#acsweek

Welcome to ACS Week 2022!!

This year's banner was done by the lovely @lea-khena​

This year’s kick off date is Monday, June 6th! And now I give you your prompts!!

Meet (Up) - Meet the admins? A double date? You decide 

Touch - Holding hands? Kiss on the cheek? Bring on the contact, baby ;^) 

AU - Its whacky Wednesday so bring out your AUs 

Throw Back - Checking out a 90s casino? Is the windows 98 computer not booting up? Are they stuck in 2007 flip phone hell? Have fun and think historically 

Pride - It's the end of the week, time to show off some LGBT love. Go see the parade? Fly a flag? Move, it's gay either way. 

Angst - Aw it's almost over... How about we get some hurt before we go? 

TUESDAY: ANGST!!!!

Cyrus thanked the taxi driver before they were headed to his and his husband’s home in Viridian Forest. When the Sinnohite entered, he thought about how much his life had improved after Cynthia and Dawn aided him back to health; he had even gotten married. Even he hadn’t expected that, but it was a very welcome surprise to fall in love and to be loved in return.

 Cyrus smirked as he stopped himself from calling ‘Dear, I’m home!’ aloud, mimicking his husband. He was returning from a congress, and hoped to surprise him.

 Knowing very well that his spouse wouldn’t be home for another two hours at minimum, Cyrus called all his Pokémon out of their Pokéballs before he made his way to the kitchen. He hoped to surprise the Italian further with a romantic dinner; he learned some French and Italian cuisine from Giovanni, and hoped to use that knowledge.

 He then heard someone enter the kitchen and swirled around. Even if Cyrus was a little startled, he relaxed when he realized that it was just his husband who stumbled into their kitchen. However, he lost his calm once he realized the state the man was in.

 Giovanni looked a zombie; he was terribly pale, shirtless, covered in bandages. He was covered in cuts and bruises.

 “Giovanni!”After Giovanni struggled to get close to Cyrus, Cyrus could see that the other man’s eyes were unfocused, directionless. He hadn’t heard Cyrus calling his name.

“Giovanni… love…?” Cyrus placed one hand on the injured one’s cheek; in turn, Giovanni leaned onto the touch.

“´lo Cy’us,” mumbled the taller man, easing Cyrus’s nerves.

Cyrus held his face between his hands.“Why aren’t you in bed?”

 “Bed…” Confusion swarmed Giovanni’s voice before he leaned his weight on Cyrus. Surprised, Cyrus huffed under his husbands weight as he struggled to keep the two of them upright. Unsurprisingly, he failed.

 Cyrus wheezed a big variety of curse words out from under his husband while he did his best to either worm his way out or roll Giovanni over away from him. Neither worked; Cyrus resorted to trying to think of a strategy, albeit failing when he heard Giovanni’s struggled and wet breaths.

 Despite the crushing emotional and physical weight on him, Cyrus was able to reach his husband’s pokebelt with the tips of his fingers, and he pressed the first button he could, hoping that a useful Pokémon was inside that ball.

 Nidoking came out of the Pokéball. It had roared dramatically, quieting when his eyes darted to the heap on the floor, realizing that there would be no battle.

 Cyrus sighed in relief. “Nidoking, carefully roll Giovanni off of me.”

The large brute nodded before doing as requested. Cyrus was surprised as the poison-type managed to do his bidding with extreme care.

 As soon as Cyrus was free, he took a deep breath as he looked at Giovanni. A small trail of blood slipped out of his husband’s mouth.

Cyrus froze in panic, tears welling up in his eyes. “No! No! No! Stay with me love, please!” Cyrus, caressing Giovanni, darted his head toward his Pokémon. “Nidoking, get a phone!”

Not even a minute later, Nidoking returned with Giovanni’s phone. Cyrus, in a fit of hysteria, called an ambulance.

 The ride to the hospital was a blur; he clenched Nidoking’s Pokéball in one hand, and Giovanni’s mobile in the other, both close to his chest. Cyrus felt so useless; he didn’t know what happened; as far as he knew, he was about to lose the most important part of his life.

 Moments later, Cyrus waiting for news on Giovanni’s surgery.

 “Earth to Cyrus.” Cyrus glanced over at the voice. Petrel.

 “Cyrus, what happened? Are you alright?”Cyrus’s eyes darted around the room as he began to stutter.

