#i'm just going to have to try very hard to stick with angst

[ame-to-ame]

the thing abt btr is i really wanna see more characterization/ ixn but i don't think anything i write will be able to capture the essence of the source material :(

[written-in-knife]

Dressing for the Cloudcall

Leona Kingscholar x fem!Reader, pre-relationship

Word count: 4680 (dialogue heavy to start, stick with it, I find a rhythm in there somewhere)

Category: one-shot, fluff, angst if you squint really really hard

Leona's family is sneaky and knows him very well, and you get roped into some Cloudcalling dress up. And maybe Leona is into that.

I loved Cloudcalling on the Savanna but I was a little disappointed we didn’t get even a hinted outfit, and this idea has been bouncing around in my little walnut brain for MONTHS and it finally spilled out in the span of like two hours. Tried to keep Yuu ambiguous, female, hair long enough to braid and put into a bun, and she’s shorter than Falena’s wife. Your Yuu is six feet tall? Cool, Falena’s wife is taller 👏AS👏SHE👏SHOULD👏BE. Reading back, I think I have a crush on my own version of Falena’s wife, as I should. I just imagined the most beautiful woman I could.

Kifaji had to step away to take a phone call while everyone was checking out the food stalls and Leona almost looked grateful to see his back disappearing into the crowd as he handed you one of the baobab hibiscus teas. You thanked him quietly before sipping on the drink, as refreshing as promised. Grim was just about to pull everyone over to a meat vendor-- surprise surprise-- when Kifaji returned, a sly looking smile on his face.

"What's got you so happy, ya old bird?" Leona huffed as Grim drooled over the meat.

"My apologies, but I need to borrow Miss Yuu for awhile." Kifaji said simply, turning his ominous smile to you.

"What for?" Leona practically growled, putting a hand on your shoulder before you could even think to step away from the group.

"On such short notice, we could not procure an outfit for her." Kifaji explained, folding his hands behind his back. "I, however, did not want her to feel left out, so I made arrangements which are now ready. I will return her at your next destination."

"It's fine, Leona." You tried to assure him, patting his hand gently. "I do feel a little left out of the fun."

Leona clicked his tongue in annoyance before releasing your shoulder and crossing his arms.

"We're headed to Ivory Springs after this. Do not be late." He directed the command at Kifaji rather than you.

"B-But, Yuu look at this! And these!" Grim was actually drooling over the meat in the stall, turning back to you with tears in his eyes that practically begged you to let him stay.

You sighed heavily and shook your head. "Vil, can you keep Grim out of trouble for me? I won't be long."

"Of course." Vil nodded, glancing down at the direbeast as he cheered and danced around in a little circle. "I'll try my best to not let him eat through Leona's entire fortune."

"Good enough for me." You chuckled before turning to Kifaji, who smiled again and held an arm out for you to lead the way out of the markets.

You walked side by side with Kifaji to the entrance of the market, only for him to place a hand on your upper back to direct you towards a waiting black car just up the street. As you approached, a beastwoman in full guard regalia opened the back door for you to enter. You thanked her quietly before stepping into the blissfully air conditioned car, Kifaji getting in on the other side.

"It's not that far to the hotel," you chuckled as the driver reentered the car, "and I'm not as prone to heatstroke as Jack is."

"Oh, we aren't going to the hotel." Kifaji said, as if just remembering he "forgot" to tell you about it.

"Oh?"

There was a minute of silence as he didn't answer your unspoken question. A few turns through the city, he broke it, turning to you with a pleasant smile.

"Tell me, Yuu, what is the nature of your relationship with Prince Leona?"

You were shocked for a moment at the bluntness of the question. "Is this because I'm the only girl? Because I can assure you, we're all friends--"

"My apologies, that isn't what I meant." He cut you off with a small chuckle and a lift of his hand. "If you'd humor me?"

"I mean... we're friends? Friendly, at least." You explained, wringing your hands in your lap. "He's helped me out of a few tough spots, I've helped him. We hang out on occasion. He's nice, I dunno." You wouldn't dare say it out loud, especially to the chamberlain, but you sometimes secretly wished there was more there.

He gave you a warm smile, much like a father would give to a daughter talking about her crush. "I see. As you well know, I've seen to Leona since the day he was born, and I haven't seen him so... protective of someone since... well, ever. That boy has never exactly been friendly, let alone "nice" to just about anyone since his mother passed. It's refreshing to see."

