Part One of a shorter story, wanted to find a way to include some backstory/lore in the Mia-Viktor world. Technically Unaware but, like, this ain’t about her. Mostly. Melodrama my beloved ❤️
James gets a little distant after the last few months of throuple bliss. F/m/m
It’d been a good couple of months since James started being a regular in the Stevenson household. A few weeks in, and they’d gotten into the habit of dinner dates every other night. Small trips on shared weekends off (when Mia’s job allowed it). And, well, the obvious intimacy between all three involved.
So why on earth hadn’t James messaged their group chat back in over a week? Actually, he’d been ignoring Mia and Viktor one-on-one, as well.
It’s not like things had started going wrong- quite the opposite! James was staying the night more often. Mia had even gifted him that blazer last time he’d visited. So why was he so distant all of a sudden? Did he not like the gift? Was Viktor suddenly getting bad at cooking?
He paces nervously in the elevator, jumping when it finally dings and opens up to the fifteenth floor- Human and Magic affairs.
He knew, at the very least, nothing seemed to have happened to James physically. He was still showing up to work, still turning in his reports on time. He even saw him getting buddy-buddy with a human client in one of the lounge areas the other day.
Brow furrowed, Viktor marches towards his office- only barely catching a glimpse of the top of James’ head, nearly golden as his hair reflected the early morning sun through the massive windows on the eastern side of the building.
He screeches to a halt, nearly falling over as his body catches up to his feet.
“J-James!” He calls, turning heel and speed-walking to the water cooler and coffee bar in the center of the cubicle arrangement in front of their offices. James’ gaze only sits on him for a moment, before turning back to another coworker who he’d been engaged with in conversation.
“…morning.” Viktor coughs awkwardly, pouring himself a cup of coffee and filling the rest with creamer. “Reid.” He clumsily tries to include the other man in his morning pleasantries.
The conversation, nonsurprisingly, goes nowhere. Reid and James kept talking about whatever the game last night was, and after a while of awkward standing around, Viktor eventually slinks back into his office.
He closes the door, setting his cup of now lukewarm coffee on his desk before blankly staring at his powered-off monitor.
With a sigh, he fishes his phone out of his pocket, finger hovering tentatively over James’ contact. He glances at the contact photo- a sweet selfie of the two of them that Viktor had taken when Mia had taken the three of them out drinking. Mia had excused herself to use the bathroom and he and James used the time to crack jokes and flirt.
“… what happened?” Viktor murmurs aloud, a heavy sigh filling his lungs as he sets his phone down, forcing himself to ready up for work.
Thankfully, there wasn’t much to get done today. A few agents had returned with injuries, sure- but that was part of the job they signed up for. Interdimensional travel wasn’t without its risks, after all.
He stretches, watching the pink-tinted portal on his screen ebb and flow as mana raced through it. Some days he really just felt like a glorified security guard.
It went like this for a few hours- checking in agents who were being sent through the portal to one world or another. Double-checking coordinates and sending them on their way used to be way more exciting when he was new to the whole ordeal.
Finally, the clock hits 3. He grunts, leaning towards the mic on his desk while holding down the ‘speak’ key.
“I’m headin’ out. Short day.” He grumbles, leaning back in his chair for a moment before checking his phone again. Nothing. The lockscreen switching to a photo of James and Mia posing in front of an art piece downtown only added insult to injury.
“Have a good day, Mr. Stevenson.” The portal guard calls up to the security camera, flashing a clunky thumbs up. Moving under the provided safety gear was easier said than done.
“Yeah.” He stands, back cracking. “You too, Lori.”
He looks at his own reflection in the monitor for a bit, running a hand down his face. It was Mia’s turn for dinner tonight. Maybe he’d have some time to grab a beer or two after work.
The trip down to the parking garage was lackluster. The ground floor secretary didn’t even have any mail for him this time around. Grey staircase after grey staircase, he finally manages to get to his car. He didn’t know why The Bureau had humans and magic-users park in the same place-teleporting to his car would’ve been easier.
“Psh,” He says to himself, fishing his keys out of his pocket. “I know why. Money.” He rolls his eyes, flopping into the drivers side seat with a sigh.
Again, he finds himself staring at James’ contact in his phone. Tentatively, he types out a message.
「hey. You feeling okay? Just wanna make sure everything’s alright. ❤️」
He hits send before he can think about it too hard, throwing his phone into the passenger seat.
