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kekoma · 3 years

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— iwaizumi as your boyfriend.

no thoughts this time. just hajime. hope you enjoy.

ahh the lovely iwaizumi <3 aka iwa-chan~

another top tier boyfriend. can definitely bring him home to your family and they’ll love him automatically.

but before diving into what it’s like dating hajime, let’s warm up a bit and take a look at his crush stage with you.

actually takes him awhile to even realize he likes you more than a friend.

only picked up this feeling when he noticed that he finds himself extremely comfortable around you and that he didn’t like the concept of you dating someone if it wasn’t going to be him.

isn’t quick to act on his emotions though. no no no. matter of fact, no one even knows he has a crush on you (except for oikawa of course.)

hajime doesn’t show any signs of getting nervous when around you, attempting to distance himself from you because of fear he might slip or any of those antics. definitely isn’t the type of guy who spills to everyone that he likes you too. likes to keep to certain things to himself and you’re one of them.

just acts completely normal around you for the most part.

although he does end up studying you more than before and constantly thinking about how you might feel towards him.

but this won’t catch your attention since the subtle change doesn’t catch your attention automatically.

iwa does go out of his way to spend more time with you when he decides that he actually wants to be with you.

“hey y/n, a new cafe opened up a few blocks from school. i was thinking we should go there together for lunch.”

“oh? sure but i thought you had something to do during lunch?”

“i did but i rearranged it for later since i wanted to eat with you today.”

of course he asked oikawa for some type of advice/help when it came to asking you since iwa didn’t want to come off as boring or cheesy when asking you out.

may or may not have wrecked his brains with different ideas about how to go about it which is why he went to his best friend for help.

“i can’t think of proper way to confess to y/n... hey dumbass, if you really liked someone, how would you ask them out?”

“first of all, rude. can’t believe that’s how you treat a good friend like me. anyways it’s simple my dear friend. i would go up to them during lunch, flash a charming smile, and just ask them to be mine. it’s cute, right?”

“... so let me ask you this since you decided to be funny. should i beat your ass now or later?”

“hey! you asked and i gave you an honest answer!”

“ah so now? gotcha shittykawa.”

iwaizumi ends up asking you during one your countless late night runs for snacks.

wasn’t anything super romantic yet it wasn’t completely boring/awkward either.

iwa went for a straight forward approach (not like ushijima straightforward).

basically explained how he’s been feeling towards you lately and that he wants you to be his. of course when you accepted is confession and expressed how you felt the same— hajime couldn’t stop smiling like a fool.

side fact: he thought about going for a somewhat flirty approach at first by saying how cute you looked in his hoodie and if you really liked wearing his clothes then he wouldn’t mind supplying you with more without hounding you to return them after awhile.

however, iwa thought it sounded odd so he ended up confessing to you in a normal manner to avoid any kind of embarrassment.

now we can dig into the main course meal here: what’s its like dating hajime.

three words that come to mind with him... dependable, caring, and attentive.

starting with attentive, he doesn’t miss a beat if something is wrong with you.

due to constantly studying you previously (and still to this day), learning and picking up the habits you have— he’s able to figure out when things aren’t right with you so hiding your feelings isn’t an option for you love.

although if you attempt to hide them then don’t be surprised when he pulls you aside and confronts you about it. of course, it won’t be anything harsh like but more on the “hey you’re acting strange and this isn’t something i’m going to drop.” side of things.

this is when caring comes into play. iwaizumi isn’t the type of boyfriend that’s oblivious towards your emotions/moods nor does he leave you be.

will also add that he has made it known countless times to you that if anything bothers you then he wants to know in hopes that he can solve the issues.

but if you’re someone who isn’t up to talk about the issues just yet then he’ll be understandable— won’t push too far but will give you a prep talk in hopes that can it lighten your mood. which i will label that as dependable playing it’s role.

to add more for dependable, i’ll mention that he’s the type of boyfriend that will wake up in the middle of the night, early in the morning or whatever time if you called him about going through any type of mental issues (having a break down, panic attack, etc.). he’ll rush over the minute he heard your voice and of course he ends up bringing items that could comfort you.

we stan and love that about him.

moving along, i’ve already mentioned that hajime remembers things about you but it’s not just emotional wise. matter of fact he knows what your favorite foods are, drinks, kind of aesthetic/style you go for, places you want to visit, hobbies, and all of the good stuff.

if he were to ever be tested about how good he knows you, mans is getting an 100. can’t convince me otherwise.

the type of boyfriend who’s supportive of everything and anything you do. makes it known that he’s your number one fan and believes in you.

won’t let you overwork yourself. hajime constantly makes sure your health is in good condition, but it you happen to get sick then best believe he’s showing up to your place with medicine and bringing you back to normal.

iwa purposely leaves his hoodies and shirts at your place since he knows you’ll end up wearing them and when you return them, they smell like you. he likes your scent.

he typically likes to gift you things he saw in the stores that reminded him of you as well as giving you flowers. sometimes you have to ask him to relax on the gifts because your room can’t handle it all.

hands down, DEADASS can’t convince me he DOESN’T, is the type of boyfriend who will throw hands at anyone who flirts with you or attempts to touch you.

like he would come back from getting something, visiting you at work or however you want to picture the scenarios and would see some lame guy trying to spit game at you.

the minute he notices him, iwaizumi is coming in to save the day. tries not to take the violence approach at first, but the minute that other dude says something disrespectful then his whole career is over.

hajime beats ass for a living so beating that man up was no problem, but getting him off of the dude is because the only thing on iwa’s mind is murder.

may even stomp his lights out and then go with a smirk.

anywaysss pda? pda.

iwaizumi is surprisingly comfortable but also a tad bit awkward with it. tries to avoid it sometimes because he doesn’t want others to notice just how soft he is with you/be made fun of.

but in public, the most iwa will do is the basic (with your permission of course because this man refuses to do anything if he doesn’t hear that you’re okay with what he does with you). such as holding hands, gives small kisses on your face that isn’t deemed too inappropriate, holding you in his arms/hugging, and all that good cutesy stuff.

two things he likes with you is piggy back rides and when you ruffle his hair.

with piggy back ride, for some reason it makes him feel all warm inside and he does it instantly the minute the words slip from your lips. sometimes he’ll offer one if you don’t ask him first. other times, he’ll offer them to you if he notices you’re too tired or your heels are hurting your feet.

when it comes to ruffling his hair.. he may act like it bothers him to the MAX sometimes but deep down this man loves it. just doesn’t want to admit to it just yet. the feeling of your hands in his hair is like floating on cloud nine for him.

as for private; of course cuddling is on this list. dude loves feeling you close to him and may even fall asleep while cuddling. don’t think positions really matter (unless notices that you’re trying to big spoon him).

definitely more touchy with you, but of course consent is key so he never goes too far with his touches/stops when you ask him to.

going to dates now~

dates with iwa is a mix of sporty and chill. will also add that sometimes it’s random.

like he’ll pick you up from class and suddenly say “let’s go on a date.” while you’re standing there a bit confused.

although if you aren’t someone who’s into sporty type of dates then he’ll always opted for the chill ones which is basically going to the arcades, laser tag, roller skating, paintball centers, go karting and etc.

shows more of his romantic side with the dates and you actually find out how soft he can really be. vv cute.

of course some of the dates won’t only be you two since oikawa tries his best to sneak himself in so he can be the third wheel that takes bomb ass pictures of you and just watch over you two like a parent.

“aren’t you tried of third wheeling oikawa?”

“oh no. never. besides without me, iwa here wouldn’t have any good pictures to post on his instagram... we both know he isn’t good at taking pictures.”

“i-... right right.”

gonna end it here before my brain overheats just a bit, but dating iwaizumi is worth it and each moment with him makings you fall in love with him all over again.

definitely gets the trophy for being the best boyfriend ever and you’re the luckiest person ever to have his heart.

something i forgot to add earlier— his top nicknames for you are; princess, dummy/idiot/stupid, babe/baby, and occasionally he’ll call you his munchkin <3

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peachy-inserts · 4 years

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𝕒𝕤𝕒𝕙𝕚 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕡𝕥. 𝟚

part one ♡ part two

✉︎request: hiiii, just read your 'Asahi Thoughts' and loved it so much, and would love it if you could do some more general headcanons on him :) ✰warnings: none, more fluff ✎a/n: im so in love with him please send help

➳ᴀꜱᴀʜɪ

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

✰ asahi

Asahi loves to have game nights together and you guys visit each others’ animal crossing islands!! He doesn’t play very often and he’s not very good but he makes custom designs all the time and will make the cutest dresses with you in mind and always has the hybrid flowers you need and lets u dig them up since he doesn’t have anything to do with them

Cannot handle watching horror movies but doesn’t want you to know that so when halloween rolls around and you flip on paranormal activity, he’s got his arm wrapped around your shoulder and is gripping your arm like a VICE and says he’s just feeling touch starved, sigh

Every time you try to catch a glimpse of his face he’s suddenly very interested in something across the room and claims he just heard something. He also leaves the room frequently, using things like laundry and snacks as an excuse, but when he turns the basement light off after putting the clothes in the dryer you swear you can hear him sprinting up the stairs and slamming the door

It’s even worse in haunted houses, you two never went back after an actor grabbed you by the shoulder making you scream, and his first instinct was to punch them. But hey! At least he wanted to protect you, right?

