#aNYways. formal education sure did a FUCKING NUMBER on us huh

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

*tries to organize my thoughts*

*remembers i'm not in school and therefore beholden to neither heaven nor hell nor any man's grading system*

*joyously shredding & tossing all my carefully arranged 3x5 mental notecards into the air like so much beige confetti. raising my arms in victory, cheering raucously until i accidentally inhale bits of homemade confetti*

(*coughing up itty bits of paper like a cat evicting a hairball with a firm understanding of tenants' rights*) wait wat happens next

#i marie kondoed my thoughts and *i* feel great. but now my stream-of-consciousness has escaped containment #so many innocent bystanders at stake #every time i try to organize my thoughts i run out of plastic bins and have to make a trip to the container store where i get even more dis #racted so. you can't just hand me THIS brain and NO catalogue OR library classification system #and expect me to single-handedly sort through all this nonsense? bad form but fucking form not in my job description #aNYways. formal education sure did a FUCKING NUMBER on us huh #(a number i measure not in gpa or dollars of student debt. #but in the number of therapy sessions & medical debt it will take to recover.) #seriously folks. our education systems are...innately traumatizing for a huge number of students. and we NEED to address this. #the fact that it is culturally common for adults to have anxiety nightmares about school/exams...even decades later? #that is not cute. it is Alarming. #no one--much less entire generations--should be spending their developmental years in an environment of chronic stress & pressure & strain #and yet that is the reality for millions and millions of pre-teen and teenage and young adult students #this isn't healthy and it serves and empowers NO ONE #...except of course the many exploitative educational & financial & debt-collecting institutions thriving from the current balance of power #and of course it's a nefarious and powerful way to sabotage/erase the middle class #which billionaires and the wealth-inequality creators they finance couldn't possibly have any noteworthy interest in whatsoever #it's not like there's an elite group of people with huge financial incentives to drain/steal resources from the masses... #anyways sorry for going all Conspiracy Theory on you. #obviously the billionaires who control the vast majority of our resources and news and political campaign funding #are not tied to every single itty bitty social issue and i'm a silly billy to imply it #please tell elon musk to ignore this tweet i am so subservient and acquiescent #mr musky u r so good at inheriting slavery-built mining fortunes & buying other people's companies #& building rocket ships & fancy cars that do NOT explode/catch fire & also NOT running billion dollar companies into the ground #mr musky u r so talented genius billionaire playboy with 10 kids and ex-wives who find you creepy af babe u r basically iron man

[seijorhi]

Pretty Young Thing

A yandere Erasermic commission for an anon, I hope you like it bby!!

Aizawa Shouta x reader x Hizashi Yamada

TW non-con, breeding kink, pregnancy, surrogacy, pregnant sex, smut, age-gap, nsfw

“Don’t you think she’s a little young, ‘Zashi?”

“It’s up to you both how involved you are during the first stages and the overall pregnancy. Normally we suggest an initial meeting with the potential surrogate for all three of you to get a feel for one another and decide if you want to proceed with the arrangement, but should you wish, we can–”

“No,” he interrupts, sparing Hizashi a fleeting glance. “We want to meet her.”

Beneath the desk, his husband squeezes his hand. 

Hizashi quirks an eyebrow, pausing midway through fixing his hair in the mirror. “Whaddya mean, babe? She’s in her twenties ain’t she?”

He’s not wrong, but that’s not the issue. They picked you, they both picked you, but there’s this lingering unease that he can’t seem to shake. It’s not so much your age specifically, he knows that you’re only a few years younger than the majority of the other women whose profiles they’d seen – you’re old enough to understand what you’re getting yourself into and agree to it, at any rate – it’s just that he doesn’t quite understand why somebody your age would want to do this.

And there’s something different about you, it’s just a feeling of course – he hasn’t yet had a chance to confirm his suspicions, but he wants to meet you and decide for himself.

“We do have a number of potential surrogates with promising Quirks if you’re considering pursuing that option for your child,” the Doctor told them, smiling as they flipped through page after page of profiles.

Hisako, 35, Quirk: Sun-flare

Nozumi, 26, Quirk: Mimic

Koharu, 28, Quirk: Seismic Wave

Chiyoko, 33, Quirk: Golden Whip

Yuzuki, 32, Quirk: Silencer

There’s dozens of them – which is more than he expected. 

Aizawa knew coming in that this wasn’t normally the process, that this agency catered specifically to Heroes – was recommended by the Hero commission – but it still feels strange, just browsing through pages upon pages of potential candidates to carry their baby. 

Was he supposed to be feeling some kind of emotion looking at these profiles? The women were all healthy, each of them attractive, in their own ways (nothing but the very best, the Doctor had reassured them with a smile). This woman, whoever they picked, she’d be carrying their baby, yes, but that was the extent of it. She wasn’t going to be a part of their lives beyond that, so what did it matter if she was nice or liked to cook or play tennis?

There were stats, of course. Their education and IQ’s and little snippets of history, but they were all impressive, otherwise they wouldn’t have been included. Were they supposed to choose based on their Quirk? One that might compliment his or Zashi’s? Quirks were troublesome things to begin with, and–

“Wait-wait, Shou, hold up,” Hizashi’s voice cut through his musings, long fingers wrapping around his wrist midway through turning the page. “Go back one.”

He does as he’s told, flicking the page back.

Y/N, 23, Quirk: N/A.

A lone eyebrow lifts. Quirkless, huh? A blank slate.

But that’s not what caught Hizashi’s eye.

“She’s kinda cute, don’tcha think, baby?”

It feels weirdly like a first date, nervous jitters and all – though he’d like to believe he’s better at suppressing that now then back when he was a teenager. Aizawa hasn’t bothered to shave, but his hair’s tied back in a loose bun and he’s pulled out a suit for the occasion – he’s even wearing a tie for fuck’s sake. Beside him, Hizashi’s ditched his usual leather jacket and ripped jeans for, well, nicer jeans and a button up floral shirt.

And then there’s you. Standing in the doorway of the cafe glancing around like a little lost lamb, he recognises you instantly from the picture on your profile, but the moment your eyes meet his he’s struck with the realisation that the picture didn’t truly do you justice.

Because you do look young (at least compared to their thirty odd years) and it might just be the hesitant smile adorning your face as you start to make your way over, or the charming little summer dress falling to your mid-thigh, swishing hypnotically with every step, but Shouta feels something catch in his chest the more he stares. You really are… what was the word ‘Zashi had used? Cute?

Yeah. You were cute. 

The agency had offered to host this little meetup at their clinic, and while he hadn’t particularly cared one way or the other, Hizashi’d been insistent. He’d wanted this to feel ‘natural’. 

‘I don’t really wanna meet our potential baby mama for the first time in some boring, sterile office, d’you?”

He’d only bitten back a sigh at the time, shaking his head. It wouldn’t have been worth upsetting him by reminding him that the girl was technically a glorified incubator. He had every intention of being involved in this process, but this initial meeting was to establish two things. Firstly, that after meeting them, you still felt comfortable with carrying their baby, and secondly, he wanted to make absolutely certain that you weren’t trying to get anything out of this.

Oh, he knew you were getting paid, handsomely, he’s sure, but the thought that you, or any of the women the agency had fobbed their way might not all be in this for altruistic reasons had crossed his mind. 

You were just so young.

But he was more than happy to determine those two things in a ten minute meeting at the agency. 

Hizashi was not, and so here they are. 

Ten minutes in, and he finds himself glad of his husband’s insistence. Hands wrapped around your mug of coffee (you should enjoy it while you can) you chatter away with Hizashi, beaming and blushing, tripping over your own words in your nervousness. 

You’re about as dangerous as a kitten, and he allows himself to relax enough in his seat to enjoy watching the blonde charm you. 

“So why don’t ya tell us a little about yourself, songbird?”

“There’s really not all that much to tell,” you say with a sheepish laugh, but they listen as you talk anyway. It’s nothing the profile hadn’t already told them, nothing spectacular that would make you stand out in the crowd. 

And yet, an hour and a half later, you’re trying in vain to distract him and Hizashi both so that you can slip your card in with the bill to pay for lunch, and Shouta finds himself oddly amused.

There were other candidates – ones with impressive Quirks, smarter than you, more accomplished than you, older than you–

“Ya sure you don’t want a lift, sweetheart? It’s no trouble.”

You smile again, demure little thing, and shake your head. “Oh no, really it’s okay. It’s not far and… I like the walk. Thank you, though.”

– but none nearly so endearing, he thinks. 

And when they watch you disappear into the crowd, one final wave thrown over your shoulder, Hizashi’s fingers lace with his once more.

“So she’s our baby mama, huh?

He’s silent for a moment. “I suppose so.”

—

The agency recommended, at least in the initial stages before the implantation procedure took place, that any communication between the three of you should go through them. 

Hizashi had your number programmed into his phone before you’d even left the cafe, and he’s been texting you every day since – to the point where it wasn’t unusual for Shouta to come downstairs and find Mic chuckling to himself, fingers dancing across the keyboard on his phone as he replies to whatever message you’ve sent. 

Shouta, for his part, tends to message only to check in.

How are you feeling? Any side effects from the meds?

Your response comes a little slower than usual, and it’s almost an hour before finally he receives it.

Sorry they’re cracking down on us using our phones at work :( 

Everything’s good so far! The doc said i should be on track for our appointment next week!

… is it weird that I’m a little excited haha?

His brow furrows at that. You hadn’t mentioned a job – at least not to him, he’d have to ask Hizashi later whether you'd said anything to him. 

Why on earth were you still working? He’d seen the contracts, he knew exactly how much you were getting paid for this little venture, wasn’t that enough to support you?

He makes a brief mental note to make sure that whatever job you were working at, you stopped long before the baby was due. You might just be a surrogate, but he’d be damned if his baby was put in jeopardy because you were needlessly exerting yourself. 

Nevertheless, his expression softens somewhat as he reads the second part of your message. You were excited, hm? 

Well, that made three of you.

Both he and Hizashi’d been willing to come along to the clinic with you – he’d even submitted a formal leave request to take the day off from UA, but the Doctor had assured him that it wasn’t necessary.

“The procedure is quick and relatively painless. She’ll be home within a few hours, and so long as she remains off her feet and doesn’t undertake any strenuous activity, she will be perfectly fine.”

It hadn’t sat particularly well with Hizashi who’d spent the afternoon huffing and complaining about the clinic trying to kick them both out of the process. That much, he expected – he understood it to an extent; the agency catered specifically to Heroes, most of their clientele probably had busy schedules (which was true in their case as well). There wasn’t a need for them to be present at such a minor procedure, even if it did hopefully mark the beginnings of your pregnancy. 

