to howl loudly. Chris's eyes welled with tears, but he didn't speak. All he could do was stare. His brain refused to believe it.

With Johnny's wails, Fiorella began to cry too, and Dad rocked her in his arms, getting up. "I'm so sorry, my darlings. I'm so sorry." He took them both in his arms, and Chris finally let himself weep, face pressed into the breast of his father's suit.

"What are we gonna do?" Sobbed Johnny when his father let go. "What are we gonna do without Mama?"

"Hush now." He gently stroked his son's head, gentle fingers threading their way through his thick dark hair. "Things will be back to normal soon. You won't be without a mother for long."

"Whaddyou mean?" Sniffed Chris. His father smiled a strange, secret smile and looked down at his daughter in his arms, bouncing her.

"There is someone I want you to meet. And I promise you… you are going to just adore her."

#bonus chapter

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cruzrogue · 5 years

Text

Roomies PARTII

#Fictober19 @fictober-event

————————————————————————

for fanfiction:

Prompt number: 22 “We could have a chance.”

Fandom (AU if applicable): #arrow fanfiction #olicity #Flommy

Rating:PG13

Warnings/Tags: There might be adult language

Summary: Roommates enjoying a nice mid-morning conversation after a hectic Finals Week. Tommy and Felicity land up talking about Oliver.

Notes: This is a three-part with its own prompt story Part I Felicity/Tommy conversation. (The are past lovers/ but current best-buds)

Part I Felicity/Tommy friendship Prompt 21- “Change is annoyingly difficult.”

Part II Oliver enters the scene (Future tense Oliver/Felicity relationship) Prompt 22-“We could have a chance.

”Part III Fallout of the Gambit situation… Prompt 23-“You can’t give more than yourself.”

Part 2 of the dynamic that is Tommy w/Oliver and Felicity.

~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~sp@ce~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~

Roomies PARTII on A03

Felicity is dashing around her bathroom trying to look presentable. Darn Thomas Merlyn for the jerk called her out. She hates that he knows how she feels for his stupid friend. She really doesn’t want to like Oliver Queen as much as she does. She really doesn’t. The problem is that her head and heart aren’t aligned right when it comes to this particular guy.

She doesn’t want to be one of those girls that gushes over a guy like him. He’s got the most beautiful baby blues she has ever seen. She remembers having to shake herself out after seeing them and being slightly embarrassed at how she caught him observing her. At least she didn’t go overboard with a babble to make her run for the hills. Tommy just introduced them for a slight brief moment. This is when their relationship wasn’t as defined as it is now. So much gray area to work with.

Looking at the mirror as she finishes applying her eye makeup. It’s her normal smoky look. If Tommy is being truthful and Oliver actually does like her, she wants him to like her for who she really is. Hearing the doorbell, she peeks outside the bathroom to make sure Tommy at least closed her bedroom door.

Gosh she feels the butterflies in her stomach like every other time this wretched guy is near. How does he do it? Walk around and make girls hearts flutter? Sighing out loud she really dislikes that she is being like this but she can’t deny this is the boy of her dreams… literally her dreams.

She gets goosebumps thinking of the things she would love to do with him. Wondering if he is the kind of role playing guy as she’ll love to dominate but in the same sense of the word be his submissive lover. Her mind is now going overboard and she hasn’t even seen him yet. Her body flushed. Maybe thinking of bedroom antics with him isn’t the best idea because her panties won’t survive this encounter.

Glad that all these visits Oliver has had to Boston he’d stay at a hotel there be no way she could live with him in this residence with her. She’s hid in her room all the time. Taking a last look at herself in the wall mirror she readies herself. Maybe things won’t be so awkward and they’ll all survive unscathed in this lunch thing they are about to have.

Tommy is chuckling as he hears a curse come from her lips. He gets up from his comfy spot on her bed. For a girl who loves the Goth look it is surprising that she has a teal bedcover and some floral designed pillows on her bed. Mildly surprised there have never been any metal or hard rock band posters on these walls. Instead she has Buddha and other Zen like stuff sprawled out in her room. If she didn’t carry her heart on her sleeve he’d have no idea that she is so sweet and nurturing. The saying about don’t judge a book by its cover, she is falls into that proverb easily. The girl excludes leave me alone but is a soft sweet bunny who gives really nice hugs.

He won’t even mention how feisty she is in bed because that is of the past. Giving that up has been hard but it’s for the best especially if he’s trying to fix his two best friends like some sort of cupid. Finding out by Oliver in a roundabout way by asking by him questions that always pertain to Felicity. He started catching on to that side of the equation and then finally seeing how Felicity shows her telltale signs of arousal. She’d deny it if he pointed those facts out. Doesn’t she know he’s slept with her and gotten to know her well. She’s really remarkable.

As for being the guy to bring these two lug heads together he wouldn’t try if he knew Oliver was going to just use Felicity that wouldn’t fly with him. As for Felicity well she can be seen as heartless that is just because she shots for the truth and sometimes its seen as cold and calculated but the girl is so pure in spirit she’d never wrong people like that. Knowing there is a true spark between them he’ll play this match-maker game. Sometimes true love needs a push.

As predicted the doorbell rings and he goes to open it and allow Oliver to check out his new residency. Oliver is a proactive student so he’ll be taking some summer classes. Tommy knows his best bud is wondering what Felicity thinks of him moving in. Being he hasn’t told her yet he wants to spring this surprise on her. Catch her real reaction and not the cool thought out response she’d give. Those two will be here alone together. He’ll be back in Starling because his dad wants to show him the rope to a certain division.

“What smells so good?”

“Like you don’t know.” Oliver laughs as he walks in with the takeout.

“You made sure there is no nuts in any of this?”

“Yep, told them in a monotone fashion about a deadly reaction to tree nuts. Even made sure to look through.”

“Wow! I didn’t think you’d be that careful.”