Great at making sweets and pastries like I said before but honestly he doesn’t have that big of a sweet tooth! He definitely prefers savory foods and although he can’t cook very well, it’s something he can manage (only a few of his dishes are worth mentioning, though). He only makes sweets if it’s something you enjoy

He wants to live the cottagecore life but he’s scared shitless of most animals honestly, has a pinterest board full of highland cow pictures but would freeze up and panic if he saw one up close so he settles for the intercity work life and small house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. The domesticity of it makes him SWOON

Definitely is a very clingy boyfriend, you were definitely THAT couple in high school who had to be pulled apart a couple of times because he simply would not let go of you. Hugging him can be risky business because he can and will hold you against him and not let you go until he’s nearly fallen asleep leaning on top of your head

Speaking of which he literally gives god tier hugs like oh my god? Brb learning to shift just to hug him, he would take all of your troubles and worries away just with a simple touch. He’s strong, has big arms, a broad chest, and is ALWAYS warm and smells like. His clothes smell faintly of honey and his hair like lemon, and when he uses his chin to nuzzle against you, you can smell his mint aftershave. Overall, he smells like a nice tea

I would say that he’s a dog person, but he prefers to adopt older dogs and skip all the puppy years and the mischief that comes with them. He enjoys giving the older pups a nice home and a comfy bed to enjoy their senior years in peacefully, and they usually make great snuggle buddies too

Plus, hey, added security

A text me when you get there kind of person, and probably wouldn’t mind a Life360 group to be honest. Any time you’re driving somewhere, he keeps you in mind, especially when it’s raining. Always leaves a message saying ‘get there okay?’

WILL WRAP YOU UP IN HIS JACKET LIKE A LITTLE BABY AND ZIP IT UP FOR YOU AND GENTLY DRAPE HIS SWEATER OVER YOUR SHOULDER… WHEN YOU’RE HAVING MOVIE DATES AT HOME HE LIKES WHEN YOU TRY AND WEAR HIS HOODIE AT THE SAME TIME AS HIM, PRESSED FLUSH AGAINST HIM AND GIGGLING AS YOU TRY AND THRUST YOUR HANDS INTO THE SLEEVES ONLY TO GET STUCK

Has your drink and food orders memorized, probably writes down what you order every time you go somewhere new in his notes for future reference

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lilith-lovett · 4 years

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Found Families - Home is Where the Hart is - Chapter Nineteen

New Chapter. Thank you for your support xx

Masterlist

Summary: Party preparations go underway and Logan begins to ask the question. ‘Do I really belong here?’

Word Count: 7320

Warnings: Past child abuse, food mention (literally half of this chapter is just me talking about food), anxiety, self-deprecation, implied depression, injury mention, past physical abuse, past psychological abuse, implied nightmares, implied panic attack, disordered eating (if there is anything I have missed please let me know).

The following days were devoted almost entirely to Roman’s birthday preparations. From the presents Logan and Virgil had chosen arriving, which they hid in Virgil’s wardrobe. To Patton spending almost the entire of the day, whilst Roman and Virgil were attending school, preparing all of the food necessary for Roman’s birthday party; miniature cupcakes, a selection of fruits and vegetables, prepared sandwiches with a variety of fillings each suited to the preferences of each child and what Patton believed to be the most important element…the birthday cake.

Logan struggled to comprehend the purpose of a specific birthday cake, decorated in candles - which also seemed to be a fire hazard - but Patton informed him of its significance, especially within the Hart household. Patton would make a special personalised birthday cake for each of his family members on their birthday and this time was no different so whilst Patton prepared the ingredients and baked the cake, Logan read to him the recipe. A red velvet cake as it was Roman’s favourite flavour. The found the recipe much easier to decipher now he was wearing his new glasses but had to keep Declan occupied and out of the kitchen to prevent him from disturbing the process and potentially injuring himself. Baking appeared to be a relatively simple science, with clear instructions to follow and specific apparatus to ensure the correct measurements in order to produce the desired flavour profiles, but given his limited experience with baking he chose to instead defer to Patton’s expertise and read to him the recipe to avoid any potential mistakes. However, keeping Declan engaged in anything for longer than a few moments was proving to be incredibly difficult. The toddler had an extremely limited attention span and it was consistently being drawn to Patton’s actions in the kitchen, presumably also due to the heavenly smell now being emitted from the oven where the cake was currently baking.

“Oh, Dee-Dee, how about you help me decorate the cupcakes?” Patton said lifting Declan from the floor, balancing the toddler on his hip as he brought him over to the dining room table where several piping bags of different coloured frosting where laid out, among various other edible decorations. “Do you want to decorate a couple too Logan?”.

“Okay,” Logan responded taking a seat at the dining room table, studying each of the individual decorations and vibrant colours of the icing - presumably created by the addition of various food colourings - considering potential combinations of colours and flavours that Roman would enjoy.

“Alright kiddo, go for it,” Patton said also taking a seat, balancing Declan on his lap so he could properly reach the table. “Now Dee-Dee, what colour do you want to make your cupcake?”.

“Lellow!” Declan exclaimed bouncing in Patton’s laps, slapping his mitten-cladded hands onto the table’s surface as Patton chuckled.

“That’s a great choice, Dee,” Patton responded picking up the piping bag containing the brightly coloured frosting, allowing Declan to squeeze it haphazardly onto the chocolate cake base, much of it splattering onto the table.

Logan looked to his own collection of undecorated miniature cakes, a selection of both chocolate and vanilla flavours. Initially, he thought of Roman - as it was for his birthday celebration - he decided on a vanilla base and the vivid crimson red frosting as from the vast amount of red he wore and decorated his room with, Logan made an educated guess that it was a colour he enjoyed. Logan found that controlling a piping bag was far more difficult than he expected, Patton had made it look simple, yet his first attempt was a sloppy mess. However, the more he practised and studied Patton’s technique the better his piping became and once he perfected the icing he ventured onto the decoration. Patton had provided a range of smaller confectionery to act as embellishments atop the cupcakes and Logan decided to continue with the ‘ornate’ motif for his cupcake - inspired by Roman - choosing a handful of multi-coloured circular candies and arranged them delicately atop the frosting, in addition to a strawberry slice acting as the centre piece. For Virgil’s specific cupcake, he selected a plain chocolate cake base and settled for the lilac coloured frosting as it was the closest in appearance to Virgil’s favourite shade of purple, evident from the frequent presence of it in his room and in his hoodie which he wore seemingly at all times. Logan’s spiral patterned piping work had significantly improved from his initial first attempt of ‘Roman themed’ cupcakes. The decorations he used were miniature pieces of different flavours of chocolate and topped with a single chocolate orange slice. He continued the process with Declan’s, using the limited amount of yellow coloured frosting remaining, topped with a significant quantity of multicoloured sprinkles, reminiscent of Declan’s own cupcakes he had decorated with Patton. Oh Patton. Logan had almost forget to make a cupcake for Patton. He considered his options very carefully. He desperately wanted Patton to like it. He chose a vanilla base and the lightest of the shades of blue frosting Patton had prepared, a pleasing sky blue. The piping work on the ‘Patton inspired’ cupcakes turned out the best in comparison to the rest of them, perhaps it was because of the particular care he put into making them perfect, as Patton was an avid baker he would surely notice any substandard work. Once the piping had been perfected, Logan selected simple tiny white chocolate stars as a decoration. As a finishing touch, he arranged each of the designs into their specific colour category, he had decorated three of each variety, giving him twelve cupcakes in total.

“Wow, kiddo, those look amazing!” Patton exclaimed in the process of decorating his own batch of cupcakes. Logan’s face flushed at the compliment

“Thank you, I took inspiration from Roman, Virgil, Declan…and you Patton, using your preferred colours and flavours in attempt to cater them to your specific tastes,” Logan explained his cheeks still coloured red from the praise.

“Aw Logan, that is precious. I’m sure everyone will love them,” Patton responded a blindingly bright smile stretched across his face. “How about you do one for yourself?”. He set the final chocolate cupcake down in front of Logan.

“That is unnecessary,” Logan stated quickly, this was an event for Roman and his family, he should be respectful and stay separate from the celebrations as much as possible. After all he didn’t wish to spoil Roman’s enjoyment. Logan got up and prepared to make his way over to the sink, where a pile of dirty dishes were building up.

