itoshi sae keeps a small box hidden under his bed, safely tucked away from prying eyes. it’s got his most prized possessions, he told you once, unwilling to elaborate further.
he never keeps it in the same place, you’ve realized. the first time you’d seen it, it was tucked away in the corner in one of his drawers. the next time you looked for it, it was gone.
you didn’t mean to find it this time. it’s not your fault that your slipper disappeared under the bed right where the box is—and it’s certainly not your fault that your hands reached out for the box before you could think twice. your curiosity simply wishes to be sated, is all.
(you just want to know if he collects those world cup sticker book cards).
the box has certainly seen better days. there’s a small dent on the lid, a few stickers on it’s side (you figure they’re from a sticker pack, given that most of them are popsicle themed).
realistically, it’s the trashiest box you’ve laid your eyes on. but it’s well-loved. and, that’s enough for you to know that sae cares about it. (somehow, it’s also enough for it to tug at your heartstrings).
your idly tap your fingers against the sides of the box, sitting on the edge of sae’s bed. you wait for a few more seconds before looking over your shoulder. a few beats of silence go by, your attention returning to the box on your lap once you’ve surmised he’s not coming yet.
it’s reminiscent to opening a treasure chest—like getting a peek into sae’s mind. you expect memorabilia of whatever duplicates of world cup sticker cards he’d gotten at the local convenience store or the extra ones rin used to give him.
what you’re met with is, in every way possible, completely different.
instead of the pictures of football players, you’re greeted with shots of your smiling face. instead of cards, you see polaroids. multiple polaroids—practically all the ones you’ve taken with him.
it’s cute, really. (extremely so).
you gingerly grab one of the pictures, eyes softening as you stare at a younger version of yourself. and then a small, blurry dot of red catches your eye.
you’re about to grab another polaroid from the box when two hands snatch the box from behind you, lifting it high up in the air. you turn around, reaching up for the box with an amused grin on your lips, “what are you doing?”
“i could ask you the same,” sae shoots back, his expression guarded as he sidles away from you.
you inch closer to him, your eyes locked onto his. “i just wanted to see what was in the box,” you reply, your voice soft, “see what was so important for you to move it around every time i visit.”
he frowns, “did it ever occur to you that it was hidden because you weren’t supposed to see what was inside?”
“did it ever occur to you that i would’ve found it eventually?” you give him a look, lowering your arms.
he pauses, looking away. the tips of his ears flush, his hands lowering the box back onto his lap. you make no move to stop him as he places the lid back on, his brows furrowed.
“it was supposed to be a secret,” he softly mutters, looking down at his bedsheets. (i didn’t want you to find out, is what he really means. you’ve known him long enough to tell).
“why?” you quietly ask, sidling closer to him.
a small frown curls the corners of his lips, his gaze slowly returning to meet yours. “it’s embarrassing,” he says, his voice hushed.
“no, it’s not,” you reply, placing your hand above his own. “won’t you show me?” you ask, a patient smile on your lips, “just this once.”
he hesitates, his expression uncertain.
“show me,” you gently insist, a smile on your lips. the corners of your eyes crinkle, your gaze softening, “please.”
he pauses for a few seconds, his eyes closing as he pushes the box your way. a soft grunt leaves his lips when you lunge at him, squeezing him into a tight hug before kissing his cheek.
your attention returns to the box, the lid quickly being tossed onto the foot of his bed. sae inches closer to you, resting his head on your shoulder as he watches you filter through dozens of polaroids.
he groans when you pick one out, reaching out to rip it from your hands. he glares at you, pinching your side when you turn away from him, protecting the picture.
“you look so ugly in this,” you snort, the corners of your eyes crinkling the longer you stare at the polaroid.
“shut up,” he says, nudging his head against the back of your shoulder. you laugh, reaching out into the box before pulling out a handful of polaroids out, glossing over them.