“Tommy? You said she’s deadly allergic. She is, right?”

“Yes. Though the extra thoughtfulness into it was a sweet gesture.” Moving to the dining room.

“Well it be a disaster if I try to kill one of my roommates before I even move in.” Oliver places the two bags down and begins to ruffle through taking the containers out.

“Especially if you have the hots for the girl.”

Oliver sways his head. “Can it. I don’t want to spook her. I don’t think she likes me anyways.”

“Dude, I said she has those doe eyes for you.”

“Yea, yea. Whatever. It doesn’t mean she likes me in that way.”

“Guess you’ll find out.” That only makes Oliver blow out some air. “She’s getting cleaned up for lunch. She took out some cutesy lounge pants but I doubt she’ll wear that.”

“Have you been teasing her?”

“You bet your ass I have. Just like I’ve been getting you all riled up. There is some love in the air.”

“We don’t really know each other.”

“I know you want to know her. I also know you’ve held off your…” Tommy uses his index fingers as he says, “Get into your panties charm” Tommy dropping his hands, “In those moments she’s around so I’m telling you there is potential here.”

“Okay, I suppose we are about to find out!”

Both guys turn to face where the sound of Felicity’s bedroom door is opening. Tommy makes the first move as he whistles. Felicity wants to tell him to knock it off but with Oliver here she doesn’t want to sound like a prude. Tommy has a smirk as he bumps his best friend’s arm and tells Oliver to collect his jaw from the floor loud enough for Felicity to hear.

“Well true introductions are in order.” Tommy walks to Felicity who is at a standstill just before entering the dining room. “Felicity? We don’t bite.” A sly smile shows on his face because the arched eyebrow of hers tells of a different story. “You know what I really mean. Come on.” He takes her hand and begins to lightly pull her towards Oliver.

Tommy is perplexed by both of their behaviors; neither have ever shown this reluctant side. His Oliver would have already introduced himself and his girl Felicity would have had added some snarky intro to the mix. Yet, neither really are doing anything but bashfully looking at each other. These two are really filling in for all the stereotypes he never thought these two would exhibit. Guess it be more work for him but payback could be a toast he’d give at their wedding. He inwardly shrugs that thought is way off kilter now that these two haven’t said a word to one another.

“Guys, introductions start with hi, hello, or some other lame wordings but this psyche thing you two have going on is weird so come on. Talk!”

Oliver shakes his head at Tommy’s words he’s just been in awe and it’s not that he doesn’t know what to do he’s just overanalyzing everything and maybe that is the problem so he takes a breath and finally talks. “Hi, I’m…”

“You’re Oliver Queen, and I’m…”

“Felicity Smoak, Tommy’s roomie.” She just nods to his words.

“Damn, you two are killing it.” Tommy rolls his eyes. These two are beyond pitiful even though the way these two are looking at each other it does look like their having a wordless conversation.

“I brought a favorite dish Tommy says you like.” She finally moves up to where Oliver grabs her food container as proof. “I made sure there is no allergenic ingredients in there.”

“Thank you.” Her hands shoot out to take it and Tommy just watches the scene as he grabs his food and just sits down to witness what can be a disaster in the making or a match made in heaven. Right now he leaning at 60% in favor of future nuptials.

“You’re welcome.” The smile he gives her is a smile Tommy has never seen. Like where did that smile come from? He’s known Oliver which kind of feels like forever and that boy has different sly smiles, endearing ones, and plain goofy ones but now he has a certain one just for Felicity Smoak. Shit, Felicity is going to own his best buddy’s ass. No doubt in his mind he’ll be whipped by the end of summer… what is he saying? The ‘there is no woman out there for me Queen’ will be whipped by the end of this lunch date. Tommy is witnessing the end of an era where Oliver will even notice another girl. Okay, maybe he is being dramatic about this but in his bones he just thought Felicity would push him to be better. Now he gets the feeling his best buddy is going to bend over backwards to change. Oh the boy is doomed being he’s is moving in where the object of his affection will be staring at him through thick and thin times.

Felicity sits by Tommy’s side where she feels comfortable as Oliver just sits directly opposite the two. It’s quiet at first as they take in their meals. Tommy finally having enough, starts talking about hobbies.

“Felicity, here as a thing for painting little acrylic statues she buys with fingernail polish. The girl has loads of polish in her room.”

Felicity doesn’t know if her first instinct to stab Tommy with her fork would be bad table manners as she’s chewing the inside of her cheek while envisioning his doom.

“You like to paint? I wish I could draw but I butcher it in ways I never thought possible.”

“Really? Drawing relaxes me. It’s my go to when I just don’t feel like reading.”

“Oh the girl loves to read. Just this morning she was…”

“Tommy! There is no need to list all the things you know about me.” She gives him a hard stare.

“Pfft.” Tommy says back. He knows her agitated looks but he’s not backing down and keeps talking about the book she is into. Describing the woman who is passionate about her hunk of a man. It leads to him getting kicked under the table. “Ouch!” He gives her a what the hell look.

Oliver is taking in the two before him. They are very comfortable in each other’s presence. Knowing of their shared romantic past is a little tricky. How easily Tommy can wave off her annoyance and the daggers she can give him but still holding a nicety that comes from creating deep emotional bonds.

He can’t say he isn’t envious. When his best friend mentioned her as a possible catch for him. He thought that his best friend was just being absurd. They aren’t ones to share past girlfriends. Though since every time afterward he would mention this Felicity girl he only met once and for a brief moment. His friend always saying something nice. It was strange at first but then he just enjoyed the Smoak bits he’d get and man his buddy had so many pics and videos on his phone. From a distance he got to see some quirky moments of hers and he bets she doesn’t even know of any of this.

He’s already intrigued by her mannerisms. She’s got amazing eyes that held him in a deadbolt stance as he just enjoyed looking into them. It didn’t hurt that she has such a lovely face. Her eyes pop even more with the smoky eye makeup. He can’t forget how perfect her lips are with the deep rich color she chooses to emphasize those kissable lips.

