#and years later it's something she actually weirdly enjoys - if only for the routine of it all

[milf-harrington]

i love finding old fanfic ideas in my notes app

[lalalenii]

For the past year and a half, I really struggled taking care of myself, especially when it came to cooking. I used to live with an elderly roommate who unfortunately was hospiced due to her COPD about two years ago and died shortly after. I lived with her for over five years, and from the beginning, we had a very close relationship that felt more like family than anything. I cooked almost every night. After coming home from work, I used the time in the kitchen to unwind, I loved trying out new recipes and navigating my vegetarianism and her weirdly specific food preferences. I liked the physical work of it and the act of service it let me provide, especially during covid and when she kept getting sicker.

After she died, and I moved to my own place I stopped cooking. It was probably for a multitude of reasons. Grief I didn't recognise as such, my relationship hanging on a thread and all the energy it took from me. Me having to navigate living on my own for the first time, navigating a household on top of my 40hr week + 5ish hours for my side job, but sadly probably also that I tend to feel more motivation when I perform tasks for anyone other than myself. Even though I knew that I enjoyed cooking, I just rarely did it. Instant noodles and ready meals, ordering takeout... it just all felt so much easier. I was also away from home a lot so buying groceries would often result in them going bad.

So for the past 1.5 years, I frequented the pretzel stand at my local train station a lot. I got breakfast and/or lunch there multiple times a week. So often, that the people working the stand would recognise me. There was this elder Turkish woman, who had a really kind face and was always nice, even though she probably gets paid jack and has to get up at 5 or something. But seeing her always kind of made my day. I always walked away with a smile, feeling a little bit better about everything. She was so unpretentiously optimistic, a hard worker and as far as I could tell always nice to her colleagues. She always greeted me and wished me a nice day. Until one day, she told me that tomorrow would be her last day.

I was really touched that she considered to let me know. Let me know that she wouldn't be part of my routine anymore, despite us never exchanging more words than "one spiced pretzel please" "that would be 1.50" "with card please" "thank you have a nice day" "you too!"

I hadn't actually planned to go get pretzels again the next day, but I just had to, and I also took the opportunity to tell her how much her kindness meant to me. That I saw her kindness and that I appreciated it and that her smiles made my day better.

That was that. The following week she was gone and I went about my life, buying pretzels, struggling through my job and my relationship. I saw her every once in a while helping out at the stand – I was so elated every time and even if I didn't buy pretzels I made sure to at least wave at her in passing.

Months later, things changed. I gathered the courage to quit my job, to uproot my life. It was a risk but it paid off. My commute changed. From one hour to 25 minutes – what a luxury. My commute also now runs in a completely different direction. I take the underground to the town over and then get onto the bus. The added free time from the shortened commute is such a relief and while at least I manage to pack lunch every day now I'm still not very settled in, so I hit up the local bakery for some breakfast. I always get the same thing and after the salesperson stopped asking whether she can snap the cheese pastry in half to make it fit into the bag when I came in for the fourth time this week I decided I needed to change it up. I didn't want to become the cheese pastry girl. So on Friday, instead of the bakery I went to the local pretzel shop. I didn't even think about it too much. It's really the only other option near the station I switch to the bus. I was in a hurry to catch the bus, hoping that the woman and her child before me wouldn't also go into the shop, because if I missed the bus I'd have to walk and I'd be later than intended.

So I walked in. And what happened next honestly felt like the most stupid and clichéd movie scene. I did an actual double take. Because there behind the counter was my lovely, elder Turkish pretzel sales woman. I didn't even consider she just switched to another shop, I assumed she retired or did something out and only helped at the other stand occasionally to cover shifts or help out during rushes. But there she was, in all her glory. And when she saw me, we both laughed. It felt so ridiculous. We have no connection besides her selling me pretzels but the familiarity she brings into my life and into my morning routine was such a comfort. I don't know how she sees me, if she has a lot of customers like me but I do know she recognises me.

"I work in the neighbourhood now" I said as I stop laughing and she bags my regular order. "I'm stationed here now" she says and I tell her I'm happy to see her. I genuinely mean it.

"See you on Monday then," she says cheekily and although I was planning to cut the habit of getting breakfast at the bakery I make a promise to myself to stop by at least once a week. For the god-awful addicting spiced pretzel and for the kind woman who makes my day brighter without even meaning to.

[awhitehead17]

His Tiny Person

TimKon, Soulmates AU, Canon Divergence, Mini Soulmates, Humour, that “oh” moment, Realisation of feelings, Getting together.

Summary: "Kryptonian's have something called soulmates and every single Kryptonian has one. We know who our soulmates are because mini versions of them manifest to us. To begin with you won't recognise them, or even know their name, until you actually meet them in person. You will meet, you are destined to, but whether you get along or not is another story."

When Kon finds a tiny person hanging around him he's extremely confused but comes to adore him anyway. However its still a complete shock when Kon learns that he's known his soulmate for years and has just never realised it.

Also on AO3

Enjoy! :D  

No matter what anyone says, Kon believes that the freak out he has is very much warranted.

After getting out of the shower, Kon wrapped a towel around his waist before entering his bedroom and without any conscious thought he goes through his routine of getting ready for the day. The last thing he had expected to see was a tiny person perched on a pillow on his bed.

In all of his glory Kon let out a yell and scrambled backwards in surprise, his back quickly hits a wall which stops him from going anywhere. The tiny person on his bed openly stares at Kon and it feels like he’s being studied or even judged by him.

Kon stares back completely bewildered at the sight. There’s a tiny person on his bed. How did he get there? Who was he? Where did he come from? Is this some kind of prank?

“Conner, is everything alright?” Ma Kent’s voice could be heard calling him from downstairs. “We heard a yell.”

Still staring at the tiny person Kon tries to get himself together. He shuffles to his bedroom door, never taking his eyes off the person, and opens it. Over his shoulder he calls down to her. “Sorry Ma, I saw a spider. It caught me off guard that’s all. It’s all sorted now.”

“Okay dear if you’re sure. Breakfast is ready when you are.”

“Will be down in a bit, thank you.”

Kon quickly closes the door and debates on what to do. He takes a moment to observe the tiny person. The tiny person is a boy, he has messy black hair, two blue eyes, thin lips, a small body lean body covered by a red t-shirt and black sweatpants.

Kon has no idea what this is, however, weirdly enough he’s feeling a pull towards this tiny person. He can’t describe what it is but Kon feels kind of protective over him, like he wants to just wrap this tiny person up and hide him away from everything. The feeling is completely irrational because Kon knows absolutely nothing about what this could be.

The tiny person stands up and makes his way across Kon’s bed until he’s standing near the edge of it. Kon couldn’t help but find him adorable, he’s so small! He’s not much bigger than his hand in size comparison.

Kon approaches the bed carefully and crouches down so he's almost eye level with him. When they make eye contact the tiny person smiles brightly and Kon feels another pull inside of him, this time its sharp and releases a sense of warmth through him. His heart melts even more for this little thing.

“Hi, do you have name? Where did you come from?” Kon asks softly. The tiny person shakes his head and Kon frowns. “Oh okay. Well I’m Kon or Conner, its nice to meet you.”

“Conner your breakfast is getting cold!” Ma Kent’s voice comes from downstairs again and Kon knows he really should get going.

He turns back to the tiny person. Should he tell Ma Kent about this or not? How would the Kent’s react to this? Kon is still rather new to the whole family thing, he’s only recently moved in with them and is in fact still adjusting to life in Smallville, would this freak them out? Maybe he should work out what this person is doing here first before telling them anything.

With that in mind Kon sends him a small smile. “I’ve got to go have breakfast now, but once I’m done I can work out what to do with you.” He stands up and heads for the door but is stopped short when he hears a small thump.

Kon looks over to find the bed now void of the tiny person, initial panic rises up inside of him though it’s quickly diminished when he feels a tugging sensation on his jeans. Snapping his gaze down Kon finds the tiny person insistently tugging on his jeans with a panicked look on his face.

For unknown reasons, Kon’s heart breaks at the look. “Hey, I’m not leaving. I won’t be long, I promise.” The person shakes his head and without warning starts climbing up Kon’s leg, grabbing fists full of fabric to help him on his journey and he doesn’t stop climbing until he gets to the pocket and climbs inside.

Kon’s not entirely sure on what to do with the tiny person that’s now curled up inside his jeans pocket. Obviously he hadn’t wanted Kon to go, or perhaps it was more of a separation thing and had panicked when he thought Kon was leaving?

Running a hand through his hair Kon opts to leave it for the time being, he’ll work it out later on. As he once again moves towards the door, he hopes that the tiny person is comfortable enough in his pocket until he returns to his bedroom.

----

Throughout the next couple of weeks Kon learns a lot about the tiny person.

He comes to notice that he has his own personality, he has his own quirks and things he likes and dislikes. While he doesn’t speak, the tiny person makes sure his opinion is heard. He likes to train and work out and he’s wickedly smart. He also loves to be held in Kon’s palm and to have his hair stroked.

Through some misunderstandings, Kon comes to realise he actually needs to feed this tiny person, he also needs to regularly clean him, exhaustion and not sleeping enough is certainly a thing, injuries too. The first time this tiny person hurt himself Kon almost had a heart attack in concern and panic.

It’s literally like he’s looking after another human being, only this human is super tiny and can easily fit into his pocket.

Despite all of this he still hasn’t worked out how this tiny person came to be. Anything he’s looked into has come to a dead end, he’s even explored scientific possibilities but it’s all come up empty handed. He’s still completely perplexed on this person’s existence.

When an unfortunate event occurred, Kon became aware that he can’t be too far away from this tiny person either, only because the distance causes them both physical pain. That alone makes Kon believe there’s more to this whole thing, he doesn’t know what it could be but there’s definitely something.

Other than that Kon really adores him. He’s gotten used to his presence now and how he happens to be there in Kon’s everyday life. It frightens him to no ends when a mission comes up or if Kon engages in a brutal battle because he could get hurt. Nonetheless the tiny person is always there for him, its like he’s got his own cheerleader.

A few weeks after the tiny person appears, Kon is meeting with Clark on the farm to catch up. Since the man had finally accepted him as a person and has even named him as part of the family, Clark’s been trying to put effort into getting to know him. Kon appreciates the effort and knows that their relationship is slowly healing.

When Clark arrives they settle onto one of the benches outside with some food Ma Kent had baked and were generally catching up. However Kon’s focus on the man’s words instantly die when movement in his peripheral catches his attention.  

Kon glances down at the ground and freezes when he spots a small woman walking around within the grass looking completely at ease observing everything around her.

“Kon?”

Blinking Kon averts his attention away from the woman and back to Clark who is now frowning at him. How long had Kon not been listening for? Instead of saying anything Clark looks in the direction Kon had been and confusion crosses his face.

“What is it Kon?”

Kon waves a hand in the direction of the small woman. “Do you not see that? There’s a tiny person in the grass Clark!”

The man continues to stare at Kon like he's crazy. It makes Kon feel insecure. He wasn’t imaging this right? He’s got his own little dude hanging around him for weeks and now there’s a small woman too.

“Yeah… that’s Mini-Louis.” Clark says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Mini-Louis? As in your wife Louis?” Kon asks sceptically.

Clark pulls a face, clearly not understanding his confusion. “Yes Kon. My wife. She is my soulmate, therefore I have a Mini-Louis around me.”

Kon has no idea on what to say to that because what?

Realisation crosses Clark’s expression. He pulls back a bit, seeming surprised. “You don’t know about it?”

“About what Clark? What the hell are you on about?” Kon snaps.

Clark takes a deep breath and leans forward on the table using his elbows to prop himself up. “I’m sorry it must have completely slipped my mind. We as Kryptonian's have something called soulmates. Every single Kryptonian has one. We know who our soulmates are because mini versions of them manifest to us and these mini versions are attached to our souls. Once we finally meet our soulmate in person the bond between us is solidified.”

Kon blinks trying to digest that information. Soulmates. Soulmates are an actual thing and they appear in the form of tiny versions of themselves. Kon’s tiny person is in fact his soulmate. But he doesn’t know who his soulmate is, he doesn’t recognise him!

“Has your soulmate manifested Kon?” Clark questions after a long drawn out silence.

Instead of answering Kon carefully reaches into his jacket’s pocket and scoops up his tiny person. He’s been sleeping this entire time and Kon feels bad for moving and waking him up but he gently does so and places him on the table in front of him.

His tiny person looks disorientated for a moment. He sits down on the table, yawns and rubs his eyes with his fists as he wakes up. Once he notices where he is he looks alerted and sends Kon a panicked look. Kon reaches out a strokes a finger down his face. “It’s okay buddy, you’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. I’m finally learning about you properly.”

Kon glances up to find Clark watching him with warm eyes and a soft smile. Kon raises an eyebrow. “What? If you say this is my soulmate it would certainly explain why I’m protective over him. But why didn’t you tell me sooner? I don’t recognise this person, doesn’t soulmates work after you meet the one or something?”

“With Kryptonian’s, your mini-soulmate manifests when the younger one of the pair comes of age. Your situation is slightly different, thinking about it I could guess that your soulmate appeared once you were named as you were already of age.”

Kon nods to the explanation. He’s slowly understanding it. He’s still feels conflicted about it, like he’s afraid of the idea of it but he's also open to it…

“The idea is that you don’t recognise them, or even know their name, until you actually meet them in person. You will meet, you are destined to, but whether you get along or not is another story. You’re soulmates, but that bond can be either platonic, romantic, or even in some rare cases it’s a hatred bond. By the looks of it, yours is either a platonic or a romantic bond.”

Kon sighs, he guesses that’s better than it being a hatred soulmate bond. He thinks he gets on rather well with his little dude.

“As frustrating as this will sound, the main thing I can say is that only time will tell. When you meet your soulmate you’ll recognise them and then how your relationship with him progresses will depend on the two of you.”

After that they change topic of conversation, leaning more into Kryptonian heritage and ways of life as well as different battle strategies Kon could be using with his team. Meanwhile as they talk, Kon’s mini-soulmate joins Mini-Louis in exploring the wildlife together.

-----

It turns out Kon has already met his soulmate. In fact it turns out he’s best friends with his soulmate. He’s known him for a couple years.

It turns out his soulmate is Robin and he’s only finding that out now.

Young Justice, or rather the newly formed Titans, are gathered together and spending the weekend at the Tower. They were about to start their movie night when Robin tells them he has an announcement to make.

In line with their new team development he wants to clear the air and start fresh, hoping they would all forgive him for certain things in the past. Robin takes his mask off and gives them his real name.

As Kon meets Robin’s – Tim’s – eyes his heart stops. Without the mask obstructing the top half of Robin’s face, Kon clearly sees the same face that his mini-soulmate has.

Robin is his soulmate. How has he never made that connection before? The resemblance is uncanny, he’s literally been carrying around a Mini-Robin for 6 months.

He’s been on a team with Robin for a couple of years now. When he first escaped Cadmus, him, Bart and Robin made a trio team and over time the others had joined them, therefore creating Young Justice. A couple years later here they are joining the Titans and Robin is finally sharing his identity with them.

To begin with he and Robin never got on, they were always at each other’s throats and never saw eye to eye but as time went on they both mellowed out and come to accept the others presence. Their friendship became stronger as they both matured over time. Kon had moved to Smallville and began to really learn what life is about, how there’s a life outside of superheroing, while Robin had moulded the legacy he carries into his own and has found the confidence to become his own person rather than trying to be someone else.

Either way, he immediately recognises Robin’s – or Tim’s – face and not because apparently he’s famous but actually because Tim’s face is the one his mini-soulmate wears. There’s no mistaking it.

His mini-soulmate is currently hidden from view inside his jacket pocket but Kon could easily feel the excitement rolling off the tiny person, he’s practically buzzing with energy. Knowing he’s going to have to try and restrain his mini from doing anything rash, Kon brushes his telekinesis over him in attempts to calm him down.

At Tim’s announcement there’s a loud explosion from the group which lasts for some time until everyone calms down enough to settle so they can watch the films they have lined up. No matter what they put on, Kon couldn’t focus on any of them. His mind is too occupied with the thoughts of Robin being his soulmate and what that could mean.

He begins questioning his entire friendship with the bat vigilante. Reflecting on everything from the moment they met to now.

What kind of feelings does he actually have for his friend? He cares for him, they trust one another (the whole ID thing was a different matter despite how many arguments there have been on that topic) and Kon can’t imagine his life without Tim in it. Even back when he loathed him Kon wouldn’t have imagine Robin not being there.

They balance one another out. Where Kon is reckless and is hot headed, Robin thinks things through and plans accordingly. Where Robin is uptight and too hard on himself, Kon is freewheeling and helps him to relax and unwind.

When he’s with Tim he wants his friend to be happy, he wants him to feel safe and protected. When things get too much Kon reminds Robin he’s there to talk to if he needs it. When Kon’s felt overwhelmed by his powers Tim is the one he turns to because he helps Kon to understand them without making it feel like he’s being judged. There’s been numerous of nights where they’ve sat together in silent company, both of them wanting to be alone but not at the same time.

Kon thinks about his smile and his laugh when he’s genuinely happy and not wearing that stupid asshole persona. He think about how when he gets invested in something he would passionately defend it. How there’s a shy and genuine guy behind that mask despite all the confidence Robin plasters on in front of them all. He recalls when Robin would walk into a room and how Kon’s mood would improve significantly for no reason.

Well shit… there’s a lot more feelings towards Robin than he ever realised. Is this still platonic though or is it the start of something romantic? Can Kon even imagine what it would be like to be romantically involved with Tim? To hold his hand, to cuddle, to kiss and then maybe more, to be seen in public with him, to lean on one another without fear…

Kon’s heart misses a beat when he realises that yes he can imagine all that. Now he knows Tim’s name and knows what he really looks like, Kon can see himself doing those things with Tim and even getting to know him better than what’s slipped through his persona over the years.

Tim is his soulmate, they’re bound to each other in some way. Why hadn’t he ever seen it before?

What is Tim’s opinion on all of this? Kon’s mind suddenly goes into overdrive when it clicks that since Tim is his soulmate, he has a Mini-Tim with him at all times, then that means Tim would have a mini-him.

“on? Conner! Kon!”

A sharp stinging sensation gets his attention and Kon blinks, his thoughts finally residing for now. Kon looks around to find everyone in the room staring at him with concern and how Robin is standing in front of him with worry etched all over his face.

“Are you okay? You completely spaced out on us.”

Kon swallows thickly and sends Tim, and everyone else, a tight smile. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry just got lost in my thoughts.”

Tim doesn’t look convinced and now that his mask is no longer on Kon could clearly see his expressions. Despite only seeing Tim’s face for the first time moments ago, Kon can already read his facial expressions because they happen to be the exact same ones Mini-Tim wears.

Kon reaches out and pushes Tim away from him to create room so he can stand up. “Seriously I’m fine. It’s just been a long week that’s all. I’m actually going to head to bed, I’ll see you all in the morning.”

Without looking at anyone Kon flees the room, trying to get out of there as fast as possible. He doesn’t stop moving until he gets to his assigned room where he promptly barges in and slams the door shut behind him. Unable to stand still Kon begins pacing the length of the room, his mind back to working on overdrive.

Its only when something starts moving against him that he breaks out of the cycle. Kon stops in the middle of his room and gently scoops out his mini-soulmate. From the centre of his palm, Mini-Robin looks up at him and scowls. Kon winces in both guilt and embarrassment.

He places his min-soulmate onto his dresser and instantly Mini-Tim turns his back on Kon and crosses his arms over his chest. Kon frowns feeling terrible, he didn’t mean to make him upset or angry. He can’t help that he's a little incompetent when it comes to these sort of things.

Kon goes back to his pacing, now talking to his mini as he does so. “I’m sorry okay. I didn’t realise, all of this time and you’ve actually been in front of me. How many missions have we been on, how many rooms have we been in together, how many hours have we spent in close proximity of one another? After all of that its only now I’m figuring it out!”

He glances over to find that Mini-Tim is still ignoring him. Kon huffs. “Well it’s not like it’s entirely my fault! Robin is as much as to blame as I am. At least I have an excuse, I didn’t know it was him because he had half of his face covered all the time. What about him? He’s probably had a mini-me this whole time and has never approached me about the topic, it’s not like I’ve gone incognito.”

When he stops talking the silence in the room stretches out. Even though its only Kon and his mini-soulmate Kon could easily feel the tension between them. He doesn’t like feeling like this, especially with his little counterpart.

Sighing heavily, Kon shuffles over to the dresser where Mini-Tim is still standing and leans in closely. “Please don’t be annoyed. It’s a shitty situation and my emotions are everywhere. The last thing I need is for you to be annoyed at me too…”

When Mini-Tim continues to ignore him Kon frowns and carefully reaches out to him with his TTK. He gently prods his mini-soulmate, trying to encourage him to loosen up and even look at him again.

Eventually his insistence must work because Mini-Tim turns around and stares up at him with wide-eyes and a pout on his face. Kon pulls back his power and reaches out to brush a finger along his tiny cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Kon whispers softly, “I’ll sort things out, I promise but it may take some time.” The wide-eyes and pout soon turns into a glare without heat and a pointed look. Kon understands his message though. “I will talk to him, soon okay. Just not yet, I need to get my thoughts in order first.”

A knock on his bedroom door breaks his attention away from his mini-soulmate. Kon sighs and is reluctant to open the door, fearing what’s on the other side of it. When a second knock happens, Kon forces himself to walk over to the door and pull it open.

As feared, Tim stands there in the corridor looking worried and lost in thought. He notices that Kon has opened the door and snaps back to attention. “Uh hey.”

“Hey.”

“Can we talk?” Tim asks sounding unsure.

Kon sends him a tight smile. “Yeah.”

Tim enters his bedroom and Kon closes the door behind him. There's a pause between them before Tim turns around to face him wearing contemplative expression. “Your behaviour isn’t about my name and face is it?”

It sounds like he already knows the answer to that but Kon humours him by answering anyway. “No. No it isn’t, well, not the main part of it at least.” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. How was he supposed to talk to Robin that he's his soulmate? How was he going to explain that for the last 6 months he’s been carrying around a tiny version of him but didn’t know because he never made the connection until today?

In the end he shakes his head, he’s probably way over thinking this too much. Maybe he shouldn’t use words, perhaps using actions is the way to go?

Kon moves around the room and goes back over to the dresser, when he leans in close he finds Mini-Tim hiding away behind a deodorant spray. He lifts his hand with his palm facing upwards and waits to see if his mini takes the invitation. Mini-Tim stares at him suspiciously for a moment before coming out of his hiding spot and climbing onto his hand.

Kon carefully turns around and shows Tim his mini for the first time. Surprisingly yet unsurprisingly, Tim doesn’t look shocked. His eyes widen but that’s the only reaction Kon gets. Tim wordlessly reaches down into his jacket pocket and brings something out of it, Kon could only gasp when he sees a mini version of himself on Tim’s palm.

Before he or Tim could react their mini-soulmates both make an excited sound. Mini-Kon jumps up from Tim’s palm and flies straight for Mini-Tim. In return Mini-Tim jumps up with his hands stretched out and grasps onto Mini-Kon when they collide together. Mini-Kon carries them around for a moment before they land on the bed and separate. They use their little arms and legs to wildly gesture to one another about something lost to both Kon and Tim. It’s rather adorable to watch.

“I think that answers a few questions does it not?” Tim says amusedly watching the minis with a smile.

Kon huffs. “Some of them yeah. Look dude there’s a lot to explain about this, I get you must be super confused about how a tiny version of myself just suddenly appeared one day and I understand that -”

“I’m going to stop you there Kon.” Tim says firmly raising a hand up in a stopping motion, he’s now looking at him. “I know a lot more than what you think I do. I know what this is and what it could mean. If anything I’m the one that should explain some things to you, like why didn’t I tell you sooner for example.”

Feeling rather overwhelmed Kon shakes his head and moves to sit down in his desk chair.

Tim takes it as an opportunity to keep talking. “We’ve always had a strange relationship Kon. From the moment we met until now it’s been odd, but quite frankly there’s not a thing I would change. I know those minis represent that we’re soulmates. I have to admit I was rather confused when you appeared tiny in my bathroom 6 months ago, to begin with I thought you had shrunk or something but there was something telling me there was more to it than that.

I got my answer about a month later when I ran into Louis, she had been at the Manor talking to Bruce when I saw she had a tiny Clark riding on her shoulder. After a conversation she explained that her and Clark were soulmates, it’s all to do with because he’s a Kryptonian. Of course then it made more sense.

The reason why I never approached you about it is because I didn’t know what to do. I knew it was you, it’s kind of hard not to tell y’know,” Tim sends him a knowing smirk at that comment, “but since you never said anything about it I figured you didn’t know it was me. It’s only then that it clicked that I still hadn’t revealed my face or even shared my name with you.

It wasn’t my choice not to tell you, you know that, it had been Batman’s orders. For months I debated on what to do, even going as far as arguing with Batman to share my ID at least with you. In the end Batman gave in but only after I explained why I was so insistent about it. And well, here we are.”

Tim trails off into silence and he’s looking expectantly at Kon, waiting for him to respond to his side of the story. Kon could only blink at him and repeat his story in his mind. The minis are currently sat together side by side on the edge of the bed’s footboard, they were holding hands and swinging their legs together as they share a smile.

As much as Kon would like to be frustrated at Tim for what he did, he knows he really couldn’t be. Its not his fault that Batman put him in an awkward position. Kon rationalises in his mind that’s its all done and over with now, he can’t change it but from here they can at least go forward.

He glances up at Tim. “So what do we do from here? How would you like to go forward? Also I’m sorry that I put you in this position. It was as much as a shock to me as it probably was to you.”

Tim glares at him. “Don’t apologise Kon. It’s not like you had a choice in the matter and you know what, I’m glad its you.”