What he hadn’t expected was the twinge of discontent he felt settle in his own stomach. The Doc might’ve preferred they stay out of this, but at the end of the day he really didn’t give a shit what she or the agency wanted.

So he messaged you.

Do you want us there with you?

He watches those three little dots bounce for almost a solid minute before finally your reply comes through.

No, it’s okay, you don’t have to come. The Doc said it wouldn’t take long and I don’t wanna be a burden for you guys

It’s not really an answer to his question, and he briefly wonders if Hizashi might be right about the agency interfering, but he’s not going to fight you on it. 

At least, that’s his plan until Principal Nezu pulls him aside at the end of a staff meeting and tells him that he’s found somebody to cover his classes tomorrow if he still wants the day off. 

“Ya gotta go, babe. One of us should be there for our ‘lil mama.”

He asks you what time your appointment is and there’s a surprisingly pleasant fluttering in his stomach when you walk through the clinic doors and catch sight of him sitting in the waiting room.

It’s a momentary surprise – you almost do a double take, but a smile lights your face and you ignore the receptionist in favour of racing towards him. 

“Shouta, I thought you weren’t coming!” Your arms wrap around his middle, squeezing tightly.

He finds himself returning your hug – albeit somewhat stiffly – but he’s glad he made the decision to come. The Doctor wasn’t wrong, you’re only in with her for just under twenty minutes, and when you come out there’s a tremble in your legs, but you seem otherwise fine.

It goes without saying that he’s driving you home, though you try once again to beg him off.

Kitten, when are you gonna learn that so long as you’re carrying his and ‘Zashi’s child, they’re going to go out of their way to make things easier for you – whether you want them to or not.

Yet your quiet discomfort on the drive home doesn’t slip past his attention. Maybe it’s because he’s become accustomed to your nervous rambling, but there’s something odd about the way you’re sitting so quietly, fingers twisting in your lap as you stare out the window. He knows that if Hizashi was here, he’d be chatting your ear off, but he’s never been one to fill silence with unnecessary small talk.

Though he can’t exactly help the way his own mind drifts. Are you in pain? The Doc didn’t say anything about there being any pain, only that you should rest over the next few days, so it shouldn’t be that. Perhaps you’re just lost in your thoughts – it’s strange for them having a surrogate, he can only imagine what’s going through your own head now that it’s actually begun. He hopes that you aren’t having second thoughts, almost opens his mouth to ask before thinking better of it.

You’re entitled to your thoughts and feelings, whatever they may be, and if you wanted to talk to him about them, you would. 

It’s not until the scenery outside starts to change and the fancy sky-scrapers give way to dingy apartment blocks and dilapidated buildings, crammed in together too tightly that he realises that it’s not discomfort that’s written across your face, but embarrassment.

This was your neighbourhood?

Shouta recognises it, and really he should have picked up on it earlier when you’d given him the address – he’s spent more than a few nights patrolling the area. It’s a hotspot, not for the high-class, dangerous villains plastered across the news every night, but thieves and murderers. Petty thugs who prey on the weak, those addicted, with nowhere else to go… you live here?

Surely with the money you’re getting from the agency, and your job on top of that, you can afford a better neighbourhood.

He glances at you out of the corner of his eye, watches as you all but shrink into your seat, and when you speak, your voice is little more than a whisper.

“You can just drop me off at the corner here.”

He pulls the car to a stop by the curb, and for a moment neither of you speak. He doesn’t know what to say, and judging from the way you’re nibbling on your bottom lip and glancing up at him, you don’t either. 

“I–”

“Thank you,” you cut him off with a tight smile. “For coming today, and for… this. I-I really do appreciate it.” 

The words aren’t quite sincere, but he only nods – noting the miniscule sigh that escapes your lips at the action. “Of course. Anytime you need us, just call, okay.” He waits for you to nod before continuing, “Do as the Doc said, rest.”

You all but scamper from the car after saying another goodbye, though Shouta waits until you’ve disappeared into the crumbling apartment block before driving off.

Maybe the inside is nicer, but he sincerely doubts it.

—

“You should’ve seen it, ‘Zashi.” The two of them are curled up on the love-seat, half empty containers of takeout littering the coffee table in front of them. “I just can’t figure out why she’d be living somewhere like that.” 

The blonde frowns. He’d been messaging you throughout the afternoon, so he knew that the appointment had gone fine. It wasn’t that he expected to come home and find the erasure Hero jumping for joy, but the subtle discontent on Shouta’s face had been enough to make him pause. 

“You’re worried about our ‘lil songbird?” he asks, pushing away just enough so that he could turn to study his face. 

The short nod says plenty. Of course he is – even if you weren’t potentially carrying his child, you’re young, beautiful and far too innocent for your own good. In places like that, you were easy pickings, and you don’t even have a Quirk to protect yourself. His job requires him to assess his students’ strengths, their failings and weaknesses and their progress. He doesn’t need to see you in action to know that you wouldn’t be able to hold your own in a fight. 

It bothers him. 

“She’s not safe there.”

Hizashi hums, but instead of settling back against his husband’s side, he straightens up further. “Well, why don’t we go take a look-see, huh handsome? Make sure our sweet thing’s pad’s all safe ‘n sound, put your mind at ease. Whaddya say?”

As he stares into those imploring green eyes, Shouta knows that he should say no. 

Concerned or not, there’s still a line, privacy that should be respected. He’s tired and this is the only night that they both have off this week. Your place is almost twenty minutes from theirs, and it’s already late – almost midnight. The list goes on, there are a thousand reasons that he should say no.

“Fine. Just for tonight.”

—

Two weeks later, the two Heroes receive a call from the agency; the blood test came back positive – you’re pregnant. 

In the blink of an eye, at least to Shouta, this becomes startlingly real. You’re pregnant. They’re going to have a baby. Boy, girl, it doesn’t matter… You’re pregnant, and as his husband ends the call and yanks him by his collar into a fierce kiss, he realises how important this is.

How important you are, just by the virtue of carrying their baby.

They invite you over for dinner to celebrate, and while he’s never been one to flaunt the comfortable lifestyle he and Hizashi have, he does find it strangely pleasing to watch you wonder wide eyed through their apartment. He’d be the first to admit it’s big – bigger than they’d ever probably need, though with the baby on the way maybe they’ll finally be able to make use of all that extra space.

Mic grabs you by the hand, eagerly dragging you towards the nursery he’s already begun setting up. “Once I heard the good news, I just couldn’t wait to get started! Our little rockstar’s gonna have the sweetest crib, don’tcha think? Ain’t it amazing?” 

He’s already started painting and there’s a wooden cot halfway assembled and the beginnings of a musical mobile pushed off to the side waiting for him to return to it. It’s hardly close to being finished, but you just grin, gazing at the mural he’s started on the walls. “It’s amazing,” you say.

“I knew ya’d like it!” he beams.

Shouta hangs back as Hizashi guides you through the rest of the apartment, chattering excitedly away. He likes seeing his husband happy, and somehow you manage to bring it out of him without even trying. It’s still early days but Shouta has to admit that already you’re more to him and Hizashi than he expected, or even anticipated. You fit well with them, seamlessly, as if you’d always been a part of their lives.

After dinner, they drive you home despite your protests, and Hizashi insists they walk you up to your apartment. You’re no doubt under the impression that they’re doing it to be gentlemanly, missing the shared looks between the two men as they pass the out of order elevator and tread down hallways with stained carpet and peeling wallpaper, ignoring the leering yellow eyes of your neighbour, peeking out from the crack in the doorway as they bid you goodnight, ‘Zashi squeezing you extra tight.

There’s an uncharacteristic hardness in his husband’s eyes as they both slip back into the car, “No way in hell are we lettin’ her stay here.”

On that at least, there’s no arguments from him.

—

Hizashi, unsurprisingly, is the one to bring it up.

The three of you are grabbing a bite to eat after your first ultrasound. This time, both of them had been insistent on being there, and he’s glad they were. Seeing that grainy image of their baby, hearing it’s heartbeat – strong and steady – had filled him with an emotion he’d never felt before.

It was happiness and excitement and wonder and awe all mixed up and wrapped into a gut punch that stole his breath away, and while Hizashi had burst into a loud fit of tears, burying his face in Shouta’s neck while reaching for your hand, he’d managed to keep his own at bay.

Mostly. 

Regardless, you have little choice but to indulge them when they drag you out to one of the blonde’s favourite restaurants – on the proviso that they had you home in time to get ready for work.

“Songbird, there’s something the two of us have been meanin’ to ask ya.”

You perk up a little, hastily swallowing down your mouthful of food so you can reply, “Oh?”

He wonders if you notice the way your hand already instinctively drifts to your stomach, your barely there baby bump. 

“Why’re ya livin’ in a place like that, sweetheart?” You freeze, the corners of your smile slipping, but Hizashi continues, “Ain’t the money from the agency enough? We know you’re working that other job as well… we just…”

Shouta can physically feel you tensing like a bunny caught in a trap, and he doesn’t know what possesses him to reach out, sliding a hand across the table as you pale, but you take it regardless. 

“Talk to us. Please,” he begs. “We just want to understand what’s going on. You have to realise that it’s not exactly a safe neighbourhood, and it’s not just you we have to worry about anymore.” Dark eyes flicker pointedly towards your stomach. 

It’s a dirty tactic, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the truth. Did you realise how much danger you were truly in? Not just from the common street thugs – though frankly he thinks it’s nothing short of a miracle that you’d managed to get this far unscathed – but any number of villains with a grudge against either one of them, or Heroes in general. If they found out a pretty, quirkless thing like you was carrying their baby, how long do you think it would take before they tracked you down and kicked through your door?

Your eyes flicker between the two of them, and you swallow shakily. “I-it’s…” you break off, taking a deep, steadying breath, “It’s all I can afford right now.”

“But, hun, what about–”

“I know,” you say. “The money for the surrogacy isn’t for me. It’s money I owe.”

Neither Hero speaks a word as you talk, telling them about your uncle, the man who raised you, how his business went under a few years back and you both lost almost everything.

Shouta isn’t surprised to find out that your uncle turned to loan sharks when the banks turned him away and threatened to take your house. Alarmed at the man’s blatant stupidity, yes, but not surprised. Your eyes start to water when you tell them about how he died a few months back – a hit and run –  and the visit you were paid only a week later, informing you that your uncle’s debts were now yours, and payment had better come through quick. 