“Why’s that?” Patton questioned and Logan found he didn’t have an answer. If he told Patton what he truly thought, he would immediately counter it, assuring him of his place within the family dynamic despite his short time spent with them. As that was the type of the person Patton was but Logan struggled to comprehend why so instead he chose to return to his seat. Perhaps one cupcake would be acceptable? And if it made Patton happy, he would do it.

Logan’s design was the most simple out of the lot. The same chocolate cake base as Virgil and Declan’s, atop of which was a simple, neat frosting swirl, in the darkest shade of blue icing Patton had prepared as it was the most akin to his favourite colour. He added no additional decorations as he did not wish to waste any of what Patton had prepared on himself so decided the plain design was satisfactory. Next, the cupcakes were placed into containers and properly stored in the refrigerator along with the rest of the food, to protect them from the early Summer heat and the two cake layers had just come out of the oven. A marvellous smell was emitted as the oven doors opened, faints notes of chocolate and a pleasant sweetness reached his nostrils. After allowing the cake tiers to cool enough where the frosting and decorations wouldn’t melt from the heat. Logan again attempted to entertain Declan with a child-friendly book whilst Patton iced and decorated Roman’s cake.

Preparations continued that night. Once Roman and Virgil had returned from school, they had all eaten dinner, ticked another Disney film off the list and Declan had gone to sleep, it was approaching nine in the evening. Roman had left for his room and just as Logan was planning to do do the same. Patton stopped him.

“Hey, Logan, I was wondering if you could distract Roman for a little while?” Patton asked in a hushed tone.

“Why is that necessary?” Logan questioned.

“Me and Virgil are going to decorate the living room and the kitchen for tomorrow and I want it to be a surprise for Roman,” Patton explained, that was when Logan noticed the container of brightly coloured streamers and a various other items, presumably for the purpose of decorating. He failed to comprehend why it was compulsory to embellish your surroundings dependant on the occasion, Maggie used to decorate her office for holidays such as Christmas or Halloween but birthdays were not considered to be national celebrations yet the same conditions seemed to apply.

“Alright, though how do you wish me to…distract him?” Logan inquired as far as he was aware he and Roman had very little in common, shared very few interests and had significantly conflicting personalities. How was he expected to entertain Roman for any length of time? Logan had rarely encountered Roman alone, unlike his several conversations with Virgil and Roman’s feelings towards Logan and his arrival remained undetermined.

“Get him to talk about himself, he loves that,” Virgil stated as he began to unpack his own box of decorations. Logan considered the suggestion, he would have to think of particular questions to pose but perhaps this task could be an opportunity to gain Roman’s favour and acquire more informations in regards to his specific likes and dislikes so too strengthen their bond.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” Logan declared determined to assist in Patton and Virgil’s scheme wherever possible.

Logan found himself waiting outside Roman’s bedroom door. An all white door, embellished with a variety of brightly coloured stickers, depicting and referencing scenes and individuals he did not recognise, he noticed Virgil and Declan’s bedroom door contained similar appearing stickers which comparatively made his door appear far less interesting. He raised a fist to knock, questions prepared in his mind but the door burst open before he could, causing him to flinch back in surprise.

“Oh hey, specs,” Roman exclaimed as he opened the door, dressed rather strangely in what appeared to be a costume of sorts with a red sash draped across his chest. Perhaps this is what Virgil was referring to when he mentioned Roman liked to believe or pretend he was a prince? Logan noted the nickname Roman used, which appeared to be a common occurrence for both Roman and Virgil. He recognised the word used. ‘Specs’. It was an abbreviation of the word spectacles. So it may have been a reference to the fact he wore glasses. “Come in, welcome to mi habitación. That is Spanish for my room,”.

“You know Spanish?” Logan asked his surprise present in his tone as he entered.

“Yup, I want to become fluent,” Roman stated with a proud smirk. Foreign languages was a subject which has always interested Logan but due to the lack of resources available to him at the Orphanage, he never had the opportunity to learn, though he was surprised to discover Roman had a passion for the subject. “Now, I know you are here to distract me,”.

“Wh…I…I,” Logan stammered. Had he really been so obvious? Would Patton be disappointed? Was he so uninteresting that Roman couldn’t bare to be in his presence?

“I bet they are decorating for my birthday right now,” Roman stated collapsing onto his bed, laying on his back, glancing up towards the red fabric which hung over the dark wood bed frame as he spoke.

“How did you figure it out?” Logan questioned unsure of what else to say as he stood somewhat awkwardly in the centre of Roman’s bedroom.

“Last year, this was Virgil’s job. He was already mad at me for using some of his books to hold up my easel, so he just told me. He got really stressed out after, thinking I was going to tell on him,” Roman explained wildly gesturing to the air as he told his story. Logan certainly understood why Virgil would be upset by a complete violation of his personal property but thought it better not to voice this, allowing Roman to finish his tale. “But I didn’t, besides dad likes it to be a surprise so I let him think that I don’t know what he is doing,”.

So, Roman pretended to act surprised for Patton’s benefit. It was a kind sentiment. Patton evidently enjoyed the birthday preparations, as Logan noted from this heightened mood these past few days though particularly when doing an activity associated with the event of Roman’s birthday and perhaps Roman’s awareness or involvement would remove the joy from it?

“Now, as much as I enjoy your company microsoft nerd, you may leave now. I-I mean, if you wish,” Roman said sitting up and directing yet another dramatic arm movement towards his door but Logan did not failed to note the swift retraction of his previous statement.

“May I stay? It would help with the illusion, would it not?” Logan suggested after a moment of consideration. This was an opportunity for Logan and Roman to communicate and maybe it could lead to them having a better relationship.

“An excellent idea, if you left padre would surely notice,” Roman announced leaping up from his sitting position. “Now what can we do?”.

Roman continued to pace around his untidy room, experting weaving through the piles of his belongings which littered the floor, mumbling potential ideas for activities to do to maintain their façade. Logan watched him for a moment before focusing his attention onto the walls of the room. The majority of them were plastered with artwork, photographs, posters, pamphlets and tickets, some appeared to be well-worn and much loved while others were pristine in their condition, clearly only recently obtained. Logan suspected he could learn a lot about Roman’s identity and interests through studying his surrounding yet his limited knowledge of the world of the arts prevented him from gaining much.

“Roman, might I inquire about your posters?” Logan asked gesturing to the wall behind Roman’s desk which appeared to hold the largest quantity of them.

“Of course!” Roman exclaimed bounding over to where Logan was stood and immediately delved into an in depth and detailed explanation of the history of each individual piece. “They are mostly from shows I have been in or gone to see. That is the program of the first ever performance I did with my theatre group, it was Hairspray and I, of course, played the male lead. That is the poster for Wicked, that one is Les Miserables, Rent, Annie, The Lion King. I’ve also kept all of the signed programs of all the shows I have ever been in and the tickets too. Oh, here are the ones from when me and Elliott went to see Sister Act. It was incredible,”.

Roman’s rambling continued. Logan struggled to get a word in edgewise so he remained quiet, attempting to follow Roman’s constant stream of conciousness which he was finding incredibly difficult. He would jump from subject to subject, begin one sentence, then recall sometimes else and quickly switch to explaining that instead of the previous thought but Logan persisted. One musical in particular caught his attention. It was called Hamilton and tells the epic tale of one of America’s Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, in an unconventional manner and style. However, he did note the historical accuracy which surprised him as he expected it to be a work of over-dramatised fiction but Roman informed him otherwise. Roman also told him it was the musical he most wanted to see - among others - but the tickets were absurdly expensive and notorious for quickly selling out so he hadn’t gotten the opportunity too. So, he instead continuously played the musicals soundtrack, having listened to it so much he knew most of the lyrics of by heart and was able to perform them to a high-standard. Roman began to play the first couple of songs from the soundtrack and explained the different stylistic choices of the lyrics and and how they related to events which would occur later in the story. Logan was pleasantly surprised by Roman’s expansive knowledge of the history and story-telling tactics of the musicals he greatly enjoyed, he had yet to witness Roman so enamoured by anything but his enthusiasm when it came to his passions was admirable. He also noticed some distinct similarities between himself and Roman, particularly in the way he obsessed over certain topics. For Logan, it was science and literature and for Roman, it seemed it was his beloved musicals. Eventually Roman seemed to either run out of information to share or run out of air - which seemed to be the case considering the impressive speed of which he was talking - as he stopped talking to take several deep breaths before collapsing into the chair which sat by his desk.

“Sorry, I can talk a lot,” Roman said sheepishly as if embarrassed by his passion-fuelled outburst.