You could feel your face getting hotter with each word the chamberlain said. You desperately wanted the subject to change. "S-So, if we aren't going to the hotel, where are we going?"

"The Royal Palace." Kifaji said casually, as if you were on your way to some unnamed park.

"What?! Why?"

"As I said, I made arrangements for your outfit. You need to look the part to represent your team!" He said, another sly smile on his face as he pumped his fist in front of him in an imitation cheer. "And, I regret to say, you stick out like a sore thumb among those boys."

"But-- I-I thought-- we--"

"And here we are. A short drive, is it not? The walk would have been significantly longer."

You looked out the window at the palace, a grand stone building at the top of the hill. It almost looked as if it were carved out of the rock itself. You were startled out of your thoughts as the driver opened your door for you again, the chamberlain outside waiting to give you a hand out. You thanked them both as you took the offered hand and stepped out, following Kifaji closely as he walked.

"So, uh... just pop in, change clothes, and head back down to the market, yeah?" You asked nervously as you glanced at the guards you passed by, feeling eyes on your back.

"Just so." Kifaji assured you, another sly smile as he stopped at a large set of doors already opened, swinging a hand out for you to go first.

You weren't sure what was about to happen. Maybe you'd be thrown in a dungeon for fraternizing with their prince, or maybe they meant to keep you here until Leona himself came to find you, or--

"There she is!" A booming and excited voice came from across the room as you entered, startling you to turn and look.

A mound of long ginger hair twisted into braids was running up to greet you, perched atop a muscle-bound mountain of a man. He was dressed similarly to Leona, but wearing white instead of black, still adorned in gold, an enormous smile on his face. The guards at the door stood at attention as he got to your side of the room, clasping your hand quickly in a firm and enthusiastic handshake.

"You must be the girl Kifaji told me so much about!" He beamed at you, reminding you so much of Kalim in this moment. Wait.

"So much?" You parroted, looking at Kifaji, who simply shrugged.

"Oh, you must tell me how you got Leona to be so... docile? That isn't the right word. He listens to you?! Insane!" The man rambled, still holding onto your hand. "You must tell me everything!"

"Falena, you'll scare the poor girl." Another voice rang out from the other side of the room.

The man, Falena, finally released your hand and turned to see the woman walking towards you. She was elegant and gorgeous and so poised, dressed in similar colors and patterns to her husband, also adorned in gold. You suddenly felt very intimidated as you finally realized just where you were standing.

"Oh, but my love," Falena sighed, still smiling, "think of everything we could learn! What's Leona like at school, anyhow?"

"H-He, uh..." you hesitated as the woman joined her husband’s side. It probably wasn't a good idea to tell them exactly how he was, and it wasn't a good idea to lie. Rock and a hard place. "He's certainly there."

Falena let out a booming laugh at this, his wife joining in with a laugh that sounded like bells in the large chamber.

"We know of Leona's troubles at school." She assured you, holding out a hand to shake. "I am Shani, and I'm sure my husband, Falena, did not introduce himself before launching into his questioning."

"I'm Yuu," you said, gently grabbing her hand and shaking it, "a pleasure."

"Likewise." She smiled warmly at you as you both retracted your hands. "Kifaji has asked me to dress you for the occasion."

"The festival?"

"Leona brought a girl home!" Falena cut in, the smile surely cemented on his face at this point. "A sign things are turning around for my little brother, to be sure!"

"O-Oh! No, wait, I'm--" You practically choked on your words trying to get them out fast enough, feeling your face burning again, "Leona and I aren't a couple!"

"I know! But everything Kifaji told us over the phone just makes it all the more interesting!" He gushed grabbing your shoulders. "Forgive me for being forward, but you smell like him! You must be together often!"

"I-I just keep watch while he naps, it's not like we--"

"Falena. You are making her nervous." Shani said sharply, trying to hide her amused smile as she swatted his hands off you and looped her arm into yours. "Come, we should get you into something else before Leona comes looking for you."

