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greekowl87 · 3 years

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Fic: Embracing Parenthood 5/?

Get caught up: (1) | (2) | (3) (4) or AO3

A/N: I’ve been writing while trying to figure out my depression but it’s not as much as I would like. I finally got this done and have two other things I am working on. Looking at episodes 4-D and Lord of the Flies, I decided to consolidate this chapter and do a focus on “Lord of the Flies”. I’m still not 100% on the direction this will be taking. I borrowed lines from the episode so, just an fyi. I used the transcript from Inside the X. Bit of light smut at the end.

Tagging @baronessblixen @suitablyaggrieved @today-in-fic @improlificinsarcasm

After a few more months, they seemed to finally be hitting their stride. This new...whatever it was...took some getting used to for Mulder and Scully. Aside from the one time they caught William’s mobile spinning under its own accord, they had not caught anything else. Scully was fine with this and shut down any attempt Mulder made to bring it up. She kept telling herself that their son was just fine and normal like any other baby. After a couple of weeks, Mulder gave up. It became an unspoken agreement between them. Aside from this, things at the academy and x-files remained quiet.

Agent Reyes settled in an apartment in Foggy Bottom. A few x-files have been solved. Despite Agent Reyes’s claim of an interdimensional serial killer nearly ending his life, Doggett was still alive. Mulder and Scully settled into their teaching roles at the academy, William was growing in size, and they both were beginning to believe that they were getting that happy ending that they both deserved.

On a regular Wednesday afternoon, as Mulder graded quizzes in his office, he heard a light knocking at the door. “Come in,” he called looking up from his desks.

Scully smiled at him. “How’s the grading, Agent Mulder?”

“I want to know your secret,” he confessed. He held out his hand, offering a chair across from him. She surprised him instead by taking his hand, squeezing it, and kissed him deeply. “Well, hello to you too.”

“I like this, Scully.”

“I’m glad. I have to go to New Jersey though. Agents Doggett and Reyes need my medical opinion about a matter.”

“Do you need me to tag along?”

She didn’t answer his question. She sat in the chair across from him. “Teaching suits you, Mulder. Are you happy?”

“I can do without the grading,” he confided. “So, back to the case? Is this what...for an afternoon?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe. I’m sure it’s fairly straightforward. A teenager was found with half of the head collapsed in, and many flies came swarming out.”

“Flies? Is this a case of Lord of the Flies? Or Jeff Goldum’s The Fly?”

“Thankfully not. I just suspect something weird. However, I need to travel to New Jersey to lend a helping hand.”

“You never answered my question. Do you need me to tag along?”

“No. I’ve already called my mother to let her know. I’m taking a car from the pool and I’ll be stopping by the apartment before making my way to New Jersey.”

Mulder shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The suddenness of this news made him feel very uncomfortable. He did not have much time to sort through these new feelings as Scully continued. “It’s a three-hour drive from Washington. I’ll be spending the night up there. I should be back in a day or two.”

Mulder cleared his throat. “Just like that?”

She titled her head. “Why? Is there something wrong with it?”

“No,” he lied. He fiddled with the pen in front of him, rolling it back and forth on his desk. “I’ll pick up William from your mother.”

“It’s only for 48 hours,” she said.

“It’s not a big deal, Scully. Do you not have faith in me taking care of William?”

“I didn’t say that but you are pouting.”

“I’m not pouting. Look, I probably need a guy’s night anyway.”

“The Gunmen?” She asked.

“I was just thinking about me, Will, and Plan 9 From Outer Space. You know a guy’s night.”

“Maybe pick a less depressing film?”

“We’ll be fine, mom. Promise.” Scully arched her eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Promise, Scully. Nothing will go wrong.”

Her cellphone started to ring and she sighed, looking at the caller ID. “It’s Agent Doggett,” she sighed. She got up from her chair and hastily kissed his cheek as she left. “I’ll call you when I get there. Love you.”

“Love you too.” He replied, watching her retreating form.

As the emotions welled in his chest. Mulder pushed the rest of the ungraded quizzes to the side and began to search for movies. As a psychologist, he knew pushing his emotions aside and burying them was unhealthy. He and Scully spent seven years doing that. Unfortunately, he was no longer a bachelor and had a baby to worry about as well.

* * * * * *

Traffic was a beast in driving the length of I-95 to Quantico to drive the hour to Annapolis to Marget Scully’s house. Two accidents just added to Mulder’s sour mood. As he sat in traffic, he tried to distract himself by switching it to NPR and ultimately switched it off. As traffic inched towards Maryland, he finally identified and named just a few of the emotions that were swirling in his chest. Jealousy. Feelings of inadequacy. Sadness.

He sighed, finally sighting the exit to Mrs. Scully’s and signaled the right turn signal. As he pulled off, he was bitterly reminded of the initial shock and awe he felt coming back from the dead. He struggled to find this place in a Twilight Zone-like universe where he no longer had the x-files and had Scully seven months pregnant. They struggled to find their footing. Mulder remembered feeling left out and bitter that Scully had a new partner in Doggett. He didn’t necessarily dislike this man. He was a good agent, just like Scully had said, but he was the one investigating x-files with Scully. Mulder wasn’t. He didn’t mind Agent Reyes either. He liked her and thought her addition to the x-files office in place of Scully would help balance the skeptical Doggett. But that didn’t stop him from feeling jealous and left out.

As he slowed, pulling into a residential neighborhood, he saw Mrs. Scully’s white sedan in the driveway and the lights throughout the house. He jogged up the front steps and raised his hand to knock. Mrs. Scully opened the door before his knuckles could rap against the wood. “Fox, I’m glad to see you weren’t caught up in traffic too badly!”

“I still hit a couple of accidents, Mrs. Scully.” He forced a smile. “Were you expecting someone?”

“What? Oh, no! I saw your headlights in the driveway. Come in! I was just about to pull out dinner.”

“I couldn’t…” he stammered out of instinct.

“Nonsense. Besides, William will be very happy to see you.”

Oh yeah, he thought, I’m a father. “You need to get past the formalities, Fox. Don’t you think Maggie will do? You are the father to my grandson after all.” Mrs. Scully was already pulling on his hand, tugging him inside before he could put up a fight. “Besides, as much as I love my daughter, Dana does not know how to cook.”

“Actually, she’s quite good,” Mulder defended.

Mrs. Scully chuckled to herself. “What I meant is she doesn’t know how to cook for a family. I raised four children by myself for the most part when the Captain was at sea. Now that William is here, I’m not going to dismiss the possibility. Take off your shoes, Fox.”

Mulder slid off his polished Oxford shoes and loosened his tie. “The possibility of what?”

Maggie stopped and smiled. “Of what could be. Come on. I bet William will be excited to see you.”

Mulder followed Mrs. Scully into the kitchen and saw his son light up. William began to babble happily and stretch his arms for his father. He smiled and bent down to kiss his forehead. “I think he is going to have Scully’s eyes.”

“They might still turn brown. I don’t know, Fox. I think William is beginning to look like you. Have a seat. Do you want a beer with dinner?”

“Water would be fine.”

Mulder sat closest to William as Mrs. Scully served them. “William was fine today,” she said. “Dana called and let me know. If it is more convenient, I can come to Georgetown and watch William tomorrow if you want.”

Mulder nodded and replied, “I would appreciate that. I wish I could simply take the time off.”

Mrs. Scully played with her shepherd’s pie. And how are you feeling, Fox with Dana in New Jersey and you here?”

He was caught off guard with the question. “What do you mean?”

“Seven years you two were practically glued together. She would always answer your calls. Now you’re here and she's out in the field.” She paused. “I know you two had some difficulties when you came back.”

He chuckled hollowly. “Not every day you come back from the dead.”

“Exactly. She was alone for six months.”

“I didn’t leave her intentionally,” he defended quietly.

“I’m not saying that you did. I’m not my oldest son, Fox.”

“I’m that bad?”

“Worse than Dana,” she chuckled. “I know what it’s like to feel left behind and on the sidelines. I imagine you felt some sort of jealousy with Agent Doggett when you first met him?”

“I, uh, punched him in the jaw.”

Mrs. Scully nodded. “Dana mentioned something about that. The point is, Fox, I know what is like feeling out of the loop when your partner is out doing something. I felt the same way when Bill was out to sea and I was left to raise four kids of my own. He would joke that I was the admiral in the family.” She gave a small smile. “And you find yourself in a similar situation.”

“I guess so,” he whispered. He pushed his food around. “Even though we’re both teaching at the academy, it doesn’t feel the same.”

“You could always propose.”

William squealed eagerly and threw something across the table making Mulder jump. “Excuse me?”

Mrs. Scully shrugged. “I just figured after 8 years, a child, and sharing an apartment...it’s time you make it permanent, Fox.”

“I…”

She held up her hand. “You don’t have to say anything. Just think about it. In the meantime, are you sure I can’t get you anything else right now?”

“Yeah,” he stammered. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

As it neared 8 o’clock, Mulder gathered his son and Mrs. Scully piled leftovers into a brown grocery bag to walk him out. “I’ll be up by 10 tomorrow. What time will you be home?”

“About six,” he replied, shifting William in his arms. “Scully said she might be home by tomorrow.”

“Well, I’ll set one extra place at the table.”

Mulder, still feeling insecure, interrupted. “You don’t have to, Mrs. Scully. I can take care of William. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“Nonsense,” she dismissed. “I love seeing my grandson.” She kissed Mulder’s cheek goodbye. “And I don’t do these things because I pity you or think you unworthy of Dana, Fox. I do it out of love for you and William. Now, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

As the door closed behind him and Mulder tucked William into his car seat, his thoughts became distracted yet again. Scully did need him, right? He hadn’t brushed aside. And what did Mrs. Scully insinuate with their dinner conversation?

* * * * * *

A few states away in Manahawkin, New Jersey, Scully retired from examining the half-collapsed head of “Captain Dare” and the persistent flirting of Dr. Rocky Bronzino earlier than she anticipated. She politely declined the dinner invitation from Agents Doggett and Reyes as well. She found her attention drifting towards various journal articles about the Spanish fly and their mating rituals. After a few hours, Scully abandoned her research.

She tried to take a bath and felt distracted. Her mind couldn’t wrap itself around the facts of the case. As she dressed for bed, she sleepily looked at the motel clock and saw it was nine o’clock. How could she have let time get away from her? Without a second thought, she found her cell and called the apartment’s landline. When there was no answer, she quickly called Mulder’s cell phone. He answered the third thing.

“Mulder,” he greeted automatically.

She could hear him hiding a yawn in his voice. “Mulder, it’s me,” she spoke softly. “Did I catch you at a bad moment?”

“No,” he sighed. “I just put William to bed. A late bath, a lot of crying, and a partially read bedtime story and he is down for the count. He misses you terribly.”

“I bet,” she said. Scully shifted the files around. “And what about you?”

“What about me?” He yawned again.

“How are you?”

“Tired,” he admitted simply. “And very much missing you. Your bed is too big without you. But never mind me. Tell me about the case?”

“I am dealing with a human head half-collapsed in with flies exploding it before I arrived. Agents Doggett and Reyes are chasing down a teenager suspect.”

“Oh,” he hummed. “Bugs. Is this like those teenagers from Pittsfield, Virginia, Scully?”

“Not at all,” she said. “I’m not entirely sure if this is an x-file yet. I mean it has bugs. It’s all about the bugs, Mulder.”

“Washington state. One of our first cases.”

“Well, no one has been found cocooned in the web.”

“Yet.”

“Yet,” she repeated. Scully sighed and looked at the empty side of the motel bed. “I should be done by tomorrow evening. Hey, we have the weekend at least. One perk of teaching at the academy: normal 9-5 jobs.”

“Unless you get called away on another case.” Scully could hear a hint of bitterness in his voice. “But yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”

“Mulder, are you okay?”

She could hear the phone shifting on his end. “Hm? Yeah. I was just getting the blankets pulled down. I thought about putting William in the bassinet but I guess he needs to learn about sleeping in his room.”

Scully groaned inwardly. “You’re not helping,” she told him.

“What did I do?”

There was a weariness in his voice she could not place. “Mulder, what’s wrong? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing, nothing. Everything is okay. I’m handling it just fine.”

She heard his voice rise defensively and the baby crying in the background. “Look, Scully. I’m going to check on William. I’ll talk to you later okay?”

