Would You Please

It had only been a few months since Daniel started going to Newtown High. It was a bit weird, moving here and being here around entirely new people. His friends are all back home, his family is across the sea, and it’s hard to say if he’ll ever find a way to make things feel normal. But at the very least he hasn’t gotten into too much trouble. He’s lucky enough  to find a handful of friendly faces.

It all started with Kazu. Kazu, who was nice enough to help Daniel on his math homework. Kazu, who was nice enough to give him a place to eat.

Kazu.

Kazu was a damn blessing.

Which is probably why it only took Daniel a short matter of months to fall for him. Call it childish, stupid, whatever. It’s teenage love at its finest, there’s no denying that. But that isn’t stopping Daniel.

They were in pre-calculus. Normally Daniel would have been hunched over at his desk, scribbling notes and hoping that he could comprehend whatever the hell they were going to be learning that day. But instead he was sitting there, staring intently at a slip of paper and trying to figure out what he wanted to write. How does one go about asking another boy to prom? It’s absolutely harrowing. He doesn’t want to sound too forward or too weird, and he doesn’t want to sound like a creep either. He just… wants to write it and pass it and get it over with. But the more he thinks about it the more he overthinks, and at this point it’s killing him. He just–ugh.

It hasn’t exactly been a great couple of months, but having Daniel as a friend helped.

With Marcus completely oblivious to his advancements, and his new relationship with Desmond, Kazu would admit he felt kinda stranded in the water. Marcus was really his only friend that knew him super well, and with him being preoccupied so much now it was hard to get anything done.

He had met Daniel when he first transferred here, and right away he could tell he was just an utter sweetheart. He was always kind and thinking of others, and Kazu admired that greatly. Every time they hung out together, he felt a little less lonely and a little more hopeful.

He doesn’t know if he’d call it love, but whatever it was appeared to be stronger than a simple friendship, that’s for sure.

He himself had been lost in thought over the matter, doodling in the margin of his notes and trying to focus back on the board. He knew if he didn’t get this right, then if Daniel asked him later for help and he couldn’t provide he’d feel awful over it.

Daniel stared down at the paper, glancing at Kazu before going back to his slip. This note needs to be perfect. Absolutely perfect. Otherwise… he’s worried it’ll get the wrong idea across.

Slowly he starts writing:

“Kazu. Thank you so much for being a good friend. I was wondering if you would like to go to prom with me?”

Snapping back to attention, Kazu took the time to actually try and understand the advanced calculus the teacher was scribbling on the board. He managed a few notes on some key formulas and points, which should help, before his attention drifted off again.

Prom was coming up soon, he recalled, and frankly he wasn’t quite sure he was interested. Sure, he could go with his friends, but that meant seeing Marcus and Desmond together. And while he was perfectly supportive and happy for them, it still stung knowing that he used to stand where Desmond now stood.

But for now, he’d quietly resolve to leave the prom memories to someone else, unless the right circumstance came along.

Would You Please

It had only been a few months since Daniel started going to Newtown High. It was a bit weird, moving here and being here around entirely new people. His friends are all back home, his family is across the sea, and it’s hard to say if he’ll ever find a way to make things feel normal. But at the very least he hasn’t gotten into too much trouble. He’s lucky enough  to find a handful of friendly faces.

It all started with Kazu. Kazu, who was nice enough to help Daniel on his math homework. Kazu, who was nice enough to give him a place to eat.

Kazu.

Kazu was a damn blessing.

Which is probably why it only took Daniel a short matter of months to fall for him. Call it childish, stupid, whatever. It’s teenage love at its finest, there’s no denying that. But that isn’t stopping Daniel.

They were in pre-calculus. Normally Daniel would have been hunched over at his desk, scribbling notes and hoping that he could comprehend whatever the hell they were going to be learning that day. But instead he was sitting there, staring intently at a slip of paper and trying to figure out what he wanted to write. How does one go about asking another boy to prom? It’s absolutely harrowing. He doesn’t want to sound too forward or too weird, and he doesn’t want to sound like a creep either. He just… wants to write it and pass it and get it over with. But the more he thinks about it the more he overthinks, and at this point it’s killing him. He just–ugh.