Living here will be interesting in the least. He’ll see the true dynamic of his best friend and the girl Tommy is trying to hook him up with. With his best friend’s stipulation that he doesn’t date anyone while in this transition. He agreed. If it doesn’t work out he’ll go back to socializing and if it does work out well than maybe Tommy will get to be the best man. Oliver just lightly sighs at all the possibilities. Which gets Felicity’s attention as her piercing eyes search his and he thinks she finds what she’s looking for before she turns back to her food. He then notices a second pair of eyes observing him. Oliver just nods before digging back into his own food. It’s quiet for a long stretch of time. Other than pleasantries of handing napkins or little food etiquette. Each one in their own thoughts periodically looking at each other but letting the comfortable silence consume them.

“Either of you have plans for later?” Oliver asks looking between the other two people at the table. “I have a late flight but otherwise I’m in Boston for the day and my hotel room is quite boring.”

“Thought we would hang near Yawkey Way.” Tommy supplied. “The stadium is renting out to this group that does individual fitness games. It quite cool. Felicity got me into it last year.”

“Thanks Tommy, I only heard about it and then told you about it.”

“Yep, went with few of the guys I know and watched. It’s an all-out fitness regime more than I can handle but I enjoyed being a spectator.”

“Okay that sounds cool. I don’t know a lot about the Red Sox either maybe we can check out some merchandise especially if I’ll be living here soon.”

That gets Felicity’s ears to perk up. “You mean living in Boston? Or here, here?”

Tommy mums his lips for a second before he answers for Oliver, “Oliver is coming to live with us. Starting this summer.”

“Oh!”

“I probably should have told you but anyways surprise!”

Felicity just bobbles her head. A part of her wants to scream but that would be overkill. She just looks at her friend and wonders what she can do to make him sleep uncomfortable tonight. Maybe go hunting for some slimy wiggling things to put between his bedsheets.

Tommy can feel the displeasure radiate from her. Not because Oliver is moving in but how the conversation of Oliver coming to live here has come about, “Let me tell you a warning Oliver… When she gives you this look you know she is super annoyed.”

“No offense Oliver but I just can’t believe Tommy here kept this information from me.”

“Tommy has a way with words or sometimes a lack of it. Known him all my life. He loves to surprise people.”

“Oh, goodie. I would hate to think he would do this just with me.” Her eyes bare into Tommy’s and he finally shrugs.

“This would be one of those times if we were in a relationship I wouldn’t be getting lucky latter huh?” She gives him a dirty look. “Okay, defiantly would get a happy ending later.”

Oliver laughs at the two. “I am going to enjoy living here.”

Tommy squirms as Felicity’s finger is poking at his side. He answers his buddy, “Yea, you’d defiantly will even when this one is angry at you.”

Felicity turns to Oliver and all the shyness she’s held onto this point evaporates as she states the house rules, “No bimbos, no narcotics, and the toilet seat in the shared bathroom better always be down!”

Oliver turns to Tommy for a story and Tommy just shakes his head. “Long story!”

That is how these three come to live with one another.

~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~sp@ce~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~

>>>>>>>>>Time Jump Over a YEAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~sp@ce~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~

Papers flying in the air as Felicity pushes whatever she can as she looking for a flash drive, she had on this desk just this morning. She has had a lot on her plate as she has taken a co-op to be a mentor to what was upcoming freshmen. The summer was hectic for sure. They weren’t able to get away after the ceremony where they declared their love to each. Now that summer is almost coming to an end Felicity will be back in full-mode student and Oliver will be working at a Queen Consolidated branch in the city.

“Oliver, have you seen my red flash drive?”

“No honey. I haven’t.” He comes out of their shared bathroom still brushing his teeth.

“I swore I left it here before bed last night.” She can see a spark of delight cross Oliver’s face. He loves this whole new setup. He’s now a graduate and still living in Boston to be near Felicity. She still has a few more semesters till she’s completely done.

From the moment of that lunch scenario that led him to moving in. They hit it off. Thomas Merlyn knew them to well it seems. Their friend may now be back living in Starling, they remain here together.

“Hmm… well weren’t you also looking at our wedding photos taken in Vegas?”

Felicity places her hand on her head in an argh fashion wondering why she forgot. She was looking for one where both her mother and mother-in-law were by her side. The marriage happened on a whim and well the Queens and anyone else who was relevant made it to their impromptu wedding. She just nods even though Oliver can’t see her as he is back in the washroom rinsing his mouth.

“I promised your mom I’d find a picture to give her for one of her society pages.”

He walks back out again and this time makes a beeline to her. “Okay, though you need to relax babe.”

“Oliver?” He gotten to know her way to well and even so he is always learning something new about her. He already tipping her chin up as he’s looking down with fascination. He is married to this intelligent beauty.

“You are about to tell me that you slept enough, have an exercise routine, and all the other things to placid me on worrying.”

She really doesn’t like him worrying, “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.”

“Why don’t you get finished dressing up and I’ll look for this flash drive.”

“Okay, thanks.” He leaves her to go to where she was hunting through a bunch of photos that got taken. Neither expected to have that many pictures. Looking around the small box he sees nothing until he moves the comfy pillow she used as a backrest. The drive partially stuffed into the side cushion. Taking it, he is relieved that she won’t go in a freak mode tearing the place apart for a small thumb sized tech gear. He also notices the picture she will send his mom and picks it up. He is overjoyed that these three women show elated smiles. He was worried a bit when he called his parents and told them he was getting married that upcoming weekend while visiting Felicity’s mother. No one said it outright but everyone thinking there is a bun in the oven. Unfortunately for all their assumptions they didn’t get married for that reason because for one; neither him or Felicity have any clue if that is on the table. He knows they’ve been careful so he doubts it very much.