“Okay but…” Mulder hung up the phone before Scully had a chance to reply. “Great.”

Scully looked back at the clock, wondering if she should call her partner back. She felt hurt about the shortness in her voice. What had happened? Did her mother say something to Mulder? Did she do something? Did something else happen to William that he wasn’t telling her? In the end, she decided not to call him back lest she wake the baby again and cause Mulder to lose any sleep. As she settled in the motel bed, she turned onto her side and swept her arm up and down the empty side. She missed being away from him and their son.

Three hours away in Georgetown, Mulder, unable to sleep found himself on the couch in front of the television. William held contently against his chest. William sleepily watched his father as Mulder settled on TCM for a black and white horror film. A small gurgling brought Mulder’s attention back to his son. “We’ll just keep daddy sleeping on the couch a secret from mom,” he said.

William yawned and twisted his head towards Mulder’s chest. “Well, the important thing is that you’re comfortable,” Mulder continued. “You’re just like your mother; she can sleep anywhere too. I think her favorite place is to fall asleep on me.”

He shifted his attention back to the television and then back at his son. “I can’t help but feel forgotten,” he confessed to William. “I mean, your mom was all by herself when she found out she was pregnant with you and I was abducted. She got a new partner.” Mulder thought of Doggett’s straight-laced demeanor. “He is just the opposite of what I expected. And of course, I am jealous of him. He was the one watching Scully’s back because I ran off to chase down a damn UFO. Look at what that got me, Will. Six feet under.” He looked down at his son. “Does that make me a bad person?”

William met him with silence.

“Well, I value your opinion so don’t hold back,” he told the baby. More silence except for a sleepy blink. “I think that is why I was so distant tonight. I’m jealous. I’m upset. I feel left behind.” Mulder watched his son grow sleepier. He had Scully’s blue eyes. “I feel like she’s moved on without me. I have since I came back. Even with you and all your glory, bud, I still feel inadequate.” William grabbed a fistful of Mulder’s t-shirt as his eyes grew heavier. “Are you trying to reassure me?” Mulder chuckled slightly. “I wish I could tell Scully how I felt.”

One day, he promised himself. As William drifted off to sleep, Mulder found himself wide awake still, his thoughts going to Scully and the bitterness he felt over the fact she was out in the field and he felt left behind.

* * * * *

Back in New Jersey, Scully left the motel to head straight to the medical examiner’s office. Agents Doggett and Reyes had texted her that they were going to follow up with some matters at the high school before meeting her at the medical examiner. On her way there, Scully tried to call Mulder again first at his office and then his cell. This was the second time since last night that he hadn’t answered his phone. Trying to dismiss the growing insecurities into the back of her mind, she tried to focus on the case instead. As Scully strolled into the main medical lab, it was much to her dismay that Dr. Bronzino was waiting for her.

“Dr. Scully,” the overly tanned scientist greeted. “How are you this fine morning?”

“Well,” she greeted with some reserve. “Have Agents Doggett and Reyes arrived yet?”

“Not at all! But I’ve been examining the flies that exploded from that young man’s skull. It’s quite fascinating really. Being a forensic pathologist, you might find this particularly interesting. Have you ever heard of the coffins fly?”

Scully took a step back and forced a smile. “I can’t say I have.”

“Well, they’re amazing creatures. A female coffin fly has been known to bury its way through over two meters of dirt just to lay its eggs on the cadaver. That is the equivalent of a human digging two miles into the ground.” He flashed her a dazzling smile of whitened teeth. “Isn’t it amazing of the lengths one will go to procreate?”

“Fascinating,” she replied quickly, “but what does this have to do with the victim?”

“Oh,” the entomologist exclaimed, “all the flies that came for the young victim’s head were female. There is probably nothing to it but isn't it fascinating?”

Scully’s mind was already firing and meaning connections. “It is. And it could be nothing or it could mean everything. Did you set any aside for the examination?”

Dr. Bronzino waved to the other end of the room where the microscope was. “I was going to prepare some samples to examine.”

She moved towards the microscope. “Why don’t I start on that and you do whatever it is that you are doing, Dr. Bronzino”

“Excellent suggestion, Dr. Scully! Divide and conquer! I like the sound of that!”

“I’m sure,” she answered.

“Which reminds me. I’m going to run back to my lab real quickly to gather another instrument of my invention. I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be here,” she said.

Scully was secretly glad to see him retreat as she set to work. She laid out her research of flies that she had started the night before and her morning coffee. She paused, trying to collect her thoughts before she delved into the day’s work, however, she couldn’t. Her thoughts kept going back to the abrupt conversation that she had with Mulder the night before. He sounded distant and aloof. She was reminded of his jealousy when he came back from the dead. She found her phone and dialed his office at Quantico. At nine a.m., he should have been strolling right then. However, it went straight to messages. She hung up before she could leave one. Growing disgruntled, Scully called the Georgetown apartment. To her surprise, it was her mother that answered.

“Hello?” Her mother answered.

“Hi, mom,” she greeted quickly. “What are you doing at the apartment?”

“Oh, I thought I would save Fox driving to drop off William with me this morning,” she said. “One less hassle to do. I also picked you and Fox up some groceries that you desperately needed.”

“We were fine,” she said. “Where is Mulder? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” her mom replied vaguely. “I found him sleeping on the couch last night with the tv on. William must have kept him up all night.”

She felt a twinge of regret twist her heart. “Is he okay?”

“I guess so. He seemed fine and left for the office with no issue. Why? Is there something that I should be aware of?”

“No, no,” Scully said. She pushed the thoughts of insecurity deep down. Now was not the time. “He seemed distracted last night. We only chatted briefly. Is William okay?”

“He’s a fat, happy baby who can sleep through anything. Just like you were. I’m here until Fox comes home if you need anything. Do you want me to tell Fox that you called?”

“No, no. Everything’s fine.”

Her mother was silent on the other end. “Well, if you do need anything, Dana, I’m here with William. Love you.”

“Love you too, mom.”

She hung up her phone and tried to ignore the new signs that taunted her. Nothing was fine except she was not going to say anything. Scully sat at the microscope and began to work.

A couple of hours later, Dr. Rocky Bronzino rejoined her with a crude-looking invention to he promised to give a giant break in the case. She half-listened to ramble on about the various mating rituals of insects until she noticed a pattern emerging with the insects. It took Bronzino to confirm her suspicions and identify the peculiar fact about the case. As she continued to examine the flys, at a quarter till noon, Agents Reyes and Doggett walked in. Scully looked at both of them and announced, “I’m glad you’re here. I think we just got our first real break in the case.”

“What did you find?” Reyes asked.

“Well, it's what the entomologist Rocky Bronzino found. The flies that ate at the brain and skull of the victim are all female. Every last one of them.” Scully motioned to a fly under the microscope as she spoke.

Doggett looked towards Monica Reyes and asked, “Exactly how is that a break”

Scully thought for a moment and answered, “Well, what are the chances of that?”

Agent Reyes clarified, “You mean that the absence of males suggests there's a reason for the attack. Behaviourally.”

“Well, something biological is going on. Whether it's hormonal or chemical something has caused these bugs to attack,” Scully theorized.

Doggett added, “Or a need to express themselves.”

Scully asked, “To what?”

Agent Doggett continued, “This is a kid that calls himself "Sky Commander Winky." Agent Reyes and I were interviewing him as a suspect when this happened.” He showed photos of the victim’s back were the words ‘DUMB ASS’ shined a bright, red welt. “The paramedics arrived and treated him for an aggressive attack of bodily lice.”

She took the photos to examine them closer. “Hmm. Lice are not altogether uncommon in a school environment.”

Doggett snorted. “Except that these are better spellers than most of the kids.”

“Maybe they stayed late for after-school lessons,” she snorted. “So what are you saying? That this is just another dumb ass stunt?”

Reyes interjected, “Well, that was my first thought. But the victim here was just too freaked out by this incident to make me believe he'd staged this. Which leads me to think that while you may be right about this being a matter of biology, someone is directing the biology.” She paused. “Maybe you might want to consult Mulder?”

“Why?” Doggett asked. “These are bugs we are talking about.”

“And how does one direct bugs?” She added.

Reyes shrugged and replied, “I don't know how but we've been running down a long list of witnesses.” She passed Scully the rest of the photographs. “A loner who was present at every dumb ass stunt and who had a run-in with this kid Winky at school just prior to the lice attacking. His name is Dylan Lokensgard. We're going to want to talk to him.”

“He seems like a promising start,” Scully replied. “Dr. Bronzino should be back soon. He promised to bring a piece of equipment that will help break the case.”

“We’ll be back then. Call us if you have anything. Let’s head back, Monica.”

“I’ll call you when I have something,” Scully replied.

She watched the two agents retreating. She glanced at the clock on the wall and did the math in her head. She probably wasn’t going to be home that evening that she had promised.

* * * * * *

Having Mrs. Scully watch William in Georgetown instead of Maryland was a bigger relief than Mulder had realized. Although he hit traffic on the way to Quantico, the extra hour of not driving had put him in a somewhat fairer mood. However, as the morning dragged on and he did not hear anything from Scully began to sour his fair mood. By lunch, he was mad. Well not mad, but pouting and being gloomy. If Scully were here, she would have chewed him out and told him to pull his head out of his ass. But that was just it. Scully wasn’t here to do that.

As noon droned on, Mulder heard a light knocking at his door and looked up with some surprise to see A.D. Skinner standing in the doorway. “Wow, Mulder. Even having an office out of the basement and looking depressed as hell.”

“And it’s good to see you too, sir.” Mulder rose to greet the man and offered his hand. “I suspect you did not come down to comment on my office.”

“No.” Skinner paused. “I had a meeting I needed to attend. I wanted to check in on you and see how things were. You know, just to see if you threaten to burn down the establishment yet.”

“Haha,” Mulder said lamely. “No. Things are normal. Just perfectly normal.”

“And you are a terrible liar. Why don’t you come to lunch, Mulder? Get your head out of your ass and get some fresh air.”

“I’m fine where I am,” he said.

“And I know you well enough to know when you’re lying. You’re jealous aren’t you?”

“About what?”

“I know Scully’s out in the field,” Skinner stated, “and you’re not.”

“Way to rub it in.” Mulder glanced at his computer clock and relented. “Fine, fine. It isn’t like I have anything else to do today.”

“Good. You could use the distraction.”

. . . . . .

Back in New Jersey, Doggett and Reyes were still canvassing the school looking for more witnesses, Scully found herself out in the streets with the brazen etymologist, Dr. Rocky Bronzino. His continued efforts of flirting with her wearing down on her last nerves. She surveyed the empty street and how idyllic it reminded her. Dr. Bronzino focused on the tool he had brought from his lap that was designed to help them. He took a step back from the tracker to examine the surroundings.

“So many flowers ... so little time,” he murmured

Scully looked up from the trunk of the Land Rover. “Excuse me?”

The etymologist stated excitedly. “Pheromones, Dr. Scully. Heavy in the air. Nature's natural attractions. Driving the insect world to go forth and pollinate.”

As Dr. Bronzino began to advance on her, she took a few steps back. She shifted her gaze to the device he had brought with him. “I'm aware of how pheromones work. But according to this device, there isn't a single pheromone to be found out here.”

He began to tweak his machine and Scully rolled her eyes, looking back up to the sky. She smirked, remembering the time she was with Mulder when frogs rained from the sky. Dr. Bronzino was growing frustrated. “Well, that can't be right. The biosensor uses an actual fly antenna over which the pheromones pass. But I modified the EAG to measure in picograms which makes it sensitive to traces a mile in any direction.”

Scully watched an overly casual Rocky lean against the car, a confident hand on his hip, as he tried to charm her. Scully tried to remain professional and keep them on track. “But I'm still not sure why you think that pheromones might cause an otherwise harmless fly to attack a human so violently, Doctor…”

“Rocky,” he corrected. His whitened teeth shined as brightly as he flirted with her.

“Rocky,” she repeated

He smiled, thinking his charm was working. “Bugs are small-minded creatures, and therefore very predictable. They don't have moods. They react to circumstance and stimuli as they have been doing for millennia.”

“How wonderful.” She tried to keep it professional. “So what do you suppose they're reacting to out here?”

Dr. Bronzino puffed out his chest like a mating dove and took a few steps forward. “It may be the bugs are being somehow driven crazy with desire. You know, they say we humans respond to pheromones, too.”