 “Giovanni… he… he was h-hurt, and… and he came in the kitchen… I don’t know what happened, but he… h-he collapsed, and--” Petrel rested a calm hand on Cyrus’s shoulder.

 “Hey, now. Everything will be alright. He is a tough guy; we’ll see him being a sarcastic asshole again before we know it.”Cyrus felt rage in Petrel’s voice.

 “Do you know what happened?” Cyrus had asked, afraid of the answer.

 “Do you remember that serial murder that has been around Johto and Kanto for a while now targeting rich people and stabbing them to death?” Asked Petrel and Cyrus gave a small nod horrified, knowing were this was going, while a shiver went down his spine. “Well she decided that Giovanni would be her next victim, but she hadn’t expected him to fight back the way he did while drugged and stabbing her in the heart with her own murder weapon...” Explained the man looking a little green without giving too many details: he had gotten to the scene first and it hadn’t been pretty.

 “What? I mean the police was speculating it to be a man…..” Mumbled Cyrus over the serial killer and Petrel just nodded because due the victims and the statistics and all everyone was thinking of him not even expecting it to be a ‘her’. “When did it happen?” Asked the blue haired man in a strangely calm voice, but the other man knew that it was just the calm before the storm.

  “The day before yesterday early in the morning the boss man had stayed at GioCorps late and was leaving around 4am…”Answered Petrel before frowning. “Wait you didn’t get my text!?” The one who was freaking out now was the purple haired man, but who could blame him? Cyrus just shook his head and the older man decided to continue. “I don’t know how she drugged him exactly, but when I arrived due his SOS call… Well he looked like death warmed over the police was quick to get us to the hospital and they performed a surgery on him here: he was beaten and hurt and drugged, but fine to go home as long as there was someone with him at all times. There shouldn’t have been any complication that leaded to him being under the knife again! Fuck it all he shouldn’t be left alone doing Arceus knows what! If you hadn’t…if you hadn’t… then….” In the begin the lazy genus was growling in anger, but once he realized what could have happened if Cyrus hadn’t returned home he held tighter onto the younger man while he sobbed his heart out as a few tears left his own eyes, the Sinnohian cried himself dry before he fell into an un easy sleep.

 Petrel stayed awake waiting for the information on his best friend while he allowed the younger man to sleep his uneasy rest: while the usually laid back man was waiting he was planning the decease of Proton Archimides who should have been watching Giovanni during that time it didn’t matter to him how long he would have to hunt for the spy….he would end him.

 When the doctor came with information on Giovanni’s condition Cyrus had already awoken from his little nap.

 “I must be honest with you Mr. Akagi we almost lost Mr. Rossi twice and were about to state the time of death when he jumped back to life: it is really a miracle that he is here right now. And I would like for him to stay in the hospital for at least a week before he is allowed home if everything is healing to my liking and then he should have a few weeks of total bed rest.” Explained the Doctor in a kind tone.

  “I understand it sir. May we see him?” Asked Cyrus.

 “Yes, but only for a little while after the visiting hours are over only one is allowed to stay.” Cyrus and Petrel were lead to the ICU were Giovanni laid still so still he didn’t move a muscle: he even had a machine breathing for him, but the doctor already had explained them on their way there that the machine only was to avoid any stress on the newly opened wounds.

 While Cyrus and Petrel took turns to stand vigil at Giovanni’s side Proton ‘disappeared’ if anyone suspected foul play none said anything…

 One evening when the Sinnohain was alone with his husband Giovanni finally woke up completely: he had been waking up for the past few days, he had even opened his eyes for a few seconds, but this was the first time the Italian was fully aware of what was going around him.

“Cyrus?” Came out of the taller mans mouth in surprise the man felt as if his mouth was filled with cotton.

 “Oh Giovanni.” Said Cyrus coming closer to his husband holding the mans face. “I’m so happy to see you awake… How are you feeling?”

  “I feel as if someone beat me up and left me to die with my mouth filled with cotton.” Answered the bedridden man as his eyes dropped close the Sinnohian laughed at that confusing his husband.

 “Wha’s wrong?” Asked Giovanni.

THURSDAY: COMFORT!

Cyrus was in bed with Giovanni: noting strange there because they were married, so yeah sharing a bed with ones husband is very normal. What wasn’t normal was that Giovanni was snoring and loudly at that.

The Sinnohian knew that his husband didn’t usually snored so it might be an indication that the Italian was coming down with something. Part of the blue haired man wanted to feel sympathy for his husband, but a much bigger (sleep deprived) part of him wanted to murder said husband in his sleep so that he himself could get some freaking sleep!

