Yeah short skirts and crop tops are sexy— but there’s just something about a man that finds you so attractive wearing clothes that shouldn’t be considered typically sexual. Like baggy sweats or his old, worn shirt.

Those plain, boring outfits that aren’t planned and are just thrown together for comfort and practicality that have his dick throbbing for you as he imagines bending you over the nearest surface.

Ok so we know that the motel is bugged thanks to that cop, but how would miles react to reader moaning his name while playing with themselves?

Where you'd normally be reading a book, or painting your nails pretty pastel colours, now, you're on your hands and knees on the lumpy mattress. A pillow is slotted between your thighs, your face is pressed into the slightly worn fabric, and the faded logo is barely muffling the desperate moans you let out into it.

It's plain to see; You're soaked, and you're soaked for him. He feels like a peeping tom.

He supposes that's what he is, as he watches you from the other side of the thick glass, hunched over in the steel chair he was sitting on backwards, so he could slump over the back of the metal.

He feels his cock aching beneath the tight, itchy cotton of his pants, and he doesn't think twice before bringing a hand up to grind down onto it. His breathing deepens, as you rut harder against the pillow. His hazy, glassy eyes trace your figure, down to your hands clenched up messily in your bedsheets, your nails almost tearing up the fabric. His eyes were glued to your chest, the way that your tits hung and moulded against the pillow. bouncing slightly as your hips gyrate, circling down onto the pillow

He feels stupid, He wants the pillowcase. He wants to rip it off of the pillow after you cum, wants to slip it over his head and wear it like a trophy. Because there's no doubt in his mind now that he, Miles Miller, concierge, housekeeper and bellboy of The El Royale, has won every single game he's ever played.

"Miles" was the only word falling from your lips, it was quiet, barely a squeak, but the speakers miraculously picked it up, filling his ears and swirling around his brain

The name from anyone else sounded utterly repulsive. But from you, it was downright biblical. He’d hang on your every word forever.

"Mi-Miles~" You draw out your whine, louder this time, and Miles' hand presses further into his cock. He almost wants to cry at the thought that all you can manage to think of at this moment is him.

Not anyone or anything else.

Just him.

He manages to hold off his orgasm, using all of his willpower to take his hand off of his cock, but then you turn your head to face the mirror, your eyes screwed tightly shut.

"Miles I know you're watching. Filthy little boy, I know you can hear me"

He freezes up, looking up at you, his breath caught in his throat, cumming instantly, untouched as he catches your eye, a knowing smirk on your face as you stare at your reflection, knowing that he's behind the glass, looking straight at him.

"You could've joined me, if you knocked on my door, I would've answered, could've been here Miles" you moan out, your voice getting higher and higher, the thought of him touching himself, eyes big and watery, lips bitten raw getting you even closer to your orgasm.

fuck, fuck he thought, the burning feeling of shame starting to settle in, he doesn't even know how you figured out the two-way mirror, let alone the microphone, not that it matters now, you'll never forgive him for this.

You're shaking, panting, and sweating as you come down from your high. Swinging your hips off the bed, standing on wobbly legs and sauntering towards the mirror, placing a wet, filthy kiss on the glass before walking to your en suite, chuckling to yourself as you turn the shower on. And Miles wishes he had the courage to go in and help you out. But for that, he'd have to admit that he was watching you, and he'd rather curl up and have the earth swallow him right then and there instead of confronting you.

He knows he's being cowardly as he creeps back into the shadows of the concrete hallway. Walking back to his room, stiffly, agitated by the feeling of the drying cum in his pants, already hard again as he replays that moment in his head, over and over until his head was spinning. It was something out of a porn magazine that the guys back in his platoon used to sneak in the barracks, and he wishes he had brought the camera with him, wishes he loaded up more film.

The second he gets into his room, he beelines for his dresser, pulling out a pair of your underwear that he swiped while he was cleaning your room yesterday. He fucks the fabric into his fist until he sees stars, desperately wishing he was cumming inside your cunt instead of just your used panties.

I'm Yours - Ch. 5 Somewhere Only We Know

Y/N's POV

I went right to bed when Toto sent me a message that he got back safely. My alarm went off at 7:30 in the morning, feeling well-rested and hugging a pillow. My sleeping self wished it was in Toto's embrace, just wanting to lie beside him in his hold - the thought just made me smile. Rubbing my eyes and turning to grab my phone from the nightstand, I saw a notification from Toto. I clicked it, and my smile instantly grew wider.

Good Morning Schazti! I hope you slept well!

He is charming, something I never experienced in my life, someone who doesn't think I'm invisible, sees me, and, I hope, cares. I instantly replied I didn't want to keep him waiting. When I'd text back and forth with other guys, I would purposefully delay my response; it was the dating culture, but Toto was different. I didn't want to keep him waiting. I only think about him and just want to be around him. Finally, thinking of a response.

Good Morning Toto! I did, but I wish it was your embrace while I sleep instead of hugging my pillow.

I hadn't realized I was biting my lip from the response. Yes, it was suggestive, hoping I was in bed with him, and that text made it really clear, but that was all I wanted. To be in his embrace, cuddle into his body that engulfs mine. He is a hands-on person. After all, that was all I noticed yesterday: the small touches here and there. And don't get me wrong, I liked it too. The stolen and accidental touches are all I crave. Deciding on finally getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. I don't have to be as quiet as before since everyone in my family is mostly up. I head to the washroom to brush my teeth and relieve myself of the ungodly water I drink throughout the night. After doing so, I wash my face and assess the appearance of my hair. It doesn't need to be drenched in the water this time; the curls are looser than yesterday and look much more bouncy. Happy with it, I head back to my room and pick an outfit for the day.

Since I am not people-facing and will be in the library, my look will be far more toned down today. I head to my dresser and pick out a nude bra so it doesn't show as much with the white tank top and seamless underwear to wear with a black pair of leggings. Slipping those on, you pick out a couple of grey wool socks and decide on a black baggy sweater with the NASA logo and some other features. It was simple and relaxed, but I also put it together and paired it with black Doc Martins and my black puffer vest from yesterday. It was a monochromatic look but a tad more stylish than plain black. After getting dressed and grabbing my bag from yesterday, I head out the door to the train station. I didn't unpack my bag yesterday, so I kept everything in it, making it one less thing to worry about.

The commute into the city was typical as usual: taping the card on the entry and exiting the train, then transferring to the subway once I got into the city. On the subway, I decided to work in the library today to complete course readings and work on small assignments. I wanted a change in scenery and wasn't required to be in my small office. It was customary for me to do so, plus the library I will be heading to is typically dead. The Medieval department has a small library, but it was my favourite to study in. The aesthetic of wooden bookshelves and tables, the winding stairs to the upper balcony of books and the stained glass windows and wooden arches on the inside made me feel like I wasn't in a metropolitan area in the middle of the busy city. It was my quiet oasis in the city to get work done. I didn't like the modern libraries on campus because they were all mono-coloured and industrial, plus the ventilation system was loud, making it hard to think. And the amount of reading and annotating I needed to get done required peace and quiet with minimal people. Getting out on the subway spot close to your department, you walked further to reach the Medieval department.

Entering the building was eerie, but it brought you a sense of comfort. Not a single sound meant no one was in there but the staff. Taking your rightful spot on the library's second floor close to an outlet and stained glass window, you set your bag on the seat next to the one you will be sitting in. Pulling out the chair and taking a seat, you start to unpack your laptop and tablet with its stand so you can have a dual monitor set up to read and make notes. You started looking in the course site on which readings to get done. Taking the chance to download everything, you turn your phone to silent and place it in your bag to minimize the number of distractions. Once everything was set up, you started with the first of 4 articles. It could have been better, depending on the week; sometimes it was heavy or light on the required reading, and for 2 courses, this was typical, so it should take just a little over 1pm to finish. The first glance at the articles was to read the summary and/or the introduction, then the last few paragraphs to grasp the topic and make notes on the argument presented. The second read-through of the article consisted of finding argument points and quotes that can help on future assignments or anything that brought a question to mind or something to comment on during your discussion in the lecture. You repeated this process for the remaining three articles, occasionally looking at your school email for any critical updates or inquiries from your other commitments that needed your attention. Since there wasn't much to check, you went back to reading. By the time you were done reading all the material and making the required annotations, it put you at 2pm and decided this was the point where you well deserved a break. Taking this as an opportunity to look at your phone before packing up to grab something to eat, you turn on the device and see a notification from Toto. Biting your lip, eager to see his response, you unlock the device and chat with him; his response tells you to turn crimson.

Is that so ….. I couldn't stop thinking about you, too. What are you doing today?

Your heart melted; he was thinking about me!! It was an understatement that I wasn't thinking about him, but I had other things to focus on. Noticing that he sent the last message not too long ago, you decide to reply to his inquiry on your day.

I just finished reading some articles and was about to grab lunch! Why, what's up?

Sending the message only seconds ago, and before you could even exit the app, you saw that he was typing. Eager to see how he would respond, you waited until you saw the little typing bubble disappear. Anxiously, you started biting your bottom lip. We all know that waiting for any response from someone you are currently crushing on can feel like an eternity. However, with Toto, it was as if time stood still, and before you knew it, there was a response.

Would you like to grab lunch together?

A smile pulled onto your lips, but you slightly started to panic. Sure, you did, but you wanted to avoid going to a restaurant like last night. In the middle of your overthinking brain, another message pops up.

We can grab lunch and bring it back to my hotel room to eat.

As if the first offer wasn't enough, but he wanted to be alone in his hotel room while we ate, now you definitely weren't sure what direction this thing was going. You knew you needed to respond but needed to learn how. Taking a few breaths and not getting too far ahead, you decide it may be just a friendly lunch of ordering food and eating together. Mustering up the courage to respond, you finally reply.

Sure, I would like that!

The text gives too much indication that I'm a little speechless, but I could care less at this moment. I started packing my things, waiting to see how Toto would respond to agreeing to have lunch with him. As I put all my stuff in my bag, I took hold of my phone and saw that he responded.

Sounds great! Is there anything you were craving or specifically wanted to get?

Taken back by the response, he was letting me decide on what we get to eat. From the events that happened last night, all he did was get to pick the options and not get me wrong. If I add that he did that yesterday, it was a lovely and grand gesture. But I like the option of picking as well. I responded that I didn't want to keep him waiting because he would order or we would go together to pick up lunch.

Is sushi okay? Are you not up to eating raw fish?

I was telling him my food choice but also wanted to give him an option. I know raw fish isn't for everyone, so I was okay with checking to see if that was okay with him. As I was getting up from my seat and putting my backpack on my shoulders, I saw a message from Toto.

Perfect! Here is the address to the Hotel, and my room number is 562. You can drop off your bag while we pick up lunch nearby and bring it back to eat. I will let the front desk know that you are coming up so they won't give you too much trouble. See you soon!

You smiled at the response; he knew your bag was heavy and wanted to make you comfortable. Copying the address into Google Maps, you saw that the Hotel was only a 15-minute walk from where you were. It was okay, and odd that the hotel was close to here. You were in the middle of the downtown core, so tourists wanted to visit your university. Study the directions closely so you don't have to keep looking down at your phone as you approach him. You put on your sunglasses and headphones to play music and exit the library. The weather was nice out, which made the short walk pleasant; following the directions you saw, you made it to the hotel Toto was staying at in no time. You entered the front doors and told the front desk that you were there to see a guest at the room number he had given you. They just got off the phone with Toto since the gentleman nodded, said he was waiting, and gave you a slight direction to find his room. You thanked the man and took the elevator up. You were eager to see Toto again and more relaxed than yesterday, but you weren't expecting this. Pulling you from your thoughts as the elevator dings, meaning it is on the floor you need, you search from the room. Once finding it, you knocked on the door softly. Yes, you were a little nervous, but you double-checked to ensure it was the room. A few seconds too long later, you saw a smiling Toto. "Hi," "Hi," "Why don't you come on in." All you could do was nod as Toto turned slightly to allow you to enter the room, which you did. You walked in, entering the space, in which you heard the door close and heard him make his way to you. "You can place your bag on the couch. I just need to get my jacket, wallet and phone, and we will be good to go, okay?" "Sure, take your time; I'm in no rush."

You smiled warmly at him to ensure he didn't need to rush and waited a few minutes until he was ready. Looking out the window, admiring the view from his hotel room, you hear Toto speak. "Ready to go?" "Yes, lead the way." You approach him so you both can exit the room to grab lunch. He opens the door to allow you to leave first so he can shut the door behind us. He ensured it was closed, as it now had your belongings. You silently waited for him, not wanting to rush the man. He then turns to you, smiles and leads the way to the elevator. He presses the button to take us down until you hear him speak. "I hope you don't mind walking. It's a nice day, and the place is not too far away to require driving?" "No, not at all, I don't mind! ….. Yes, it is nice out."

You blushed a little; it was nice that he was considering your comfort around him. Both of you stepped into the elevator when it came to the floor you were on. The silence wasn't awkward; it felt comfortable not to speak for a bit, and I was still thinking about some of the things I needed to work on, so I am still trying to shift my mindset to relax. Arrived at the hotel lobby and walked past the front desk towards the doors and onto the city streets. You slipped your sunglasses back on since it was still sunny out, and you didn't want to strain your eyes from squinting so much, having the same thought. Toto also did the same with his sunglasses. You glanced up at him, just admiring his facial features and the way his sunglasses sat on his face. You wouldn't tell him you liked his particular pair, but it was a nice, rounded frame that suited his face well. He led most of the way to the sushi shop. It was close to your side of campus, and you passed this shop quite often but have yet to bother to try the place out. As you got to the place's entrance, you saw Toto a few steps ahead to grab the door and hold it open while you stepped in first, with him following behind you.

You both stand side by side, glancing up at the menu; you have an idea of what you want just by glancing at the options. You also wanted to get a little because you saw the prices and wanted to be sure it was enough for Toto to pay. You felt guilty that he was paying for everything these past few days. He wouldn't let you pay for any of your stuff. Pulling you from your thought, "Have you decided what you want, or did you want me to order for the both of us?" Now that thought was intriguing again, to let him decide on food again. It would be nice for someone to choose from your option, which consisted of an assortment of sashimi and a few pieces of a salmon roll. Finally deciding on what you want to do, you reply to Toto's inquiry, "Sure, you can pick; the only request is that there is sashimi; I'm not picky about what you get, tho," you said, turning to him, and he just looked at you. He smiled and nodded at your little request. You just stood there silent again. It honestly felt nice not to make every decision. It was a long day for you, even though it was roughly 3pm. You hadn't eaten today, so you were running low on energy to think. You watched as Toto made his way to the front of the counter and placed the order with the employee. He glanced back at you to ensure what he was ordering was okay with you, but you didn't catch a single thing he said until he finally said your name. "Y/N…… Y/N….. is there something you'd like to drink?" "No, I was going to grab a sparking water from the convenience store on the way back…." "Fine by me!"

From that, he placed the final bits of the order with the employee. I am assuming he also paid since I zoned out after that, just thinking about the contents of the article and reflecting on my day thus far, until I saw Toto walk towards me, pulling me from my trance of thought. He could tell I was off because I proceeded to catch a concerned look on his face. "You okay, Y/N…. you seem a little distracted today?" You can hear his concern in his voice as he speaks gently. Being tired was an understatement, and you wouldn't say that Toto was mostly to blame because he was all you were thinking. So you blame school and your work today and have not eaten all day. So it just shows that you forgot to eat, and the lack of food leads you to need more energy to fuel you more. You don't usually forget to eat, but sometimes, when you are focused, your hunger instinct doesn't kick in. For someone who does workout often, you honestly weren't sure how you could forget that food is fuel for the body. Not wanting to concern Toto with the long pause before responding, you tell him the truth, hoping that little chuckle you add makes it seem like a silly mistake."Hahaha… I forgot to eat today, and when I'm too zoned in on doing work, I lose all appetite. So I can't wait to eat since I'm starving!"

You exaggerated that last bit, hoping he understood it was just a slip-up. Judging by the little smile creeping on his face, he bought it, but you can still sense the concern in his eyes. From that point, he kept a careful eye on you, so he was alert and ensured you wouldn't pass out on him because you hadn't eaten yet. Then you see him turn, ready to say, "Why don't you take my card and gtab two sparkling waters from the convenience store, and I'll meet you there? Food will be done in a few minutes, so I can meet you there and head back to the Hotel together. How does that sound?" "Sure, any preference in sparkling water, or do you want the same one I'm, which is a Sanpellegrino?" "That's fine by me, preferably a glass bottle." "Got it, I'll see you soon!"

He handed me his credit card, and I smiled at him and headed out the door. I put the card in my pocket to ensure I wouldn't lose it, But I couldn't believe he had given me his card. I kept rubbing my fingertips along the card; it was heavy, but from metal, I'm assuming it had to be a different card because this man had money. You just smiled. He had this must trust in you to take his card and yourselves water. Never in a million years would I think this happened to me, but you were flipping for joy on the inside. The convenience store was close and in the same direction back to the Hotel. Pulling on the store handle and entering, you greet the employee behind the counter and head to the fridges for sparkling water. You knew exactly where they kept them since you frequent this convenience often to grab sparkling water when craving pops some days. Open the fridge door, grab two bottles and start to make your way to the employee to pay for the two drinks. He scans the drinks, and you tap Toto's card on the machine and ask for the receipt. You were curious to know if Toto needed it after all. This could be a business card, which is business expenses since you are technically his research fellow, so you take hold of the receipt, put both the card and paper in your pocket and see a waiting Toto outside the store. You push the door open. Toto is smiling at you; this man could kill with his smile. "Ready to head back?" He says with the two bags of food in hand. "Yes!" You nodded up at him and turned to walk back to the Hotel.

You kept your eyes on the bags of food. You were petite and knew you were probably not going to eat much, but still, it was a lot of food, and who knows what he got, but you were looking forward to digging in. You eventually entered the lobby of the Hotel and made your way back to his room. He shifted the bag to carry all in one hand and opened the door. Once doing so, you allowed him to enter first, and he followed behind you. You returned to the couch, where your bag was, and it had a little table in front of it. You placed the two water bottles on the table, and Toto brought the desk chair over so he could be his seat facing you, making a little dinner table. He started to unpack the food, and you looked up at him, "Do you mind if I use the washroom before we eat?" "Of course, it's the door on the left close to the door exiting the room." "Thank you." He glanced up at you with a slight smile as you moved past him to make your way to the washroom. Turning on the lights and entering the bathroom, you close the door behind you for some privacy to relieve yourself.

Doing so, you take the chance to glance around; it was clean, and you tell housekeeping did come to make it look presentable. Still, you get to smell Toto's cologne, and the thought of his signature scent just had a smile creeping up on your face. You flushed the toilet and washed your hands. You head back into the main space to see all the food set up, and Toto smiles as he sees you walk in. He had his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up, not wanting to make a mess. His veiny forearms are on full display, and he gets up from his chair to all of you to sit first in your seat. Before you sit, you realize that your sweater might also get dirty. Having to reach across the table for food, you slip it off, leaving you in the tank top. Toto smiles up at you, and you sit across from him. Feeling self-conscious, you keep the sweater on your lap, covering your stomach.

Sure, you worked out, but you weren't lean and always felt self-conscious, especially when food was around. Toto sits back in the chair and starts explaining what he got; everything is by appearance since he opened all the containers. "In this container, closest to you and per your request, is sashimi. I got you an assortment of Tuna, Salmon, Eel and Butterfish. In the container between us, I got a roll platter, which was a dynamite roll, spicy salmon and tuna, some tempura, some veggies, and a California roll. I also got some edamame if you want to snack on it, and there are also salads if you would like them. I hope this is okay; you said you haven't eaten, so please eat and don't hesitate. I can get you something more afterwards." "No, this is more than enough. This is a great selection, and honestly, this could feed double the amount of just us two!" "Well, there are containers; you decide to eat later, you can have some later, but now take some sashimi, and please eat."

You blushed a little from his forcefulness in getting you to eat. With that, you took hold of your chopsticks and started placing some of the sashimi into your plate to eat. You put a total of 6 pieces and want to pace yourself, not wanting to feel like you haven't eaten in days. Once you started to eat, you could see Toto relax a little and start putting some rolls and sashimi onto his plate. The food before you was finished, and you were deciding what to put next. Still, you took a moment to think, so in your ideal mind, you took some edamame to eat and, deciding to initiate conversation, asked Toto, "Which of the rolls do you recommend I try?" You allow him to swallow the contents in his mouth, and he wipes his lips with a napkin before responding to you. "I would go with one of the tempura. I like different textures as I'm eating, and so far, you have just had sashimi, and after that, maybe some of the rolls; I think you will like the dynamite one the most!" "Great then, the tempura is next!"

He smiled at you as you took hold of your chopsticks and placed a few pieces of shrimp and yam tempura onto your place. You were pleased with his recommendation; the texture difference helped to down a pit more food. You now decide you need a bit of acidity to cleanse your palette, so you take ahold of the salad and put a bit on your plate. Downing that as well, you felt it was time for the rolls. Taking Toto's recommendation, you put some dynamite rolls in your place, a few veggie pieces, spicy salmon, and tuna. Finally finishing your plate, you felt you couldn't possibly down more food. Surprisingly, that was enough food for the both of you. You neglected the idea that Toto is much taller than you and can eat twice to possibly three times the amount you can. You tell him you finished eating and couldn't take more food and thank him.