It hasn't exactly been a great couple of months, but having Daniel as a friend helped.

With Marcus completely oblivious to his advancements, and his new relationship with Desmond, Kazu would admit he felt kinda stranded in the water. Marcus was really his only friend that knew him super well, and with him being preoccupied so much now it was hard to get anything done.

He had met Daniel when he first transferred here, and right away he could tell he was just an utter sweetheart. He was always kind and thinking of others, and Kazu admired that greatly. Every time they hung out together, he felt a little less lonely and a little more hopeful.

He doesn't know if he'd call it love, but whatever it was appeared to be stronger than a simple friendship, that's for sure.

He himself had been lost in thought over the matter, doodling in the margin of his notes and trying to focus back on the board. He knew if he didn't get this right, then if Daniel asked him later for help and he couldn't provide he'd feel awful over it.

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

Desmond waited a moment, until he heard Marcus leave, then he dialed Abel’s number. It took a moment ringing… ringing… ringing… then the line picked up.

“Desmond?” said the voice on the other end. “What’s up?”

“Are you free tonight?” Desmond asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Uh…” There’s a pause, then Abel adds, “I can be. Why?”

“I need someone to go drinking with. Interested?”

“I guess. Just let me talk to Vargas and see if anyone can cover for me… I’ll call you back in five, alright?” There’s supposed to be a show tonight but…

“Alright.”

After his dreary run home, Marcus was greeted to an empty apartment. He tried to call Kazu, but after recovering no answer twice he assumed the healer was busy doing something else he wasn't going to question.

Wyatt and Ceros were out of the question, he was certain Cassidy would murder him if he got too close to her, and he couldn't bring himself to dial Isaac's number after a few minutes of hovering his thumb over the call button.

Defeated, he slumped down onto the couch.

He wasn't quite sure what to do now, seeing as nearly all of his options were exhausted besides going to bed early or getting wasted alone in the apartment. He checked social media to find nothing new, and right when he was about to call it quits, he remembered there was one other option he could try.

Dialing the strong mans number, Marcus waited in anxious silence for him to pick up.

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“Yeah,” Desmond muttered, already pulling out his phone. He wasn’t really sure who he’d go drinking with… Apollo maybe? Apollo didn’t drink much (anymore at least) but when he did it was quite the show. Or maybe he could ask Curtis or Raul, they were bearable around alcohol. Desmond starts scrolling through his contact list, looking for potential drinking buddies, until a name catches his eye. 

Was Abel in town? 

If he was who knows how long he’d still be around… it wouldn’t hurt to get him and Gustav and whoever to go drinking with him. Assuming they weren’t performing of course.

Clearly Desmond wasn't up for any further conversation, so begrudgingly Marcus decided to head out.

He wasn't really in a drinking mood, but going back to the apartment alone wasn't very appealing either. Maybe he'd just wander for a bit, or maybe attempt to hang out with Kazu if he wasn't busy with Daniel.

He suddenly felt very alone, and he didn't like it one bit.

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“I’m probably going to go out drinking with somebody,” Desmond mutters, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “I’ll just… crash at the apartment, or here, or whatever. I don’t know, I’ll figure something out.” He’s not in the mood to think too hard right now. He just wants to get wasted and regret it in the morning.

"Just don't stay out too late," Marcus warned before stretching. "I'll see you in the morning." He wasn't exactly excited about leaving Desmond to his own devices after such a huge blowout, but he didn't really have much of a choice.

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“They’re angry but they’re wrong and they have no fucking right to come in here and cause a fit,” Desmond said with a look of disgust. “And that–” he catches himself “–woman should’ve slowed her fucking roll when she realized that we didn’t fucking abduct you.”

“Cassidy is stupid and brash, which reminds me of someone else I know.” Marcus commented, glancing in Desmond’s direction.