A pillow? Thought the mans sleep deprived brain as a possible weapon. Nah, can’t kill him: first I love him too much and second his body would be freaking difficult to hide… Realizing how dangerous that line of thought was, even for an ex-villain like him, Cyrus crawled out of bed with some difficulty: Giovanni was hugging him with one arm so effectively pinning him down.

As soon as the younger man was out of bed he heard his husband mumble something in Italian and went rigid in fear of having woken the other man up, because even if right now he would rather kill him Giovanni was still his husband and put up with all of his nightmares and less than stellar personality quirks… Giovanni was far from perfect, but the man had an iron grip on his temper and was always willing to put up with his latest obsession.

Persian walked up to Cyrus and urged him to pet him, the blue haired man was more than happy to do so and looked at the alarm clock before groaning: it was 05fucking52 am and he still hadn’t shut his eyes. It might also be partially his fault because while Giovanni had gone to bed around 23.30pm he had stayed up until 02.something am.

“Is he keeping you up to boy?” Cooed Cyrus at the feline Pokémon: the Persian nodded causing the man to sign. “Ok you have 2 options: I call you into your pokeball or you may go with me to the kitchen and eat a snack while I drink some tea with the hopes that once we return he has moved and isn’t snoring anymore.” At Cyrus suggestion of going to the kitchen the Pokémon was more than happy to carefully take the mans hand in it maw and ‘guide’ him out of the bedroom. “The kitchen it is I see!” Commented Cyrus while he shook his head.

When both man and Pokémon reentered the bedroom a while latter Giovanni was still snoring, he had moved alright: he was now laying on his belly diagonally on the bed and had stolen all the blankets, even the extra ones! And if there was a big NO with Cyrus Helios Akagi-Rossi it was keeping all the blankets to oneself: only he was allowed to steal them, it was his fucking job!

The tired man saw a discarded pillow and smirked evilly feeling a little mischievous (he was totally obvious to the fact that Giovanni wasn’t sleeping peacefully). If I’m not getting any sleep he will suffer too…. After this the blue haired man lifted the pillow above his head and landed one solid plow on his husbands back before quickly removing the pillow from himself. The reaction was immediate: Giovanni jumped up from the bed (he jumped pretty high too) like a feline, but landed on the floor next to the king sized bed screaming.

“Fuck! I got fucking shot: take cover everyone!” Cyrus started to laugh at the raven haired mans hysterics, but stopped when he realized that the man had somehow managed to squeeze himself under the bed.

The Sinnohian turned the lights on and laid down on the carpeted floor next to the bed to see his husband that had somehow managed to crawl away to about the middle of the bed….How in Arceus name did he do that! He is tall and bulky and it shouldn’t be possible he only has what 15cm to move?

“Hey Giovanni what are you doing there?” Asked Cyrus wondering silently if the Italian was trying to scare him for his rude wake up call, but he discarded that idea as soon as he realized that the other man had unfocused eyes, trembled like a leaf in a storm and kept repeating the word NO over and over.

The man laid there for a while unsure of what was happening until he did suddenly remember that Giovanni took medication for PTSD. Did I somehow trigger a flashback or something when I hit him with that pillow?  Cyrus didn’t know what to do: he had been witness to Giovanni dealing with things that came with suffering from PSTD (even his more paranoid moments and sudden ire outbursts), but this was his first time witnessing a flashback and knowing that he had a hand in turning his husband in a trembling mess didn’t sit well with him.

The blue haired man decided to do what he did best: research! So the shorter man sat up grabbed his phone and googled: ‘how do I help someone through a flashback?’ The research did help some even if it mostly told Cyrus what he shouldn’t do and suggested that he should tell Giovanni that it was over, that he was save and to not push him to talk about the flashback. So armed with new information on how he could help the Italian the younger man did his best to crawl under the bed: which did sound much easier than it actually was.

“Gio can you hear me? It’s me Cyrus….I have no idea what you might be seeing right now and I don’t think I want, but whatever it is: it isn’t happening right now. You are save now dear you are home…with me.” Whispered the Sinnohian softly while his heart arched seeing his husband like that he wanted to touch the raven haired man that was mumbling incoherent things in Italian, but knew that touching him right now might startle him even further.