"Okay, I can't eat anymore; the selection was amazing. Thank you again, Toto, for lunch. It was perfect." You had the biggest smile on your face, and Toto was reciprocating the same as well. You were satisfied and leisurely picked at the edamame, not wanting to make it awkward while Toto continued to eat. Though he did take a chance to respond to your comment, thank him."I'm glad you enjoyed lunch. I appreciate you taking the time to eat with me; you were great company instead of eating alone!" You still kept smiling; you could relate to his comment because you would have done the same if he hadn't sent you that message. Before you could respond to his comment, "If you still have work that needs to get done, you can work here if you want; you already look comfortable on the couch." You took a second to ponder on his comment. You were sitting on the couch as the two of you ate with your cross legs like a kid would do while sitting on the floor. It was reflexive; you were honestly just making yourself comfortable and didn't even notice that you did that, and the idea of having to go walk back to the library set your things up and make yourself comfortable again. You just didn't feel like doing that again. And it would be nice to have someone who makes me accountable to get more done, so you decide to take Toto up on his offer, but you make sure with him if it's okay.

"Sure!….. But are you sure? I don't want to intrude if you have something else to work on and need privacy to do so?" He huffed a little at your response; he gets a sense that I always like to double-check on offers I get."Why would I offer if I wasn't sure you couldn't work in this space with me… You know that at some point, we will have to work in the same room if you will be the research fellow." Giggling at this comment, "That is true; fine, I will work here then!" His smile grew wider once he accepted his invitation to work in the same space as him. You were kinda nervous because he was someone that you were absolutely falling head over heels for. Still, now you actually have to concentrate around him. This would be hard, especially if he kept his sleeves rolled up. Deciding on working in here, Toto helps you clean up the table that you two just finished eating at, which would be your makeshift workspace while he was at his desk. Once you finally cleaned the table, you rested on the couch. It was now 3:30pm, and you wanted to pick up studying at 4. You just wanted to ease into it. You slip off your boots to make yourself more comfortable, put your feet up, and just lean on the back of the couch while scrolling your phone with your sweater on your lap. Toto returns and decides to lift your feet up and take a seat, now placing your feet on his lap.

"Did you want me to move so you can sit comfortably?" "No, I'm wonderful, but I love to see you making yourself comfortable." He smiled at me, and now I started to feel bad, so I shifted up a bit more, and he mentioned again. "You don't have to move; stay like this. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable; I just see that you always have something on your mind, and to see you do nothing and relax is a nice change." He says this, looking up at me; I can tell he is sincere when he tells me this. It was true, but he is also catching me at a time in my life when I am at peak stress, so I'm not in the right mentality either. "Ya, I know, just a transition I am getting used to, but it will pass, you know…" "Ya, I understand… but you will get through it; I know you can."

He looks me in the eyes as he tells me this. It's a relief that someone believes in me. I wish I could say to him, but I don't want to make it seem like I am messed up. Having someone other than friends or family to encourage you was lovely, and Toto looks genuine. Feeling too comfortable and bold, I decided to see how Toto would react by sitting next to him and having his arm around me. I was never needy or affectionate, but he is hands-on, and I just wanted to be close again. Toto was about to protest when he saw you get up from your place on the couch and walk toward where he was sitting. He has his right arm on the sofa's armrest, and his left is on the back of the couch. You sit where the left is resting on the back of the sofa. He just has a look of astonishment as you sit, tucking yourself to the left. And you place your hands in your lap and just rest your hand slightly on his side. Toto looks down at you, and his look of astonishing fades into a warm smile, and he proceeds to ask, "Are you comfortable yet?" Responding a little too cocky, "Would you be comfortable if your arm was around me?" You don't know what was washing over you, but you looked up at him as you asked him that. He looks down and responds softly, "Your wish is my command."

He wraps his left arm around you, and he pulls you in closer to him. Your head rests on his chest, and you can hear his heart racing, but his breath is steady. You smile into his chest that he must be nervous, and honestly, you were too, but this felt right; he makes everything feel right. You managed to focus a little too much on his breathing, and just having his scent engulf you made you start to get a little sleepy, and your eyes fluttered shut. You hear Toto speak to you, not wanting to disturb the peace washing over you, "Schatzi, are you tired? Did you want to take a little nap on the bed?" You respond a little too quickly in your tired mind, "No… I'm very comfortable like this, just don't let me sleep, or I won't sleep at night." "Okay, I won't let you sleep." He spoke softly and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

I hadn't even noticed that I let out a hum of approval, to which Toto just pulled me in a little closer. We stayed like this for a bit longer; he was so warm that I didn't have to wear my sweater, and I'm not going to lie. He is a walking radiator for someone relatively smaller than him. Knowing I had to get up to start working, I did it gradually. "Toto, what time is it?" He lifts his left hand to check the time and places it back down. "It's 3:56, why?" "I have 4 more minutes like this; okay, then I start doing work." "Okay, schatzi, 4 more minutes," He says softly, allowing me to be this peaceful for the rest of the time. You weren't tired anymore, but now you were mentally preparing yourself to start doing work. You decided to break the silence this time again."Thank you for this." "For what?" You can tell he is confused, so you clarify for him. "The embrace or whatever this is cozying up to you if you call this." Attempting to gesture in the sitting situation without moving because you are comfortable. You hear him reply. "You're welcome. I am always happy to see you comfortable." You smiled that he knew how happy you were and attempted to see how far you could push this again. "Toto, can you drive me home once I'm done studying? I still want to spend time with you." He almost didn't finish your thought before he could reply. "Of course, anything to spend more time with you." He was excited, and you could tell.

You took this as an opportunity to lift your head from his chest and look up at him. He had the goofiest of smiles, and you couldn't help but smile. You couldn't help but shift your gaze from his eyes to his lips. I am guessing Toto took this as a queue in which he took his right hand to cup your cheek, and you leaned slightly into his touch, your eyes fluttering close because of his gentleness. With that, he pulled your face up to meet his lips for a gentle kiss. It was soft and slow, and you could forget time. He pulled away, and you returned to rest your head against his chest with this chin on the top of your head. You could feel his arm shift to look at this watch, and he sighed a little to get your attention. "Y/N" "Yes…" your response just barely above a whisper. "It's 4pm." "Ooookaaay." You whined softly in his embrace. Toto let out a huff. He sensed you were comfortable and enjoyed you in his arms, so to help prepare you to let go, he rubbed your back a bit before you peeled yourself off him to sit in front of your laptop.

You take this chance to slip your sweater back on because you shivered at the heat loss. You hear Toto softly chuckle from your loss of contact. Still, it makes you smile, knowing he finds your reaction to him humorous. Toto gets up from the couch and walks towards his desk to continue work. He turns to you one final time. "Let me know what time you were thinking of leaving or when you think you will be done, and I'll pack up as well." "Is like 8:30 okay?"" More than perfect; since that is quite a bit of time, I will head out to get some snacks. Is there anything in particular you want?" He startled you with this comment, but it made you blush. You took a second to think and finally came up with a cheeky answer. "Ummmm… Strawberry Twizzlers, if not those, then cherry is fine; a bag of chips, you can pick… Oh…. and a Redbull if they have any." You know the Redbull comment would make him smirk, and right on queue, he did. "I will get you everything else but the Red Bull. Is a monster okay then?" He could tell you were joking, but he still wanted to ensure. "Yes, that's fine, or any energy drink. I was only teasing, you know." You couldn't help but giggle, making Toto shake his head disapprovingly. He grabs this coat and wallet. "I will be back soon, okay?" "Okay!" Just like that, he turned to you, smiled, and went to get snacks for your extended work time, to which you opened your laptop to start working on your assignment.

You put your noise-cancelling headphones on and proceed to open up the Onenote. Had all the notes for the assignment you wanted to start. In the section, it was the assignment instructions. You took a chance to review the parameters and the requirements needed to complete the assignment and figure out how to approach it. It was just another essay, so you looked back at the syllabus. You saw which weeks interest you and topics you could consider writing roughly 15-20 pages about. With a brief skim of the syllabus, readings and notes, you figured out a week and topic on which you could write. With that, you gathered the necessary articles and lecture notes. You opened a new page on OneNote in which you could dump information and thoughts that came to mind on how to focus the subject matter. At this point, you look like a madman, switching from different types, and your eyes darting really fast, attempting to absorb so much of the content and sort out the coming thoughts. You hadn't realized how much time had passed, nor did you notice that Toto returned because of the noise-cancelling headphones; he was at the desk with his back towards you, working on his laptop.

Deciding this was an excellent time to take a snack break, you take off your headphones and silently approach Toto, hoping you can sneak up on him. Biting your bottom lip, attempting to contain your giggles, you came close to his ear and whispered, "What you working on?" Toto jumps a little in his seat and then turns his chair towards you with a smile, reciprocating the one on your face, "Someone is a little minx?" "Well, it seemed like a funny thought to scare you a little." You couldn't help but giggle even more, and with that, you asked him, "Wanna take a snack break with me? I'm a little peckish." "Ahh, peckish… needing some sugary brain food to focus?" He inquired sarcastically because of your selection. "Yes, using the sugar high to elaborate on an outline I'm drafting before I type the essay out." "Well, in that case, we take a screen break too and rest your eyes; we don't want to strain them if you have a few more hours of staring closely at the screen." "Sure, why not? We can chat then!" You said that with too much excitement, in which you heard Toto chuckle deeply; you couldn't help that you made this man react this way.

He turns towards the snack and pulls them closer to the both of you on his desk. You take the chance to look and find somewhere to sit, feeling awkward to still stand beside him while he sits. Toto notices your little search, in which he chimes up, almost reading your mind, "You can sit on my thigh while we take our snack break; I don't mind." You blush deeply at this suggestion, and a little lost for words, he just turns to you with a little smirk. Inhaling a little, attempting to take a second to breathe and think about what you want to do next, you finally ask him, "Are you sure? Aren't I too heavy for you? Like, are you really sure?" You had a bad habit of doubling-checking, especially when it was an offer like this, but you wanted to ensure Toto was okay with it. "Of course, you aren't heavy; I got you." He tries reassuring you, and you reluctantly take up his offer. Nodding at him to show that you are okay with it, Toto opens up his legs more so you can sit on his thigh, facing him as well. You sit gently, not making sure he is comfortable or in pain, and he just looks up and smiles warmly at you. You are at eye level with him, and he says, "Can I put my arm around your waist to keep you steady? I just want to ensure you don't fall backwards or anything?" It was thoughtful that he cared for your safety, so you nodded, agreeing to his suggestion.

At this point, you somehow became mute, too, and he nudged the bag of snacks toward you. Peering into the bag, you take ahold of the Twizzlers and open up the package. Taking a few of the cherry licorice pieces and biting into them, Toto opened his snack and did the same before placing his arm back around your waist to steady you. Deciding to break the silence, "Thank you for the snacks. I know you didn't have to, but thank you again." "No need to thank me, schatzi. Your presence has been more than enough, and I just want to make sure you're enjoying yourself while with me." You couldn't help but offer a warm smile; he says the damnedest things that make you melt. He asks you a question to change the subject and understand what you were so concentrated on that you don't notice him entering the room again, "How is your work coming along? What is that you are exactly working on again?"

Happy at the subject change; you delve into the details of your paper. You felt that it was okay to ramble on a little bit just by the intent look Toto was giving you as you were trying to explain the topic you intended to research and how to possibly connect it with the discussions in the course and things you were dealing with on the subject matter. You also became over-invested in any research project, but that was the point, right? The end objective of any course is walking away and learning something new, which I always did. In this case, you were rambling on the subject you researched, so new ideas came to mind, even as you explained to Toto. Attempting to not make your mind go a million miles a minute on your research, you wrap up the topic. You take this chance to make eye contact with Toto since you hadn't done that for a bit, attempting to explain the jist of your subject; you take in that he has his head slightly tilted, quizzically trying to absorb your every work, nodding several times like he understands the topic. Feeling like you have finally spoken enough and wrapped up your thought on the last point, you take the chance to bite into some more licorice, silently giving Toto a chance to interject or say something as you fish into the bag for those energy drinks because you felt a little thirst from talking too much. You took them out of the bag and placed them on the table. You wanted to open one of them to drink, but before you could do so, you wanted to double-check the time; you were a caffeine addict, sure, but you value sleep, so you didn't want to consume the drink at the expense of being wired the entire night.

"Toto, do you have the time?" He gave you another puzzled look but looked down at his watch, "It's 6:30. Is everything okay?" Still had concern laced on his face as you went silent. You took a minute to ponder if it was too late to consume the drink. At 6pm would have been fine, but it's closer to 7pm, and you were already eating sugar, so the crash could be harmful. Finally deciding to break the silence, you speak up, telling Toto your thought process. "Ya, I was just thinking if it's too late to drink it, I don't want to be wired the entire night, and I am already eating sugary snacks, so I might pass. Can I keep it for tomorrow, if that's okay?" You glanced up at him as you explained whether to consume more caffeine, and his expression softened at your little concern. "Yes, Schatzi, I bought the drinks for you. And I think that is best, too, if sleeping is your concern." He rubbed the small of your back, supporting your decision and easing the tense poster you hadn't realized you were holding.

With that, you kept picking at your snack in silence. I'm not going to lie; I want to talk, especially with him, but I am not used to switching between a student and wanting to know him more than just a crush. It wasn't that you were awkward; it was far from it. It happened to be in the moment; you were in your own head and wanted to complete this task, and it would be a hard day of work. You were looking forward to finishing and just wanting to sit and chat, but you were somehow mute. Pulling yourself from your thoughts to take one last piece of licorice, you glance up, almost having to do a double take because you see Toto studying you, but his expression is soft. Immediately, a blush washes over your face, and Toto smiles back at you. "You must have a million thoughts since you zone out for so long." He wasn't wrong; this comment only made you turn a deeper shade of red. Smiling through the embarrassment and wanting to hide more of your facial expressions from him, you just shove your face into his shoulder. At this point, Toto could genuinely tell you were embarrassed and wrapped his other arm around you, pulling you closer to comfort you. "ohh, common schatzi cat got your tongue?" He was still teasing you for zoning out, but at this point, you giggled, attempting to make it a little light-hearted. Not wanting to leave his embrace, you shake your head and respond to his comment, not wanting to lift your head so he can hear you clearly, "I can't help it if my mind goes a million miles a minute, it jumps from one thought to the next." Toto just sighs at your response as if understanding the depth of what that meant. To still comfort you, he leans his head into yours and whispers, "Just making sure you are alright; I know you don't do it on purpose. Don't worry, Y/N, I'm just teasing." "I know, Toto, don't worry, I'm good, I just needed a new hiding place." You heard that deep chuckle again coming out of him, and he just pulled his embrace tight, wanting to tease him back, "Ouch Toto, you're hurting me," he instantly pulled you off of him and started to franticly glance up and down to see if you were okay. You couldn't help but burst into laughter and choose to use his exact words, "Ohh, Toto cat got your tongue!" And the both of you were just laughing like idiots.

Calming down from your laughing fit, you stretch your back a little and get up from Toto's lap, "Alright, time to get the last bit of work done…. with a few more pieces of licorice in hand!" You say that with too much enthusiasm, and Toto just smiles at you; he must like seeing you more cheery than stressed. Taking a few pieces in hand, still facing him, you hear him comment sarcastically, "Yes, because sugar fuels the will to work." "hhhmmm…..Indeed it does; you should see me on candy, coffee and energy drinks when I'm writing or studying; I'm truly magnificent to watch." The response was a little too nonchalant for my liking, but I quickly glanced at Toto, and his expression was a mix of concern and shock. The combination of food groups, mostly candy, caffeine, and the liquid version of the two combined, helps me focus. Still, I tend to look like a madman who furiously types at a computer screen. I go back to the couch, where my laptop is and give a once over at the work I was doing before taking a break. Letting my thoughts return to me on how I was linking things together, I continued my work.

At this point, understanding the direction in which this paper is heading, you start finding the appropriate sources to write. This was usually the hard part of writing a research paper and was tedious. You take to the internet and open up Google Scholar and your university library website. You start using the library website and type in key terms related to the topic. You filter out by the year since you want to use the most relevant sources, ensuring the source is an article or book, and you sort out if the articles are peer-reviewed. You do this process several times with different terms until you have a solid folder of sources on your computer to look through another day. You repeat this process, but using Google Scholar this time helps to get different search engines involved. It allows you to cover your bases before you start creating your outline. As you do so, some promising articles need access. You turn to your library website and enter the article name, allowing access through your university sign-in. Completing this process now a few more times and sifting through the folder of downloaded PDFs of articles and books, you make a preliminary list of how the source could be used, along with some of the course material and lecture notes. You click back onto Onenote and start putting messages on our outline page on how the paper could come together. Group the ideas in case you need to make headings in the essay and their correlation to the topic. Completing this sift through roughly 20 documents and feeling that your eyes can no longer look at a computer screen, you saved everything you were working on before completely shutting down your laptop for the day. You packed it into your bag with your headphones and took your phone to look at the time; it was a little past 8pm. Glad you finished a lot of work in one sitting; you get up and go over to Toto to bug him until he finishes his work.

"Toto…." "Yes, Y/N." "Are you done yet? I'm bored." With that comment, all you see is Toto turning to you, and he sees the stupid smile plastered all over your face and gives you a similar one back. "Okay, give me a second to save the items I'm working on." "Okay." Allowing him to do so, you walked until you stood next to him, in which you just turned to face him, leaning against the desk he was working on. Once he had finished saving all his documents and shut off his laptop, he turned to you, "Did you want me to take you home now, and I grab my things and be ready to go?" "Actually was wondering if you want to sit for a bit, before we go? You have my complete and undivided attention to actually talk this time." You looked him in the eyes, wondering if we would accept the offer; I mean, regardless, he would still have to drive me home, but not sure if he still wanted to sit and actually talk because the snack break was a clear indication that I can't hold an honest conversation with my mind elsewhere.

Abed bucket list for first year would’ve been impossible if it was COVID zoom uni. Interesting fic idea

Or Troy and abed do something like the end of the mythic quest quarantine episode with the games and ball going through tubes

Abed would 10/10 have fandom related masks

Troy would probably be pressured to wear the best protective masks by Annie or wear sport moisturizer wicking ones or sport team (football) official merch masks. I can also see just funny slogans or animal faces or like Abed, the fandom related masks.

Pierce wouldn’t wear it properly if he wore one at all. Best case scenario he’d wear the prank ones where it looks like you have crooked teeth or the illusion where the mask is under your chin

Shirley would wear one with her church logo

Annie would wear the most effective mask

Dean Pelton would wear crazy colourful and themed masks. Probably pushed for the campus store to sell greendale masks. And occasionally wears them.

Britta would wear ones with protesting slogans (ie there is no planet b)

Jeff would wear a plain black one I think. Or maybe the clear ones so he can still show off his chiseled jawline. I can also see him wearing a realistic face one.

Magnitude would have designed his own that says pop pop and sells them.

Starburns would have one that has stars on the sides.

Leonard has the basic blue ones

Chang would DIY a mask out of anything from bandana to stuff the monkey stole. Definitely not medical grade as he literally taped Kleenex together one day. Finds used masks in trash. Maybe got a security guard one as a gift.

Frankie again the most professional mask or maybe a greendale memorabilia one

Elroy probably has simple patterned masks

Partners in Crime | Loki x Female Reader

Loki (Marvel) x Doctor Who

You go undercover and infiltrate the TVA in an attempt to rescue Loki from the shady organisation.

Part Nine | Part Eleven | Chapter Index

Words: 5.2k

Warnings: descriptions of Loki’s death in Infinity War

Read on AO3

You had ran back into the TARDIS and straight to the wardrobes, you dressed in a formal black work suit with a white blouse and a pair of black court shoes, a far cry from your usual style but since you had decided you were going undercover you thought you might as well look the part. You had covered the scrapes you acquired on your jaw and cheekbones during the battle of New York with some concealer and applied some light makeup to complete the look.

 You straightened out your suit jacket and checked your hair was neat enough by gently patting it with your palms to feel for flyaways, as you made your way back into the deserted control room. Your eyes landed on the Doctors jacket, as you passed it, noticing it was still discarded on the seats, since the Doctor hadn’t took it with him when he left.

 Despite already knowing the control room was empty, you glanced around just to be sure before you fished into the inside pocket of the suit jacket and felt around for the wallet containing the psychic paper. While you were feeling around you felt your fingers brush against the sonic screwdriver, you decided it might be useful so you pulled it out and slotted it into your own pocket before you returned to hunting for the psychic paper.

 You discovered that the Doctor wasn’t kidding when he said his pockets were bigger on the inside, you dragged out a yo-yo, a pair of retro 3D glasses, the yellow water pistol you used in Pompeii and a stethoscope before you finally managed to find the wallet containing the psychic paper. You discarded all the random objects on the seats along with the jacket before you turned on your heel and made your way out of the TARDIS.

 While you were in the unlit room the TARDIS had landed in, you blindly felt around for a light switch, until you remembered you had the sonic screwdriver, you used the small blue light on the end of it as a torch, it wasn’t very effective but it provided some visibility and from what you could see, you were in a maintenance closet.

 After slipping the sonic back into your pocket, you carefully pushed the door handle down and slowly cracked the door open and peaked out of it with one eye, exactly like you had done earlier. This time you were looking along the ceiling for any visible security cameras, from your position you could not see any.

 The corridor was once again deserted, so you proceeded to pull the door open wider and poked your head out to look both left and right. The decor was dated with an orange and brown patterned carpet which you might have found in a cheap hotel in the 70s and the walls were painted a creamy coffee colour.

 Swiftly you slipped out of the maintenance closet and gently pulled the door shut behind you, while still vigilantly looking up and down the abandoned corridor, now you had to decide which direction to go.

 To your right you were closer to the end of the hallway where there was a set of mahogany double doors with frosted glass panels, while to your left, the end of the corridor split off into two other separate corridors, after weighing up your options you decided to head towards the double doors. 