Eyes dull, he reaches up to the rearview mirror to back out of his spot-only to notice movement in the back seat.
“What-“
Before he can react, some kind of cloth is pulled around his mouth, slamming him against the headrest. The stranger behind him pulls it taught, their free hand grabbing at the base of Viktor’s skull.
Viktor panics. He grabs at his attackers arms, mind reeling as his brain starts feeling like it was lit on fire. He tries to scream, to fight, but the gag around his mouth was holding him firmly in place.
His vision starts to fade, images of him, Mia, and James flashing through his mind.
No… He thinks to himself. I need to get home. Need this person to disappear. No matter what. Need to… disappear… and get…home…
BANG
The view out of the windows of the car suddenly changes in a spark of light- falling a few feet… somewhere. They certainly weren’t in a parking garage, anymore.
“Wh- No!” His attacker yells out, voice shockingly familiar. “Vick, what’d you do?!”
“J-James?” Viktor coughs, scrambling for the car door while the man behind him falls back in a panic. He falls out of the drivers side door, scooching back on his haunches as his mind reels, his body instinctively gasping for air.
James follows suit, shoulder-checking the backseat and falling to the ground next to Viktor. Before Viktor can react, James grabs his shirt collar, using his free hand to pull the ski mask up and off of his face.
“God damn it, man, what did you DO?!” He screams in his face.
“W-What did I do?!” Viktor stammers, eyes glancing around the darkness in a panic. “What the fuck were YOU doing?! Why- Why were you trying to mindwipe me?”
“I-“ James grumbles, glancing around them. “I have my reasons. Where the fuck did you send us?”
“Bulls-“ Viktor begins, before James pulls him up by the collar yet again- the larger man raises his fist, threatening to punch down. “I-I don’t know! You freaked me out, I panicked!”
“Shit.” James curses, dropping Viktor to the floor, beginning to pace anxiously around the car. He tries and fails to cast something-anything. But even something as simple as an impromptu light refused to appear. “Shit- Shit! You short-circuited both of us again, you ass!”
“You scared me!” Viktor bawks, shakily standing up. “I-I probably teleported us. All I remember thinking was-was hoping I’d be safe…” he grumbles, his magic refusing to corporate as well.
“God damn it, do you have any idea what you-“ James is cut off as the ground suddenly began to tremble beneath them.
A genuinely blinding light suddenly ignites high, high above them- like someone had just decided to turn the sun on. Shielding his eyes from the light, James squints upwards- realizing exactly what had happened near instantly.
Viktor, still shielding his eyes, only catches a quick glimpse of James bolting towards him.
“What now-“ the wind is knocked out of him as James jumps forward, right as a massive, black rubber wall crashes down on top of the car. The metal screams under the weight, near instantly disappearing underneath. Viktor freezes, instinctively craning his neck upwards.
A shoe. A shoe had just stepped down, as casually as ever, and had almost killed them. His neck tilts even further back, and he falls into James’ arms, body suddenly trembling. Obviously the shoe was being worn by something. Someone. It was hard to make out from this size and angle- but he knew Mia when he saw her.
“N-No, No, damn it!” Viktor panics, grabbing at James’ body.
“How small are we, Vick?” James asks as calmly as he can, holding Viktor close to his body as Mia steps over them and further into the room. The rippling after-effect of her step nearly knocks him over.
“I-I don’t know!” Viktor sobs.
Both men wince as her voice echos out high above them.
“Mmn- god, that was supposed to just be a nap…” Mia murmurs, her muffled voice still embedding itself deep into their bodies, like they were standing too close to a speaker at a concert. “I gotta go get dinner before Vick gets home…”
James watches on, gritting his teeth as he holds onto Viktor’s shoulders. What little is left of the car eventually falls, clattering to the floor in sheets of flattened metal.
“Shit.” He tightens his grip on Viktor. “Shit. Shit shit shit- she didn’t even notice the fucking car.”
“M-MIA!” Viktor screams, frantically waving his arms. He bolts, trying and failing to trail behind her mile-wide footstep forward. On contact with the floor, Viktor stumbles, the impact of her footfall enough to nearly knock him over.
“W-What do we do?!” Viktor falls to his knees, staring at his own hands dumbfounded. “W-We’re even smaller than last time!”