“But the fact of the matter is that yeah, I messed up. I should’ve called them or /something/ and now they’re pissed. Which in turn makes you pissed, and all around is a bad time. Which is why I need you to be the level headed one to help me sort this mess out Des.”

Desmond scoffed. “You expect me to be fucking level-headed?” he questioned, keeping his eyes trained on the far wall. He’s so tired. He doesn’t want to have to deal with this, or think about this. It shouldn’t be a fucking problem to begin with. “Whatever. Let’s just deal with their shit and move on.”

Clearly Desmond wasn't having this, and after everything that happened Marcus didn't really feel like pushing him. "Alright, that's fine." He sighed as he stood up from the couch. "Do you want a lift home or are you just going to take your bike back?"

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“They’re angry but they’re wrong and they have no fucking right to come in here and cause a fit,” Desmond said with a look of disgust. “And that–” he catches himself “–woman should’ve slowed her fucking roll when she realized that we didn’t fucking abduct you.”

"Cassidy is stupid and brash, which reminds me of someone else I know." Marcus commented, glancing in Desmond's direction.

"But the fact of the matter is that yeah, I messed up. I should've called them or /something/ and now they're pissed. Which in turn makes you pissed, and all around is a bad time. Which is why I need you to be the level headed one to help me sort this mess out Des."

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

Desmond had stayed back to cool down while Marcus and Cecily dealt with the other problems. It took him about twenty minutes before he stopped fuming, and by then Jacqueline was wandering about, slipping in reassurances here and there before going off to make some food in the kitchen. Eventually Desmond had managed to chill out, and resolved to relax on the couch. He was still a bit peeved, and a bit nervous, but he tried to keep it contained. A violent outburst would help no one. 

Careful as he could be, Marcus made his way back inside the HQ. There on the couch sat Desmond, and while he would’ve liked to stall for time he guessed there was no time like he present.

“Hey Des, are you alright?” He asked carefully, not wanting to trigger another near violent outburst.

Desmond had heard the door open but didn’t turn to look. He only acknowledged Marcus’ existence when he spoke up.

Desmond looked to him, eyes tired. He was burned out.

“Fuck off,” he said, although there isn’t any partiuclar bite to it. He’s just tired. Really fucking tired

Marcus took a careful seat beside Desmond, not invading his space but still trying to be near him.

“You know I’m not going anywhere, right?” He asked. “They’re just scared and concerned. Give it a day or two and thing’s will settle down and we’ll fix this mess.”

Desmond doesn’t say anything for a moment, just keeping quiet, and his head. After a moment he reaches over and grabs Marcus’ hand, intertwining their fingers. “I just don’t like thinking about it,” Desmond mutters. “I’ve already lost you twice.”

"I know, and I'm not gonna let it happen again." Marcus reassured. He'd been separated from Desmond enough. He refused to let it happen a third time if he could help it.

"You gotta think about them though. They think I've been dead for years now, only to suddenly find me with a whole new team of people. They have a right to be mad, but you can't fault them for it. Theyre good people, I promise."

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

Desmond had stayed back to cool down while Marcus and Cecily dealt with the other problems. It took him about twenty minutes before he stopped fuming, and by then Jacqueline was wandering about, slipping in reassurances here and there before going off to make some food in the kitchen. Eventually Desmond had managed to chill out, and resolved to relax on the couch. He was still a bit peeved, and a bit nervous, but he tried to keep it contained. A violent outburst would help no one. 

Careful as he could be, Marcus made his way back inside the HQ. There on the couch sat Desmond, and while he would’ve liked to stall for time he guessed there was no time like he present.

“Hey Des, are you alright?” He asked carefully, not wanting to trigger another near violent outburst.

Desmond had heard the door open but didn’t turn to look. He only acknowledged Marcus’ existence when he spoke up.

Desmond looked to him, eyes tired. He was burned out.

“Fuck off,” he said, although there isn’t any partiuclar bite to it. He’s just tired. Really fucking tired

Marcus took a careful seat beside Desmond, not invading his space but still trying to be near him.