That gets Kon’s attention. He stares at his best friend wondering if he heard right. “What?”

The sigh Tim lets out sounds almost resigned. “Why would I be bothered by it? You’re my best friend Kon, of course I don’t mind being soulmates with you. I know we’ve had one heck of a bumpy road in the past but we’re here now aren’t we.”

Kon grins, unable to deny what Tim had just said. He looks back up, taking in how Tim’s eyes are focused on him, how they seem to shine when the light hits them, he takes in Tim’s relaxed posture and how at ease he appears to be.

A sudden urge washes over Kon and all he wants to do is crush Tim in a hug and kiss him. He has no idea when he started thinking about Tim in that way but he finds that he doesn’t actually mind. It’s just the case of whether Tim returns them or not.

Kon stands up and steps towards Tim, standing so close to him that he could feel the others heat. “So how do you want to go forward with this? When Clark told me about soulmates, he said there are platonic, romantic and hating bonds. Is there a certain type you want to be?”

Kon wants to smack himself in the face for how bad that sounds. What the fuck is he on about. Thankfully Tim seems more amused than anything else. A glance to the side shows both minis exaggerating an eye roll each, Kon opts to ignore them.

Tim steps closer, finally pushing their chests together, he has to tilt his head up while Kon looks down to make eye contact with one another. “I don’t know… I mean to be honest if I had to say one surely it would be the hatred bond? I can’t stand you, you know? You get on my nerves too much.”

Kon snorts and shakes his head. “Maybe once upon a time. Anyway you’re just as bad, you and that neurotic brain of yours.”

They both grin at that, shaking their heads at the ridiculous turn in the conversation. Opposite him Tim opens his mouth again but this time Kon decides to cut to the chase. He ducks his head and presses his lips against Tim’s. There’s a pause on Tim’s side but after a second he’s responding to Kon and pushing back against his lips.

Some sort of spark passes between them and suddenly it’s like something inside of him has clicked into place and now he feels complete.

He presses against Tim even more and wraps his arms around him, keeping them pressed closely together. Tim goes with the movement, reaching up to wrap his arms around Kon’s neck and even buries a hand in his hair.

When they part the two of them are sharing wide smiles. Kon huffs out a laugh and rests his forehead against Tim’s.

The only thing that pulls Kon away from Tim is a light slapping against his neck. He pulls back and looks to the side to find Mini-Tim now standing on his shoulder trying to get his attention. Opposite him, Mini-Kon is floating next to Tim’s cheek also getting his attention.

Tim and Kon take a step away from each other to look at their minis. Mini-Tim is grinning wildly and Kon could just feel the excitement and warmth radiating off from him. Kon smiles back softly and reaches up to stroke a finger along Mini-Tim’s cheek, even poking his stomach for fun. It’s a pleasant contrast compared to what he was like a little while ago.

Kon turns back to Tim. “So, um, now that a few things are out the way, can I ask you out on a date? Lets give this a try?”

Tim gently nudges Mini-Kon away to stop him from prodding his cheek, he looks at Kon and nods. “Just text me the time and place and we’ll be there.”

It takes a moment but Kon quickly catches on that he means him and Mini-Kon. Of course, duh, if they’re going to be dating then by extension so are the mini versions of themselves. It probably should be weird but Kon finds that he doesn’t mind, in fact its cute and the fact that Tim doesn’t seem to mind either makes it better. He’s looking forward to the near future and what it could bring for him and Tim and their mini-soulmates.

[fullmoonremus]

Green as the Ring | Sirius Black x Reader

Warnings: Angst with happyish ending? 

Time/Era: After the 2nd Wizarding War

Word Count: 2.5k 

Summary: Y/N finds the resurrection stone in the Forbidden Forest three years after Harry defeated Voldemort. 

Request: can I request a Sirius black x reader fic based on the song If I Die Young by the Band Perry?

A/N: Thank you for the request! Based on the song choice, I figured you wanted angst. Enjoy!

masterlist | read on ao3

“Do you think this will ever end, Sirius? Like, do you ever think we’ll win?” Y/N sat at the small table in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Sirius sat at the other side, taking leisurely sips from a beer bottle and looking much older than he actually was. His eyes were sunken in from the lack of sleep and his forehead had permanent frown lines. This broke Y/N’s heart because, in her mind, Sirius was still the happy, go-lucky young adult she had married. But in reality, he was a sad man confined to the walls of his dark childhood home. 

“Of course, everything ends sooner or later,” His voice was gruffer than she remembered. Maybe that was a side effect of the dementors, or maybe it was from the smoking habit he hadn’t been able to shake since his mid-teens. Y/N couldn’t tell. 

“I’m not quite sure how to respond to that.” Sirius allowed himself one shallow laugh into his beer. 

“All I’m saying is to trust Harry, darling. He’s strong and he will succeed.” 

“He shouldn’t have to.” Y/N’s thumb twisted her well-worn wedding band on her finger. Sirius noticed this and covered her hand with his. A brief moment of silence fell over the kitchen. 

“We should really clean that, you know. It’s not good for the emerald to be dirty,” The green stone caught the dim light and glistened. Y/N smiled, thinking about how that ring had been with her through so much. 

“I would, but I don’t want to take it off.” Sirius sat back and grinned, instantly looking ten years younger. 

“It’s alright, it won’t offend me if you take it off for five minutes.” His smile was lopsided and the perfect embodiment of everything Y/N loved about Sirius. “I’m honestly still surprised you have it.” 

“Of course I still have it, my dorky husband gave it to me.” 

His smile now reached his eyes, which was rare nowadays. “Thank you, Y/N.” 

“What are you thanking me for?” 

“For standing by me, even through Azkaban.” 

“I will always stand by you, my love. 

~

“If I die, Y/N, can you make sure I’m buried in either satin clothes or a satin-lined coffin?” Sirius and Y/N found themselves back at the kitchen table. It seemed to be their meeting place, especially late at night when no one was awake. 

“Well, you’re not going to die, first of all. And second of all, why satin?” Y/N stirred her tea and took a sip, allowing the flavor to overtake her senses. The house creaked, making Sirius switch positions uncomfortably. 

“It’s an old joke I had with James, honestly. Mother always hated satin, and I never knew why. Also, weirdly enough, roses. James always said he wants to get buried with a rose and that I should get buried in satin to spite her.” 

Y/N thought back to the night in which Remus, Petunia Dursley, and herself were sat in the living room of Number 4 Privet Drive planning the Potters’ funeral. Y/N was tasked with looking over James’ will. She asked Remus why he wanted to ger buried with a single rose, in which he shrugged. Petunia had insisted that it was silly, but Y/N made sure his request was fulfilled. 

Y/N took a long gulp of her tea, trying to appear as if she was observing the table cloth’s pattern. “Well, that answers why James’ will said to be buried with a rose.” Sirius sucked in harshly through his nose. 

“Was he?” 

“I made sure of it.” 

~

Sirius set his magic mirror on the kitchen table, a cold dinner remaining untouched next to it. The meal had been served hours previously, but Sirius’ anxious stomach didn’t allow him to eat his food. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Y/N asked gently as her eyes scanned his face. She used to be able to read his emotions like a book, but some time during those twelve years, he built a new emotional wall she had yet to break. His eyes glanced at hers for a split second before returning to the reflective surface of the mirror. 

“We don’t use pennies, we’re British wizards.”

Y/N rolls her eyes fondly. “You know what I mean, Pads.” 

“I’m just thinking about how me going to Azkaban really must have fucked with your life. I mean, you were seen as a murder’s wife.” His eyes pull from the mirror and brush over Y/N’s face, similar to how she did moments earlier. 

“It was hard, I’m not going to lie, but I never thought you killed James and Lily. Not even for a second.” 

“Did you wear your ring?” 

Y/N paused, picking her words very carefully. “I wore it around my neck on a chain. It was too dangerous to wear it on my finger.” 

“Yeah? I’m sure you were shamed,” His eyes drooped and the frown lines on his forehead grew more pronounced. 

“I was threatened, yes, but nothing more than words shouted at me. It was hard, but I had Remus.” 

Sirius gestures to the mirror on the table and sighs. “Do you think Harry will call?” 

“I’m sure he will, just give him some time. He just got to Hogwarts.” 

~

Y/N sat at the table of Grimmauld Place, but this time Sirius didn’t accompany her. Instead, Remus filled Sirius’ chair. He, too, looked much older than he was as they sat in silence. Y/N observed the green gem on her finger in an attempt to ground herself. 

“I guess it’s just us again, Moons,” Y/N’s voice cracked. The house was now oddly quiet without Sirius; not that he was overly loud, but his presence alone spoke volumes. The building felt even emptier without his warm energy and inviting arms. 

“Yeah, I suppose it is.” His eyes were glued to the wilted daisy bouquet on the table. Molly had attempted to liven up the house, but even they were riddled with death. It seemed as though all beauty was drained from the world.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. This isn’t fair.” 

“It’s not, but this is what we have to work with,” Remus brought both hands to wipe down his face. He looked tired, both physically and mentally. “We have to be strong for Harry. We need to support Harry.” 

Y/N sniffled again, “You’re right.” She took a shaky deep breath. “He’s with James now, he’s happy.” 

“He’s with James now,” Remus repeated. Y/N couldn’t decide whether Remus wished to be with James as well or not. 

~

“It was weird,” Harry’s voice shook slightly. “They were only a few years older than me, all of them. Sirius and Remus were only teenagers.” 

Y/N pushed a plate of cookies towards Harry. It was months after the final battle, and after isolating himself, Harry had finally reached out to someone from the wizarding world. The pair were sat at the table in Y/N’s small flat while Remus’ words echoed through her mind. We have to be strong for Harry. We need to support Harry. 

“Well, it’s said that in the afterlife, you take the age where you were happiest. For them, it was before your parents’ death, which would make them teenagers.” Y/N responded, taking one of the treats for herself. She couldn’t say she was surprised when Harry had shown up at her flat, the two had grown close before Sirius’ death. 

“I wonder what age I’ll take.” 

“Hopefully, it will be when you are much older. You have a lot of life left to be happy.” 

Harry took off his glasses, wiped them on his shirt, and returned them to his face. “I want to be happy, I just don’t think I can.” 

“You just went through something very traumatic, sweetheart, it’s okay to not be okay. It will happen, be patient with yourself. Let yourself heal.” 

“Do you think you’ll ever be happy again?” 

Y/N was silent for a long time before she was able to answer. 

“I think eventually, I will be. Some things never heal, but they can scar. Losing my friends and husband will just take a long while to scar, as will the war.” 

“It will take a long time for me too, I reckon.” Harry took one of the gingerbread men from the plate and took a large bite. 

“If it makes you feel better, you aren’t alone. You have me, and the Weasley’s, and so many others.” 

“You have me too, Y/N. I know you think you have no one, but you have me.” 

Y/N smiled, silent tears rolling down her face. “We can work on being happy together.” 

~

Harry made it a routine to visit Y/N regularly from there on out. And as he grew, their relationship changed from mentorship to a deep friendship. 

“Have you looked into working at Hogwarts?” Harry said when Y/N discussed her unemployment. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, you always say you want to teach and you’re quite good at it. I’m sure McGonagall would be more than happy to pass her transfiguration position to you.”  Harry grinned, munching on a sub sandwich he brought for them to share. 

“Oh, I could never live up to her! Besides, I’m not sure I could even walk the halls of Hogwarts again.” Y/N wiped her mouth politely with a napkin. 

“What if I told you I already asked McGonagall and she said yes?” Harry had to bite back a grin as he watched his friend’s eyes grow wide. 

“Harry! What-” 

“I know, I know. But, I’m going to be the new DADA professor, and I thought it might be nice to have a friend there with me,” 

“You’re going to be a professor?! Oh, Harry…They’d be so proud of you.” Y/N’s shocked face turned into a look of admiration for the boy. 

“Well, they’ll be proud of you too, once you accept your new position.” 

“You’re a little shit, you know that?” 

Harry’s face twisted into a shit-eating grin. “It’s the least I could do, considering all you’ve done for me.” 

Y/N pulled the younger boy into a hug. “Thank you, Harry. Really, thank you.” 

~

Y/N skillfully walked over the overgrown floor of the Forbidden Forest. It was a Saturday, meaning most students were at Hogsmeade or sleeping, so she decided it was the perfect time for her to collect acorns. The young Professor had been teaching her second-year students how to turn acorns into actual heads of corn and had run out by 3rd hour. 

The roots of the huge trees were very overgrown, so her gaze was fixated on her feet in order not to slip. It was a beautiful morning, with the sun just barely hung in the sky and the morning birds tweeting happily in the trees. 

She was enjoying her small adventure until something out of the ordinary caught her attention, making her acorn harvest come to a halt. It was a smooth black stone, which seemed to be carved into a diamond shape. Y/N bent down and picked it up in order to observe it better. It was quite heavier than it appeared, and a bit sharp. 

“Hello there, Professor,” A voice said out of the blue, making Y/N jump back. Her eyes came to meet the gaze of someone she never expected to see again. 

“Sirius?” Y/N’s voice came out as a slight whimper. He appeared to be the cheeky 18-year-old boy she had fallen in love with, complete with bun, leather jacket, combat boots, and chains. Y/N took a step back in shock. 

“Y/N,” He responded stepping closer. The gruff in his voice was completely nonexistent. “It’s a bit rude not to say hello back.” 

All happiness seemed to return to his face; the wrinkles in his skin were smoothed and his eyes held the familiar mischievous sparkle Y/N knew like the back of her hand. 

“How are you-? You’re dead!” Sirius chuckled and nodded. 

“Thanks for reminding me, love.” His voice wasn’t rude, but light and teasing. His ring clad pointer finger points at the rock in Y/N’s hand. “You found the resurrection stone.” 

She looked down at the rock then back at Sirius. “I can’t believe this. I never thought I’d see you again,” Her hand grabbed the ring around her neck. She began to wear her wedding band on a chain again to avoid questions from curious students. “You’re so young, you’re a teenager!” 

“I know, hot right? I always loved this outfit.” His eyes were filled with love. “You’re even more gorgeous than how I left you,” 

Tears flowed down her cheeks. “I miss you so much, Sirius. I need you, I need you so fucking bad.” 

“I know, baby, I miss you so much. I am so proud of you, you’re doing so well. And a Professor! Look at you!” 

“Can you see us? I mean, from the afterlife.” Y/N placed her acorn filled bag on the ground. 

“Yes, we are always around. You just can’t see us. Actually, I’ve attended some classes of yours. I had to see how good you actually were.” 

Y/N’s cheeks heat up. “Oh??” 

“Calm down, love.” He laughs without a care in the world. “You’re absolutely brilliant! Harry, too. Remus said his boggart lesson was better than his.” 

“I can’t believe you’re here, oh my god.” Y/N reached a hand out to touch him, but it passed through his form like air. Sirius’ eyes filled with sadness. 

“I’m here, minus the blood and guts, I guess. We only have a little bit of time left.” 

“What? No!” 

“I know, babe, but anytime you need me I’m here.” He points at the rock then at her heart. “I love you so much, Y/N. So, so much.” 

“I love you even more. All of you, I love all of you.” 

“James and Lily asked me to tell you thank you. For looking after Harry, I mean. All of us are thankful, really. You two have been good for each other. They also say they miss you,” He smiles sadly. “We all miss you. Especially me though.” 

His form starts to dim, making Y/N grow sad again. “We’ll be together again someday, my darling.” 

“That we will, sunshine. I am so proud of you,” He grows paler, but his smile widens. “Just remember, every time you see a rainbow, that’s me there with you. I love you, sweetheart.” 

“I love you, darling. Until the day I die and after that.” As Sirius fades out of existence, Y/N puts the stone in her acorn bag and exits the forest. 

The next class she taught, second years turning acorns into ears of corn, the window cast a large rainbow across the wall. The rainbow didn’t leave until Y/N retired for bed that night. 

[haikyuuhoo]

Contemporaneous - Chapter 2

Pairing: Atsumu x F!Reader

Summary: In which you are so incredibly lucky to exist at the same time as Atsumu Miya. Or, perhaps, it’s the exact opposite…

Words: 4.1k

Warnings: Swearing, talk about dyeing hair when in reality I have never dyed hair or had my hair dyed lmao.

A/N: This turned out a bit longer than I anticipated, but I hope y’all like it! As always, feel free to let me know what you think :)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

If you had to guess when everything changed, you’d probably say it was the day you helped the twins dye their hair. It was such a mundane thing, but it was so weirdly different than you were used to. They insisted that since they’d be going to a new school where they didn’t know many people it would be helpful for people to tell them apart. There was nothing they, with their competitive natures, hated more than being mistaken for their twin.

You were sat on the counter in their bathroom, Atsumu sitting between your legs as you applied the blonde hair dye to his head. The three of you had been at this for hours; the time it took to bleach their hair enough to prepare it for the dye had felt like an eternity. Their mom had helped with that part, insisting that if her boys were going to dye their hair she wasn’t going to let them mess it up.

“Stop squirming,” you mumbled to Atsumu, trying to focus on making sure you were getting everything evenly coated.

“’S boring just sitting here,” he complained, and you raised an eyebrow.

“Would you rather do this yourself?”

He stiffened up for a moment before letting his shoulders slump. You couldn’t see his face, but you assumed from the way Osamu snickered that he was pouting. “No. Sorry.”

“Good, now shut up,” you sighed.

Silence settled over the room and you felt your cheeks starting to heat up as you looked down at Atsumu. He seemed like he was dozing off with the way his shoulders rose and fell rhythmically with his breaths.

“Done,” you finally announced. You looked over at your phone and pressed play on the YouTube tutorial you three had found on how to dye hair at home. You were about to be first-year high school students, after all, you didn’t really have any clue what you were doing. “We’ll check it in a bit and see if we need to touch it up, I guess,” you finally added.

Atsumu let out a soft hum of acknowledgement and got up to switch spots with his twin.

As you got Osamu’s color ready you couldn’t help but glance over at Atsumu who was closing his eyes again. The sight made something erupt inside you, and you tried to push it away as you turned your attention to his brother.

“Okay,” you said and cleared your throat, “I think this color should be easier.”

You didn’t know what had come over you, but you continued to steal glances at Atsumu, and the butterflies that had swarmed in your stomach fluttered their wings every time your gaze landed on his content face.

The beginning of your first year of high school was when things really started going downhill. Well, downhill for you at least.

For the twins, everything was going up.

They were on the volleyball team for a powerhouse school, they were improving every day, and they were starting to get even more attention than normal. They were getting attention for their talent, of course, but they were also getting female attention. A lot of it.

A frown had settled on your lips as you stepped out of your classroom and into the hallway. You were supposed to meet the twins for lunch, something you’d done for years, so today shouldn’t have been any different.

But it was.

A crowd had formed in the hallway, and you already knew what it was for by the way the girls squealed their names. Your best friends’ names. You pushed your way through the crowd, finally making your way to your friends and tugging on the back of Osamu’s blazer when you reached him. “’Samu,” you breathed, and the twins turned to look at you. “’Tsumu,” you added, quickly looking away. “Uh, lunch?”

Osamu nodded immediately, and Atsumu had a small bit of decency to give the crowd of girls an apologetic smile as they returned to your classroom with you to eat lunch.

You could practically feel the dozens of pairs of eyes glaring daggers into your back, and a cold sweat rose on the back of your neck.

The routine was the same nearly every day, but you started to grow tired of the way some girls would go out of their way to pull on your hair or your clothes or attempt to trip you as you made your way through the crowd.

So one day, you didn’t.

You stayed at your desk when everyone was excused for lunch, and you silently pulled your bento out. You could hear the excited squeals coming from the hallway and you grimaced. It nearly made you lose your appetite. But you tried to ignore it, even though you were getting more and more discouraged with each passing minute that you ate alone.

“Hey,” Atsumu said, catching up to you as you exited the school at the end of the day to walk home. You were doing that more and more often recently since the twins always had practice after school, and sometimes you considered joining a club yourself so that you would be able to walk home with them again. He was already in his practice clothes, evidence that he’d run from the gym just to catch you before you left.

You looked up and gave him a small smile. “Hey. Don’t you have practice?”

“Why didn’t ya come get us to eat lunch today?” he asked with a frown, ignoring your question.

Your eyebrows raised in surprise. You hadn’t thought he cared. Besides, if they wanted to eat lunch with you, they could have just come to your classroom. “I just thought you’d come by if you wanted to eat together,” you explained. “But I get it, it’s kinda hard to ignore all that attention you two are getting, huh?” you laughed, giving him a bright grin in an attempt to hide the way you were feeling inside.

He frowned. “Yer kinda like our way of getting outa there,” he admitted with a sheepish smile, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “It’s hard to say no to them otherwise.”

You scoffed. “I doubt that I’m really your ticket out. They don’t really like me, anyway.”

His eyebrows knitted together. “Whadda ya mean?”

“’Tsumu,” you sighed with a roll of your eyes. “You’ve got a group of fan girls and every day I come and take you away from them. I’d go as far as to say they hate me.”

Atsumu let out a soft “Tch,” and crossed his arms. “Well who cares what they think? Yer our best friend. I only care about what you think.”

“Mmm,” you hummed, tugging on the strap of your backpack. You looked away from him, eyes settling on a tree at the front of the school that was swaying in the afternoon breeze. “Well, I don’t particularly enjoy having to push through that crowd every day, so why don’t you just practice telling them no? You’re gonna have to deal with this for three years, you know.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted before he could get any words out.

“Atsumu,” Suna called, sticking his head out of the doors of the gym. “Coach says to get inside so we can start practice or he’ll have you run laps.”

Atsumu sighed, shoulders slumping. “I’ll see you later.”

You nodded and started to take a few steps away from him. “If you want to eat lunch with me tomorrow, come find me. I don’t think I’ll like eating alone for three years,” you teased, trying not to let on how much it actually bothered you.

He rolled his eyes and gave you a smirk that made your stomach flutter. “As if we’ll have fan girls for three years. It’ll blow over by the end of the season, just watch.”

But it didn’t blow over. In fact, it only got worse.

And Atsumu didn’t come sit with you at lunch every day.

Osamu almost always did—you couldn’t separate him from his food if you tried—but Atsumu skipped most days.

“I think he just likes the attention,” Osamu had said one day through a mouthful of rice.

You shrugged, chopsticks pushing around the food in your bento. “I can’t really blame him,” you sighed, cheek resting on your free hand. “I just wish he’d at least tell us.”

Osamu rolled his eyes. “Ya know that isn’t like him. Hasn’t been for three years.”

“I know,” you groaned, leaning back in your chair and letting your head fall back in frustration. “I just miss him, y’know?”

“Gross,” Osamu laughed before shoveling more rice into his mouth. “Why would ya want ta spend more time with him?”

“I hope you aren’t talking about me,” Suna said as he sunk into the seat beside you.

You looked up and gave him a smile, shaking your head. “Never, I actually like you,” you laughed.

You’d become close with Suna over the last three years. It was only natural that you did, since he was in your year and the twins’ best friend on the team. He was a welcome addition to your trio.

The corner of Suna’s mouth quirked up as he got out his lunch. “Then who are you talking about?”

“Who d’ya think?” Osamu quipped with his mouth full, prompting you to reach over and flick his forehead.

“For how much you like food, you’d think you would appreciate it more and not talk with your mouth full,” you scolded, crossing your arms and muttering a quiet, “trashy,” under your breath.

“Don’t call me that!”

“Then don’t act like it!”

“Jeez, and here I was thinking I’d get a break from the Miya twins’ famous bickering. I forget you’re just as bad as them, Y/N,” Suna groaned.

“Oh, shut it, Suna,” you grumbled, shoving a piece of broccoli in your mouth.

He chuckled and looked at you with an amused glint in his eyes. “Someone’s grumpy.”

“’S ‘cause she wants ‘Tsumu to have lunch with us,” Osamu explained.

You huffed. “Is it so wrong of me to want to eat lunch with one of my best friends? This is like, two weeks in a row he’s ditched us in favor of those dumb girls,” you whined.

Suna hummed in understanding. “I think I heard one of them ask him out when I was walking here,” he said, but you didn’t even have the energy to act surprised.

“And he accepted, no?” you asked, though you were already certain you knew the answer.

“Mhm. I think that’s like the third date this week. I don’t know how he keeps up with everything.”

Suna was right. It was his third date that week. But the thing that made it even more frustrating was that you were supposed to study with the twins after school, and that meant he was bailing. Again. It was happening more and more recently.

“He doesn’t,” Osamu laughed, before going on to say exactly what you were thinking. “He never studies anymore. He’ll be lucky if he graduates.”

At first you hadn’t been concerned with him cancelling plans a couple times. Even with all the attention he got, he still hung out with you, still ate lunch with you, so it felt like you were still friends. But now you went more days not hanging out with him than you ever had. It was like he’d turned eighteen and thought that meant he could focus only on volleyball and girls, as if he didn’t have to graduate high school too.

And it fucking sucked. You were too many years too deep into your crush on him, there was no way you were going to say anything now. With the way he was treating you recently it felt like that would be the thing that would push the two of you apart for good.

All you wanted to do was keep whatever semblance of a friendship the two of you had intact, even if that meant suffering on the sidelines.

Unbeknownst to you, Suna and Osamu shared a knowing glance while you went back to pushing your food around.

“It’s whatever. I get it. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to bask in all that glory?” you sighed before sitting up straight and looking back and forth between your two friends. “I really don’t care.”

What a big fat lie.

Later that night, you were over at the Miya twins’ house studying for finals, just as planned. And as expected, only you and Osamu sat at the table.

Atsumu was out with that girl—that wasn’t a surprise at all, even though Osamu had reminded him of the study session after lunch—and he’d bailed on you for the third time that week. He told you to just go ahead with it anyway, that you didn’t have to reschedule for him. It made you so angry, especially when it clicked in your head that the only days he was going on dates were the days that you had plans with him.