He tries to stand, tries to chase after her, but James firmly grabs at his shoulders before he can.
“You’re going to get yourself killed.” He murmurs, watching Mia from the other side of the room, casually getting her wallet from the kitchen counter. He splays his feet out to avoid being knocked over by the residual vibrations of her footfalls, squinting as she finally disappears through the front door- but not before flicking a switch by the door and plunging them into darkness yet again.
James furrows his brow, surveying the impossibly large space around them. “… we need to get out of the middle of the floor. If the car was too small to be seen- we’ll be even harder to notice.”
He starts marching forward- TV stand locked onto his sights- before turning back to Viktor, still cowering on the floor.
“Vick.” He calls out. “Vick, cmon. We have a lot of ground to cover. If she’s just picking up food we only have half an hour or so to cover enough ground that we’re not-“
Viktor grabs at James’ hand, beginning to trail behind him. James freezes at the contact, grimacing before pulling his hand away abruptly. “Come on.”
“James…” Viktor rubs at his now-empty hand. He trails behind the ‘taller’ man like a lost puppy, James walking faster than Viktor can without breaking out into a jog. “Um-“ He calls out, readying himself and jumping over a gap in the floor. It’s taking everything in him not to completely break down, keeping his head down to avoid reminding himself of the fact that he’s currently little more than just a speck on the floor.
“What.” James barks, still marching forward without turning to face him.
“Uh- So, I’m sure that you have your, uh- reasons-“ They approach a piece of the car that’d fallen to the floor- the leftover flattened remains of the undercarriage, ground into a near unrecognizable amalgamation of metal. Viktor’s mouth goes dry as he rubber-necks at the sight. “Why… were you in… in my car earlier?” He coughs. “Yknow. Trying to, um, mindwipe me?”
James stops walking, and Viktor runs into the back of him with an OOF.
“…I have my reasons.” He states gruffly, eyeing a crumb on the floor under the coffee table before hesitantly picking it up and holding it under his arm.
“That’s not an answer.” Viktor scolds, finally able to catch up now that James was slightly weighed down by his rations. “I thought- I thought we were-“
“What?” James barks back, turning heel and getting in the other wizard’s face. “You thought that because we’re fuck buddies now I have to tell you every intricate detail of my life?” His voice raises defensively.
Viktor jumps back in shock. “N-No! I mean, you’re more than a ‘fuck buddy’, James, but-“ He stammers, caught off guard. “I-I mean, I think it’s a little bit my business if you’re breaking into my car!”
James furrows his brow, the gears turning in his head for a bit as he clenches and unclenches his jaw, trying to find the right words. With a sigh, he leans against the nearest leg of the coffee table, fingers digging into the wooden grooves in the skyscraper-sized object.
“My…” he clicks his tongue. “My father’s stepping down soon. I’m set to take his spot as head of Glasson.”
Viktor reaches out, holding his hand with a gentle gaze. James doesn’t return the eye contact.
“That’s… good, right?” He murmurs lightly, thumb brushing over his knuckles. James rips his hand away, turning and facing away from Viktor.
There’s a poignant pause before James speaks again. “…Do you remember graduation?”
Viktor’s eyes brighten. “O-Of course! I was so sad knowing Mia’d be brain wiped like the rest of the human class, but she found me afterwards, and-“ he hesitates, recognition painting his expression. “And- and that was you, wasn’t it?”
James chuckles lightly. “My father beat the ever loving shit out of me when he found out.”
“James…”
“I was assigned one of the memory-cleaners right before graduation. Brain fuckery is the Ellrey specialty; Thought I got away with it-but he picked through my memories after. Saw that I’d hesitated with her. “I defamed the Ellrey name”…that’s what he kept screaming at me.” His expression softens into a mournful grimace. “… I can only imagine what he’ll do when he sees us, up there.”
Viktor stands, holding James’ hand as he stays facing away from him. “Why would he-“
“Family tradition.” James murmurs. “Once you take on head of Glasson, you get your mind combed through. Everything not detrimental to running the company is locked away.” He lets out an emotionless laugh. “That’s why he’s the way that he is.” He finally turns towards Viktor, eyes misty with an unreadable expression. “And I just figured… if we both forgot each other before it happened… it’d be easier.”
Viktor pulls James into an embrace before he can pull away, pushing his face into the taller man’s chest.