“why do you keep all these anyway?” you ask, your voice curious. “half of these don’t even look that good.”
“they just remind me of all the times we used to hang out together,” he replies, a hint of embarrassment in his tone.
you pause, turning around to look at him. “you’re so cute,” you softly coo, letting the polaroids fall from your hands to cup his cheeks. you pepper kisses all over his face, softly chuckles leaving your lips as he complains.
his face is red by the time you pull away, his eyes avoiding yours. “the pictures,” he starts, his tone stiff, “i like the memories that come with them.”
you blink, a smile growing on your lips. “do you still have the camera we used back then?” you ask, scooping up the discarded polaroids before placing them in the box.
“yeah,” he replies, his eyes following your movements, “why?” he follows your lead, getting out of his bed and looking for his old camera even without being aware of what you’re planning.
it’s still got the stickers you and rin pasted on it simply to mess with sae. in a way, it’s almost in the same condition as the box—except, this one’s not as beat up. but it’s still old—the lens most likely doesn’t work as good as it used to, and it’s probably run out of film.
but it carries all the memories of shared laughter, stolen kisses, and home.
you grin, squeezing his hand as you lead him out of the door, “we’re making more memories.”
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Bring your sidekick to work day!
Inspired by the "What if Question was the one who saves Danny from GIW?" post that I made awhile ago.
Bring your sidekick to work day!
It was a tradition that started around the time multiple superheroes were taken on sidekicks. Everyone in the league knew why they'd bring their sidekicks to work. Their sidekicks get to socialize with peers their own age and they could properly introduce themselves to other heroes.
So it was a surprise when The Question, the league's faceless conspiracy theorist, offhandedly mentioned that he'll be bringing his sidekick to work while telling them about what new information he's found about Cadmus and another new government agency he thought they should start looking into.
The heroes found it hard to believe.
Question has a sidekick.
Surely they must have misheard.
No way that guy would want a sidekick, let alone get a sidekick.
When "Bring your sidekick to work day" arrived everybody was prepared to see the heroes and sidekicks.
Superman with Superboy
Batman and his 10+ kids
Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl
Flash and Kid Flash
The list went on
The heroes all mingle before realizing that they haven't seen Question. Maybe they did mishear the man? Or Question got his words mixed up?
That was until the computer announced the arrival of Question and a guest that was unidentified.
They all turn around to see the faceless trench coat wearing investigator followed by a tinier faceless trench coat wearing kid. The kid was practically a clone of Question, except...tinier.
"This is my sidekick. Who." Question points to the faceless kid
Flash: Who?
"That's me!" the kid says pointing to himself.
"Why don't you acquaint yourself with the others." Question tells his sidekick who just nods and goes off to introduce himself with the others kids.
Batman: I didn't take you one for having a sidekick.
Question: I could say the same for you. And the sidekick thing just kind of happened. The kid wouldn't leave me alone and I couldn't let the kid get himself into any trouble.
Batman: Understandable
Meanwhile with the sidekicks.
Everybody's asking Who various questions about Question and how he met the man. They barely know anything about the guy.
Question 1: What's the deal with your name?
Who: It's a work in progress. Since my mentor's name is Question. I figured my name should be like a question.
Question 2: How do you eat?
Who: I shove food into my face
Question 3: Where's your face?
Who: Wouldn't you like to know
Question 4: Do you know about his conspiracies?
Who: Of course I know about his conspiracies! I'm one of them
Other sidekicks: What?
After some talking, the sidekicks get along with each other very well. When they reunite with their mentors the computer rings stating that John Constantine was coming along with a guest.
The heroes then all watched as a girl with white hair and green eyes wearing a trench coat and was dragging John Constantine by his sleeve. She grins and introduces herself as Dani with an "i" and that she's John's apprentice.
Dani then spots Who and they immediately do the Spider-man point at the other meme
Who (Danny): you got a trench coat mentor too?!
Dani: Where's your face?!
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