Your hand’s trembling in his by the time you finish. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t have any options, I didn’t know how else to get the money, and they said that i-if I didn’t pay up, they-they’d–” a sob catches you unawares, and once again it’s Hizashi who’s out of his seat and at your side in a heartbeat, sliding into the booth beside you, pulling you into a one armed embrace. 

It’s his eyes that you meet, and Shouta understands. He doesn’t need you to explain what threats were made. You were scared, terrified probably, and you had every right to be. 

“I didn’t know what else to do,” you sniffle. “I’m sorry for lying to you.”

Really, he should be furious. Disappointed at the very least. 

“Move in with us,” he says instead, ignoring your sudden, startled intake of breath. “At least until the baby comes.”

He should be, but this works better.

—

It takes a little longer than he’d like to convince you, but the two of them wear you down and a few weeks later Shouta finds himself carting boxes of your things up into the spare room in their apartment.

Despite the fact that you’re pregnant with their baby, you’re terrified of being a burden to the two Heroes, but it’s because of the baby that you eventually relent.

They want to be close, involved. They want to know that you’re safe – and their apartment’s state of the art security system will make sure of that when they’re not home with you. They want to make sure that you’re not exerting yourself, that you’re eating the right things and not running yourself ragged at a job you don’t need, stressing yourself out needlessly and putting the baby at risk.

All of that’s true. 

It’s just not the entire reason. 

At first, he convinces himself that it’s for Hizashi, as well as his own peace of mind, but he’s starting to wonder if that’s the full truth of it. Because of course he wants to keep a close eye on the pregnancy – he knows that this can’t be easy on you. You have no family left, and if you have any friends then they’ve done an excellent job of keeping you at arm's length. 

You have nobody but them, and it does bring him some modicum of peace to know that you’re just down the hall if anything goes wrong. 

Hizashi adores having you there with them, having somebody else to cook for, somebody to come home to at the end of a long day. More than a few times, they’ve both returned from a night of patrolling to find you curled up on the couch, fast asleep with a blanket over your legs and a book slipping from your fingers, having tried, and failed, to wait up from them.

You tune into Mic’s radio show on the nights you can’t sleep, and on the odd mornings that you wake up before either of them, they come downstairs to find bacon sizzling away in the pan, a pot of coffee already brewing. There’s something oddly charming about the way you pout while you pour it for them, knowing you can’t have any yourself.

“You’re a special kind of masochist, ya know?” Hizashi teases, sidling up beside you to grab a cup.

You sigh dejectedly. “I must be,” you reply as he plants a kiss on your cheek and squeezes your side affectionately, but it’s impossible to miss the sparkle in your eyes. You’re happy here, with them. 

Shouta warns you from pushing yourself too much, but even he can notice the apartment’s tidier when they arrive home than when they left, the freshly baked goods sitting on the countertop that weren’t there yesterday.

“I just… I know I can’t pay you back for all of this, I just wanna make myself useful,” you tell him one night when he asks about it. “I still feel like I’m taking advantage of the both of you, staying here…”

“You’re carrying our baby, that’s enough,” he reminds you, his calm, steady voice brooking no disagreement. And yet, as dark eyes study your face, he can tell that it’s not enough for you, so he sighs, and in a quiet voice adds, “We like having you here.”

He likes having you there. Sitting at the dining room table, helping him grade papers, lounging around on their rare days off together – helping Mic set up the nursery, volunteering to go shopping with them for baby stuff. He’s lost count of how many pregnancy books you’ve bought, pouring over them with a fine tooth comb late at night – often falling asleep in the process, leaving him and Hizashi to carry you off to bed with a barely there kiss to your forehead.

You fit between them in a way he hadn’t quite expected. Not a burden, not an interloper, but as if there was always a place carved out for you with them, and it’s only now that they realise that there was something missing to begin with. 

It doesn’t quite click until he finds his thoughts drifting towards you at work, his fingers drumming along the top of his desk so he can stop himself from reaching for his phone. He’s not usually so distracted teaching, and as the hours drag he finds himself glancing towards the clock on the wall, counting down the hours, minutes, until the day is done and they can return home to you.

Shouta can’t pretend for much longer that there isn’t something oddly satisfying watching your belly grow and your breasts swell as your pregnancy goes on. You’re glowing, and soft and beautiful, and he could kid himself and say that it’s just the normal effects of pregnancy, but there’s some part of him that’s strangely proud when your shirt rides up and he catches a glimpse of your baby bump – knowing it’s his child you’re carrying. His and ‘Zashi’s and yours.

And oh, he wishes that it was only pride that burns through his veins at the sight of you, barefoot and pregnant, pottering around the apartment. Hizashi’s the one to hold back your hair and rub your back soothingly when your morning sickness hits, but it’s Shouta who takes care of you when you start complaining about aching muscles and joints.

He tells himself that it’s purely about comfort, namely yours, ignoring the way you flush and stutter when he drags you up the stairs and pushes you gently towards the bed, telling you to lie down on your side. 

It’s just a massage, yet the moment his fingers run along your soft skin and a breathy moan slips from parted lips, the very last vestiges of the facade he’d built up in his head crumble into dust. 

You’re perfection. Bared and beautiful beneath him, making the prettiest noises for him as he works away at your muscles, expertly releasing all of your tension. He’s glad that your eyes are shut and you’re lost to the bliss, you don’t notice the way his breath hitches and becomes rough and heavy, the way his cock twitches in his sweats, blood flowing south as you arc into his touch. 

Such a responsive little thing, aren’t you?

“You’re amazing,” you moan, and though you can’t see that either, Shouta smirks. “Please never stop.”

It’s a good thing he has restraint, because it’s taking absolutely all of his to stop himself from taking more. 

He wants all of you. 

Wants to tease and taste.

Take.

Wants to hear those pretty fucking moans take the shape of his name… Hizashi’s name.

And maybe he might have felt guilty for those perverse thoughts, for the way he wants to tear the rest of your clothes off and fuck you nice and proper, breed you–

If his husband hadn't been standing by the door, watching the two of you for the last ten minutes. Shouta doesn’t need to look to know that it’s not anger or jealousy burning in his gaze.

He knows that his husband’s far from disgusted, knows it from the way Hizashi grabs his wrist on his way back down the hallway, pulling him instead to their bedroom and shoving him back onto the mattress with a wicked grin.

There’s something positively feral in the blonde’s expression as he hovers over him, forcing Shouta back down with a hand splayed across his chest, the other reaching down to his sweats to free his aching, needy cock.

“You’ve been holding out on me, baby,” he sings.

—

They have time.

Your due date is still months away, and you’re comfortable, here with them. 

There’s no reason for you to consider leaving until the baby’s born, and Shouta is adamant about keeping it that way. Hizashi can huff and puff and moan all he likes, he knows that they have to take this thing with you slowly. He won’t risk spooking you and losing any chance they have.

That’s not to say that he doesn’t empathise with the blonde, what with all the affectionate hugs and touches you thoughtlessly bestow, the way you’ll plonk yourself down on the couch between them so they can feel when the baby’s kicking.

Hizashi’s gotten to the stage where he’ll drop to his knees to shower your stomach in kisses when he gets home of an evening before sweeping you up into a hug of your own, his face a mask of perfect innocence when he catches sight of his husband’s less than impressed expression over your shoulder. 

Having you here with them, this little temporary faux family dynamic the three of you have found yourselves in is easy, domestic and nice. It should be enough, but it’s not.

“It’ll be weird, going home after this,” you hum absentmindedly one night.

Preoccupied with the noodles you’re toying with in your bowl, you miss the sharp look shared between both men.

“Whaddya mean, sweetheart?”

If you notice the odd stiffness to the words, you pay it no mind, simply shrugging. “I mean once the baby’s born. I dunno, I think I’ve become too comfortable here freeloading off of the two of you…” you glance up, smiling a little. “Going back to work and finding a place on my own again, starting fresh, it’ll be different, that’s all. Not bad different,” you hasten to clarify at the blonde’s nearly stricken face, “just… different.”

“Well it’s not like we’re gonna be forcing ya out, hun! You’re always welcome to jam with us for as long as you want.”

You shake your head with a rueful little laugh, “We both know I can’t do that. You’ll have the baby to worry about and the last thing I want is to feel like some awkward interloper, always getting in the way – especially after everything you guys have done for me.”

Hizashi’s fingers dig into the meat of his thigh, tightening with every word out of your mouth.

“No,” you say, shaking your head. “I’m not saying I’m never going to come around to hang out or anything, but once this baby comes I’m gonna have to figure out what I’m going to do with my life.” Your eyes meet his, wide and hopeful, and Shouta’s reminded once again of just how young you really are. “I can go anywhere, do anything. It’s kind of exciting, don't you think?”

It was a mistake, to think that you’d come around to them on your own. 

You were young and naive, still living out a rose tinted fantasy where the world was your oyster and all you needed to do was reach out and take it. And maybe he’s partially to blame for that, taking your problems and getting rid of them, making you feel safe and comfortable, not realising that that security didn’t extend outside of these four walls, outside of their protection.

They need you, but kitten did you ever stop to think that you need them, too? 

Shouta had made the mistake of forgetting how this all came to be – you hadn’t wanted a family, you were just trying to save your own skin. You still think that you can make it on your own, without them. 

He supposes he shouldn’t blame you for your misplaced idealism, it’s only natural after all. Some people just don’t know what’s best for them.

They need to be shown.

—

You don’t stir as your bedroom door swings open. 

Not as Hizashi pulls back your sheets, groaning softly at the sight of your swollen breasts and precious baby bump, stretching against the confines of your silk pajamas. “Ain’t she a fuckin’ dream, Shou?”

Not as the blonde busies himself in carefully sliding your sleep shorts down your legs, or even as Aizawa gathers up your wrists, pressing a kiss to each one, and binds them to the headboard with his capture weapon.

“Gentle, ‘Zashi,” he murmurs when the blonde crawls up on the bed beside you. “Nothing too rough.”

You wake as long fingers caress your cheek, tilting your face towards him so he can kiss you properly.

Shouta hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights, but bathed under the soft glow of moonlight from your window, he watches your eyes flutter open, the momentary confusion that flashes across your face followed by realisation, horror, as you try to jerk back and cry out–

Only Hizashi doesn’t give you the opportunity, winding his hand through your tresses and anchoring you against him, forcing your lips open so that he can deepen the kiss and groaning appreciatively when a terrified whimper escapes you. 

You still haven’t noticed Shouta kneeling on the bed between your legs, too preoccupied by Hizashi’s tongue sliding against yours. “Relax, kitten,” he says, laying his palm on your thigh, letting his thumb glide over the smooth skin.