 The room you entered was spacious and well lit by large round lights that covered the entire ceiling. In the centre of the room there were retractable line divider belts in place which lead to a glass incased service desk, where you could see a bored worker was slouched in their seat. You took a deep breath and straightened your spine before you began to walk through the winding barriers towards the desk.

 Once you arrived you looked down upon the chubby, middle aged man who had not yet acknowledged your presence as he hunched over the desk, reading a colourful comic that was spread out on the surface in front of him. Your eyes nervously travelled around the room again as you double checked no one else was there before you hit the shiny, gold coated service bell with the palm of your hand.

 “Have you had your consultation with Miss Minutes?” The guard, who wore a name tag which informed you he was called Edgar, idly addressed you without looking up from his desk.

 “What?” You asked, already beginning to feel your nerves spike.

 “Every prisoner must have a consolation with Miss Minutes before standing trial for their alleged crimes.” Edgar explained, as if he was reading from a script.

 “Oh... I- I’m not a prisoner.” You nervously laughed, you were here to break Loki out, not get yourself arrested too.

 The guard finally lifted his eyes to you and took in your appearance and formal attire, you pulled the psychic paper from your pocket and held it against the glass, willing it to show him something that will grant you access to the prisoners.

 “You’re a psychiatrist?” Edgar questioned, appearing dumbfounded.

 “Yes.” You nodded confidently, as you returned the wallet to your breast pocket, “I am here to evaluate one of your prisoners.”

 “You’re in the wrong department.” He informed you as his eyes cast back down to his comic, you waited for him to tell you where to go, but he remained silent.

 “Which department do I need to go to?” You prompted him.

 “The prisoner department.” 

 Another pause. You rolled your eyes.

 “And where is that?” You tried to remain patient but getting information out of this man was like pulling teeth, you could feel the frustration building in your chest.

 “Down the corridor, to the left, take the elevator to floor VG2.” You were already making your way back through the winding line dividers by the time he was halfway through his sentence, you would have ran if you weren’t meant to maintain a professional cover, alas, you were confined to speed walking.

 As quickly as you could, you made your way down the carpeted corridor and turned left until you arrived to a pair of elevators with metallic gold doors. You pushed the black round button on a panel between the two elevators to call for one. You tapped your foot as you impatiently waited with your hands clasped in front of you. 

 The ding prompted you to lift your head just as the elevator doors began to slide open, your whole body halted to a stop mid stride as your eyes locked with a pair of familiar frosty green ones, which stared right back at you, holding just as much surprise. 

 You and Loki were completely frozen as the pair of you did nothing but stare at each other for a solid moment, which felt much longer than it actually was. You took in his appearance, the bulky collar he was wearing around his neck along with a loose fitting, beige jumpsuit which had an orange TVA logo printed on the left side of the chest. 

 Loki was the first to break contact as his eyes fleeted with panic to Mobius, who was stood next to him, but luckily he hadn’t noticed you as his attention was focused on studying a brown paper file which he held open in the palm of his hand.

 Quickly you jumped out of view and pushed your back flush to the wall between the two elevators before you heard Mobius tut with a sigh.

 “Don’t you just hate when the elevator stops on a floor and no one is there?” You heard Mobius say, there was no response from Loki before the doors slid back shut. 

 You rolled back off the wall with a sigh of relief and put your hand over your racing heart to calm it after almost getting caught. You looked up and followed the floor numbers above the elevator as they lit up, indicating which floor it was at, until it stopped in order to find out which floor Loki was being taken to and memorised it as you pushed the button to call another elevator. The doors to the other one opened and you stepped in and selected the floor which Loki was taken to. 

 With a ding the doors parted to reveal a concrete corridor, much different to the one you were on earlier. It was filled with people dressed in uniforms, some in plain brown suits and others dressed head to toe in black combat armour carrying weapons, you were wary of those ones. Your heels clicked against the hard floor and the sound echoed off the walls as you slowly made your way further down the winding corridor. You tried to not appear too inconspicuous as your eyes shifted around in search of a familiar face.

 You passed several dark wooden doors, any of which Loki and Mobius could have disappeared behind and you would have no idea, it wasn’t like you could go searching behind each individual one without drawing attention to yourself. 

 “Excuse me, are you lost?” A petite woman with a friendly disposition approached you, obviously having noticed the way you were aimlessly wandering without any direction. She had warm eyes and showcased her pearly white teeth with her plump glossy lips stretched into a kind smile. You instantly felt comfortable in her presence, so you were confident enough to be somewhat honest with her.

 “Yes actually, I’m looking for Mobius and I can’t seem to find him.” 

 Her eyes widened with delight at the fact that she knew exactly where he was and could help you as she pointed to a pair of double doors a few paces behind her. “I saw him go in there with one of the prisoners not too long ago.” 

 Your eyes shifted to the double doors and you noticed there was two security guards stood in front before you looked back at the friendly woman in front of you, “thank you,” you smiled.

 “No problem at all.” She told you as she began to make her way towards the elevator.

 Once she was gone, you searched for a corner to hide behind which also gave you a perfect view of the double doors as you waited for Loki and Mobius to come out. 

 A few minutes passed before you saw the door open and Mobius stepped out without Loki, you watched him disappear down the corridor before you rushed to the double doors, you were quickly halted by the security in front but you maintained a calm exterior as you reached into your pocket and showed them the psychic paper, they studied it for a moment as your heart raced with nerves, before one of them grunted with a nod and granted you access. 

 You let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding after you shut the door, with your back turned to the room you just entered.

 Heat flourished through your stomach at the sound of Loki’s voice saying you name, as a smile curled at the corners of your lips before you turned around to see him.

 In the dimly lit room, Loki was rising from his seat, his face was illuminated by a holographic projection that was playing against the wall furthest from you, as he began taking quick strides towards you.

 Before you could even say anything, you felt his palms rest on both your cheeks as he pulled your face towards his own and greeted you with a hungry kiss.

 “If I might interject.” Loki’s voice filled the room and interrupted your kiss, as you pulled your lips away from his and glanced over his shoulder at the projection, which displayed footage of Loki.

 “What is that?” You asked him as your eyes bounced between his face and the projection.

 “Never mind that,” Loki shook his head dismissively and grasped your hands in his. “I can’t believe you’re here, you’re alive.” Loki once again gently grasped your face in one of his hand as he stroked his thumb against the apple of your cheek.

 “Thanks to you. You saved my life.” You smiled gratefully at him as you brought your own hand up to rest on the back of his but he retracted it just as you did and you pinched your brows together with confusion.

 “No thanks to me,” Loki corrected you as he shook his head and took a step back from you, “I am the reason you got hurt in the first place.”

 “Loki, it wasn’t your fault...”

 “It was. It was me. I am the one who shot at you.” Loki admitted and you remained silent as you let the information sink in.

 “Almighty Thanos... I, Loki, Prince of Asgard... Odinson... the rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief do hereby pledge to you my undying fidelity.” The projection once again caught your attention.

 “Thanos...” Your eyes drifted back to Loki, “when is this from?” 

 “It... it’s...” Loki tried, but your focus shifted back to the projection as a deep voice filled the room through the speakers.

 “Undying? You should choose your words more carefully.” You realised the new voice belonged to Thanos, who was now displayed on the projection, his larger frame dwarfed Loki’s, proving just how intimidating he was. 

 Loki had his arm extended above his head as he clenched a dagger in his fist and held the tip to Thanos’ throat, but the mighty titan encircled Loki’s arm with his large hand, making it appear no larger than a twig, he twisted his arm and the dagger fell from his palm as he raised his other hand to Loki’s throat.

 Your face paled and stone cold horror surged through your thumping heart as Thanos began to lift Loki off the ground, causing his body to thrash around violently as he tried to struggle free from the deadly grasp.

 “He... he’s killing you.” Your voice trembled as you watched helplessly, you turned you face away when it became too difficult to keep watching, wishing you could also close your ears to the unsettling noises that filled the room.

 “You... will never be... a god.” Was the last thing you heard Loki say through the speakers before you almost jumped out of your skin at the sound of a door slamming shut with such force it overpowered the noises from the speakers.

 You turned around to find Mobius with his back to the doors, a curious smile played on his lips as his eyes shot back and forth between you and Loki. You instantly stepped back towards Loki and encircled your arms around his and pulled him closer to you, keeping him in an unyielding hold. 

 “So I’m assuming this is some sort of rescue mission slash prison escape?” Mobius casually spoke as he began to walk further into the room. 

 You and Loki shuffled back together, ensuring you maintained the same amount of distance from him as he moved around the sparsely furnished room. 

 “Something like that.” You mumbled with your chin held high in defiance but Mobius appeared unfazed as his eyes fell to Loki.

 “I’m afraid he won’t get very far wearing that.” The agent brought his finger up to point at his own neck in order to demonstrate that he was talking about the collar, which was secured around Loki’s neck, you raised an eyebrow and tilted your head curiously.

 “Then, I guess, it’s a good job I brought this with me, isn’t it?” You smiled, knowing you had the upper hand as you pulled the Doctors sonic screwdriver from your pocket and held it in front of you.

 Loki’s own lips lifted into a triumphant smirk once he realised what you had held in your hand. You pointed the blue glowing tip to the electronic latch of his collar, a low-pitched buzzing emitted from the sonic before you heard the latch click open and with a quick shake of his head, the collar easily slipped from Loki’s neck and landed on the floor at his feet.

 “Ah, shit.” Mobius sighed under his breath, with his gaze focused on the discarded collar.

 “This is nothing personal.” Loki told him as he raised his palm, Mobius hardly had time to react before green mist was shot in his direction, his legs gave way beneath him as he collapsed to the floor unconscious.

 “Is he dead?” You worried as you took a couple steps towards Mobius’ body.

 “No, he’s just sleeping.” Loki assured you as he conjured some rope out of a shimmering green light and he strode towards Mobius.

 “This will buy us some more time.” Loki told you as he pushed Mobius’ limp body on to his front and began tying his wrists together behind his back, before he tied his ankles together. 

 You watched wordlessly until Loki rose back to his feet then walked towards you, he clasped you by your shoulders and looked down at you intensely.

 “I have a plan.” He told you.

 “Loki, what was that projection?” You worried, no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t wipe the horrific images from your mind.

 His eyes cast down and he stroked his hand up and down your upper arm to offer you comfort, “It’s a lot to explain, but right now we need to get out of here and I need you to do something for me.”

 “Anything.” You said without hesitation.

 ***

 “Oh my god...” Your hand shot to your throat, “why hasn’t my voice changed? I still sound like me.” 

 You were currently looking into a handheld mirror, which Loki had conjured for you, getting used to the fact that the face staring back at you wasn’t your own. You ran the tips of your fingers over the facial hair above your lip and gently pulled it between your forefinger and thumb. 

 Loki had transformed you into a double of Mobius, as a green shimmer ran down the length of his body and he changed from the prison jumpsuit into the same TVA uniform he had been wearing when you first met him in Pompeii.

 “I can’t change your voice, you will have to refrain from speaking to anyone. We just need to get out of here and back to the TARDIS. It should be easy enough.” Loki explained as he fixed the collar of his jacket before he crouched beside Mobius and riffled through his pockets until you heard the jingling of keys. Loki threw them over his shoulder at you and you managed to catch them as you cradled your hands together with your palms open and the keys landed right in the middle.

 “We will lock the door behind us,” Loki explained and you nodded as he approached you. 

 “I don’t deserve any of this after what I did to you...” He saw you open your mouth to cut him off so he rushed to continue, “when the elevator doors opened and I saw your face, I thought it was a figment of my imagination... When the TVA captured me, I wasn’t sure if I would ever see you again or if I would ever find out whether or not you made it out of New York alive. I have lived with the weight of my actions on my shoulders, ever since the mind stones influenced faded but I have never felt anything even close to how I felt when I saw your injuries and I knew I was the one responsible for them. I will do whatever it takes to gain your forgiveness.” 

 “Do you really think I would be here, looking like this,” you gestured to your form disguised as Mobius, “if I hadn’t already forgiven you? You weren’t fully in control of your actions on that day but you were fully in control when you saved my life, despite knowing that using your magic would attract the TVA’s attention, you put yourself at risk to save me and now I’m doing the same for you.” 

 A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Loki’s lips before you took his hand in your own, “now let’s go before he wakes up and alerts everyone that you’ve escaped.”

 You let go of his hand just as your other reached for the handle of the door and you lead the way out with Loki following behind you. You acknowledged the two guards on either side of the door with a silent nod as you looked at the keys on the keyring and realised you didn’t know which one fit the lock on this door.

 You glanced at Loki for help, hoping your wide and confused eyes were enough to make him understand your predicament since you couldn’t use your voice. Loki subtly raised his finger to point at the key you needed and you quickly locked the door, before you made your way down the winding concrete hallway, towards the golden doors of the elevators.

 Your heart was already leaping out your chest after your blunder with the keys, but apart from a few nervous glances towards Loki, no one really paid the pair of you any attention and you were relieved to see that the plan was working.

 The familiar ding alerted you to the fact that the doors were about to slide open. When you saw a curly haired woman, dressed in a brown suit decorated with an orange sash, exiting the elevator, you stepped aside and offered her a polite smile, with the intention of letting her pass by, but she stopped in front of you and Loki and stared at the pair of you with suspicion. 

 The polite smile faded from your face, as your pulse once again began to quicken under her scrutinising gaze, you chanced a glance towards Loki in an attempt to gage how he was handling the situation, your inner panic spiked when you noticed the worry hidden in his eyes as they bounced between you and the woman stood before you.

 “Agent Mobius, where are you taking the Loki variant?” She questioned you. 

 You focused hard on trying to maintain a calm exterior while you were internally experiencing a meltdown as panic rose through your chest and your mind raced with the millions of possibilities for how this could go wrong, since there was no way you could answer her, you had no idea how to get yourself and Loki out of this situation.

 “I have decided join your little club and help protect the sacred timeline, Mobius and I are about to head out on a mission.” Loki answered for you and you sent him a grateful look, once the woman turned her attention to him.

 “Mobius, you know variants aren’t allowed out on missions without my clearance.” She crossed her arms over her chest and sent you a disapproving look.

 “You already gave me clearance.” Loki answered and the woman rolled her eyes before turning to him again.

 “That was the first time and you ended up running away with a genocidal Time Lord.” 

 “The Doctor?” A confused crease formed between Loki’s dark brows.

 “He destroyed the Time Lords.” She said, the tone she used made it seem as though her answer should’ve been obvious.

 “Well, if they were anything like you, I can’t say I blame him.” You had to bring your fingers to your lips to stifle your laughter.

 “Mobius!” You jumped at the sound of ‘your’ name and stood straight as you looked to the authoritative woman before you. “Wait for me in my office, while I return your variant to his cell.” 

 Your internal meltdown only worsened and you glanced at Loki again hoping he would offer you some sort of sign that he had a plan, his eyes were twitching back and forth as he stared at nothing in particular, you could practically see the cogs turning in his mind as he raced to come up with a plan. When the woman’s gaze flicked over to him, all evidence of his plotting was wiped from his face and his lips stretched into a sly smile.

 “Lead the way, Your Honour.” Loki hit the button to call the elevator, since it had already arrived earlier the doors slid open instantly. He held his hand out and offered the woman to enter the lift first, as she did Loki glanced at you and subtly nodded his head towards the corridor, directing you to follow that direction.

 Trusting that Loki knew what he was doing, you began to back away until you turned around and started walking down the corridor. You didn’t let the fact that Loki called her ‘Your Honour’ go unnoticed, you realised that was Loki’s subtle way of telling you who she was so you would be able to find her office. As you walked down the corridor you glanced at the engraved gold plaques above each door, until you stopped in front of one which read ‘Judge Ravonna Renslayer’ before you proceeded to enter.

 Inside, the office was dimly lit and lacked any windows, you realised that you hadn’t seen any windows throughout the entire building and it only added to the mysteriousness of the entire organisation. The walls were made off sculpted dark wooden panels and the floor was covered in an orange and brown carpet, similar to the one which decorated the corridors upstairs. 

 A single stained glass lamp, which stood on the large wooden desk in the centre of the room, was the only source of light. Behind the desk was a large, red leather chair and in front of it were two smaller brown leather seats. The surface of the desk was kept neat, a stack of files perfectly piled on top of one another sat in the centre, apart from those and the lamp there wasn’t much else on it. 

 On the far back wall, behind the desk, to the left and right there were two book shelves neatly filled with large leather bound books of various colours. Between the two book shelves, there was a wall, decorated with the wooden sculptures of three heads, you found them rather ghastly to look at so you diverted your eyes back to the surface of the desk as you lowered yourself into one of the seats in front of it and waited.

 The only sound that filled the room was the constant ticking of a clock as each second passed and you were beginning to find the repetitive sound irritating, your leg bounced up and down with nerves, as you hoped with all your strength that Loki knew what he was doing. You had no idea what you were going to do if Judge Ravonna Renslayer walked through that door and expected you to speak with her.

 You glanced over your shoulder when you heard the sound of the door click open, hoping you would be greeted by the sight of Loki, but your heart dropped and an array of colourful language raced through your mind when the Judge entered the room instead.

 “Agent Mobius.” She formally greeted you and you stood from your seat and offered her your hand to shake as a form of greeting, since speaking would blow your cover, although you doubted you would be able to last long without saying anything.

 The Judge just stared at your hand for a moment, with confusion behind her eyes, before she swatted it away and stepped closer to you almost making you jump when her arms slid around the back of your neck and she brought her face inches away from yours.

 “No need to be so formal when we’re in private, Moby.” Her breath fanned across your lips, as she whispered seductively and you could hardly control the way your eyebrows shot up to your hairline as you gulped, completely thrown off guard by the unexpected turn of events.

 Your mouth moved like a fish out of water and you didn’t know where to put your hands, but when she let out a snort of laughter and took a step back, you tilted your head with suspicion. A green shimmer illuminated the dull room and Loki was stood before you, still laughing to himself but at least now he was looking sheepish about it, as you glared at him with your arms crossed over your chest.

 “I’m sorry, that was cruel,” he held his hands up defensively, “but your face... or rather Mobius’” 

 “Now is not the time for games.” You scolded him as you swatted at his chest. 

 “There is always time for games.” Loki answered defensively and you affectionately rolled your eyes.

 “What did you do with her?” You asked, curious about how Loki safely escaped from the Judge.

 “Transformed her into me and put her in my cell before I shifted into her form.” Loki shrugged like it was nothing.

 “Will she look like you forever?” You worried.

 Loki shook his head. “Once we leave, my magic will leave her.”

 “Let’s get out of here.” You said and Loki shifted back into the Judges form as you made your way out of her office. 

 This time you successfully made it to the elevator and to the floor that you had left the TARDIS on without any interruptions. You lead Loki down the deserted corridor towards the maintenance closet, just as an alarm started blaring throughout the entire building.

 “Do you think that’s for us?” You looked at Loki with worry.

 “We’re not going to stick around long enough to find out.” Loki answered as he grabbed your hand and started running the rest of the way to the closet.

 “Stop them!” A guard dressed in black armour shouted as they burst through the double doors at the end of the corridor, leading a group of other guards behind them. 

 “I guess that answers your question.” Loki mumbled as the pair of you ducked when they began shooting their weapons at you, Loki moved to ensure that he was shielding you as he reached for the handle to the closet and ushered you through the door once he opened it.

 You pushed through the TARDIS doors, with Loki hot on your heel, relieved to be in the familiar control room but you still needed to get the TARDIS out of the closet before the TVA guards followed you inside.

 Without hesitation Loki was immediately at the control panel, figuring out how to pilot the ship, some sparks flew off the console when he flicked one of the switches and he ducked while you let out a yelp, before he stretched his arm out and reached for the leaver, the one the Doctor had told you was called the Time Rotor Handbrake, and the TARDIS began trembling as it dematerialised. 

 Loki and you both held on tight to the console to maintain your balance, before the tremors subsided and you both let out sighs of relief, knowing you were finally safe.

 Loki and you shared a glance and with a flick of his wrist you both transformed back into yourselves before you fell into each other’s arms. You snuggled the tip of your nose into his neck and he planted a gentle kiss on the side of you head.

 “I’m never letting you go again.” Your voice was muffled as you spoke.

 “I’m not going anywhere.” Loki promised.

Time for Luffy's fashion exam! Now, I'll be honest, I did skip an outfit because I decided I will be ending this whole thing with the Strawhat fashion show in Episode of Luffy. Also, sorry for the posting gap, I remembered I have other unfinished post sets. That being said, this is a very long one so let's do this!

Kid Luffy, Post-Enies Lobby & Fish-Man Island: I think it's super cute when Luffy has white t shirts with red based logos because it reminds me of the first picture. Makes him look baby plus, they can always be found in cute domestic EPs or fun, cute flashbacks. The shorts change over time and that's also kinda cute, a range of cuffs is a nice change up. It's nice to see the red contrast the blue shorts and the white is a nice color on him cos it contrast his hair!

Romance Dawn, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Sabaody Archipelago, Amazon Lily, Marineford & last Dressrosa outfit: This look is the pre Luffy look. It's the pre Timeskip look everyone thinks of is cuffed shorts, Kimono sandels and sleeveless vest (and Strawhat, obviously) but have you ever seen them all in a line? It's mad. Each outfit is the same basic look bit more are more spicy each time! I like the Thriller Bark and Sabaody Archipelago looks a little bit more cos it's nice to see that jacket open and it feels like he was trying something new. I also feel that the buttons on the jacket look like the ones on Shanks' pegged ankle sailor pants when we first see him so that's cool. (it took me hours to find the name for his trousers, oh my fucking god) The last Dressrosa outfit feels like a nice callback to the rest of the line up here without being too much cos it's just a red vest top instead and I do find it funny it's like the Enies Lobby and it's used in Dressrosa because of the jokes people make about Robin and Law being so similar.