Scully put her hands on her hips, clearly uncomfortable. “Yeah, I tend to agree with that, yeah.”

Rocky pressed on. “‘Women's dormitory syndrome.’ It's believed that pheromones are the reason that women who live together share the same menstrual cycle.”

“Fascinating,” she deadpanned.

Dr. Bronzino felt emboldened. “You know, when a male and female calliphorid fly mate they stay joined for up to one and a half hours. One and a half, doctor.” He punctuated the last few words for emphasis. “What do you think of that?”

Scully stood unfazed. This was not the first time she had to deal with this, however, this time was different. “You know, Rocky ... I'm a mother.”

He arched an eyebrow, not dissuaded. He looked at her left hand. “Mothers are women, too.” He took a moment to look at Scully surveying her. “I noticed a lack of a ring. And what does it matters? Women have biological needs, just like men do.”

“You are drawing dangerous conclusions without lack of evidence, doctor.”

“Well, as a trained scientist, I observe you are a woman. There is no ring on your finger to denote a marriage or a serious relationship in what we consider legally.”

“I can assure you that I am very serious. I am in a committed, nine-year relationship with the baby’s father.”

“Well, he is not here. You are.”

“Doesn’t matter, Rocky. Let’s keep focused here, please.”

“Well, relationships aren’t known to be monogamous,” he countered.

“Seahorses, macaroni penguins, gray wolves, barn owls, and bald eagles,” she said.

“What do those animals have to do with relationships?”

“If you were a real scientist,” she pressed, “you would be aware of some of the animal species that are known to mate for life. There are some cracks in your argument. ”

“Well, there are numerous insects that perform a variety of mating rituals. Give it time, Dr. Scully and I’ll win you over.” She was about to reply but was interrupted by the beeping of the pheromone bio-sensor. Dr. Bronzino turned excitedly to the machine. “Big hit!”

“What is it?”

“A high concentration of c-13 calliphorone...incoming.” He looked up at the sky. Scully did the same and heard the beeping increase and then suddenly dissipate. “What? What happened?” He quickly went to check his machine.

“Nothing, apparently,” Scully commented drily. “We should get back to the lab. Agents Doggett and Reyes might have something for us there.”

“Are we going to continue our discussion of animal mating and ritual habits?” He asked, his voice heavily laced with innuendo.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s done.”

“Dr. Scully, are you blushing? As the great Charles Darwin once said, ‘Blushing is the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.’”

“Don’t make me shoot you,” she sighed.

“I consider it a challenge.”

. . . . . .

“How do you like teaching at the academy,” Skinner asked. He watched Mulder use his plastic fork to push the mac and cheese around on his plate. “Mulder?”

“Um, interesting. A lot better than having to deal with the profiling cases in VCU even though I’m sure I will come calling. That’s part of the deal with teaching? We help out and consult as needed.”

“Are you that bitter that Scully is on an x-file and you’re not,” he asked.

“Am I that obvious?” Mulder asked.

“I’ve had hemorrhoids that weren’t as annoying with you,” he replied. “Or is it the fact that you don’t have the x-files anymore?”

The bluntness of Skinner’s observations caught Mulder off guard. He looked up from his food and took a few moments to reflect. “In theory, I shouldn’t. I have Scully and our son, things are about as normal as we can make them. But I can’t help but feel connected to them in some way. Seeing Scully out in the field, me not there…” He shrugged. “It brings up a lot of baggage.”

“Especially with Doggett?”

Mulder was quiet. “I blame myself. I should have stayed with her instead of chasing UFOs.”

“Doggett’s a good agent, Mulder. It was hard watching her, Mulder, during those months she was gone. Having to keep her pregnancy a secret. It was tough.” Skinner took a napkin and wiped his mouth. “You know, Sharon used to get mad at me when we first got married. I was still a field agent but the jealousy she would get. She felt inadequate with everything that was going on between us. Said she felt left behind.”

Well, Mulder thought, certainly hitting everything on the topic. Skinner continued to stare at Mulder. “And?” he asked. “What did Sharon do?”

“Well, we had a real nasty fight that was the start of our quarrels at the very beginning of our quarrels. I was in the field, missed an important date, you know how it goes.” He smiled to himself, remembering her. He thumbed at the wedding band thoughtfully. “But we made time. Communication wise. It didn’t always go well but we tried.”

“So, in addition to being an assistant director, you are secretly a marriage counselor. Wow, sir.”

“Knock it off, Mulder. All I am saying is that something is bothering you about this...arrangement, then make sure you take the time to talk to Scully.”

Mulder nodded. He decided to change the subject. “So, how is our old buddy Kersh?”

Skinner chuckled. “Tap dancing his way on the top floor so that you’re no longer there to bother him.”

“Well, at least some things never change,” he answered. “My advice, Mulder, from one man who tried to balance a career and relationship? Make sure you always leave time to talk and communicate. If not, the whole thing can go to shit.”

“Thanks, sir,” he nodded. His mind drifted to Scully. “I appreciate the advice. You should come down to Quantico more often. Skinner’s Lunch Hour wisdom.”

“Knock it off, Mulder,” he dismissed.

. . . . . . .

After getting John’s call from the school, Scully took her car to investigate and meet them there. According to Monica, Dylan had somehow controlled the bugs during their confrontation. She was surprised by the number of cops, firefighters, and EMTs. She was even surprised to see people in hazmat suits. But to her surprise, Monica had found them a clue. A used tissue. They rode back to the medical examiner. As they rode the elevator to the second floor. Scully was the first to emerge carrying the tissue in a metal container with Doggett and Reyes flanking her. “Where did you get this again?” She asked.

“Dylan Lokensgard provided it to us when we interviewed him,” Doggett answered.

“I have to warn you, there's typically not a lot to be found in a teenage boy's sweaty kleenex.”

“Well, a teenage boy can produce other things,” Reyes replied.

“Don’t remind me of the future,” Scully laughed thinking of William.

“But we were looking for pheromones. Aren't there pheromones produced in adolescent sweat?” Reyes continued.

“Yes, it's what causes B.O., But all too obviously it's not all that attractive--to anything,” Scully countered. “While I was out with Dr. Bronzino this morning, we thought we had a possible hit this morning but it turned out to be nothing.”

“A possible hit?” Doggett asked.

“Well, Dr. Bronzino was more than trying to hit on pheromones.”

“Well, at least Mulder isn’t here to punch him in the face,” Doggett chuckled.

“Yeah,” she said distantly. Scully’s brief thought of Mulder drifted away as she entered into the medical examiner’s office where Dr. Bronzino was bent over a microscope. She still needed to call him. The lack of communication between them was growing. “Let’s see what we uncover.”

As they entered, the biosensor’s beeps became progressively faster, startling the etymologist grew excited. “Finally! I knew it wasn’t broken!” He glanced up seeing Scully, Doggett, and Reyes. “Dr. Scully, I’m so glad you’re back! I've got a reading here that's going right off the scale. Holy Toledo! We've got pheromones coming out of the ying-yang here. C-13 calliphorene and how.”

As they got closer, the beeping became a steady tone, and then suddenly stopped. Doggett raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

“I think my electroantennogram just... tilted,” Bronzino spoke in disbelief.

“What's c-13 calliphorone?” Reyes asked.

“Insect pheromone,” Scully supplied.

Dr. Bronzino’s attention shifted to the sample the FBI agents had brought. “Where did you find this mother lode?”

Agent Reyes answered, “A boy named Dylan Lokensgard. That specimen came from him.”

Rocky Bronzino sputtered, “A boy ... is secreting bug pheromones? That's impossible. Preposterous.”

Doggett glanced at Scully who met his gaze, trying to hide her smirk. He glanced back at the doctor. “You're the expert, Dr. Bronzino. How else do you explain it, then?”

When he didn’t respond, Scully asked, “Rocky?”

“A boy is a boy, a bug is a bug. You can't have it both ways,” he explained trying to wrap his mind around it, “science doesn’t allow it. Period.”

“I have a few theories,” Scully began, “Okay, so this boy's going through puberty, right? I mean, maybe his body chemistry is somehow just going crazy and it's his raging teenage hormones that are attracting all these insects.”

Reyes nodded in thought. “What if it's more than chemistry and hormones? More than biology? Dylan's not just attracting these bugs he's using them to act out.”

“Yes, but against what?” Scully asked.

“We saw him talking to a girl,” Reyes answered.

“Well, that makes sense. In a way. Teenage love,” Doggett connected. “The girl is the one in the dumb ass video. Captain dare's girlfriend.”

“How on Earth are you all making these connections,” Rocky said.

“We’ve experienced with cases like these,” Scully said. “Agent Doggett, why don’t you and Agent Reyes try to chase down the girl and check on her. Dr. Bronzino and I will check on Dylan.”

“We will?” He asked, confused.

“We are,” Scully confirmed. “Call each other in about two hours and meet back here?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Doggett nodded.

. . . . . .

It was evening by the time they got to the Lokensgards’ home. As Scully and Bronzino pulled up in front of Dylan Lokensgard’s house, her mind was elsewhere. She did not remember to call Mulder. As they walked up the sidewalk to the front door, Scully slowed and saw the front door slightly open. Scully slowed and drew out her flashlight. She knocked lightly on the door. “Mrs. Lokensgard? Dylan?” She called out.

Rocky Bronzino behind her was fiddling with the machine, trying to fix it, and it started emitting a series of steady beats. “Ah, got it! I'm getting a reading here. Trace levels inside the house.”

Scully shifted her gaze and replied, “Well, I guess that's probable cause.” Scully began her trek up the stairs when she was stopped by Rock Bronzino. “What now?”

Bronzino said quickly, “Dr. Scully? I just wanted to say this while I had a chance.” He smiled with bleached teeth. “This is so exciting. I've never had a partner before. And this isn’t a thing. This is a professional collaboration that happens only one time.”

Scully thought of Mulder and felt her heart twist. “I have. Don’t forget what I told you, Dr. Bronzino.”

“Semantics, Dr. Scully. I'd like to think of it as a hymenopteran relationship. Two scientists using their special knowledge reaching higher than either of them could ever reach alone. And if I may say so, Doctor, you complete me.”

“I’ve already completed. I already have a partner. I’ve told you this. Now, I got upstairs, you takedown.” She shook her head and thought of Mulder. She needed to call him once this was done.

“All right,” he exclaimed, “Partner!”

She rolled her eyes and jogged up the stairs. As she slowly examined the upstairs, her thoughts drifted back to Mulder and how she hadn’t communicated with him. Or her mother. As she neared Dylan’s room, Scully spied Natalie’s class picture on the bed. As her phone rang, she jumped, digging it out. “Scully?”

“Where are you?” It was John Doggett. He sounded rushed.

She looked around the room. “I’m with Dr. Branzino at the Lokengard’s house. But there’s nobody here.

“Yeah, well, I'm afraid the kid's on a tear. He's caused a car accident out here on Glenhaven road,” Doggett explained.

“How'd he do that?”

“You'd better see for yourself.”

“I’m on my way.”

Scully turned to make her downstairs while Rocky was just getting his equipment working properly. He looked up. “It’s everywhere, Dr. Scully. C-13 calliphorone. I'm getting a stiff new reading from up here.”

Scully nodded, “Yeah, Dylan's bedroom's up there. That’s probably what you’re reading. Unfortunately, he's not in it.”

“Where are you going?”

“The kid's on a rampage. I’m going to meet Agent Doggett.” The pheromone machine began to beep loudly and Dr. Bronzino cried in surprise. She called, “You got my number.”

Dr. Bronzino smiled and called out. “Does that mean you’ve changed your mind, Dr. Scully?”

“Not in your wildest dreams, Rocky.”

. . . . . .

Mulder came home, hoping to see, Scully but his heart fell when it was only Mrs. Scully smiling with William. He should be happy to have his son but he was missing his partner more. After a simple dinner and promises of coming to dinner Saturday night, Mrs. Scully left Mulder alone with William on a Friday night. William was quick to fall asleep and Mulde put him to bed. He surveyed the empty apartment. It felt foreign without Scully there with him.

He went back to the couch and tried to get comfortable. Flipping on the TV, he found the Sports Center. He glanced at his cell phone. He checked it one last time before turning it off. If she wasn’t busy saving the world without him, she would find a way to let him know what is going on.

. . . . .