“It is quite alright, your passion it certainly commendable,” Logan said hoping to ease Roman’s worries somewhat but he only received a confused expression in response. “I-I mean…it is good you enjoy it so much,”.

“Oh, thanks. I know stuff like dancing and singing and acting are kind of girly but I really love it,” Roman admitted glancing towards the array of posters and memories upon his wall. The statement perplexed him, as far as Logan was aware specific activities were not gendered but perhaps it was a societal normality? He could recall several insentiences during his time spent in Orphanages were he and the other boys around him were expected to play and enjoy outdoor sports but he found he had no interest in doing so and was as such labelled as abnormal. Maybe, Roman had experienced something similar in the past which led to this thought-process?

“I do not believe specific activities are related to any one gender and if you find enjoyment in such a activity you should be allowed to participate despite your gender identity,” Logan stated as Roman stared at him for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter, so much so he nearly fell out of his chair. However, Logan could not conceive how what he had said would cause such a reaction.

“You’re such a nerd,” Roman responded after managing to compose himself, a small smile on his lips so Logan assumed the comment was not meant to be perceived as a insult and was perhaps a term of endearment? He did not know. “Dad and Virge will be done with decorating by now,”

“Yes, I should be returning to the…my own room now. Goodbye Roman,” Logan said before turning to leave but he was interrupted by Roman.

“Hey specs, thanks,” Roman said quietly, in a tone he hadn’t heard Roman use until now. Logan didn’t know exactly why Roman was thanking him, maybe for the company but he nodded nonetheless and exited, returning to his room for a much required break from the constant activities and stimulation.

Logan was exhausted but he didn’t receive any more than a minute of silence before he was disturbed once again. This time by Virgil, asking him if he wished to join himself and Patton downstairs to wrap Roman’s presents for tomorrow. Despite his desperate desire to refuse, he accepted, not wishing to appear ungrateful of their acceptance and treatment of him so far. Logan was terrified of doing anything wrong. What if he refused a request and Patton realised the mistake he made in allowing Logan into his home and family, just like the couple before him? So Logan followed Virgil downstairs, to see the living room and kitchen decorated in bright red balloons and streamers dangling from the ceiling. A large red banner decorated with small golden crowns, reading ‘Happy 13th Birthday Prince Roman’ stretched across the archway, separating the living room and kitchen and an elaborate centrepiece display on the dining room table. Patton sat cross-legged in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by boxes, a variety of brightly coloured and patterned wrapping paper - the majority of which were in Roman’s favoured colour red, a couple pairs of scissors and cello tape. Patton face broke into a grin the moment he set his eyes on Logan.

“Hey kiddo, how was your talk with Roman?” Patton asked with a bright smile stretched across his face as Logan and Virgil also sat on the floor.

“It was very informative,” Logan responded unsure of how else to describe it while also maintaining the illusion that Roman was unaware of the work being done downstairs.

“Aw, I’m glad. Now, let’s wrap these presents!” Patton announced with a giggle.

They created efficient system, in which they each had their own job for optimum productivity. Logan, cut the paper - a shiny red one free of any patterns or designs - as he could most accurately guess the amount of wrapping paper that would be required for each item and would produce the least amount of waste. The paper was a very satisfying texture, however, the potential danger surrounding the incredibly sharp scissors did made him feel uneasy but Patton demonstrated such a way in which the risk of Logan accidentally harming himself was greatly limited. Patton was responsible for the wrapping the presents as he was evidently superior at it compared to himself - who had never physically wrapped a present before - and Virgil - who was far to scared of possibly ruining it - Patton’s expert wrapping produced clean edges and smooth finish. Finally, Virgil added the finishing touches such as the addition of a gold ribbon securing each of the gifts and a personalised message detailing who the present was from. A short while later, they were completely finished and the pile of presents were added to the display on the table.

“All done, we are now completely ready for Roman’s birthday. Now, all that is left to do is wait,” Patton proclaimed raising his arms in a stretch. “Oh, I forgot to tell you Logan. Emile’s parents Dot and Larry are coming over for Roman’s party tomorrow. Do you think you will be okay to meet them?”.

Logan considered this for a moment. He was aware Patton had purposefully kept Roman, Virgil and Declan’s ‘grandparents’ from visiting to allow Logan time to adjust but he felt conflicted by the action. On my hand, he appreciated the act as moving into Patton’s house was an enormous change and the whole process had been extremely overwhelming so far, also he knew very little about them and as such could not speculate how they would react to him. What if they hated him? What if they wanted Patton to return him? Would he? But on the other hand, Patton had kept them from visiting their ‘grandchildren’ for Logan’s benefit and comfort. Would they resent him for that? Logan certainly wouldn’t blame them but his future in Patton’s family entirely depended on their opinion of him which depended on their first meeting tomorrow and the thought of that terrified him.

“Yes, I-I would like to meet them,” Logan said a slight stutter to his word which if Patton noticed he did not mention it.

“Okay, I will let them know,” Patton said standing from the seated position on the floor and walking just out of ear-shot.

“You’ll get to meet Elliott tomorrow too,” Virgil stated he had moved to lean against the couch, whilst remaining sat on the floor, looking at something on his cellular device. “He’s Roman’s best friend but Roman also has a super obvious crush on him,”.

“A crush?” Logan repeated confusion present in his tone, having never have heard of the term being used in that particular context which seemed to be becoming a frequent theme when communicating with either Roman or Virgil.

“Yeah, you know, like he likes him,” Virgil said waving a hand absently for emphasis. “Like, like likes him,”.

“Oh, I think I understand,” Logan said. He didn’t. But perhaps, he could ask Patton later?

“Cool, so yeah, he keeps on denying it but I know he is lying,” Virgil said returning his attention once again to his phone. While Logan did not understand what exactly a ‘crush’ was, he knew it must trouble Roman and could perhaps be a risk to his friendship with Elliott, maybe it was for the best he didn’t press the subject to Roman himself.

Following their brief conversation Logan and Virgil fell into a comfortable silence. Logan discarded the minimal amount of scrap wrapping paper whilst Virgil put away the cello-tape and scissors in their correct location before Virgil decided to return to his room for the night. Logan was just about to do the same until Patton returned from his phone-call, sitting next to where Logan was sat on the couch.

“That is everything ready for tomorrow, Dot and Larry are so excited to finally meet you,” Patton said with a bright smile but Logan could not return it, the pit of anxiety developing in his abdomen only grew more impossible to ignore and a dangerous swirl of thoughts caused carnage within his head. He was going mess up. He was going to to ruin everything

Why was Logan like this? Nothing was objectively wrong. Everything had been going fine but his treacherous brain immediately made him feel like he was going to die. But he couldn’t let Patton see. Tomorrow was supposed to a celebration for Roman. Logan would only ruin things with his complaints. Patton had already given him so much and he was so grateful, him acting selfishly would only lead to Patton witnessing his true self. The broken one. The unlovable one. Perhaps he could hold on a little longer? Remain quiet, avoid disturbing Patton’s family while he searched for a way to repay Patton for his kindness. And then…well he didn’t know. Logan hated not knowing.

“Hey Logan, are you alright? You look like you are million miles away,” Patton asked wearing an expression of concern across his face.

“I am quite alright, I am merely tired. I think I may retire for the night,” Logan responded hoping Patton wouldn’t press him any further.

“Okay kiddo, sleep well,” Patton said all manner of concern melting from his expression and forming into a smile.

“Goodnight,” Logan said before disappearing to his room, swiftly before all of the stress and anxiety burst out of him.

Logan, the second he entered his room, scoured his drawers for his jumper. He tore of his constrictive shirt replacing it with the soft material. He lowered himself onto the edge of his bed, digging his nails into his thighs, revelling in the pain this brought. Why? Why was Logan like this? He should be better. He should be over this. His mother and father were no longer watching over him and criticising his every move, denying him the most basic of necessities for failing to be any less than perfect. Madame Claire was no longer tormenting him mentally and physically for her own sick, twisted enjoyment. Patton had saved him from that yet the fear which gripped him was unyielding. The intrusive what ifs burrowed deep into his mind and grew like a parasite, torturing him, destroying all trust he had in those around him and even in himself. Logan was so terrified of Patton realising the colossal mistake he had made in ever choosing to approach Logan that day. He wondered where would he be now if Patton hadn’t been there? Another Orphanage likely or perhaps Madame Claire would have gotten tired of him and thrown him out on the search for being such a burden. It was moments like these where he desperately desired the sharp sting of his father knife or the dull ache of the bruises Madame Claire left behind, to drown out the racing of his mind, to remind him of his place.

Maybe he shouldn’t attend Roman’s celebration tomorrow. Logan’s absence surely wouldn’t be noted and it would probably please Roman. Why would he want a someone who was virtually a stranger to attend his personal celebration?