As Felicity comes out of their bedroom she jumps in a certain joyous fashion as she takes the drive from his hand. He can see the stress melt off her. He supposes this is the best time to talk to her about something. He would like to go with his dad on the Gambit. Though he wouldn’t fathom going without her by his side. As newlyweds his mere thoughts are on her and being without her for two weeks would never suffice.

“Felicity?” She still in cloud nine and just nods waiting for him to continue. “There is a three-week time span that’s coming up and I was hoping you and I could get away.”

“Away?”

“Think of it like the honeymoon we never got.”

“Oliver, school will start not too soon after I’m…”

“Honey!” He takes both her hands onto his. “We could have a chance.” He gives her his best puppy eyes. “A real chance to have a nice getaway. The Gambit taking off to China.”

“It would be weird to be lovey dovely with your dad on board.”

“Felicity, we’ve been married for a short time I can’t leave you for two weeks. I guess I’ll just have to tell my dad it was a nice offer…”

“You’re really adding this guilt trip on me?”

“Only if it’s working?”

“Ah! Fine. I’ll need to bring some equipment with me but I don’t want you to miss out on spending quality dad-son time.”

“You are the best.”

“That is only because I love you but once we get to solid land, we are taking a plane back. Not missing one class.”

“Okay, okay.” He happily kisses her. “The plane situation sounds great. I love you.”

“Fine, you can tell your dad we’ll embark on the Gambit with him for this trip.”

To be continued on next prompt…

tag: laurabelle2930

#fictober19 #olicity #flommy #felicity smoak #oliver queen #tommy merlyn

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vegetacide · 5 years

Text

Coffee..

Veg note: OK trying my hand at a one shot shorty...excuse any typos. They are completely mine as I have done very little editing and I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could actually manage a short and get it posted all in one night..

Enjoy

o0o

Kirsten the barista hated the Sunday morning crowd. It was full of emo wankers who either bitched about the web access being slow while milking their one and only cup of Americana, stood on their chairs trying to get the ‘best’ picture of their mocha and biscotti for which they would spend way too much time applying filters and hashtag the hell out of it or sit at their tables and vlog about the latest fashion trends seen on whatever carpet had just been walked up. All ostentatious bullshit that drove her nuts.

The emos didn’t tip, the food gurus bitched about their not being enough poppy seed to cookie ration and the fashionista wanna-be’s flicked their long, fake hair extensions all over the place. Why she continued to work at this place was beyond her.. Though the hours were generally good and the owner only sometimes tried to peek down her top when she was wiping the tables clean.

Jessica was the only other good thing about the place. She was her best friend for who knows how many years at this point and was her roomie to butt. They shared a tiny, little walk up about 2 blocks over that was rent controlled…a rarity in this day and age and they loved the city of New York.

Mixing stuck up coffees for all these fidiots was just a way for her to stay here and enjoy the crazy city. For a few hours each day, she came here, farted around with her bestie and snickered behind her hand at the crowd of the most irritating bunch of jack asses the work could spew out.

Jessica gave her a hip check as she walked by pulled Kirsten from her musings and she turned around and swatted at her with her dish towel.

“Are you even listening to me?” Jessica rolled her eyes

“You lost me at ‘OMG, do you know what Craig did?’ after that I pretty much blanked out.” Kirsten replied and a smirk on her ruby red lips, flicking her long, dark braid over her shoulder.

“Oh my god, you are such a bitch.” Jess shook her head.

“Oh you know you looooovvve me.” Kirsten batted her eyelashes all dramatically. “Besides, you know how I feel about that dick wad.”

‘I know, I know but he has such a great…” Jessica’s sentence trailed off.

“Has a what? Great personality?” Receiving no reply, Kirsten turned to her friend. Coffee cup seaming in her hand as she passed it off to one of their regulars.

Jessica whacked her arm a few times with the back of her hand.

“OK, I get it. You like the guys ass but do you really have…”

Jessica yanked on her hair and caused Kirsten to yelp. “Ouch, Jessica. What the fu…” as she spun around on the spot and all thoughts in her head ceased.

The bell above the door chimed a merry jingle as the sexiest thing that ever graced the face of the planet stepped into the coffee house. “Oh thank the powers that be…” Kirsten whispered, fanning her face, “He’s back..”

Warn, brown leather creaked across his broad shoulders as he lifted a thickly muscled arm and plucked the dark aviators from his face, revealing the warmest, richest mahogany eyes Kirsten had ever seen.

Heat suffusing her cheeks as her eyes wandered from the top of his gorgeous midnight black hair, down his muscled limbs and unbelievably trim waist, over low slung designer jeans that hugged thick, tight thighs to the tips of his scuffed combat boots and back up again.

The shadow of a beard darkened the strong line of his jaw and the easy smile that curved up his perfect lips made her knees week. This.. this right here was why she continued to work at this shitty place. Screw everything else.. If she never lived to see another day after today she would die happy just by serving this dark haired Adonis a cup of crappy, overpriced coffee.

As he strolled up to the counter, tucking his glasses into the pocket of his plaid shirt he met her eyes and his smile widened. Jessica sank her elbow into her side. “I call dibs.” she whispers.

Kirsten picked her jaw off the floor and pounced on her friend. “Hell no! You got Craig.. This one is mine.” And shoved her friend out of the way, jumping behind the register so she could ring in his order. She plastered her best ‘Please take me home with you’ smile on her face and puffed up her b-cups.

“Welcome to the Steamed Bean. Can I take your order?” Please let me have your children, she tacked on in her head. Right here on the counter. I don’t care, the emos can watch.

The voice that greeted her ears almost made her lose it right there at the counter. The soft baritone of it sent shivers down her spine all the way to her toes and a heat lit up her insides. “Hey, um.. I’d like a venti chai latte and a venti cappuccino- heavy on the expresso, please.”