As Scully drove to meet Agent Doggett, her phone started to ring again. She sighed and answered, “Scully.”

“Agent Scully,” Doggett’s voice filtered through the voice piece, “I need you to turn around and go back to Dylan’s house. Monica just called. She got knocked out and Natalie is gone. I think Dylan got her.”

“Is Agent Reyes okay?”

“Yes, I think so. I found her covered in some sort of web. Like a spider.”

Scully’s mind flashed to one of the first cases she and Mulder had on what was supposed to be a walk through the forest. “Call the EMTs and make sure they bring hazmat gear. I’m on my way back to Dylan’s house.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

“Take care of Agent Reyes first. And call back up for me as well.”

“You got it. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She tried to dial Rocky’s number but it was disconnected. As Scully pulled back up at the Lokensgard home, it was still eerily quiet and something felt amiss. She drew her weapon and flashlight and took a few steps in. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natalie Gordon, the girl that Doggett and Reyes had been after, sitting in a chair and crying. She asked, “Where are they?” Natalie shook her head, unable to speak. “Natalie!”

Natalie’s crying continued. She pointed upstairs wordlessly. Scully pointed her weapon upstairs and began to make her way to the attic. She widened her eyes in disbelief to see large human-sized sacs of web hanging from various positions. She instantly recalled the mysterious web-slinging, glowing insects from Washington state and how her, Mulder, and the park ranger were almost swallowed alive. As she examined them, a small voice emitted, “Help me. Dr. Scully, help me!”

Scully bent down to tear off the web. “Dr. Bronzino?”

“It’s the boy! And the mother!”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know.” His voice sounded faint. “I don’t feel so good.”

In the distance, she could hear sirens. That must have been Doggett and Reyes coming with the cavalry. She tried to tear the webbing away as she heard the sirens sound to a stop. Bronzino looked faint suddenly and lolled his head backward and his eyes shut. She dragged him out and checked for a pulse. Feeling one, although faint, she began CPR. She heard footsteps running up the stairs and as the flashlight shined on her.

“Agent Scully!” Doggett greeted. “Is that Branzino?”

“He was in one of the web sacks,” she explained quickly, continuing CPR.

“He’s smiling,” Reyes observed.

“He’s what?”

Scully looked down to see Bronzino with his eyes closed but he was smiling. “That sonofabitch,” she cried.

Caught up in the moment, she slapped him against the cheek and got to her feet. The smack was resounding and caused Dr. Bronzino to sit up suddenly and place his hand against the red cheek. “What kind of care was that?”

“A dose of reality,” she snapped. “Make sure the EMTs check him out.”

“I thought we were partners,” he pouted.

“We worked together on this one case. That’s it.” She turned to Doggett and Reyes. “I found him cocooned up like these unknown victims. I had seen something like this once before when I first started on the x-files. That might be worth checking out.”

“We will,” Doggett said, trying to fight from grinning. “But um, do you find any signs of Dylan?”

“Gone. How is Natalie?” Scully answered.

“Fine. Shaken up but I think she’ll be okay,” Reyes said, trying to fight the urge to laugh.

“What?” Scully asked. She turned as the two agents stared at Bronzino who was now trying to charm a female EMT about his close brush with death. “Oh, come on!”

“I’m just saying,” Doggett said. “If Mulder were here, he would have slugged the guy.”

“Just because you were on the receiving end of the man’s fist once, John doesn’t mean he would slug another guy.”

Scully rolled her eyes and cast one lingering glance at Bronzino. “Speaking of Mulder, I need to call him.”

“Let him know about the human fly trap?” Doggett grinned.

“Both of you knock it off,” she grumbled.

“Agent Scully,” one of the police officers called, “I need to get your statement!”

“Can it wait?”

“I’m afraid not, ma’am unless you want to do it in the morning,” the officer said.

Scully sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll do it tonight.”

Her plans of going home or evening calling Mulder disappeared as she was left with Agents Doggett, Reyes, and the cops investigating the scenes.

. . . . . .

Saturday morning. The sun was just peeking through the windows of the Georgetown apartment as Mulder sipped his coffee. He was preparing to wake William up to take him to do a morning run to the shop down the street for donuts and a newspaper. Despite the jealousy and sour feelings, he had with Scully being in the field, being home on a Saturday morning with his son was nice.

His attention was drawn to the door when he heard a key sliding into the lock, the deadbolt turning, and the door open. In came Scully, still wearing the suit from the night before. She came in, kicked off her boots, and dropped her keys on the table next to the door. She sighed and Mulder stood quietly. “You look like you’ve had a tough case,” he called softly.

Scully looked surprised. “You’re awake.”

“I’m not much of one for sleep. You should know that by now,” he replied. “You didn’t call.”

“I’m sorry,” she started. Her tired mind tried to piece the past 24 hours. “I got busy and distracted. Everything came to a head last night. I didn’t want to wait to see you so I drove through the night…”

“You drove through the night,” he said.

“Yeah.”

“As a doctor, you should know better.” He made his way to her in a few steps and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Scully was shocked by the greeting but relaxed a few seconds later. Her arms came under his and she hugged him tightly. Mulder squeezed his eyes tightly and buried his face into her hair and breathed deeply. “I missed you.”

Scully buried her face into her chest. His cotton shirt smelled of William, old sweat, and just home. “I missed you too.” She lifted her head and kissed him. Mulder smiled and kissed her deeply, not relinquishing his grasp. She chuckled tiredly. “You missed me.”

“Words fail to describe it.”

She smiled again and looked about the empty apartment. “Where is William?”

“Still sleeping. He’ll wake up in another hour or so. What about you? When was the last time you slept?”

“I napped at the station before I hit the road.”

“You’re a doctor,” he admonished.

“I know, I know.”

“So you know bed rest is the thing you need right now. I’ll call your mother later and cancel dinner plans.”

“Dinner plans?”

Mulder nodded. “We thought you were coming home last night so we were going to have dinner as a family. No worries. We can do it tomorrow.”

“Mom usually goes to church first thing.”

“I’m sure she’ll make an exception.”

Scully was already moving towards their son’s bedroom. The need to see her son was killing her. She opened the door slowly to see William still sleeping soundly. “He sleeps like you but like clockwork, he’ll be up ready for his bottle. We were going to run to the store to get donuts and the Saturday paper. I can pick you up for breakfast if you want?”

“That’d be nice.”

At the sound of his mother’s voice, William sleepily opened his eyes and gurgled happily. “He was up earlier, about three, with a diaper. Go ahead. I’ll get his bottle ready and get you some coffee. Unless you want to change.”

“No, no, this is fine.”

Scully bent down to pick up her son, cradled him, and sat in the rocking chair. Mulder smiled at the image before he went to fetch the bottle and coffee. As he came back and saw Scully, still disheveled from her case, smiling and cooing at their son, the anger and bitterness he had been nursing the past few days momentarily vanished.

. . . . . .

“Is William asleep?”

“Yeah,” Mulder replied, crawling into bed with her. “He’ll probably be up around two or three. He’s been consistent the past few nights with you gone. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take the first shift when he wakes up.”

Scully flipped the covers down for him further. “I missed this.”

“Missed what?”

“You, William, us.”

Skinner’s advice came back to him suddenly and Mulder said, “I have something to ask you. Rather something to tell you?”

“What?”

“I was quite moody and jealous when you were gone. I felt...I felt left behind,” he confessed searching for the right words. “I know I screwed up being abducted and dying and putting you through all that before William was born. With you gone…” He sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“You did nothing wrong. I may have gotten caught up in the work,” she said. Scully reached for his hand. “But this parenthood thing, our relationship, we just need to strike a balance and find out what that is. I enjoyed Saturday with you and William. That’s something we wouldn’t have if we were still on the x-files.”

“True. But I still feel bad.” He pulled her suddenly towards her and she let out a yelp of surprise. He kissed her neck and nuzzled her pajama top open. “William can sleep through anything. And, correct me if I’m wrong, doctor, you’ve healed enough.”

She giggled and slide down so he had better access. “On the case, there was this etymologist that had helped us. Rocky Bronzino. The man kept flirting with me to no end. He ended up in a cocoon…”

“A cocoon you say,” Mulder murmured.

His fingers were already unbuttoning her pajama top, his hand sinking beneath the elastic waistband of her undergarments. She shivered to feel his fingers touch her. “Yes. I got to say I was in a relationship,” she smiled. She sought more kisses from him. “Publicly. Openly. I am in a committed relationship with my partner.”

Mulder smiled and whispered, “You sound so sexy saying that.”

“What? I am in a committed relationship with my partner?”

“Yes.” Scully found herself topless and pulled off Mulder’s shirt. “He made me perform CPR on him.”

Mulder paused. “He did what?”

“Don’t worry. I gave him a good dose of reality.” She snickered. “By slapping him.”

“There’s the Agent Scully I know,” he breathed. “And good. I don’t share.”

Scully let him continue his ministrations, relishing being home and with him again. Her thoughts about the case as she just let herself be present and let herself be free. Mulder moved and loved her, silently thanking whoever was listening he had her and William in his life. After a passionate reunion, Scully cuddled against Mulder, resting her head on his heart. “I missed you.”

He held her and gently played with her hair. “I missed you too.”

On the baby monitor, William began to make noses, crying from one of his parents. “I got it,” Mulder whispered. He kissed her quickly. “And you’re right, we’ll try to find a balance.”

Scully laid back down in bed and watch his naked behind jog to the nursery. She lay back down to watch the shadows on the ceiling and he was back five minutes later. Mulder slid effortlessly back next to her, embracing her again. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. “He was just talking in his sleep. Like you do.”

“You mean you,” she yawned.

“I mean you.” He pulled her closer. “It’s good to have you home, Scully.”

“It’s good to be home.”

#xfiles #xf fic #msr #txf #txf fic #msr fic #embracing parenthood fic #mulder #scully #mulder and scully #season 9 #au

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scriptura-adrepticius · 6 years

Text

Energetic - Justin Huang

ksjdhgjksdg i really like songfics but i’m bad at writing them i hope this was okay???

Pairing: Justin Huang x OC/reader

Series: Types of People

sunrise boy and blazer girl

credits to @wildeflower and @schrodingersjellicle

Genre: fluff, songfic, party!au i guess??? idk

Triggers: mentions of drinking, nothing underage or really bad tho

Word Count: 3.6k

Justin is your energy, and you are his.

Masterlist | Types of People

justin is a b a b y whAT IS THIS

youtube

Your lips and my lips

I can feel it more and more, the hot air in this place

Shivers travel all over my body

Now we’re gonna start our story.

The lights are dim, it smells like alcohol, and the sounds of drunk laughter and loud music blare in his ears.

Justin smiles.

This is when he feels alive.

The music pumps through his veins as he laughs and shouts with his friends, not touching the alcohol but watching other people get drunk. It’s mean, perhaps, but it’s a source of entertainment.

And Justin loves entertainment.

He’s looking around, laughing at something Zeren just said, when he sees you.

Your hair floats around your face, your head thrown back in a loud laugh that reaches Justin’s ears even across the noisy room. Your eyes are closed, a smile on your face, and though your movements are wild, they are controlled.

You don’t seem drunk, which makes Justin curious. He doesn’t drink- he mostly comes to parties to hang out and dance. But it’s rare that he sees someone who seems to be the same way.

Justin watches, eyes fixed on you, ignoring his friends. It feels like the world is in slow motion when you open your eyes, looking around, and finally rest your gaze on him.

The smile you toss isn’t flirty or suggestive. Rather, it’s fun and confident with just a touch of shyness, and before Justin knows it, he’s walking over to you.

Up close, you’re even more beautiful than he thought. His gaze strays to your lips, and a shiver runs up his spine.

“Hey,” he says, smirking slightly. “I’m Justin.”

Undaunted, you return the smirk, eyes flashing. “I’m Yanghui.”

“Yanghui,” he says, a smile tugging at his lips. “Pretty name for a pretty girl.”

Justin expects you to turn away, to cringe, to glare like everyone else does, but instead, you toss your head back and laugh, a loud and cheerful sound that has his heart pounding.

“You’ll have to do better than that, Justin,” you reply, eyes teasing. “I know a few people who could give you a run for your money.”

“Is that a challenge?” Justin raises an eyebrow.

You raise your own. “Only if you want it to be.”

The party is still going on, the music shaking the floor, drunken shouts filling the room, but even with all the noise, Justin can only focus on you.