The shorter man repeated himself over and over using his voice way more than usual and it hurt even so he was determined to keep doing it knowing that his husband  would do the same for him. After a while he could see that the Viridian Gym leader was coming back to him so there was no way in hell that he would stop.

“Cy-cyrus?” Asked the Rocket Boss confused. “What happened? What are we doing here? I don’t re….” Cyrus cut his ramble off seeing that he was still pretty shaken and knowing that he was probably confused right now.

“Giovanni you had a flashback whatever you remember happened long ago and we are home and save.” Said the blue haired man with a soft smile. “Why don’t we get out from under the bed?” Suggested the younger man, the older man just nodded and accepted the offered hand.

After some struggling and cursing from Cyrus they managed to get out from under the bed (whoever said that the way back was easier was a liar!) it was difficult to do alone, but if your husband refused to let you go it turned into mission impossible.

WEDNESDAY:  SPICY!

Giovanni was death on his feet, or at least he felt that way, so he sat down ungracefully in his executive chair and he couldn’t care less.  His day hadn’t been this ineffective, boring and tiring in a long while: his hair was all over the place (which is pretty normal if it isn’t tamed with tons of gel), but he couldn’t give a fuck if his minions saw his disheveled appearance at the moment.

“Heya boss man! I….” Started Petrel entering his friends office. “Wow it looks like a herd of Tauros ran over you: well that or you had a helluvaparty without inviting me.” Observed the man entering the office. “For your sake I hope you had a run in with the Tauros!” Threatened Petrel and the Italians lips turned up a little.

“Bite me Petrel!” Said Giovanni with his eyes closed as he put his feet on his desk.

“Hmmm maybe if you weren’t a married man…” Teased the purple haired man with a smirk. “I’ve got coffee~” Sang the man and his boss opened his eyes.

There right in front of him was a cup of liquid ambrosia, the raven haired man was fast to snatch the coffee away from his best friend before nursing the warm drink while the purple haired man sat down on the other side of his desk and copied the man putting his feet on the desk while he thought: If Ariana saw us right now~

“So how was your day?” Asked the lazy genus lighting a joint.

“Hell.” Answered the taller man before he caught a sniff of the weed his friend was about to smoke. “Give me!” Ordered the raven haired man half hearty making grabbing motions with his hands, but to tired for anything else.

“You sure? You haven’t touched the green monster since you got married.” Said the other man before taking a puff.

“Yes I’m sure and just because I haven’t smoked any with you doesn’t mean I haven’t.” Answered the one in charge while he went back to nursing his coffee.

“What? Cyboy smokes shit?” Asked Petrel surprised before handing the joint over to his friend as he made a new one for himself.

“Occasionally.” Said Giovanni as he took a puff looking very smug suddenly.

“So what happened to you?” Asked Petrel once he was that his friend had relaxed enough.

“You remember the group of baby scientist we just hired at GioCorps?”

“What did those guppies do?”

“They are worse than Cyrus when you tell him he isn’t allowed to take something apart and blew their lab up: with me in it!” Petrel could tell that his friend was fuming.

“How are they worse than Cyboy? I mean that he must have opened and played with most of the electronics at your place before you guys got married: he always is like what happens if I join these two cables and ends up electrocuting himself over and over again.” Said Petrel with a smile on his face as he saw Cyrus electrocuting himself in his mind eye.

“You are remembering Cyrus electrocuting himself aren’t you?” Asked the Italian and the Kantonian just nodded. “Cyrus has a limit with the voltage he plays with and is smart enough not to have any volatile chemicals close!” Growled Giovanni.

“Soooo… you threw all guppies in the toilet and flushed them?” Inquired the purple haired man with some curiosity the raven haired man just snorted.

“Not all I did send some to the ER, but yeah I kicked them all onto the street.”

“Why were they even pulling a Cyrus in the lab? Weren’t they supposed to make a better burn heal?”

“They were ‘upgrading’ the equipment and got ‘burned’.” At this little joke they both laughed.

“Idiotic guppies! The labs of GioCorps are top notch tech!” Stated Petrel between gasps.

“Yeah I know! I made sure of it….” Mumbled Giovanni.

After this conversation a silence settled into the office nothing of those silences that happen between strangers who are alone in a : they were just two friends drinking coffee and smoking relaxing after a tyring/bored day.

“You know what? I swear I’m never putting a group of baby scientist in a lab together! From now on every senior staff member will have their own baby scientist to train.” Swore the Italian. “Biggest mistake ever!”