“Let us take care of our cute ‘lil baby mama, yeah songbird?” Hizashi adds, breaking away from the kiss with a lovesick grin.

Tonight is solely about you. Your pleasure, whether they have to tease it from you willingly or not.

Your tears are kissed away, your broken little pleas swallowed under ‘Zashi’s greedy lips as Shouta shuffles down the bed, nudging your thighs further apart so he can lie between them.

The keening cry that leaves you at the first stroke of his tongue against your warm sex is a thing of beauty.

Blood rushes to his cock as you writhe, and he tightens his grip as much as he dares to keep you locked in place as he delves in again. There’s little finesse to the way that Shouta eats your pussy – it’s a simple study of reactions; the way you gasp and shudder when the tip of his tongue circles your clit, the way your pussy clench and quiver around the muscle when he eases it inside of you, massaging your spongy walls.

Never one to be left out, Hizashi decides that there’s a better use of his attention than just your lips. With your arms bound, he’s not able to take your top off entirely so he settles with yanking it down, freeing your breasts.

“Fuck baby, you’re so pretty. Look atcha!”

Your tits must be tender and aching, because the moment Hizashi’s mouth envelops one of your nipples, sucking at the pert nub, a fresh sob bursts from your lungs and you’re trying desperately to wriggle away.

Hizashi just frowns, breaking away for a second to brush a stray lock of hair back behind your ear, “Ah shit, sorry babe! I’ll be gentle, promise.”

Shouta’s far too preoccupied by the intoxicating taste of your sweet cunt to notice whether he actually does or not, but he trusts him not to push you too far. There’ll be plenty of time for that later.

Your baby bump is cute and all, but Shouta wishes that it wasn’t blocking his view of your face – he wants to watch every little expression as he slides two thick fingers into your dripping cunt and your hips buck up to meet him. It’s a twisted kind of pride he feels, pride fused with filthy, maddening pleasure as he pulls a string of choked moans from you with just a few shallow thrusts of his fingers.

His jaw’s slicked with your juices, your cunt sucking his fingers deeper when he turns his attention back to your poor, neglected clit. He can tell that you’re close, not just from the needy whimpers and the way your muscles are tensing beneath him, but the desperate canting of your hips, rocking up against his face even as you beg for relief.

“Shouta, Shouta, please– oh god, please stop, p-please!”

He longs to wrap a fist around his throbbing cock, desperate to help relieve the burning ache deep in his gut as you cum for the first time on his tongue. Or better yet, maybe have Hizashi wrap that perfect mouth of his around his cock and suck him off–

But now’s not the time for him to be greedy. 

Rough fingertips prod at your walls, searching for that hidden little spot that’s gonna make you go wild–

You almost convulse when he finds it, and Shouta can’t help but smirk against your cunt as you tighten and quiver around his digits. With Hizashi playing with your tits, pressing hot, open mouthed kisses along your neck, Shouta’s lips wrapped around your clit, tongue flicking at the sensitive pearl as he suckles on it and long, thick fingers driving you to madness with each and every stroke, it’s too much for your poor, pregnant, oversensitive body to handle.

You cum with a strangled shriek, and Shouta almost moans at the flood of juices that gush from your trembling cunt onto his waiting tongue. 

“How’s she taste, baby?” Hizashi asks, green eyes blown wide, his own erection straining against his leather pants. 

Shouta doesn’t waste a beat, pushing himself up with one arm and grabbing his husband’s wrist with the other, yanking him into a fierce kiss – letting him taste your honeyed juices on his tongue.

Fingers tangle in dark locks, tugging him closer, and ‘Zashi lets out a low, throaty groan. It’s rough and eager, a slow burning frenzy that makes the blood in his veins sing with excitement. With their lips still locked, the blonde hastily yanks at the zipper on his pants, freeing the painfully hard member with a tight hiss. 

But when he finally does break for air, it’s not Shouta that he addresses, but you, lying spent, crying and breathless between them, beautiful in your fucked out state.

“You can’t expect to put on a show like that and not get me all worked up, sweet thing,” he coos, taking his flushed, throbbing cock in hand and giving it a few slow, cursory pumps. “I’m gonna fuck ya so good, baby – have you singin’ like a little birdie for me,” his eyes meet Shouta’s, a wicked smirk tugging at his lips. “Nothin’ but the best for our cute ‘lil wife. Whaddya say, songbird? Lemme make you feel all nice and special, yeah?”

#yandere bnha #yandere shouta aizawa #yandere hizashi yamada #yandere erasermic #yandere shouta aizawa x reader #yandere hizashi yamada x reader #shouta aizawa x hizashi yamada x reader #tw non con #tw pregnancy #tw breeding kink #tw age gap #oh my god it's like 5am why do i keep doing this to myself

[mystery-star]

Threshold of Space - Chapter 8 Adjusting

Pairing: Spock x OC

Warnings: mentions of death, swearing, mentions of violence

Words: 6757

All Parts: 

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 |  Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know!

Please do not repost my work on other sites or platforms!

-

With a groan she tried to turn around when she heard her alarm clock going off. But she couldn’t move and a second later she found out why; Spock was still holding her in his arms.

“Ha-have you been here all night long?”

“No, I have not been here the whole night. Only since I have come to comfort you after your nightmare because I realized that my presence calms you”

“Oh… Thank you” she whispered and pulled away from him to stretch herself. A part of her just wanted to snuggle up to him again and stay like this all day. Instead she turned off the alarm and crawled out of the bed, heading towards the kitchen with a yawn. She inspected his cupboards to see what kind of food he had. “Spock?” she called “What would you like for breakfast?” he didn’t answer and came to the kitchen instead

“I can take care of my own breakfast”

“I know you can but I know that it is Vulcan custom that the guest prepares the meals, especially breakfast”

“Carissa, you do not have to feel obliged to do so”

“But I want to” he raised an eyebrow

“I doubt you are familiar with the recipe”

“Well I might have used my free time during lunch yesterday to read more about the Vulcan meals that you mentioned the day before at my parents’ because I wanted to cook for or with you during my stay here” for a moment, he was silent then he moved closer and kissed her. She instantly pulled him closer and kissed back, cherishing the feeling since he rarely kissed her like that.

“You never cease to fascinate me” he said softly when they parted.

“That coming from a Vulcan must be one hell of a compliment I guess?”

“It is” he confirmed and leaned his forehead against hers before he let go of her “But allow me to assist you with the preparation of breakfast”

“If you insist”

-oO0Oo-

Spock had finished eating before she did and left the table only to return with a PADD

“As I have promised, I did my best to retrieve your data. However, you will need to verify if everything you need was transferred to this PADD. I would have done it myself but it would have been an invasion of your privacy. Furthermore, I would not have been able to determine if everything is available in any case since I did not know what you had on your previous device”

“That’s fine. Thank you, you’re a gem” she gently squeezed his hand “I promise that I won’t look at your stuff either” she switched it on and entered her password “Huh? My password doesn’t work”

“This is because the password is device-specific”

“Oh right. So what’s the password then?”

“GlQrTbw%xiPeO36Dh7”

“Wait what?” he repeated it “No, Spock change that, there’s no way I can ever remember that”

“But it is a safe password, seeing as it would take a computer 4 quadrillion 528 trillion 200 billion years to ascertain it”

“Uhh Spock…. I don’t think that’s necessary. I mean I doubt the PADD will still be working then… Besides, it’s only school PADD, no one would make such an effort to hack it. And if they manage… well they deserve my essays. Besides, if you leave this password I’ll need to write it down and then they won’t need those four quadrillion years to crack it… Can’t I just use my old password?”

“I recommend you used random letters instead of words”

“Fine… let me think…I guess I’ll just take the first letter of a word from a sentence…” she couldn’t remember random letters, so she’d need an easy way to remember it and suddenly she had an idea. She could just add numbers and a special character “OrtrtaOrtftOrtbtaaitdbt” she said with a grin. “Oh and I guess I could add a percentage sign somewhere and maybe numbers” a frown appeared on his forehead and he was silent for almost a minute, then he raised an eyebrow

“How did you come to know of the inscription of the One Ring in John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s work ‘Lord of the Rings’?”

“What the fuck? How did you figure that out?”

“I have noticed a pattern in your ‘password’ and an analysis revealed that it must be this fictional inscription”

“Wow” she said, utterly impressed “If I ever need to hack a PADD or computer I won’t use a computer. I’ll use you… but I think you’re trying to tell me I should take something else?”

“As I said, your suggestion contains repetitive patterns which you should avoid” she grunted

“Fine, let me think”

-oO0Oo-

Happy with her new password (she doubted her boyfriend liked it because he said it could be cracked in 4.28 years but she promised that she’d get her new PADD in a couple of days anyway) she got ready for Academy and then left the apartment. Nicole was already awaiting her

“Girl, you’re in for a though questioning tonight. I’ve had plenty of time to think of thousands of questions”

“Something tells me that’s a bit exaggerated”

“But one now already: How was your first night at his place? You-you didn’t?”

“Hell no. We’re nowhere that far”

“What’s the furthest you went?”

“Let me put it like this. His hand purposely only went below my waist about two or three times”

“This week or all the time you were together?”

“All the time”

“What about kissing? I mean… you’ve done that, right? And I’ve heard about this thing with the finger kiss”

“Yes we have kissed and the thing with the fingers technically isn’t a kiss. More like handholding for married couples. However, it can be a sort of making out if you move your fingers against each other”

“So did you guys… make out the Vulcan way? How’s that even working?” she raised fore- and middle finger and looked at her

“I’m not showing you and I won’t answer the question”

“Why not?”

“Because it means a lot to Vulcans and I respect that. You wouldn’t show an alien friend how humans make out because they don’t know. If you have a human boyfriend”

“Okay, I get it… but since touching means a lot to them, doesn’t he get jealous when… I don’t know, human boys touch you in a friendship-like manner or shake hands with you?”

“We’ve had a talk about this and he said that he had to accept the fact that humans are like that. But I have the feeling that he’s not entirely pleased about it”

“Did you guys ever fight?”

“We had… disagreements but it never really ended in a fight. Because you need negative emotions on both sides for that, like Bennett said.”

“Oh right” the teacher arrived and they entered the classroom. Carissa used the couple of minutes she had left to check her messages. She had gotten three other invitations to interviews for her traineeship and Starfleet Command requested her to let them know once she had a new PADD. By the time the lesson started, she had answered everything important and somehow it felt as if the incidents from a few days ago had not happened. At least not what concerned her education.