“And if I do?” he asks, wetting his lips slightly. He doesn’t miss the way your eyes flit over the slight movement.

A slow, amused smile spreads across your face and you tap on your phone, pulling up your contacts app. You hold the device out to him.

“Then,” you laugh, “let’s see where the world takes us.”

I don’t know why, without knowing

I’m falling for you

Breathtakingly, baby

I don’t know why

This moment right now

I can’t stop this feeling no no no no

You’re not quite sure what possessed you to hand this new boy, Justin, your phone. You’re not quite sure what possessed you to get his number. You’re not quite sure where this is going to take you.

But what you are sure of is that Justin is breathtaking, that he is interesting, and that he leaves you wanting more, more, more.

More.

He taps in his number, the bright light illuminating his handsome features. And then he hands the phone back, smiling, before tossing you his.

You raise an eyebrow, holding it up. “You sure?” you ask one more time.

Justin smirks. “Yup.”

You laugh, tapping in your number. “I hope so.”

You save your contact, snapping a quick photo for your profile picture, before handing the phone back to Justin. And though you try to avoid touching him, your fingers brush his ever so slightly as he takes the device, and a tingle travels up your arm.

Heat snakes up your cheeks, and you will yourself to hold down the blush. “See you around, Justin,” you say, patting his shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.

Make me feel so high

I’m going crazy, I can’t stop

You make me feel so high

I’m so crazy, the moment you look at me

I’m so attracted, pull me more, baby

I’m feelin’ so energetic

Tonight, just us two, out of control yeah

I’m feelin’ so energetic

It’s one in the morning. Any reasonable minor wouldn’t be out right now, which is why, despite his whining, Justin is being dragged home by Zhengting. He shuts up after a few minutes, though, walking briskly next to his elder friend.

Zhengting looks at Justin, confused as to why the boy isn’t pestering him like no tomorrow right now. He notes the faraway look in Justin’s eyes, the slight smile that plays at his lips.

Zhengting doesn’t know it, but Justin’s thinking about you.

He’s thinking about how your eyes flash with confidence, how your body moves with the beat of the music, how you throw your head back to laugh loudly. He’s thinking about how your fingers touched when you handed back his phone, how he gets lost in your gaze, how his heart jumped when you patted his shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.

Justin is enamored by the way you move, the way you speak, the way you just have this raw energy that gets everyone around you fired up in excitement.

You made Justin feel alive. You’re crazy, you’re wild, and yet you’re restrained just enough that you aren’t indecent.

Your voice rings through his ears.

“Then let’s see where the world takes us.”

Justin’s heart pounds, thinking of those words, thinking of the glint in your eyes when you spoke them. Any other person might have called you a flirt, but somehow, Justin doesn’t think so.

You’re not a flirt, you’re just… you. Friendly. Outgoing. Teasing. Energetic.

At least that’s as much as Justin gathered in the short time he spoke with you.

Zhengting raises an eyebrow when Justin doesn’t respond to his questioning looks.

“He’s gone crazy,” he mutters.

And honestly, Justin agrees.

Until the moment my heart stops

I’ll protect you, I won’t go away

This isn’t just a momentary promise

Now tell me baby

You tell me how to feel

You’re at another party, sitting at the bar. The bartender prepares a mixture of water in its solid and liquid forms for you with a relieved smile, stating that he’s glad someone’s taking care of themselves.

You shrug, taking a sip. “First off, I’m underage. I’m just the designated driver.” The bartender - Ruibin - looks at the large X on your hand before nodding. “Ah.”

“Also, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like the headache that came with being drunk,” you add. “I’d rather just have fun, then go home alert.”

“You seem sensible,” Ruibin says, smiling. “Keep your wits about you.”

Drunk customers come up to the bar and Ruibin hurries away to serve them, leaving you to sip at your water in peace. The atmosphere is energetic, and you nod your head with the beat as the music travels through your veins.

If only Justin were here, but he said he couldn’t make it today. You’d have someone to talk to. But no matter.

A smile spreads across your face. You feel good.

That is, you feel good until someone stumbles onto the stool next to you.

You glance over, disinterested, faced with a really, really drunk-looking guy who’s staring at you with a bit too much enthusiasm for your liking.

Immediately, warning bells go off in your head and you lean away, hands curling protectively around your cup.

“Hey,” he says drunkenly.

“Hi,” you reply cautiously.

“You’re pretty.”

“… Thanks?”

He just stares at you for a few long seconds, making you very uncomfortable. You kind of want to toss your water into his face.

“Want to go home with me?”

If there was a facial expression that equated to absolute disgust, that would accurately describe your face currently. You shake your head vehemently. “No!”

“Why not?” He leans closer and you nearly fall off the bar stool trying to get away. “You’d have a good time.”

“Didn’t she say she’s not interested?”

Surprise hits you, then relief, and you hop off the stool to stand next to Justin. His hand encircles your wrist protectively, glaring at the guy. “Leave her alone.”

Said guy scoffs. “You’d choose this scrawny rat over me?”

“Scrawny rat?!” Justin looks ready to fight.

You shoot him a warning look. “Yeah, I would,” you say to the guy before dragging Justin out of the bar.

“I thought you said you couldn’t make it today?” you ask once you’re outside, the fresh night air hitting your cheeks.

“My appointment got cancelled, so I figured I’d come.” Justin shrugs.

You smile. “Thank god you did, or I don’t know how that -” you jerk your head to the bar - “would have escalated.”

Justin just kind looks down, embarrassed. Your smile grows wider, and your heart thumps.

It’s cute seeing the flirty boy getting embarrassed.

“Come on, let’s get out of here for a bit,” you say impulsively, tugging on his arm.

“Aren’t you the designated driver for your friends though?” Justin asks, looking down at your hand.

“We can just walk around,” you say. “They won’t be out for another hour at least.”

With that, Justin agrees, and you walk with him in the cool night air.

Uh 1 2 3 and 4, don’t like those other guys next to you

Who am I? A killer who only protects you

Just like that, I kill it, yeah

“You should be more careful,” Justin admonishes. “Who knows what could’ve happened if I wasn’t there?”

“I would’ve disappeared - I’m good at that -” you retort, “or I would’ve called the bartender over. He was a nice guy.”

Justin’s eye twitches.

Nice guy.

“And anyway,” you continue, unaware of Justin’s jealousy, “you’re starting to sound like Zhengting.” You make a face.

Despite his prior feelings, Justin can’t help but laugh. “He’s finally rubbing off on you,” you say in mock disgust. “My god.”

You look over at Justin, who’s still not completely adept at hiding his feelings. “Jealous?” you tease, smirking.

Justin chokes on air. “Jealous? What are you talking about?” he scoffs. “As if.”

Yeah, he’s jealous. But he’d rather die than admit it.

Your raised eyebrow tells him you see through his weak deceptions, and he rolls his eyes in response. “Okay, so what if I was?” he asks childishly. “I’d rather keep you to myself.”

You throw your head back and laugh, the sound echoing in the dark streets. Justin loves it. “There’s no need to be jealous, Justin,” you say. “I wouldn’t go with any other guy except you.”

“Not even Zhengting? Or Chengcheng?” he teases.

“Zhengting? Are you crazy?” You snort in disbelief. “He’d probably make me wear ten jackets if we went out together. He’d nag me the whole way there, wherever we were going. And Chengcheng would eat all my food.”

“I eat all your food,” Justin points out.

“No need to remind me,” you grumble. “But you eat less than Chengcheng, so it’s a little more okay.”

See, it’s moments like this where Justin looks at you in your natural, confident glory and wonders just why you ended up being friends with him. He’s blessed, truly, though he’d probably never actually say that to your face.

“Something on my face?” Your voice brings Justin out of his daze, reminding him that he’s been staring at you for at least a minute straight.

Great, Yanjun’s rubbing off on me.

“Just your beauty,” he teases.

Justin wants to believe that’s a blush on your face when you laugh and hit him, but it’s too dark for him to actually tell.

Still, he can hope.

I’ll hold you in my arms and be on alert

But throw your worries to the basement

Whatever we do, we are one now

That word will linger around our ears

You hug yourself, trying to replicate the feeling of Justin’s arms wrapped snugly around you.

You fail.

A sigh escapes your lips and you fall backwards onto your bed. “Why?” you whisper.

Why do you feel this way when Justin isn’t around?

Why do you feel so happy when Justin is around?

Oh, right, it’s because you like him so much you want to spend your every waking moment with him.

“Fuck,” you complain to the dark room. You have no worries about anyone hearing you, because your parents aren’t home and won’t be until next week.

Workaholics.

You roll over, wrapping the blankets around you until you’re huddled into a tight burrito. “I wish he was here,” you murmur.

When Justin’s around, you feel free. Your worries seem to fade from existence. You can laugh, you can cry, you can be you.

But when you’re in this house…

You sigh again. Perhaps it’s bad of you to say this, but you really, really dislike your parents. You could probably say you hate them.

“Always making me shut up in their presence because they’re so tired…” you mutter. “But why are they tired? Always fucking working.”

They never have time for you. And it’s not even that you’re poor. You’re rather well off.

They’re just married to their fucking jobs.

You snort. “A polyamorous relationship between my parents and their jobs.”

Your phone buzzes with a text.

From: Huang Minghao

You up?

You smile, sitting up.

To: Huang Minghao

Yeah. Anything wrong?

From: Huang Minghao

No. Just figured you couldn’t sleep again.

“Boyfriend material,” you laugh.

What, are you supposed to be ashamed to admit it? You definitely wish Justin was your boyfriend. Despite only having known him for half a year, you can confidently say you are head over heels for this boy.

But though you’re not afraid to admit it to yourself… well, admitting it to Justin is something completely different.

You’re confident. Or at least you act like it. But like everyone else, you’ve got a lot of hidden insecurities that aren’t letting you confess just yet.

Honestly, you’d probably end up being one of those girls who confesses their love when they’re drunk. Or when their tongue is loose from lack of sleep or something. You snort.

Then something hits your window. You whip your head around, squinting in the darkness before flipping on a lamp. Another clack sounds, and you look outside.

Your jaw drops.

Make me feel so high

I’m going crazy, I can’t stop

You make me feel so high

I’m so crazy, the moment you look at me

I’m so attracted, pull me more, baby

I’m feelin’ so energetic

Tonight, just us two, out of control yeah

I’m feelin’ so energetic

Within minutes, you’re dressed and outside the house, berating the boy for being so conspicuous while he just grins and holds you close. Eventually you run out of breath, choosing to simply lean into his side.

“Why did you come?” you ask.

“I was attracted to you,” he replies cheekily. “We’re like opposite poles. I couldn’t stay away.”

You snicker, slapping his arm. There’s a little silence.

“So what do we do now?” Justin finally asks.

You scowl. “Shouldn’t you answer that question? You’re the one that came here.”

“I didn’t really think this part through,” he admits, running a hand through his hair. You roll your eyes and shake your head, half-laughing. “We could go up to the rooftop?”

“Sounds good.” Justin grins, his smile brighter than the moonlight. “Lead the way.”

I’m feelin’ good

I wanna touch

This unstoppable feeling is like freedom

I’m feelin’ good

I wanna touch baby

Hurry and come to me tonight yeah

It’s a clear night, with few clouds obscuring the moon and the stars. You spread a blanket and sit down, patting the area next to you.

Justin slides an arm around your waist and leans his head on your shoulder as he sits. “Are your parents still not home?” he asks.

You roll your eyes, a cynical smirk twisting your lips. “Won’t be until next week.”

Justin’s heart feels for you. He’s not too good with words, so his grip on your waist just tightens a little to remind you he’s there. You smile a little more genuinely, and he feels a little more at ease.

“Doesn’t matter,” you say. “I don’t care about them.”

“That’s a good mindset to have.” Justin nods approvingly.

“Not caring about my parents?” You raise your eyebrows. “A lot of people would disagree.”

“Well, I’m not a lot of people,” he shoots back, pushing your head. “And you know what I mean. It’s a good mindset to not care about those who don’t care about you.”

You nod. Then there’s a short silence.

“Enough deep shit,” Justin finally says, tugging out his phone. “Let’s dance.”

“On a rooftop?”

Justin nods.

“At night?”

“It’s technically morning.”

“Fine. In the dark?”

He nods again.

A smirk spreads across your face. “I like the way you think, Justin.”