She didn't wait for a response before pulling you off towards the door she came through. You glanced back to Kifaji and Falena, seeing them both smiling at you, though Kifaji's looked nefarious. You faced forward again, looking up at the glamorous woman holding your arm, still amazed that you'd just met the crown prince and princess. Shani led you down the hall and into a large bedroom, turning quickly into a nearly equally large closet. Gorgeous outfits-- if you were to judge just based on the fabric-- lined the walls on either side, the far wall was large, open windows looking over the expanse of the savanna, and the wall behind was adorned with large mirrors. You couldn't help but be impressed as Shani practically floated across the room and picked up a dress that was already waiting on a chair and held it up for you.

"I hope you don't mind, I already picked something out for you." She explained as she approached. "Don't worry about the length, we can work with it however we need. This is going home with you."

"What? No, I couldn't." You said quickly as she deposited the dress in your hands.

"Do you see where we are right now? You absolutely can." She laughed, gesturing to the lines of clothes. "Go ahead and get changed, I'll be right outside, just let me know when you're ready."

Her nose scrunched up adorably in her excitement as she smiled even wider at your for a moment, her hands clapping under her chin once before she exited the room, closing the door behind her. Alone, you sighed at the absolute whirlwind you'd just gone through. You turned to the large mirrors on the closest wall and held the dress up to your body. It would definitely be long, but Shani was a tall woman who seemed to like wearing heels, so you weren't terribly surprised. Resigned to your fate, you began to change out of your current outfit. The dress had very thin straps, so your sports bra would have to go. Once actually in the dress, it fit remarkably well, other than the length. The thin straps spread down into a V neck and stretched to the skirt in the back, the skirt itself starting a little below the bust, similar to a halter top. You couldn't help but notice the patterns on the fabric coordinated to Leona's cloak, bright orange and black not helping the case. You folded your clothes into a neat pile in front of the mirror, honestly a little relieved how well the dress held up to movement, no risk of spilling out the sides or front when lifting your arms or bending over.

"Shani? I'm ready." You called to the door, hiking the skirt up to walk over.

She entered the room again with an excited smile, looking you up and down as you stood there.

"You are definitely shorter than me." She laughed as you let the skirt go, a few inches of fabric bundling up at your feet. "But we can fix that, easy. Ten minutes. First!" She walked over to a chest of drawers, pulling off a length of fabric she'd set on top. "Do you know how to wrap your hair? Keep it off your neck and out of your eyes."

"I do not." You shook your head prompting her to wave you off.

"I can teach you, it's very easy." She smiled, joining you at the mirror again.

She turned you to face the mirror, standing behind you and draping the fabric over your shoulders. She undid the braid your hair was always in, gently combing the knots out of your hair with her fingers.

"I always used to do this with my little sisters." She explained softly as she styled your hair to the top of your head in a large bun. "I love Cheka with all my heart and soul, but I do so hope we have a little girl some day, I miss having girls around to dress up with and do hair and everything."

"What, Cheka doesn't let you do his hair?" You smiled at her in the mirror as she began wrapping the scarf, making sure you were carefully watching her steps.

She laughed brightly. "He does! But as he gets older he may not. Plus, there isn’t exactly a ton of hair to work with, he prefers to keep it short."

"No, I get what you mean though." You said fondly. "I used to have my mom do my hair all the time, but she was always there to fix it when I eventually took it out and complained about it being in my face."

"Where are you from, by the way?"

Your face fell at the question. "It doesn't really matter. Crowley doesn't seem like he's able to send me back anyhow."

Shani looked like she was about to press further, but stopped herself. "There, all done." She said with another warm smile as she smoothed out some of the wrinkles in the turban style she'd done. "Not half bad, if I do say so myself."

"It looks great, thank you." You were smiling again, not pointing out the, again, same fabric Leona had on his scarf. Maybe it was a common pattern? You somehow doubted it.

"Now, I have a few accessories for you to tie it all together." She explained, walking over to a shelf opposite the chest of drawers. "I will have you put these on to see how they look, then you give me the dress and I will hem the bottom up for you."

"Thank you for this, Shani." You said sincerely, turning to look at her with a warm smile. "You really didn't have to go to these lengths."

"Nonsense, a friend of Leona's is a friend of ours." She assured you. "We want to make sure you enjoy your first time to the Sunset Savanna to the fullest."

..

Leona and the others had arrived at the palace, Leona planning to swipe a car to avoid having to take Kifaji with them. However, to his surprise, Kifaji was already outside speaking with one of the guards at the door.