“Right away. Can I offer you one of our signature biscotti?” She pointed to the glass covered tray beside her. “Best in New York”

An arched brow as he looked at the baked good nearly sent her to the floor. Who had brows that epic?! Really, and that charming little scar didn’t detract from his appeal in the least.

“Best in New York, huh? Well,I can’t very well pass that up can I?” The smirk.. Oh god that smirk.

Hold it together girl, you can do it, “Sex.. erm sorry I mean six or would you like a baker’s dozen?”

Dark and incredibly handsome chuckled at the slip up, a light red bloomed across his the top of his high cheeks but he didn't comment on it. “Let’s make it a dozen.. They look really good and I skipped breakfast.”

“Sure, coming right up.” Nearly tripping over her own feet she scampered about and bumped in her room mate.. Erm what was her name? Right, Jessica, who handed her a take out container for the baked goods and got to grinding the beans for the expresso shots.

“What name should I put on this?” She asked grabbing up the necessary paper insulated cups and breaking out a sharpie.

The hotness shrugged, “V is fine” and pulled his wallet from his pocket.

Kirsten smiled wide and put the black permanent marker to use. Finishing up his order, she tucked his drinks into a tray and handy it to him.

“What do I owe you”

“Oh, it’s on the house. Special of the day.” She said, leaning over the counter

“Uh… thanks.” Came a slightly confused response as he collected up everything. “Appreciate that.”

Turning, his back to the counter he weaved his way through the line up towards the door and Kirsten - like every other red blooded woman in the place, even the emo ones - watched as he went. That was a fine back side if ever she had seen one.

She continued to watch as he pushed open the door and stepped outside, fanning herself as naughty thoughts that would be better left at home danced through her head. Just as the line was starting to get crusty with the barista’s lack of attention, Jessica came over to her.

“So… “ She almost begged for details.

“I think I lost my virginity all over again.”

Jessica gawked at her.

“Oh.. and I wrote my number on his cup..”

“Oh you sly fox.” Her friend barked out a laugh. Eyeing the next customer that was looking at their watch as if the thing could change the course of history and make the women behind the counter better employees. “Shit, I sure hope he comes back again.” Jessica sighed dreamily

“Me too” Kirsten sighed back and turned around to face the hordes.

8-8-8

Virgil stepped out from the coffee shop and expertly made his way through the traffic to the Audi R8 parked at the curb. Setting the cup tray on the roof and holding out the bag of sugary goodness to the love of his life, he leaned in for a kiss.

Kay lips curved up in a secret smile as she took the bag from him and peeked inside. “Mmm biscotti, my favourite.”

“Weirdest thing happened..?”

“Oh?” She asked with a quirked brow.

“”Barista gave me my order for free.. Said it was the special of the day.” He pulled his cup from the tray and leaned back against the sports car beside her.. “How a place can stay open if they give everything away is beyond me.” He pondered and took a sip of his hot beverage.

Kay stared at him and blinked, lips pursing a bit in displeasure as she watched him raise the hastily scrawled upon cup up for a sip. “Really? I wonder why oh why they would do that...?” She knew damn well why, her own eyes going down his fine form and she blushed as she thought about why they had missed breakfast this morning.

“No idea.. “

Leaning up again she placed a kiss on his cheek and rolled her eyes as she sneaked a hand into his pants pocket to snag the keys.

Virgil sucked in a breath as her questing fingers found things other then his keys. “Tanusha..” he growled, eyes darting around.

Kayo laughed as she freed the keys and darted around the car. “Come on, oh clueless wonder. We gotta get back before Scott’s head explodes.”

Virgil just shook his head, he would never understand the opposite sex. Grabbing up the coffee tray he slipped in the passenger seat beside her and off they went with a squeal of tires.

Part 2

#thunderbird #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #Virgil Tracy #kayo kyrano #virgil/kayo #give that man a coffee #bring coffee #barista #drool worthy

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guardiandae · 5 years

Text

Meta/Commentary Part 1: A Little ‘XO’ Wouldn’t Go Amiss

(Spoilers below)

Wade finally learned his roomie's real name on day two, when the proposed nickname of 'Priscilla' was rejected via stabbing.

"Y'know- I usually know a guy's name before I let him penetrate me," Wade joked, gritting through the pain.

"My name is Nathan Summers. You can call me Nate. Or you can shut your whore mouth."

I’m gonna say this right now so when I finally finish the sequel of this fic, nobody can cry foul or anything or pretend that I didn’t plan everything all along from the very start of this journey: There’s a reason why Nate stabbed Wade and it’s not just to be an edgelord. This fic starts written in Wade’s POV and then switches to Nate’s, and there is so much more info revealed from Nate’s perspective that changes how interactions are colored. In the sequel, it’s not written in that style but eventually you will understand Nate’s POV and be able to look back on this (and other moments) and be like, Ah. I spent a few months just agonizing over this fic planning. The levels of depth going on here, you don’t know.

Also it’s hilarious because, the movie never really establishes Cable’s real name so hi, it’s Nathan Summers. Scott Summers’ (Cyclops)’s son, but like... older than him because future and time traveling hijinks or whatever. This is only important because like, daddy issues.

technically they were even sleeping together, even if Nate slept in the only bedroom because he'd called dibs and Wade slept on the couch in a pile of fast food wrappers.

Denial.

Living with Nate was weird after living with Vanessa for so long. No more kisses -- not like he wanted any.

Denial!

Usually when Wade got home, Nate was never there. Hours later when Nate did come back, he'd just go to bed. Other times, Wade was hired for jobs that took days of travel to complete. There was little interaction between them and they barely saw each other, so Wade took to leaving little notes behind.