"You know I'm not going anywhere, right?" He asked. "They're just scared and concerned. Give it a day or two and thing's will settle down and we'll fix this mess."

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

Desmond had stayed back to cool down while Marcus and Cecily dealt with the other problems. It took him about twenty minutes before he stopped fuming, and by then Jacqueline was wandering about, slipping in reassurances here and there before going off to make some food in the kitchen. Eventually Desmond had managed to chill out, and resolved to relax on the couch. He was still a bit peeved, and a bit nervous, but he tried to keep it contained. A violent outburst would help no one. 

Careful as he could be, Marcus made his way back inside the HQ. There on the couch sat Desmond, and while he would've liked to stall for time he guessed there was no time like he present.

"Hey Des, are you alright?" He asked carefully, not wanting to trigger another near violent outburst.

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

Desmond is still visibly pissed in the way his brow furrows and his lips are torn into a perpetual frown, but there’s a softness in his gaze, the sort that seems to only ever muster itself when he’s around Marcus and can’t quite stay mad. “Fine. But they’re not staying here. Or at the apartment.” 

“We’ll find somewhere,” Cecily assures. “Just… gives us a little room to think without so much yelling.”

“There’s a cheap motel nearby. They can stay there for the night, I’ll cover it.” Marcus decided. The only one who offers any sort of confirmation was Sachihiro.

“Awesome!” He chirped, slinging his arm around Marcus’ shoulder. “This is so exciting! I can’t wait to sort this whole mess out and get back to working as a team!”

“Don’t push it,” Desmond spat, turning around so he could leave the room. He needed to cool down somewhere away from this fucking cloud of bullshit.

Cecily sighed. “We can drive you guys to the motel.”

"Right. Let's get going then," Marcus decided. He just wanted them out of here before Desmond blew a fuse.

So after some hasstle getting them all settled in two motel rooms (one for the guys and one for Cassidy as per her request) Marcus was able to make his way back to the base to pick up Desmond and head home. Was he excited for what was next? Not in the slightest, but it had to be done.

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

Desmond is still visibly pissed in the way his brow furrows and his lips are torn into a perpetual frown, but there’s a softness in his gaze, the sort that seems to only ever muster itself when he’s around Marcus and can’t quite stay mad. “Fine. But they’re not staying here. Or at the apartment.” 

“We’ll find somewhere,” Cecily assures. “Just… gives us a little room to think without so much yelling.”

"There's a cheap motel nearby. They can stay there for the night, I'll cover it." Marcus decided. The only one who offers any sort of confirmation was Sachihiro.

"Awesome!" He chirped, slinging his arm around Marcus' shoulder. "This is so exciting! I can't wait to sort this whole mess out and get back to working as a team!"

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“Maybe we should not have this conversation right now,” Cecily quickly suggested, stepping over to Marcus’ side for everyone’s sake. “Let’s find these guys a place to stay for the night and then deal with this after everyone’s cooled down, okay?”

“They want to take Marcus away and I’m not about to fucking let that happen,” Desmond said, knuckles turning a ghostly-white.

"Desmond, I'm not going anywhere right now, I promise." Marcus said firmly, hoping to reassure Desmond md and disable any more infighting. "We all just need to take some time to cool off and think through this logically."

His mood doing a complete 180, Sachihiro nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds like a good plan Marcus! That's why you're the boss!"

Cassidy was still pissed, but for now she kept her mouth closed in a thin line.

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“There the ones who came barging in like they owned the damn place!” Desmond spat as he moved to shove Marcus out of the way. Jacqueline had already high-tailed it out of the room and Cecily was now realizing that this could very easily turn into a bloodbath. She had no clue what this new girl could do, but she knew what Desmond could do, and his powers plus his temper were a very deadly combination.

Sachihiro growled at Desmond's rough mistreatment, ears flattening against his scalp and his tail bristling. "Hey, that's our leader shortie!"

"Sachihiro, please, it's fine." Marcus insisted, standing his ground and pretty much holding Desmond in place. "You all need to stop bickering! It's gonna get us nowhere!"