-oO0Oo-

Starfleet Command had answered and asked her to see them after she was done with classes for the day. Nicole seemed surprised and a little disappointed because she thought they’d had to postpone their talk about Carissa’s relationship. The brunette had no idea what she preferred, the meeting with Fleet Command or being pumped about her boyfriend. Probably the latter because that was less formal and she could leave or tell her friend to stop if she didn’t like it. On the other hand, she was curious to find out what exactly the Command wanted from her but she had a feeling it had to do with her report about the mission.

After she promised to meet Nicole in the library when the meeting was over, Carissa left the Academy. As it seemed, she was already awaited by three members of Starfleet Command.

“Cadet Wiley, we are glad you could make it”

“Sorry if I’m late, Sir”

“No, you are not” he gave her a sympathetic nod “Alright, let’s begin. Firstly, we want to express our sympathy that you were involved in these events”

“It’s okay. I mean… no one could have known what would happen” she got told that they needed her to write a report because so far they only had one side of the story, the logs and reports of the Enterprise.

“Unfortunately, there were no log entries from the USS Vengeance because Admiral Marcus has died before he had the chance to do so. The rest of the crew was killed when the ship crashed, leaving you as the only survivor of the crew”

“I understand. But I don’t remember everything that has happened and uh… I was getting hysteric towards the end so I don’t know how objective I can write this report”

“We know that you are only a Cadet and were absolutely not prepared to file a report, so we know that we probably will never know everything that has happened, but anything you can tell us will be a help. We have decided that it would not be fair to let you do this alone”

“That’s great. Thank you. Who will be helping me?”

“Since we don’t want too many people knowing the truth before we know everything, we deemed it best if you work together with someone who was involved into the whole matter. The Enterprise’s First Officer, Commander Spock, has agreed to assist you” she couldn’t help but smile “Unfortunately he couldn’t make it today but he has assured us that you know a way to make contact with him”

“Yes, I do” she had to bite back a grin

“Very well. Is there something else you need to know?”

“Uhm… it doesn’t actually have to do with the report but something else… I don’t know if you know what I mean but at some point during this mission, I have called you, Starfleet Command, for help when Admiral Marcus ordered to destroy the Enterprise… will-will I be in trouble because of that?”

“We cannot say this for sure now, since we can only decide the next steps after we have all the facts - in other words, your report. But I believe there won’t be any consequences for you because I doubt that anyone will officially accuse you for what you did. It can happen, however, that this incident of arbitrary act is mentioned in your file”

“Which is not as bad as it sounds because for all we know you were under stress and fear when you did it and you only wanted to do what seemed right, so maybe it could even turn out to be a positive note” before she left, they reminded her to keep this a secret until they made the information of Admiral Marcus’ act of treason public. Feeling happier than before, Carissa left the office and returned to the Academy to meet Nicole.

-oO0Oo-

“Alright” Nicole said, after they had found a quiet spot for themselves “I’m dying to know how you two met. I mean sure, you met in class, but you must have met outside class at some point”

“Ah yes…” she chuckled “Oliver and his homies were waiting for me somewhere and well… did as they always do. I tried to remain calm what seemed to upset them and finally they threatened me with violence. I only told them that this surely was against Academy regulations and then I suddenly heard someone behind me citing the whole article about violence against others from the Academy regulations, as well as the consequences”

“Let me guess, that someone was Spock?”

“Who else?” she giggled “I’m sure Spock’s lectured them for over ten minutes while I tried to hold back a smirk. Oliver and his friends left with a warning. Then he asked me if I was alright or if it didn’t keep at the threat. Before he left he told me that I should let him know if they bothered me again”

“Okay, I must admit that is incredibly cute. But go on”

“Well that was our first contact outside class”

“And how did your story continue?”

“As you know me, I was lagging far behind in his lessons so I once decided to do some catch up work and spent hours in the library, reading more about the topic”

“I think I remember that…”

“Yeah and in the end I felt like I wasn’t any better so I had no choice but to go and ask him after a lesson. That is how I learned that I had been looking at stuff that was too advanced and that the Academy curriculum wouldn’t even cover that. He offered me tutoring instead and we were a group of three cadets who were in his office that day. The others left and for some stupid reason I was dallying because I hoped to have a moment alone with him because yes, I already had a thing for him back then. But then my mom called me and you know how that can go so luckily he left the room but I’m quite sure he heard most of it.”

“Shit, I can imagine that” she grimaced “And then?”

“Well when I was done, he came back and I apologized. He said it was okay and that it was good that I have a close relationship to my family. Then I asked how his was and well… then I realized he’s Vulcan and started stuttering stuff that Vulcans maybe are different then I saw that I was rude and all yeah. But he wasn’t offended at all and explained me everything. He told me of his parents and that is how I learned that he’s only Half Vulcan”

“What? I thought that was just a rumor”

“No, it’s true, his mother is… was human”

“Well I guess that’s better for you, I mean maybe that allows him to show emotion better”

“Maybe. At least this is the reason he is even here and did not stay on Vulcan. Besides, most of them think lesser of humans and in return we’re not overly fond of Vulcans…”

“I don’t mean offense but to a part I understand that… after all Vulcans sometimes tend to brag with their intellect and superiority”

“I know. Spock sometimes does that too but he assured me that there’s no ill intention behind it or that he means to humiliate someone. He said he’s merely pointing out facts or observations. And I mean it is true, Vulcans are more intelligent than we and can do certain things better”

“Yeah. But let’s put that aside… how did your story continue?”

“Right. Before I had to leave because there was something he needed to do, he asked me if Oliver and his friends had bullied me again and if he could do something against it. Because he had heard about the rumors they were spreading about me… you know, teacher’s pet and all”

“And what did you say?”

“I told him not to worry about it and that I could handle it myself. And well, then I left”

“Oh come on, don’t make me ask you everything, just tell me how you got together”

“Okay, alright. It started on the day we had this exam task to repair a shuttlecraft in engineering class”

“The one you almost got electrocuted because of that idiot?”

“Exactly. Well, that happened because he thought he could turn on the power without telling me, while I was working on some cables inside the shuttle and yeah. Luckily, I was working on my PADD right in that moment because otherwise I’d be dead… You know that part already. Then one of the examiners came to us to inquire what happened and held him a lecture about communication and consideration”

“That was Spock, right I’ve seen him there…”

“Exactly. But as you know, I was brought to the sickbay where a first year cadet who was about to do his test, misunderstood electroshock for a normal, psychic shock and gave me a tranquilizer or something. I mean it was exam time so it wasn’t even that wrong that this was the first thing he could think of. Anyways, later that day Spock came to give me back my PADD which he needed to repair because the electric shock that hit me also affected my PADD. And well, I was drugged with a tranquilizer I didn’t need so I started talking shit. No idea what exactly but I must have told him he was cute and how much I liked him and that he’s so caring and all…”

“Well shit”

“So the next day, when I was my normal self again, I was so, so embarrassed that I had to go to him and apologize. I planned to lie and say that I had no idea why I was saying that. Let’s just say he didn’t even let me come that far because he admitted that he too was ‘experiencing likewise’ and all. So uh that was really awkward for me and I suggested we could forget that and continue as if nothing had happened. Then he held me this speech that it would be highly illogical to do so because we both know that we are in love with each other and well… asked me to I was okay if we started a relationship. But I wasn’t happy, I mean him being a professor and all but then he assured me that this would not make a difference and that we just couldn’t talk about anything that had to do with my education and then there would be no reason to fear… he also assured me that he wouldn’t give me preferential treatment and after I asked for some time to consider it, I agreed”

“Oh okay I see. Maybe it was good that cadet gave you the wrong hypo or else you wouldn’t have told him”

“Yeah I guess so”

“Okay, now I want details. Has he ever taken you out on dates?”

“No, we’ve almost only met in his office and a few times in our dorm when you were away. I mean when you were not in San Francisco because we didn’t want to be caught at any cost. That’s also why we never went out”

“Sneaky. Well, you definitely managed to keep it a secret though”

“You really never suspected I have a boyfriend?”

“Sometimes I did… but I thought you would have told me if you ever get one. So when you told me that you broke up, a part of me was mad at you that you didn’t tell me before or who it was. But now I understand. Although I wouldn’t have judged you for being with a Professor. Oh shit, I just realized how disturbing it must have been for you that Oliver and co. were always hinting you had something going on with Bennett”

“To be honest… that didn’t even bother me too much because I knew they were wrong and I had someone better”

“But how-how is it even like to be with a Vulcan? I mean he certainly doesn’t tell you ‘I love you’ all the time”

“In fact he never said it. And you’re right, he generally doesn’t talk much about his feelings, only when it is really important. But he assured me that he cares deeply about me and all until he’d tell me otherwise. So I just need to remember that when I feel like he doesn’t love me anymore. But oh, you should see how sweet he can be. For example, last night I was having nightmares and he stayed with me all night after that and held me in his arms because he knew it comforted me”

“You mean he stayed awake for you?”

“Oh he planned to do that anyway… because I had his bed and he had nowhere else to sleep”

“Okay, if that isn’t love I don’t know. Damn, Cassie, you gotta keep that man”

“That’s what I’m planning to do”

“But how is it like to spend time with him? What do you do?”

“We talk a lot, or play chess or just sit close to each other and he corrected essays while I was doing homework”

“How about touching, cuddling and all?”

“Well, most of it comes from me, I squeeze his arm, hug him or kiss his cheek or whatever. Sometimes he does something in return, like taking my hand in his or hug back. I know this is something that is not usual for Vulcans so it means a lot to me as well when he does that” she giggled “But there are times where he takes the lead, which usually only happens when he would be thrilled by human standards”

“That doesn’t sound too bad, I guess. But don’t you fear he’d leave you for a Vulcan girl one day?”

“We have talked about this shortly and he said that the only reason he’d come together with one was to… well… have a child now that Vulcans are endangered and all”

“And what about you? Could you imagine a whole life with him? I mean there’s probably so much you’d have to give a miss”

“I haven’t really thought about it in the long term but right now I don’t need more. And I can see he’s opening up more and more. At the beginning everything was so awkward and we both didn’t know what to talk and all… now it just comes naturally and yeah. It’s good that Vulcans are quite direct so he tells me when there’s something he doesn’t like, which is why I sometimes just try out stuff like touching him and if he doesn’t react it means he’s fine but when he protests I stop. And we’ve gotten quite good at reading each other and sometimes I am able to know what he’s feeling, well not exactly feeling but you know what I mean”

“How’s that possible? I mean he’s always got this pokerface mien”

“Well, it’s not just about what his mien shows. Because that are only tiny, tiny muscle movements that you’ll miss when you blink in the wrong moment. You also need to think a little, like when someone tells him bad news it’s obvious that this will bother him somehow. However, there is something he often does; raising an eyebrow”

“Ah yes, I know that from the lessons”

“Yes and I’m an expert at reading it. Usually. Sometimes it means something like ‘are you sure?’ but it can also mean something like ‘holy shit’ or ‘what the fuck?’ Or the classic one I get whenever I make a joke ‘Really? Are you serious?’” Nicole chuckled

“Well I was able to see that there are different heights he raises them. But I couldn’t figure out what they mean. Something negative, I thought because that was usual when someone gave a stupid reply”

“Yeah. But it mostly a positive response when I’m around”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Who’d feel positive about having you around?” she nudged her side.