Logan lay down on his side, reaching pitifully for the soft toy resting on his pillow and clutched it tight to his chest as if it could mend the hurt inside. He used its paw to wipe away the tears he had failed to hold in before slipping into a disturbed and restless slumber.

Patton awoke bright and early. It was the day of Roman’s 13th birthday and he was determined to make it the best one yet, it was also Logan’s first official celebration with them as a family and despite it being Roman’s birthday, he wanted to make a special experience for Logan too. Emile would be arriving along with his parents Dot and Larry at around ten and then Thomas told him he would be dropping off Elliott at eleven just before the super awesome birthday lunch he had prepared, the reveal of the birthday cake and the various activities he had planned. It was also the day for Logan to meet Dot and Larry, the honorary grandparents as they dubbed themselves, Patton had wanted to allow Logan time to settle in before he was bombarded with more new faces but Logan agreed that he was finally ready to meet them and they were ecstatic. They had already heard all about Logan from their frequent phone calls and had fallen in love with him just as Patton had when he first met him. Speaking of Logan, he would surely already be awake and waiting for Patton at the breakfast table

Patton dressed quickly and made his way downstairs careful not to wake Roman, Virgil or Declan who were all still sleeping soundly. Patton journeyed downstairs but instead of Logan waiting at the dining table, book in hand, he was met with an empty kitchen. Logan didn’t appear to be up yet which took him a bit by surprise as he knew Logan adhered to a strict schedule no matter the day or occasion. Perhaps, all of the late nights had finally wore him down and he was sleeping in? Or maybe, he was waiting for Roman to awakened, Patton hadn’t told him of the scheduling for the day so he might have thought the days events wouldn’t begin until Roman awoke. They were all suitable explanations for Logan’s unusual absence, so he continued on as usual, preparing the mornings extra special breakfast specifically for Roman’s birthday. Super fluffy pancakes and every potential topping you could think of, it was Roman’s favourite food and he would always request it every birthday or special occasion. It was only a short while later when Roman, Virgil and Dee came bounding down the stairs to the heavenly smell of pancakes wafting throughout the house.

“Happy birthday, my darling prince,” Patton exclaimed wrapping Roman in the biggest and warmest dad hug he could muster, pressing kisses into his fluffy bed-head, evidently too excited for the days events ahead to do his daily hair care routine. “You are so big now, you are growing up too fast,”.

“Thank you, padre,” Roman responded allowing himself to melt into Patton’s arms, even though he was officially a teenager, dad hugs were never off limits. Roman, Virgil and Dee sat at the table, preparing to tuck into their extra special birthday breakfast but something or rather someone was missing.

“Where is Logan?” Patton asked attempting to mask the concern in his voice.

“I knocked on his door but he didn’t answer, think he might be still asleep,” Virgil answered his voice his still heavy from sleep as he yawned.

“Oh okay, well, let’s let him sleep for a little longer,” Patton said taking his own seat at the table. “I’ll wake him after breakfast,”.

The boys seemed to accept that answer as they quickly tucked into their pancake buffet. Patton selected a couple of smaller ones for Dee, allowing him complete reign of the decorations and jars of crofters jam. Usually he didn’t allow them to have this much sugar and encouraged a healthy and balanced diet but today was a special occasion so sweet treats were mandatory. Dee’s picky eating had certainly been a challenge in the beginning, as he refused nearly everything that was put in front of him but pancakes were a favourite of all of the Hart children. Virgil had gone simple with his pancake, a small drizzling of golden syrup, Patton knew he struggled to eat large quantities of food in the morning but was just happy he was eating, recalling a time when Virgil was considerably underweight and though he was still only the skinny side they had made a lot of progress. Roman’s pancake was the most elaborate; chopped strawberries, drizzled with syrup and decorated with spirals of whipped cream, while eyeing the pile of presents at the end of the table. Patton smiled at his children’s antics but couldn’t help but feel somewhat saddened by the fact that Logan was missing out but a healthy sleep schedule was more important. Once breakfast had been finished, Patton had managed to keep a few pancakes for Logan and the dishes were all cleaned and put away. Roman, Virgil and Dee had all settled on the couch to watch some cartoons while Patton went to fetch Logan.

Patton arrived at Logan’s door, a strange sense of nervousness washed over him. What if Logan wasn’t feeling well? What if Patton was pushing him too much and he recoiled into his shell again? He couldn’t hear any noise from behind the door so perhaps Logan really was still asleep and he was simply exhausted from yesterdays preparations. He knocked once and then once more. After a moment of silence, Patton tried the handle but the door was locked. Why was the door locked? When Patton had checked on Logan last night the door was unlocked, so he had to have purposefully locked it when he woke up this morning. But why would Logan do that? Unless something had happened and he was deliberately hiding.

“Logan, I know you’re awake. Can you let me in please?” Patton pleaded while debating how he could feasibly break down the door without alarming Logan, if he refused. After yet another moment of silence, Patton prepared to speak again but the locked clicked open before he could yet the door remained closed. “Oh thank god, okay kiddo, I am going to come in now,”.

Patton gingerly opened the door into the darkened room, the only light source being the desk lamp. He saw Logan sat at his desk, hunched over a stack of thick textbooks and was writing notes into one of his notebooks. Patton knew Maggie had given him a variety of textbooks to keep up with his studies while he wasn’t in school or regularly attending lessons, it was also evident that he enjoyed learning and working on new projects, Patton was happy Logan had something to do to keep himself occupied while Roman and Virgil were at school and Patton was working from home. But, he was surprised to find Logan studying this early and on Roman’s birthday, today was supposed to be a day of fun and celebration yet Logan was working. Clearly something was wrong.

“Are you alright kiddo, you weren’t at breakfast this morning?” Patton asked taking a seat on the edge of Logan’s bed so he could finally see his face. Logan’s unkempt hair was slick with sweat, his fringe almost entirely obscured his eyes but from the small section Patton could see it was evident he hadn’t slept well at all. A dark shadow played beneath his eyes which were swollen and bloodshot as if he had been crying. The sight made Patton’s heart cry out in pain.

“I am satisfactory, I also seem to not have much of an appetite this morning that is why I chose not to attend breakfast,” Logan answered nonchalantly, without removing his attention from his work in front of him but he was betrayed by his own stomach as it let out a well-timed growl, proving the contrary but it only worsened the pain Patton felt. Why was Logan purposefully hurting himself? He was clearly hungry so why was he pretending?

“You need to eat something Logan, I’m going to bring you something to eat. I promise I’ll be quick,” Patton said standing and leaning over to Logan to place a gentle kiss on his forehead before leaving and returning with a plate of two slices of bread with crofters - as he knew it was something Logan liked - to find Logan had moved from his desk to sitting on the edge of his bed, all of his books and notes neatly put away. “Here, now eat up,”.

They spent the next few minutes in silence while Logan ate, meticulously tearing the bread into smaller pieces before eating. Patton hoped Logan’s evident hunger would encourage him to eat the entire sandwich but that was not the case as he set the plate aside with an entire slice remaining on his plate - albeit torn into tiny sections - Patton knew at some point they would need to have a discussion regarding Logan’s strange and at time worrisome eating habits but he decided to leave that conversation for another day.

“Will you be joining the party today?” Patton asked hoping to draw Logan out slowly.

“No, I wont,” Logan responded bluntly and without a moment of hesitation. Patton was confounded. Why? Logan had participated and shown in enjoyment in the entire preparation process but now he was choosing not to join? Had Patton perhaps missed something, some sign Logan had been uncomfortable at whole time and Patton had been simply to stupid and wrapped up in his own fantasy to notice?

“Can you tell me why?” Patton pressed.

“I-I…I do not wish to spoil Roman’s or anyone else’s enjoyment of the celebrations, I am still a stranger and I do not wish to be a disturbance to your family on this occasion so I decided to instead keep to myself though it appears my efforts have had the opposite affect and I am taking attention away from Roman,” Logan explained his voice barely audible but once Patton heard his reasoning his heart sank. Logan was purposefully isolating himself because he thought it would be for their benefit. He still believed himself to be an outsider or an intruder on their family and they wouldn’t want him to be apart of family events and celebrations. Tears stung Patton’s eyes but he refused to allow them to fall, he needed to remain strong for Longer right now.

“Can you look at me please Logan?” Patton pleaded which Logan did so willingly. He looked so exhausted. Patton cupped his cheeks gently while also giving him space to withdraw if he wished but he didn’t. “Logan, you are not a stranger, you are apart of this family. It doesn’t matter that you have only been here a couple of weeks, you are still my son and that won’t ever change. You aren’t spoiling or disturbing anything and you certainly aren’t taking away attention from anyone, it isn’t bad or wrong if you need a little reassurance sometimes and I promise I want you here and I know everyone else does too,”.

“B-but…,” Logan began preparing to attempt to counter Patton argument.