Timeskip: This is it lads, it's the one true icon itself, the post look! ☺️ When I sit back and look at it I see all the people this look is influenced by and want to cry at how masterful it really is. (Now, I do wanna say that I didn't come up with this nor am I the first to say it and I am definitely probably looking too much into this but) The yellow belt is taken from Shanks' red belt the first time we see him and the Shanks look Luffy is more familiar with. Now onto the jacket. I know it won't stand out as to why for most but it's Ace inspired! When Ace leave to become a pirate, the start of his adventure, he has his jacket open and Luffy having his jacket open also shows his scar from the ending of Ace's adventure. I also really appreciate how no one hides scars in this anime. Also, someone said that the style of the jacket and it's fancy frills could be in reference to Sabo's little jabot collar and honestly I do see it. it's quite subtle unlike Shanks' but not as hard to catch as Ace's so I enjoy thinking that it's there too. Lastly, he still has his cuffed shorts and kimono sandels because it's still Luffy's outfit at the end of the day and he is still who is is, just with a stronger appreciation of what people have done for him now. It's also his colour pallette for the pure fact he is the main character n needs his pallet. also sometimes he just has normal wooden sandels but the same outfit sometimes, it's a small detil a lot of people overlook but I prefer the sound of his Kimono sandels 😊

Dressrosa: I love this outfit cos it's stilly but also has very nice vibes. Looks ready for the beach but is really throwing hands and that's the best kind of outfit, it's a nice expectation subversion tbh. I also like how he tried to hide the Straw hat but not... All of it? And I love how the crew didn't actually question it either. It would have been super easy for one of them to just tell him to leave it behind or something but I do really love how respectful they always are of the hat. I myself have a hat that's super important to me and when I loose it I go mad.

Whole Cake Island: I love this arc for outfits! I swear if the actual content of it doesn't kill me, the act looks will 😭 it's all so magical and it knows it is! Like I said before, white is a good color on him as he has black hair but for the same reason, so is black! In this arcs outfit range, the Staw hat seems almost invisible and his outfit gets less and less 'Luffy' as the arc gose on showing this is not about him. He's not the focus of this arc and you can see that in a lot of the outfits thb. I also like the lack of blue and yellow, 2/3 of his colors as Sanji is often associated with those too as we've talked about before. Also, I like the little red strips on the white jacket with the gold buttons, idk why and I think it's nice that the last 2 outfits are so simple in general, it's a nice look for him. oh, what's that? A Pink jabot? Your killing me Lu, straight up killing me here lil' bro! Side note, is this the first time in canon Luffy has worn a suit jacket or is it the only time I've noticed? Cos DAMM!! Shits sick as fuck and I actually love that when wearing a suit jacket as such he always keep short on 😆

Spa Island, Z's Ambition & Strong World: WHOS READY FOR A RELAXING SUNNY DAAAYY!? (pun not intended but very much enjoyed) I actually adore the fact Luffy still tries to go swimming cos it was his favourite thing to do as a kid so like fuck Luffy is gonna give up on that. He's got his safety measures ready, what more do you want from him? I mean I personally want him not to swim with his hat on cos it's litrally Staw and that's not good for water but anyway Z's Ambition, am I right!? The top is so fucking cute and I just noticed those shorts are also ✨designer✨ fancy man!! Now, the pic of Zoro is the one I missed out before and it's also from Z's Ambition. I love that Luffy has the shark top but Zoro has the ocean shorts. I really love Zoro in this purple cos and thick white stripes really work with the ocean waves. It's really well put together and hes got dark brown sandels on to off set all the white but keep the purple from being a stand out color, it's cool! Than the last Luffy looks like he's at a fashion show. It looks like the shorts come from a kids set the shark top belongs to. Imagine those together, it'd be so cute. However, it isn't an ocean patten, those are clouds cos Nami has a bikini top with the same pattern in Skypiea and it's actually one of my favourites for her.

Boss Luffy Historical Special! This filler AU is so much fun, I think any it a lot. He has his hair up in that super cute and useless way that doesn't actually do much but I do have my hair like that a lot n it's just... nice? Idk, it's strange buy I like he did that. I really enjoy his Kimono more that the actual Wano one cos it's a lot more simple look. The Sai being tucked in in that way is also cool but kinda makes it look like it's stabbing him a bit 👁️👄👁️. I like the pin strips being like a faded purpleish cos if you just glance at it, it makes it look it fuzzy. The belt also looks very nice with the middle ligter bit. It really feels like the Wano one was inspired by this is a way cos of the color matches. Like, it's probably not but still.

3D2Y, Adventure of Nebulandia 😍 & Heart of Gold: Hat-less Luffy is both a sin and a blessing. Regardless, I LOVE OP BOYS IN HOODIES!! I had to show you this specific the 3D2Y because we don't see the hood and it's soooo cute cos it a paw 😍 but also 😬 cos it's like... Kuma's paw the thing that cause 3D2Y in the first place. But that's also why it's so cool at the same time and AHHHHHH 😄 Now! On to Nebulandia! I really like this movie but also in canon, how does he have that jumper? Who made it for him and can I have one? It's Usopp flag design so I guess it could be him but he doesn't seem the type. Point is I want one. Last of this set is some really cosy outfits!! "How much fur?" "Yes" am I right? Like the first one is sooooo cosy with all the fur! Plus, a funky new bamboo hat, always a good thing to have a new hat. I appreciate that you can see the zips on these too. Then the orange turtle neck one with little fluffy bits is just here cos it's so out of his usual looks, I had to at least mention it.

Strong world & Film Z: The shorts on the first one are really cute cos it's a light rosey pink with red fur and just a plain solid dark blue colour jacket works really well. Not to mention the fact he has a super cute orange and yellow flight helmet hat with goggles on under the Staw hat. The 2 bag straps also make an X which is a nice detail. The 2nd outfits in this movie are super fuckin cool ngl. It's so strange to see them all dress in black and have guns but I like the red shirt for him with the yellow highlighted parts. Makes the Straw hat actually work with the outfit instead of ignoring it. Film Z brings us the same flight helmet hat just brighter and without the goggles but also opens with this T-Shirt and Luffy being silly with it. I think that's the only reason to mention it, it's funny. Then the obligation pirate outfit, always stunning plus the meat belt.

Film: Gold & Stampede (also used in Cidre Guild): these are my top 3 Luffy outfits no matter what else I see. I love the straw cowboy hat sooooo much cos it's very Luffy. I like the balls they has as a team to choose white for all of them, considering they are all quite messy people, living for that dad shirt and I like the Golden chain around his neck but am always confused as to why it was never used against him. Like dude could and should have tried to choke him at least once, right? Anyway, the dress! Now, the dress isn't actually that good but it's my favourite because it shows how Luffy has no fucks about gendered things. On to of that, a big pink flower is wonderful and look at his confidences in it, he's so proud of it the boom, Nami told him he can't wear it! Lastly, the Stampede outfit!!! Just like the Nebulandia jumper, I have no idea who made it but it's irrelevant cos it's beautiful and I want it so badly. I like that it's white and red stripes, gives thenprefect vibes for Stampedes opening. The shirt is actually too big for him, you can see on his arms but it's actually super cute. I love the simple look of these shorts then the fact his yellow belt is replaced with white bandages and the black on the kimono sandels are now red? It's such a simple pallet and it's truly the best!

I also just wanna add, I think it's really cute when Luffy has the Straw hat on his back just cos his hair is really cute. Idk why, it's looks kinda cursed but cute at the same time

This post took 2 weeks or so to make and we made listening to the complete BNHA soundtrack, film gold OST and Sonic generations vol.1

Sanji

Zoro

Nami

I forgot to send an ask but I'm here now!! Can I get some, hmm. 7 on the usual criminals + Althea? 20 to be nice and 21 to be mean? :3c

i love you but curse you for making me do fashion

7: How they like to dress Keiji: Already answered! You cannot trap me!

Val: They live at this intersection I've just coined called formal biker fashion. They have a beat-up biker jacket that's their comfort jacket and they like dressing to match it, in sturdy boots and a black skinny jean or a cargo pant so they have room for more knives. They wear a lot of scarves when it's cool enough for it, because they like the face hiding potential and it makes them feel less exposed.

Then on the other end there's a nice fitted waistcoat, slacks, and leather boots for when they're at work or school or just want to look professional. or a proper suit, with levels of formality depending on the occasion. It depends on where they are between "Perceive me as professional and capable" and "Do Not Perceive Me"

Tanwen: Colours, florals, and all the dresses and skirts. Also wears hairbands cause they're cute. Her bodytype's changed a bit since i made this but it's still v accurate to her fashion sense, so here she is in the Sims 4

Jay: Boring. Plain and functional, favouring clothes with a lotta pockets because he's a magpie when it comes to collecting rocks. Also usually on the more worn-out side because he wears clothes until they're literally falling apart

Althea: Slut, but make it classy. She likes to regularly go shopping and keep an eye on what's in fashion, with bonus points for good cleavage or a boob window. She's got the money for big brands and likes to spend it, though she fortunately does have enough taste to not buy clothes just for the logo. She's got a strong sense of style, even though I don't really know how to describe it other than 'when i see a fun femme outfit and think oh fuck that's hot'

Oh! Also heels, she's a monster about wearing heels. Which is fun cause she's already 180cm, so she's the tall gf dream

20: Their reaction to a mystery love letter Keiji: Laughter because this has got to be a joke, then mounting confusion and disbelief when he actually reads it and it's. not?? a joke???? He is that anime guy who laughs at the confession letter while the confessor is just around the corner so their poor heart is broken and then later realises oh

He'll make a big ol' deal about not caring and roasting anyone else for thinking he's a good target to confess to, but also? he's keeping it and hiding it, not that he'll ever admit to that or ever act on it

Val: *concern.jpg*. They are quite wary about relationships (they know they're a handful), and someone who would write a letter seems like someone admiring them from afar, who therefore... would not have an accurate image of them and who they actually are. They will take it as the compliment it is but, if they know or find out who it's from, with a gentle rejection.

Tanwen: A letter?? For her?? Oh gosh that's so sweet but who could it be that's so strange oh gosh oh no it's really sweet and really really flustering why did they not sign it?? Now she's going to have no idea who it is?? It could be anyone!!

Aka she's going to be so flustered and awkward the next time she's at school/where she got the letter and she's gonna try to be a very clumsy detective and find out who sent it. And probably only end up flustering more in the process, but fortunately that's nothing new.

Jay: ".......Huh."

Althea: :3 Someone has a cruuuuush~~ :3. She's going to have so much fun playing detective and trying to figure out who it was (and then probably flirting with said person and flustering them terribly but never actually doing more than stringing them along, because she doesn't do relationships and emotional vulnerability is scary, and anyone shy or romantic enough to write a letter instead of saying something is likely not someone she'd actually take note of)

21: How they react to pain [physical pain edition, cause emotional pain is too variable to give one easy answer] Keiji: ;)))))))). Boy's a) stubborn b) usually pretty used to pain c) really really bad at letting himself be vulnerable and d) a masochist.

He only admits or shows something hurts when he stops being able to hide it, which means by then it's bad. He's very much like a cat in that sense, you gotta keep an eye on him or he'll hide every injury until it goes away on its own or he physically cannot hide it anymore.

Then there's the [NSFW] part of him being a masochist and kink being a good way to get at his issues and to force him to let his guard down, and especially pain being a good way to overload his senses til he's proper down and vulnerable. But that is a whole separate conversation, and not so much purely about how he deals with physical pain.

Val: They're not as tough as Keiji, but they do tend to have experience handling pain and maintaining their calm throughout. They recognise when injuries would be or become debilitating and make sure they receive medical treatment before that point, but if there is important work to be done they do have a tendency to push past their pain or discomfort to get said things done. They are at least sensible enough to follow doctor's orders though, so that puts them decently high up in the list of self-care capable OC's

Tanwen: She doesn't like pain!! She doesn't get Val or Keiji!! She will easily ignore her own discomfort while there are other people hurting, but she's a crybaby when it comes to her own pain. She tries to play it tough but it doesn't take a lot to get her eyes watering, or to actually make her cry

Jay: A tank. Similar to when it comes to illness, he's so used to being the caretaker and the one that others rely on that he forgets he sometimes needs to be taken care of, too. He'll wrap a bandage around it when he remembers too, but it's definitely not a priority. He's also gotten a pretty good pain tolerance from working the forge, and the accidents that inevitably happened there

He is the guy that will stagger on his feet well after the battle is done and touch a hand to his stomach so it comes away stained with blood, and he just manages a surprised/exasperated curse before he stumbles back against a nearby wall. It's tasty

Althea: Does not like pain 2.0. Also the least experience with first aid, she knows how to stick on a bandaid and vaguely knows cuts need to be cleaned?? That's about it, she's a sensible regular human being who just goes to the doctor when something's wrong. She won't easily cry from pain, but she will complain a lot and demand attention for her terrible suffering

Oh, you are the one I want

Written for Carlos Reyes Week day 2: “I’ll always be here for you” + romance

Summary: “but did you really think that if you call me in the middle of the shift sounding all miserable that I’m not going to come and check up on you?” 

Read on ao3

or

Carlos leans against the wall of the police station. It’s a sunny day and the sunlight is bright. The wall feels warm against his palm. He squints a little as he looks at his phone and selects TK’s phone number from his contacts list.

The line rings a couple of times before he picks up.

“Hey,” he says as soon as the line connects, and his voice sounds happy.

Carlos closes his eyes. It is ridiculous how much he misses him, even though he saw him yesterday. Still, just hearing his voice makes his heart flutter.

“Hey,” he eventually whispers.

He hears some rustling on the other end of the phone. He knows he is on a shift too, but he hoped it would be a quiet moment and that he would be able to pick up the phone.

“What’s up?”

He lets out a deep sigh. “I think--,” he starts but he lets his voice trail off. “I cannot make it today,” he eventually says, and a knot forms in his stomach immediately as he says it.

They had made actual plans because both of them had the evening off. A proper date night with a dinner in a restaurant and he had planned to take TK back to the field where they had watched the aurora borealis to star gaze this time because the forecast promised a clear and bright night sky.

He had been looking forward to it all. An actual date is a bit of rarity for them, not that he wouldn’t cherish any moment he gets to spend with him, but it is still a nice change to their hectic lives.

He wants to see him more than anything, but he is ridiculously tired, and nothing has gone as he hoped during his shift. They have been understaffed during his whole shift, and he has been rushing from call to call, and his stressed co-workers keep snapping at him. Every call he gets send on seems to bring the worst out of people, he has already dealt with drunken people, domestic violence case and an attempted robbery.

On top of that, he had been the first one arriving to the scene of a car crash that was the result of reckless driving and speeding, and the woman driving the car had serious injuries, and she had been taken to the hospital immediately, but he isn’t sure if he believes that she can make it out alive. It has been a while since he has seen that much blood.

He feels hopeless and defeated. He wants to see TK and forget everything about his shift, but he knows he cannot magically turn off his thoughts from work when he gets off shift and it will take even longer to shake off the events of the day, especially the car crash, from his mind and TK deserves better than rushed-down dinner with him shutting down and sulking.

“Okay,” TK says. His voice is quiet, but there are no traces of annoyance in his voice. He hears footsteps from the other end of the call, and he is quite sure he is walking to somewhere more quiet.

“I’m sorry,” he says, closing his eyes again.

He feels terrible for cancelling, but he knows, deep down, he cannot just put a brave face on and pretend to him that everything is fine. He would see right through him. It is almost uncanny how well he manages to read him, almost like an open book, and how thoroughly he has managed to learn to know him.  

It is a great feeling, being known and seen by someone he loves, and he cherishes the feeling of it, but it also means TK won’t fall for any facades of being alright. He loves him, maybe more than he can ever say, but he knows that his mind would circle just back to the events of the shift. Nothing kills romance faster than talking about gruesome accident scenes, and he knows he cannot avoid talking about it if they have the date as they planned.

A couple of his previous boyfriends always complained that he brings too much work to home and that he keeps constantly talking about his job. He sort of gets how that can be annoying and too much for people but talking it out is his way of dealing with his emotions.

He knows TK would listen to him, without any complaints, if he talked to him, but there is always a certain threshold of sharing the worst parts of his job with him because he understands it too well. He has seen his fair share of horribleness of life in his own job, and it feels almost unfair to dump the ugliest parts of his job on him, too.

“Don’t be,” he says, softly and reassuringly. “Are you okay?”

His voice is coloured by genuine concern and he knows that he is already caught on that something is bothering him.

“Yeah,” he replies, dragging his hand along his face, “just a rough shift and I need to do overtime.”

It’s not a lie, he convinces himself. It’s a simplified, cut-down version of the reality and thanks to the busy shift, the paperwork pile is a lot longer than he would like.

“You can tell me if you aren’t,” he says, simply.

It still makes his heart feel a thousand times heavier in his chest. He wants to see him, he wants to hug him, and he wants to pour all of the messy and unattractive feelings out of him, but he cannot do that in the middle of his own, or his, shift.

“I’m fine. Just—exhausted and people are being idiotic,” he tells him with an attempted laughter, but it ends up sounding hollow and joyless.

He is tempted to ask him to come over once his shift is over, but it feels a just a bit selfish to cancel all of their plans and still ask him to come over just because he needs him.

“Isn’t that how it usually is?”

His voice is lighter and even though he cannot see him, video chat would have given all of his secrets away immediately, he still knows he is probably sporting a tiny half-smile that tugs in the right corner of his mouth.

“Yeah,” he agrees, “and I will make this up to you.”

TK deserves the world, and he wants to make him happy, but as he leans against the wall, he knows that not burdening him with his issues in the middle of the workday or immediately afterwards, might be the best way to do it.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replies, without missing a beat.

He exhales audibly as he watches people walking in and out of the main doors. He knows he should get back to work.

“I should go,” he says, reluctantly. Merely hearing his voice helps a bit, but he knows he cannot dwell on his thoughts too long if he wants to make through rest of his shift.

“Okay,” he whispers and pauses for a moment. “Carlos?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

His voice is still quiet and gentle, but there is such certainty in it that it almost makes it sound powerful and it still sends the same thrill of happiness and warmth through his heart as it did the first time he heard he say it.

He squeezes his phone a little tighter. “I love you, too,” he says, unwilling to let the moment pass, but he still disconnects the call after a couple of seconds.

*****

Coming back to the dark and empty apartment hasn’t felt this much of a sucker punch into the gut for ages, but he knows it’s his own fault.

He throws the keys to the bowl he keeps on the table next to the door and crashes on the couch. He realises there is something underneath his back and he wiggles to pull it away from there. It feels like fabric and he realises that he holds one of TK’s black and plain AFD t-shirts in his hand, and he contemplates calling him, but he doesn’t know what he would say.

Instead, he keeps staring at the ceiling. He definitely loses track of time and he groans when he hears a knock on his door. He is almost tempted not to open the door because the only person he currently wants to see has a key and almost all of his neighbours know he is a cop and they always come to his door if they spot any sort of unrest anywhere near their building.

Still, he gets up and opens to door, and to his surprise, it’s not any of his neighbours, but his boyfriend.

TK is smiling, affectionately, and he is holding two pizza boxes on his left hand. His hair is sticking up a bit, and it looks like he has showered and dried his hair in a rush and instead of his normal short-sleeved button up and jeans, he is wearing a dark blue hoodie and a pair of sweatpants.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey, I thought we cancelled,” he replies, not very eloquently, but his mind refuses to cooperate because he wanted to see him, but he also didn’t expect to see him, and it feels slightly unreal to see him standing there.

“We did,” he says, and points him with his index finger, “but did you really think that if you call me in the middle of the shift sounding all miserable that I’m not going to come and check up on you?”

Carlos opens his mouth but closes it again, because he is not sure of the answer. He should have known. TK has a big heart, and he is one of the most caring people he has met, and he knows that he loves him, so he should have been able to count one plus one together.

Maybe he had subconsciously been aware of the possibility of this when he called him. Wanting to let him know that he isn’t alright without outright saying it aloud.

“I should have guessed,” he admits, biting down a smile.

“Damn right you should have,” he agrees, and his smile is warm and reassuring, and it reaches his eyes, making the corners of his eyes crinkle.

He hands the pizza boxes to him. The boxes still feel warm and the smell is amazing. He still lets out a surprised laugh when he sees the logo on the top of the box.

“You hate that place,” he points out.

He has never met anyone who would have more opinions about what proper pizza is than TK, and he has listened to his rants about superiority of New York’s pizza and the awfulness of the small place he prefers countless times. He would have thought that TK refuses to go anywhere near that place because had been so appalled by the pizza they once ordered.

He rolls his eyes, but he seems amused. “Yeah, but you love it. There’s enough for two, but if you want to be alone, I will go.”

He just stares at him for a moment. It means a lot to him that he tries to give him space and respect his boundaries by not storming into the apartment with his key, but right now, he feels like space is the absolute last thing he needs.

He reaches to place the pizza boxes on the living room coffee table. He returns to the door and curls his fingers around his wrist and pulls him into a tight hug and closes the door behind him. “I’m glad you’re here.”

TK chuckles a little, but he wraps his arms around him too and keeps stroking the space between his shoulder blades with his hand. He just hugs him a little tighter and burrows his face into his neck and the fabric of his hoodie.

He breathes in his scent, and he smells faintly of fruity soap and his hair smells a bit like coconuts. It’s such a familiar scent that he almost feels like he has just arrived at home.