Was he doing it on purpose?

You were staring at your textbook, but you hadn’t turned the page in at least ten minutes. You couldn’t focus, not when you knew Atsumu was on a date with a girl that wasn’t you. A girl he would pick over you. You shoved the heels of your hands against your eyes and groaned.

“I’m an idiot,” you muttered.

“Mhm,” Osamu hummed dismissively, scribbling something down in his notebook. That response was normal, especially when you were studying and weren’t understanding something, but today it earned him a glare. It took him a few moments to notice you were looking at him, and he recoiled as he met your gaze across the table. “What?”

“You weren’t supposed to agree, dumbass,” you sneered.

He raised an eyebrow. “I always agree with you when ya say that. You’ve never gotten mad,” he pointed out.

“Yeah but I’m obviously sad today, it’s different,” you whined as you dropped your head onto your textbook.

“You’ll do fine. You’ve never gotten a bad grade on an exam you’ve stressed over before,” he sighed, turning his attention back to his notes.

“It’s not about the exam, ‘Samu,” you grumbled into your textbook, the words muffled by the pages.

That piqued his interest. You were never one to get sad; at least, not like this. You didn’t really voice your sadness, even to him, and he was your best friend so that was definitely saying something. You always had a bubbly personality that people were drawn to, and yeah, maybe you were a little more quiet lately, but he figured it was just because of the upcoming finals and graduation. He set his pen down, stretching his arms up and then interlocking his fingers behind his head. Leaning back in his chair, he looked down at you, your face still hidden in your textbook. “What is it then?”

You were silent.

“…Nothing,” you finally mumbled.

“It’s ‘Tsumu, isn’t it?” he asked, tone even and blunt as always.

Your head snapped up, and you could feel your cheeks beginning to tingle with heat as you looked at him with wide eyes. “H-How did you know?”

He smirked and gave you a small shrug. “Well, you’ve obviously been upset he’s bailing on us. But it’s more than that, yeah?” When you just continued to stare at him in shock he sighed. “You’re my best friend. Ya really think I wouldn’t be able to notice the way ya look at him? You’re not subtle,” he teased, making your face flush hotter.

“S-So you’re saying he knows I like him?” Your head was spinning, and you could feel a knot forming in your stomach. If he knew, and he was going out with other girls, what did that mean? Did he just pity you? Did he not think you were good enough? Did he—

Your thoughts got cut off as Osamu waved his hand, nose scrunched up as he shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think so. He’s an actual idiot.”

“Oh,” you breathed, shoulders slumping as your gaze fell back to your textbook. Part of you was relieved that he didn’t know about your feelings for him, but another part of you was pained to know that you still had to hide this secret from him and watch in agony as he took countless other girls on dates.

“Ya should probably tell him,” Osamu said, looking at you in a way you could only equate to a disappointed father looking at his child.

“I think I’m good like this, he doesn’t need to know,” you said meekly, and you could feel the heat in your cheeks rising up to your ears.

Osamu scoffed, pushing his textbook away and leaning his forearms on the table. “Yer not good, Y/N. Yer hurting, and I can tell. And it’s been getting even worse lately. Just because ‘Tsumu can’t see the way ya feel about him doesn’t mean ya should just sit around and feel sorry for yerself. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”

You blanched, looking up at him like he was crazy. “I could lose my best friend!” you squeaked, making him give you a fake pout.

“Hey!”

“You know what I mean,” you hissed, covering your face with your hands. “He doesn’t need to know,” you repeated.

“Who doesn’t need to know what?”

You froze at the sound of Atsumu’s voice and the front door closing. You waited, knowing he was removing his shoes and dropping his keys in the tray by the door before making his way to the dining room where you were sitting with his brother.

“Are we gossiping?” Atsumu smirked as he sat at the end of the table, putting his hands behind his head in the way Osamu had done just minutes before. However, this time, your heart fluttered. Your gaze fixated on the way his muscles flexed beneath the button up shirt he was wearing, the way his hair fell in front of his eyes, the way—

You were staring, but Osamu interjected before either of you could say anything.

“Where’s your date?”

You sent him a thankful glance, shrinking back in your chair and pulling the hood of your sweatshirt over your head. Atsumu was to your side, so if you positioned the hood just right then he wouldn’t be able to see the distraught look on your face.

Atsumu rolled his eyes. “I dropped her off at her place. Wasn’t into it. She wouldn’t stop talking during the movie and she kept clinging ta my arm everywhere we went, and it was just—” he shook his head, a look of disgust on his face, “—not good.”

You hummed quietly, wanting to acknowledge you were listening without paying much attention to the way Atsumu talked about his date. You hated him for it. The way he would go out with whatever girl flung herself at him, even just once, without even getting to know her first. You hated the way he gave every girl a chance except for you.

Sure, you had never tried to make it obvious to him that you liked him, but surely if he had any kind of interest in you then he would have given you a chance.

Right?

“How’s studying?” Atsumu changed the subject again, and you were relieved he hadn’t circled back to his earlier question.

“Fine,” Osamu mumbled, but you were quickly gathering up your things.

You shoved them in your bag and stood up. “I’m gonna go home.” It was an announcement, but your voice was small. You didn’t even look either of them in the eyes.

Atsumu looked up at you, and you could see a hint of sadness in his honey brown irises. “But I thought ya were staying over,” he protested with a pout.

You quickly looked away from him. You both knew that he could easily get you to do whatever he wanted with a sweet lilt to his voice and a flash of some puppy dog eyes—you weren’t going to let that happen.

You cleared your throat and tugged your bag onto your shoulder. “Yeah, well… I forgot extra clothes,” you lied, and you tried to hide the grimace at the fact that they could probably both easily see through it.

“Ah, that’s no problem. I can give ya some of mine,” Atsumu said with a smile, but you shook your head. Even if you were telling the truth, that would have been so much worse than sleeping in your own clothes.

“I said I’m going home, Atsumu,” you said sharply.

He blinked, recoiling slightly in shock. You never called him that. It was always ‘Tsumu, and sometimes TsumTsum when you wanted something from him, but never Atsumu. It was only Atsumu when you were actually angry with him, which was rare.

What had he done to make you angry?

He stood from the table and looked down at you with a frown. “At least let me walk ya home then.”

“No.” You tried to be forceful, but your voice came out weak. “I think you’ve walked enough girls home for the night. Please just leave me alone.” You pushed past him, shoulder knocking against his bicep as you tried to squeeze around him in the small space.

He grabbed your arm to stop you, but he couldn’t find the words to say when you looked up at him. There was a kind of pain he could sense behind your eyes, and it made him frown deeper. Why weren’t you talking to him? He’d never seen you like this; you’d always confided in him when something was bothering you.

You pulled your arm away when he didn’t say anything, not missing the pitiful look Osamu gave you as you left the house, mumbling a quiet, “I’ll see you later, guys,” your voice trembling.

You dug your headphones out of your bag from where they were buried under the clothes that you had, in fact, brought with you. You put them on and turned your music up, hoping the noise would distract you from the thoughts swirling around in your head. It helped, but it didn’t stop the tears from sliding down your cheeks subconsciously, nor did it do anything to block out the sound of your own sobs when everything hit you at once.

You were never going to be what he wanted.

You were never going to be enough for him.

He went out on countless dates with girls he knew he didn’t even like. Osamu always insisted it was just because he needed the ego boost, but he wouldn’t even spare you a second glance in the way he did them.

To you, all that meant was that you were worse than them.

Worse than the girls Atsumu didn’t even like from the start.

And even worse than the girls he did.

How in the world would you ever compete with that?

“What’s up with her?” Atsumu asked, hands on his hips as he watched the front door close.

“Maybe you’d know if ya started acting like her friend again,” Osamu quipped, gaze settling back on his textbook.

“What’s that supposed ta mean?” Atsumu snapped, glaring at his twin. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Osamu scoffed, not taking his eyes off his notes. “Ya really are an idiot.”

“The hell are ya trying to say?” Atsumu growled, anger bubbling in his veins.

The gray-haired twin looked at his brother, eyebrow raised, unamused. As—almost—always, he was calm in the face of his brother’s anger. “This is the sixth time ya’ve cancelled on her in two weeks. Why wouldn’t she be upset?”

Atsumu sneered, crossing his arms. “Well what kind of friend is she if she can’t be happy for me going on dates? There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing!”

Osamu stood, the chair clattering and falling over behind him. It was scary sometimes, the way his face was so stoic while fire burned behind his eyes. “That’s such a load of shit, ‘Tsumu, and ya know it. What kind of friend are you to cancel on her for girls ya don’t give a fuck about?” he seethed.

“I wouldn’t go out with them if I didn’t give a fuck!”

“Right. So ya just don’t give a fuck about Y/N.”

Atsumu froze. Was that really what you thought? He didn’t think there had been any issue. You’d never voiced any concern to him, so how was he supposed to know you were upset with him?

How was he supposed to know when you were growing quieter and more distant? How was he supposed to know when you were smiling less around him? How was he supposed to know when he was seemingly blind to the way you felt about him, his gaze landing on what felt like every girl other than you?

But he did know.

He knew all too well, and all he wanted to do was run away from it.

I can open a tag list for this if people are interested! Just send me an ask :)

@kixoomi​

[prose-for-hire]

A rose between two thorns

Pairing: Spike x fem!reader; Angel x fem!reader

Request: Not requested. Been sitting in my drafts forever I wasn’t sure about posting. Reader works at Wolfram and Hart and knew Angel and Spike from Sunnydale. They’re both vying for reader’s affections but the pair soon find out her attention is elsewhere.

A/N: S5 Angel. Spike and Angel in a pissing contest over someone? Say it ain’t so. Reader is popular with men lol. Also, I’d say Spangel was subtext, but it’s just plain text really.

You noticed something was off as soon as you came in that morning. There was an unusual vibe, which, was saying something seeing as you worked at a mystical law firm. You had taken over PA duties from Harmony, considering Angel and the others trusted you a bit more than her. You were human, but you had faced anything the Hellmouth had thrown at you with the others you met in high school. You had been there at the final battle of Sunnydale, just about surviving and then moving to LA to become a receptionist. Which had been the job you had kept applying for without luck when you lived in Sunnydale. Sometimes, life does have a way of working itself out even though you might have to stake a few uber vampires or sell your soul to a mystical law firm for it to happen.

You caught Fred hissing something to Angel before leaving his office, smiling at you kindly before she left. She also stopped and pulled on Spike’s sleeve and brought him down to her lab with her, leaving you waving your good morning greeting. You went through your usual routine, eventually walking up to Angel’s office, knocking first before smiling at him, a newspaper, some files and a mug of blood in your hands.

“Hey, I’ve got the files you asked for and I warmed your blood up to the temperature you like” You smile pleasantly, setting the items down, you were really grateful to Angel for giving you a job. He had always been nice to you (apart from that brief period in high school where he tried to violently kill you). “Thanks, y/n, what would I do without you, huh?” “Probably getting double-crossed by Harmony given half the chance” You smiled and he laughed a little too hard at your flippant comment. It shocked you, his face rarely twisted into a smile let alone a real laugh. You smiled along, a little perplexed at his change in attitude. “How you doin’ then? I mean adjusting- you know, outside the Hellmouth” “It’s been okay, it’s surprisingly similar here. Kind of a home from home” You smiled as he nodded along, as if he were being given guidance from an invisible director on how to visibly show how interested he was. If you were honest, it was a bit weird, “Are you okay Angel?” “yeah- why? What’s up? Have I- are you comfortable?” “Um, I’m at work, so comfort isn’t really the main reason I’m here… mostly I come in to see your face” You joked, grinning at him as he smiled a little. He noticed you were trying to put him at ease and realised he had probably come across a bit strange.

You walked back out of the office smiling as Angel watched you walk out, mentally face-palming. His luck with potential partners had been pretty hopeless and you made him nervous in a way he wasn’t really used to. Fred had enough of him skirting around you so had given him non-negotiable advice. She told him to be kind, listen and to make sure he showed a genuine interest. 

You sat down, sifting through paperwork and trying to keep yourself away from the half-read magazine under your desk that you liked to sneak glances at when Angel was out. You were interrupted from looking busy by a British accent.

“Alright, pet? That’s a very pretty outfit you got on, it new?” Spike asked, leaning over your desk as he waited for word from the others on the latest case. He enjoyed spending time with you though, he had tried all his best lines out on you so he had resorted to just complimenting anything about you he could find.

“No, you’ve seen me in this before” You reminded him, pressing hold on a few calls. He tried to recall, a frown on his face, “That time you could walk about in the sun? I was going to a job interview - you tried to bite me and you told me I looked like a meringue” you reminded him.

“See? I even liked it then” He offered.

“You were being rude then, Spike. But thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it – really” You assured him, noticing his furrow as he thought back to how he had been before he got his soul. Angel saw Spike talking to you through the glass of his office. He groaned, knowing that Spike was trying to sweet talk you again. He got frustrated when Spike muscled in on the people he was interested in. You enjoyed the attention you got from them both, but it started to get a bit annoying when you were all in the same room. They tended to actually ignore you for each other, always trying to out-do the other. It was tiring and it distracted you from your work, but you couldn’t help still being fond of them both when you could speak to them normally. Spike had been talking and you were smiling along, he had a good sense of humour and he had been making jokes about some of the people walking past that made you snort loud. He grinned at this, segueing into what he had really wanted to ask.

“You got plans tonight then, love? ‘Cause I was thinkin-” Spike started, but Angel had come up behind him to interrupt his advances.

“Stop bothering my employees, Spike. Y/n’s very busy”

“Yeah, she’s been holding all your calls. Takes a lot out of our girl pressing buttons all day, I was thinking I’d treat her later-”

For some reason, both of them became double confident when they were together in the room, despite them both being weirdly reserved around you recently. There was a tension and both of them were competing together. Enjoying the competition more than your company, it seemed. You tuned their squabbling out, a talent that should come in your job description as you started to type up a few notes from a case.

“You know he used to parade around in an SS jacket?” Angel cut in, crossing his arms and standing nearer to you behind your desk. Spike glared at him.

“Yes, I heard when I was tied up almost choking to death – this job should really come with better health insurance”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I can look into it” Angel suddenly said, straightening up and remembering he was actually your boss.

“Don’t think you can get in her knickers just by flashing your big CEO title around and get her better health insurance” Spike warned, turning to you briefly to assure you that, “I can get you health insurance, love, just tell me where to point my game face”

“Excuse me, into my what?” Your eyes widened, it had been escalating but this was just rude. This is where you worked.

“Not now, Y/n, Spike’s being an idiot for, oh, the hundredth consecutive year of his un-life” You glared at them both, took your jacket and left to go and vent to someone in a different department. This was typical. Fighting over you as if you were some prize to be won. They like you but apparently, they were more interested in each other. You were just their most recent way to get one over on the other and make the tension almost unbearable.

You only returned late afternoon having avoided the vampires for the rest of the day. Angel and Spike looked a bit embarrassed as they saw you slamming angel’s mug on his desk, splattering blood on one of his files. Spike came into the office and the three of you looked at each other in an icy silence. They both opened their mouths at the same time, then stopped realising the other was going to speak. “I need to leave early is that okay?” You ask before they tried to apologise again. “Yeah, sure. Why?” Angel asked. “I’ve got a date” you shrugged, walking out with them both staring after you. They watched you through the glass and saw Gunn come up behind you and ask if you were ready to go. You smiled as he asked about your day with a genuine interest, listening to what you had been up to. You chatted and you even giggled a little and the vampires scowled at the way you seemed to light up in a way neither of them had been able to get out of you.

“What the bloody hell has Dr franken-chip got that we don’t!?” Spike muttered referring to the upgrade Gunn had to become a lawyer, “If I’d known that’s what she was into I’d have kept mine in a sodding jar and brought her home on the promise of touching it”

“Spike. Stop” Angel warned as they both watched you leave, Gunn’s hand on the small of your back.

“No, I mean it! What does he have!?”

“A life?” Angel sighed, before stating, “This is good. I’m happy for them”

“No you’re bloody not, Mr tall dark and forehead has to look for another chit to obsess over now”

“You’re one to talk, Spike. I found the poems you wrote” He muttered.

“You bloody git-” Spike started but Angel had already stalked out of his office to get to one of his cars before Spike could catch up to him. Spike started to follow him out before he could get much of a head-start though. How come through everything it was always each other they ended up with at the end of the day?

[lost-eternity]

Matchup Requests *CLOSED*

This was done as a trade instead of a standard match up, hence why I am permitting it. :)

Matchup for @stormra​

okie dokie I match you with...

I have to admit, this was a bit of a difficult one. It was really between Charles Grey and Sebastian. And it was close. But a few small details caused me to lean towards Grey instead of Sebby. I’ll explain why later on.

First of all, your love languages mesh rather perfectly

Charles Grey’s (inflated) ego causes him to thoroughly enjoy the praise and affection you lavish upon him

He enjoys being treated as a prince and has no inclination to returning these affections

It’s a selfish love but weirdly enough, it works

He also doesn’t give enough craps to care for society or propriety to be embarrassed or ashamed of your advances

He is quite inept at displaying physical affection and his attempts are half-hearted at best

It’s that blasted ego again

But he does try. In his own little way

He may (attempt to) awkwardly cook something for you, or more likely than not, force you to take fencing lessons

He always wins

And he goes really hard on you claiming that you would never learn if he went easy

It’s laborious and by the end of each session you are close to collapsing from exhaustion

Insert a lewd joke here, “Oh, my dear, if this is how easily you tire, I better condition you for my bedchamber...”

Yeah, it turns out he is a complete pervert sometimes

But fencing is one of the few ways he can actually express himself

Which seems a bit paradoxical if that expression is affection or love

But it is kind of cute.

He is determined to teach you, and although he may not be the most outwardly affectionate, the amount of time and effort he invests in you is enough to tell you how much he cares

He is a very busy man you know, running missions and odd errands for the queen

His free time is extremely precious for him 

So the mere fact that he is spending it with you is a lot more monumental than most people would assume

But you are smart enough to realise this

And that is one of the reasons I did not pair you with Sebastian. 

Sebastian is a lot more how shall we put it... salacious. His flirting is subtle in public but that bastard would do anything to make his lover blush, testing the limits of society and still managing to get by without being caught... somehow. It’s his way of exercising control and I think that would really clash with your love language. 

~

So,

Charles Grey is also a rather chipper fellow. 

Like "chipper" may be an understatement 

Excitable puppy man is more like it, at least when it comes to fencing... or maiming... the dude has weird hobbies

But he really understands your desire to travel. He is full of jittery energy that he uses releases running errands for the Queen, travelling across all of the UK. And really most of Europe running diplomacy missions and handling sensitive cases

He would probably be hesitant to allow you to accompany him

But you'd wear him down eventually 

Grey really understands your wanderlust, he has a hard time focusing on monotonous tasks or locations as well

So he may allow you to join him

With one *small* caveat 

You have to defeat him in a fencing duel first 

Which is absolute shit. But you understand where he is coming from.

That ego of his leads him to consider himself the best swordsman in Europe, if not the world

He figures that if you manage to strike him down then you could handle yourself with anyone 

And that is no small task

It seems entirely daunting and near impossible (which is probably another reason he assigned it)

And that brings me to my next point. 

Charles Grey needs some who is open minded and chill enough to out up with his shit

But also stubborn and outspoken enough to shut him down when he tries some spectacularly stupid

Which is why you would work well with him. Not only does your nonchalance perfectly foil his constant energy and inquisitive nature, but you also have set your boundaries and know when to shut down schemes and ideas

So yeah

You begin training extra hard

For maybe like a day

Then you give up

It's hard, everything hurts, you are exhausted, and all you MIGHT get out of it is one lousy trip

So you begin putting training sessions off

"I'm not feeling well."

"I'll start once I finish this book"

"Oooh, it's too late now"

To say that Grey would be discouraged and slightly hurt is an understatement 

His passion and life blood is fencing. He has worked really hard to get to this point and the fact that his significant other takes no interest in it wounds him

This could definitely be a point of discourse if your relationship 

But you have to remain open with each other and talk it out

That is the most important thing. Communication. And let's be honest. Charles isn't not going to say shit 

He is "too manly" or too egotistical to admit his feelings

You'd have to be the one to approach him on the matter

But I feel like you would. You are used to hearing problems from your friends. You know when something is wrong and better yet, you listen 

After a talk, he understands that it may not be the fencing specifically you are disinterested in

But you just struggle to maintain motivation 

And from that moment on, Charles Grey becomes your personal cheerleader 

He's the mom at a soccer game freaking s c r e e c h i n g and going "that's my girl!" whenever you win a match

He takes pride in all he does, and he is proud of his protégé

He never allows you to lose motivation and is (annoyingly) insistent about the fencing 

Which again, could lead to some arguments if you resist

But he is doing it from a place of love because he can see how miserable you are cooped up in the same place

He knows you

And finally, the day arrives that you set to duel Charles Grey himself. If you win, you get to attend some of his missions with him (others are too sensitive to risk being seen by a civilian)

You are understandably nervous, but also introspective. Honestly it is probably a tidal wave of emotions far too complex to convey with words

But ill try 

Let me just....

This morning was like most mornings.

A heavy fog blanketed the docile countryside, most animals just began to shake off the effects of the previous night's slumber. 

Commoners rose with the peeking rays of the sun, beginning to perform their routine tasks before the last of the fog had been burned away by the heat. For most people this day was completely, utterly, ordinary.

But not for you. 

This day meant everything. This day meant your freedom. 

You had risen before even the sun, shedding your skirts in exchange for ivory fencing gear, exchanging your fan for a rapier and your hats for a meshed mask. This had been your life for the past year, and would continue to be so until your final breath.

But today. Today was different. 

Today determined your future. And quite frankly, your sanity. 

And all you had to do was defeat your lover in close quarters combat. A monumental task in-of itself. Half of your acquaintances thought you mad, the other half patronized you, treating your struggle as a desperate cry for attention. They simply couldn't understand why a lady would go through such trouble as to challenge the country’s greatest swordsman. A woman's place was in the house, and in home is where she is complete. Why would she bother her pretty little head and sully herself in the wretched world around her? That was a man's job, such trifling affairs should be of no concern for a lady.

"She is odd, that one." They would say. But they didn't understand, how could they? 

Raised under the constrictive hand of the patriarchy, they were forced into complacency. A complacency so culturally ingrained that they themselves never sought to question it. Or, those that did often keeled to the whims of man's iron fist in fear of social ostracism and reputational backlash. 

But you were different. 

From childhood you felt the pangs, the longing to not only see but experience both the beauty and sorrow of the world around you. To learn and ingrain yourself with the cultures, to explore every nook and cranny of your planet. You could never understand why those around you seemed so content with living and dying inconsequentially, never experiencing the midnight sun or the sweeping winds of the steppe. Dying without ever truly living. Merely existing in their self-made reality, completely ignorant to the bright, beautiful world around them.

Why stay put when you can travel?

Why exist when you can live?

These questions, along with the persistent voice of your instructor (and fiancé), kept you focused and motivated. All of that training, all of those hours of arduous, grueling work had lead to this moment.

You stood within the fencing hall, the lack of bodies usually present caused the room to echo with each clicking foot fall on the tile floor. It was wide, empty, and entirely unwelcoming. It felt like a stranger to you, despite the year of training you had completed within its walls. 

Before you stood a similarly dressed figure, its face obscured by the dark meshing that covered the helmet. 

It was entirely impersonal.

A faceless enemy in a sea of a faceless crowd. 

But you knew better. His posture was all too familiar to you. The slight tilt of his head, the pitch of his shoulders, the strangely comforting steady hand in which he held his weapon. This was your lover, Charles Grey. And your opponent. 

It was definitely surreal. He rarely ever wore his mask in training. The absence of his characteristic gloating smile and talkative nature felt almost lacking. It was rare that he would be so quiet... so solemn. But he was just as aware of your current situation as you were. And how much it meant to you. 

Without a word, he raised his weapon and the battle commenced. 

It was an intense battle

With every blow he performed, your parried and dodged

With a feline grace, you danced up-top light heels, twirling and spinning in an almost melodic fashion 

Metal clashed against metal, each crack ringing through your ears

You had trained enough with him to know that he had a tendency to leave his left side unguarded and exposed

But he also trained with you to know that you can forget to guard your knees

And as the minutes tick by, marking one of the longest conflicts you had ever had with him, exhaustion sets into your bones 

And you falter

The blow is lightning fast, you hardly have a chance to comprehend his movements 

But his hips are besides yours, his knee hooked behind your leg. 

He pushed you backwards with his forearm, causing you to fall backwards, only to trip on his knee and slam against the ground

Something cool and metallic is pressed to the back your neck

You don't need to look to know it is the rapier and that you have lost

The sound of you two's laboured breaths echoes through the empty chambers

Several seconds tick by as the two of you gather your thoughts 

...You... lost

You finally turn yourself around, noticing that Charles had removed his fencing helmet

Damp silver hair sticks to his forehead, matted and plastered across his face

For a moment, a look of sorrow flickered across his handsome features, only to be replaced by that typical cheeky grin

"You lost, luv. Better luck next time, eh?"