Alright

Uh huh, work your body

Come it’s time to have fun, let’s dance

Even if your nice shoes get dirty

Move it, quickly, hurry up

Justin’s phone isn’t the loudest source of music, but you don’t mind. In contrast to all those parties you’ve been to where the music is so loud you can feel the ground trembling, this is much more intimate. You like it.

You and Justin move your bodies weirdly, slipping over the roof tiles in the dark, falling into the blanket, laughing with abandon as the hours pass. It’s so stupid, the way you two are ‘dancing,’ but that just makes everything better. Sweat sticks your hair to your face and your shoes get dirty from the grime of the dirty roof, but it’s all okay. You’re having fun. Despite it being late at night when you should be sleeping, Justin energizes you, makes you able to laugh, able to dance to just one more song.

Too soon, the sky is gray and the first light of dawn is peeking over the horizon. A slower ballad is playing on Justin’s phone, and you sway around with him, your hands on his shoulders, his hands on your waist.

You’re in a sort of sleepy stupor due to the slow music and the fact that you haven’t slept all night. Your tongue is loose, so you don’t realize the magnitude of your words (at first) when you ask, “Justin, do you care about me?”

Almost immediately you’re alert.

Fuck.

You knew it. You are one of those girls who confess things when your tongue is loose. You kind of want to tip yourself off of the roof.

There’s a silence in which you feel waves of shock radiating off of Justin and waves of embarrassment radiating off of you. “Forget I said anything,” you mumble, trying to pull away. Justin doesn’t let you, though.

“W-why did you ask that?” Justin asks just a little too loudly.

Your mind goes into overdrive. Does his loud voice mean he’s not interested? Or is he just surprised? Fuck, you really shouldn’t have said anything.

“Just, uh…” You stumble on your words, unsure what to say. “I… um… you told me I shouldn’t care about people who don’t care about me.”

Justin nods slowly. You continue.

“But I care about you a little too much.” You swallow hard. “So… tell me now. Do you care for me in the way I care for you? So I don’t have to stay in the dark.”

Silence.

You bite your lip. “I get it if you don’t,” you whisper. “It’s okay-”

“Hey, let me talk first, okay?” Justin’s voice is uncharacteristically gentle. “First, where did the confident Yanghui I knew go? Smile for me.”

You do your best to lift the corners of your mouth into a slight smile.

“That’s better.” Justin coughs, a tint of red covering his cheeks. “If the way you care for me is in the… romantic sense, then I care for you in the same way.”

You can hardly believe you’re hearing him say this. “Really?” you whisper. Your heart feels like it’s going to thud out of your chest.

“Really,” Justin confirms.

(You make me feel so high)

Ask questions later

So other guys can’t look at you

(I can’t stop)

So anyone can see that we make it so cool

Let’s start now, you know I mean

As the gray light of dawn turns into a rosy pink, Justin pulls you down on the blanket again, allowing you to snuggle into his side. You drift in and out of sleep, lulled by the way his thumb rubs circles at your waist, the way he plays softly with your hair.

He looks at you, blushing and smiling. Thank god you can’t see him right now, or you’d tease him forever.

How could he not care for you? With the way you pull him in, the way you energize him? It feels as though you’re his life source, and though he knows he’s young, he doesn’t think he’d mind being with you forever.

“Let’s go inside,” you whisper, eyes still closed.

Justin’s forehead creases. “Is anyone going to be upset that I’m there?”

You open your eyes slightly, looking up at him. “Hell no. My parents aren’t home, and the only other person home is our hired help who keeps telling me I need more friends. She’ll be ecstatic to see you.”

Justin laughs. Only you could still manage to be this snappy when you’re tired.

“Alright then,” he says, pulling you up. He wads the blanket under his arm, whirling you around to face him. “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” you murmur, looking up. “Look.” You point at the pink sky. “It’s so pretty!”

Not as pretty as you. The pickup line runs through Justin’s mind, but he refrains from saying it so as not to ruin the scene in front of him.

And you look so beautiful, standing against the rose-streaked backdrop of the horizon, that Justin can’t help but pull you in for a kiss.

I’m so attracted, pull me more, baby

I’m feelin’ so energetic

Tonight, just us two, out of control, yeah

98 notes · View notes

headcanons-everywhere · 6 years

Conversation

thats luego

luego satona

hes gay / pan (nobody rlly figures out which. hes just in general Rlly Into Dudes) and he was one of the people in blu's friend group when blu was a human

and uh

ali ve

witnessed / indirectly caused blu's death (the entire group did but he feels the most guilty over it)

he had a crush on (imma call him blu until i figure out his human name btw ahA) blu even tho he knew blu was straght

he jokingly gives luego shit for it

like lue making kissy noises and acting like hes about to amother blu in love and blus just like "eW BRO STOP!!! KISSING IS GROSS UGH"

but he doesnt care if one of his best friend's gay or pan or w/e as long as he finds someone hes happy with

but blus just personally grossed out by affection in general so thats where the 'giving him shit for it' comes in, ie: laughing in faux-disgust while shoving lue's face away bc luegos still tryina sneak in n smooch him just to ruffle his feathers

stuff like that :)

tho after blu died

well

lemme copy paste

it woNT SEND

[hes tall

n blu uh

is sort of?

luego is def taller tho

kappital - 11/15/2017

hows he feelin about

dead boy

manic pixie dream tarantula - 11/15/2017

dunno the exact relationship yet so idk how hed react but

he was definitely Upset the night it happened

esp since im thinkin he was one of the ones joking like "bro ur gonna fuckin hurt urself" n such bc he was geuinly like "IDK IF THIS IS A GOOD IDEA GUYS" but was playing cool abt it

kappital - 11/15/2017

manic pixie dream tarantula - 11/15/2017

but when blu died from whatever happened (it was an instant accident kinda deal, like a stumble+fall or smthin) and everyone kinda freaked n left, luego was the last one to leave

bc he geuinly didnt know what to do n so he hung back just staring in horror and trying to think of some other option until the grouo called back like "dUDE LETS GO" or smthin n he judt made a rlly frustrated / upset noise before glancing over one last time apologetically / "this is so fucked" kinda look at blu n then turning to run with the rest

bc they knew if police or smthin showed up thered be a fuckton of trouble for them since they prolly had a p bad reputation around town anyways, so itd def look like a crime rather than an accident

so they just

ran

but luego was def one of the ones most fucked up by it tho

he felt rlly nauseated n guilty for a long time afterwards, even after all the rlly bad emotional stuff

kappital - 11/15/2017

thats fucking intense

ive had dreams like that thats scary

manic pixie dream tarantula - 11/15/2017

yE AH

but today like, at this very moment idk where hes at or what hes up to

that im still figuring out

or if hes even still around ngl

but after that most of the group splintered off into being rlly upset with one another n he was prolly the angriest out of the group bc he was the closest one emotionally w/ blu

so thats fun :) ]

OH there we go

he tried to uh

take himself out a few times but after a few failed attempts he was just like "fuck it this is stupid anyways. ill just. idk, ill try to...make the best of it. or something." n thats how he lived to where he is today

openly gay/pan, lived a slightly lavish life style that he liked to show off, drank socially but even then not that muvh bc alcohol is personally gross to him but its a good way to loosen up at big events or w/e

manic pixie dream tarantula - Last Thursday at 1:00 PM

i flip between present n past tense when typing accidently bc techincally "today" / "current" luego uh

died around 20 yrs or so b4 blu was summoned by alexander back into the human world

like he lived a full life n shit but died from some heart problems later in life

but he was p emotionally repressed abt what happened

wouldnt get much out of him unless you openly prodded him about him a lot

like sat him down n seriously tried to pull smthin out of him

but aside from that he was a p content guy :)

also sprry if the messages are fucked, wifi is awful out here aAAAAA

manic pixie dream tarantula - Last Thursday at 2:21 PM

but ye thats a summary of luego for ya

:)))

all his earrings on both ears are diff

no two are the same

n they all have a special meaning to them

OH also

all his earrings on both ears are diff

no two are the same

that all sent out of order omfg

manic pixie dream tarantula - Last Thursday at 5:56 PM

oK im back on good wifi i tjink :)

goo - Last Thursday at 8:37 PM

i've read some of this but it's been a busy day so i'm sorry i'm not ignoring you i just want to get home and read it there so i can elaborate my thoughts and questions to you haha

manic pixie dream tarantula - Last Thursday at 8:37 PM

no no dude ur ok

leila gave me a glimpse of what happened (like a chat screenshot between yall) bc she was askin if u were mad or upset or smthin

i kno ur not ignoring me n im honestly just hopin (if i have the story right??) whichever dog got the weed stuff on accident n ended up with leg spasms is doin ok!!

goo - Last Thursday at 8:40 PM

nah bandit just passed out from weed but miracle got the spasms and he'll be fine it's the usual for him

manic pixie dream tarantula - Last Thursday at 8:40 PM

oH OK

shit man thats still def stressful if at least on some level ahA

glad they sound likr theytr gonna be ok n shit

#blu #luego #alexander #Modern Universe #pre-modern universe

0 notes

kenbinru · 7 years

Text

I Can’t Believe I Have the Girlfriend of My Dreams! (An Unromantic Love Comedy LN) Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Sigh.

A 70.

Thank God for Yuki-san’s chocolates...

It’s been a few days since Valentines’ Day and I noticed a lot of tension the school was feeling died down. In fact, the school’s vibe changed towards something more light-hearted, where you could hear small teases and occasional bickering from the new couples. I wish that was the case for me and Yuki-san in this world, but my goal was at least one step closer. She and I have been somewhat more comfortable than before. Like last Tuesday, she woke me up when the teacher asked me a question. I knew the answer of course. But other than that small incident, it is kinda awkward between both of us. There’s an indescribable distance between us, even though she did give me chocolate for Valentines. I’m still trying to think of a proper way to thank her, but I have no clue!

Daisuke Akatsuka, my best friend since forever comes up to me at the right moment. He was still wolfing down the chocolates he received from the girls all around school. If anyone had any tips about how to deal with my dilemma right now, it was him.

Play it smooth Kazuki! Don’t make it so obvious what you’re trying to do.

“H-hey buddy ol’ pal.”

I pat him on the back like he does to me. It makes him cringe.

“Uh…what are you doing?”

C’mon Kazuki you can still save this!

“N-nothing! Just wondering how my partner in crime is doing these days…haha” I try to laugh it off.

Daisuke wasn’t falling for it though. But he’s been through my charades long enough that he simply sighs and lets it go.

“Well…things could be better, but that’s for another time. I guess if you don’t need my help I’m gonna go back to class…”

“No wait!”

“Hmph! I knew it!”

Daisuke turned around with a smug grin.

He knows me too well…

“Well…here’s my problem Daisuke…”

I explained to him my current dilemma of what to do as a thank you for Yuki-san’s chocolates last Valentines’ Day. I had to make my shot count, since Akane wanted me to “surprise” her other self.

My girlfriend didn’t even give me a hint! How cruel!

“I see…” said Daisuke.

“You see Kazuki…when a man likes a woman, it can make you do very stupid things. Things like you when you confessed to the Ice Witch in front of the whole school…”

“Y-you don’t have to remind me!” I exclaim.

“But…you managed to someone recover from that and are now on good standing with her. If anything…you gotta be smooth…” as he slicked back his bleach blond-tip hair.

“Smooth…?”

“No no! You gotta be smoooooooooth…”

I don’t get it.

“Ah…smooooooooth…” as I copied his exact motion for slicking back his hair.

“But you get confessed to like on a daily basis Daisuke!”

“W-well…it’s because I’m not interested in them! There’s someone else…” he steps back.

“Wait! So that means…!”

Who does Daisuke like?!?

“Yeah…I’m just waiting for the right opportunity…”

He cunningly smiles to me and rubs his hands together.

“HEY! What are you two dummies talking about?!?”

Suddenly comes Kaneko-san the school’s roadrunner from Class 2-A. She ran in here like her usual entrance, leaving a dust cloud behind her. It was like she used instant transmission since she suddenly appeared right behind Daisuke.

“N-nothing Mary!” said Daisuke.

He and I were trying very hard to hide our embarrassment from Kaneko-san catching us off guard while bro-talk.

Now’s not the time…

“U-uh…I got something to do. Bathroom. I feel an uh…stomach-ache! Bye!”