“Thank you,” he mumbles, still against his hoodie, “I might not be the best company right now, though.”

“Hey, none of that,” he insists, determinedly. He holds him a little tighter. “I already know something is bothering you, and that’s why I’m here. I’m all in. I want to be around it all, the bad days and everything. I want you.”

He is half-convinced his stomach somersaults at his words and his eyes are stinging. He is almost speechless, and he just presses a kiss against his neck.

“I want to share it all with you,” he eventually whispers and reluctantly pulls away from their hug. “I just thought it would be easier for you if I didn’t burden you with it.”

He holds his gaze, and his eyes are gleaming. “Yeah, because I always like to take the easy way out,” he deadpans.

A short laughter escapes his throat, despite everything. It’s public knowledge that TK is a walking trouble magnet, no matter what he does. He attracts trouble and he is stubborn and determined. He loves a challenge and when he decides to do something, there is no stopping him. Opting to take the easy choice doesn’t really suit him.

“You don’t have to compartmentalize your feelings,” he points out, matter-of-factly, but there is still kindness in his voice as he picks up the pizza boxes and carries them to the kitchen.

“I never not wanted to see you,” he says, leaning against the kitchen island as TK takes out plates and cuts pizzas into slices.

It feels important that he knows he didn’t try to push him away, he wanted to protect him, shield him. “I had a crappy day, and I didn’t feel like I was up for any of our plans and pretend that nothing had happened,” he adds, staring at the plates, “and I felt guilty for cancelling, but I would have absolutely ruined the date.”

TK places the pizza cutter down. He gestures between them. “If the roles were reversed, would you have understood?”

“Of course,” he says, without hesitation, and the ridiculousness of his own thoughts is starting to dawn on him.

“Yeah, so I get it. We are first responders, there is no way of predicting what we will see and experience on calls. There is no guarantees that we even make home after a shift is done. It’s no wonder if we don’t always feel like following our plans and pretend to be a couple who don’t have to face death and destruction every day.”

He lets out a deep breath. He walks up to him and loosely wraps his arms around him and rests his head on his shoulder. “You’re right,” he says with a huff, “I knew you’d understand, it’s just—I didn’t want to be a burden.”

“You could never be,” he says, in a tone that is the softest he has ever hear him use, “for someone who reads people as their job, you’re really atrocious at predicting how will I react,” he jokes, but leans into the touch.

“Seems so,” he hums.

It has nothing to do with lack of faith in him, and everything to do with how he has been treated in the past and what he has deemed himself to be worth of.

“It’s a small wonder this doesn’t happen more often,” he muses, as Carlos lets his hand fall away and he sits near him on the kitchen chair. “We should come up with a codeword,” he declares, with a beaming grin, as he sits down, too.

“For cancelling plans?” He asks, as he takes a bite out of his slice of pizza.

“Yes. Just one word that would mean that either one of us has had a horrible day at work, automatically cancelling all potential plans and letting the other know that we might feel less than okay,” he explains, giving him a pointed look, “and no question asked.”

He knows that they can communicate, and that they have gotten better at talking to each other lately, and somehow more often than not they are on the same wavelength and just understand where the other is coming from, but his idea makes sense.

“That’s actually pretty good idea.”

He loves his job and TK loves his, and he knows neither one of them wouldn’t change them for the world, but their jobs can be exhausting, they drain every last drop of energy and it takes a lot to do it everyday basis.

“What should be the word?” He asks, his mouth half-full of pizza.

“I don’t know,” he shrugs, looking around himself, “it could be anything. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else,” he continues, and his gaze lands on the notepad that lies on the kitchen island next to the pizza boxes.

It has his, or more accurately, their grocery shopping list. He skims it through and looks up to him, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Broccoli?”

“Broccoli?” He echoes, but he ends up nodding. “Works for me.”

“Broccoli it is then,” he declares and picks up a slice of pizza. He glances at it suspiciously before taking a bite out of it. “If you ever need a proof how much I love you, this is it,” he grumbles, pointing at the pizza in his hand.

“Warms my heart, truly,” he says, with a thin smile, and strokes his calf with his foot.

They eat in silence for a moment until TK speaks again. His whole expression softens as he looks at him, but his eyes are grave. “Do you want to talk about it? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I’m here if you do.”

“Yeah,” he breathes out and examines his own hand. He runs his thumb over his right palm. “We were understaffed, everyone was grumpy, and it was a busy day. A call after a call, and majority of them were the sort of scenes that could have been avoided if everyone just stopped and considered how their actions affect other people.”

TK keeps his eyes on him, and he keeps nodding as he listens to his rambling. “The worst part was this car accident. Another patrol car had been chasing them ‘cause they were endangering the traffic with reckless driving. She ended up crashing her car against bridge railing.”

He sighs, half out of frustration and half because he can still see the scene in his mind in such a vivid detail. “I was the first one to arrive and it was—bad. The ambulance was a couple minutes out and there wasn’t much I could do, but I tried to help and talk to her.”

TK slides his hand along the kitchen island and takes his hand into his own. He holds it gently, just letting Carlos’ hand rest on his palm and he has his fingers loosely wrapped around it. It’s a small gesture, but it feels significant and compassionate.

“The ambulance arrived pretty fast, but I felt so helpless and there was so much blood,” he lets his voice trail off as he swallows. “They took her to hospital, and I hope she makes it, but I don’t know. It had been a bad day, but that was the last straw.”

He looks at their joined hands. “I’ve washed my hands so many times, but I feel like I still have her blood on my hands,” he admits in a brittle voice, even though it feels a bit ridiculous as he says it aloud.

TK says nothing of the sort, instead he reaches to kiss his forehead. “I’m sorry, that sounds awful.”

He doesn’t know what to say, so he just nods. Sometimes there are cases that are difficult to leave at work, he knows this, but it never gets easier. It is still feels difficult to shake them off.

“For me, it sounds like you did your best,” TK adds, softly. “And I know you know it, but it’s not your fault. Any of it.”

“Yeah.”

Deep down, he knows it. It’s only logical that he cannot have control over other people’s actions, but it still feels different to hear it from someone else.

“And it’s okay not to feel okay immediately afterwards. It would be a lot more worrisome if you were not affected by your job,” he adds, just as gently as before.

He supposes he has a point. He smiles at him, hoping that even a fraction of the gratefulness and affection he is feeling gets across. “Thank you for being here.”

He reaches to kiss his cheek. He can feel his slight stubble against his cheek as he does so. “I’ll always be here for you.”

Always is an awfully long time, but it fills his heart with happiness to know that they are casually throwing words like that around, that they truly are in it for the long haul.

“Me too, for you.”

TK laughs. “I know, babe. You’ve proved that so many times already,” he strokes the back of his hand. They both glance the slices of uneaten pizza, but he at least has lost any appetite he previously had. “What do you want to do?”

“Sleep,” he replies without any hesitation. His exhaustion is still there, and he feels calmer now, more grounded and that is only intensifying his fatigue. “Or attempt at least.”

It might be that the memories of the crash scene might haunt him or that he feels eventually too restless to lay in bed, but he wants to try at least. And he always sleeps better when TK is there with him.

His smile is warm and bright, like the first beams of a rising sun. “We can do that.”

ranking daniel miller outfits because apparently I have nothing better to do right now

an extremely long one y’all, so it’s under the cut

started at the bottom, now we’re.... still here at the bottom of the list

the running outfit. y’know. that one

look, I know it’s the middle of winter in Berlin and Daniel’s doing his best, but there is something about this that is just not that great. still looks 100x better than my running outfit but I think it’s the beanie that really gives this last place. or is it the double beanie? either way, not an outfit I would wear to try and romance my girl in (even if you are exercising with them). the only real redeeming feature of the outfit is the black turtleneck all zipped up

1.8/10

the sneaky sneaky boy outfit

the perfect outfit for the job because it’s completely unremarkable. the ‘hood over cap’ combo makes me expect to see a 20 year old hacker skulking about under there, but wait - surprise... it’s a handsome middle-aged man? 

RA can rock a cap or hood but the double-combo just doesn’t do it for me. I guess I can be happy the third hood isn’t up as well to form a trifecta?

Daniel may need to be sneaky to do his job but I would argue that if I saw a man with a hood over his cap in broad daylight chilling in a cemetery I would have more questions than if I just saw a regularly dressed man chilling in a cemetery in broad daylight

3/10

almost every s1 suit

look, RA looks fantastic in a suit and no one is disputing that. I’m just saying that this is about as bland a suit and tie combo as it gets and from my recall of season one we see this almost every single time he’s in the station.

this one is even a bland grey. grey has it’s place but in the office it can turn into a bit of a snooze. mix up your office-wear & make it fun Daniel. wear a cool-coloured tie. put some funny socks on.

4/10 

the casual summer businessman

something bothers me about this. is it the combo of the untucked shirt and the khaki pants? on their own either is fine

or is it just that this is one of the first times we see Daniel and the look has almost no personality to it? who knows

4.1/10 (for the unbuttoned collar and rolled-up sleeves)

the casual summer businessman goes to a bbq

almost the exact same outfit as the casual summer businessman, but the shirt’s a different colour which somehow makes it a lot better

this man wouldn’t look out of place at a bbq, which is a great choice from the styling team considering Daniel actually wears this to the team bbq in the show

4.5/10 solely for just being a bit plain and boring

I’ve finished filing those papers you wanted

no tie and one undone button? Daniel, you tease!

4.6/10

sneaky sneaky boy part 2

this is what I’m talking about. I still find people wearing caps indoors incredibly suspicious for someone trying to blend in (possibly because I was raised to believe that hats were an outdoors only look) but Daniel looks like a grown man and no longer looks like he should be a 20 year old hacker. success!

4.6/10 for an ultra-casual Daniel

I’m just here to file some papers and get paid 

see? same suit every time. at least this one’s a nice black which is an upgrade from the grey and really suits RA

4.7/10

every day is a work day if you try hard enough - the winter edition

a non-matchy-matchy blue tie! a winter coat! a turned up collar! it may not be exciting but at least now we’re cooking

in all fairness though, our coat is quite dull and anonymous and the only real notable thing about it is the choice to keep the collar upturned. nothing to write home about if it wasn’t for the RA attached to it

4.7/10

every day is a work day if you try hard enough - the winter edition pt. 2

the hooded coat makes for a nice relaxation of the business suit. other than that, not much to say.

4.73/10

once more unto the (lapel) breach

we find ourselves having to ask: is Daniel Miller really Daniel Miller if his coat lapel isn’t popped?

this the FBI man who turns up at your house to either arrest you or escort you to safety. oh, sorry, CIA I guess given the context of the show

looks great because of RA being the one wearing it but a fairly mundane look

4.8/10

up, up, and away

bicycle Daniel was a nice look which I wasn’t expecting out of this show. mainly because I have never ever in my life seen a man in a suit on a bike. 

in NZ they all use cars and at the very least bike in casual clothes then get changed at work. is biking in suits a European thing?

there’s absolutely nothing special or spectacular about the clothes, but put Daniel on a bike and it works really well?

maybe it’s the cape effect or leather gloves. or even just the notion of seeing a fully-dressed business man in a suit whiz by you on a bicycle.

whatever it is, it’s appreciated

4.8/10

the party boy

in s1 Daniel has only one look if he’s going out on the town - he ditches the tie & opens two buttons (or three if he’s feeling saucy)

I’ll never complain about this this look because let’s be honest, who would, but we also need to face reality that, like his suits, it’s also a bit repetitive and lacks a bit of something after seeing it for the 5th episode in row

4.9 /10

it might be time for you to go to bed

the party boy has finally lost his ‘I’m too cool for you’ vibe and partied his jacket and several shirt buttons off (quite literally). bonus points for the completely rumpled shirt and hair

the only thing that is eye-catching in this outfit is the skin it reveals

4/10

puzzle time *finger guns* (to anyone who didn’t grow up in New Zealand quoting this ad I apologise)

now this is a Daniel I would sit down and do a puzzle with. which is probably a good thing as he is quite literally solving a puzzle in this scene

5/10 for evoking the correct feeling from the audience but otherwise there is nothing special here

is mission impossible hiring?

the gloves? the backpack? the jacket and zipped sweater? you see this man and know your mainframe is about to be hacked

not the worst. but not the best. love the zipped sweater, could lose the gloves.

5.5/10

let’s get cozy

now this is a dapper fellow. the thin black scarf? brilliant with the signature coat collar

a Daniel who would probably lend you his coat or scarf if you complained about the cold

5.6/10

someone who would feed the ducks at the park

this is how to put in RA in a baseball cap. the subtle tartan of his scarf, which is tied in a knot? the perfect winter spy outfit

this is a Daniel you want to go on walks in a park with.

5.8/10

uncle Daniel goes on a trip to the mall

the more I look at that jacket the more I appreciate it. It’s a stunning blue which makes a nice contrast to the usual dull grey of his sweater and is a colour that looks great on RA. It even has some quilting for added interest

5.96/10

he’s the ‘fun uncle’

the warm sweater and scarf? this is the uncle who takes you out to do fun things while you’re supposed to be grounded and tells you not to tell your mom

nothing amazing in this outfit but also nothing to complain about considering it’s in s1. a funner, casual side to Daniel we don’t often see (am I bitter about never seeing his cousin and her son after s1? a little)

a solid 6/10

hope is fragile and also a black sweater

the fact that we never see this sweater on its own is what lets it down here

putting that to one side, the snuggly sweater? the green bomber jacket? this is a classic s2 Daniel look. but hang on - this is from s1?

Daniel’s letting us know via this s1 outfit that it will all be good in the near future if we can just hang on until he gets his s2 wardrobe

6.1/10 for providing hope for the future

hello? it’s your future ex-boyfriend calling

this man isn’t Daniel Miller - he’s a career model who can GET IT and he knows it

6.6/10

comfy sweater boy

so simple but so, so, so good

this is a Daniel I would want to cuddle up on a couch with. he’s a soft boy who wouldn’t hurt anyone and probably makes a great hot chocolate

6.7/10

comfy sweater boy goes for a walk outside

the colour of his sweater goes nicely with the coat. and once again: is he really Daniel Miller if his collar isn’t popped?

he loses 0.1 of a point for losing a bit of the soft boy look that the sweater just by itself brought to the party

6/10

comfy sweater boy ran out of hot chocolate at his so comes round to your place for takeaway

I just really enjoy the colour of this sweater, okay? the easy, layered sweater look? the takeaway chinese? this is a man after my heart and I’m also pretty sure I’ve worn this exact outfit before

6.1/10

if looks could kill

leather jacket? perfect. but what really brings this together? the black v-neck of course. RA never wears enough v-necks

‘nuf said

6.9/10

the Adam Price moment

this is one of the rarest of cases - a s2 outfit that wasn’t a 100% hit for me. everything about this outfit slaps except for the polo shirt

blue bomber jacket? hell yeah. hidden orange detailing on the inside? that’s what I’m talking about. colour combo of shirt and jacket? well done

polo shirt itself? meh. even if it was just a plain polo that would have been great. for some reason the embroidered logo and collar stripes push me over the edge

I don’t know why but whenever I see a man in a polo shirt like this, I immediately think they are heading to the golf course and are probably not the type of person I would chill with (given that I don’t play golf)

on Adam Price? sure. on Daniel Miller? nah, he knows better

7/10 (mainly for the bomber)

guess who’s back? back again. Adam’s back. tell a friend

I know this is lower ranked than most of the outfits on this entire list but is still found at the upper end of this list. That’s ‘cause it just had to come after the Adam Price moment, okay?

they took everything that was wrong with the Adam Price moment (e.g. the entire polo shirt) and then focused our attention on it

it doesn’t matter how tightly it clings to RA’s body, it’s not overriding my unjustified hatred of polo shirts 

3.5/10

I’m here to make important calls while I dine in a fine restaurant

another updated suit look post-s1. I picture this Daniel eating at a nice Italian restaurant for lunch before returning to work for an important business conference

and is that a textured shirt I spy? well done

7.3/10

the shirt is even better without the jacket.

the undone buttons? c’mon

it’s just a nice shirt okay

7.5/10

comfy sweater boy’s older brother

for one thing, those low-slung sweatpants are a blessing and didn’t get enough screen time.

then on top of that the oversized shirt that drapes in just the right and most comfy way? the bare feet? I would call in sick to work if I saw Daniel wearing this outfit in my house

this is a Daniel who has lost comfy sweater boy’s innocence but who I would still wanna cook food and binge netflix with

this is absolute peak comfy Daniel

a well-deserved 7.8/10

the ‘I can’t believe I wasted so much time with the same suit and coat combo over and over in s1′ Daniel

this Daniel is the sum of everything that is wrong with s1 Daniel and everything that is right about s2 & s3 Daniel

the casual suit jacket. the rolled up sleeves. the loose casual shirt. this is a Daniel who works hard but knows how to have a good time and will 100% seduce you in a foreign city

8.5/10

come to the dark side

the same as the ‘I can’t believe I wasted so much time with the same suit and coat combo over and over in s1′ Daniel but with his classic coat and popped collar for some added mystery to the character

like the ‘I can’t believe I wasted so much time with the same suit and coat combo over and over in s1′ Daniel this man will 100% seduce you in a foreign city but also will not hesitate to use his superior strength to pin you against a wall while he makes out with you

8.59/10

I mean...

I’m not sure you can class underwear as an ‘outfit’ as such, but uh.... sorry, what was I saying? I got a little distracted 

I refuse to put a numerical rank on this/10

don’t tell your dad about this one

I know we’ve established that underwear is not really an outfit, but these are pants so I’m gonna say this one counts.

the undone belt? the obvious shirtlessness? hanging with this man will definitely end with someone in jail (and it won’t be him). but at least it’ll be a fun ride on the way down to hell

i refuse to assign numerical value to the semi-naked ones because that’s not fair on the other outfits/10

is he here to fix a car, murder someone or sweep me off my feet? who knows and honestly who cares when he looks like that?

the khaki jacket brings in some ruggedness which tip-top Daniel below is missing while still keeping it effortlessly cool.

this is Daniel. fucking. Miller and he doesn’t care what you think

99.99/10

tip-top Daniel

this is Daniel right at his peak. 

everything - the casual bomber from the Adam Price moment earlier, the plaid shirt, the undone buttons, the aviators. the HAIR. 

Damn, Daniel. Damn.

100/10

Campus Memories (part 1)

Notes: Hi! I’ve never written on Tumblr before but I’m hoping someone might enjoy my series that I’m starting. This is only part one so there’s not gonna be much romance or anything yet, just an introduction to our reader and the first boy we meet.

Word count: 1495 words

Looking back on the day, it really wasn’t anything special funny enough, just a few bumps in the road along the way. Overall just a normal day of work at Coffee Cart, the café itself wasn’t overly fancy looking, but had a warm atmosphere inside. More well-known for our extensive types of coffee beans, assortment of drinks and freshly made baked goods than anything else. I emerged from the backroom where I had been on my break, making my way over to cover who was next while tying my apron behind my back. I take up the drink station, taking over making the café au lait that had just been ordered and grabbing the to-go cup. I’ve never really understood why the owner had chosen this symbol for the logo, the face looking a bit off to me. But whenever questioned on it she would always reply “I see myself in it somehow.” She's a bit weird but I respect her since she is very passionate about coffee and her shop. As odd as she may seem to others she is very kind.

I’m taken out of my thoughts when I place the cup on the ledge and get a “Thank you” from the man waiting, and look over to see what drink to make next and notice the man standing at the till is still deciding. The man in question looks quite confused as he stares up at our menu boards, occasionally he glances from the boards to my coworker waiting for his order, his green eyes appearing slightly panicked. He doesn’t seem like the typical type of customers we get here, given he is wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans with his longer brunette hair pulled into what looks like a hastily done up bun. I hear him give a small sigh before moving his right hand to scratch nervously behind his neck “Uh, would I be able to get a” he pauses to look up, I’m assuming he’s seeing if we have any fancy names for our sizing, his expression looks relieved when he looks back down and continues “medium coffee, with two milk and two sugars, to go please.” I hear his order and turn back to the machines in front of me and start making his coffee as he pays and moves over to the counter to wait. As I go to place the coffee in front of him I clear my throat for him to look up from his phone and grab his cup. He gives me a soft “Thanks” as he moves over to sit by the window, I find myself drawn to him for some reason. Maybe it’s the way the sunlight reflects off his verdant eyes highlighting the different hues within them.

 I turned back to the station in front of me, not wanting to freak him out by staring at him, continuing to make the orders that were placed after him. The cafe’s line had started to slow down by the time my other coworker had returned from their break, so I decided to go out and wipe down the tables various customers had been sitting at. I pick up one of the clothes and a spray bottle and place them into one of the bussing trays and make my way towards one of the tables in the corner to wipe it down and take away the dirty plates and cups, slowly making my way around the café. Occasionally I stop to bring the tray back into the kitchen to place the plates and mugs into the sink and throw out any empty paper cups that were left behind. I head back out to wipe down the last few tables without anything on them or customers sitting around them, finding myself at the table right behind the brunette man next to the window. I notice him occasionally looking up from his phone to glance outside or towards the door. He must be waiting for someone, I wonder who he’s waiting for.