You never really had much of a plan

But seeing that smug expression kicked your instincts into overdrive

With one fluid scissor sweep, you dislodged his balancing, a well-placed kick aiming where the sun don't shine toppled him over entirely 

And then he was on the floor next to you, his face contorted in an express of pain 

You were quick to discard his weapon and straddle him, keeping his wrists pinned above his head to the floor

"Lesson one: never trust your opponent"

You parroted this line to him, one he had told you many of times

He only managed a pained grunt in response

Chuckling, you apologized with a chaste kiss which he all too eagerly accepted 

He was probably just being theatrical to get more kisses

You did not have much time to ponder the situation before a polite round of applause erupted from a nearby alcove

You nearly jumped out of your skin

You did not notice the shawled figure, cloaked in all black, like a walking shadow 

The figure took a few steps forward, emerging to the light 

And that is when you realized who it was

Queen Victoria herself

By her side, astute as always was the man you practically considered a brother 

Charles Phipps

By now, you were extremely aware of the suggestive position you were in

Straddling Charles Grey, your hips against his, his wrists clasped tightly in your hands and pinned above his head

And oh, gods that insufferable smirk with which he was regarding 

"As you can see, your majesty, my darling is highly... proficient." Grey practically hummed

You quickly scrambled to your feet, unsure how to handle yourself in the presence of a queen

Turns out, Grey had invited her to witness your duel in hopes of securing you a position under her employ. Either as an emissary or housekeeper. 

According to Phipps, She was quite impressed by your performance, even though you lost

The only other person she had seen to be able to keep pace with Grey was Phipps... and a certain blonde who shall not be named

And that is the story of how you became the head maid for the Queen herself and an emissary on par with Grey himself, running missions as a husband-wife warrior squad, haha

~

You two probably met in an odd way

I’d say for a fact that you were attracted to Sphere music hall

It’s like that place was made for you

Semi-modern concert style music hall which people hailing from all backgrounds and classes intermingled together in harmony

Divinations and readings were done for free and in return, each patron was given a bracelet depicting their star sign. 

As a matter of fact, a lot had to do with the star signs. 

Meditations were conducted in between hours and food served

It was a really great place to go, somewhere you fit it because you had always been an outcast

Forced to keep your craft a secret in fear of retribution from the church, you usually made coin as a street performer and singer

It was not a lot, but it was certainly enough to keep you off the streets

Unfortunately that also meant you were constricted to the same place

Your family had consistently tried to marry you off to some rich white dude

Well, rich(er)

But you did not want to be wife and then a stay at home mother

That was somehow worse than your current situation

Also your opinionated and confident demeanour often scared off potential suitors

It was a serious problem because apparently women were supposed to be soft spoken and weak. 

But you on other other hand, never showed weakness

It was far too “masuline” apparently

So you decided to strike out on your own and try to make it as a singer

Easier said than done

In the music hall, you truly felt free to express yourself

Its charismatic leader put major emphasis on the stars and night sky, he was extremely introspective and the two of you instantly hit it off (I considered matching you with Blavat instead of Grey but I kinda feel like you two would work better as friends)

You were completely enthralled with his demeanour and exuberance

And you consistently attended the hall as it was the only place you felt you truly belonged, no one casting judgmental stares, no whispers behind your back, and most of all, you felt a sense of camaraderie that you have never felt before

And as a result, you fell victim to the cult

Initially, the Queen garnered concerns over the existence of this Music Hall and the traction it was gaining. As a result, she sent out her very own Charles and Phipps to scope out the place before sending word to Ciel Phantomhive

Infiltrating undercover as guests, the Queen’s handy butlers began an inspection of the area

There they ran into you

Literally

You were in the middle of entertaining a small portion of attendees with a song at the behest of Blavat himself (he was actually looking to hire you as a backup singer for the Starlight Four but you were not aware of this)

You were reaching the crescendo of your song when a drunken man slammed into you

You uttered an apology but he seemed rather intent on making himself a nuisance

“Watc’ yaaaa, yaaa stoopid *hic* bitccccc”

You took a few steps back in response as he staggered forward, raising a palm as if to strike you

Before you could react, a flash of white covered your vision

A man stood before you, sword drawn and dawned in a blindingly white coat

Silver tresses rolled down his back, as he glared up at your attacker from behind attractively long lashes

How he managed to sneak a rapier into the party was completely beyond you, yet here he was

“Now, didn’t your mama teach you manners?” He cooed, a slightly maniacal smile across his lips

“Yoooou wanna go?” The man sneered, “I can tak *hic* you pwetty boooy”

Of course, this scene began to attract attention

The murmurings and pleasant violin music had all but stopped as thousands of eyes turned to face you

Blavat had to step in, nervously defusing the situation

He had the drunkard escorted out and moved to confiscate the weapon from the white-clad man only to get the think pointed at his throat

“A man’s worth is in his sword. It would be cruel to take that away from him.”

You were entirely unsure if he was being literal or making a dirty innuendo with that statement

Regardless of his intentions, he was promptly thrown out as well

Much to the chagrin of a separate, similarly dressed man who seemed down right exasperated with his partner’s trigger happy (blade happy?) tendencies. 

You decided to follow this peculiar stranger out and thank him for what he did

You found him trying to crawl through a window, seeking re-entry into the part.

“Uh, excuse me...” You called to him as he fiddled with the lock on the window. You had no idea how he managed to climb up that high in such a short amount of time, but he had perched himself rather precariously on the window sill.

“Not right now, luv.” He called back, “I am busy.”

“I just wanted to thank you for what you did back there. I could have been hurt.”

He paused, not once looking back at you. “Right. Who are you?”

You were rather taken aback

He literally just saved you, how could he not remember you?

“Look, if you aren’t going to pay me the mind to even look at me, I won’t take the effort to thank you.” You huffed and turned to walk away

“I wouldn’t go back there if I were you.”

His voice caused you to halt in your tracks. You spun around to stare at him incredulously. “Excuse you?”

God, those silver eyes were breathtaking as he gazed at you, practically oozing with a feline grace

“Those people aren’t good people.” He stated in a matter-of-fact tone

“Oh? And what do you know about them?” You retorted defensively

“More than you, obviously.” He finally managed to pry the window open. “Her majesty has good instincts. She knows this place is dangerous, else-wise she wouldn’t have sent me.”

And with that weirdly convoluted and vague sentence, he slipped back inside and disappeared

You were left to ponder the meaning of his words

Her majesty?

This bloak knew the bloody Queen?!?!

What else did he know?

What could possibly be so bad about the hall?

You decided to call it quits early that night to process. You never thought you would ever see him again, or so you thought

~

You had been doing your research, sticking your nose in places you probably should not have

Blavat, someone you once considered a close and trusted friend almost seemed menacing to you

And he definitely picked up on your closed off body language

But you knew that something fishy was going on during those “private” events. Only specific people were ever invited (AKA not you)

It all just seemed really sus

And you were determined to find out

So you snuck in

Having spent many hours in the hall, you were aware of certain passages and entrances that others were not

And you were able to sneak in without much issue

But you weren’t able to see much

A heavy smoke filled the air, smelling pleasantly of posies and roses

Your eyes began to droop and heaviness set into your lids

And you fell asleep

You woke up, with the concerned and slightly perturbed face of Blavat staring down at you

Well, shit... busted

“We had a nice thing going, y/n. And you just had to ruin it.” Blavat stated callously. “You know those events are private.”

And with that, you were barred from entering the music hall... permanently

This was definitely rather devastating as it was the only place you could truly be yourself without fear of rejection of prosecution

But now you were more sure than ever that something was amiss in that hall

Why else would they be so strict?

You were probably only left alive because they knew that whatever gas they used to put out those in attendance also affected you before you could see anything incriminating

And so you began trying to locate that mysterious man in white 

He seemed to have more answers than you did

It did not take long to figure out his name and occupation. Charles Grey. Butler to the Queen herself

He must have been quite the impressive butler to be going out on scouting missions for the Queen and not just serving tea

Regardless, gaining an audience with him was nearly impossible 

So you would just have to attract his attention...

Somehow

Given his affinity towards sword fights, you were sure that a loud brawl outside the palace itself would almost certain garner his attention

The real question was, where in the world would you get people foolish enough to pull such a stunt and risk getting arrested

Sooo, maybe not that

You might have to work backwards

Ask around and find those that may be acquaintances with him

Which was a lot harder than it looked

It took days of searching, but you were eventually sent to speak with a mortician who according to your contact “knows everyone who is no one”... whatever that meant

It did not take too long to find out

This mortician was... eccentric to put it in the most polite of terms 

But he was definitely connected with Britain's underbelly 

Which you assumed is where the “everyone who is no one” comes from

You came in hoping to pay him off, to which he blatantly refused, instead asking for you to make him laugh

Which was an odd request but one which you were willing to comply if it meant breaking the case

You spent hours trying different tactics to no avail

Until you sang a very dirty and very perverted song (Most likely “God’s Loophoel”. Yeah, actually don’t look that up, it is exactly as it sounds)

He seemed to enjoy that far too much as his cackles were absolutely thunderous

In tears, he kindly revealed to you that he was familiar with this Charles Grey and could pull a few favours to get you in contact

But he never said when, nor did he ever say where

But he did ensure word of your snooping reached the ears of Charles Grey who surprised you in your own home whilst you were halfway dressed

He initially was very cross with you poking around, scolding you and chastising you saying that it was “no business for a lady”

But you shut him down pretty quick

And afterwards, the two of you hit it off and decided to make evening tea on Sundays a staple thing

Grey would inform you about the progress of the Sphere Music hall and in return, you would keep well away from it

It worked out for the two of you

But word of your sniffing around had also reached the ears of one certain earl and his own demonic butler

I would be careful about what questions you ask and where you poke your nose

We wouldn’t want it to get bitten off, now would we?

this was a lot of fun to write, I hope you enjoyed reading it, dear. Let me know what you thought

[flickityfics]

Don’t Play With Fire, Chap 7 First Day of Work

Um..to answer your concerns Sokka there's no need to worry. This may embarrass you to read but its all perfectly normal in women's body. The throbbing and slick you've mentioned is from arousal and the ones you mention that come randomly isn't always arousal but the way the body is trying to self clean or protect your genitals from tearing and dangerous bacteria's. Sometimes your vagina can even..well for lack of a better word let's just call it sweating, so for example say you're moving around a lot and you feel you're self dripping but its a different feeling from arousal just hot and a wetter feeling which again all normal, if you're feeling uncomfortable just wipe yourself and go through the day. I'm Glad you're taking my advice seriously and it's good to hear you're doing well with your situation. So far I haven't found anything about body swapping? gender swapping or transference of any kind I'm so sorry. Just keep staying low and being careful, we'll figure this out soon.

                                                                                                                                                              -Suki

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Sokka, It's great to hear from you! We're still putting up fliers of Appa around Ba Sing Se and looking all around places. Toph and Katara are always fighting though, Katara won't let us play our tricks on anyone or even explore or relax, its all work work wor-  

                                               Anyways Sokka you better be pulling your weight and not having Suki cleaning up after you and do try to stay out of trouble okay, I do worry you know, we miss you a lot.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  -The Gaang

Sokka laughed hard seeing Toph's lone foot print right underneath his sister's and Aang's writing, seeing that told him more about her than words ever could. He really missed his family/friend group. Before he could get any sadder he folded the letter and stuffed it in his pack heading to work, he'll write a responding note later tonight.  

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Sokka was full of energy heading towards his new job. He's curious to know how different it'll be from the other ehem manlier jobs he's done. 'Honestly how hard could a girl's job be? Katara complains all the time but I bet she was just being dramatic'  he figured. With everything double checked and his breakfast packed he went out for the semi-long walk to work.  Upon arriving to the building, Sokka went straight through the door finding the elder lady waiting for him.

"Hi, so what will I be doing today?" He asked with all the enthusiasm he could muster.

"We start by checking our list of customers who dropped off their laundry, with the other workers we'll go wash together then hang all the laundry to dry and fold, lastly we pack and send out the clothes." she explained.

"Alright sounds easy enough." Sokka followed along as she gave him a tour of the place and areas he'll be needing to know.

After a few tiring hours did he have breakfast, the work ended up more tiring and tougher than expected but he got the hang of it pretty fast and turned out he was the fastest and strongest there which turned out some of the girls didn't like. On his first day an older girl by few years was sabotaging all his work trying to get him trouble and after explaining that to the elder boss lady was he able to stay working. 'women are crazy, guys just nod at each other, find their spots to work, get paid then leave without any word to one another'  He couldn't believe how cut throat it was working as a girl alongside other girls. Just a few more hours and he'll be able to relax and enjoy Zuko's company at the Jasmine Dragon, 'oh my god I didn't just think of stupid fire bending Zuko as nice company?! I've got to get a hold of myself, I'll just blame this dumb girl body and girly brain, ick .'  He mentally shook himself from the strange feeling that came over him towards another guy.

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Sokka came through the door of the tea shop dramatically falling in the doorway trying to catch Zuko's eye. He spotted Zuko in the kitchen and waved to him obnoxiously, he could honestly say he liked the perplexed and fearful look in the other boys face from the scene he was causing. Walking towards the kitchen, he sat himself down waiting to tell Zuko about his day.

Since Zuko looked like he was trying to ignore him, he caught the uncle's attention instead, "Hey old man when's the jerk's break?" To other's he may seem like an uncouth girl but he really didn't care for appropriateness right after work.

"You can't talk to him lik-" Zuko was just about to rant when he heard his uncle guffawed loudly.

"Oh nephew don't worry about my feelings, I love this young lady and her wily ways, its quite refreshing from your gloomy moods." he expressed. Zuko could only scoff at his uncle's slight rub towards him.

Sokka stuck his tongue at Zuko watching as he just rolled his eyes in return.

"I'll let my dear nephew  off for the rest of the day. Please take him away and show him how to have fun for once in his life." His uncle practically begged.

The two conspired against Zuko and all he could do was hang up his apron and get dragged by Miyuki's whims, he'll never admit to either of them that he likes getting pushed around, he'll keep that to the grave.

"Great! Let's get a table, I've got tons of stuff to share about my day." He grabbed Zuko by the arm and lead him to a free spot.

Sokka waited to be settled at the table, ordering before turning around to unleash his rant. He was weirdly giddy wanting to tell Zuko about his day.

"You won't believe my day." Sokka shook his head tiredly, "So I get there, the boss lady is nice but oh man some of those girls are mean. I had one try to sabotage my work by telling me to place stuff in the wrong place and they're very particular about where things go so that messed me up some. The washing part was tougher than I thought, I had to wring and scrub the clothes til my fingers cramped and wrinkled, ugh it was tiring. Drying was easier and folding strangely calming, the whole clean-up routine was just easy and besides the rude girls, I liked the job overall and think I can stick with it." He ended with a flourish, elbows on the table smiling at the fire prince, laughing internally with Zuko's stoned-face reaction to his long-winded story.

"Sounds like a frustrating day to me, welcome to the job world I guess." Sokka could't believe Zuko's flippant reply, he honestly thought he would be more caring to his woes and again what's with himself wanting Zuko's sympathy?

"Excuse me, that's funny coming from someone whose probably never had a hard labor job before. I'm guessing you had it easy since your uncle was able to provide you one. You don't know the struggles of running around and being told flat out no or when you finally get lucky it only lasts for so long before you're replaced or treated like crap and running yourself exhausted for people who don't care but keep abusing you til you can't go on anymore." Sokka had no idea why he was throwing everything at Zuko. His emotions just started bursting maybe its the way he knows Zuko's privileged, entitled fire prince jerk that he is has everything handed to him and  just pretending to be undercover as some regular civilian to get to Aang. He could only huff in annoyance at himself and Zuko for letting his emotions get the better of him, he decided it was just best to stay quiet and not look at Zuko lest his hostility for the guy becomes more prominent.

"Well, I do find serving customers and cleaning after everyone frustrating and tiring most days. I've been assaulted by older women pinching my bottom cheeks, jealous boyfriends harassing me when their girlfriends try to be flirty at me, even got some few girls who stalked me for quite some time or the rude customers I hate who are disrespectful to me but mostly my uncle, I just want to burn them to a crisp, nobody disrespects my uncle and his beloved tea shop in front of me. I actually do know how hard laborious work can be especially with not much help and little pay." Zuko looked at the girl in front of him with all the openness he could muster. He knew she had it rougher than him but it wasn't like he didn't have his own hardships, they were just different from hers.

Sokka huffed in annoyance even more hating being so temper mental while Zuko explained himself calmly and free of judgment for his part. 'why am I such a child?'  he thought lamely.

"Ugh, sorry for being rude, I guess I'm more annoyed at the fact that I got turned down for most jobs just because I'm a girl. I know I can do the tough jobs, I've done them before and I like working hard and with my hands so it makes it more frustrating not even giving me a chance just by one look at me." He drummed his fingers nervously on the table still embarrassed about earlier.

Zuko couldn't help finding Miyuki's mannerisms and  temper cute, just seeing her emotions displayed out in the open and being ridiculous was refreshing and exciting to witness. Most of his life was closed off of emotions and barely a few months now he's been trying to open up to his feelings, they were scary but freeing and seeing Miyuki so unafraid of her emotions filled him with more confidence each day.

"I get it and if you'd like something more.. uh manlier to do, I can train you in dual wielding after whenever you'd like." He offered.

"Oh? Is that a date dear Lee?" Sokka jumped on the chance to embarrass him, something about seeing Zuko so flustered had him feeling awesome. He liked being back in control and harassing the poor teen.

"Ugh no, if you don't want the training then I won't bother." The tips of Zuko's ears went red as he looked glaringly at Sokka.

"Nooooo, I want the training really." To soften the blow of annoying Zuko did he mentally shrug and go for a kiss to the bender's cheek. He gasped in total surprise as he felt heat around his lips and a waft of what could only be the fire bender's particular scent, it was in his nose so thickly and strangely addictive he wanted to keep his nose to the other's cheek and soak it up forever even be mixed in it. 'What 's wrong with you?! Why are you smelling another dudes scent, stop! Stop it nooooow!'  he couldn't believe how soft a cheek could feel and was that a bit of scruff he felt, it felt so rough on his lips he actually didn't like that. Finally did he pull away and hope to agni the shudder he felt coursing through his body didn't show outwardly.

Zuko was surprised from the peck, it happened so fast but had him feel deeply warm from such a sweet kiss. "Um, how uh- or I mean.. What else did you like about the new job?" Yeah, his brain was done for.

Sokka rolled his eyes playfully, "How bout we talk more about it on the way to walking me to my place?" He held out his hand nervously.

"Okay." Zuko agreed grabbing her hand walking out the shop and down the familiar path to Miyuki's place.

The two caught up with each other's day, some more teasing, awkward flirting and plans for the next time they meet unaware of the mischievous moonlight's gaze upon them.

[animeniacss]

A Palette of Emotions - Artist!Taehyung x Teacher!Reader - Chapter 23 - Coming for a Visit

Synopsis: Taehyung dreams of being a professional and famous artist one day, but finds that the sea of creativity can be lurking with blood hungry sharks, as well as bland, motionless starfish. Swimming through the sea of opportunities somehow washed him up onto the shore of Bright Star Preschool, as an art teacher. This wasn’t where he expected to be 4 years into his career, but anything to get his big break though, right?

Feat. BTS, TXT, ITZY, Jisoo (BlackPink), Taeyong (NCT)

Genre: Romance, Slow Burn, Love Triangle, Drama, School Setting, Working!AU

Length: approx. 5.2k words

Chapter 23 - Coming for a Visit 

Taehyung took the entire day off from work, and god did he forget what it felt like to be unemployed! He forgot what it felt like to sit on the couch and not have to worry about getting back up to sprint to the station before missing the train to work. He had long since forgotten the feeling of falling asleep on his couch in the middle of the day, waking up when he felt like only to retreat into his bedroom and do the same thing. There was a time when Taehyung did this almost every day, and damn well enjoyed it. But now? He had only been home for barely half of a day and he wanted to rip his hair out! Time ticked by as if it was being drowned in molasses, each second that passed felt as if an entire eternity flew by. Jimin had stayed until the final train departed, but even then, Taehyung wasn’t advised to watch TV, for fear it would hurt his eyes – which it did – but that just left Taehyung laying in bed with ice on, his phone shuffling his musical playlists as he lied like a stiff rock against a bustling stream. 

When Jimin finally left, it only got worse. Jimin put prepared food in the microwave for Taehyung to make as needed, and he did, standing silently in his dark kitchen, the faint glow of the microwave light enough to give his head a dull throb. 

“How was I so used to this all the time?” he groaned to himself. “And I have to stay home again tomorrow? As if…” When the microwave beeped, Taehyung pulled out his slightly toasted leftovers and plopped himself down at his kitchen table. Taehyung set the slightly melting bag of ice on the table, and the sensation that came with the removal of ice just left Taehyung feeling some sort of numbness. He ate in silence, the only noise coming from the shuffled playlist he had left on his bedroom dresser and didn’t pick up, in fear the light would blind him and cause the pain in his head to swell once again. “I can’t wait to go back to work.” Hearing himself say that made him almost laugh, and he leaned back in his seat. “Never thought I’d hear myself say that one…” 

The food alone was enough to make him sleepy. Or maybe it was the sense of doing nothing that tired his body so much, it felt as if he had run a marathon somehow. He headed back into his room, closed the door behind him, and fell asleep to the sound of the music playing faintly in the background. 

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“Taehyung will be out for a few days, hm?” Namjoon asked you the next morning. You nodded as you took hold of Kai’s belongings, setting them into his cubby as he ran off to his friends. It was overcast today; both you and Hoseok making the executive decision to greet the children inside. 

“Oh, yes. Luckily, the concussion was pretty mild but Seokjin said he should take a few days and then get clearance from the urgent care to come back.” Namjoon nodded, fixing his glasses. “Thank you for helping him yesterday. I’m worried, I’ll admit. He got hit really, really hard. Plus, the back of his head hitting the pavement?”

“He’s lucky he only got out with a minor concussion,” Namjoon said simply. “Jimin said when he went to visit that Taehyung spent most of his time resting in bed, so I’m sure he will recover soon.” You nodded. 

“Thank you again.” You smiled up at him. Namjoon nodded, feeling his cheeks heat up as he stared at your smile. He nodded, stepping back a bit. He misgauged his step, bumping into the corner of one of the tables, and wincing. “Ow.” You chuckled. 

“Not you too. Everyone needs to stop getting injured.” Namjoon smiled at your comment. 

“Well, if it means you’ll be around to take care of me, I might not be able to pass up the offer.” Namjoon cooed. At that moment, time stood still. You felt your ears get hot, and you had to cover your mouth with your hand, quickly averting your eyes. Namjoon smiled a bit, before glancing behind you, in the direction of his son. He saw a glimpse of Kai sitting and coloring with a few friends. However, he also saw Hoseok looking directly at him. Despite wearing a bright yellow and blue work apron with the school’s name on it as well as a smiling sun, and what seemed to be a colorful shirt behind it, Namjoon had to admit that he was spooked when he saw the dark, intense stare looking back at him from across the room. A hard gulp went down his throat, but the glare remained. When he blinked, he hoped that alone would remove the image of a scary Jung Hoseok from his view, however, he had no luck. He was still there, glaring in disapproval at Namjoon’s comment. “Uh…sorry.” Namjoon chuckled shyly, finally glancing back down at you. “I’ll see you later.” 

“Bye.” You choked out, forcing you to nod your head politely. Namjoon smiled, stepping backward and turning on his heel, exiting the room. A shaky sigh escaped your lips, and you could feel your heart pounding in your chest just thinking about Namjoon’s comment. 

Was he trying to gain some kind of advantage without Taehyung around? You thought to yourself. No, he doesn’t seem like that kind of guy. But still, he could have worded that differently!

“You okay?” a high-pitched voice hummed from across the room. You turned your head to see Hoseok walking over to you, a calm smile on his face. When he saw you nod and smile back, he grinned. “Good!”

“I think I’m going to visit Taehyung today.” You said softly, and Hoseok’s grin faltered slightly. “After school, after we clean.” Hoseok nodded. 

“Okay, that sounds nice.” He smiled happily, and both of you got to work cleaning the kids up and getting them to their seats to prepare for the upcoming day ahead of them. 

The entire day, you felt a bit weird. At first, you thought it was because of Namjoon’s flirtatious comment, but it was soon you realized what was truly lingering in the back of your mind. You and Hoseok both noticed it walking to and from the gym area, when you turned in the direction of Taehyung’s art room and poked your head in the little window that looked inside. Hoseok was sure to make note of it, but you only brushed it off with the simple comment that ‘it’s been a while since the room was uninhabited like this…’ 

That comment was true, sure, but the idea that Taehyung wasn’t right down the hall, ready to engage in playful banter or calm conversation sat weirdly in the pit of your stomach. Even if he was here, and neither of you shared a glance, knowing he was just down the hall gave you comfort as both a coworker and a friend….

Friend. The word friend was never really a term you thought you’d use to describe your relationship with Taehyung. Even now, you weren’t sure if you wanted to continue using that label in the future. It was all too much, and you knew going to visit him may just complicate those feelings stirring up in the cauldron that is your stomach. However, you wanted to, if for no other reason than he was a coworker…and a friend. 

“You want me to come?” Hoseok asked curiously as he watched you slip your jacket on and pull your hair out and over your shoulders. 

“No, I won’t be staying long. I just want to go and see if he needs anything for the next few days.” Hoseok nodded. 

“Okay. But if it’s to bad to walk home with the weather, call me and I’ll come get you, okay?” You nodded, smiling as you gave him a jovial tap on the back. 

“Bye.” You waved, before heading out the door and in the direction of the train station. As you walked, you felt your hands rubbing together frantically. You weren’t nervous, you’d been to his house already. However, they felt empty, as if something was supposed to be clutched inside of them, and without that something, it felt incomplete. 

As you walked to the station, you passed a bakery, and immediately knew what you could do to fill up your hands upon arrival at Taehyung’s apartment. 

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“I can’t believe a swing hit you in the head. Were you even paying attention?” Taehyung scowled at the condescending tone that came through his speakerphone, dripping from the tongue of his one and only mother. 