“Nope, no buts. You are my apart of my famILY, kiddo,” Patton said his serious tone washing away bursting into his fit of giggles, when Logan’s prior anxious expression changed into one of confusion at Patton’s statement. “How are you feeling now?”.

“Better, I am still experiencing some levels of anxiety but it has lessened somewhat,” Logan admitted raising a tentative hand to his chest and Patton noticed he was wearing the constellation sweater he had picked out on their shopping trip a few days prior and Patton felt his heart swell with pride.

“I’m glad kiddo, now everyone is waiting for you downstairs,” Patton said lowering his hands from Logan’s face and instead taking his hands into his own, giving them a light squeeze as Logan nodded allowing Patton to pull him up and lead him downstairs where the party could finally begin.

Taglist: @i-do-not-dislike-fudge @poems-art-darkness-n-more @skylark-cain @amber1594 @darkrainbow333 @falseh0od @lovingcreatorstrawberry @gr3ml1n-loser @callboxkat @tacochippy @love-angel-03 @comicsimpson @harrypotternerdprincess @cobythinks @whatschooldoesntteachyou @fandomkitty8 @coloursintheblur @read-write-inspire-repeat @clinicalawesomeness @janus-sanders-deserves-better @scared-ghosthunter @silverstarlinedart @winterrose42 @dumbgayemo @imthatgrace2 @glitchybina @quietwords-loudthoughts @altruistic-skittles

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#sander sides #sander sides au #Adoption AU #logan sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #deceit sanders #symapthetic deceit #thomas sanders #Emile Picani #cartoon therapy #elliott cartoon therapy #Dot and Larry cartoon therapy #my writing #my fic #original characters #found families #home is where the hart is

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lightshadowverisimilitude · 7 years

Text

A New Beginning 3/?

Here’s part three - and also my ‘rising to a challenge’ line

about 3k words, so watch for the cut. :)

Part one Part two

The rush of cool air against his back woke him. Steve drew in a breath and let it out, but kept his eyes closed. The bed was warm, and smelled like Tony, and Steve was comfortable. It had been so long since he’d last woke up comfortable that he couldn’t make himself move. The sheets settled back around him as soon as Tony swung his legs over the side. Steve reluctantly dropped onto his back and peered at Tony through slitted eyes.

In the pale morning light, Tony looked again different. He wasn’t the larger-than-life cocky devil he’d been in the club, and he wasn’t the vulnerable, sweetly shy man of the night before. He was a cat in the sunshine, stretching out his arms, his spine moving like it was made of liquid. Steve ached for a paintbrush as he watched Tony’s shoulders shifting through the sunlight, followed the curve of his spine down to his hips. They were slender, about the right size for Steve to fold his hands around and rest his thumbs in the depressions on either side of his spine.

Steve stretched an arm over his head to curl around the top of a pillow and rubbed his feet over the sheets. He’d never slept on silk sheets before, but he was going to have to buy a set. It had been a long time since he’d slept so well, though that probably had a lot more to do with Tony sleeping next to him than the sheets. He was thirsty and his head hurt, but the full body ache that he’d been dealing with for months was all but gone.

Tony sat on the edge of the bed, stretching his arms out to either side and yawning. He twisted around to give Steve a sleepy smile. “Morning, hot stuff.”

A faint blush spread over his cheeks, but Steve smiled back. “Good morning.”

Tony flopped over and then flipped around to face Steve. He propped his head up on his fist and examined Steve with an unnervingly focused gaze. “This is a new experience for me,” he said finally.

“Sleeping with a stranger without sleeping with said stranger?” Steve asked. He rolled onto his side and mirrored Tony’s posture.

“That too,” Tony agreed, lips twitching up in a smile. “Waking up next the stranger I slept with? Also new.”

Steve hiked an eyebrow at him. “You usually kick them out before they can fall asleep?” he surmised. He had no right to feel disappointed in Tony or how he conducted his one night stands, but it did make something squirm in his gut. Tony had been nicer to him than just about anyone since he’d manifested, and he’d ended up falling asleep in the man’s bed. He shifted to sit upright, suddenly very aware of how naked he was in between Tony’s silk sheets. “I’ll go.”

“Don’t do that,” Tony said, looking a little startled. “I usually just wake up first and they’re usually gone when I get back,” he clarified, and then winced and added, “Frequently escorted by my PA.”

“You make your PA kick your one night stands out of the bed?”

Sitting up, Tony scratched a hand through his goatee. “Dick move,” he admitted. “But it’s not like they actually want to see me in the morning. They get what they want, my PA makes sure they get breakfast and get home, no awkward morning after. No expectations, no disappointment.”

“You take a lot of people home who don’t like you?”

“I take a lot of people home who don’t know me. They want a night with a celebrity, something to brag about to their friends, they don’t want to know who the celebrity actually is. Breaks the illusion to wake up next to someone with morning breath, you know?” He shrugged, but he was smiling. “Speaking of which.”

He hopped out of the bed before Steve could say a word, walking gloriously naked across the room, his bare feet slapping on the tile when he stepped off the plush carpet. “You want a toothbrush?” he called back over his shoulder.

Steve held a hand up to his face and breathed against his palm. His nose wrinkled, making him aware of the stickiness at the back of his throat and the fuzzy texture of his teeth. Steve slid out from under the sheet and searched the floor for his clothing. He found a pair of underwear on the floor, but they were bright red and satiny like the sheets. Without really meaning to, he rubbed the cloth between his fingers and thought about getting some of his own – if sleeping in silk sheets had been heaven, what would it feel like to walk around them all day? He imagined himself going about his day at the bookstore, bending over to re-shelve books, helping customers at the register, and no one any the wiser that he was wearing something so decadent under his jeans. His face heated up, but it didn’t make him drop the underwear.

“You can wear them if you like.”

Steve jumped and fumbled the handful of silky cloth before finally throwing them back to the floor. He whirled around, but Tony was leaning on the door jamb, still naked, still smiling, a foam-covered toothbrush held in one hand, and goatee damp. His eyes took in Steve’s naked form in a slow slide that just made the warmth on Steve’s cheeks pulse hotter, even as his throat tightened. A tingle spread over his skin, skipping down his shoulders, making his thighs burn, and then curling under his feet. Tony’s smile grew wider and he gestured to the little puddle of red satin at Steve’s feet.

“Seriously, seeing you walk around in my underwear would probably make my entire decade.”

Throat too tight to respond, Steve just snagged his own white cotton boxers off the floor and hurried into them. “You said something about a toothbrush?” he asked, ignoring Tony’s disappointed frown.

Tony made a gesture with his head and turned back into the bathroom. Steve followed, and found a packaged toothbrush and half-used tube of toothpaste on the counter between two beaten copper sinks. Tony stood in front of the sink against the wall, giving Steve the one closest to the door. He wasn’t sure if it was an intentional bid to make him feel more comfortable, but it did make him feel more comfortable. Considering that he was in nothing but his boxers in a stranger’s bathroom, feeling comfortable was probably the strangest thing about the past 24 hours.

Tony rinsed out his toothbrush, tapped it on the side of the sink, and dropped it into a brushed copper cup. He ran a towel across his mouth and then gave Steve’s reflection a wink. He walked his fingers across Steve’s shoulders on the way out of the bathroom, his smirk blossoming into a smile when Steve shivered from the contact.

“I’ll get breakfast,” he said.

~*~

Breakfast turned out to be a feast of every breakfast food Steve could readily name. He blinked as Tony unloaded another plate of warm pancakes to add to the three-tiered dish of pastries, waffles, glass jars of yogurt topped in fruit and granola, a basket of fresh fruit, a covered metal dish of eggs cooked every way, plates of bacon, sausage, and ham, coffee, three kinds of fruit juice, and a few things Steve couldn’t immediately identity.

“Didn’t know what you liked,” Tony explained, and though his voice was teasing, his expression was almost sheepish as he pulled a glass dish of syrup out of the last bag. He folded the bag up and added it to the pile on the counter.

He’d put on a pair of slinky black pants that practically advertised the fact that his underwear were still on the floor, and a ratty blue hoodie over his bare chest to answer the door. Steve had gotten back into his clothes, but was barefoot on the couch with their breakfast spread over the coffee table. Tony knelt opposite him, and he made a very attractive picture on his knees.

“Even with my metabolism, we’re not going to be able to eat all of this,” Steve said. He cleared his throat and looked away as Tony shifted around to get himself comfortable on the carpet.

Tony shrugged, snagged a piece of bacon, and said, “It won’t go to waste.” He gestured to the table with his half-eaten piece of bacon and suggested, “As long as you help at least a little.”