 He is rather good looking so he could be waiting for a date, considering this doesn’t seem like his type of place to go to whoever it is must’ve chosen the location. I take my time wiping down the table behind him, closing the blinds next to the window by the table slightly, considering the sun shining directly through the window. I glance up at the clock and notice it’s now two in the afternoon, meaning I only have an hour left on my shift before I can go back home and finish my paper due next week. I take a quick glance back in the man’s direction when I hear him let out what seems like an irritated sigh before he smacks his phone down on the table. He goes to run a hand through his hair before seemingly remembering his hair is tied back and pauses before picking back up his phone and moving it to his ear. I finish tending to the table I was at as I hear his irritated voice to whoever he had called “Seriously Zeke? You told me to meet you here, and now you say I have to meet up at your classroom. I was already on campus before I headed over here! Now I have to head over to the damn science building.” He lets out another angry sigh and hurriedly starts to gather his belongings that he had tossed on the table like his keys and wallet.

 I see him take a sip from his cup before I turn to bring the cloth and spray bottle back with me behind the counter, making my way past his table before I feel something or I should say someone smack into my side and almost knock me off of my feet. He places his hands onto my sides to grab me before I fall over, so I only slightly stumble backwards and drop the spray bottle. After he steadied me he opened his mouth to say “Uh, sorry I didn’t see you there, are you alright?” I nod my head slowly a bit dazed after him bumping into me “Yeah, I’m fine don’t worry about it” I smile slightly, noticing the panicked look in his eyes begin to disappear. “Okay, cool. Sorry again.” He nervously chuckled as he released his hold on me, rubbing the back of his neck before looking to the side. I watch as he gives me an awkward smile before moving to throw out his cup and hurrying outside the door, signaled by the little chime hanging on it.

 I bend down to pick up the spray bottle I had dropped and notice a wallet next to it, he must’ve dropped it when he bumped into me. I picked it up along with the bottle and shoved the bottle under my arm, remembering him mentioning campus on the phone with whoever “Zeke” was, maybe he went to the same university as me? He must have since this café is a few blocks away from the main building. I made my way behind the counter to place the spray bottle back in its proper place before opening the wallet. I looked over the pockets of the wallet to see if there’s any form of ID in it to make sure it was his wallet. Noticing a card the same colour as my own school ID I pull it up slightly to see the name of the university along the top, so he does go to the same university I do. That makes things a little easier for me, I glance down to see his name “Eren Jaeger.” 

He looked as uninterested in his photo as he did when he first entered the café, seeming to not have cared how he looked in the photo. His hair is down making me wonder if they made him have it like that or if he chose to. I look up when I hear my name be called out by my supervisor, raising a brow I call back “Yes?” Heading towards them, wallet still in hand I begin to move it to my apron pocket. “It’s already five after three, your shift is over for the day.” I glance up at the clock when they finish speaking, feeling my face heat up slightly. I returned my gaze to them “Oh, sorry. I’ll be heading out now.” I head over to where the aprons sit on a hook and remove mine, not forgetting to take Eren’s wallet out of my pocket. He had mentioned the science building when he was on the phone, maybe I can catch him if I head over there now? I unlock my locker in the back room, pulling out my bag and putting on my jacket. Punching out at the clock I toss my bag over my shoulder and start making my way to the science building to find this “Eren Jaeger.”

Insecure

AUs: Human, Chubby Logan

Summary: Logan was nervous enough for his first date, but when his date walks in and reveals himself to be ripped, he gets even worse.

Pairings: Analogical

Based off the post by @snakeboicouldbegayer. Also tagging @noahlovescoffeebecause heck, their art was so good and everyone needs to know about it.

Logan Berry bit his lip as he sat in the booth at the coffee shop. Why on earth was he doing this? He should just run, it would be best if he just ran.

Logan’s two best friends had convinced him to try online dating. Now, Logan wasn’t exactly a romantic. He’d never dated before, or shown interested in having a romantic relationship. This was mostly because of him focussing on college. However, Roman Prince and Patton Foster had got it in their heads that Logan was insecure about his weight. Which he wasn’t! Sure, he was small and chubby, and did not have the ‘ideal male body type’, but he wasn’t worried about it. He definitely wasn’t wearing a baggy sweater in the middle of summer to hide his belly and love handles…

Anyway, the point was, Logan was on his first date ever. He was going out with Virgil Storm, who he’d met on a dating site. Virgil had dark skin, black hair which he’d dyed purple, and wore the same baggy black hoodie with purple patches in all the photos on his profile. He liked many emo bands, and his favourite movie was A Nightmare Before Christmas, and he said he was looking for a guy who was smart and could keep him grounded. The two had messaged for a while, before arranging to meet up.

So here Logan was, sat alone in a booth in a coffee shop, waiting for Virgil to arrive.

Then, suddenly, Virgil stepped into the shop. Logan’s face drained of any colour it had.

Due to the high Florida summer temperatures, Virgil had his hoodie tied around his waist, and was wearing a purple Fall Out Boy tank top and black denim shorts. This clothing revealed something that had not been clear on his dating profile: he was ripped.

Logan should have ran. Maybe if he slid down under the table, Virgil wouldn’t see him and would just leave. Yes, that’s exactly what Logan would-

Too late, Virgil had seen him and made eye contact. Now he’s coming over. Oh dear god.

“Hey, Logan. I, um… It’s nice to meet you in real life properly.”

“Uh… Hi.”

Wow, great start, Logan. Perfect. Fabulous.

Virgil took a seat opposite Logan, scratching the back of his head. “So, erm… Nice place you chose. You want a drink? I can buy.”

Logan smiled. “Really? Thanks. Just a black coffee, please. Oh, and maybe…” He trailed off, catching himself. “Nevermind.”

“What is it? I don’t mind getting you more if you want it.”

“No, it’s okay, really, I- “

“Logan?”

Gosh, why was Virgil so darn pretty? There’s no way Logan could not listen to him.

“Well… they do some really nice chocolate cake here.”

Virgil smiled. “Got it. I’ll be right back.” He got up and headed to the counter.

Logan let out the breath he totally hadn’t been holding to suck in his stomach. Okay, he had to make sure not to demolish the slice of cake when he got it. Eat it slow so Virgil didn’t think he was a pig.

He was honestly surprised, though. He had had no idea Virgil was ripped! It wasn’t clear in any of his photos, and he never mentioned working out or anything like it when they were texting. It wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, he was, to put it as Roman would, ‘flaming hot’. The problem was it didn’t do a lot for Logan’s self-image.

Which he was perfectly confident with, by the way!

Totally.

Virgil came back a few minutes later with two black coffees and the slice of cake Logan requested. “There you go.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Virgil sat back down. He paused. “You know if you’re hot, you could just take off your sweater.”

“Huh?”

“You’re sweating a lot. I understand sweating from the nerves caused by a date, but this is on a new level.”

“O-oh, um…” Logan bit his lip for about the tenth time that day. “I, uh, I’d rather not…”

“Why?” Before Logan could respond, Virgil spoke and answered his own question. “Oh, wait, I understand. It’s like a comfort or safety item right? I’m the same way with my hoodie. It’s boiling hot, but I still brought it with me. It’s like a constant. Everything around you is changing, but you’ve got something that won’t change unless you want it to. For me my hoodie, for you that sweater. I did wonder why you were wearing that sweater in all the photos in your profile.”

Logan nodded because that was definitely true, not because he was constantly trying to hide his gut.

Virgil smiled reassuringly. “In that case, I won’t force you to take it off.”

“Thanks. You know, for understanding.”

“Don’t mention it.”

There was another small silence. Logan picked up his fork and cut off a small piece of cake, putting it in his mouth. It was delicious… but he shouldn’t go straight in for another bite. He needed to make a good impression.

“How’d you know about this place? It’s really nice. Cosy.” Virgil looked around the café.

“I actually work here,” Logan replied, glad to be moving onto a different subject. “Just to get me through college. It’s my day off, and I knew this place is good, so I figured it’d be a nice place for us to come.”

“Well, now I know where to come when I want to ask you on another date,” Virgil smiled a little, looking at the table and fiddling with his hoodie sleeve.

Logan’s face flushed bright red. Well, redder than it already was due to the heat. “Wh-what? Uh, don’t you mean ‘if’?”

Virgil shook his head. “I like you, Logan. I was nervous when we first started messaging, but you really made me feel comfortable with you. Not many people can do that… I want to see you more.”

Logan couldn’t help but smile. “Well… I want to see you more too.”

After he said this, a squeal gained Logan and Virgil’s attention. They looked around, and Logan didn’t know whether to chuckle or groan.

Patton and Roman were sat at a nearby table, watching the two of them. Patton gave a little awkward wave when they were noticed, while Roman grabbed his hand and pulled him over to Logan and Virgil’s booth. Roman slid in next to Virgil, while Patton went next to Logan.

“Hi, Roman Prince, and this is Patton Foster. We’re Logan’s best friends. Nice to meet you.”

“Um, hi. Virgil Storm.”

“What are you doing here?” Logan asked, looking between them.

“‘Dad’ here got worried for you,” Roman replied, gesturing to Patton. “Which is understandable. You can’t trust those dating sights, you might have been being catfished for all you knew.”

Logan rolled his eyes. He guessed they were right… But they could have at least told him they’d be coming!

“So, how’re things going with you two?” Roman asked, leaning forward, elbows on the table.

“Uh, pretty good,” Virgil turned to Logan, giving him a small smile.

“I think better before you two showed up,” Logan added.

“I’m sorry, Lo, I didn’t want to ruin anything. I was just a little worried, that’s all,” Patton replied. “Speaking of being worried, you’re a waterfall right now. Why are you wearing a sweater and baggy jeans in the middle of summer?”

“U-um…”

Shoot.

“Lo, I don’t want you getting heat stroke. You need to take off the sweater.”

Logan looked between Patton and Virgil, feeling his hands shaking under the table. He tried his best to keep his voice steady. “Patton, I would prefer to keep it on- ”

“Logan, I’m not letting you get overheated and dehydrated.”

Roman tutted. “Uh oh, Lo, you got the Dad Voice.” He turned to Virgil. “You do not want to mess with Patton when he’s in Dad Mode.”

Roman wasn’t lying, which was why Logan was so torn. He couldn’t let Virgil see what he really looked like… but Patton would not let him sit there and continue to melt in his sweater.

After a moment of hesitation, he did the only thing he could think of: squeeze past Patton, leave the booth, and run from the shop.

He ignored his friends and Virgil’s calls after him as he ran. He sprinted all the way back to his, Roman and Patton’s apartment. He locked himself in his room, curling up in his bed. Tears streamed down his face. He’d ruined it, he never should have tried dating in the first place, he wasn’t good enough for Virgil, he wasn’t good for anyone...

-

The next day, Logan was at work, trying his best to avoid looking at the booth where everything went wrong. He had refused to pick up his phone all of the last night and that morning, not wanting to see the countless messages Virgil had undoubtedly sent.

After serving café regular Remy Sleep, Logan turned to the next customer, reciting his usual welcome. However, he only got through, “Hi, what can I- ” when he froze.

It was Virgil.

Oh dear god… Logan was in his uniform, which was a plain polo shirt with the shop logo and a pair of shorts. The outfit very clearly showed his size. He wanted to run, but was frozen with shock.

After a moment, he managed to choke out some words. “P-please, just… just go.”

Virgil looked hurt. “But… if I go I wouldn’t be able to give you these.” He pulled one of his arms out from behind his back, revealing a bouquet of blue and purple flowers.

Logan’s eyes widened. There was no way… After yesterday, and seeing what he actually looked like today, there was no way Virgil could want to give him those.

“Look, I don’t know what happened yesterday…” Virgil continued. “But I meant it when I said I wanted to see you again. Since you weren’t responding to my messages yesterday, I figured I’d come here.” He leant forward on the counter. “If something’s bothering you, you can talk to me, Lo. I really like you. Nothing could change that.”

Logan blinked, feeling tears welling in his eyes. “I… I don’t understand…”

“Understand what?”

“Why you like me! I… Look at you,” Logan sniffled, trying and failing to hold back his tears. “You’re so so handsome, and have the perfect body. Then, compare that to me… Short and chubby. The second I saw you step in yesterday, I thought us being together was hopeless, so I tried to hide it, but I guess I failed. Now you know I’m fat… and I just can’t understand why you still want to go out with me.”

Virgil paused before putting his hand to Logan’s chin, lifting the barista’s head, so they were looking each other in the eyes.

“Logan, listen to me. I couldn't care less about your weight. Stuff like that doesn’t bother me. Sure, I may work out, but that’s just because exercise can reduce stress, and I am an anxious mess. Weight and body shape does not, and will not ever bother me. An anyway… I think you’re beautiful, Lo. Just the way you are.”

Logan gave up trying to hold back the tears. “R-really…?”

Virgil nodded. “The way I see it, a little chub just means you’re nice and soft like a teddy bear. Perfect for hugs.”

Logan’s face broke into a smile. Both he and Virgil started to lean forward, closing their eyes, their lips about to meet over the counter…

“Logan, get back to work! Have you seen the line?!”

Logan cursed under his breath at his manager, eyes opening and wandering to the queue that had built up. “Sorry, I’m on it!”

Virgil stepped back, allowing Logan to take the orders of the people in the queue. About fifteen minutes later, everyone had been served, and no new customers were coming through the door. Virgil stepped forward again.

“Want to have a second try?”

Logan smiled. “I’d love to.”

This time, their lips met as they leant forward.

Logan smiled against Virgil’s lips. He loved his body. And this time, it wasn’t a lie.

Some people I thought might want to see this: @ab-artist, @ravens-rambling, @im-a-queer-fander, @fangirltothefullest, @wildheart49

Fated twins

Chapter 6: Bubbler and Bubblerette

Summary: It's Adrienne and Adrien's birthday and their best friends want to make them the best party ever. But monsieur Agreste intercedes and boom! Hawky gains two siblings to akumatize.

______________________________

-At Marinette's room-

A phone rings and Marinette lazily wakes up, shutting her phone's alarm off and watching her brother giving the final details to the Agrestes' gifts. He had knit Adrienne's a scarlet wool scarf and crafted a black leather bracelet with yellow, green and purple iron strings. He had to went earlier to bed and woke before the sunrise to get them done, contrary to his sister, who simply stayed awake until 3 am finishing the gifts. She had knit purple dahlias and attached them to an ordinary black iron hairpin to make a flowery hairpin for Adrienne, and for Adrien, she knit a light sky-blue scarf. Marin put his gifts next to Marinette's once he finished. Both pair of gifts are incredible and really impressive, but Mari prides herself for being the best of them when it comes to knitting, while Marin pride himself to be the best jewellery and ornaments crafter of the twins. They wrap the presents with different coloured paper and boxes and then they head downstairs for food. Marinette daydreamt a bit through the breakfast, but Marin remembered her to get ready quickly if she wanted her plan to work.

-At Adrien's room-

Adrien wakes up shutting his alarm off as always, but today is special for the models. It's their birthday and both of them wake smiling knowingly. Adrien sees how his ceiling opens and an extendable pole comes down with his sister firmly grabbed to it. The extendable pole was one of the hidden mechanisms in their rooms, such as the piano hidden under Adrien's floor or the makeup closet hidden in one of Adrienne's walls, and she used the pole to amuse herself mainly.

"Happy birthday brother!!" says Adrienne excited as she pulls a small package from thin air and hands it to her brother. "Happy birthday Adrienne!!" says Adrien equally excited, accepting the gift and handing his sister a different package.

They open their gifts at the same time, revealing Ray-Ban sunglasses. The twins suddenly burst into laugh realizing that, another time, the both of them had thought of giving the other the same present. Adrien's sunglasses were Wayfarers Ray-Ban sunglasses with a black frame and green and blue glasses, while Adrienne's were the classical aviator Ray-Ban sunglasses with a silver frame and the glass had a metallic green colour that faded to metallic turquoise.

"Wow, we surely overdid it this time, we almost got the same colours this time" says Adrienne laughing. "Yeah, if it wasn't for the frame it would almost be pretty similar, though mine really look like something Chat would wear" says Adrien. "Excuse me? Mine totally look like something Kitty would wear. But I did pick yours thinking of Chat, too bad he can't wear them~" replies the girl. "Oh you sly cat" says Adrien, then he tackles Adrienne and tickles her.

After a bit of sibling tickle battling, the models finally begin to get dressed and ready for their day. Once they're fully dressed, they head to the bathroom and brush their teeth. Plagg and Plague float in holding a piece of camembert and brie respectively with a red lace on each of them. they offer their presents to their holders, fully knowing that they would refuse it and they'd win a free morning snack. And so they did.

Once they are finally ready for school, they go downstairs to have breakfast. Their father apparently had acknowledged their birthday and Nathalie had two pastel blue boxes with a yellow lace. She gives the gifts to the teenagers along with Gabriel's denial of permission to hold a party for their thirteenth birthday, which saddened the models as much as the plain fountain pens they got from their father.

-In front of the school-

Adrien gets out of the limo and hurries inside the building quite frustrated towards his father attitude. Adrienne instead, walks slowly towards the school, but notices how everybody is really well-dressed. And then she is greeted by the designers twins, who run to hug her as soon as they see her.

"Happy birthday Adrienne!" say at unison the twins, almost crushing Adrienne with their hug, which ends before she runs out of air (because her crush was hugging her). "Oh, th-thank you so much!" says the model, then she notice the change in the designers outfits. "Why is everybody dressed so nice today?" "You're new here, so you don't know it yet, but the Lahiffe siblings are known to hold the best parties for their closer friends" says Marin. "There's no way they wouldn't throw a super awesome party for you and Adrien" says Marinette. "But our father has forbidden us from throwing a party or attending one" says Adrienne happy and sad at the same time. "Oh no" says Mari, covering her mouth surprised. "How can he?" "Don't worry Mari, we're already kind of used to it" says Adrienne. Marin covers Marinette's mouth before she begins shouting unnecessary comments. "That shouldn't be something you get used to. So have this to cheer you up" says Marin, offering the gift he made for her. Adrienne almost melts at the gesture, but manages to open really excited her gift. Then she falls in love again when sees the scarlet hand-knit wool scarf. "This... This is simply magnificent..." says the model while a small tear falls from her right eye. "I love it so much! Thank you Marin!" says Adrienne, giving him a sudden hug with an intense red blush on her face. "And I made this for you, though you may want to wear it on spring rather than autumn" says Mari, giving her another package. Adrienne opens it really excited and lets a small yelp out of her mouth. "Wow Mari! This is so cute! Aren't these purple dahlias? They're so pretty! I love it so much!" says the girl, hugging Mari excited. "I don't care which season we are on. I'm so going to wear this as soon as I get a mirror". "I'm glad you like it! I wasn't sure what to give you as a present, until Marin and I had a little stupid designing competition and came up with these" says Mari. "No way, you did this? Marin, don't tell me you also knit the scarf" says Adrienne, getting a nod from the Dupain-Cheng twins. " I knew Mari told me you both wanted to be designers, but these are wonderful! I might try to steal you two away to design just for me" says Adrienne. "Girl, you'd end up fed up with our widely known combination of clumsiness and bad luck" says Marin jokingly, who doesn't notice how Adrienne blushes at the thought. "Hey dude! Hey girls!" says Alen as he and Alya come closer, with a change in their outfit as well. "Hi Marin" says quickly Alya. " Hi girls! And happy birthday Adrienne!" says the reporter girl, pulling Adrienne to yet another bone-crushing hug from the reporter twins. "Oxygen, please..." says Adrienne, they release her laughing. "We've got you a little gift. It's not something really special, but we thought it was cute" says Alya, handing her a small box. Adrienne opens the box and sees a fluffy black teddy bear doll for her mobile phone. "It's so cute!!!!!!" "We hope Adrien likes his Ladybug's one. We know he's a real fan of her, but we weren't one hundred per cent sure" explains Alen. "Oh I'm sure he will" says the model. The bell rings. "Well, I guess that's our call. See you later girls"

Alya and Marinette head to their class and the others go to their class as well.

-Adrienne side-

After their morning classes, Marin leaves to finish some designs requests he has and Alen helps Mme. Mendeleiev to carry some documents, leaving Nina and Adrienne alone. Nina gives Adrienne a small package that has chocolates inside, knowing how desperate her friend was to eat something sweet because of the strict Agretste's diet. Adrienne almost leaves her breathless with a bear hug and the girls go outside. Nina points to Marinette and Alya, who were hiding next to the entrance stairs, and they decide to go investigate. It turns out that lovestruck Mari hasn't had the opportunity to give Adrien her gift and she's half panicking because she doesn't know what to do. Alya gives Nina and Adrienne the look™ and they help her encourage Mari.

-Adrien side-

Adrien is a bit worried thinking how his friend Marinette looked more nervous than usual today, but Nino puts a paper bag, as his present, in front of him and all his thoughts disappear. He knows exactly where is that paper bag from and what it may be on the inside. He carefully opens the Dupain-Cheng patisserie-boulangerie bag and gawks at all the delicious croissants there're in front of him. He takes a bite and melts right away in pleasure. Tasting something so good after years of not eating a single sweet or pastry was like had come to his mouth.

"Man, you do know what to gift. This are wonderful" says Adrien, having another bite. "Dude, I knew you hadn't had the pleasure of tasting the best croissants in Paris. You know it's from Mari's place? Her parents are definitely the best bakers in Paris" says Nino. "No way, Mari's the daughter of the Dupain-Cheng... wait, I should have realised that earlier, didn't I?" says awkwardly Adrien. "Probably. Did you know she and Marin designed their now widely known logo? And they also know how to bake like total pros" says Nino. "Wow, I had no idea" says Adrien, hiding his croissants inside his bag.

The boys leave the school and they stop at the front gate. Adrien receives a message with his schedule, reminding him of the photoshoot he has and the depressing morning he had experienced.