“Good I’ll leave” she pretended to pout.

“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it Cassie, will you forgive me?”

“Only if you’re nice” she crossed her arms like a toddler

“I promise”

“Okay” she grinned

“But why again did you two break up?”

“Oh right, that is a longer story” she told her friend about her first mission and Nero and the real reason Nero captured her

“And well so he concluded that I would get into danger when I am with him so he decided it is better if we break up”

“Hm well… it kinda makes sense. But that last time you didn’t even need him. I mean, a few days ago”

“Actually… there’s more behind it. But I can’t tell you yet because it wasn’t made official. However, me almost dying and the fact that I wasn’t really safe showed him that he actually wanted to be with me”

“And so he asked you to give him a second chance…”

“Yup. And you know the rest already”

“Apart from what exactly happened when you were on the Vengeance. But you can’t tell me now, I know you also need time to digest it”

“Well… actually I need to file a report for Starfleet Command because I’m the only survivor of the Vengeance”

“An official report?”

“Yes I know. But I’ll get help” she said with a smile.

“That’s good. Oh God, Cassie, I’m happy for you. I mean everything with Spock. And I’m looking forward to meeting him tomorrow”

“Yeah that will be interesting”

“Luckily you’ve told me everything now, so I won’t ask embarrassing questions”

“Believe me, you’ll still do that”

“Just shut up you…” she raised her fist

“Okay, now I’ve told you everything about my love-life. Your turn now. Anyone you fancy?”

-oO0Oo-

She was at the apartment before her boyfriend and decided to try out a new Vulcan meal until he arrived. While cooking, she played some music and sang to it, which was the situation to which Spock returned. He commented the scene with a raise of his eyebrow at what Carissa chuckled.

“Do you want me to turn it off?” she said, pointing at the source of the music.

“No there is no reason to do so”

“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind”

“Are you preparing another meal?”

“No, I’m running an experiment to see at which heat your pans melt”

“This experiment cannot succeed under this circumstances as my stove will never provide enough heat for the cooking utensils to reach their boiling point” she giggled

“Wow, I’m joking about melting your pans and you react that casual?”

“There is no need for concern since I know that what you were planning to do is not possible”

“Well, okay. Logic and knowledge save the day again…”

“If you are not conducting an experiment I conclude that you must indeed be cooking”

“Yup. And you’re not helping this time” he raised an eyebrow before Carissa ushered him out of the kitchen.

-oO0Oo-

After dinner, Carissa worked on her homework while her boyfriend seemed to be working on something on his PADD. After a while, she got up and dragged her chair next to his and sat down only a feet apart. He looked up and glanced at her then focused on his work again. Somehow a part of her believed that there was a flash of joy in his mien. She was sure that they’d get to know each other even better in the time they lived together and she knew this would also have an impact on their relationship.

“I hope you do not mind me working and not spending time with you instead” he suddenly said

“No, it’s fine. I should do some homework anyway. After all I’ll also have to write this report. Thanks by the way, for offering me help. I don’t think I could do it alone”

“This is what I have been thinking as well and come to the conclusion that it would be logical if I helped you, seeing as I was responsible for our report because of the Captain’s death”

“Speaking of the Captain… do you have any idea when he’ll wake up?”

“It is not possible to determine when all cells will be regenerated so Doctor McCoy decided it is better to have him in an induced coma for two weeks”

“Okay” she gave a quick nod, then focused on her essay again.

-oO0Oo-

The following evening, Carissa decided to take care of the report because she wanted to hand it in as soon as possible, so that everything was over quicker. She tried to do it as far as she could so that she then could ask for Spock’s help for the parts she wasn’t sure. Although he had offered her help, she still feared she could bother him with her questions. Even when he assured her again that he didn’t mind she wasn’t too sure.

“Okay anyway… uh… shortly after we got onto the bridge I had a look around and so I missed what Marcus was talking to one of the helmsmen. It may have been important but I can’t say what it was. Do you think I should just leave it out?”

“That would not be advantageous”

“But I can’t write ‘I didn’t pay attention to their conversation’ or something like that”

“Did you have the feeling that the Admiral has not wanted everyone on the bridge to know about the topic of their conversation?”

“Maybe. They were talking quietly, now that I remember…”

“Then I suggest you write that he was engaged in a private conversation with his helmsman”

“That sounds good” she did so with a grin “Then, there’s this part where I wasn’t on the bridge because Admiral Marcus ordered to have me locked up. You know, at around the time I contacted you and when I went to see Jim and Scotty with Khan. Shall I write what happened to me in the time I was away?”

“In this case you would need to make a short notice that you have been led off the bridge earlier. But I would not recommend giving too many details about the incidents you have experienced while you were not on the bridge”

“So you think I should make a note that I was off the bridge and… I don’t know sum up that Jim, Scotty and Khan got onto the ship and came to the bridge?”

“Technically, Mr Scott had been on the ship ever since its departure, but I believe your suggestion is appropriate”

“Okay” she made a note that she could write this later on to ask her last question “And when we got onto the bridge, well Marcus and Jim had a discussion and I guess I’ve got most of it. But somehow I can’t remember what else happened. Sure, Khan knocked us all down and… I think he was the one who killed the Admiral. But I honestly can’t tell if something else has happened. Do you think this is because he hit my head against the chair before my brain could transfer the information to my long term memory?”

“That is exactly my thinking” he looked at her “I can understand this must be hard for you but there may be a way for me to find out if your memory is fragmentary or if you have merely repressed them” he raised his hand and she understood what he had in mind “Unless you are not able or willing to relive these moments” she swallowed

“This is important. Maybe Marcus has said something very important. If there’s a chance you can find out more…”

“Carissa, you are not obliged to do this. The Captain, Mr Scott or Lieutenant Marcus will be inquired about the incidents in either case. Moreover, if there should be any repressed memory you had a reason to suppress it and I cannot be the reason that it is brought back to the surface before you are ready”

“Spock” she said, placing a hand on his face “I know you’re concerned about me but Starfleet Command made me responsible for this report so I have to do this” he gave a nod

“Then please try to think of the events on the bridge” she closed her eyes and did as he said, when she felt his fingers on her face and seconds later she had the feeling to actually be back on the Vengeance. And relived the moments. Had it been any other moment of her life, she probably would have found it amazing. Obviously Spock had found something because she couldn’t remember that Khan had threatened Jim and Scotty to kill her if they didn’t drop their weapons. But that wasn’t even the worst part, she felt like she was about to vomit when she heard the cracking of Marcus’ skull again. Luckily Spock broke the connection seconds later when Khan hailed the Enterprise again. Carissa felt tears in her eyes and for some reason she tried to turn around but her boyfriend was quicker and pulled her against him, apologizing for what he did.

“It’s fine. I just need a moment… it felt so real”

“I know it did and I could sense your emotions of this moments as well”

“But did you find anything?”

“No, it does not seem as if you have memory gaps and I also could not find anything that you had repressed”

“What about the moment Khan took me hostage to threaten the others? I mean I couldn’t remember it before”

“This was not a repressed memory, you have only been unable to retrieve it at the moment, but I could”

“Oh okay. Do you think I need to write that? I mean it’s the explanation why Jim and Scotty couldn’t overpower Khan”

“I think it would be wise to mention it” she nodded “as for the last part, the one where Khan has been talking to you… I somehow don’t remember much of it but I guess that won’t matter because you must have mentioned that in your report already?”

“Correct. If you are unsure which phrasing you should use to describe your circumstances I am willing to help”

-oO0Oo-

Somehow Carissa had gotten used to living with her boyfriend and somehow she hoped the Academy had longer to rebuild new dorms towers. After all she had realized how much their relationship had progressed in the past days. It wouldn’t have been much for a relationship with a human but it filled her with joy that Spock had developed the habit to kiss her goodbye before he left in the morning. Plus, their evenings weren’t just filled with both of them working on their own projects but talking or games as well. Much to Carissa’s delight he allowed her to sit on his lap and snuggle against him. Of course he didn’t always pay much attention to her since he was often working on his PADD but she didn’t mind.

Almost two weeks after the incidents on the Vengeance Jim was woken from his coma. Since it was on her free day, she asked Spock if he’d take her with him and to her surprise he agreed. They met Doctor McCoy in front of Jim’s room

“Oh there is my second Jesus” he said with a grin as recognized Carissa

“I wasn’t actually dead. Only clinically”

“Yeah but you were that close to dead-dead” he held his forefinger and thumb half an inch apart.

“Well thanks I you I wasn’t. And I doubt ‘dead-dead’ is a correct medical term”

“Damn it, being with the hobgoblin made you almost as insufferable as him”

“How-how did you know?” she looked to her boyfriend

“I’m not blind, Carissa, I saw the way he held and looked at you he was in the Sick Bay when we thought we’d lose you. I’ve never seen him like that before and I doubt I ever will again” Carissa glanced at Spock again “So you guys do whatever you want, no reason to keep it a secret from me anymore”

“Thanks” Carissa said, not really knowing how she should feel about him knowing.