Steve obligingly took a plate and started picking through the offerings. Eating continued to be a challenge for him – he constantly felt hungry, and went through as many calories as an entire football team most days, but it never satisfied the ache in his throat. Some days he got hungry enough that he ate until it felt like he was going to throw up, but it just left him more miserable than before. He was very conscious of Tony watching him while he peeled an orange, but kept his eyes firmly on his plate.

“So,” Tony started after Steve had made it through most of the plate and an ice cold bottle of water. “How likely would you be to kill me if I called a friend of mine who also happens to be an incubus?”

“I don’t know how comfortable I am with that,” Steve said, setting the plate down. His fingers drifted up to his throat and he forced his hand back to his lap. He made himself look up in the general direction of Tony’s face and gave him a smile. “I appreciate the thought.”

“Sure,” Tony said with a nod, “I guess starving to death on someone’s couch is better than asking for help.”

Steve flinched back and then glared across the table at Tony, briefly meeting his eyes before jerking his gaze away. “That is not what I’m doing. I go to the damn clinic three times a week, where a succubus ‘mentor’ spends an hour telling me about all the things I’m doing wrong. I don’t need another one.”

Tony held a hand up in mute apology. “I know you don’t know anything about me, but I guarantee that my friend is better than the state-funded counselor at a clinic.”

“I don’t like to be poked and prodded at, Tony, and other Seducers make me nervous. Why do you care? You just met me.”

Taking a big bite of toast and talking with his mouth full, Tony said, “Maybe I’m a humanitarian.”

“I’m not human,” Steve reminded him pointedly. He fished another bottle of water out of the center of the table and unscrewed the cap. He was too full, but his throat was only getting tighter the longer he sat across the table from his very attractive, very human breakfast partner. The conversation was just making him hungrier. He should have left before Tony had started calling around for food.

“Well… maybe I’m a Faeitarian. Or,” he said, straightening up and making a big production of looking like he’d just had an epiphany. “Or maybe I would just like you to not die.”

“I’m not going to die,” Steve said, “Just being around people is enough to subsist on.”

“Because subsistence definitely sounds like living. Humor me – just a phone call, no other Seducers invading your personal space. Promise. And maybe,” he added, “We can do some of that practicing I offered.”

Steve scratched at the back of his neck, both uncomfortable and intrigued. He tried to come up with another refusal, but Tony appeared to realize that he’d won and just snagged an apple out of the basket. He took a loud bite, and turned licking the spatters of juice off his lips into an art form. Steve sighed and crushed the empty bottle between his hands. Tony just grinned at him.

~*~

Tony’s workshop was pristine, every surface perfectly clean and organized, the floor polished to a museum shine. Despite that, it didn’t feel sterile. If anything, it was the warmest, most lived-in room that Steve had found so far in Tony’s space. He followed the man around the tables, glancing down at the projects spread out around the workshop. There was enough work out for ten people to stay occupied, but Steve didn’t think many other people were allowed in the space.

Flopping into a swiveling chair at a tall workstation, Tony called out to the air, “Call Bruce.”

Steve looked around, but they were alone. The screen above the workstation lit up a soft blue and started to beep. Steve hesitated before picking another chair and pushing it closer to Tony. He kept a hand on the back and turned it idly, watching Tony spin in the chair.

“I’m not sure if I should be impressed or worried that you’ve called me at a reasonable hour,” Bruce said as soon as the line picked up. He had to shout over a loud commotion of people and cars and general closeness that made even Steve – a life-long New Yorker – a little nervous. “Is this an emergency?”

“Sort of,” Tony hedged, glancing up at Steve.

Steve tried to correct him that it wasn’t an emergency, but he couldn’t unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. He glanced up at the screen, but it was still glowing the same pale blue.

“Is this the ‘I can’t remember where I hid the dried blueberries’ type of sort of emergency, or the ‘I’ve been framed for treason and am about to be arrested’ type of sort of emergency?” Bruce asked over a rustle of cloth and the hollow clang of a shoddy wooden door.

“Not really either of those things,” Tony said. He twirled in his chair to face to Steve. “You’re on speaker, Brucie. Say hello to my friend Steve.”

The other end of the line was quiet but for the clatter of Bruce trudging up a flight of stairs. “Hello, Steve.”

Tony waved encouragingly between Steve and the screen. Steve’s lips pressed together and he looked down at his hands where he was clutching the back of the chair. He let out a slow breath and said, “Hello, Bruce.”

Through the phone, another door screeched open and then closed. There was a rustle of bags dropping to the floor and then the whoosh of a body dropping into an upholstered chair. “Alright,” Bruce said after a moment. “What can I do for you, Steve?”

Steve said nothing. He looked away, fixing his eyes to the table on his right. A shallow box was on the top with a rectangular device that he couldn’t identify in the middle and various tools and wires arranged neatly around it.

“My friend is an incubus, Bruce,” Tony said.

“I can hear that,” Bruce answered neutrally.

“He’s newly manifested and doesn’t know how to feed.”

The chair under Steve’s hands creaked and he looked down sharply to see that his knuckles had turned white. Something about the sound of Bruce’s voice, the sound of his breathing was making Steve’s shoulders tense up and his mouth flood with saliva.

Bruce made a vaguely uncomfortable noise. “Tony, how old is your friend?”

“Twenty-two,” Steve answered for himself, his sharp and annoyed. He was tired of being asked his age and being looked at sideways when he said anything other than ‘fifteen.’

“Okay,” Bruce said with no particular inflection. “When did you manifest?”

Steve made an uncomfortable noise of his own and stepped away from the screen. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging restlessly. It felt like his meetings with the succubus counselor at the clinic. She usually had to move behind a glass wall within a few minutes of starting their session. Bruce wasn’t even on the same continent and it was making him just as nervous. He paced back to the chair while Tony watched him with measured curiosity. He shouldn’t be curious, he should be frightened. Steve tried to figure out how to tell him that he needed to be worried without scaring him. He didn’t want to frighten him, but a growing part of him wanted to take Tony away from the screen – he was too close to it, and the voice on the other side of the line was too strong. Steve didn’t like the way Tony was looking at it, and it wasn’t even a person – the person was on the other side of the damn planet and Steve still felt threatened.

“Steve?” Bruce prompted.

“Few months,” Steve gritted out, glaring up at the placid blue screen.

“And there’s no one there to guide you?”

“Clinic counselor.”

Bruce made a sympathetic noise. “Ouch.”

“I know, right?” Tony put in. He made a zipping motion across his lips when Steve shot him a sharp look and Bruce made a similarly sharp noise over the line. “You take this chair,” he decided despite his mouth-zipping gesture, “And I will get some work down. Feel free to put the display on, Bruce. He’s worth looking at.”

Tony gave him a saucy wink and Steve smiled despite himself. A moment later, the screen flickered briefly black and then came back on an image of a small room decorated in rich textures and colors. Bruce sat in a chair with a small kitchen visible behind him. Based on the strength of his voice and the feeling Steve had gotten just listening to him, Bruce’s appearance was not what he was expecting. He looked harmless and kind, though that was maybe even more dangerous than the typical incubus who looked like – or so Bucky said – a Roman statue come to life.

“You two kids have fun,” Tony said, patting Steve’s shoulders. He turned away, but then paused and leaned around Steve to look up at the screen. “But not too much fun.”

Part Four

#ladyshadowdrake writes #stony #incubusAU #magical creatures AU #1/52 #2/52 #52 for 52

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someaxolotl · 3 years

Text

Shopping Trip

After being given the potions and notepad I made my way out of the labs. As I was walking back to the portal my Abyscreen started to ring.

“Hey, Veronica! Good job!” It’s Gwyn. “The request has been marked as complete, thanks for dealing with Trem.”

“Wait does she not like you.”

“Kinda… Anyway, it has been brought to my attention that you’re somewhat low on supplies.”

“No, not really.”

“Oh? Then what do you have to heal yourself with? Do you have any anti-poison, smelling salts, food?”

“...fine, I’m low on supplies…”

“Ok, meet me outside the Hall, we’ll make our way to the commerce district.”

Suddenly a second voice cuts in. “Wait are you two going shopping without me?”

Gwyn sighs. “Nim you do realize that you’re a part of both of our screens right? Technically it’s not “without” you.”

“Still it’s not the same, I would love to go shopping in person with my favorite manager and trainee.”

“Fine… if you want you can tag along… but only if Veronica also agrees.”

“It’s fine.”

“Yay! I’ll meet the two of you in front of the hall.” Nim cuts out of the call.

“Sorry about that, Nim can be insistent sometimes. Anyway, you’re also short on cash so I’ll lend you some money.”

“...thanks for the reminder.”

…

Once I got back to the hall I popped into a restroom to change into my casual clothes. A pair of jeans and a hoodie, the only things I still have from home… I guess it should be somewhat somber, but eh, they are just things that haven’t been destroyed yet. Items are meant to be used if they break then they served their purpose. Still…

I step out of the restroom and into the plaza in front of the hall. Gwyn is standing next to a lamppost, he’s wearing a button-down shirt and pants. “Ah good, you’re here.”