"So, about the party, what did your father say?" asks Nino, making a few bubbles with his bubble wand. "He told us we weren't allowed to hold, throw or attend to any party" says Adrien looking down. "Seriously? Has your dad always been such a downer? Or do you think that at least he remembers what it is to be young and want to party?" says Nino. "No, I'm pretty sure he was a downer then too" says Adrien. "Well, at least I tried". "It's your b-day dude" says Nino doing overexaggerated gestures with his head. "Insist"

-At the girls side-

"You can do it! You can do it!" whisper the girls to Mari. "I can do it! I can do it!" whispers Mari, feeling a bit more confident.

-Adrien side-

"You know, I'm going to have a little convo with your pops" says Nino, holding Adrien's shoulder. "Don't waste your time. He's not going to change his mind" says Adrien.

-Girls side-

Mari stands up, but her legs start to shake and she sits again. "I can't do it..." repents the designer. "No you don't girl! You've been stalling all morning. Now is the time!" says Alya and tries to push Mari, but she's holding firmly to anything within reach. "Wait, your father won't let you have a b-day party?" asks Nina. "Yeah, not even a formal one" answers Adrienne. "What a jerk!" says Alya as she manages to finally push the scaredy cat known as Marinette. Mari tries not to fall and ends up kind of running to where Adrien are Nino are, just to fall in front of them. "Uhm... Hi boys" says awkwardly as she stands up. The boys look to each other confused. "Hi" says Adrien awkwardly half confused. "I- Umm..." tries to speak Mari, letting slip a small giggle. " I wanted to ummm... give you a make- I mean I wanted to give you a gift I made- I mean-". "Out of the way" says Chloe pushing Mari. "Happy birthday Adrikins" says before she jumps to hug Adrien and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Yes, umm... Thanks Chlo" says Adrien awkwardly as he pushes Chloe away. "Tell me, did you get the gift I send you?" says innocently Chloé. "Uh... No?" "What?! Oh, those delivery guys. I bet it was too heavy for them and they had to go back and get another guy to help! Oh, those slackers. I'll make sure they'll get it to you by tonight" says Chloe before she leaves. "Come on girl, you can do it, don't be a pushover, literally" says Alya. "Yeah girl, you can do it. You're one of the most amazing people I know" cheers Nina. "Mari, get up, give my brother his gift and maybe even kiss him on the cheek" cheers Adrienne. "Though maybe not on the one Chloe kissed him". After laughing a bit on the last comment, Mari gets up. "I can do it!" A limo arrive and Adrien fist bumps Nino. "Sorry man, I have to go, photoshoot" says the model boy and gets into the car. "Shoot, I forgot that. Sorry girls I've also have to go" says Adrienne leaving. Then she turns to Mari "Mari! You can come by later to give him the gifts or leave them on the mailbox!".

When the limo is gone, Nina goes to meet up with her brother to plan how can they convince Gabriel Agreste to let their friends have a party. Meanwhile, Mari begin to feel down a bit, thinking of when could she possibly go to give her gift to Adrien, not to mention, what would she do, what would she say? And if that wasn't enough pressure, she also had to give Adrien the gift Marin had made, fully knowing what sort of competitive relationship had the boys.

"Why can't I just mean what I say?" says Mari. "You mean why can't you say what you mean?" asks Alya. "Exactly" says Mari. "Well, it looks like we've got some business to care with Adrien and Adrienne's father" says Nina to his brother. "Yeah, we've got to convince that old man to be reasonable" says Nino.

-At the gates of the Agreste's manor-

Marinette is scrapping what she supposes the mailbox is, without being able to open it even a millimetre.

"This mailbox won't budge Alya" says Mari. "Ring the doorbell girl" says Alya. "Are you kidding me? What if Adrien answers?" says Mari, as she panics because Alya has just rang the doorbell. A camera comes out of the wall and looks to Mari. "State your business" says a feminine voice. "Um... I'm one of A-Adrien's classmates and I" says Mari, then she shows the present to the camera. "I have this gifts for him I couldn't gave him at school" says ad gives a big awkward smile. "Put it in the mailbox" says the voice, as the mailbox opens. "Thank you" says Mari and places the gifts in the box, which then closes itself. "I hope he likes it!" "Did you signed the note right?" asks Alya, receiving an astonished look. "Giiiiirl" she facepalms. "Okay, you'll just have to tell him tomorrow".

The girls leave and Nathalie carefully places the packages next to her, making a note to herself that she needed to give the gifts to Adrien. She pulled out of her bag a couple of wrapped boxes that she was going to gift Adrienne for her fourteenth birthday, but suddenly, she was phone-called by Gabriel.

"Who was that Nathalie?" asks the man demanding. "A friend of Adrien's, she was delivering the gifts for his birthday" says politely Nathalie. "Did you remembered to buy him and Adrienne a present for me?" says the man. "Oh- uh... But you didn't ask me to" says Nathalie. "Of course I did!" "Yes! Of course sir. I- I'll take care of it" declares Nathalie. "Good" says Gabriel and hangs the phone. "What am I going to do?" asks desperately Nathalie to herself.

But she lies her gaze to the set of presents left by the girl and the she turns her gazes to her set of presents. Nathalie lets out a resigning sigh and silently apologizes to Marinette, because Adrien was never going to know about her gifts, but he would know of his father's ones. As for Adrienne... The special spa kit and the set of business she had bought for Adrienne would be the ones to pass as Gabriel's presents for the poor girl. The bell rings again and she answers to it immediately. She sees through the camera a boy with a red cap and a blue shirt with a girl next to him.

"Uh... Hi" says Nino.

-Inside the manor-

The Lahiffe siblings stand in the main hall next to Nathalie, Nina playing nervously with her wand-like pencil and Nino awkwardly opening and closing his bubble's soap container. Nathalie gets a message and turns to the siblings.

"M. Agreste will be here in a minute" says Nathalie.

The siblings can't help but to quietly look to what surrounds them, thinking about how cold everything seems.

"Adrien and Adrienne are not home yet" interrupt their thoughts Gabriel, calmly going down the stairs. "Uh. We were coming to see you du- Ah, sir" says Nino nervously. "Me?" asks Gabriel raising an eyebrow. "Yeah that's right sir" says Nina. "Look, we know you don't want Adrienne and Adrien to have a Party, but it's their birthday". "Couldn't you make an exception dud- I mean, sir" says Nino. "It's only once" pleads Nina. "No, that's final" says Gabriel. "But that's messed up! They never screw up in class" says Nino. "They always do whatever you tell them" says Nina. "Yeah. They do photoshoots, fencing, dancing, piano, Chinese-"

The Agreste twins enter the building and see their best friends trying to convince their father. Adrien and Adrienne put a hand on their shoulders, making the siblings notice their arrival.

"Nino, you're here" says Adrien. "Nina, what are you doing here?" says Adrienne. "Anything for our best buds" say the siblings. "Show some awesomeness sir, please" says Nina. The models look at each other and Adrienne put a hand on the siblings shoulders. "Forget it Nino and you too Nina. Everything's fine" says the model girl. "Listen her young man and young lady" says Gabriel with a subtle anger in his tone. "I decide what's best for my children. In fact, I've just decided you are a bad influence for them and you won't be welcomed in my house ever again. Leave now!" "But father! They were just trying to do something cool for us!" say the model twins at unison. "I'm sorry, but they have to leave. Goodbye" says Nathalie, placing herself in front of the teens.

The Lahiffe siblings bite their tongue and turn to leave, but the models twins stop them before they exit the manor.

"Nino wait" says Adrien and stops him by holding his shoulder. "I' sorry man, it's just that our father... He's pretty stubborn" "Nina. I'm sorry that my father has behaved like that. Don't trouble yourselves, it's just best to stay out of his ways" says Adrienne. "Dude! It's not fair Adrien!” says Nino. "Harsh girl. We're cool, unlike that father of yours" says Nina as she and her brother start to leave. "Thanks anyway guys" says Adrienne.

-At the park-

Nino sits down on a bench, looking down and his sister sits next to him, playing with her wand-like pencil while looking annoyed. As they think about how unfair the whole situation for their friends is, the siblings observe how a man refuses to let a young boy play and he pulls the boy out of the park while saying that there's no playing when there are chores to do. At the sight, the siblings grunt and at a mysterious villain lair, a certain butterfly traces a plan.

"Desperate to help their friends but feeling powerless" says Hawk Moth as the window of his lair opens and butterflies awake. "How frustrating, but it won't be long before frustration turns to anger! Fly away and evilize them my little akuma" He takes two butterflies and corrupt them, sending them to cause havoc.

The horrific akumas fly to the park and they slip into Nino's bubble wand and Nina's wand-like pencil. As soon as the butterflies enter the objects, butterfly masks appear in the Lahiffe siblings.

"Hawk Moth is my name and Bubbler and Bubblerette are now yours. I will help you with these horrid adults and all you need to do in return is help me get a pair of magical earrings and a destructive ring" "Yes Hawk Moth" say at unison the siblings.

A dark and slimy aura covers the siblings and they turn into akumas. Bubbler now had blue skin with black circles on his eyes and two black dots on his face. His outfit was mainly a black skinsuit with something like a big red bubble as an armour for his chest, with his signature eye thingy on the middle of it, and back and with also little bubble for his arms and legs in the primal colours. He had on his back his bubble wand and the bubble soap container, but now they are a lot bigger and the bubble wand is a bubble sword more than anything. Thought, the funniest feature on the akuma probably was the red bubble helmet with an antenna on the top. Even thought, Bubblerette was even weirder. She had red skin and a yellow skinsuit, but on top of that she was wearing a dress made of black and blue bubbles, with her signature mouth-like thingy on the centre of her chest. Her weapon was a wand with the side of a baseball bat, with a pencil end on the top hidden by a big golden star.

The now akumatized siblings look one to another and nod after settling some sort of visual communication. Bubblerette begins to draw circles in the air with her wand and purple bubbles begin to appear in the air. At the same time, the Bubbler jumps and flies through Paris, leaving a trail of purple bubbles behind him. As soon as the purple bubbles touched an adult, the adult was captured inside the bubble and the bubble turned green, floating to the atmosphere.

-At the Dupain-Cheng 's living room-

Marin is sitting on the couch while he wraps his latest request on a red gift paper, casually sipping a bit of the green tea his mother gave him before. He finally wraps the last one and adds a little sticker on each request with his sister and him's logo. Then he stretches a bit and opens the main window to have a bit of fresh air. His mother pats him on the back and gives him a proud look. Marin smiles and turns to go deliver the request, but he hears his mother shout and turns to see how a bubble takes her outside the building and begins to ascend, only to see his father ascending as well. He opens his eyes wide open and moves towards the window, but a purple bubble from above dives and enters on the living room. Suddenly, Bubblerette's face appears on the bubble.

"-adults are away now. You may take this as a gift from the Bubbler and the Bubblerette!" says the bubble. "Well, I want a refund!" says Marin and pops the bubble, revealing Bubblerette in front of him. "What!" says as he jumps. "Hey Marin!" says Bubblerette. Marin looks at the mouth-like thingy on the dress. "Nina? Is that you?" "Now's the Bubblerette my fellow Angel". "Nina what the hell?" "It's Bubblerette" "Why are you an akuma and what do you have against my parents?" "Boy, parents are the worst. You know, Agreste father won't let his children have a party? Even after my brother and I asked him in person!" "No way. But they do every stupid thing he says and they're top of each classes!" says the designer showing a clear disapproval. "And don't get me started with their extracurricular activities like dancing, fencing, Chinese, piano... Why are you looking at me like that?" "... I just remembered how awesome you are dude" says Bubblerette with her jaw half dropped. "This doesn't mean that I support either you or your behaviour! You sentinent marble sculpture!" says Marin lightly pissed. "Well, I don't care about that." says Bubblerette. "Now go and put on your best outfit, you're going to a party whether you like it or not". "I have to deliver this requests, so I can't party now" "Did I forgot to mention that you don't because I sent your customers to the ionosphere and you'll be next if you don't go and change right now" threats him the akuma. "After all this years putting off with Cleón I'm pretty much immune to threats so you'll need more than that to convince me" replies Marin deadpanning. "Ugh. You're lucky that I need you and that I have you in high regards" says Bubblerette glaring at him. "Okay, if you come to the party I'll allow you to deliver your requests after the party". "Hmmmm... Fine, but you're going to bring down also my parents or there's no deal" says Marin. "Fine, they are pretty legal, but go change now or I lose it!"

Marin goes to his bedroom, picks his best clothes and changes his outfit (Bubblerette obviously follows him and he has to get changed on the bathroom). Once he has finished, Bubblerette whistles in approval and picks him up in bridal style. Then the akuma carries Marin to the Agreste's manor, landing on the middle of the entrance, where there are a lot of his classmates and some of Marinette's.

-Near the bakery-

Marinette is almost at the bakery when she sees the purple bubbles floating everywhere, capturing all the adults and leaving the children behind. Then she watches utterly horrified how her parents fly out in those bubbles and quickly hides on an alley to transform into her superheroine self. Once she has on her Ladybug suit, she rushes to the bakery but stops to calm the crying younger children and assign some teenagers to take care of them. When she finally arrives at the bakery, Bubblerette jumps out of the window carrying Marin bridal style and Marinette just loses it. She leaps and begins to chase Bubblerette but covers quickly when she sees the akuma entering to the Agreste's mansion and notices another akuma. She tries to figure out who they are and where is their akumas hidden. Suddenly, she realizes that the akumas wear the logos she has seen so many times on Nina and Nino and the answer comes easily after that. The akumas must be in the bubble wand and in the pencil wand, she's certain of that.

First - Previous - Next

Detroit: Become High School

Chapter 1: "Start of Sophomore" (Connor's POV)

On normal days, Connor would be fine waking up. But today was the first day of his sophomore year at Cyder Line Academy, and he wasn't particularly looking forward to it at all. He knew there would be more stacks if homework, horrible teachers (like Mr Perkins, who hated his guts), the stressful social school hierarchy and Gavin Reeds, a man who found solace in picking on him. But if Connor knew anything, it would be to get up quickly before his dad and brother start yelling at him.