“Oh and besides, now that you’re already here, I’d like to check you up real quick to make sure you’re not getting any kind of consequential damage”

“Okay” she agreed with a shrug and they entered the room. It took Jim about half an hour before he finally woke up but like her, he didn’t seem like someone who had been severely injured, respectively dead. Although, as McCoy explained he was weak because he had been in a coma and only gotten an infusion during that time. After a short conversation with her boyfriend, Jim turned to Carissa

“Glad you made it too”

“Well when they already were reviving you they did the same to me, logically” she replied with a shrug

“Luckily. I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my career with a gloomy Vulcan as my First Officer” Spock only raised an eyebrow and Carissa chuckled “Even though you’re not talking to each other right now” he tried to sit up, making the Doctor protest “Oh leave it Bones, you said it yourself, I was barely dead” he pushed his hand away and sat up, for what he eventually needed his friend’s help anyway. “But I’ve got to use my second chance and play Cupid” he smiled at the brunette “He still loves you that is for sure. You should have seen him after Admiral Marcus wanted to beam you onto the Enterprise”

“Captain, I do not think that Carissa should…”

“Oh yes, I think she should know” he smirked and turned back at Carissa “He seemed like a hysterical hen and grabbed my arm, almost shouting at me to tell him what Marcus was gonna do, beam you onto the Enterprise or not”

“I did not ‘grab’ your arm, I merely made physical contact with it. Moreover, a Vulcan would never shout”

“Well okay, but you were upset that could be heard in your voice” he winked at Carissa who let out a giggle “Or you should have seen him wince after Khan banged your head against that chair. There was terror in his eyes for almost a second before he caught himself”

“Captain, I appreciate your help concerning my relationship but I have to inform you that your attempt is belated”

“What? Belated? Does that mean you’re together again? Why didn’t you tell me straightaway?”

“What’s that supposed to mean, together again? You have been together before and broke up?”

“I would rather not discuss that here and now” Spock said

“Fine, I’ll just ask Carissa when I’m examining her” she glanced at Spock who agreed with a nod. “Ah wow, that’s typical. Let’s let the woman do the talking, huh?” again her boyfriend raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

-oO0Oo-

Much to her surprise Spock waited for her until she was done with her examination and McCoy’s questioning.

“I’ve wanted to ask you this ever since you made that deal with Khan, to give him back his torpedoes” she told him on their way home “How could you be so sure he would betray you, I mean according to McCoy you pulled quite a stunt with removing Khan’s people from the torpedoes and arming them… that could have gone terribly wrong”

“It only seemed logical that he would try to get his crew back, which was something I could not allow. Besides, I have had help, the idea was not entirely my own”

“Who?”

“Mr Spock”

“You mean your future self?” she shrugged “I believe he told you that he would not help you”

“Indeed he did”

“So this means he must have met Khan too in his life?”

“That is correct. He described him as the most dangerous enemy he has ever faced” suddenly it hit her. She remembered why she had thought to have heard Khan’s name before.

“I think I know why he helped you” he raised an eyebrow in surprise “You know, that day I met him after Vulcan’s destruction, he has told me a bit about me. I mean the Carissa in his timeline. And he told me that Khan was responsible for… my death” she glanced at him and could see him swallow.

“He has informed me that the costs of his defeat were high but I would not have expected him to be affected personally by this”

“And that’s not all” she said “At the time the other Carissa died, she was pregnant” it was obvious that he didn’t like that information either

“He did not tell me about this”

“Probably because he knew it could distract you” her boyfriend agreed and it was obvious that he didn’t like the topic. If she was honest, she understood why, and didn’t feel too comfortable either. As if he needed to assure himself she was here, he took hold of her hand for the rest of the way.

-

Next Chapter

#star trek #Star Trek Fanfiction #fanfiction #spock #spock fanfiction #spock x oc

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

I seem to have lost the ask where someone requested an Umbrella Academy AU, but anyway here goes.

They’re different from what Jake was expecting, and yet in many ways they’re just the same.  Marco’s still tight-lipped and wild-eyed, a few new tattoos and several new track marks not changing his swagger or his smile.  Cassie’s the only one who thought to wear black, but then she’s always preferred clothing that’s easy to match.  Jake realizes after a second that he’s waiting still for someone else, and yet that’s it.  That’s all that’s left of them these days.  Rachel’s dead.  Five is... gone, probably for good.  Tobias was probably never going to show.  There’s only three of them, where once there were six.  They’re orphans, now, or maybe they always were.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Tobias?” Cassie asks, as they sit and stare at the urn of their father’s ashes.  “Just to make sure we’re all here?”  Imploring, she looks at Mom.

Grace shifts slightly, servos whirring.  “Your father’s will didn’t specifically mention Tobias.”

Marco sighs loudly.  “Of course not.  Did anyone even call him, let him know that the old bastard kicked it?”  He turns his head, looking at apparent thin air.  “Yeah, okay.”  He turns back to Jake and Cassie.  “Rachel’s with me, that we should wait.  See if he shows.”

Jake shrugs.  Their whole lives, Tobias seemed kind of... aloof.  Distant.  Stuck halfway out of their world, cast into the shadows.  And then Five disappeared, and Rachel died, and it was like his last links to this family had been severed.  Might as well run off.  Might as well get rich off a tell-all that spilled their most personal selves across the page: Cassie’s desperation for love and connection, Marco’s endless self-loathing chatter, Jake’s single-minded devotion, Rachel’s petty tyranny, Five’s wandering between times and selves and states of existence.

“Alternately, we could just have Big Jake chuck Dad in the ground before fucking back off to space,” Marco suggests.  “After all, Number One’s the only one the old coot ever really liked —”

“Marco.”  Cassie’s voice is quiet but severe.  “He’s been dead two days.  A little respect wouldn’t be the worst thing, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, like being dead is an accomplishment.”  Marco’s head snaps around.  “Well ex-cuuuuse me.  We’ll just have to get you a medal then.”

Jake feels his mouth tighten.  Marco claims to talk to Rachel.  Too bad for all of them that Marco’s always been so damn good at bullshitting, because now there’s really no saying what the truth is.

Jake hopes—  He wants—  He wants what’ll make Rachel happy, whatever that might look like now.

Cassie smiles.  “Thanks, Rachel.  Let’s wait for Tobias.”

Jake’s about to agree when a fucking portal opens in the middle of the backyard and spits a thirteen-year-old version of Number Five onto the lawn.

Jake perches gingerly on the edge of Number Five’s bed; the frame groans but holds.  Watching Five teleport around the room, eating and talking and packing all at once, dressed like that, looking like he does... It’s a discomfiting echo of an earlier time.  Before Cassie ran away.  Before Rachel’s career blew up, and then her trailer did as well.  Before Tobias became so quiet, and Marco got so loud.

Jake clears his throat.  “Five...”

Five swallows a wad of marshmallow and peanut butter.  “Ax.  At the Commission they called me Ax, and I know how you feel about titles and codenames.”

Weird name.  Violent.  “Ax, then,” Jake says.  “When you say that the world’s ending in six days...”

Ax clips a sickle to his belt.  “Six of your days, yes.”  With no further explanation, he disappears with a faint whoosh of air.

Cassie knows who it is from the unsteady rattle of the knock, even before she opens the door a crack.  Marco’s in a bad way today, pale and sweating with the darting gaze that tells her he’s seeing people that the rest of them can’t perceive.  “Hi,” she says softly, and then, “One sec.”

She shuts the door, hurrying through the one-room apartment to shove everything not bolted down — combat knives and scalpels, syringes and knick-knacks — into the lockbox under her bed.  Marco’s her brother and she’ll take him in no matter what, but that doesn’t mean she’ll tolerate her stuff getting stolen.  He might be (might be) clean now, but it never lasts.

Marco has to know what she’s doing, but he doesn’t comment when she lets him in.  Instead he smiles at her, soft and wavering, and says “How’s fighting the good fight these days?”

Coming from him, the question is just a little bit sarcastic, just a little bit mean.  Cassie’s not a real cop, not a real anything.  Even vet tech school wouldn’t have her, given her nonexistent formal education, so it’s just as well that she doesn’t mind cleaning the humane shelter’s cages and exercising its dogs in exchange for the apartment upstairs and enough cash to keep her alive.

“Detective Patch told me just the other day that she appreciates my help, thank you for asking,” Cassie says.

Marco raises his eyebrows, smirking.  “So you two…?”

“Still broken up, and we’re both happier that way.”  Eager to change the subject, Cassie shifts away to sit on the bed.  “How���s…?”  They don’t talk about Rachel.  It discomfits them all, especially Rachel.  “Any luck with Dad?” she says instead.

Marco purses his lips.  “So far so good.”  Meaning no word.  “If I ever do hear from him, I’ll be sure to tell him that at least his Numbers Two and One are doing him proud.”

That one was definitely sarcastic, definitely mean.  Cassie stands to walk across the room rather than answering.  She opens the mini-fridge next to the stairs, setting aside a tray of frozen feeder mice to find a can of soda that she brings back to Marco.

“Have you ever considered that maybe using my powers isn’t about Dad?” she says at last.  “That maybe I do it for me, or for Patch, or, I don’t know, for the people I can help by actually using the things we learned?”

Marco turns the can over in his hands, frowning.  Caffeine’s the strongest drug he’s going to get on these premises, which makes Cassie like to think that he comes for the company.  “And Jake?  Why’s he still keeping calm and carrying on, all the way to the moon and back?”

“Jake…”  Cassie sits across from him.  Jake never learned to put what he has to other uses, the way she learned to use her knives for good or Rachel turned her skillful voice toward a surprisingly lucrative film career.  “Jake doesn’t know what else to do, I think sometimes.  Not that any of us do, really.”

It’s not Marco’s fault.  He is the way he is because of their dad.  Because of his power.  Because he was, like Jake, never given another way out.  “Hush, you,” he says to someone that Cassie cannot hear.  “That’s bullshit and you know it.”

“Is that Rachel’s... um.”  Jake stalls midsentence, apparently for lack of a word for the garment that Marco is currently wearing.

“Don’t worry, I got her permission to borrow it.”  Marco flicks a handful of fringe at Jake.  “She’d eviscerate me if I didn’t.”

“Anyway, the end of the world,” Ax says.  “Whirrrrl-ed.  Huh.”  He’s two margaritas deep already and seems to have overestimated his own tolerance.  He’s always been a hedonist, but Cassie is worried to see that this adult version has switched from pastries to hard liquor.  “I bought us some time, three of your days, but we need to find Taylor Preston and kill her before she does...”  He giggles.  “Something bad.  I couldn’t get any details about what, exactly.”

“What?”  Marco looks at presumably-Rachel.  “No, no one bothered to call Tobias.  This is superhero crap, not the usual family drama.”

“So this Taylor person causes the end of the world,” Jake says.  “But she’s innocent.  We can’t kill her for something she didn’t do.”

“All of you will die if we don’t find her in time,” Ax says.  “And the rest of the world too, including Taylor.”

“Rachel says she’s so very glad to hear the Commission got to you so thoroughly, Ax.”  Marco traces his own lifeline between the lines of one tattoo, not bothering to look up at them.

“Let’s find Taylor, and try and talk to her.”  Cassie glances around at them all.  “It’s a start anyway.”