“I was. I looked away for a second.” He scoffed. Mentally, he was cursing Jimin for telling his mother about the injury in the first place, because now he was stuck being reprimanded, which Taehyung would argue was worse than the actual injury itself. 

“Right, okay.” His mother scoffed. “You’re lucky Jiminie told me what happened. I cannot believe you would hide such a serious injury from your mother.” 

“Well gee, Mother.” Taehyung began. “I just speak to you so often nowadays that our routine conversations were already so jam-packed, I couldn’t fit it in.” His mother once again, let out a scoff. 

“Don’t have an attitude with me, Mister.” She demanded. “Maybe that clock to the noggin was enough to knock some sense into you. You won’t be going to your little art show coming up, now will you?” 

“What?” Taehyung forced himself to sit up now, and turn to his phone that sat on his dresser as if his mother could see his movements. “Mom, I’m still going. Besides, the show isn’t even for my work. It’s for the kid I’m teaching.” 

“A preschooler?” 

Taehyung snorted at his mother’s attempt at a joke, though he wasn’t the least bit amused. “No Mother, a high schooler I met who babysits one of the kids I work with.” 

“Right, right. And you think that’s a wise choice to go when you’re so fragile?”

“It’s a minor concussion, not a gunshot wound,” Taehyung said simply. “I need to go. I’m getting a headache.”

“Mm…” was this the only thing his mother said. Taehyung sighed, quickly hanging up the phone and falling back onto the bed. His head once again, had a dull throb, one that beat between his eyes like a painfully melodic drum, and it made him groan. Painkillers only did so much for him, and the ice was starting to hurt more than it was helping. As lied there, eyes closed and mind trying desperately to find somewhere else to go – anywhere but here where this dull pain lies – he heard a knock on the door. “Okay, who is that?” He grumbled. Peeling himself off of the bed like a sticker that had been pressed down a little too tight, he dragged himself into the main room. “Coming.” He called, before walking to the door. He opened the door, looking down to see you were staring straight ahead. “Oh…” he blinked. “Hey.” Greeting him with a smile, you raised your hands and held up to show a small, wrapped box of snacks. 

“I brought you some dessert.” You said happily. Taehyung accepted the box, holding it in his hands as he admired the white and pink trim, and the cursive written name on the front. “Just something I passed on the way here.” 

“Wow, thanks…” he said. “Do you uhm…want to come in?” You nodded, and Taehyung led you inside, closing the door behind him. “How’re things without me?”

“The kids miss you like crazy.” You admitted, turning to him as you stepped further into the house. “They keep asking when you’ll be feeling better.”

“Soon, hopefully.” He sighed. “I never realized how boring it can be sitting home all day.” 

“God, I’d kill for a day like that.” You admitted, and both of you laughed. “I’m glad you’re doing better, though.” Taehyung nodded, rubbing the back of his head. “Do you need me to do anything while I’m here?” 

Taehyung cocked an eyebrow at the offer. “What? No, I’m just fine.” He hummed. You pouted, unconvinced. “I think everyone is taking this a bit too seriously. I’m okay.”

“You hit your head pretty hard. I think you should still take it easy for another day or so.” Motioning to the couch, you smiled. “I can make us tea or something, and we can have a snack?” Though your voice was gentle, there was a slight firmness in it, the teacher-voice peeking through to say that Taehyung really did not have much of a choice. He sighed, sitting down on the couch and turning the TV on. He closed his eyes, only listening to the sounds and not looking directly at the light because he knew the minute he did, his head would start to hurt again. Instead, he turned his head to the kitchen, watching as you headed in. He could only see a small portion of his kitchen from his spot, so occasionally you would pop from behind a wall with the tea kettle in hand, setting it onto the stove to heat up. While you waited, he watched you shuffle towards some of the cabinets, opening them to try and find the cups, and the tea bags. “I hope you like muffins. I heard these from the bakery are pretty good!” 

“Sounds good.” Tae’s eyes fell towards the box that he had placed on the coffee table. The idea that you had brought him a snack on top of visiting him when he was injured made his heart do backflips inside his chest. The idea that you were inside his kitchen making tea with the intention to take care of him…well, that just made him want to ascend to the highest plane of heaven. 

It wasn’t long before the tea was done, and Taehyung watched you come back beside him with two cups of tea. You set it down and quickly scurried back into the kitchen. A bit more fumbling occurred, and Taehyung could hear plates clattering together. Moments later, when you arrived with two small plates, he had to chuckle in amusement. 

“You thought of everything.” He said in amusement, leaning back to watch as you sat down beside him. He was quick to flip open the box of muffins, immediately hit with a warm smell of various scents. Chocolate chip, blueberry, oatmeal raisin, banana nut, every flavor that poked Taehyung’s nose buds only made him happier. “These smells so good, wow.” He gasped, quickly grabbing the chocolate chip muffin. You watched him rip a piece off the top and pop the snack into his mouth. Hearing the sigh of relief made you smile in content. “Yum.” He was quick to pass the box in your direction. “Have one.” He said though it sounded more like a playful demand. Without hesitation, you reached for one of the muffins and quickly took a bite as well. “Thanks for these.” He said again. 

“I didn’t want to show up empty-handed.” You admitted sheepishly, smiling. “Besides, clearly it’s cheered you up.” You said happily. Taehyung nodded. For a few moments, the both of you sat and chatted about the past two days at work, what has happened and how the kids have been. You were quick to share a funny story regarding art that had Taehyung suppressing a laugh. 

“Come on, please tell me you’re kidding.”

“No! This is what I made!” You had to lower the brightness of the phone, but you still showed Taehyung the picture of the paper plate fish that the students were supposed to model. “And I thought I could use the glitter but…” Quickly swiping to the next photo, Taehyung snorted as he looked at a picture of Yeonjun and Ryujin sitting in a pile of sprinkled glitter as if it was some sort of colorful snow. Hoseok was taking the picture because you were too busy frantically panicking in the background of the photo. A few other children’s various limbs and heads poked into the picture’s edges, but Yeonjun and Ryujin were the main focus, in all of their chaotic glory. Taehyung had to snort again, quick to zoom into your face in the back.

“This is classic, wow!” You felt your face get hot and you pulled the phone away from the giggling Taehyung. 

“Alright, alright…” you chuckled. “But other than that, it was a pretty peaceful day.” Taehyung snickered again, covering his mouth and looking away. You leaned back, taking a long sip of your tea as you waited for Taehyung to stop his little giggle fit. “I’m so…so sad I missed that.” 

“Well, here’s to coming back soon.” You smiled happily. Taehyung looked at you, and just one glimpse at your sparkling face made him break out into his own grin. 

“You shouldn’t smile like that around me.” He admitted, eyes cast down to his lap. You could see his cheeks dusting pink, as well as the tips of his ears that poked out of his hair. “I can’t focus my brain too much on painting right now; gives me a headache.” The sudden comment made you smile a bit, and you popped another piece of your already half-eaten muffin into your mouth. Taehyung glanced over at you quickly. “Sorry, was that too much?”

Immediately, you remembered Namjoon’s comment from earlier in the morning, and your smile wavered only slightly. Taehyung seemed to notice and quickly turned to face you. “Was it?” he asked again, softer this time. His deep voice made your heart speed up, and you had to look down at your hands in a desperate attempt not to lose your cool! 

“N-no!” You assured quickly. “It was cute.” Wanting to assure him that was true, you looked up at him and smiled. “You know it flatters me that you like to sketch and paint me.” Taehyung nodded. 

“I know, but since you told Namjoon and I that you wanted time to-.” Taehyung’s lips immediately pursed, and his lips tightened, brows furrowed together as he seemed to quickly lose himself in thought. “He hasn’t tried anything funny, has he? Without me around?”

“Uh…n-no.” you said quickly. “Well…” you sighed. “He kind of made a comment like you did; unintentionally. And, as you did…he apologized for it because of…you know…all of this stuff going on.” Taehyung nodded. There was a question Taehyung had brewing in his chest, one he had wanted to ask for a while but was too scared of the consequences if he did. Taking another look at you, he watched you reach down and grab hold of your teacup, taking a sip. 

Now is as good a time as any. He thought to himself. I should ask…

When Taehyung began speaking, you quickly looked up at him. “Has he kissed you yet?” The words practically fell out of his mouth, so quickly in fact that you had to go back in your mind and play them over again. Taehyung ran a hand through his hair, holding it in his dark locks as he waited for an answer. “You two have gone out together a lot more than we have…so I just thought that-.”

“Yes.” You said quickly. You could see Taehyung’s chest expand and decrease as he took in a deep breath, and you had to chew on your lower lip a bit. 

“Oh.” He hummed, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “I figured as much.” You watched him slowly rest his head on the back of the couch, closing his eyes. “I thought somehow I would have been the first one. Guess I’m at a disadvantage there.” His eyes cast over to you, and he smiled. 

Trying to diffuse, the situation before the somber tone in the room began to set, you smiled. “You wouldn’t really want to kiss Namjoon. He doesn’t seem like your type.” Taehyung’s tongue poked against the inside of his lip, and both of you began to laugh, the noise brushing away the somber cloud above your heads like light winds pushing away the dark, stormy clouds in the sky. 

Taehyung snickered a bit, rubbing his temple. “Fuck, my head is killing me.” He grumbled. You quickly rose out of your seat, smoothing out your skirt. Taehyung glanced up at you. “Hm?”

“Where’s the ice packs and pain killers?” You asked curiously. Taehyung motioned to the kitchen, and you only smiled. “Wait right here, okay?” Before Taehyung could even nod his head yes, you headed into the kitchen once again, taking your empty teacup with you to set in the sink. In the freezer, you grabbed an ice pack and wrapped it in a cloth, along with the pain killers that sat right on the counter. When you headed back into the living room, Taehyung had already lied himself down on the couch, closing his eyes. “I’m starting to think this concussion was a bit more than just minor if it’s still hurting.”

“Minor head injuries are still pretty severe.” Taehyung pointed out, his eye-poking out from behind the arm he draped across them. You handed him the pills, which he quickly took, and followed with a sip of his tea. You knelt down on the side of the couch, gently moving his arm and replacing it with the pack. Taehyung let out a deep exhale as the cool sensation of the pack raced across his body, and you simply chuckled a bit. 

“It’s not that bad. Don’t be dramatic.”

“The cold is never going to be something I get used to.” He admitted. Once again, you couldn’t help but giggle. “Thank you for coming to see me, though.” He cooed gently. “It made me feel a bit better today.” 

“I’m glad I could help.” You responded. “But I should probably go. Namjoon told me about Jungkook’s first art show, and I know you’ll want to go too, so rest up!” Taehyung nodded, watching as you turned around to grab the rest of the empty dishes, Taehyung tried to stop you, insisting he would do it later, but you would have none of it, and carried the plates into the kitchen, giving them a quick wash and setting them in the proper cabinets. With all of that set, you headed back toward Taehyung, who was standing up, the ice pack still pressed firmly to his head. “Hey. You need to-.”

“Let me at least walk you to the door.” His plea sounded more like a statement, and you pouted a bit but decided not to argue it. The both of you made your way to the door, and you slid on your shoes as well as your coat. “Get home safely.” He stated simply. You turned to him and nodded, smiling happily. Taehyung blinked, watching as you slowly buttoned up your coat, your eyes focused on what seemed too small and slightly difficult buttons attempting to fit into even smaller holes. It made him chuckle. 

“I wish I could kiss you right now.” Taehyung thought. 

Well, he thought he had thought. As a matter of fact, the minute he saw your hands stop mid-button, he knew that he in fact did not think those words in the safety of his mind, but instead said them out loud. In the open. In front of you. You turned to him, and that was when the panic set in. His face heated up, and no amount of ice could ever cool him down. “I mean, I mean I….” 

“…Really?” you asked softly. Taehyung blinked. “Do you mean that?” 

“…Yes.” He said softly. “I do.” You let out a gentle breath, and Taehyung once again felt like it was time to panic. However, this time, no words wanted to come out. He stood like a deer in headlights, and at that moment, he felt like he was dreaming. 

“…Okay.” You said softly. Taehyung blinked, not even realizing that his hand holding the ice pack loosened, and dropped to the floor. “Maybe I shouldn’t, maybe this is wrong of me, but….” You looked at him, and as he stared at your bright eyes, he felt his heart swell. “Okay…” Taehyung stepped closer to you. 

“Are you sure?” he asked. You nodded, continuing to look up at him. Taehyung could see some of the space between the two of you closing, but he couldn’t tell if he was the one closing it, or you were, or both. However, that was the last thing on his mind. He felt as if he was going to wake up any second, in his bed, his head pounding tirelessly as he came to reality with the fact that this was a dream.

But it wasn’t a dream, and Taehyung had to bring himself back to reality at that moment. He looked down at you, staring at and admiring all of your features up close. The way your nose curved, the way your eyes sparkled even in the dimly lit room, the way you chewed your lip, just as outwardly nervous as he was right now. He couldn’t wait any longer, and he quickly leaned in to plant a kiss on your lips. He had no intentions for it to belong, or intimate, but he wanted it to mean something. He wanted you to be able to remember it. 

The moment you felt Taehyung leaned forward and press his lips against yours, you weren’t shocked like you were with Namjoon. You weren’t completely thrown for a loop; you weren’t taken by surprise. Despite that, at that moment, you felt your stomach doing flips and jumps into your throat. Your heart was pounding in your ears, your knees were feeling weak. Everything in that moment felt…different. It felt good. You didn’t know where your hands should go at first, gripping tightly onto your jacket. However, when Taehyung’s hands lifted up to cup your cheeks, your hands followed suit, resting on top of his. There had been a few times Taehyung had taken your hand, but only now you found yourself really getting a feel for how big they were in comparison to yours. Before you could begin to feel exactly what they were like, Taehyung pulled back a little bit. He was far enough to allow you both to breathe but also close enough to keep you in his optimal line of vision. He could see how flustered you had become, and he knew he looked the same in your eyes. 

A breathless chuckle managed to escape both of your lips, mingling together between you. Despite the distance between you, Taehyung’s hands were still holding your cheeks, and your hands resting on top of them as well. 

“...I should get going…” you said softly, finally taking the moment to step back. Taehyung’s hands fell to his sides and you quickly finished buttoning up your jacket. “I’ll see you in a few days.” You smiled sweetly. Taehyung nodded, waving you off as you finished gathering your belongings. With one final turn to Taehyung, you nodded your head politely. “Bye.”

“Bye…” Taehyung hummed, waving you off as you headed down the hall and towards the elevator. Taehyung waited until you were in the elevator, doors shutting behind you before he even remembered to close his own door. When he was alone in the apartment, everything hit him all at once. His legs had finally relaxed, unknowingly being stiff the entirety of the kiss, and as soon as they relaxed, they gave out on him and sent him onto the floor. His back rested against the wall, and he was quick to cover his face with his hands and felt a grin break out behind them. He could feel that dull, monotonous pain in the back of his head once again, but this time, he could barely focus on it, because the pounding in his heart was far rougher. 

In the elevator, you were quick to collapse into a ball, hugging your knees as you clamped a hand over your mouth. You felt your heart pounding in your chest, in your ears, in your brain. It felt like at any moment, it would explode out of your body and you had no way to bring it back in! You thought about what had just happened, about the feelings mixing up inside you, about what on earth these feelings meant for the future. 

You were wondering if what happened only made your decision harder…or a whole lot easier. 

----------------------------------------------

“I can’t believe it!” Jungkook gasped, looking around him at the wide-open park. Today was the day, his very first art show that was not at school, and he was pumped! The park was filled with other individuals who were trying to sell their hard work to others, trying to pique someone’s curiosity and be able to send someone home with a fun piece of furniture to talk about to their guests. People were hoping to get noticed by a big shot art producer, like they do in the movies, and go on to live a life as a wealthy artist, the very dream! Jungkook couldn’t really care about that last part, he was just excited to be here, with his art as the focus of his venue! He quickly turned to Taehyung, who was approaching him with a map in his hand and dragging a small cooler that had waters and snacks inside for them. “I’m so excited! We’re finally here!” 

“It’s exciting.” Taehyung hummed, fixing his glasses. He had recovered from his concussion a few days ago and had gotten permission to return to work as soon as he was ready. And boy was he ready! He wanted to go back as soon as possible, especially now, at the promise of getting to see you again. He’d yet to get the kiss you both shared in his apartment the other day out of his mind, and the idea of seeing you again only excited him more! However, he knew that was something he needed to worry about another day. Today was for Jungkook and his art, not Taehyung’s puppy love. “Okay, so where are you supposed to be set up?” 

“Oh!” The young boy’s eyes sparkled as he pointed down one of the paths. “This way!” Taehyung nodded, smiling as he followed Jungkook into the park.

While the two of them were preparing, several people were gathering around to see what people had to offer this time around, their wallet jingling with won in the hopes that they’ll find something today that will make their house feel a little more like home. Or at the very least, a cheap impulse buy that they can take home and show off for no reason other than “I thought it was cute!” Tons of people were there, and you were no exception. As you stepped in front of the entrance, surrounded by people, you took a deep breath. You hadn’t seen Taehyung since you were at his house, so the idea of possibly running into him made you feel nervous. A supportive tap came onto your shoulder, and you turned to see Hoseok, his blinding smile as wide as ever. 

“Ready?” He asked. You nodded. 

“Yeah, let’s go!”

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[seriouslyhooked]

The Same Soul 8

Available on FF Here and AO3 Here. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7.

Our world AU where Emma and Killian knew each other as teenagers. Killian was sent to spend a summer with family in America. He met foster kid Emma while there. They fell in love but then he was forced back home and she couldn’t take the memories so she ran away, trying her best to move on from the dreams they’d always hoped for. A chance meeting brings them back together years later, and this time nothing and no one will keep them apart. Rated M.

A/N: Hey everyone! After waiting for my inspiration to strike again with this story, I have been on a relative roll and it feels so good. The cuteness continues in this chapter, and we’re hitting a major milestone too. As such, we are edging ever closer to the end of this story. Honestly, I would say there’s only two chapters left, one of which will likely be an epilogue. That being said, I hope that you guys will enjoy what I’ve done in this installment. As always, I would love to hear what you all think and I thank you so much for your continued support and kindness!

God, to think, even a month ago, that this would be my life. I’d never have believed it.

Emma smiled at the thought as she moved about Killian’s kitchen, bringing together the few needed ingredients to put together this morning’s pancake mix. She might live on her own, but Emma always took pleasure in the little things, and a home cooked meal was one of those investments that made a huge difference in her day. Making something for herself was a powerful experience, but making something to share that she knew would be appreciated was even better, and in about fifteen minutes or so, Killian would wake up, wrap her in his arms, wish her good morning and marvel at these pancakes before eating damn near every one. She chuckled at the thought, knowing that, if habit held, Killian would put away at least six of these bad boys, as well as tons of bacon and eggs, praising her and thanking her endlessly all the while.

It was surreal to comprehend all of this – her and Killian, back together again, and not just reunited, but happy and domestic. This was becoming a routine. Lazy Sunday mornings at one of their places had been going six weeks strong, and they followed Saturday day and nights spent almost exclusively together. On Sundays, Emma weirdly woke up with the sun and Killian had a tendency towards sleeping in, a total reversal of the rest of their week. Not that Emma was in a hurry to leave. She always spent a little time in bed, just enjoying the feel of Killian holding her tight, and only when nature called did Emma sneak out of his arms, throw on one of his t-shirts, and get ready for the morning.

With anyone else, establishing a routine like this, especially so early in a relationship, would be impossible for Emma. Routines involved counting on someone and trusting that they would come through. For everyone else, that trust was hard earned and seldom given, but with Killian things were different. Emma had believed in him and given him her heart so long before, and now that he was back it felt natural to hand them over without any more muss or fuss. Having overcome her worries early on, she was now committed, all in in a way one had to see to believe. It was miraculous really, and yet Emma didn’t go too deep into why or how. Overthinking was the fastest way to heartbreak, and instead she was doing everything she could to make this work and treasure every moment she and Killian had together.

With thoughts of the two of them dancing in her head, Emma kept pouring batter and flipping cakes, monitoring the other pieces of their meal, but largely focused on the pancakes that would take center stage. She made one and then another and another until the plate was piled high with golden circles of deliciousness. Then when she was nearly finished, and thinking that it might be time to wake Killian up, he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and breathing her in. Emma sighed happily, closing her eyes for a moment and soaking this sensation deep into her soul before twisting in his grasp and smiling at him. His hair was disheveled from sleep, his eyes still a little dazed, but he was handsome as ever. Her hand came up to cup his cheek, brushing against that extra bit of scruff that had appeared overnight and she couldn’t help kissing him. She went for something quick, but when she tried to pull back, he demanded more and she melted against him. Soon everything else was forgotten and Emma had only one thing in mind, but before they could get there, Killian ended the kiss, grinning at her as he pressed his forehead to hers.

“I’ll never grow tired of us being like this,” he murmured, his eyes flicking down to her lips, as if he was tempted to taste her all over again. Still he held back, glancing at the stovetop and shitting off the gas before her last pancake could burn. “Will you ever wake me up and let me help you with all of this?”

Emma shook her head and bit her lip to keep from grinning too widely. He had asked her every weekend to wake him up so he could help, claiming that he loved this thoughtful breakfast, but that it was too much for her to take on herself. Emma didn’t agree. She was totally willing and able to make them a meal to share like this. Besides, this wasn’t a totally selfless act. She got to enjoy the food just as much as he did, and then after, when they were finished, Killian would pull her close and drag her back to bed, determined to remind her of what kind of morning they could have when they did wake up together.

Trying to hide the flush that came to her cheeks would be useless. She was blushing and there was no remedy, especially not when Killian grumbled out a heated promise that he’d ‘satisfy her soon enough.’ Yet despite the butterflies of anticipation, she ate her pancakes and fruit with total contentment. This was easy and relaxing, peaceful in a way she could never have imagined, and somehow, through some beautiful twist of fate, it was becoming their new normal.

“So, you never did tell me if you had any plans today,” Emma hedged, when breakfast was done and they’d brought all the dishes back to the kitchen. In a lightening fast move, Killian reached for her hand and then pulled her flush against him, leading her back to the place in the world she loved most of all.

“That’s because I don’t. The only thing on my agenda is spending every moment with you that I can. Aside from that, I have no wish left to fulfill.”

Emma’s heart warmed at his words which were genuine and real. Everything he said was big and bold, but he never exaggerated. That was what made Emma feel so safe in this relationship. Killian felt so much and he candidly showed her the extent of his emotion. He loved her deeply, and even if they went years apart, she knew he had loved her since the moment they met. Her hand raised to his chest, her fingers tracing above his heart, as she relished this feeling of total and complete connection. Closing her eyes she let out a deep, contented sigh, thrilled at the idea of having another day with Killian with no cares or worries to be had.

“Actually, I stand corrected.” Emma raised a brow at his sudden change of tone. “I do have plans. Plans to keep you in bed and in my arms as long as humanly possible.”

When he swept her into his arms Emma laughed, letting slip a sound of shock that melted into pure excitement. She loved when this part of him came to the forefront, controlling and needy and demanding. He was the sweetest man she’d ever met, but he was also the sexiest, and when he flipped that switch to claiming her… God, she almost fanned herself just thinking of how it would be. In seconds she was riled up, desperate for what was coming, and then a knock sounded at the door and both of them froze.

“Are you expecting someone?” Emma whispered, as if the person on the other side of that door could somehow hear her.

“No, love. No one even knows where I live. Well, except for work and -,”

“Open up, brother! I know you’re in there!”

“Liam?” Emma and Killian both asked at the same time, and now her pulse was racing for a different reason. Oh shit – his brother was here? She’d never even met him and currently she was… Emma yelped. Jumping down from Killian’s arms and trying to get away. She was wearing nothing but his t-shirt and here was his brother come to visit! Oh God this was a nightmare.

“Emma, love, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was even in the states, never mind coming here.”

“I believe you,” Emma said, but she felt antsy now and desperate to get dressed and appear more presentable. She had imagined the moment she would meet Killian’s brother a thousand times, and it was safe to say none of those imaginings were anything like this.

“It’s going to be all right, Swan,” Killian said, kissing her quickly and staring into her eyes with an intensity she had to accept. “It’s sudden, but we were always headed to this. I love you for now and always. You’re a part of me, and so is Liam. It’s only right two of my favorite people should finally meet.”

Emma smiled despite her fear and nodded. “Okay. I’ll be quick.”

“Take all the time you need. You know I’d wait forever for you.” Emma stayed wrapped up in him for another moment, but then another knock sounded at the door.

“Killian! You better not be sleeping! Damn, just our luck, we surprise the lad and he’s dead to the world.”

“We?” Emma mouthed to Killian as another voice in the hallway responded.

“Give the boy a minute, Liam. He’s likely… tied up at the moment.”

“Uncle Benjen,” Killian said with a grin though his eyes still shone with confusion and Emma groaned. Tied up? Oh they totally knew she was here. God this was embarrassing!

Before she could wallow any longer though, Emma moved into the bedroom, locking the door as she heard Killian open his apartment to the family who loved him. Immediately Emma could hear the happy greetings said between them, and as she changed into clean clothes and tried to brush her hair she did her best not to panic. It was going to be okay. Kilian loved her and she loved him, and that would be enough. She could impress his family. At least she hoped she could.

Gathering her courage, Emma exited the bedroom and made her way to the living room where Killian stood with two men who looked so strikingly similar it gave Emma momentary pause. The younger of the two was Liam, and immediately Emma knew that he and Killian were brothers. They carried themselves the same way, though Liam was much taller, and when they both saw her and smiled, they mirrored each other so acutely. Then she saw Killian’s Uncle and she was shocked. He looked so young still, or maybe he was just aging very well. Either way it felt that looking at this man was getting a snapshot into what Killian may be like years from now. He obviously took care of himself, probably staying away from rum and dessert and any other vices one could have, but even in his age he looked youthful. Perhaps it was the mirthful glint in his blue eyes, that matched his nephews in every way.