Read more chapters: here

~~~

“Connor! The fuck are you doing? Get up!”

Connor stirred drowsily, trying to mentally block out his dad’s insistent yelling.

“Connor, I swear to god, I will bust down your door in a few moments if you don't wake up!” He heard his father grumble outside.

Preferring to not have an enraged, tired father invade his room, he quickly responded with an “I'm up! I'm up!”

He blinked and stirred, his eyes slowly adjusting to the morning light slipping through the blinds, and the warm air of the stuffy, unventilated bedroom. As Connor groaned and rolled himself out of bed, he glanced resentfully at his calendar and sighed. September 19th, 2019. The day he will be starting his sophomore year. And he already knew it was going to be difficult, if freshman year told him anything. There were to be more suffocating homework and exams, the pressure of colleges, dealing with horrid teachers and, of course, Gavin Reeds, who was a problem all on his own.

He then walked over to the large tank of brightly coloured fish, and quickly fed them. He smiled, because the fishes did looked quite content with their breakfast, which made Connor feel nice himself. Connor made a beeline to his birch closet, and tried not to feel the stress of picking out the most appropriate attire for the first day. But alas, it was quite inevitable.

Upon picking and choosing his shirt, his small moments of privacy was soon cut short as his older brother stepped in without bothering to knock.

“Normally, I wouldn't care if you were late, but dad would crack the shits if I don't personally drive your ass to school,” he stated, coldly. “And you're taking forever.”

But his chilling expression soon changed into a patronising sneer as he saw his brother’s distress.

“Having trouble choosing what to wear?” He asked, his eyebrows raised. “What? Are you trying to impress someone?”

“Go away so I can change, Ronan.”

“Whoa, someone's grumpy today. Now I've got two grumpy family members to deal with.”

Connor took one look at what Ronan was wearing and pouted. Ronan always got it right. He was wearing a white shirt with the Detroit Tigers logo on it. On top of it, he was wearing a light denim jacket, that was cuffed at the sleeves, dark jeans and white Vans. His sunglasses were also hanging loosely off his neckline. All in all, it wasn't much, and he looked quite normal, but Connor thought it was fashion genius. It wasn't too flashy, but it wasn't laid back. It made Ronan genuinely look nice, and more older and mature, though he was anything but.

“How do you do that?” Connor blurted.

“What?”

“You know, make yourself look so cool without even trying?”

Ronan just laughed fondly albeit condescendingly in response, his blue eyes flashing with amusement.

“I'm serious! You're the one starting your senior year, you should be close to tears! It's your last first day of high school ever!”

Ronan rolled his eyes and ruffled Connor’s hair.

“Well, if you want to be like me, you've got to become more faster, stronger, resilient and be equip with all of my brilliant charms,” he said, turning to walk out of Connor’s room, and grinning like his older brotherly ‘advice’ was very helpful.

“I never said I wanted to be like you, I just wanted to know what to wear!” Connor called, but Ronan was already out of the door.

He sighed and faced his closet forlornly. With a few more minutes of stressing and inner debates, Connor decided to go with grey jeans, a Detroit hoodie and his wristwatch that his dad got him for his birthday last year. And whilst looking at his wristwatch, he realised that he really needed to hurry up if he wanted to avoid both his dad and Ronan yelling more at him.

So he quickly rushed over to the bathroom, speed-brushed his teeth, and thanked god he packed his school bag the night before. Upon arriving to the kitchen, Ronan was ready to leave and was now yelling at him to hurry, and Hank looked conflicted as to which one of his sons he should murder first. Connor then quickly grabbed a stale muesli bar from the pantry and gave Sumo a nice pat, before embracing his dad.

“You take care, Connor,” Hank said gruffly, before letting go. “Now you boys go to school and Ronan-” he pointed a finger at Ronan who smiled innocently on instinct, “no causing trouble on your first day. And Connor-” his finger shifted to his youngest son, “try to not look so goofy and clueless. It's weird.”

Ronan was unsuccessfully trying to suppress his snickers as Connor nodded obediently. Hank gestured towards the front door.

“Now go. I still need to make my coffee and take a shower, because god knows I smell like Satan’s musty anus,” he sniffed.

By the time they made it to Cyder Line Academy, Ronan had already informed Connor about how ridiculous he looked.

“You do realise the temperature today is going to be about 84°, right?” He asked, staring at his hoodie. “And your pants and shoes really don't go together.”

Connor huffed and wished for the thousandth time that Ronan would one day miraculously cease to speak, and that his school will enable uniforms.

They arrived about a good twenty minutes before the start of the first bell thanks to Ronan’s insane driving. Connor watched blankly as friends were tearfully reuniting with others and burst into conversations about what their summer had been like. Connor saw new couples that had no doubt sparked the wheel of gossip in the school, and he spotted old ones, who were wrapped up in each other’s arms. He spotted some new faces of the school, but mostly old ones, though the new freshman sure did look nervous. And rightfully so, Connor thought, as his eyes coincidentally landed on Gavin Reeds.

Once Gavin met his eyes too, a large scowl blessed his antagonising face. Connor gulped as Gavin looked as though he may come over, but as Gavin pivoted his body, he stopped short, his eyes widening at something directly behind Connor and turned back around reluctantly, though he was still radiating pure hatred. Connor turned to see Ronan death-glaring at Gavin coolly.

“I thought you already left to hang out with your friends or something,” Connor said dumbly, shivering at the thought of being on the receiving side of brother’s glare.

“Let me know if he comes at you again,” Ronan ignored, his tone one that could send a stampede of rhinos running in the opposite direction. “He's not allowed to mess with you anymore.”

Connor nodded slowly as Ronan walked off, possibly to go hang out with his many, multiple, cooler friends.

Connor never planned on telling Ronan or his dad about the number of verbal offences Gavin had thrown at Connor over the past two years. Sure, ever since seventh year Gavin had been horrible to him. In eighth grade, when Ronan witnessed one of the many assaults that was delivered by Gavin and his gang, he got so mad, and threw some punches himself. Connor shuddered when he thought of the scene, and how mad Ronan was. After, he had dragged Connor back home and explained in detail to Hank what had happened. It took hours to convince his two family members not to go to the principal.

Ronan had roughed them up pretty badly, and Connor figured Ronan was the only guy Gavin legitimately feared. Connor knew he should use that to his advantage, but if he was being honest with himself, he would rather Ronan (and his dad) be kept in the dark about all of this.

It wasn't the number of threats Gavin spewed at him every time they did go toe-to-toe, it was the plain fact that he was fed up of living under his brother's shadow. He knew Ronan was generally better than him, and that annoyed him quite a bit. He had been living under Ronan’s protection for too long, and if Gavin should fear anyone. It should be Connor. And Connor will eventually stand up for himself.

But that day was not today.

Once Ronan left, Gavin immediately started to make his way towards Connor, his other insolent friends not too far behind him.

“Hey Connor,” Gavin sneered, slinging an arm around him tightly, “how was your holidays?”

“They were ok,” Connor answered evenly.

“Really? I'm glad they were. But unfortunately, your bitchy-ass is back in school now, and we have a lot of things to catch up on.”

With that, he shoved Connor into the nearest wall, which turned out to be the greenhouse, and the hot plastic wall burned against him. Connor shifted uncomfortably.

“Still not trying to stand up for yourself? Well I wouldn't expect much from such a retarded pussy,” Gavin spat, as his friends laughed.

All Connor could do was glare back at him, though it wasn't as nearly threatening as Ronan’s ice blue eyes can produce.

“You look so stupid,” one of Gavin's friends laughed. “What kind of dog’s vagina were you birthed from?”

Connor just wanted to leave. Or rather, he would rather they leave. And he knew the quickest way they would was if he remained quiet. They wouldn't have a physical go at him before school started.

“You just never get upset with this, do you, Connor?” Gavin sneered, tightening his hold on him. “You never cry or scream or fight back or do anything. What are you? Some sort of fucking robot?!”

With that, Gavin punched him right in the face. Welp, I was wrong about things not getting physical, Connor thought.

It wasn't a hard punch. It wasn't enough to cause a bruise or start bleeding, but the punch to the chest might've bruised.

“Are you going to go crying to your asshole brother after this?”

“You're so pathetic.”

“You just think your Mr-fuckin-Perfect, don't ya?”

Gavin was smiling now. He was enjoying it. He must've missed picking on Connor. He raised his fist to strike a blow again, but is eyes caught something else exiting the greenhouse.

“Ralph will be planting all sorts of flowers! Yes! Yes! There will be sunflowers. Ralph will plant lovely sunflowers!”

The boys turned their heads to spot the blonde boy skipping excitedly into the greenhouse, not noticing Connor or Gavin and his gang. Gavin’s hands immediately slackened.

“Oh lookie here, it’s the psycho freak,” Gavin cackled, gesturing at Ralph. “What do ya say, guys? Maybe we should go rough him up a bit. Can't have him forgetting how much of a creep he is.”

“He'll probably grow up being a homeless pedo,” said another one of the boys. “You know, living on the streets and shit, and sucking dick for money.

“He'll definitely be a drug addict. Or a rapist. Maybe both. Maybe he already is.”

“He's so fucking weird. I don't know, he even scares the shit out of me. I saw him approaching my little sister with a flower once. Had to teach him a solid lesson,” said another guy, who cracked his meaty knuckles.

Gavin let go of Connor and started making his way over to his next target, his friends in tow.

“I'll catch you later, fag,” Gavin insulted, before spitting in Connor’s face for good measure.

What a lovely start to the day, Connor thought sarcastically as he heard Ralph cries from inside the greenhouse.

Connor made his way to his locker, keyed in his code and started to get ready for his first two periods. Double geometry. That didn't seem so bad. He had a few acquaintances within that class, and he didn't mind the class itself. But, first he had to get through a boring, all-school assembly, that was sure to be a pain.

And it was.

Upon making it to the assembly with the rest of his Homeroom class, the principal stepped up on the small podium, and smiled at the academy proudly. She welcomed back old students, and greeted new ones, then went on with some inspirational speech for 2019, and all of the blatant hopes she had for the school. Connor listened nevertheless, but he couldn't help but notice there was a new student in his class.

The boy looked nervous, his eyes occasionally scanning the sea of students, but also trying to look normal and blend in. Unfortunately for him, new students who weren't freshman stood out like a sore thumb, and others were casting some curious glances at the tanned boy.

Once assembly had ended, Connor made his way down to the room where he was assigned double geometry. He watched as few students trickled in, some who even said a small ‘hello’ to him. They all went to sit in their seats, flunked with their friends.

“Hi, Connor,” Daniel greeted, sitting next to him tentatively.

“Hello, Daniel. How was your summers?” Connor asked politely.

“Pretty good. My family and I went to Chile and Peru. Emma really enjoyed it. How about you?”

“I just stayed around in Detroit, but that's okay. Gave me a chance to relax before school started up again.”

Daniel nodded in understanding, and a content silence settled over them.

Daniel and Connor weren't exactly friends, but they were close acquaintances with each other. Both of them being quite unpopular, and leaning more towards the introverted side, they could find some sort of solace in that. Daniel was seen as somewhat of a punching bag to the other boys at school too, so Connor assumed he didn't have any friends either.

Then the teacher walked in with the new kid.

“So sorry! I'm a bit late,” Mr Collins exclaimed as he shuffled to his desk and dumped his heavy satchel. “But welcome back everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. And on the topic of ‘welcoming’, can everyone give a warm welcome to our newest student at Cyder Line Academy, Markus.”

There was a scattered applause, and the new guy, Markus, smiled uncomfortably. Though he looked a little hesitant, Connor picked up that he held himself quite confidently. He had a brown buzz cut, coffee-coloured complexion, but the most striking thing about him was his eyes. One leafy green, the other sky blue.

“Go and introduce yourself, Markus,” Mr Collins encouraged, running a hand through his greying hair as he searched for something in his satchel.

“Ok, um,” he started, “hi. I'm Markus Manfred. I moved here from Delaware to Michigan not too long ago when my dad got a new job opportunity to continue his career in art. Um, I was homeschooled for most of my life, so attending an actual school is really different. But I'll get used to it.”

The teacher nodded, seemingly satisfied with Markus’ introduction.

“Well, I'm sure we are all very honoured to be your first time at school,” Mr Collins said, unaware of the suppressed snickers throughout the class. “You may take a seat next to North.”

Upon hearing her name, North looked up in surprise. She maybe been zoning out before, and though she was one of the most beautiful albeit intimidating girls in the school, Markus obliviously dumped his things next to her, and sat down with ease.

With that, double geometry began. And so did the actual school year.

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Chewing Gum

Here’s the first part of my ongoing series “The Songs of Our Life”! It’s short but hopefully sweet! Enjoy!~*Thoughts are in italics*

Lee Jeno has a lot to do, he's the best in school, he always helps the others and is a head of the student council. But one day he overslept. And that's alright, because it's his lucky day.  Jeno likes to call it " The day I started to dislike Chewing Gum a little less"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jeno was running, his heavy backpack hitting him painfully as he run down the street to the closest shop he had in his neighborhood. Stupid school for not having a cafeteria. He thought, looking left and right as he walked across the street. Because of him waking up too late he hadn't had a breakfast, not even a lunch ready to take, because he forgot about that when he passed out after a very stressful and tiresome school day. That's also why he had overslept, even if his alarm clock rang 3 times. So now, he had to run at full speed to buy some bread and a lunch pack because ahead of him was a day full of lectures on history, literature, philosophy and languages. And also him helping some people from his classes, due to him being the best student and quit eager to get bonus points he oh so needed because he was failing Maths hard, and maybe him helping others will make the lecturers support him a little more in front of the Math teacher. And also he was the head of student council, so he had paper works and other stuff he needed to do before going home. And there was no way he would be getting home before 7 or 8 pm. He knew because of that it would be as tiresome as it was yesterday, or even worse. So he had to had something to eat and drink for the whole day. And that's why now panting and sweating he marched into the shop, quickly making his way to the food alley when ready-to-eat meals were. On the way there he got something for breakfast, not really knowing what but he doesn't cared because it was food. Despite running to the shop from his house, the adrenaline from the run quickly wore out and now he was feeling low on energy again, so he took a energy drink as well along with some water for later. After he picked something for lunch he quickly walked up to the Cash register to pay for it all. And there's when he saw it. The line wasn't so long, really. But the woman in front of him had party planed maybe... or a wedding because the whole grocery tape was filled with food, condiments, even kitchen wear in such a large amount Jeno wondered if she was buying the whole shop. Where were those things even hidden in this small shop?! Jeno now was feeling like in a comedy because he was sure his fate was laughed upon by some kind of VERY NOT FUNNY SUPERNATURAL BEING. He had less than 40 minutes to pay for his groceries, run out of the market, take a bus and run again to his school in which first class was goddamn MATHS. And he surely wouldn't leave his food now. - You have to be kidding me! - Jeno cried loudly, feeling angry at himself for not waking up ealier or at least making some food the other day. He felt tired, his muscles ached and he was hungry. - Sir? Are you ok, Sir? - Jeno heard a small voice calling him, so he looked at the source of it. It was a boy, not really as tall as him, with brown fluffy hair, cute button nose that was a little red and a unsure smile on his pretty face. The boy was looking worried at Jeno with his big, doe-like eyes, his soft cheeks a little pink in color. Very pretty pink the White-Haired boy thought. - I'm not really fine... - Whined Jeno, keeping closer his groceries that tried to sneak out of his tired arms. He had to look very desperate and pitiful when a beautiful stranger is asking him if he's alright. - I have to be in school in like... - Jeno looked at his watch resigned - 30 minutes and the lady in front of me is probably making a party for the whole army squadron... - He added, sighing as he saw not even half of the woman's shopping being checked already .- Well, I just came here but...- Answered the other boy also looking at the cash register in slight disbelieve.- It's your lucky day. - He added, smiling widely and Jeno rose his brow at his words, surely it was his most unlucky day. When he was about to ask what he was talking about the boy walked away, but not much far. Jeno looked at him as he ,still in his coat and scarf, stood at the second cash register, smiling at the taller boy sweetly. - Please come! - He said politely and the cute boy was right. Luckily Jeno managed to get to his class on time, well, 2 minutes short but the teacher was not there yet. But because of the help of Renjun, as he learned the name while checking his shopping, it still was only 2 minutes and not a whole lesson. He also got to know that Renjun is new to the job and that he hoped to see Jeno again, but not in this rushed state. Jeno hoped so too. And that's why again, on the next day Jeno waked up ealier, ealier than he needed to actually, ate his breakfast normally, packed his pre-made lunch and walked out of his house. Straight to the small market on the end of his street. He had nothing special to buy, in fact he only noticed that he had nothing at all in his hands when he already was walking up to Renjun, waiting for him next to the cash. Today he wore comfortable jeans and a too big sweater, purple in colour. On top of that he had a red apron with the shop logo and his name on the right. He was smiling so sweetly and his brown eyes shone so brightly Jeno could only thing about that for a second. So when he actually noticed that he carried nothing, the first thing he though of grabbing was a pack of strawberry chewing gum on the closest stand. And then it was his turn. - Hello again! Today you're a lot calmer I see? - Said Renjun, insanely fluffy bangs falling into his eyes, Jeno wanted to brush the hair off but the boy himself was quicker. - Yeah, not running for life. - Jeno answered, smiling in answer to Renjun's sweet smile. - I'm glad then, thank you and come again! - Renjun gave him his chewing gum and the rest of the money. - I will! - Jeno grinned walking out of the shop, his eyes disappearing into small moons as he smiled and Renjun thought it was totally adorable. Jeno came back next week, and How come I always forget to pick things up before I get to see him?! Maybe Jeno was really sleepy that day, because this week classes were especially tough and he got so much homework to do he came to bed after 1 am each night, leaving him with no time to visit the shop what so ever. His fridge was mostly empty, leaving him with couple ramen cups and rice. This time too he walked to the register bare-handed and the last thing he could grab was the chewing gum before meeting Renjun face that started glowing when the boy saw Jeno. Or maybe the white-haired boy just imagined that. - You haven't visited for long, tough days? - Renjun asked taking the small package out of Jeno's hand and for a second Jeno could feel the softness and warmth of his skin. - Very, but luckily today the classes are ending quicker. - Said Jeno, happy for the lectures to be cut short due to the professor being ill. Of course, he wasn't happy that the teacher was ill, but very content that maybe because of that small break Jeno himself won't get sick from overworking. - Thanks to that I can come by later and do some serious grocery shopping. - Muttered the taller boy looking at the small pack of gums he bought. I don't even like chewing gum. Jeno bit his bottom lip, looking up at Renjun with small blush on his face. - Will you be there? - He asked and blushed even more when the boy send him a beautiful smile and nodded. - I will. When doing the big shopping Jeno looked for Renjun at the cash register and when he saw him there, helping a lady, he walked into the shop quickly and collected all the things needed. As he came to the registers, holding a basket full of food and necessary articles, the cute boy was there, patiently waiting. - Well, it is really a grand shopping this time! - Said Renjun and began scanning the groceries. This time Jeno learned Renjun was from China and came to Korea to study, but also needed a part time job to menage a living. So he started to work in the small market on his free or short classes days, because it was close to his house and the school. - What are you studying? - Asked curious Jeno, packing the already scanned items. - Art, painting, drawing. That kind of things. - Answered the Chinese, and Jeno thought it suited him well. He also wanted to see his works because he was sure they were beautiful.Just like him. God, was Jeno whipped. - The classes are more practical than just plain theory, so I have a lot to do in my house and not really a lot of lectures to listen to in classrooms. - Added Renjun checking the last groceries. Then he made a surprised face. - Oh, no gum this time? - He asked and Jeno thought he was joking at first, but the real concern in his voice got the white-haired boy surprised as well. And he should have said that yes, this time he doesn't need it, that actually he doesn't even like strawberry chewing gum. - Ah, I forgot! - He said instead, picking the small box of the stand and handing it to the Chinese who smiled brightly. - It's like a small ritual for us, don't forget next time! - Renjun sweet voice pierced through Jeno's fluttered heart, and he felt butterflies at his tummy because of the brown haired words and his cheeks covered in crimson as he looked at the smaller boy with shy smile. Now, Jeno really hoped his friends won't ask why does he has so much chewing gum that he is giving it to them everyday. - Jeno, terrible news! - Said Renjun as the boy walked up to the cash to pay for his lunch, he looked deeply concerned. - W-what happened? - He asked worried, slowing his steps. - The chewing gum you loved is out of stock! - Answered the Chinese boy, his doe-like eyes filled with sorry and his pretty lips turned down in frown. Jeno sighed in relief and laughed out loud at the absurd worry that enveloped him at the Chinese boy's ealier words. - Then we had to find a new ritual for us. - He said finally. - Maybe the candy instead? - Asked Renjun innocently looking at the sweets Jeno was buying. His face made Jeno melt in a puddle of affection and protectiveness. Protect this cute human forever - Well, what about going out with me instead? - Said Jeno and yes, he absolutely adored red-faced Renjun. He also loved the small, shy Yes the boy said next.

Two in one

Summary: Kya receives a gift from a new friend.

Word count: 1,651

Author's note: I was just showering and one thought led to another (apparently I get some good fic ideas while showering).. I was thinking about how Katara never really used much makeup - only during the time she and Toph were going to the Earth King's party and that spa in the Upper Ring, also when she disguised herself as the Painted Lady. Even when there were formal events, such as the government elections in Yu Dao, or when she's 34-35 in their family photo she doesn't wear any, which is a thing I really love about her because she seems to believe in natural beauty like me. But her daughter Kya does, so I thought how she could bond with Asami through that (they'd become closer friends and talk more, ever since Kya told her and Korra that she's there for them and she supports their relationship). By then this story began writing itself in my head because I love my lesbian cloudbaby so much and I'm excited for these bisexual ladies and their new story in "Turf Wars: Part Two" (I've seen spoilers and I want my copy to arrive asap because the first part left me with the most unexpected and best feeling ever: like I'd just watched an actual episode of the show). Also, I had major TLOK feels when I went through transcripts and some screenshots for references of Air Temple Island and some other stuff (I NEED to do that rewatch, the sooner the better).

----------x----------

"I'll get it, mom!" Kya exclaimed to the other room as she made her way to the door. A familiar knock let her know that the mailman was there. She opened their igloo door and the middle-aged man greeted her with a big grin.

"Good morning, Master Kya! You have a package from Republic City," he said as he handed her a medium-sized box, which had been wrapped in a pretty lavender wrapping paper and tied together with a magenta bow.

"Morning! And thanks, Boda! Who's it from?" she wondered as she looked at every side of the package.

"I have no idea, but whoever sent it must be really rich. Look at the tag, it's from Future Industries."

Kya grabbed the white label that had been attached to the bow and looked at the familiar logo on one side, her name and address had been written on the other side. She hummed in curiosity and quirked an eyebrow. There was only one person who she knew from that company.

"Hmm.. guess they wanted to surprise me," she replied with a shrug, a loving smile on her lips. Kya wished Boda a good day and closed the door to not let any more freezing air inside. She gently shook the box as she headed to the kitchen to join her mother for lunch.

"Who was it, sweetie?" Katara wondered as she was pouring the tea into two cups.

"Boda brought me a package," Kya said, taking a seat behind the table that'd been set for the second meal of the day. The smell of sea prune stew boiling in a big pot, steaming tofu, fresh blubbered seal jerky on a plate and kale cookies for dessert filled the home of the two master waterbenders. The younger one placed her package on the edge of the table and began unwrapping it.

"Who's it from?" Katara asked, putting Kya's hot cup of tea next to her empty plate before she took a seat on the other end of the small table and started lifting the food onto her own plate.

"I think it might be from Asami. There's a Future Industries logo on the tag."

"Oh, what's inside?"

When Kya had removed the nice wrapping paper and put the bow aside, she unveiled a darker blue rectangular-shaped gift box. She lifted the top, her cerulean eyes widening in surprise.

"Wow! Mom, look at this!" Kya gasped, running a hand over the gifts inside.

"What is it?"

"It's makeup and jewellery. Lots of it. She really shouldn't have.." the younger waterbender said as she picked up a lipstick. The colour seemed to be quite similar to the one she usually wore, complementing her brown skin tone perfectly. There were four more, both a tad lighter and darker tones, plus three pairs of earrings, some eye shadow to complement her eye colour, something to powder her cheeks with and a couple of glittery blue hair ties that she could use to fasten her long grey hair with.

Kya also noticed an even thinner plain cardboard box hidden underneath the accessories after she'd shuffled them around a bit. She picked it up and pulled it open, revealing a letter and a couple of photographs.

"She also wrote me a letter and there are some photos in here."

"Would you care to share with me if they're not too personal?" Katara asked, slurping some of the delicious broth and chewing on the tasty sea prunes along with a bite of tofu.

"Of course!" Kya declared cheerfully. She raised a hand in front of her mouth to clear her throat before she began reading the letter out loud.

"Dear Kya,

I hope you had a pleasant trip back home. How's everything at the Southern Water Tribe? I've been busy planning the construction of the new suburb in the northwestern corner of Republic City. The first inhabitants have already moved into their new homes, but we still have a long way to go before this refugee problem is solved. The healers were grateful for your help and wanted to send you, and your mother, their best wishes.

I put together a special makeup kit for you, as a way of saying thanks for supporting me and Korra's relationship. It really means a lot, for both of us. I hope you'll like these newest samples and that I got the right tones for everything. Let me know if there's anything else you might wanna try. Next time you visit Republic City or come to stay on Air Temple Island for a longer while, maybe we could get together and share some tips? I'd love to find out more about Water Tribe traditions so I'd be able to surprise Korra with something I learned from you.

Speaking of surprises, Korra found an old camera from Tenzin's attic and we tested it out. We took several shots in some places, so I wanted to send some of them to you. They're kind of silly, but I hope they'll bring a smile to your face.

Korra also wanted to send hugs to your mother. She specifically told me to tell you to give Katara a big hug for her. Can't wait to hear back from you! Much love and hugs,

Asami."

As Kya reached the last paragraph, she stood up and walked over to her mother to actually wrap an arm around her, still reading the last sentences from the letter out to her. When she finished, she wrapped the other arm around her, too.

"Aww! That was so sweet of her. And thank you for the hug, my little waterbender," Katara said, snaking an arm around her daughter's waist to hug her back. She sat back down to have a look at the photos. She started giggling at the first one.

"Oh-oh-oh-hooo.. this is a good one!" Kya laughed and handed it to her mother, who held a hand in front of her mouth as she chuckled, too. It was a shot taken near the meditation pavilion at the far corner of Air Temple Island. Tenzin was meditating in the background, but Korra had jumped in front of the camera and pulled a funny face. He seemed to be completely oblivious to what was happening around him.

"Hey, here's one of Jinora," Kya said and gave it to Katara, who smiled lovingly.

"Oh my, look at that! That's my young airbending master alright."

The second photograph had both Jinora and her boyfriend Kai in it. Korra supported her hands on their shoulders to hold them close to each other, she was standing behind them. It was taken under the wooden pathway, which connected different parts of the temple on the outside.

As Kya stared at the third photo of the happy couple, she narrowed her eyes and released a long hum in thought.

"Hmmm... Why does this seem so familiar to me?"

"Let me see," Katara turned her attention to her daughter after she'd finished marvelling at the photo of her granddaughter. Kya showed her the photo of Korra and Asami, then continued to browse through the other ones.

"I feel like I've seen it before, but I can't put my finger on what it is exactly.. the location or something?" she shrugged. Her mother's mouth dropped wide open.

"Oh my goodness!"

"What? What's wrong, mom?"

"I know why this is familiar to you," Katara claimed as she slowly stood up from behind the table to head to the living room. Kya dropped the rest of the photographs back in the smaller box on the dining table and followed her. She watched how her mother stepped in front of the cupboard where their photo albums were, pondering for a moment before pulling out one of them. She took a seat on the couch, her little waterbender doing the same.

"What are you looking for?"

"An old photo of me and your father.." Katara explained as she carefully turned the pages of the thick album. It was one that contained shots from her early adulthood together with Aang, when they'd already had Bumi. The photos were taken by a prototype that Sokka had later helped develop into one of the first working cameras. Katara flipped through dozens of pages until she found the right one.

"Here it is," she said as she held the photo of Korra and Asami next to one of her own.

"Woah!.. I can't believe it. That's you and dad in the.. the.. same place," Kya stuttered, her mouth remaining agape this time as she pointed a finger to the picture in the album.

It was a similar photo of Katara and Aang together on Air Temple Island, probably taken near the welcoming gate at the top of the hill. Their home was in the background, behind Katara's figure on the left. Almost half of the temple was visible on the right side behind Aang. They seemed to be laughing at the moment the picture was taken, with Katara's hand holding her husband close to her from his middle and his own supported on her right shoulder.

Kya was awestruck because her parents' poses and faces looked exactly the same as Korra and Asami's. The Avatars shared their signature goofy grin. The angle in which the camera had been positioned was practically the same, hence the background looked the same.

"When was this taken?"

"Your father and I were in our early twenties," the elder waterbender replied, a twinkle appearing in her diamond blue eyes as she gazed at the photos surrounding the one she'd wanted to show Kya, of her being together with her beloved. She blinked away a few tears that the memories had brought on, sensing how her daughter wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Wow.. I guess his spirit really does live on in her."

"Of course it does, she's the Avatar," Katara said proudly.