Daisuke runs off leaving a dust cloud behind him exiting Class 2-B.

“Okay….” said a confused Kaneko-san.

“Anyways…KAZUKI! What was your score on last week’s test…?”

Kaneko-san had a smug look on her face. She was trying very hard not to burst out and straight up say her presumably high score. I suck up my pride and tell her the truth.

“You win this time Kaneko-san, I barely passed…”

I was ready for Kaneko-san to start laughing or teasing me, but this time she didn’t. She took my test and looked at it thoroughly. Instead of a simple beck and call like usual, she had a genuine look of concern. I’m not sure what would be worse.

“Wow…you really messed up Kazuki. You know I was sort of joking about you being an idiot…”

Yuki-san overhears our conversation and turns towards me. Since Valentines’, I’ve noticed that she tended to smile more, ever so slightly though. Both Kaneko-san and I are waiting for her to grace us with her wisdom.

“I’m sorry Kaneshiro-san, but what happened?”

Well it probably had to do with the chocolate…but I can’t say that!

“I’m not sure Yuki-san, I just didn’t have enough time to study given what’s happened recently…”

Besides Valentines’ Day, none of us spoke about the “rescuing Yuki-san” incident that happened. We were all glad to be alive and mostly come out of it unharmed. Even Daisuke didn’t want to talk much about what happened, even though I was completely fine afterwards except for a knock on the head. Being his best friend, I couldn’t be cruel and make him relive memories of thinking his friend was dead. Kaneko-san, Daisuke, Yuki-san, and I all grew a newfound appreciation for each other, as we were all connected with that experience.

“I hope you do better next time Kaneshiro-san.” said Yuki-san.

With that surged a newfound motivation in me.

I won’t let you down next time Yuki-san!

I’m back in Dr. Mori’s office. Needless to say she wasn’t a big fan of Valentines’ Day. This time she wasn’t drinking coffee at all. Instead she was dumping a whole box of candy into her mouth. I never thought of her having a sweet tooth, but I saw that the clearance sticker on the box was too good to pass up. It was still part of our usual check-ins after my accident. So far, I like to think that I’ve been progressing well with my recovery process. Although I still had some small headaches here and there, it was nothing in comparison to what was happening with my apparent “World-hopping” power. Dr. Mori said the closest explanation was lucid dreaming, but even then that theory still had some holes.

“Y’know Kazuki-kun, I’ve heard that you barely passed the latest exam. What’s my favorite idiot-student doing?”

“I’m not sure myself Dr. Mori. I just didn’t have enough time to study given what’s happened recently.”

“I see…”

Dr. Mori ripped open another box of candy and continued stuffing her mouth with chocolates.

“Even Mary’s been doing better than you-” She almost chokes but manages to gulp down the last piece. “-and your job was to teach her!”

“I-I’m sorry Dr. Mori!” as I bow my head in shame.

She gave a long sigh.

“It can’t be helped. Why don’t I find someone to tutor you? How about…I don’t know? Akane Yuki from your class?”

Dr. Mori grinned from ear to ear.

Oh. Oh!!! Thank you Dr. Mori! But I can’t show her I’m ok with that, she’ll make fun of me more!

“Uh…sure. You’re right it can’t be helped. I’ll swallow my pride as a man and accept my new teacher.”

Dr. Mori pats herself on the back with her genius idea.

“Yuki-san isn’t in any clubs either, and don’t worry, she won’t say no. Word goes around there’s a popular cat café across town…and the school forbids students from having jobs.”

She was seconds away from maniacal laughter, but she held back. It was like she had been waiting for an opportunity to bring down Yuki-san.

What does she have in store???

“Also, you’re welcome Kazuki-kun. Ah young love!”

Someone marry her please!

It was time for my regular study session with Kaneko-san. However, Dr. Mori already told me that Yuki-san should be joining us today. I tried to go to the study room with her but she left too quickly from my class. As I’m heading towards our usual room, I see Kaneko-san.

“Hey Kaneko-san wait up!”

I run up to her from behind. She slows down and I catch up with her.

“You’re running late idiot.” said Kaneko-san.

I can tell that she wasn’t in the right mood today. Ever since the results of the test I’ve been getting weird mixed signals from her. Our previous tutoring sessions were mostly quiet, and it was me doing most of the talking, when it would usually be her screaming in frustration of being unable to figure out the questions.

“Are you ok Kaneko-san?”

“Yes, everything’s fine.”

The thing is, Akane told me that when girls say they’re ok like that, they’re not really ok.

I may be dense, but not that dense!

It was obvious to me that something was bothering Kaneko-san, and I asked her a few days ago what was wrong. She simply replied that nothing was wrong. Kaneko-san was the school’s best athlete after all; I can’t even imagine the expectations everyone else had for her.

We reach our room, and Kaneko-san being the impulsive one slides the door open with a bang. Only she suddenly stops and blocks me from entering with her tiny frame.

“Hey…what’s the hold up?”

I look over Kaneko-san’s head, and there she was. Yuki-san was already inside our room, reading her usual black-covered book. With her presence, the atmosphere changed from a happy-go-lucky vibe that me and Kaneko-san built up, into something that was more serious. She was sitting at the end of the table, like a queen sitting on her throne. She was patiently waiting for both of us and it seemed that she didn’t even notice that we were here. Kaneko-san and I come into the room, finally catching her attention.

“What are you doing here?” said Kaneko-san.

Kaneko-san was biting her tiny lips, as Yuki-san promptly closed her book and stood up from the chair.

“I have been assigned by Dr. Mori to help you two raise up your grades.” said Yuki-san.

Yuki-san sat right back down onto her chair, and popped open her book, trying to find the part she left off. She didn’t even glance at the two of us still standing in front of the table. Kaneko-san slammed her bag in front of Yuki-san.

“I don’t need your help. I already have Kazuki. Don’t you have a job?” said Kaneko-san.

“I do. But Dr. Mori made me an offer I cannot refuse. I have already told my manager that I would do more shifts on other days instead.”

Despite all that, Yuki-san was still unfazed, reading her book.

“Besides, you two would be hopeless without me.”

Yuki-san closed her book finally, and let out her cold gaze, befitting of her “Ice Witch of Kasumigaseki High,” reputation.

“Nghhhh…” Kaneko-san didn’t have a rebuttal to Yuki-san.

I better say something before these two kill each other!

“Kaneko-san c’mon. I’ve been doing badly lately and I need some help too. A student can’t be better than his master right? Even a master needs a refresher or two every once in a while haha…”

Kaneko-san stops pouting and gives up. Defeated, she pulls out her notebook and starts looking over her work. I open up my science notebook and we begin our study session.

“Alright you two, I have already analyzed your strengths and weaknesses. Kaneko-san, you have improved in English, but it leads more to be desired. However, your literature score was better than your previous score. So let us start with English. For Kaneshiro-san, you have been in a disappointing downward spiral ever since your incident. My condolences for your situation, but your literature grades have been slipping, so we will start there with you.”

It was the cold calculating Yuki-san that everyone of Kasumigaseki High knew. Both Kaneko-san and I were hit in our pride by her thorough examination of our weaknesses. It was different from my tutoring style, and I had to admit that it felt weird. I put away my science notebook and pull out my dusty literature textbook. I look out into the window and see gray clouds forming in the skyline.

This is gonna be a long afternoon…

I’m in my bed now. What’s crazy was that it suddenly started raining! The weather forecast only gave about a 10% chance of rain, but it still happened anyways. Luckily for me, I left before it started pouring.

Oh Wait! It would’ve been perfect if I had an umbrella for Yuki-san!

I grab my pillow to the side and yell into it. For some reason, I was still bothered by Kaneko-san. Kaneko-san’s been weird since Valentines’ Day, and I haven’t been making much progress on Yuki-san either, even with Akane’s help. Akane said that Yuki-san probably doesn’t what to do either. Those two have a lot more in common than you would expect.

This is giving me a headache…

In a few hours I’ll wake up in the other world, World A(kane). Like usual, I wake up to see the bedhead of Akane Yuki sleeping next to me. It feels like a dream when I see her, but it’s all real. So far she and I have been studying together more than anything. To be honest, even though we’re apparently a couple, we haven’t really done anything “couple-y.” We haven’t done anything that other couples do, it’s like we’re both too busy with school for anything like that. We’ve been trying to have some spare time to do something together. Akane likes to think of it as “practice for Yuki-san.” She’s been planning a date together sometime soon, because it’s been a while since our last date at the amusement park. She wouldn’t let me on the details either, except to expect a surprise.

We didn’t even do anything for Valentines!

I open my eyes to confirm that I was in the other world now. I see Akane sleeping softly next to me with her red ribbon. I can feel her breathe as her sweet air hits me in the face. It feels pleasant. Even with her snoring and some random mumbling, it was undeniably cute.

“Nyaaaaa kitty cat…”

How cute! My heart!

I head down to the kitchen to start making breakfast. Mother already left since she and dad were still on their Valentines’ Day trip. It was my turn to cook something, since Akane would wake up earlier than me usually and cook anyways (not that I didn’t mind, her cooking is on par with my mother’s!). My mother hasn’t revealed her secret recipe just yet, but I managed to come up with my own from observing her closely. The aroma of the spices and grilled meat starts to diffuse around my house.

“Hamburg…steakkkkkkk my favoriteeeeeee…”

What the?!?

A zombie-like Akane suddenly appeared behind me! She was dragging her body forward, with her arms in front of her like she was in a trance. She paused, only to continue follow the scent with her sniffing.

She’s not wearing any pants! I can see her pant-!

Akane starts getting closer and closer to me in the kitchen, until she finally wakes up in front of me.

“AHHHHHH!”

Her scream and push both knocks us down onto the floor.

She’s on top of me!

Her long black hair covered most of my face, so I couldn’t see her as clearly. I could however see the blush that was powerful enough to seep through her hair. She stands up and helps me off the ground.

“I-I’m sorry Kazuki!”

“I-I’m fine really!”

We’re both started by a loud sizzling noise on the stove-top.

“Oh the hamburg steak!”

Before I could react, Akane already managed to take off the hamburg steak to let it rest on a plate. In one quick motion, she managed to cut the veggies and started to sauté them in the same pan.

“Y’know, it’s my turn today Akane.”

“Yeah, but I don’t mind. You should be grateful considering you knocked me down like that…”

Hey wait a minute!

“You knocked me down since you can’t stop your appetite!”

Akane starts to fake cry again.

“How can you say that to a fair maiden like me?”

She stops the comedy routine and promptly serves the veggies along with the hamburg steaks. I’m not sure if my hamburg steaks would have come out as well as hers.

“Dig in!” said Akane.

I help her wash the dishes since that was the least I could do. Akane was unusually quiet this morning. Too quiet. She was staring off into space, randomly blushing here and there during our meal. Despite the rather awkward moment this morning (not that I didn’t mind!), it felt like she wanted to say something but was hiding it.

“H-hey Akan-“

“H-hey Kazuk-“

We both have the same thought and I’m interrupted. I can’t help but laugh, and she does as well.

We’re in sync this morning.

“You go first Akane.”

“I didn’t know when to bring this up, but I’ve planned a practice date for you Kazuki! It’ll be fun sinc-“

She gets interrupted by the doorbell.

Strange, who could that be?

“I’ll get the door!”

I dash to the door to see who’s already here this early in the morning. I open it only to see Daisuke and Kaneko-san together.

What are they doing here? Not that I don’t mind!

Akane comes to the front entrance door and stands behind me.

“Hey it’s Daisuke and Mary-chan!” said Akane.

It’s strange since Daisuke and Mary-chan both looked away from me when Akane appeared behind me. Until I realized that Akane still wasn’t wearing any pants. I whispered into her ear and let her know.

“U-uh…like I was going to say, Daisuke and Mary-chan will be joining us on a double date. After I change haha sorry!” and she scuttles away.

Wait what?

Upon further observation, I notice that Daisuke and Kaneko-san were equally embarrassed; looking away from each other. But Kaneko-san had a slight smile of satisfaction. I look and notice they were holding hands, albeit reluctantly.

Then that means…?

“U-uh…let me change too guys. Come in.”

So they will be joining us on a double date?!?

Good grief…I was just walking back from the hospital when it suddenly started pouring. It’s just my luck that a 10% chance of rain actually happens. I try to dry my wet hair the best I can.

“Achoo!”