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“Abducted?” Cecily questioned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Don’t bother,” Desmond said through gritted teeth, obvious strain in the way he stood – shoulders tense, jaw clenched, frankly he just looked pissed. Cecily couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him like this, maybe back when the Suns were constantly about, causing problems and such. Otherwise, well, he’d mellowed down quite a bit. Marriage had softened him up and brought a happy glimmer to those eyes.

Until now, at least.

“Something tells me we’re missing a piece of the puzzle here. What’s going on?” Jacqueline asked.

“Oh, I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Cassidy began, pointing an accusing finger Marcus’ way.

“He came back here years ago for a quick round of goodbyes, and next thing we know he’s gone and stranded us in the middle of a huge bust! We spend all this time tracking him down thinking he’s been killed or kidnapped, and lo and behold he’s living the high life with some fancy newcomers! There’s your missing pieces!” She spat.

Marcus, clearly uncomfortable and trying to defuse the situation, spoke up. “Cassidy-”

That didn’t get very far though.

“Don’t “Cassidy” me! You’re the one who ditched us! If I were you, I’d zip it Monroe! You’re already walking on thin ice.“ She emphasized her point by making a zipping motion over her lips.

"Oh fuck off,” Desmond remarked with a glare. “He obviously didn’t go back for a fucking reason, so straighten up your shit before I kick your sorry ass out.”

Cecily, quickly realizing that the situation was growing heated, quietly ushered Jacqueline out. “Jackie go put your stuff away in the lab,” she said, although they both knew that Cecily was only asking so Jacqueline wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.

"Desmond!" Marcus said in shock, not necessarily surprised at his outburst but more of what he implied.

"What, do you wanna fight you little /gremlin?/" Cassidy asked in an accusatory tone. "I'll take your ass to the graveyard quicker than any other thing on this world can, watch."

"Stop it, both of you!" Marcus said, stepping between the two of them to provide a physical barrier. "Fighting's going to get us nowhere!"

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“Abducted?” Cecily questioned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Don’t bother,” Desmond said through gritted teeth, obvious strain in the way he stood – shoulders tense, jaw clenched, frankly he just looked pissed. Cecily couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him like this, maybe back when the Suns were constantly about, causing problems and such. Otherwise, well, he’d mellowed down quite a bit. Marriage had softened him up and brought a happy glimmer to those eyes.

Until now, at least.

“Something tells me we’re missing a piece of the puzzle here. What’s going on?” Jacqueline asked.

"Oh, I'll tell you what's going on," Cassidy began, pointing an accusing finger Marcus' way.

"He came back here years ago for a quick round of goodbyes, and next thing we know he's gone and stranded us in the middle of a huge bust! We spend all this time tracking him down thinking he's been killed or kidnapped, and lo and behold he's living the high life with some fancy newcomers! There's your missing pieces!" She spat.

Marcus, clearly uncomfortable and trying to defuse the situation, spoke up. "Cassidy-"

That didn't get very far though.

"Don't "Cassidy" me! You're the one who ditched us! If I were you, I'd zip it Monroe! You're already walking on thin ice." She emphasized her point by making a zipping motion over her lips.

Reconciliation

fate-rewinded:

“You break it you fix it,” Cecily said with a cross of the arms and a shake of the head. “We’ve got the tools but I don’t have the patience. This is the eighth door I’ve had to replace since moving in here and I am not about to do it again.” Even if at least one of those times was undeniably her fault, that didn’t change the fact that Cecily didn’t want to fix the door. Again.

"No worries!" Sachihiro chirped with the flicker of his tail. "We'll take care of it, no problem!"

"Now hold on a second," Cassidy butted in, arms crossed over her best and a stern tone in her voice. "Why should we help the people who essentially abducted our leader when he was just supposed to stop by and say hi?"

"Oh, yeah, good point," Sachihiro agreed, ears twitching a bit in response. "Sorry, no can do!" He replied to Cecily.