“Liam, Uncle, this is Emma,” Killian said, coming over and taking her hand as he smiled at her lovingly. “Emma, this is my family.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Emma said her voice soft but steady as she relaxed in Killian’s hold. “I’ve heard a lot about you both.”

“Not nearly as much as we’ve heard about you, I’m sure,” Liam retorted with a sharp laugh. Emma reached out her hand to shake his, but he disregarded it, pulling her in for a giant bear hug that left her somewhat pressed for breath. “Now where the hell have you been all these years, lass?”

From the corner of her eye, Emma could see Killian looked stricken, but she just laughed, knowing Liam’s words were harmless. When he let her go she shook her head and shrugged, playing it cool. “Oh you know, around.”

“Well I’m glad he finally found you.”

“Me too,” Emma replied honestly before turning her attention to Benjen. Just like Liam he pulled her in for a hug, but this one was gentler and felt more like a father’s embrace than that of a rowdy older brother.

“You’ll have to forgive our informality, lass. It feels like you’ve been one of us a long time. A missing member of the family.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say,” Emma whispered, trying her best not to get choked up.

“Well don’t get used to that. We Jones men are hardly known for being sweet,” Liam said with a grunt and now Emma laughed, knowing he had to be kidding.

“Is that so?”

“You doubt me, lass?” Emma shook her head no but it was hard to keep a poker face. She found it too funny a concept.  

“Ah give her a break, boy. Can’t you see they’re in love? What is love if not a bit of sweetness?”

“Always the poet,” Killian replied to his Uncle, before pulling Emma in and kissing her temple. “Now then – just what the hell are you two doing here?”

Liam and Benjen quickly told them the whole tale, about how Liam was here on business, having given up the British navy for the chance to have his own security company. He was meeting with an international client here in the city, and on a whim had mentioned it to Benjen. Since the man was now retired, he was eager to come and see both his nephews at once, something he hadn’t been able to do in many months. And they were also both eager to see Emma, since Killian spoke of little but her and their lives back together again.

In the end, this was really the only day they’d have the chance to spend quality time together. Liam had a week filled with business, and Benjen was headed back to his estate near the coast tomorrow morning. It was just a short, spur of the moment surprise, and at first Emma wondered if she should let the three of them spend it alone, but that idea was quickly thrown out. Half the reason for their being here was to meet her, and to finally understand why Killian and her had shared a love for so long, and though Emma was a bit shy in the face of such an examination, she knew it would all work out, and that these men were all kind and good and without judgment, something she truly valued.

They spent the day moseying about the city, playing tourist in a place Emma had come to know so well. With the job that she had, so much of her time was spent looking for people and for clues, and to do that effectively she’d seen every corner of this city more than once. Along the way she found diamonds in the rough, and more than a few real gems scattered in amongst the more popular tourist dives. Her knowledge of the landscape gave her a chance to guide others in the things she loved most about this place, which she never got to do on a normal day. Feeling like an expert was a heady thing, it made this place feel more like home, and as the day went on, she watched as all of them took in the most beautiful parts of this city, many of them hidden from the guidebooks or any average tour. They filled the day with sight-seeing, new experiences, and a lot of laughter. Killian and his family never met a joke they wouldn’t tell, and Emma couldn’t remember having such a good time. It was so easy and light, and by the time the sun was setting, and the day was drawing to a close, she was sad to see it over, wishing, as so many people often did, that Sunday would last just a little bit longer.

Eventually they made it back to Killian’s apartment, where Liam insisted on cooking them all a meal truly fit for a king. He was a wonderful cook, and required very little help, but Emma did her best to chip in. Soon enough they ate, enjoying the food and the company in equal shares, and when it all was over, Emma made her way into the kitchen to prepare some dessert for all of them as a last little hurrah.

“Okay, now that she’s gone – what the hell is your problem, brother?” Liam asked and Emma stilled, hearing his words as if he spoke them right beside her thanks to the acoustics of this house.

“Liam, keep your voice down,” Killian whispered and now it was harder to hear. She knew she should stay as she was, offering them better privacy, but curiosity got the better of her, and she moved over towards the wall, giving herself more of a chance to overhear.

“She can’t hear me, and if she could why should that matter? I’m not saying anything bad about her. I’m saying you’re a fool.”

“Watch it,” Killian replied with a low warning tone.

“I will not. You’ve got a rare bird in there, Killian. A woman like that doesn’t just stumble into your life over and over again, and here you are wasting your chance.”

“I’m not wasting shit,” Killian said, and Emma agreed. After all, they saw each other ever day. What more could they really ask at this point?

“Tell him, Uncle Benjen,” Liam said with a huff, and Emma stood there transfixed and trying to anticipate what Killian’s brother was getting at.

“She’s a hell of a woman, lad,” Benjen announced, making Emma’s eyes water as he said it with such conviction. “But you know that already. It’s why she never left your heart.”

“Not for one second,” Killian agreed.

“So I believe what your brother is trying to say is, what the hell are you waiting for then? Put a ring on her finger and make her yours. You find the woman you belong to and you tie her down. Any sane man knows this.”

“I want to. More than anything, but it’s too soon -,”

“You’re not serio-,” Liam tried to get out but he was cut off.

“Liam,” Benjen said with stern warning, and Killian’s elder brother went quiet.  “Excuse my crass American turn of phrase, Killian, but bull shit. You’ve only just told me that the love you carry for her has been here for years, aye?”

“Yes.”

“And it’s clear as day she feels the same. So spare yourselves the heartache and ask her. You of everyone should know how rare these chances are. Would you ever forgive yourself if it slipped away?”

“No. But I’ll never let that happen. She’s never leaving me again. Never.”

Emma finally managed to pull herself away from where she’d been listening and she found herself filled with hope. He wanted to marry her? He truly saw forever together? What a wonderful thing to know, and how amazing it felt to realize that he felt as much as she did. Was it crazy to move so fast? Maybe. But hell if she cared. Killian’s Uncle was right. They were living through something most people never had a chance at. Finding love like this once would be a blessing, but finding it again when all hope seemed lost? Well that was just a fairytale. Except for them. For them it was real, and knowing that, Emma didn’t want to wait. She never wanted to take this for granted. Every moment mattered when so many moments had been lost. She wished she could tell him that, but it wasn’t yet the time do so.

As she brought the dessert back into the dining room, she made sure to make a lot of noise, announcing herself so they didn’t know she’d heard them. They were all very complimentary of the cake Emma had raved about, but Killian was quieter. He kept hold of her through dessert, always touching her leg or her hand, and never wandering far, but she could see that he was troubled. No doubt the conversation she’d heard part of was weighing on him, and even as his family made their goodbyes, he was still tense and strung tight.

“Emma, I can truly say it has been a pleasure,” Liam announced as they were slated to leave, wrapping her up in a big hug again.

“Same here, Liam. Hopefully you’ll be back soon?”

“You can be assured of that,” he said with a grin before going to speak to Killian. At that moment Emma felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked back to Benjen whose blue eyes had grown soft and thoughtful.

“I always prayed that somehow Killian would find you again, lass. I’m very glad that those prayers were answered.”

“Me too,” she whispered. “Sometimes I wake up, convinced this is all a dream. But it’s real.”

“Aye, as real as love can be, I suspect,” he quipped before patting her hand lightly. “See that you take care of my boy, Emma. Nothing in the world he needs more than you and your love, and I can tell, it’s the same for you.”

Emma nodded that it was before bringing him in for a hug, noticing that Killian had missed their little exchange. She was almost remorseful that he had. Surely that would have calmed him some, to know that she was in this too, but as his family left the apartment, leaving she and Killian alone, Emma could sense that he was troubled.

“Killian?” she asked, waiting for him to look at her while he hesitated for the first time in all the weeks they’d been reunited.

“I love them, truly I do, but right now… right now I’m so bloody mad at them I could scream.”

“Mad? Why would you be mad?”

“Because they came in here, took one look at you and saw exactly what I do. They saw you’re brilliant and beautiful and too damn good for me, and they…”

“They what?” Emma prodded, stepping to him and trying to console him though she felt her heart might climb out of her chest.

“They scared me, Emma. They took the goodness I was feeling, they took my peace and they shattered it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I was never the same without you, love,” he said, and her throat tightened at this emotional mention of the past. “When you were gone, a piece of me went with you, never to return until I found you once more. I did my best to survive, but I wasn’t living, not really. Finding you again has given me everything I want. All I ever asked for was to see you again, to prove to you that I was worthy and that what we had was right.”

“You didn’t have to prove anything,” Emma assured him. “I knew you were my soul mate, Killian. I never ever doubted that.”

“I swore to whoever is up there listening that I would never ask for anything again. If I could have you, I’d be content for the rest of my days.”

“But you’re not?”

“No, I am,” he promised her, cupping her cheek and gazing at her with complete assuredness. “God, Emma, I’ve never been so happy, you know that. Being with you like we have been these past few weeks, I’ve gotten back to who I was. I feel like the whole and complete person I always thought I could be.”

“But you want more,” Emma said, finally understanding what he was getting at. “More than just what we are right now.”

“Aye,” he said, looking almost ashamed at how much he wanted her, which made no earthly sense. “And that’s why I’m mad, Emma. I need to take this slow. I want to make sure that you feel as secure in this as I do. It doesn’t matter that I want to marry you, have kids with you, build my life with you. Until I know you’re ready, I can’t -,”

Emma realized this was the kind of moment where words would fail. She could never tell Killian how misguided his worries were, but she knew that she could show him. Pulling him down for a kiss, she poured herself into this embrace, sharing everything with him and hopefully nullifying the fear and the anger that had swept into their world once and for all. By the time they broke apart, Emma could sense his calm returning. He looked at her, with eyes that shone with heat and impatience, but still he waited for her to make the next move. As ever, he was putting her first, and now it was her turn to show him that he could do that and have everything he wanted.

“Marry me,” she said, less an ask and more a hopeful demand. “I promise you it’s what I want. The time is right, right now. I don’t want to wait. I’d marry you tomorrow if I could, but there’s that pesky thing called work we both have to get to.”

“Damn Sundays,” Killian said, but the words had no real conviction as his smile appeared and he nodded.

“Is that a yes?”

“Technically you never asked.”

“Oh, right. Killian Jones, will you -,”

“Wait!” he said, interrupting her thought as he moved to take a little black box out of his pocket. Emma’s hand came to cover her mouth as she let out a gasp. He had a ring already? But how?

“I’ve been carrying this with me since the morning after our first date, love.”

“You’re kidding,” she said. Oh my God he was serious! But that was so dangerous. There were so many places he could have lost it. Someone could have taken it. They could have…

All her thoughts flew from her mind as she felt him take her hand and watched him get down on one knee. Tears stung at her eyes, but she smiled, doing her best to memorize every bit of this, so she had this memory forever.

“I know you meant to ask me, Emma, but the thing is I’ve been dreaming of this day since I was a boy. I always pictured more than this, with flowers and romance, but sometimes when it’s right, you know. So, Emma Swan, will you make me the happiest of men? Will you be my wife?”

“Yes,” she said, watching as he slipped the gorgeous ring on her finger.

And with that, the two of them celebrated this next step in their lives, knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that this was truly their forever, and that they never again would suffer the fate of two souls ripped apart when they truly are one.

Post-Note: So there we have it. I cannot believe this story is wrapping up, but at the same time it feels right to really close out this AU. As I said there are still two chapters left, ones I hope you will enjoy. My goal is to get them up and published in a timely manner, but realistically speaking I am in the homestretch of my final year of school, so god only knows when I’ll really get to write. I do have a bit of the next chapter crafted, and some mixtape chapters done though, so there’s more cuteness on a number of fronts still to come. I have also begun (as some of you know) to create a new AU that will likely come in late spring or early summer, but I want to make sure I see this project  through and have written it all before I allow myself to follow a new story. That being said, I truly hope you have all enjoyed and I thank you for your continued support. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend and see you next time!

[hanalwayssolo]

more of sam drake and darcy please? 1, 3, 18, 38, 39, 40!

Hi!! Oh god here we go again, I’m so sorry for missing this!! This is a bit lengthy so ahhhh I’m sorry for getting carried away!!

1. How do they fall asleep? Wake up? Any daily rituals? 

Sam tends to fall asleep while reading; Darcy is the one who usually pries it out of his hands and sets it on their bedside table, and then she rests herself on his chest to sleep. I know how this might seem so uncomfortable, but weirdly enough, he is quite comfortable when she sleeps on his chest, anything that lets him hold her close. And when either of them wakes up far apart, they always tend to scoot back to each other. 

As for daily rituals, Darcy does this really thorough skincare routine every night that Sam enjoys watching. He finds this like some sort of sorcery. At some point, she drags Sam to do it with her, and he obliges out of curiosity. Turns out… it’s a whole lot of fun. (He’s even managed to do his own research that he learns which skincare products he can get for her, and for this Darcy is surprised and immensely grateful.)

Putting the rest under the cut! (Because there’s one question that is too smutty, so heads up kids)

Send me a ship and a number and I’ll tell you

3. Are they open about their relationship? How do they feel about public displays of affection? 

I hope I’m understanding this question right because I’m going to take this as something that is not being in an open relationship, which is a very different thing, but rather how comfortable they are being together and with other people knowing that they’re actually a couple. So. 

When they first started dating—and by first started dating, I mean when they first came across each other sixteen years ago in that fateful London gig—they weren’t really high key announcing that they were seeing each other, but their loved ones knew that something was going on. No one could believe they actually got together because they have been at each other’s throats from the very first time they met. Sully was the only one who sensed that these two idiots will fall in love with each other sooner or later, and goddamn he was right. 

At any rate, Darcy’s family knew about Sam and already had the chance to meet and get to know him; besides, he took great interest in apprenticing for Darcy’s mother, Greta, who was a renowned archaeologist who had worked with his mother. (Sam did not know this at the time.) Nathan and Sully knew about them, too, and Nathan often teased how they fight like an old married couple. However, the two of them had little grasp as to how serious Sam really was about Darcy. When Sam decided to stay behind the UK after their gig in the meantime, they both thought it was solely because of the apprenticeship Greta had offered him to take under her tutelage. (Nate was offered a place, too, but he had other plans.) Little did they know that he really was staying for Darcy. (Nate would only come to find out about this part sixteen years later, when Sam revealed that he lived with Darcy for a year until Nathan called about a significant lead on Henry Avery, which then reunited them both to Panama. Though this is all a story best saved for a different time.)

Meanwhile, years later after they have reunited and Sam is working hard to win her back—and he does win her back—they started seeing each other in secret because they couldn’t quite know how Darcy’s kids would deal with this lmao

18. What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?

Their dates are mostly going to galleries and museums, and dinners to their usual cafés or restaurants. On special occasions, Darcy likes taking Sam to art events and historical sites that are not open to the public (perks of her job and having an archaeologist for a mother), while Sam enjoys taking her to the beach or on a road trip to the countryside. But their most favourite really is their museum dates. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s where they get to trade stories and get to talk about their shared love for history and culture while poking fun of completely lewd paintings and statues. And they do take a break from each other’s company, too. Sam knows and is completely aware of how introverted Darcy is, so he respects her need for space from time to time.

38. What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do? 

They are a mess in the bedroom, and by mess, I mean they can go from soft and sensual to rough and fuck-your-brains-out kind of lovemaking in the next. It’s like flipping a switch: one minute Sam is all vanilla, but then Darcy says something explicitly dirty—which she rarely does, so this always takes him by surprise—like “you make me so dripping wet,” or “god, you are just so big inside me,” and he just fucking loses it. As for what gets them turned on, Sam just really likes it when he sees Darcy in her lingerie, or if she ever wears his shirt; meanwhile, the way to Darcy’s wetness is with words, so she really likes it when Sam talks dirty, a game in which he is far more superior. (He does it even when they’re in public, or while buying the groceries, or while casually taking a walk in the park that Darcy hates Sam for it because she cannot deal being so hot and bothered in broad daylight, for fuck’s sake.)

Also, they’re creative and adventurous in giving each other pleasure, too, and they’re always willing to explore how they can spice things up in bed. However, to some extent, Sam has reservations on BDSM because the last thing he’d want to do is to hurt Darcy in any way, regardless if it’s only roleplay. Absolutely no slapping, no choking, no reenacting of any form of physical violence whatsoever. (This is mainly because of what Darcy has been through in her past marriage, so yeah. You get the idea.) But… if she’s the one in control and the one to tie him up, well, that he won’t mind at all.

39. Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first? When did they realize they were in love? 

Sam initiated the relationship because he is ballsy like that. It’s also him who kissed first, and it just happened when he was watching her staring at a Rembrandt painting like it’s the most beautiful thing in the world, her mouth open in wonder, and she looked so happy and more beautiful than the masterpiece in front of them and he thought, “God, I want so badly to kiss her right now,” and so he did. And she did not object. She had been wanting to kiss him, too. That was also the time he realized he was in love with her.

40. Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to? 

They have a lot, actually. But one of their very special places is on a beach in East Sussex where Sam took her on a date sixteen years ago and asked her to be his girl.

[pheacas]

16, 17, and maybe 24 for DEH?

16. Best movie musical?

I don’t really know if I’m supposed to be referring to stage musical adaptations or not so I might as well just give one of both.

Once is my favorite overall, which started as a movie and then was transferred to the stage a few years later as a Tony crusher on Broadway. It’s a very calm, serene experience that always gets me. There’s never any real big story going on. It’s just a vacuum cleaner in Dublin attempting to make it as a musician and a Czech immigrant just trying to survive.

Little Shop of Horrors is my favorite movie adaptation (if we consider the original ending and not the theatre ending). That’s not say much, because LSOH is one of my favorite musicals already, but unlike something like Rent (which is a musical higher up on my list), I feel that the LSOH movie gets exactly what the show is going for. It’s weird, it’s quirky, and it’s wonderful. Plus, that puppet is wow.

17. Worst movie musical?

Here’s the thing I don’t watch a lot of movie musicals that I know I wouldn’t like, but I guess if I was forced to name one, it’d be Rent? That can be taken weirdly because yes, I listen to the cast album all the time on Spotify (because I’m forced to they don’t give us the OBC), and there’s certain things I do enjoy about the movie, but it sucks all of the charm from the musical and makes it feel much more corporate.

The spoken dialogue always feels unnatural and unnerving, they take away major plot points and songs for... No real reason (like I understand taking out Contact even though it’s pretty important, but I literally don’t understand taking away anything that gives Mark, Joanne, or Collins character and while still keeping in all of Over the Moon (and I love Santa Fe but like... That could’ve been taken out for more important songs too like Goodbye Love B and even Halloween because we still get more Collins development than Mark (and Halloween is literally only a minute and a half and they filmed it why not just shove it in))).

I mean again I’m such a Renthead if there’s nothing else Rent I’ll definitely take it but ugh I’d rather even watch Rent Live as much as I’ve made fun of it because at least the life is there and at least they didn’t take out important bits and they actually had some really good additions, especially in the Mark department (and I’ll take Jordan Fisher over Anthony Rapp tbh).

24. You’re now the script doctor for [Dear Evan Hansen]. what do you change?

Oh God there’s a lot I would change, but I really can’t say everything, so I’m going to focus on the ending of the Jared and Alana archs.

So, in one of the earlier concepts, Jared was the one who released the letter out of spite. I think that’s much better than Alana doing it randomly and destroying her character arch of caring for people as she sees Evan sobbing to take it down and people automatically attacking the Murphy family.

We set it up early on; Evan actually sends Jared the letter to show Jared what he’s talking about, but Jared never actually reads it, kind of just doing his usually routine of being a dick. Then I’m not going to get into many of my smaller changes but maybe even just a line or two before Evan walks into the scene right after Only Us with Jared and Alana talking about the emails, and Jared giving Alana doubt in it (because definitely what’s already going on, because the backdating emails thing is like? Exactly what Jared said?).

Good For You happens, and then after that, instead of the scene with Evan giving Alana the letter, Jared posts the letter to the internet because he feels that’s the only way he can get back at Evan after their falling out without straight up saying “Evan lied and here’s why”, because it’s the closest thing he can really get he feels before actually saying the truth.

So like yeah Evan is absolutely freaking out and desperately calling Jared because he knows Jared did it and he goes to Alana in a panic, and she’s so confused as well because it was released under Evan’s name, and Evan eventually reveals the whole truth to her, even bringing up Jared in it, and she’s disgusted. Like she just stares at him for a couple of moments, trying to process all of what Evan has said, and then she tries to walk out, but Evan rushes to grasp her wrist to get her to stay, which horrifies her even more and she rushes to pull out of it. Again, there’s another pause while Alana collects herself, and then she eventually decides to give him a little rant in how fucked up it was that he dragged her through all of this, and how rancid it is that he dragged the Murphys through this and used a lie on their dead son for his own benefit, and she forces him to go and speak to the Murphys.

I think at the epilogue, before we see Zoe, we get a scene with Jared, a bit more akin to the book (which is a horrid statement I’ll never reference the book again). It’s not at the orchard, and I’d say maybe quite a few months after? We’re skipping around wowsies but maybe to show the change they can be back in summer clothes and its the summer before college. It’s probably like... Evan’s graduation party and they’re just huddled in the back with awkward red solo cups in hand and the first thing that slips out of Evan’s mouth is a “fuck you” for releasing the letter, and Jared’s face is quick to drop, and this is the first time we really see him show real emotion other than Good For You. He admits he never read the letter before even posting it, and he just wanted to give Evan a little scare before it turned into... That, and he tells him that he regrets even posting it because if he knew what it had actually said, he would have never released it. When he actually read it, he admitted he felt sick, and he wondered if Evan had always felt that way whenever Jared was pushing him around and Evan admits that yes, those thoughts were there and they really hadn’t completely gone away. There’s a bit of awkward tension on both sides, and it ends with Jared again apologizing, saying he just didn’t know and if he did he wouldn’t have ever treated Evan like that. Evan loosely accepts the apology, but he asks why Jared treated him that way, and Jared doesn’t really have an answer. Eventually, after a couple more moments of staring into those sad cups and Jared admits he kinda had a thing for Evan and just never wanted to really... Tell him because he knew he’d be rejected and Evan is just like “oh” and doesn’t know how to process it. Again, more awkward pauses, and eventually it ends with Heidi calling for Evan, but before he leaves he again awkwardly glances to Jared and they both apologize to each other, hug, and Evan runs off, leaving Jared to just stand there awkwardly alone as he transitions with the little set away and the scene changes to the orchard.

[xuxikook]

Last Night • Nakamoto Yuta

Pairing: Yuta x Reader

Summary: In which two people think about the last night of their lives.

Genre: Fluff

Words: 2000

( A/n: this is so cliche lmao )

Beach party, wasn't really your thing but your college friends had decided to pull you along instead of leaving you all alone in the house you guys are staying at.

The loud music beat, the colorful light moving around, the DJ screaming on the mic and everyone holding some sort of cups with different types of liquor they got from the bar.

"I'm gonna dance with Taeyong over there." your friend, Eunha, said as she drops the cup on the high table you're leaning at ever since you arrived.

She turned around to you and gave you a flying kiss before moving closer Taeyong. A smile appeared on you're face as you watch her finally having the courage to go to her crush. Thanks to the liquor she have consumed, she seems confident than usual.

You watch her as her body moves along the beat with Taeyong dancing along beside her. Sweaty bodies were also dancing along them as the crowd of people blocks them.

Took you some time before abandoning the table along the cup Eunha had handed you before leaving for Taeyong.

You walked closer to the water, the sound of the waves hitting the sand and moving backwards were soothing to your ear. It was much calming than the loud music not so far from you.

Sitting on the dry sand, hugging your knees to your chest. The wind blowing your face you lose hair flying along.

"Here," a voice suddenly said making you jump on your place. You looked up to the familiar voice and saw the familiar figure of your boyfriend, Yuta, handing you a red cup.

"No thanks. I already had too much." You ignored his offer and looking back to the water in front of you.

"Ayy-" He said as he sat beside you grabbing your arm, opening your hand forcing you to hold the cup he was offering you earlier.

"It's not alcohol it's just mojito- non alcoholic, bud." He said, mentioning your nickname for each other. You looked at him and took the cup away from him. Leaving his hand alone.

Bud. It was a weird pet name for each other. You two made it during the freshmen year when you two met each other.

It was originally his nickname for you, but you just adapted to it because you felt like babe was too overrated for you two to use.

"Don't use bud right now." Your voice sternly said.

"C'mon Y/n you're still upset about earlier?" He said as he looked at your face watching the waters. He smiled at your face, jealousy. It was stuck all over your face.

"Okay, helping out Hana earlier when we arrived was just something your Gentleman boyfriend would do." He nudged you, and you looked at him. Giving him a glare.

You weren't really that jealous, to the point you would ignore him. You're just teasing Yuta and for your knowledge, he seems like he's playing along as well. Really well.

It's childish, but who really cares. It's the person you love you're playing with. As long as it doesn't lead to any literal fight. Then its all good. Its good to have some playful fight every now and then.

"Good thing Johnny was there to help me pick up my heavy bag earlier." You said as you take a sip of your drink. You noticed, from the corner of your eye, Yuta's eyebrow rose up.

"Johnny? Johnny? The same giant guy who was flirting with you during the orientation?" You looked at him and released a "mhmm"

"Y- you let him help you out?" He asked, unsure, even though you just confirmed him a second ago. You hummed once again before moving your head to look at him.

"What's the matter?" You said as you looked at him. He closed his lips. “He just helped me out because he was such a gentleman.” 

You teased highlighting the same word he said. He scoffed before leaning back his hands and arms supporting him behind.