“God damn it-“ He whimpers. “No wonder you’d been so distant lately.” He glances up, grabbing at James’ face. “Why on earth would you think that would be the best course of action? You-You…”
“It’s better for everyone involved.” James says flatly. “I’m sure the two of you will go find another boytoy and-“
“You-“ Viktor pulls on James’ collar, forcing him down to eye-level. “You stop talking like that. Right now.” His hand starts to shake. “If you mindwiped yourself from me… James, I’d be fucking devastated. You aren’t just some- some fucktoy we keep around.” He wraps his free arm around James’ neck, nuzzling his nose into him and breathing in deeply. “You’re important to me. To us. There’s gotta be some way around this that isn’t-“
James’ body trembles against him as warm tears begin to soak into Viktor’s shirt. Viktor Delicately reaches up, cradling James’ head against him and they both slide down the side of the leg of the coffee table and sit on the floor, rocking the other man gently as sobs rack his body.
“We’ll figure this out.” He whispers. “I promise.”
Both men glance towards the door as the familiar jingling of keys prefaces the turning of the latch. There was still a very, very big problem they had to deal with at the moment.
i might be remembering this wrong but it's occurred to me that kazuya like. didn't plan on inviting kaiji to watch the salvation game. their encounter was by chance but it's not like he could've set that up so quickly, so he was probably going to watch the salvation game alone and then, upon sorta stumbling upon minefield mahjong was like "hm. i think i'll bring this weird dog with me" just to shake things up a bit
i've been tagged by @floatingintime, @coelasquid, @getthemagicgood and @fabiansociety to do this "people i'd like to know better" meme, thank u all for thinking of me <3
last read: im gonna be real with u chief i dont even remember. does my digital signal processing textbook count. i have been known to be normal about it
last song: undercovers on by rival schools. apparently. lol. i was listening to an album radio on spotify but the album was the last thing i actually put on intentionally so i'll share that as well -- blackberry belle by the twilight singers. absolutely phenomenal album that makes me feel things only michael mann movies do. forever grateful to my friend bux for introducing me to greg dulli's music. also esta noche from that album is in my okinawa fic playlist <3
(bonus: this song by the twilight singers also just came on and it's blowing my mind how good it is so i'm sharing that too. truly no one does it like greg dulli. innnnnsane song)
last film: watched big trouble in little china (1986) with some friends the other day. i was in the mood for some camp shit and boy was it exactly what i needed. thank u giulio. really good movie if you want to turn off your brain completely. surprisingly pretty too
last series: uhhhh... *technically* an unfinished rewatch of avatar the last airbender but that will change soon inşallah im planning to watch the wire soon (also FLCL. hi sierra :3)
sweet or salty? salty for sure, i can't really handle anything sweeter than like... idk. even most fruits are too sweet for me tbh
coffee or tea? coffee until 4pm, tea after 4pm
working on: ill tell u what im Not working on. my digital signal processing assignment and project ahaha (fr tho i have not had time to work on any creative projects + hyperfixation death but i think i'm slowly getting inspired again to continue working on okinawa fic)
i'm tagging anyone and everyone who wants to do it!! truly. feel free to @ me i love getting to know my followers. but also @lorillee, @saberdramon and @djinnsboi if u havent been tagged already :3
wait. your baym AU. are you saying gojo thrown back in time to the heian era. sukuna almost killing him. falling in love? because if so that sounds delicious
thank you for indulging my insanity. YES. FUCKING YES TO THE GODDAMN DRESS. STARRING: 3 star michelin chef gojo satoru gets yeeted back to the heian era. he and emperor sukuna starts scrapping to the tune of judas by lady gaga cuz you should really watch that amv and nothing says romance than tasing the highest authority of the land. gojo gets imprisoned for his impudence (with tanjiro most likely lol) and doesnt get his head lopped off cuz sukuna finds him entertaining af. cue the palace romance. yorozu as consort kang plotting and shit. uraume is there, chiilling. the LSD induced food hallucinations are most DEFINITELY THERE. gojo fights the ming cooks in a shounen jump cook off and wins with the power of science (pressure cooker provided by senku).
bonus: imagine sukuna moaning from tasting macarons🤣 need dat
Ignoring that I haven’t updated this blog in two years and there’s still drafts unpublished, can I get some requests for Date Everything? All the characters are so hot and I need to write some truly filthy things for them
All characters are on the table, please just let me write for them