“Very well.”  Ax pushes to his feet, staggering slightly.  “And if it’s not too much trouble, I would like someone to call Tobias in.  I...”  For the first time, he looks just the tiniest bit vulnerable.  “I would like to see him one more time, if this is to be the end.”

“You’re quiet,” Jake comments.  It’s true; he’s barely heard a word out of Marco all afternoon.  Normally there’s no shutting him up.  Marco doesn’t answer, opting to continue to stare out the window and clutch at whichever pendant he’s wearing around his neck today.

Jake tries again.  “Marco.  You all right?”

Slowly Marco turns, hand clenched around his necklace.  He takes a second to orient to Jake’s face.  “You ever been to South Vietnam?” he asks at last.

“Um, no,” Jake says.

Marco smiles sadly.  “Spaceboy’s been to two planets, four satellites, and zero Vietnams.  Should’ve known.”

“I think there’s only the one,” Jake says.  Presumably, this is all heading toward a point.  “Is it... nice, there?”

“Course not.  Full of dead Americans.”  Marco turns back to the window.  “Actually, that’s probably not true anymore.  They tend to, uh, disperse?  I guess.  After a while.  And there’s only one now.  Any idea which one survived?”

Jake takes a breath, letting it out slowly.  He loves Marco, he does, but there are also times when he needs Cassie around to translate the.. Séance-ness.  “Which... Vietnam?”

“I guess it doesn’t matter now.  Fucking everybody lost that war, huh?”

“I just wish you’d tell me what’s wrong,” Jake blurts.

“What’s wrong?”  Marco spins, grinning suddenly.  “What’s wrong is that the world’s ending in less than a week, little bro, and you haven’t even lived yet!”  He releases the necklace to clap his hands, rubbing his palms together.  “I mean, have you ever even had alcohol?  Ever ever?”

“‘Little bro?’” Jake says, dodging the real question.

“I’m the second oldest now, time travel’s a bitch, what’s important is that you —”  He pokes Jake in the chest.  “Have got to get your jacket and your car keys, Goody Two Shoes, because we are hitting the bars now before the apocalypse catches us.”

“Can’t we just, like, raid Dad’s liquor cabinet?”

“Sadly, Ax got there first.  And judging by what he did to the coffee, the peanut butter, and the corn syrup — straight from the bottle! — there’s going to be slim pickings left for you and me.  Nope, we are headed to a bar, we’re going to get you, hmmm, six or seven Long Island Iced Teas should probably take the edge off even for a thicc bod like yours, and if you’re feeling some pot or some E later on tonight, then who am I to stop you.”

Well, Jake figures as he heads for his coat, at least Marco’s talking again.  That’s something.

“Just like... old times... huh?”  Marco pants, struggling for breath.  Ax is not sure if Marco’s addressing him or Tobias or someone already dead.  He’s too busy grabbing more pool balls off the table to reload where Cassie’s chucking them around the corner.  The Commission sent several dozen of their best this time, and Ax would be honored if he wasn’t so terrified for his whole family.

“Ax, take Tobias and run for it!” Jake calls from the next room over.  There’s an unpleasant wet tearing sound of him separating one or more limbs from someone’s torso by force.  “You two are no good to us here!”

“Yep,” Tobias says, mouth pressed in a grim line.  “Just like old times.”

Cassie swipes the back of one hand across her nose, grimacing when it comes away wet with blood.  “You know... he didn’t mean...”  She whips around, hurling an eight ball that impacts someone’s skull with a thunk.

“Where’s Marco?” Tobias says.

Ax looks around wildly, but he’s gone.  Taken, or worse.

Bullets chew the wood above their heads, showering them with splinters.  The assassins are gaining ground.  Cassie and Ax aren’t enough to hold them back.

There are too many of them.  There are simply too many.  They can’t win this fight, not with only the five — or four — of them, not when Tobias can’t do much of anything to help...

“Go, and I’ll hold them off!” Jake shouts, because of course he does.  “Just get out of here, all of you, and I’ll —”

There’s a wall-rattling thud as he goes down.  Ax pops out there, pops back immediately; there’s no way in hell he can lift Jake, not in this child’s body.  Better to draw as much of the fire away from him as possible, and then... and then...

They’re pinned down.  Underequipped.  Outnumbered.  Maybe they’re all going to end up like Rachel, and if Marco’s still alive out there somewhere then they’ll spend the rest of eternity yammering away at him from the beyond.

Which is when the Manor’s intercom crackles to life.

“I heard a rumor,” says a strangely doubled voice that is both Marco’s and not, “that you all stopped fighting and instead talked about your feelings like actual goddamn adults.”

Things get a little fuzzy after that, but the next thing Ax knows he’s sitting in a circle on the floor with the rest of his siblings.  All of them.  Rachel’s sitting there, translucent and flickering and weirdly synchronized with Marco’s movements, but he can see her, he can hear her, and...

“...I think what I really wanted, deep down, was the chance just to be a decent person,” Jake’s saying, tears in his eyes.  “Not a hero.  Not an explorer.  Just a guy who could get through the day and do the right thing without all this goddamn responsibility.”

All of the Commission assassins — who have formed a circle of their own, a little away from the Hargreeveses — break into murmurs of agreement.

“Ax?” Rachel says.

She heard a rumor that he’d talk about his feelings, which is why Ax feels an enormous rush of relief to let it out.  “I always wanted to live up to your expectations,” he tells Jake.  He turns to Rachel.  “And I wanted to be closer to you.”  To Marco.  “And I always thought it was a load of crap that Dad put so much pressure on you, but I can see now that I was too caught up in my own rebellion to support yours.”  To Cassie.  “You were right about Mom.”

Last he turns to Tobias.  “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had,” he says.  “You mean more to me than I know how to express, and what you have, who you are... That’s more than any superpower will ever be.”

Tobias swallows hard.  He nods once, apparently not trusting his own voice.

“My turn,” Rachel says.  “Because I have some feelings about what it’s been like watching you all beat yourselves and each other up for all of these years.  You’re all so stupid.  You’re self-centered and stubborn and... and I love you pack of losers so much.”  She sighs, settling halfway into the carpet.

“There’s a comet.”

They all turn to look at Tobias, who quails a little under the sudden attention.  Rachel reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder.  Ax rubs their knees together.

“There’s a comet,” Tobias says, gathering strength.  “It’s going to hit the Earth tomorrow.  The whole planet will be knocked off axis and all life will be annihilated in a matter of hours.”

Jake frowns.  “But we know about this.  The government space program attached a bomb to a rover...”

“And I disabled it.”

They all gape at Tobias.

“How?” Rachel says.

“I, uh.”  Tobias holds up a hand.  “I can’t really control it that well, but...”  He snaps his fingers.

Rain falls steadily.  They’re inside.  It’s a sunny day.  But Ax’s hair is getting wet, his skin is cold with the slickness of it, and there are even clouds overhead.

Jake scrambles to his feet, mouth open in shock.

“Yeah.”  Tobias shrugs.  The rain disappears.  “I can change reality sometimes.  And I just figured it was time, y’know?  Like humans have been around long enough, and we’re at risk of breaking out of this planet.  Better to contain the virus before it spreads.”

Ax chills.  It’s close, closer than he likes, to everything he argued in favor of killing Taylor.

The silence echoes.  It thunders.

“Being dead is overrated.”  Rachel’s voice is ethereal, ephemeral, eternal.  “Might as well live.”  And then she puts her arms around Tobias and pulls him close.

“Who knows.”  Ax takes one of Tobias’s hands in both of his.  “Humans might pleasantly surprise you, for once.”

Tobias folds forward in their grip.  The first spasm that goes through him is all it takes; the sobs follow faster and faster after that.

It takes a moment of focus.  A moment of intent.  The opposite of anger; love.  It takes Rachel growling at the others to give him some space, Marco singing under his breath, Ax mumbling equations and Cassie holding Jake back from micromanaging them all.

A light blinks on.  An ordinance is armed.

The Earth keeps spinning, and circling, and growing as scheduled.

They go to Griddy’s Doughnuts, afterward.  It’s back, like nothing ever happened.  None of them are quite sure what just happened back there, but they’re hungry and they’re confused and they’re all exhausted beyond all reason.  They get some looks, between Jake’s reality-distorting size and Cassie’s intermittent nosebleed and Marco’s flak jacket overtop a muumuu and Ax’s school uniform and Tobias’s white irises and the fact that Rachel only exists to the five of them.  But they get coffee and doughnuts too, because apparently they’re not too weird for the waitstaff to tolerate.

“So... did we just save the world?” Tobias asks softly.

Ax tilts his head back, chugging the last few ounces of his third vanilla latte.  “It would appear so, yes.  I had not fully calculated the odds of our success beyond the second or third decimal place, but the approximate percent —”

“Doesn’t matter,” Rachel says.

Cassie leans against the counter next to Jake, looking down the line of her siblings arrayed on the spin-top chrome stools.  “So, what now?” she asks.

Before Jake can answer, a woman taps him on the shoulder.  “Excuse me, sir, ma’am?”  She looks between him and Cassie.  “I know it’s really not my place, but...”  She leans around Jake and Cassie to direct a pointed stare at Ax.  “Should you really be letting your son have that much coffee?”

“Our what?”  Jake turns to follow the direction of her gaze.  “Oh, our son!” he says loudly.  “As in, the child that we gave birth to.  After being pregnant.  Because that’s how normal thirteen-year-olds come into existence.  And Ax is perfectly normal, and he’s our son.  Who is thirteen.  Obviously.”

Anyone in the doughnut shop who wasn’t already staring at them is definitely doing so now.  Cassie attempts a charming smile.

The busybody sniffs, apparently uncharmed.  “As I was saying, he’s very young to be drinking so much coffee, don’t you think?”

“Coffee... has energy,” Cassie offers.  “And he’s a growing boy.  And growing requires energy.  So caffeine is good.”

The woman continues to look between her and Jake, mouth halfway open, eyebrows drawn tight together.  Jake and Cassie continue to smile politely back at her.

Finally, she turns around and walks away.

“You two fuckin nailed that one,” Rachel drawls.  “I don’t think she suspected a thing.”  She’s snuggled up against Tobias.  Marco is lost somewhere in the cuddle puddle too.

Cassie laughs, which she seems to do every time Rachel speaks where they can all hear.  They need it.  They all do.  And the rest of the world can go screw itself, because this, right here, all of them... This is enough.

[Whoever requested this AU let me know, and also sorry for having lost the original ask.]

#animorphs #animorphs au #umbrella academy #umbrella academy fusion #umbrella academy au #long post #animorphs ficlet #au