“Awwww~ Man I don’t wanna have a guppy following in my lab and following me the whole day!” Whined the lazy genus.

“Don’t worry my friend you will never get one for a simple reason: I don’t want to deal with a mini you, its that easy.” Some people would believe the Italian to be joking due his tone, but his eyes were deaths serious.

“Wise words dude…. Wise words….If I were you I wouldn’t want another me.” Said the rocket executive while he nodded.

“I’m taking a shower I don’t want to smell like a Koffing when I get home.” The Boss of team Rocket pulled a face as he smelled his clothes.

“Got it boss man! Tell Cyboy I said hi!” After this Giovanni headed for the shower in his private quarters that were connected to his office.

Later when the Italians driver opened the door so that the man could exit the limo he was surprised to find his employer (his main one at least) asleep inside the limousine: he was also dreading waking the man up, but that was solved quickly by the Persian who suddenly jumped onto the Gym leaders lap and woke him up in less than a second and held the Pokémon against him before leveling the driver with a glare.

“You know that you are paid for your discretion don’t you Roger?” Asked Giovanni and the man, not Roger, just nodded. “Then we should not have any problems Roger.” Stated the taller man as he left the car David had tried to get his employer to remember his name for a while but gave up.

“Good night sir!” Called the blond.

“Night Roger!” Called Giovanni back as the door to the manor closed.

“Hello Giovanni.” Beamed Cyrus who had appeared from what looked like the nowhere; it had taken some time to get used to it, but it was normal for the Italian now.

“Evening amore how was your day?” Asked the taller man out of politeness while he took his coat and fedora off, Cyrus now taught at Viridians college.

“It was great! I assigned the third years 2 feet essay about the myths off one of the constellations: Palkia, Dialga, Gyarados….You know.”

“I believed you were teaching Astrology not mythology.”

“They are closely related Gio…” Pouted the shorter man while he took a good look at his husband. “You look like hell! How was your day?”

“You are so flattering amore: it was worse than hell.” Answered the Rocket Boss half sarcastically. “What would you like for dinner?” Wondered the taller man as he walked towards the kitchen.

“No need for you to cook dear dinner is ready.”Stated Cyrus to his husbands horror even so Giovanni allowed himself to be dragged away while dread filled him…

“Did you call some delivery?” Hoped the Italian as his voice went servile octaves higher. Please Arceus: I promise to give those baby scientists another chance if the answer is yes. Pleaded/Prayed the doomed man silently.

“Of course not I made an easy dish by myself!” Fuck you Arceus! Now I’m suing those guppies for the lab!

“What dish amore?” Asked the gym leader afraid of the answer, due his last experiences with Cyrus less than stellar cooking skills…

“Don’t worry it’s just Gulash: I followed every single instruction in the receipt to a T!” Exclaimed the space fanatic proudly, but he still saw wariness in Giovanni’s eyes. “I’m sure that this time you won’t get food poisoning nor would it explode the moment you touch it with your silver wear like that soufflé and it will not try to attack you!” The Sinnohinite was doing his best to be assure the raven haired man that it was save, but the other man didn’t trust him as was far he could throw his Nidoking: with these kind of things.

I still don’t understand how he managed to poison me: my tea is deadly to anyone well aside from Koga….

Giovanni sat down and smiled wearily at Cyrus who was looking at him with Growlithe eyes. The raven haired man was relieved to see that his dinner didn’t look as if it would eat him it looked pretty innocent, but he knew better than to rely too heavily on peoples appearance: look at his husband or Ariana. After inspecting how it looked and was relieved that it didn’t explode after he probed it: it seemed fine even if the smell was a little off.

“Please dear I promise that no trip to the hospital would be involved. Could you take a bite?” Looking at those huge Growlithe eyes looking back at him the Italian cursed his weakness and nodded. Viridians Gym Leader took a tentative bite and his eyes did go wide: It wasn’t that ba…. Oh fuck it all! Fuck Arceus why do you hate me so! Was all Giovanni could think of while he ran to the refrigerator and drinking the milk right out of the carton.

“Dear what is wrong?” Asked Cyrus confused having followed his husband to the kitchen, said husband just held a hand up while he grabbed another milk carton before drowning it too after that was done the Italian turned the water on so that he could put his head under it while he texted his husband.

-Giovanni: You. Are. Not. Allowed. In. the. Kitchen. Again!

“What did I do wrong this time love?” Asked the blue haired man.

-Giovanni: Tooo much pepper & salt.