[Went to get milk. And also to put a cap in someone's ass. He's a bad guy though, so don't worry. I'll be home late. xoxo] [Forgot the milk. Also didn't cap the guy so I didn't get paid. Can you pick some up while you're out? xoxo]

So much info in one little spot. Nate only sees them as roommates, as a living arrangement and tenuous partnership to serve as an end to both of their needs. Nate has a place to live, and his only responsibility, as we learn in his POV, is to pay the rent on Wade’s behalf, with Wade’s money, because Wade is a disaster and his memory is getting worse. Not only is Wade just an annoying person who can’t take anything seriously, in his incorrect opinion, but there’s that level of guilt for feeling like a freeloader when Nate is the kind of person who’s had to fight just to survive his entire life. Wade’s little notes are so sweet, but to Nate, 1. weird 2. is this a joke? 3. stop reminding me of how much you care and meanwhile i can barely bring myself to write a note back, aaaaaa

I need to remember to revive the note-leaving between them in the sequel. It’s too cute, I can’t stand it.

Mercenary jobs had become harder to come by, and then work dried up. It was almost like nobody wanted to pay a guy to kill people anymore. As if there could ever be a shortage of people in the world who needed to die. But when one door closes, another opens -- everywhere he went, he suddenly saw slews of missing persons flyers. Wade had never noticed how many there were before, but he took it as a sign. He'd always wanted to try his hand at being a P.I. and Wade hadn't realized that the market was booming with families desperate to find loved ones. He offered his services as a private dick to several different people, but every single case was unsolvable. It was like they'd just vanished into thin air, but he knew that wasn't possible. It was frustrating to realize he was such a lousy dick.

Spoilers, but this is when the Thanos snap happens, and Wade is completely oblivious. Could someone who can be so devastatingly observant really be so obtuse? Or is his mind just protecting itself from such an incomprehensible reality that everyone else is suddenly saddled with? These are things Nate wonders later as well. Even I don’t know for sure. (I haven’t watched End Game and there’s still more plotline to tackle during the Snap, don’t @ me about how Marvel did it, I don’t know and I don’t care, I have my own plans) (By the way, characters will either be snapped or inexplicably alive, and that’s not a plot hole, that’s the joke. Welcome to Marvel, the writers never fucking make sense and I don’t have to either, YEET)

[Someone tried to sell a metal arm on the black market????!! It better be Bucky's and not yours. Not like I care.] [It was Bucky's.]

Rip Buckkyyyyyy lmaooo

But also, cryyyy because Nate is busy trying to help deal with absolute fucking chaos and he didn’t really stop to consider whether Wade would be wondering what happened to him. Ow. Yeah, I think Wade definitely subconsciously registered what happened and is in total denial of reality. It’s better that way. Nobody fucking tell him.

There was nothing that he hated more than being ignored. Might as well just talk to himself. Which he did a lot of lately.

Foreshadowing.

All of the warmth left his body at once, leaving him a little breathless and dizzy. He was vaguely aware of Nate looking at him, but it was less of a 'you're home' and more of a ' why are you here?'

This whole area of the fic hurts so good because I’m gay and I love drama.

Wade coming home, literally bleeding to death on the inside and in shock because, once again, everything went to shit for him, story of his life. And he sees Nate just there, dressed down, relaxed, and has this little flash of domestic happiness because he so desperately wishes that the domestic happiness was real and that Nate actually was waiting for him and happy to see him come home, and the hard snap back to reality where Nate doesn’t even like him is soooo fucking painful lol end me. And on top of that, he misread Nate’s concern as hate/disgust for him bc that’s what he’s used to, and then he passes out on the floor and wakes up with Nate over him because I’m gay and I love drama!!!!

"Wade, you died for a second," Nate told him. Wade couldn't quite tell if Nate was concerned for him or just annoyed. "I had to pull a piece of metal pipe from your chest. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I got a… pipe in my chest," Wade said, pausing for breath. His lungs felt wet and heavy. He should've left the pipe in.

"Very illuminating," Nate deadpanned, letting go. "Anything else I should know?"

This moment where Nate is so very fucking concerned for Wade, but then Wade cracks a weak joke, because that’s how he copes, and Nate is like, wow, fuck it, so much for being worried about you.

[[SCREAMS IN GAY.]]

These thoughts didn't feel like his own, even though they had his voice. His mind was always scattered, full of thoughts that flowed nonstop like a babbling brook. Sometimes it took a lot of conscious effort to reign himself in and make sense of his own head. But these just popped out of nowhere, in bold print, in boxes that were separate from everything else.

"Am I going nuts?" he wondered aloud, whispering to himself, because honestly, he was a little afraid of his own head right now.

(A little late to be asking that.)

And this is when the ‘boxes’ manifest for Wade. But in this fic, the voices that manifest in his head are his own intrusive, negative thoughts. The depression, the loneliness, the self-hatred, the belief and fear that Nate hates him too.

I’m gonna recap vs a full copy and paste because the next bit is long:

-Wade is coughing up blood clots from his lungs in the morning, or trying to. -Nate is disgusted but also sympathetic and offers to help Wade out. -A really layered conversation occurs.

“Maybe if I drown myself in the bathtub, the blood clots will rinse out. What d'you think?"

Wade’s exhausted. Joking, but also dead serious. Nate is concerned about Wade making such a dark joke, but he also can tell that Wade really is struggling.

“I’ll help you.”

“Really?” Wade is relieved Nate wants to help him, at first, but then remembers he just said he wanted to drown himself in a bathtub, and becomes disheartened again because he remembers Nate doesn’t like him. “Oh. Yeah.”

From Wade’s point of view: Nate just offered to help Wade kill himself, because of course someone would get a kick out of drowning him, he’s annoying, yadda yadda.

From Nate’s point of view: Wade isn’t okay and he offered to help him with his problem, because he sounds desperate and Nate doesn’t think that jokes will help Wade with his mental state, nor will the drowning actually do anything to solve the problem (the blood clots festering in his lungs).