"Well.. we're fair now. We both got jealous today." He confidently said as he watched the water hitting the golden sand with you.

"Yeah.. except you ignored me earlier during the game." You reminded and smirked at him. He face stopped and looked at you and you immediately dropped the smirk you were holding.

"What- pfft- no I didn't." He scoffed and you rolled your eyes. Eyes focused back to the water while smiling.

"Fine." Yuta sat up straight and grabbed your hands from your legs. You looked at him, confused, and he locked his pinky to yours. One of the things you two like to do 

"My team told me earlier to play like its the last day of your life-"

"Oh Really? Did Hana say that?" You butted in and he he gave you a derp face making you smile before continuing his words.

"I have a question for you.."

"Mhmm."

"What if, this is our last night together?" He questioned you. You looked at him, your head focused on the serious question he just dropped.

You let out a scoff and bit the cup that was pressed on your lips.

"I don't know.. that’s a sudden question." You shrugged, unsure, I mean if you have hours left do you really wanna waste time planning what to do? Or do you just go with the flow with life?

“I’ll probably just take a nap. Wont even notice that every thing is ending.”

"You're boring." He commented and grabbed the cup from your hand left hand with his right before taking a sip from it.

"Well.. you? What would you do?" You asked. He smiled and moved his hands from locked pinkys to intertwining it with your fragile hands.

"I would just stay with you," he said and you looked at him. Letting out a laugh.

"Not with Hana?" He shook his head at you, a soft smile appearing.

"No. Cause Hana is not the person I would want to spend my last night with. She's not the person I love, nor the person who made me enjoy my life." You looked at him weirdly, but honestly, you were melting inside with his words.

He lifted up both yours and his hands to his lips and kissed the back of your hand. You blushed at the unexpected move he made

"YAH NAKAMOTO YUTA!" You heard a voice calling your boyfriend. Both your head turned to look at the back to see the Yuta's team leader at the back, .

"There's games there! You said you wouldn't miss the chance to beat Taeil Hyung?!" Shouted Johnny far from you two.

Informing you for another round of department head to head game, in order to find the strongest department there is. A usual routine of team building in your school.

Yuta raised his fingers, connecting his index and his thumb with three fingers left up, making an okay sign to his friend.

"You want to beat my team?" You asked laughing at him.

Having your team on lead on the first day was something everyone in your department keeps bragging to others since you won the last give giving you a three wins in one day.

Johnny left from behind, and you two went back to watching the water in front of you as you laugh.

"Yeah, you think my team would just want to watch ourselves go down when last year we were the champions?" Yuta stood up with his hands still connected to yours dusting off the sand on his shorts with his right hand.

Laughing as he remember how his department last year went on bragging about their championship that even lasted until the first two weeks when they got back to the campus.

You looked at him your smile fading.

"Yah? Where are you going?" You asked him, raising up an eyebrow on your tall boyfriend. Your hands was up in the air as he grips on it. Still not letting go even as he dust off his

"I have to beat Taeil hyung." He said.

"But I thought this is our last night together?" You asked, pouting. Yuta looked at you. His face going soft and a smile popping up on his face.

"I thought you don't want to play along?" He said, not thinking twice before sitting down next you again.

Since you two seemed to play along with each other. He just quickly forgot about trying to beat .

"I didn't say my answer yet," You pouted before laughing a little. Yuta laughed at your soft laugh before answering.

"It's okay I can just beat Taeil hyung next game." You giggled at how fast his mind changed when he realized you were gonna play along.

"Okay continue." He encouraged and gave you a look telling you to continue.

"Okay, I'll hold your hand, then we'll forget whatever happen next. I'll stay here, We'll stay here, and no one is gonna disturb us like we're the only people left in this world." You said gripping on his hands, pressing it on your cheeks as you smile at him.

"Are you trying to make a cheesy one now?" He laughs and you looked at him in disbelief you're actually saying this. Trying not to cringe on yourself was really hard.

"I'm trying." You laughed and he giggled on his seat getting closer to you wanting to listen more to what you'll say

"It's quick, but I wanna feel like this is forever. Like this is what set for us. You and I. Until the very end." You smiled looking at him. His eyes already staring to yours and a huge smile was stuck on his face admiring you, the girl before him.

The girl he loves. The only girl he would do everything for. The only girl who he would want to spend his last few days or nights with. The only girl in his heart.

"That's too cheesy." He blurted out before you two burst out laughing to whatever you two were doing.

"I hate you! At least I'm trying!"

Minutes later after bursting out laughing. You two sat on the same places. Your head resting on his shoulder, watching the ocean.

Spending your time together like its the last night of your life.

[anthropologicalhands]

ceg fic: a pattern cutting

title: a pattern cutting summary: new babies mean new routines, but also new beginnings notes: you knew this was going to happen post-finale. my feelings on rebecca/nathaniel having children are all over the place, but there are aspects of them choosing to become parents that I honestly really enjoy, and I think will be fun to explore in at least some future scenarios. blame the baby gator for the investment.

EDIT: Ao3 link here

Lately, Rebecca feels like she has discovered that her brain, far from being the organ that processes sensory information, is susceptible to earworms, and has helped her make sense of the world if not always in the most sensible of ways, in fact has more in common with a bowl of Jell-O. In particular, a hallucinating bowl of Jell-O that has been in a state of high alert ever since the squalling amalgamation of her and Nathaniel’s chromosomes was expelled from her birth canal to make her dramatic debut in the world.

She isn’t sure if that realization is a sign of enlightenment or merely a consequence of sleep-deprivation. Still, Rebecca thinks things are going all right. Two months in, Evie is only waking up a few times a night, and her and Nathaniel have settled into something almost like a routine—when she is roused for the third time that night by their daughter’s whimpers, she is already sitting up, when Nathaniel’s hand brushes her shoulder, with a weary but firm ‘I got it’. It’s not his turn, but Rebecca isn’t exactly going to object for a little more time in bed and collapses gratefully back into the pillows, willing herself to slumber.

However, even with her eyes shut she still lies awake, waiting for him to come back to bed. Evie (full name Evelyn and on hold until she is big enough for it) quiets eventually, but he still doesn’t return. Rebecca sits up and peers out into the dark of their apartment, eyes still scrunched half-closed for better focus. The lamp by the crib has been switched on in the far corner of the room, casting a soft yellow glow, and outlines where Nathaniel is stretched out on the couch. His posture is disarmingly casual—one leg drawn up, resting his head on the armrest, and the baby curled up on his chest. She’s grown exponentially since they first brought her home, but Rebecca can only marvel at how Evie still looks so tiny, cradled protectively under Nathaniel’s hands.

Idly, she thinks about how if someone had asked her when she first met him what kind of a father Nathaniel Plimpton III would be, it would not have been a kind answer.

(Granted, if they had asked her what kind of mother she would have been, it would not have been much of an improvement.)

Forgoing the appealing lure of sleep, Rebecca shuffles out of bed, past the stroller, picking her path through the toys and beyond the crib and adjacent changing table on her way over to rejoin the rest of their family unit.

Nathaniel’s focus on the baby doesn’t waver, but he shifts minutely as she approaches, automatically attuning himself to her presence.

“Isn’t the point of a night routine that we can get eight hours of sleep collectively, given that we can’t get it individually?” He murmurs, still not looking up even when she comes to stand in front of him.

“Hm, yes, but we were trying for a fifty-fifty ratio and you’re voluntarily shortchanging yourself. Is everything all right?”

“I’m fine,” says Nathaniel with a slight smile, flicking his eyes up to meet hers. He shifts a little further, adjusting his position. “I usually wait a few minutes before putting her back in the crib, otherwise she wakes up and the whole cycle just repeats itself. We might want to consider changing her blanket—I’m not convinced she likes it very much.”

Maybe it’s the hour, but Rebecca can’t help but giggle at his earnestness.

“Or, maybe, she just wants to spend time with her daddy a little longer,” she says softly.

Nathaniel ducks his head and were it not for the darkness of the room she would bet that she could see the flush across the back of his neck, running up the tips of his ears.

“I don’t think she even knows who I am yet,” he protests, embarrassed. She gets it—it still feels new, labelling themselves in this way. She still twitches when Paula teasingly calls her mama or mommy when addressing Evie. Somehow, those titles sound both too silly and too responsible at the same time, and still don’t quite fit. But the titles are also unmistakably theirs, now.

“Well, I don’t know what she thinks of me beyond being a mobile milk factory either, so we’re pretty much on the same page there.” Nathaniel raises her eyebrows at her in disbelief; she holds up her hands in mock defense. “Hey, it’s not a slight against Evie—why should she think that other beings exist outside of her? That’s asking a lot of someone whose brain is still developing.”

Nathaniel doesn’t laugh, but he does press his lips tightly together and avert his eyes in a way that makes her suspect it’s taking some effort to avoid disturbing the baby.

Their baby.

A year of planning and discussion, nine months of growing a person, eight hours of intense pain to push her out, not to mention the weeks of postpartum lochia—somehow, she still sometimes can’t entirely believe that this is their new reality.

She watches as Nathaniel absently strokes Evie’s back; his expression clouded. Sleep deprivation aside, it isn’t a familiar look.

“Nathaniel? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Hm? It’s nothing too important.” He looks down at Evie, his tone soft and even. “I was just thinking about a few things. Remember how everyone said we would understand our parents once we had kids of our own?”

“See, I only remember a bunch of strangers being weirdly personal and in my face about my choices,” says Rebecca. “I mean, sure, they meant well, but also they were completely talking out of their as—esophagus,” she hastily self-corrects, even before Nathaniel shoots her a warning look to watch her language around the baby and her highly-sensitive ears. “I said esophagus.”

“Hm, nice save.”

“I still say we’re only delaying the inevitable. We might as well get her used to my extensive vocabulary so she doesn’t waste time being scandalized later. Plus, she’ll learn so much about creative language use! Imagine the day she’s on the schoolyard and knows exactly the right words to send all the mean kids crying to the teacher. Tell me you wouldn’t love to get that phone call.”

Nathaniel lets out a disbelieving snort but concedes the point with a careless flick of his free hand. He tips his chin down to check on Evie, still sleeping peacefully despite the whispered conversation. Rebecca can see him turning over whatever point he has to make in his head, and slips down to join them on the couch, angling herself so that she can curl in to his side, absently bringing her hand up to trace Evie’s clenched fist, cooing when she shifts and reaches out to wrap Rebecca’s finger in a weak grip. Nathaniel’s free hand comes to rest on Rebecca’s shoulder—when she looks up at him his eyes are soft.

For a few moments, they let themselves stay like that, the only sound a faint rustling from the trees lining the boulevard outside the apartment as the rest of the world sleeps. Then Nathaniel exhales, and draws his hand away from her shoulder to card his fingers through his hair.

“I was just thinking that I still don’t understand my father,” he says at last, his voice quiet. “I thought I would have a better idea, after we had her. That he didn’t know how to react to the idea of having a kid, and maybe he just freaked out and funneled all of those feelings into some impossible ideal of excellence. I thought that maybe…he just didn’t know the best way to show how he felt, or something. Still a bad father but, you know, in a way that actually made sense.”

“And he doesn’t?”

Nathaniel gives a short, tight shake of his head. “Not in the least. He would never have bothered with any of this.” He gestures out at their apartment, every surface covered in toys and books and babyproofed down to the square inch. “What he did was allocate a room, passed me off to someone else and waited until I old enough to be trained for the family legacy to be worth his time.”

There is no anger in his words, only a weariness that Rebecca recognizes as something separate from their late nights.

“Sounds like something you kinda already knew,” she observes.

“Maybe.” Nathaniel looks back down at Evie. “It just didn’t used to be so obvious. What’s the point of having a kid if you don’t care from the start?”

“I don’t know,” says Rebecca honestly, thinking of Silas and then firmly brushing the thought away—it has been a long time since she’s allowed him any real estate in her mind, and she is not about to start again.

“If he felt like that, he never should have had me.”

He doesn’t sound especially self-pitying, but Rebecca feels her skin prickle uncomfortably at the thought of a world where Nathaniel never came into her life. There have been many times where she’s wished that their path together had been smoother, that they had done things differently and hurt fewer people, but it’s been years since she could imagine a life without him, and she doesn’t want to start now.

She clears her throat.

“I mean, I’m going to have to disagree with that sentiment, just on sheer principle. You should too, since this little poop machine—don’t look so scandalized, I say it with love—relies on your specific genetic mixture coming in contact with mine to exist as she currently does. Not to mention that I’d miss you. Like, not personally, because you would have never existed so I wouldn’t know what I was missing, and maybe not cosmically because there is no such thing as destiny. But I would, somehow.” A pause. “I’m sorry, that metaphor went absolutely nowhere.”

He laughs softly.

“I think I get what you’re saying. Thank you,” he adds, somehow both wry and sincere and sending warm tingles through her, even despite the exhaustion and the late hour.

Rebecca bats her eyelashes in response, provoking another reluctant smile, and props her elbow against the back of the couch, resting her chin in her hand as she watches him. She likes the way Nathaniel holds Evie, she thinks idly. Always has, even those first few times when he was nearly bent double in the chair they’d pulled up by her hospital bed, cradling Evie in the crook of his arm, his hold awkward but careful.

“If it’s any consolation,” she says eventually, “Understanding doesn’t make things that much easier. I’m still confused about how I feel about my mom these days. She used to always tell me to put myself in her shoes, and now I am, like, literally wearing the same brand, and I still don’t understand her methods.”

“But you know where she’s coming from?”

“Eh, ish. I do think I recognize what she was trying to do a little better,” Rebecca admits. “Again, I agree with basically none of her methods. I just…might have a better idea about what emotional place she was coming from. I get the desire to protect someone with everything you have.”

Nathaniel nods his agreement, absently bringing up his fingers to brush Evie’s cheek, whisper-light. “At least there’s that.”

“I guess.”

“Do you think it will help when she comes out to visit next month?”

“Oh, no. I definitely wouldn’t say that,” Rebecca grumbles, rubbing hard at her eyes. “We’ve been doing okay with boundaries, but I honestly have no idea what to expect this time. She might evoke some grandmother clause or something as an excuse to say whatever the hell she wants. She used to do the exact same thing to my dolls.”

“What?”

“Yeah—she would say I was cossetting them too much and that they would die of exposure otherwise. Who knows what she’s going to say about our parenting. She’ll say that she has a ‘just a couple of points’ and then bring out the whole machete. Like, at least your dad knows he was a sucky father and keeps his mouth shut.”

He snorts, hitching Evie up a little higher up on his chest. “My dad? Keep his mouth shut? What alternate universe have you been visiting?”

“Well, okay, you’re right, he’s still kind of bitchy—yes, language, sorry, don’t give me that look—but your mom is always lovely, so I can just tune him out.”

“I see,” says Nathaniel, smirking a little, clearly pleased at the image. “That’s good to know.”

“And I know I don’t have to take it from her, but I need to like, talk to Dr Akopian for a refresher in case she gets nasty and I need to reinforce boundaries. And it makes me so mad that I need to do that, because, as parents, you and I are definitely raising the bar compared to their methods.”

“I mean, they just left the bar on the ground.”

“Exactly. And you know, Paula told me the other day that she thought we were doing just fine—and okay, you know what, maybe that’s not quite the ringing endorsement I was gunning for,” Rebecca backtracks when Nathaniel’s eyebrows shoot high up on his forehead in disbelief. “You are absolutely correct. I should have led with Darryl—Darryl also said we’re doing really well, in the same conversation. And April agreed! I think that totally counts in our favor.”

Nathaniel looks down at Evie, as if to check that she has not stirred, but not so quickly that Rebecca doesn’t catch his pleased smile.

“I think so,” he says softly. His gaze comes up to meet hers, and she’s gratified to see the cloud in his expression has cleared. “Anything else on your mind?”

“Nothing urgent. But I think we do need a bigger space—I think we were overly optimistic about how much square footage a baby needs. Can you imagine how cramped this place is going to feel once she starts crawling?”

“No, but I still can’t picture her sleeping through the night right now, either,” says Nathaniel. “Besides, if we had a spare room, we’d be obligated to offer it to your mother.”

“Good point. On the other hand, having a spare room means we would have a designated place for sex again.”

Nathaniel blanches.

“Rebecca!” he hisses under his breath, retracting his hand from her hair and cupping it protectively around Evie’s exposed ear.

“What?” Rebecca asks innocently, biting her lip to keep from grinning. “She doesn’t understand words yet. And it wasn’t an invitation, dude. More like a notion, if you will. A notion we should consider, because practically speaking, at some point we are going to want to…” she trails off, fumbling for an appropriate euphemism.

“Play Boggle?” Nathaniel suggests helpfully.

Rebecca rolls her eyes at him, fond. “I see what you did there. But yeah, we’re going to want to play Boggle regularly again, and it’ll be nice to have a separate room to set things up; I don’t want to have to send her away each time we plan a game night. And while the shower technically counts, given that we are not as young as we used to be, I don’t think it’s worth the risk.

“Oh, come on, we’re not that old,” Nathaniel objects, leaning forward, then freezes at a tiny squeak from the bundle on his chest—Rebecca would laugh at how his eyes pop in alarm if she wasn’t certain that hers were doing the exact same thing. They both hold their breath, watching, but she only whimpers a little and rubs at her face before falling silent again.

“Close one,” whispers Rebecca.

“That was on you,” he mutters. “All I’m just saying is that it shouldn’t be considered entirely off the table—”

“Oh, don’t get me started on the table. Not with the way your back is going.”

Nathaniel brings his hand up to cover his mouth but isn’t quite able to contain his snort of laughter completely. Rebecca grins, unrepentant, and he rolls his eyes at her.

“Fine, let’s look into getting a new place after your mom’s visit,” he says, letting his hand return to his side. “But I maintain that Evie doesn’t need to know anything about that aspect of our marriage, okay?”

Rebecca rolls her eyes. “I mean, point taken, I learned way too much about my mom’s love life way too early, but still—at the end of the day, intercourse is just a part of most people’s lives, dude. I don’t want her to grow up thinking it’s shameful or gross.”  

“I know.”

“And besides, if we freak her out too much and she does need a therapist, we can always help her find a good one.”

Nathaniel nods. “Right.”

“And she won’t be afraid to ask us, because she’ll know it’s not shameful to need help.”

“Of course,” agrees Nathaniel, his forehead starting to crease.

“Because she’ll know she can rely on us if she ever needs help,” Rebecca continues fiercely, warming on her theme. “Because we’ll tell her that we love her no matter what, and that we’ll always be there for her no matter what. She won’t ever feel like we won’t be. She won’t ever know what that’s like.”

She stops abruptly, not because she doesn’t have more to say but because her heart has tightened her throat. She can’t quite look at Nathaniel, squeezing her eyes tightly closed to contain the surge of protectiveness that threatens to burst out of her.

“Of course,” he says, so quietly she almost can’t hear him over the throbbing of blood in her ears. “She’ll always have us.”

She feels his hand come up to cup her face, then slide down to the nape of her neck. but his thumb brushing over the muscles in firm circles, soothing the tension there, the gentle physicality of the motion grounding her in their present.

“We’ll help her get whatever she needs,” he echoes, his voice thick, but firm in his conviction.

Rebecca nods rapidly, not trusting herself to speak. She brings her hands to her eyes and takes a slow breath, expelling a shaky laugh.

“Wow, I’m sorry, I’m more tired than I thought for all of that to come, just, like, rushing out. It must be the baby brain,” she says. “Heather warned me that it could happen. Remember?”

“I remember,” says Nathaniel. Then, even more gently, “I only have a noon meeting tomorrow. Want me to pick you up from therapy? We can go to Il Cabino after; have some dinner, show off Evie and make everyone else jealous.”

She gives a tiny nod. “That would be nice.”

“It’s a date, then,” says Nathaniel, and Rebecca giggles again. She looks at the man with whom she has created this space, where they have created something that is entirely their own, where they can be vulnerable and fall to pieces and rebuild into something stronger and remembers all of the steps that led them there. It’s always been give and take between them. That was how they started, that was how they would keep going. They could do this.

“And it sounds wonderful. Thank you.” She leans over and kisses him, still mindful not to disturb the baby. “Now scoot over. I wanna put my head on your other shoulder.”

“Wouldn’t it be better just to go back to bed if you’re tired?” he asks, even as he shuffles over so that Rebecca can press even more tightly into his side, humming in contentment as his free hand curls gently into her hair.

“I’ll go when you go. It’s technically still my turn,” she murmurs. “And I don’t wanna miss anything.”

[ohhthereuare]

you have (5) new messages. (branjie)

A/N. I'm a mess. I did not expect to love Vanessa Vanjie Mateo so much and I certainly did not expect to devote my life to yet another ship. And yet here we are. Let's pray for the happiness of these two together and individually, and our own sanity. Using she/her pronouns about both of the queens. Enjoy!

Based on the night Miss Vanjie drunkenly posted some angsty and sad posts to her Instagram Story that she deleted seconds later. She also made some phone calls.

You can read it on AO3

***

Brooke’s alarm rang precisely at 7 am and she groaned while reaching out to turn it off. All these years of discipline and waking up at unholy hours before rehearsals and performances did nothing to ease the pain of early mornings. She always kept her phone on silent with no vibrations because God knew she needed those hours of beauty rest to be able to give her all day after day, especially now since her Drag Race career has started and turned everything upside down.

She squinted at her phone in the dark, the curtains blocking some of the rising Sun. She was still getting used to the tons of mentions and notifications across all social media that swarmed her every morning but something was off today. There was more than usual. Like, much more. She scrolled down the Instagram and Twitter alerts to the bottom and saw a couple of missed calls from a name that immediately made her heart beat faster and body wake up despite the previous drowsiness.

You have five new messages.

“Hiiiiiii! We out and about todaaaay and having so much fun! Silk’s here and them girls keep buying me shots. There’s some eye-candy as well but none as cute as your ass. Y’know, you could be here tonight, though I know you can’t, not really. So I thought—Bitch, you try that one more time and Imma--”

There was some rustling, someone who sounded suspiciously like Silky yelling in the background and the phone call ended abruptly. Brooke sat up in her bed, leaning against the headboard and running her hand through her curly mess of morning hair. It wasn’t uncommon for Vanessa to go out and get hammered after the gigs with her fellow sisters. From the heavy bass playing, but not being able to overpower Vanjie’s loud voice, they must have been at a club and Brooke knew the routine so well she had no trouble picturing it now. Sweaty and tired bodies, feet hurting from wearing hooker heels, slumping over the bar to down shots and get back to the dancefloor. Lights catching the ever-present remaining glitter on her cheekbones, chest, and shoulders. All the eyes are on her but she doesn't notice, doesn't care and keeps dancing with her own eyes closed, yelling the lyrics so loud Brooke never knew how she's never lost her voice so far.

You have four new messages.

“You must’ve seen it, yeah, I mean, everybody did. I guess the internet is forever, bitch. Just—don’t—I mean, uh, it’s the alcohol, y’know how it turns me into this emotional messy hoe and I’m too much in my head and fuck—Just—Ignore it, okay? That was—Yeah, shit, it’s gone now. It was nothing. Bye.”

Brooke guessed she must have been referring to the thousands of mentions and tagged pictures that she still hasn’t seen. She just hoped it was nothing too inappropriate although with Miss Vanjie you never knew.

You have three new messages.

“I bet you haven’t even listened—Yeah, it doesn’t matter, you don’t really have to. The thing is, it was, y’know, a part of the game. The game! Yeah! The one we keep playing and making everyone believe it’s for real and shit and it was just another thing. So I deleted that and they think it’s even more real because why would’ve I even do that, right? So it’s all good. We’re good.”

You have two new messages.

Brooke waited for a few seconds and the voice on the other end kept silent. Everything was weirdly silent compared to the music and yelling and stumbling words that filled the previous messages. Just some random rustling and murmurs. Brooke was about to move to the last message when someone spoke up.

“You gonna be fine?”

This time it was Silky. She sounded weirdly gentle and quiet. A long murmur came in response. Vanessa must have accidentally called her from what sounded like the inside of her pocket. Brooke kept listening.

“Okay, Imma leave you here, bitch. You sure you gonna be fine?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

There was a sound of someone turning a key and doors opening. Heavy steps thudding in the silence. Suddenly a loud yelp, a few curses muttered under breath and things cluttering against the floor. More rustling. A heavy sigh.

“Ah shit.”

You have one new message.

“Uhm, hi B.”

Brooke pressed the cellphone so hard against her ear she might as well try to put it directly into her brain. People were wrong when they said Vanessa Vanjie Mateo had only one volume. Sure, when everyone was watching, whether she was in or out of drag, her voice was so loud and obnoxious she could wake the dead to make them join her party. Brooke never minded. She loved hearing her like that. All that pure nonsense she was spitting on the daily that she made up as she went. But there was another side to her that the Canadian queen only discovered as she got to know her better, as they got closer. Only then, when it was just the two of them in their quiet corner during Untucked, limbs tangled in the backseat of the van or snuggled on the sofa after a long day of entertaining interviews and gigs, Vanessa was someone else entirely. She was soft and gentle, her voice low and raspy like a cat purring, reserved only for her closest’s one to hear.

“It’s been… A mess. Yeah. I’ve been a mess. Sorry about that. I don’t know why I did that. I mean, I do. I just forgot I guess. That’s it’s not just us now. It’s everybody watching. Like it’s their fucking business. Like they know what’s going on. But they don’t know shit.”

Brooke heard a soft rustling of sheets and she imagined Vanessa settling her small frame into a nest made of out blankets and comforters. She knew the telephone must have been placed at the other side of the bed, on the pillow, the way they would talk on FaceTime to indulge themselves in the illusion that the other person was lying beside them and not so far away. The other queen’s voice was barely above a raspy whisper, the words slurring together a little bit from the alcohol and exhaustion. She took a shaky breath and Brooke closed her eyes as her heart actually hurt in her chest.