A cold is the last thing I needed. Now I was stuck here at the old dusty bus stop along the road, and all I could hear was the loud cacophony of pouring rain, hitting the metal covering above my head. I hear what sounded to be splashes coming closer and closer to me.

“NGHRNGHRNGHR!”

A girl in a red track suit wearing a Kasumigaseki High uniform underneath appeared! She lowers her track suit that was covering her head, and her blond hair flows out from it. It was Mary! She was pouring wet from running in the rain. The Roadrunner of Kasumigaseki High was standing in front of me at an abandoned bus stop.

“M-Mary?!?”

She tries to move the wet hair out of her face, and her blue eyes meet mine. Her cheeks were bright red from the cold.

“Oh! Daisuke-kun! What a weird coincidence haha! Thankfully I found someplace to stay dry until it stops!”

It was indeed a weird coincidence. I didn’t know Mary lived around this part of town.

“Do you live around here Mary?”

She untied one of her shoes and tilted them to the side, trying to get some water out of it. Her socks were wet enough that I could see through them.

“No not really. This is just my usual route I run for track after having tutoring sessions with Kazuki. When it started raining I ran even faster!” said Mary.

School was almost 2 km away. When she showed up she barely showed any signs that she was running for that long. She finally sits down next to me.

“Achoo!”

I cover my sneeze with my arm and move in the other direction away from Mary.

“I-I’m sorry! I think the rain’s gonna give me a cold.”

I try to laugh it off. But Mary reaches into her bag and pulls out some paper tissues.

“You have snot all over your face haha!” said Mary.

She and I joked around a lot. As I reached for one of the tissues, I can see that the white shirt that was part of her uniform was soaking wet. I could see through! I quickly grab a tissue blow my nose into it.

“T-Thanks Mary!”

I can feel my face was getting heated, and my forehead was burning up.

“Uh…are you okay Daisuke?” said Mary.

“I-I’m fine!”

Any other girl I was normal around. Confessions were almost on a daily basis. It was just with Mary for some reason I felt weird. I knew everything about this girl over the year. I knew her favorite color, I knew her favorite song, I knew her favorite food. We’re both sitting at the bus stop together, waiting for the rain to subside.

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kenbinru · 7 years

Text

I Can’t Believe I Have the Girlfriend of My Dreams! (An Unromantic Love Comedy LN) Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Daisuke left after giving me my homework. He said he had some “business to attend to.” Fortunately, my mother shortly came after I woke up. My father would have come too, but he was out of town on a business trip. He called instead as soon as he heard the news.

“Take it easy son! I’ll be home as soon as my assignment is finished. Tell your mother I love her!”

The doctor told me it was a miracle that I had survived that accident, with only to have a small bruise around my head. I don’t really remember what happened either. I just feel this hammering headache sometimes. It must be migraines or something. After a few days or so of recovery and physical tests, I’ll be heading back to school. The only recovery he told me to do was checking in with Dr. Mori at school every so often. It seemed everything was planned out for me to get back to my boring every-day life.

This is my life now…

I hear footsteps stomping down the hallway of my room, which sounded like someone was in a hurry.

“KAZUKI!”

It was Kaneko-san! She screamed and hugged me tightly. I could smell her sweat and hear her softly crying.

“I can’t breathe Kaneko-san…” and she let go immediately, realizing how close she was to me.

“You idiot! How could you get into an accident? You made me worried!” she said while pointing her tiny index finger at me.

It was adorable in a way, but my mother just so happened to let out a small laugh behind the bed curtain.

“Oh my…” said my mother. She was covered by the bed curtain, but her tone would give someone the wrong idea.

Kaneko-san turned around for a moment, until she promptly dashed out of the room like the roadrunner. I can’t help but laugh about how quick her visit was. But I hear footsteps running back into the room.

“I’m glad you’re ok! See…you soon?” said Kaneko before promptly running off again.

I look at the small clock next to my bed, and it was around the time that track practice was going on. Only our track star could race off from the hospital and to our school and arrive just in time.

“That girl seems nice…” my mother let out with a mischievous smile.

I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that and pretend to sleep some more. Maybe it was naïve of me, but I sort of hoped that Yuki-san would visit me. We sat next to each other! But that would be impossible since any chance I had with her was completely gone after that incident. I’m not looking forward to going back to school…

“I’m glad to be back everyone.”

It was my first day back from the accident, and I had a lot to catch up on. Like how I managed to miss a pretty important exam, and seeing Kaneko-san’s score, I have to beat her otherwise it would be another few weeks of her non-stop bragging to me. Fortunately, I could make up the exam on another date. In front of me was Yuki-san, sitting there almost in a doll-like state. If there was any consolidation to my unfortunate accident, the talk of the school quickly changed from “Cherry Boy shot down by Ice Witch surprises no one” to “Cherry Boy almost dies from an accident.” Maybe it would be a good conversation starter to Yuki-san, since we haven’t spoken since the incident. As I open my mouth, here comes Daisuke.

“You’re finally back eh Kaz?” as he got me a headlock.

Doesn’t he know that a recovering patient shouldn’t hurt his head?

“Let me go you big dummy!” as I shrug off his headlock.

Daisuke changed over the past year or so. Knowing him since childhood and in kindergarten, me and him were kind of the rejects of the class, and our mutual reputation of being alleged troublemakers naturally let us bond together throughout the years. Although people considered us to be a couple of punks, we both had a sense of “justice.” Whenever something was wrong or someone was getting picked on, we would solve it or save them, just like the heroes in our TV shows. Looking back, it was mostly pretty embarrassing, but to someone in elementary school it was the thing we did. The big guy was sort of the brawns in our partnership, while I was the brains for the most part. However, there was always a desire for me to be the brawns, since those hero shows always had the hero ending the show with a big finish. Daisuke was super athletic during the physical tests, and if he only applied himself, he could have been a great athlete, possibly even better than Kaneko-san. But something happened to him during the beginning of our high school career. Gone was the genuine smile and carefree attitude I saw from him in our childhood. He decided to hang out with the actual wrong crowd over the summer before high school, but he came back to me after “an incident”. I try to ask what happened but he always shrugs off my advances. Maybe some things are not worth remembering. Now, it was a more serious Daisuke, and his sudden reputation as the “older brother type.” Girls dig it. Like one time, I heard he stopped a bunch of bullies from another school who was picking on a kid. I have to admit, I think Daisuke embodied that sense of justice more than I ever did.

“Hey, now’s your chance to say something to Ice Witch!” whispered Daisuke.

Thanks man, if you didn’t interrupt I would have. But now I will.

It will be good small talk at least.

I had nothing to lose, so it’s not like my bare relationship with Yuki-san would go even lower. Well, here goes nothing.

“Hey… Yuki-san?”

Yuki-san did not budge at all, you might not even be sure she was alive.

“Yuki-san! Did I miss anything in class? Being in a hospital bed is sure uncomfortable!” as I gave a small chuckle.

Yuki-san tilted her head slightly to the side with her right eye looking down on my desk.

“No, not much.”

And she turned back to her desk. Daisuke saw the whole thing from a distance, and he came back to me.

“That…was the lamest line I’ve ever heard Cherry-kun.”

“I couldn’t think of what to say man!”

Daisuke started laughing but was quickly silenced when Yuki-san turned around.

“I hope you’re feeling better Kanshiro-san.”

“Thank you very much Yuki-san!” as my heart fluttered.

Daisuke had his mouth wide open and in shock.

“Well well, maybe you’re not a lost cause anyways Kazuki.”

I can’t believe she said I hope you’re feeling better! Or at least, that’s what I think she said. It doesn’t matter. What matters is she’s aware of my presence after all. Maybe there’s still a chance. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself anyways.

“Class is starting, all rise!” our class president shouted. I’m feeling light headed.

During lunch time I’m required to go to our counselor and (apparently certified) Dr. Mori.

“Well, how have you been feeling Kazuki-kun?”

“I’m feeling fine Dr. Mori. It’s just some light-headedness sometimes during the day.”

Dr. Mugi Mori was our school’s counselor along with being the school’s doctor. Kill two birds with one stone I suppose. It was weird to see someone super qualified on paper to be here in this high school, but given her actual skills, maybe it makes sense. Dr. Mori is relatively a mature young woman on the outside, but her mannerisms haven’t left high school. I think her coffee is spiked with sake sometimes, since she always complains about the last guy who she dated left her. Usually it sounds like a drunken stupor, and since the other adults don’t want to deal with a fair maiden’s love troubles, I’m forced to listen to her vent. I’m not sure what the deal is with her, but deep down she’s a relatively nice person. I just hope someone marries her soon. Anyone please. Today however, it’s part of the rehab the hospital instructed me and Dr. Mori to have. The hospital was surprised that I managed to survive with just a small bump on my head, and wants to make sure something isn’t wrong.

“So tell me Kazuki-kun, besides your health, has anything else been troubling you lately? Have you looked into what future career goals you have yet? I don’t want to pressure you or anything after your accident, but you have to be aware! Otherwise you’ll end up at my age…” She takes another long sip from her coffee mug.

“Uh…I’m not sure what I want to do. Maybe I’ll go to college afterwards.”

Dr. Mori composed herself.

“That’s perfectly fine. But! How are you and Akane Yuki? I’ve heard an incident happened between you two lovebirds!”

I can’t believe even the staff are gossiping about me and her. “It’s nothing! She and I are not lovebirds!”

I can feel the blood rushing throughout my face as Dr. Mori let out uproarious laughter.

“Ah young love, what innocence” as she wiped a small teardrop from her eye.

“Well then, what should I do Dr. Mori?”

She stopped laughing. The atmosphere of the room suddenly became cold.

“Kazuki-kun, I’m not the love doctor here and the last person you want to ask for advice. The only person that can do anything is you.” She suddenly grabbed both of my arms.

“You better believe kid, try being yourself.”

Being myself is the last thing I want to do.

“Or I don’t know, keep talking to her once a day or something. Start small and you’ll get there.” And Dr. Mori gave me a thumbs up.

“You should get going, class is going to start soon!”

I stood up and headed out the office.

“See you soon Kazuki-kun, entertain me with your stories!”

I walk back to Class 2-B and I hear Kaneko-san yelling at someone. I can recognize that loud high-pitched voice that sounded like a spoiled child anywhere.

“You need to apologize!” says Kaneko-san. She was fuming with rage and frustration.

“For what Kaneko-san?”

Unmistakably that was also the monotone voice of Yuki-san. I run to the doorway and notice the confrontation between Kaneko-san and Yuki-san. It looked like a fight between two prize fighters, and the whole class was watching from afar.

“You’re the reason…you’re the reason Ka-”

Kaneko-san noticed that I was at the door. She stopped herself from finishing the sentence. She was on the verge of tears. Yuki-san however looked composed, unfazed at the obvious tension in the room. Kaneko-san runs towards me out to the hallway and back into her classroom. As she passed by me, she gave me a sorrowful look, like she failed to get something out of Yuki-san. The class was still silent as I tried to absorb the situation. Everyone was staring at me, while Yuki-san simply went back to her seat, acting like nothing happened. I wanted to ask some questions of their little confrontation, but I already knew that no one would have the answers.

“Yuki-san is really cold as ice” whispered one student.

Yeah she is. I thought.

Nothing notable happened for the rest of the day. I tried to heed Dr. Mori’s advice of talking to Yuki-san, but there wasn’t any good opportunity. Besides my daily dose of Kaneko-san humble bragging about tutoring me this time before the next exam, it was another normal day. I brought up her incident about Yuki-san, but she got quiet. Until she stood up in a fit of rage.

“I’m just frustrated Kazuki. When I see her my blood just boils!” She would’ve flipped over the desk had it not been me sitting in front of her.

“I’m sorry for the outburst Kazuki…”

I could tell Kaneko-san was tired. It was difficult to work so hard to see your efforts mean nothing when someone like Yuki-san made it seem easy. The only thing I could do for her is help her study.

I’m home now, and Dad called, promised he’ll bring me that herbal medicine or something that will cure my headaches. Hopefully they’ll be gone by the time he’s back. I’m adjusting pretty well to my boring everyday life again even after the accident. All I want to do is just go to sleep now in my comfy bed after days in the hospital. It’s weird how all I did in the hospital was sleep, but now I’m really tired after my first day back.

Back to my normal life…

I’m slowly drifting away as my eyes feel heavy and close automatically.

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