"I bet you'd love to hold me down and watch me struggle," he said, still thinking about the drowning idea. Then, in a flirtatious tone, "I'll make it good for you, baby. Just promise me we'll do it face to face."

From Wade’s POV: He’s making a joke about Nate drowning him, but also making a sex joke to make it funny, to mock Nate if he really does want to drown Wade, so maybe he wouldn’t do it, or maybe it’d be weird and interesting.

From Nate’s POV: Wade is flirting with him, and his humor and still really dark and Nate really shouldn’t laugh at it or encourage that kind of thing.

From Wade’s POV, seeing Nate trying not smile: ah holy fuck he really wants to drown me.

"I don't want to watch you struggle," Nate said. If he did, he'd just leave Wade alone to keep coughing up blood.

"Ah. Consensual," Wade nodded. "Okay, well, I'd be open to some over-the-clothes stuff, and whatever happens while I'm still dead doesn't count."

Nate couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think we're having the same conversation."

Wade is continuing the joke, because from his POV he’s like, whelp, this might as well be what happens.

But they really aren’t having the same conversation. There’s more like, four different conversations happening at once. Wade’s very sincere idea of drowning himself as a solution to his problems, and Wade joking about Nate drowning him as a sexual innuendo. Nate interpreting Wade’s dark humor as a shitty attempt at flirting that he neither wants to encourage nor outright shoot down, and Nate offering to give Wade a better solution to fix his actual problem.

And Nate’s solution is to use his telekinesis to just... remove all the shit from Wade’s lungs. But he didn’t communicate that idea with Wade before just doing it, even if he did ask permission, so that’s pretty shitty and hence why we had to add the ‘Nonconsensual Telekinetic Heimlich Maneuver’ tag. smh

"That was dubious at best and now we have to add a warning in the tags," Wade sighed. "Non-consensual telekinetic Heimlich maneuver…. This is problematic now. People aren't gonna click on this."

This is a good spot to stop for now and continue in another post.

#self meta #reread #a little xo wouldn't go amiss

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tay1019411 · 5 years

Text

This is all we know

It’s been years since the asteroid. Danny and the gang are now attending college together, each pursuing careers, forming new relationships, and amending past rivalries. But, this new chapter in life starts to get more complicated with ghost attacks increasing and old enemies teaming up (Post PP but Danny/Vlad DIDN’T reveal identities. Fentons and Valerie know Danny’s secret, string of oneshots connected by one problem)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

(Part 4) Roomies

"What happened to your arm?"

Danny half-shrugged at his biology lab partner, Casey. She was as tiny as Sam, but the similarities ended there. She had blond hair that was currently pulled into a French braid stopping mid-back and hazel eyes.

She was looking at his arm, which was wrapped with gauze and resting in a sling. He hated wearing it but promised his mom he wouldn't take it off for at least two days, despite telling the matriarch that he was fine without it. But, when your mom was a ninth degree black-belt in possession of a thermos, you did what she said, and there wasn't much room for argument.

"I fell." He knew it was a stupid lie but couldn't really think of any other excuse right on the spot like this. Sam was usually the one who thought of them.

Casey raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, but luckily didn't push any further. "Does it hurt?"

"Nah, just annoying." Danny sat on the stool next to hers and took out a pencil and the required lab workbook. Luckily, he could still write since it was his left arm that was broken, but the sling was still annoying.

The rest of class went by pretty quickly. It was frog dissection day. Since his arm was out of commission, Casey had to do most of the actual dissection while Danny took notes, but it wasn't all that bad since they were let out early.

"Hey, Danny, wait up."

Danny was already in the hallway when he heard the very familiar female voice. He looked back to see Casey. He waited for her to catch up, maybe he forgot something. Between all the random ghost attacks and strange team-up between Ember and SkulkTech, he had been a bit scatter-brained the last few days. He couldn't stop thinking there was something much deeper going on than just the usual animosity the ghosts had for him; it was just too coordinated. Usually, by now, somebody should have shouted out their evil plans to destroy him and take over the world.

"Man, I had to call your name three times before you answered. You're really out of it today," she said once she caught up with him.

"Yeah, just a lot on my mind I guess."

Danny began walking towards the main entry way, knowing Tucker was probably already waiting for him outside. Both of their classes were in the same building, and he usually got out early all the time. Casey followed alongside him, matching his stride.

"Problems with Sam?"

Danny looked at her, trying to figure out why she would ask that. She was looking at him strangely, but he decided to just ignore it. Maybe it was a girl thing to automatically assume that.

"No, Sam's great. Just other stuff, I guess, school and stuff." Plus, the raging ghosts that seemed to have an out-of-the-blue increased desire to kill him.

"Oh, your internship with Mr. Masters. He still has you working nights?"

He forgot he told her about that.

Casey liked to invite Sam and him to parties and local bars a lot. After the fifth "I can't," she pressed him further why. He had to come up with a more permanent excuse why since he usually patrolled at nights. Between patrol and studying for classes, he rarely had time to go out. Besides, the moments when he did have time, he just wanted to spend it with Sam or Tucker and Dash, not in some crowded bar. Since he and Vlad were already on good terms and was giving him a scholarship already, he blurted out about an internship for the local billionaire and mayor. It was actually a pretty good lie and worked with all the other times ghost attacks interfered with his life, especially since Vlad had no problem covering for him.

"Yeah, that too," he said, hoping she would stop asking so many questions. He opened the door to outside, holding it open for Casey to pass through.

Tucker was leaning against one of the stair railings. When he saw Danny and Casey, he walked over, smirking. Danny nodded towards him.

"Hey, Tucker," Casey greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Casey," Tucker said, his smirk widening. Danny raised an eyebrow at him, not really knowing why he was smiling like that at her. He thought Tucker was interested in Valerie still, not Casey.

Not wanting to think this any further, especially since this could lead to a very pissed off Valerie, which Danny definitely did not want to get into, he looked back at Casey, trying to end this quickly before Tucker said anything else. "I'll see you later."