“It’s hard, y’know? I mean, of course, you know, that's why we agreed on this shit show but… I miss you. And watching all that every week, how we were, I mean fuckwe should’ve never given that up. And this thing between us, I can’t—I just miss you. Yeah. It’s hard. Being together is hard like that but being apart and knowing we’re not—It’s the worst. I wanna be with you, B. I don’t care if I’m stuck here and you’re in fucking Canada and shit. I—”

Her voice gradually started getting quieter and quieter and Brooke thought she had fallen asleep with the phone on.

“Our song. I kept listening to our song. It’s what got me. Damn these fucking love songs. Ne-yo was right, bitch. Am sick of this shit. I just miss you so much, it’s all I can think ‘bout.”

Brooke could hear her breathing slowing down. She imagined those long eyelashes fluttering shut and lips parting before sleep took hold of her. She had often watched Vanessa in those moments as she laid on the Canadian queen’s chest, head tucked in the nook of Brooke’s neck, small limbs wrapped so tightly around her as if she had been scared otherwise Brooke would have gotten up and left. In a way that’s what happened.

“Love you, B.”

The words were breathed out, they almost got lost in the rustling of sheets, cars driving by outside and the deafening sound of Brooke’s heart hammering in her chest. And yet she heard them. And there was nothing she wanted more but to say them back. Right now. In person.

She had a show to do tonight, then a plane to catch later that, no matter what she desperately wanted, didn’t fly to LA. Vanessa would probably be nursing her hangover at home all day before putting on her wig, stunning makeup to cover the events from the night before and taking the stage like everything was fine. They were forced to get on with their separate lives.

Brooke grabbed her phone and jumped out of bed, already opening the cheapest airlines website and going through her schedule in her head. The words stayed engraved into her memory, burning her throat and filling her chest with how badly she wanted to say them back. Soon she would. There was only one thing she needed to do first. She clicked on the contact info and chose FaceTime. She didn’t have to wait long.

“Hi, Papi.”

[jjkmagic]

Happy Birthday, V! - SpardaWeek Day4

Title: Happy Birthday, V!

Pairing: Dante/V, Nero/V, Vergil/V Rating: T

Word Count: 5107 Summary: Two dates and a present, is there a better way to celebrate one's first birthday? Happy Birthday, V! Tags: Fluff, Feels, Family Feels, This Party's Getting Crazy, Happy Birthday, Strawberry Sundae, Crying A/N: Written for SpardaWeek on Twitter. Can also be read on AO3.

Happy Birthday, V!

Warmth spilled into the room with the first rays of light, the warm, sun-kissed sheets making staying in all the more tempting. Summer was fast approaching but for now the warmth was still appreciated. V stretched his limbs before even opening his eyes. His long legs got tangled in the sheets and his arms hit the headboard, but he didn't mind. Stretching them out felt heavenly regardless. The moment he opened his eyes he was greeted with a flurry of black smoke and Griffon taking perch on the coat rack nearby. "Mornin', V," the familiar greeted, stretching his wings not unlike V did a moment ago. "Good morning. Is there any reason that you are up already?" "Nah," Griffon deflected and started grooming his plumage. "Might have heard some ruckus down the hall some thirty minutes ago but nothing you need to concern yourself with." Ruckus? It was definitely too early for the late-risers Dante and Nero, and Vergil, while an early riser, was like a ghost. He was more likely to scare you with his sudden appearance than to cause any noise. Maybe one of the former had had to use the bathroom?

Well, whatever the case, Griffon was right: it probably wasn’t important.

V went about his morning routine grabbing a pair of leather pants and a comfortable t-shirt. At times it was a real struggle to not just grab his coat, but, unlike Dante, V had to admit that it just wasn’t appropriate indoor wear.

There was no mirror in his room. Knowing that he would get more than just one teasing remark if he got caught with his usual nightmare of bedhead, though, V brushed his hair as well as he could without one before leaving the room.

He just didn’t get very far. The moment he left his room there was a flurry of movement and suddenly he had two devil hunters right up in his face.

Uh... what?

“Morning, V!” Dante greeted him with a cheer that was unusual for him, even in the best of his moods.

Nero grinning right next to him didn’t make the situation any less peculiar.

“Good morning…” V said slowly, “did I miss something?”

“Not yet, we just came here to tell you something,” Nero explained.

‘Came here’, right. It very much seemed like those two had just lain in wait right in front of his door. Maybe that had been the ruckus Griffon had heard?

“And what would that be?”

Dante and Nero looked at each other, two identical grins on their face, before they turned to V to yell as one: “Happy birthday, V!”

V startled at the sudden volume of their voices before he even had a chance to parse what they had said.

Birthday? What did they-

V paused, looking up at the bright summer sun shining through the windows of the shop. Summer. Had it really been a year already?

Unfortunately he didn’t share the others’ enthusiasm at the revelation.

“In case you forgot it already, that day was not exactly a joyous event,” he said carefully, not wanting to ruin the devil hunters’ obvious high spirits.

But neither Dante nor Nero seemed deterred by his response.

“We are aware of that,” Nero said, his grin turning softer, more like a smile.

“Which is why we have decided to change that, from now on!” Dante finished for him.

V could only stare at them. Maybe it was just too early for him to make sense of their words, but more than that he became aware of one thing. Something that was missing, in fact. "Where's Vergil?" "Out,” Dante was quick to reply, “Said he had to 'go and get something'. Also said that it might take some time."

V didn’t know why that bothered him as much as it did. "I see..." he said dejectedly. "Now, now, none of that face. He'll be back before you know it, you'll see," Dante said cheerily, throwing an arm around his shoulder to pull him close.

"Now I heard that there’s a nice cafe down the road. It's not far and pleasantly quiet this early in the morning. Wanna go?" "It also serves 'the best strawberry sundae in town'," Nero added in an admittedly poor imitation of the older devil hunter. "Shut up, Nero!"

Dante made an aborted motion that was probably his attempt to hit Nero over the head before he remembered that he was currently holding onto V.

He looked weirdly embarrassed by Nero’s remark, too, but V could only really focus on one thing. "You want ice cream for breakfast?" he asked incredulously. Earnestly embarrassed now Dante’s face turned an actual shade of scarlet. "It's not just 'ice cream' and the time of day has no bearing on the deliciousness of a fine strawberry sundae, just so you know!" V smiled, the good mood of the other two men clearly infectious despite the memory of that less than pleasant day on year ago. "Is that so? Then I guess we would better go. Wouldn't want you to miss out on such 'deliciousness’." Dante smiled almost sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Damn, no. This isn't supposed to be about me. I asked if you wanted to go." "Why wouldn't I,” V asked easily, “if you are accompanying me?" Dante blushed an even darker shade of scarlet while Nero snickered in the background.

“Shut it!” Dante hissed at him without any real malice.

Nero raised both arms in a sign of surrender.

"You go and enjoy your date, lovebirds." V blinked at him. "You're not accompanying us?" "Nah, still got some stuff to do. Don't think a date is all you're going to get today," Nero said with a meaningful little grin on his face. At this point V was afraid that he might just start blushing himself if these two kept that up. "I assure you that whatever it is you are planning is entirely unnecessary,” he said, smiling softly, “but it is appreciated all the same. I'll see you later then, Nero."

Nero looked satisfied with that reply. "Oh yeah, you will, trust me," he said before turning back down the hall with a nonchalant little wave of his hand.

V turned to Dante then.

“I guess we better get going then. Would you mind letting me go so I can grab my coat?”

“Oh, sure,” Dante seemed almost startled, dropping his hand immediately, “sorry about that.”

“It is quite alright. You can go ahead if you want, I’ll join you shortly,” V said, hand already reaching for the handle of his bedroom door.

“Sure, I’ll wait out front for you,” Dante said with a nod and headed downstairs.

V watched him for a moment before he returned to his own room to get ready.

- - -

They spent the walk to the cafe in comfortable silence.

It was nice outside. There weren’t too many people about as the morning sun slowly warmed up the streets. It was promising to be a beautiful day.

Dante led V to a small establishment only two blocks from their shop. It seemed like a quaint little place, part bakery, part cafe, and the smell of coffee and freshly baked pastry filled the whole room. They were also the only ones in the cafe, apart from a couple standing in front of the pastry show-case. V liked it a lot.

Dante led him to small table for two in the back of the shop, but once they had taken their seats only V made to grab for menu. He quirked an eyebrow at Dante but the the devil hunter only offered a “go ahead” gesture while he settled further in his chair.

V didn’t let that peculiar behavior bother him as he scanned the lovingly designed pages of the menu in his own time. Pastries, cake and a myriad of options for breakfast sets were on display, lovingly arranged and not too expensive either. V immediately decided that he would come here more often, whether he could convince Dante to join him again or not.

A young lady, looking more like a baker than a waitress herself, approached them soon after.

“Have you decided already?” she asked with a bright, honest smile on her face.

V returned her smile.

“I would like the croissant breakfast set, please,” he said.

“And I’ll take a strawberry sundae.”

V’s eyes snapped to Dante at the request, but really he shouldn’t have been surprised.

The waitress merely smiled and noted down both orders, before leaving them with the promise of being right back.

“That’s really all you are going to order?” V couldn’t help but ask Dante, but the devil hunter merely shrugged.

“Why would I waste my time with something else when I already know the best item on the menu?”

V tried to hide his amused little chuckle behind his hand, but he wasn’t really successful. Dante merely smiled at him, seeming almost charmed by what he saw.

It didn’t take long before the woman returned with a small tray that she set down in front of V. It was stacked with three croissants, butter and an assortment of jam. It looked absolutely gorgeous.

“The sundae will be a moment longer,” she informed Dante with a small smile before heading off again.

V couldn’t help but stare at his order. It was simple but clearly presented with a love that only small establishments like these seemed to offer.

He picked up one of the croissant while deciding what he wanted to do with it. In the end he first took a bite without any jam, savoring the croissant’s perfectly crispy crust and heavenly soft filling. A soft little moan might have even escaped him at the taste. If Dante’s wide eyes were anything to go by, he most definitely had. V merely sent him an apologetic smile before he wet about savoring his croissants in earnest.

He was halfway through his second croissant when he could no longer ignore Dante staring at him like a puppy begging for scraps. “That’s what you get for ordering ice cream,” he said with no remorse whatsoever, but Dante was quick to defend his choice.

“Hey, quality takes its time, okay?”

“Then I am sure you can wait for your 'quality’ just a little longer,” V replied while taking another bite.

Dante’s eyes only seemed to grow bigger, his lips turning down even further.

“Come on, just a single little bite?” he begged.

V rolled his eyes but relented. With a sigh he tore of a small piece of his croissant and slathered it with strawberry jam.

“There you go,” he said, holding it out to Dante whose eyes seemed to sparkle at the offering.

The devil hunter leaned across the table to wrap his lips around the offered piece. Of course he accidentally got V’s fingers as well, lapping up every remaining trace of crust and jam, before pulling away with a playful glint in his eyes.

V let out another sigh, but couldn’t deny the small smile on his lips as he grabbed a napkin to clean his hand properly.

“One might think you are starving.”

“That’s because I am!" Dante replied, looking forlorn.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” a female voice interjected making both men look up as the waitress approached their table again.

“We usually don’t orders for ice cream desserts this early, so it took a little longer. I’m sorry,” she apologized before setting down what could only be called a small masterpiece of ice cream and strawberry sauce in front of Dante.

At this point Dante looked at her sheepishly.

“No, no, it’s fine. I was only joking. This looks gorgeous, thank you,” he said earnestly, gaining a small smile from her.

She left them quickly thereafter, reminding them to just call her if they needed anything else. The moment she was gone, V snickered softly.

“Come on!” Dante whined, “I didn’t know she was gonna return just then.”

V hummed in reply while he eyed the newly arrived dessert. It did look tasty.

"Can I have a taste?" Dante eyes widened in mock offense. "You want some of my strawberry sundae? The nerve!" V smiled, but where Dante was a puppy, V was a cat, merely parting his lips in expectation of his treat. Dante sighed, but he was smiling himself when he scooped up a serving of cream with lots of strawberry sauce on top to carefully maneuver across the table into V's waiting mouth. The moment V's lips closed around the treat, his eyes fell closed, humming in approval of the taste. Dante nervously licked his own lips, probably wishing that V would tone it down while they were still in public, but two could play this game and Dante had started it. That was why Dante’s hope was in vain when V released the spoon only to make a show out of licking it off, capturing even the last trace of cream on his tongue. Dante groaned when he was finally allowed to recover his spoon. "You're not playing fair, you know that?" V merely hummed, the content smile on his face unwavering.

While he was at it, though, he might as well as for one other thing. "Can I have a kiss, too?"

Dante grin returned faster than he could blink, already leaning across the table without a second of hesitation. "You can have the world for all I care."

V smiled, reaching up with one hand to cup Dante’s face. "That's not what I want, though."

Dante smiled at him for a moment longer before closing the distance between them.

- - -

V was practically beaming when they returned to the shop a few hours later. It was almost a little weird to see, but if you just returned from a rare event like Dante inviting you out to eat it was understandable. How rare was it to see Dante eating anything but pizza, after all, and how much rarer to get invited as well?

"Welcome back, birthday kid," Nero greeted V with a grin from where he had been waiting for him, casually leaning against Dante’s desk. V averted his eyes quickly, but Nero noticed the faint blush at those words anyway. "Is that really necessary?" "The pet name?” Nero asked with a cheeky grin. “Absolutely. It's only valid a single day of the year, after all!”

“Yo, Nero. Are you done with your pillow fort?” Dante asked as he finally sauntered into the shop as well.

“It’s not- It’s not a pillow fort!” Nero objected immediately, “You’d better get your eyes checked next time, old man!”

“Sure. You have fun with your pillow fort, kids,” Dante said grinning, and kept grinning even as Nero just wordlessly gave him the finger in reply.

“Just get lost if you have nothing useful to add, old man.”

Dante rose his hands in surrender for all but a second before he offered a curt bow and sauntered off chuckling to himself, leaving Nero silently fuming.

“I just can’t believe that guy,” Nero muttered, telling himself to just forget it. There was no point in getting angry at Dante right now. Instead he turned back to V. “Sorry about that. What do you want to do now?" V looked surprised, but it was likely that the whole exchange had just left him with a number of questions. Nero would answer them, in time. But then V’s expression turned conflicted and Nero knew he had to jump in.

"Nah, nah, none of that today. Just tell me what you really want."

V smiled at him, a careful little tilt of his lips. "I'm sorry if that is not the answer you expected,” he said carefully, “but I was really hoping to get some reading done today." "Nah, that's perfectly fine," Nero said grinning, "thankfully I expected nothing else, so go grab whatever strikes your fancy today and meet me in front of my room." V blinked at him when Nero delivered a single, soft pat to his shoulder before heading upstairs himself.

- - -

There were so many books V still wanted to read, but since he was meeting up with Nero he took that into consideration. There was a collection of Blake poems they had yet to finish reading and after that maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to switch things up a little. As much patience as Nero had for V’s love for old poetry it was probably about time V offered his companion some variety.

With that in mind he had grabbed two books before heading up the stairs to Nero’s room where the younger man was already waiting for him.

“Hi there,” Nero said playfully.

To V’s surprise he then took a step back pointing at the door to his room with a “go ahead” gesture.

V looked at him quizzically for a moment before taking him up on it. He opened the door slowly, not sure what to expect, and then paused to take in what he was seeing. The room was... definitely different than usual. It was darker, for one, a thin black curtain draped across the window to dull the bright midday sun into something more comfortable... and less likely to blind V when it hit the pages of his book. It was charmingly mindful. To make up for the lack of natural light an assortment of candles was lit all over the room, on the desk and the shelves, but also along the floor forming a path through the room. V quirked an eyebrow at that. The bed was stripped of its pillows and sheets. Instead they, and an additional number that had to have been taken from other places around the shop, could be found in a corner beneath the window, forming something resembling a throne of pillows and blankets. That had to be the “pillow fort” Dante was commenting about.

V walked into the room slowly, aware of Nero following him. "That's... surprisingly romantic," he remarked upon taking a closer look at the whole arrangement. "It's less about that than it is about being comfortable," Nero explained, and V threw him an amused look over his shoulder. "I'm sure it is," he said. "Hey! See if I’m ever being romantic again if that's how you react," Nero defended himself and V couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. Oh, Nero. "So it is romantic." Nero groaned, shaking his head with a small smile. "Shut up and start reading to me, you dork."

Nero moved past him to make himself comfortable in the pillow throne, patting the spot next to him.

V smiled down at him, and just to defy his expectation sat down facing sideways, draping his legs across Nero’s lap.

Nero merely quirked an eyebrow at him, but didn’t comment. Instead his eyes landed on the books V had brought with him.

“So, what are we reading?” he asked, so honestly curious that V couldn’t help the flutter of his heart.

Among the three men V now shared his life with Nero was his safe haven.

V couldn’t really explain it. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel safe with Dante, too. It was just something about how Nero didn’t just quietly accommodate him but started to take an actual interest in V’s hobbies.

And Vergil, well. Vergil didn’t talk much with anybody if he didn’t have to. V wanted to change that, desperately, but so far he just didn’t know how. But that wasn’t what he should be thinking about now. He held up the first book to Nero and those blue eyes lit up in recognition.

“Oh, we’re almost done with that one, aren’t we?”

“We are,” V confirmed quietly. “And after that I thought you might enjoy something a little different for a change,” he said holding up the other book.

Nero squinted at it for a moment.

“Modern poetry? Is it any good?”

V smiled at the question. “While it is not my preference, it is not bad. But you should have the chance to form your own opinion on it.”

“Okay,” Nero grinned, “lay it on me.”

V put the book of modern poetry aside for the moment, before settling closer against Nero’s chest and opening the book in his hands. Surrounded by soft cotton all around and Nero’s warmth against him V took a quiet breath and started reading.

- - -

They read for several hours, or rather V read to him, for several hours. The thermos with V’s favorite herb tea that Nero had prepared beforehand was long empty by the time the reading slowed to be replaced with discussions about what they had read.

At one point they stopped reading altogether. V nestled comfortably against Nero's chest while the younger man offered idle strokes through soft, black locks. It was comfortable, peaceful, and neither felt the need to move. The calm was eventually interrupted by the distinct sound of the front door falling shut. Nero made a soft noise in the back of his throat, sitting up just the slightest bit straighter, feeling his muscles come to life again after being motionless for so long. "Guess who's back," he muttered quietly. "Hn?" A soft confused sound left V's lips as his eyes opened blearily. Nero had missed the moment the other had actually fallen asleep. "No rush," Nero whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the top of his head, "I think Vergil is back." "Vergil?" V asked, clearly not fully awake yet. "Yeah." "Hm... wanna see him..." Nero chuckled when despite that statement V's eyes only fell closed again. He would give him another five minutes before waking him again.

At least that was the plan, but then not even two minutes later the door to his room opened slowly.

“Nero, have you seen-” Vergil stopped once his eyes fell upon V’s sleeping form.

“I’ll wake him in a moment,” Nero told him quietly, “where should I tell him to meet you?”

Vergil made a quiet sound that Nero couldn’t interpret before answering: “I’ll be downstairs.”

That was also all he said before leaving.

Vergil really ought to brighten up one of these days, but all three of them were at a loss what to do to make him realize that he wasn’t just welcome but also very much wanted here.

It was almost hard to believe but he was easily the most stubborn person here.

Nero softly brushed some stray strands from V’s face.

“Hey V,” he said softly, “wake up.”

V hummed softly, the only indication that he had heard him.

“Vergil is back. You wanted to talk to him, right?”

“Hm… yeah,” V answered softly, eyes fluttering open. “He is back?”

“Yeah, he was just looking for you,” Nero replied.

“Oh.”

V sat up slowly, the book he had been reading from slipping from his lap to land with a soft clunk on the floor. It was a testimony to how very out of it he still was that he didn’t even pay attention to it.

Nero chuckled softly.

“No rush,” he told V, “wake up first. He is waiting downstairs.”

“Ah, I apologize for falling asleep. I didn’t mean to,” V apologized sheepishly.

“It’s fine,” Nero replied grinning, “ you’re comfortable.”

V blushed softly before slowly getting up. He stopped there, looking a little lost. Nero smiled softly, having just an inkling of what might go through V’s mind right now.

“It’s okay. Go meet him. I’ll be down later,” Nero said.

V threw him a grateful little smile.

“Alright. I will see you later, Nero.”

With that he left, leaving Nero to pick up the book he had dropped.

- - -

It was almost embarrassing how nervous V was as he walked down the stairs to the shop. He could see Vergil leaning against Dante’s desk, weirdly reminiscing of Nero just a few hours ago. He had been waiting for V, too, hadn’t he?

V just didn’t know what to expect from Vergil. He never talked much, not even with V. Or maybe it was especially?

He knew Dante and Nero weren’t any more successful at getting Vergil to open up to them, but still it felt like a personal failure on V’s part. After all they were-

“V.”

Vergil stood up straight once he saw him approach.

“Vergil,” V acknowledged him, “you wanted to see me?”

“Ah, yes,” Vergil said slowly as if he had forgotten about that for a moment which was weird. “I had something to give you, I suppose.”

“Give me?”

Vergil reached for the small black item lying next to him on the desk, looking at it for a moment before holding it out to V.

V accepted it carefully, not knowing what to expect.

It definitely was not a typical present V thought, staring at the black satin wrapping and the equally soft white ribbon keeping it fastened around whatever lay within. It was heavy for its size but clearly not solid, bending softly even as V held it. "What is it?" V asked curiously.

In fact, he couldn't quite remember a moment that had him more curious than he was right now. "You'll see." V made another curious sound before depositing the present on the desk, not wanting to drop it as he worked on the wrapping. The moment the ribbon fell away the satin wrapping unraveled, revealing what lay within. V's confusion only increased as his eyes fell upon a familiar pattern, fingers carefully feeling along the emblazoned "V" in the center. The leather beneath his fingers was sturdy but almost soft to the touch. He opened it up but instead of pages he found satin lining and vertical straps of leather. It was a high quality book cover, a perfect replication of his most prized possession no less. Unbeknownst to him his eyes were wide and shining, marveling at the beautiful present he held within his hands, and they were still when he looked back up. Vergil faced him for a second before averting his gaze slightly. "You love that book more than I ever did," he said, "but as it is it will inevitably be damaged with time. With this, at least, it should be safe from harm." V was left speechless, a foreign feeling for him, but he couldn't deny it as his eyes fell back down to the cover. A commission work, clearly handmade, Vergil went and had this made specifically for him. "I know I never treated you like you deserved," Vergil spoke up softly, V's attention returning to him immediately, "and I know some feeble gifts will never make up for it. But..." His expression grew tense, torn, unable to find the words that would convey what he wanted them to. V returned the present to its wrapping on the desk, stepping up to Vergil instead. Vergil looked straight at him, apprehension clear on his face, as if awaiting some sort of punishment. V shook his head, not even bothering with words, knowing they wouldn't reach Vergil. They never did. Instead he raised his arms, seeing Vergil's eyes widen in time until he clearly lost the fight with himself and averting them just in time for... V's arms to wrap around him in a careful embrace. Their chests pressed together and V could feel Vergil's heart beating, a quick flurry like the wings of a caged bird in fright. "I am in you and you in me..."

He felt Vergil tense at those words and V didn't need to see him to know he was blushing softly, knowing how that verse ended by heart.

"Know that I will treasure this gift you've given me always, and know that I hold no ill feelings for you. I never did." At that Vergil pulls away, just far enough to look at him, his eyes wide in disbelief. "I forced you to give up your own life." But V merely shook his head. "I did not return to you out of a sense of self-preservation. I did so out of worry, worry what might happen if I did not. You have lost so much already, Vergil. I didn't want to add to that list.” Vergil was quiet, his icy blue eyes glistening before he lowered his head once more. V just pulled him in close again.

 Something warm and wet hit his neck where Vergil hid his face and V's arm lifted of its own volition to stroke soothing circles across Vergil’s back. He continued speaking softly, needing Vergil to hear this and knowing he might not get another chance once Vergil built his walls back up. "I never expected to have a life of my own. I honestly believed that month was all I had," V said honestly, "but I like the way it is now. It seems you have a much harder time ignoring me when I am right in front of you."

That startled a chuckle out of the other man. "I am right here, Vergil, and I'm going to stay. If I had any ambition to leave here, leave you, I would have done so long ago." Strong arms came to rest on V's shoulders. Slowly, hesitantly, they held on fast. "I need you." V probably felt the words spoken against his skin more than he heard them, but they made him smile regardless. It has taken him this long, huh? "As I do you," he replied, and Vergil only held on faster. "You're not getting rid of me now," V promised. "It's like I keep telling you, Verge!" At the sound of Dante's voice Vergil went stiff in his arms. "Go away, Dante," Vergil muttered, still muffled against V's skin.

V almost had to laugh at how petulant he sounded. "Nope, no chance. You're not getting rid of me either." A heavy hand landed on Vergil's shoulder, squeezing softly. "And if anybody here really wanted you gone, they would have spoken up a long time ago.

V took a step back as Vergil straightened to look at his brother when suddenly a fourth voice spoke up.

“Yep, so it seems like you're just stuck with us now," Nero said as he descended the stairs. “Which is a good thing,” Dante spoke up, “just in time for our little V’s first birthday, no less!”

Dante grinned, Vergil rolled his eyes and Nero just sauntered over to them.

“So, what’s the plan for the rest of the night?” Nero asked.

Dante’s grin only grew wider.

“What else?” he asked.  “Now that we’re all here... it’s time for this party to get crazy!”

If you liked it, please like and/or reblog, and feel free to yell at me via asks or messages if you feel like it^^