Nim pops out of a nearby bush. “She’s here?! Yay!” She rushes at me but I sidestep and she faceplants on the ground. “Oh… boo...”

Gwyn walks over to her and pokes her. “Please control yourself, we are in public.” He turns to face me. “Anyway, now that you’re here I guess we can start or trip.”

There's a muffled “yay…” from the still face down Nim.

“So how do you guys get around?”

“Oh, we take the rail.” Gwyn gestures his head towards a larger building.

“Wait, rail? There’s a rail system here?!”

Nim pops up from the ground. “Oh yeah it’s fun you dummy, it connects most of the city! You haven’t been walking everywhere, right?”

“No?”

Gwyn looks concerned. “Wait how have you been getting around?”

“I’m not really sure what to call it but I kinda fly and/or jump using wind magic. Why?”

“I’m just making sure you aren’t doing anything illegal. You’re fine, just keep the property damage to a minimum.” Gwyn starts reaching into his pocket and grabs his card. “Anyway the rail is free as long as a person is an active member of Abysia. You’ll just need to scan your card.”

We enter the station and Gwyn and I scan our cards. Nim just jumps over the barrier.

“Nim please stop…” Gwyn seems more tired than anything at Nim’s antics.

“What am I going to do, arrest myself? :3”

“Wait is Nim law enforcement?”

Gwyn sighed. “Yeah, she’s in charge of enforcing the rules determined by a council of leaders from different guilds. She’s helped out by some managers like me and some smaller guilds.”

“How does she effectively do it, she seems too… jovial?”

Nim chimes in. “Oh give me more credit, Vevi, I can easily destroy any guild.”

“Wait, Vevi?”

Gwyn facepalms. “Yeah, she came up with that nickname for you.”

“Do you not like Vevi?” Nim seems almost sad.

“No it’s fine I just never had a nickname before…”

Nim seems to perk up and blush in response… wait can an AI blush?

The train arrives and we step inside. We are the only ones in the cabin and once the doors close Gwyn speaks up. “Say, Veronica, what did you do before you arrived here? Your file gives no clear homeworld.”

“Oh well, let’s see,” I think for a bit. “I got kicked out of my family because I “manifested the wrong powers or something” so I acted as a hunter until I messed something up and fell into a different world. I worked rescuing people there and exterminating threatening beasts. Got bored of that place and left for a different world. Rinse and repeat until I ended up here. Some worlds were better than others but I managed.” I look up and Gwyn is typing stuff down into his screen. “Wait are you writing this down!?”

“Yes because this is useful information. Anyway it makes sense why no homeworld was determined, you jumped through so many worlds you don’t have very much of a trace left of your homeworld. Do you happen to know its name?”

“No, sorry…”

Nim suddenly hugged me. “Don’t be sorry Vevi, you’ve had a rough time.”

“Eh honestly it’s fine, it was not bad.” I turn and look out the window. For some reason, in the distance there was a pillar of smoke. “Hey is that supposed to be there?”

Gwyn also looks out the window. “No? See if there’s anything on the screen.”

I pull out my screen… There are a few trending links… A sale… Some random pet video… Ah, here we go, a live stream. I open it. “...oh no.” The live stream shows a half-destroyed bar, and in front, Mila and Elias are arguing over something. The sound quality is bad but they probably got in a fight over drinking.

“Well, I guess I should deduct some money from their accounts…” Gwyn sighs heavily. “At least you haven’t destroyed anything yet…”

“Oh come on you two, at least we know they are exciting people to be around. :3”

Gwyn is just done now. “Nim, they just committed arson, aren’t you supposed to stop breaches?”

“Eh, but that’s not fun. :(“

The train slowly comes to a stop and Gwyn stands up. “This is our stop.”

We step out onto the platform and make our way out of the station. There’s a large collection of buildings. “Vevi, welcome to the commerce district.”

Gwyn starts explaining. “The commerce district is a collection of ‘malls’. Within each mall, there are independently run stores and stores run by guilds. The malls are broken up by purpose and there’s a tier system of sorts, Bronze, copper, silver, gold, and platinum. Each tier is more related to pricing, you can still find some decent stuff from lower tiers. We are making our way over to the silver adventurer mall. A guild by the name of the Gilded Roses sells the excess loot from their dives into the Dungeon and other locales.”

Nim seems excited. “Ooooo can we get crepes?!”

“Crepes? You guys have crepes?”

Gwyn pauses for a second. “Sure.”

…

It did not take long to get to the mall, it is fairly well decorated and there is a wide variety of different stalls peddling stuff like backpacks and anti-poison and other similar stuff. Eventually, we stop at a stall built into a wall. Gwyn steps up and rings a small bell on the counter.

There’s a small voice from the back. “One sec.” A small goblin walks up to the counter, he is oddly sleepy looking. “Oh hello Gwyn, oh and Nim is here too… Did I accidentally sell something illegal again?”

“No Steve, you’re fine.” Gwyn pulls out his screen. “We need to outfit a rookie, have anything on this list?”

Steve looks at the screen. “...I think so? Come on in to the back, I’ll check the stock.”

We walk into the stall and into a small sitting area. “What’s exactly on the list?”

“Oh, nothing special Vevi just a few items to make sure nothing bad happens.”

“Yeah, you already have weapons so you're fine on that front.” Gwyn thinks for a second. “Wait what do you fight in?”

Oop that an embarrassing question… “A tank top and shorts…”

“Heh?! 8/ That's so dangerous Vevi!!”

“I guess we need to get you some armor. Light, standard, or heavy?”

“Oh, I’m not bothered much by weight classes. I can’t wear sleeves in combat though it can interfere with the brands.”

Gwyn thinks for a second. “Eh, we’ll just get you whatever they have without sleeves.”

Steve pops over to where we are sitting carrying a bag. “Lucky you, I found everything. Five health potions and mana potions, three vials antivenom and pouches of smelling salts, ten rations, and a tent.”

Gwyn seems happy. “Thanks, Steve, do you have any vest or sleeveless armor?”

“...I’ll get my sister to check.” Steve turns around. “Clara?”

Another goblin pops her head out from behind the shelves. “Yeah?”

“This lass wants some armor.”

“What type?”

“Vest or sleeveless”

“Ok!” Clara disappears behind the shelves. She runs over with a stack of armor. “So what do you like?”

There's a few varieties of armor like a kevlar vest, a plate cuirass, a chainmail vest, a leather vest… “I’ll take the cuirass.”

“Good choice!” Clara grins, grabs the leftover armor, and disappears back into the back.

Steve waves to Clara. “Is that everything? I’ll send the charge to the administration.”

Gwyn stands and shakes his hand. “That’s all, thanks Steve.”

“So… Crepe time? :3”

…

After we left the stall we walked outside a bit till we got to a crepe stand.

“Gods, these crepes are great!” I am currently eating my third crepe.

“Oh definitely. :D” Nim on the other hand is on her fifth crepe.

“Eh, they are fine.” Gwyn is still eating his first one.

We are currently seated in a park with a nearby crepe stand. It's nice and peace-

“What do you mean we are on probation!” There’s a nearby group of what seems to be adventures arguing with a manager.

“You guys have received a number of complaints from a variety of source-”

One of the larger adventurers flips the table knocking the manager to the floor. “Oh well, I guess another complaint won’t hurt.”

I find myself rushing in between the manager and the adventurers. “Stop what you are doing!”

“Don’t interfere!” the largest one tries to throw a punch but it’s blocked by Gwyn holding a rapier.

“It is against the laws of Abysia to harm a manager.” Gwyn sweeps the adventurer to the floor and stabs the back of his leg.

A second adventure stands up. Just from her general air, she seems to be the leader. “Well if it isn’t one of the prissy ‘enforcers’ what is the robot bitch also here? Oh well, I’ll end all of you!” She pulls out a sword and starts rushing us, but suddenly she stops moving and I feel a flow of electrical mana coming from Nim. “Oh, Nimueh is here, how fun.”

Nim is full of malice. “Stand down…”

“Oh, what are you going to do, kill me.”

The flow of mana stops. “I’ll let you go but if you try to harm any of them I'll show you that there are fates worse than death…”

The adventure flashes a crazed smile. “Bet.” She takes a step forward and there’s an extreme flow of electrical mana almost as if-

There’s a horrifying cacophony of cracks and the adventurer crumbles to the ground. “Nim what did you do!?”

“Nothing major, I just forced electrical signals into her muscles that caused them to flex and fracture a fair majority of her bones.” She kicks the adventure. “Gwyn, call an enforcer and get them to pick these two up. Now, who wants more crepes!:3”

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