He quickly pulled Tucker away, but was too slow, his friend still had time to turn back to Casey. "Yeah, see you later, Casey!"

Danny gave him a questioning look. "Why are you being so weird."

Tucker laughed, then looked at Danny as if he was expecting him to join in.

Danny just gave him another questioning look, still confused on why Tucker was even acting this way.

Seeing that Danny wasn't getting the joke, Tucker just rolled his eyes. "I thought by the time we got to college you would be less clueless, but I think it only got worse."

Danny glared at him. He hated the clueless jokes. Okay, well, he didn't hate when Sam joked around about it. He rarely ever minded that, especially since it made her laugh, but for Tucker and the other guys, it was different. It felt like he was missing out on some big joke, and even worse, he was the joke he didn't get.

They came to a stop at a large building.

"Tucker, why are we going to the gym?" Danny asked, giving his friend a questioning look. He wasn't really paying attention as they walked, following Tucker's lead.

"Promised Dash we would meet him here."

"I can't work out with this thing on," Danny said, making a motion with his arm

"We will be there for motivation." Tucker smirked, entering the building.

They easily found Dash. He was the only tall and extremely muscular student in the building, considering this was during the time a lot of people either had another class or went back to their dorms.

The two boys weaved around the various workout equipment, making their way to their friend.

Dash spotted the two easily and waved them over. His gaze zeroed in on Danny's arm. "What happened to the arm?" Dash nodded towards the sling supporting Danny's left arm.

"Ember and SkulkTech."

"They're double-teaming, now?" Dash picked up two fifty pound dumb-bells, beginning his first set.

"Yep," Danny said as he watched Dash lift the weights with each rep.

"Parents go nuts?" Tucker asked, sitting at the bench on the other side of Dash, taking a granola bar from his bag and taking a bite out of it.

Danny gave him a look.

Tucker looked at the granola bar then back at his friend. "What?"

"We literally just had lunch two hours ago."

"So, it's my 2 o'clock snack!" he justified, taking another bite.

Danny rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore that comment and answer the previous question. "Mom did. Dad was pretty cool though. Luckily, Vlad was there to be a buffer."

"I will never get used to the fact that you just used luck and Vlad together in the same sentence," said Tucker.

Danny laughed. "You and me both."

"You guys had something against Masters or something? I thought he was helping us out," Dash said, putting down the weights for a small rest period in between sets.

Danny exchanged a look with Tucker. Danny wasn't exactly comfortable when the topic came to Vlad and how he used to be his archenemy. Only Tucker and Sam knew about how Vlad was half-ghost and used to be Plasmius. He didn't want anybody else to know; it wasn't his secret to tell despite the complications it was probably going to cause with the other people that knew his own secret, his parents for sure.

Before Tucker could say anything, Danny stepped in, knowing his friend wasn't exactly the best at the whole secret thing. "It used to be kinda weird between him and me because he had a thing for my mom and hated my dad."

Dash looked over at Danny, giving him a disgusted look.

"Yeah," Danny laughed. "But, now, it's cool. He's over it and pretty much made amends with my dad."

"That's still kinda messed up."

"You have no idea," Tucker laughed.

Danny glared at Tucker. Sometimes he really wondered how he made it this far without everybody knowing his secret with his friend's big mouth.

Luckily, Dash didn't seem to notice, rolling his eyes as he started loading the bar at the bench-press station with weights.

"How did the date go with Paulina?" Tucker asked from his bench.

Danny gave Dash a questioning look. "You went on a date with Paulina?"

Dash laughed. "Where have you been? The date was like a week ago."

Danny shrugged. "Ghosts," he supplied. It was getting weirder now. The ghosts were attacking a lot more lately, and the frequency increase was not the only thing that was weird about it.

"Yeah," Dash said knowingly. He laid on the bench, positioning himself so the bar was over his chest. "You haven't been at the apartment lately. I thought you were just with Sam."

"I wish," Danny said as Dash began his set. "The ghost attacks are happening a lot more now, and that's not the only thing. They are changing their patterns."

"How is that bad?" Dash puffed out as he lifted the incredibly weighted bar with effort.

The answer to that would have been obvious to any seasoned ghost-hunter. Danny sometimes forgot how Dash was still new to the whole ghost-hunting gig, having been told only six months ago about his extracurricular activities. Ever since then, Dash enthusiastically offered his help whenever he didn't have football practice or a game. Danny had to admit, for being a newbie, Dash caught on pretty well. He was a pretty good back-up when Sam and Tucker were not available.

"Ghosts are very habitual in pretty much everything they do. For them to change like this…I don't know," Danny said, struggling to come up with some sense behind all of this. "It's just weird."

Dash finished his set, rising to sitting position. "Did your parents have any ideas about this?"

"They're stumped too."

"Yeah, yeah, the ghosts are upping their game to kill Danny. What else is new," Tucker interrupted. "More importantly, how did the date go?"

Danny glared at his friend, but instead of a retort, he just rolled his eyes.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" Dash asked, giving Tucker a look.

"I'm living vicariously through you, that's why."

Dash's look turned sympathetic. "Valerie still giving you a tough time?"

Tucker laughed. "Baby steps. Don't want to spook her."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Spook her? You do know she is a ghost-hunter, right?"

"No shit," Tucker said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just trying to make sure she doesn't kick my ass."

"I'm still trying to get why you have a thing for her," Dash said. "She's kinda scary."

"As the guy she shot at for the majority of high school, I second that," Danny said with a laugh.

"You're one to talk," Tucker said towards Danny. "Face it Danny, you and I just like the dangerous ones. Also, she's hot."

"And, there it is," Dash said with a laugh before going back under the bar to start another round of reps.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #tucker foley #sam manson #dash baxter #biology class #roommates #this is all we know

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