"Oh for fucks sake..." Leona growled as he connected the dots.

"What?" Kalim asked, glancing over to the chamberlain. "Oh, it's Kifaji! Hey Kifaji!"

The chamberlain looked up in surprise at the call of his name, locking eyes with a furious Leona and giving him another sly smile.

"Wait here." Leona snapped at the group, not giving them a chance to protest before marching over to the door. "What the hell?!"

"Ah, Prince Leona." Kifaji said coolly as the guard stood at attention for the prince's approach. "I was under the impression you were not coming home during your visit."

"That why you brought Yuu here?" He spat. "Thought you were goin' to the hotel."

"I don't recall ever saying my arrangements were at the hotel." Kifaji said, though the infuriating smile and raise of his eyebrows suggested he knew exactly what he was up to.

Leona pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering expletives under his breath before looking back up. "Where is Yuu? We're goin'."

"She is changing, currently. You and your friends are more than welcome to wait inside, if you'd prefer."

"Yeah, ya’d like that, wouldn’t ya. Did Falena put you up to thi--"

"UNCA!"

Leona nearly instinctively side stepped the little ball of fiery orange that flung itself into his arms, grunting as the fuzzball impacted into his abdomen. Kifaji, while now safe from the verbal lashing Leona wanted to deal out, was not safe from the deadly glare that was shot his way.

“Quit clingin’ to me like that! Knock it off!” Leona snapped halfheartedly at his nephew who, undeterred by the tone, continued to beam up at him.

“I got so excited when I heard you were coming home!” The boy chirped quickly, grabbing his uncle’s hand and swinging it back and forth. “Can I hang out with you guys?”

Leona ignored the amused muttering of his schoolmates behind him as he rolled his eyes at the child’s antics.

Cheka continued, still swinging Leona’s arm around. “Mama said to be on the lookout for you! Do you wanna come play with me? We could play tag, or hide-and-seek, or--”

“Cheka.” Leona snarled, finally making the boy stop. “What was that about your mother?”

“Oh… I wasn’t supposed to tell.”

“Oh for fff…” Leona let the curse fizzle out into a loud grumble, trying to rub away the headache blooming in his temple. Of course it was Shani’s idea.

“I should go tell Mama you’re here!” Cheka said excitedly, darting off before Leona could stop him.

..

You slipped into the newly hemmed dress, a new length of fabric now flaring out the bottom that, once again, highly suspiciously matched the fabric of Leona's pants. Three times makes a pattern, damn if it didn't look good though. You were about to call out to Shani when you heard giggling through the door, and a boy's voice talking. You waited a moment before Shani knocked, sounding amused.

"All ready in there?" She called out.

"Yeah, ready." You called back, prompting her to enter the room.

Her smile grew ever wider as she looked at your outfit. "I've one more thing, and we need to be quick. Seems we've been found out."

There was a small gasp as Shani walked into the room, a tiny mess of ginger hair standing in the bedroom.

"I remember you!" Cheka said excitedly. "You're Unca's friend! From school!"

"I am! It's nice to see you again, Cheka!" You replied just as enthusiastically as Shani pulled one more thing off the shelf.

"It's nice to see you too! You match Unca!"

"I knew I wasn't crazy!" You nearly shouted, turning to Shani as your face burned again. She at least had the decency to look a little guilty.

"Yuu, you are a beautiful girl in an unfamiliar place." She explained, walking forward and wrapping something around your waist. "These are recognizable patterns of the leader of the Sunset Warriors, of the second prince, no one would dare do anything to you while you are wearing these."

"Do anything?" You echoed as she fastened the belt, which matched the rest of the boys'.

"Swindle you, pickpocket, worse." She listed grimly as she adjusted your necklace. "Sunrise City is as safe a city as any during a heavy tourist season. We want you to enjoy your time here, not wonder where your wallet may have gone."

"I..." you sighed heavily. "I get that. Thank you, really. This is all very generous."

"You can pay me back by marrying my brother in law." Shani teased as she exited the closet, making your face burn tenfold.

"Hey!"

"YOU AND UNCA ARE GETTING MARRIED?!"

"Oops…"

Cheka insisted you carry him through the halls, Shani nearly telling him to return to his studies before you assured her that it was fine. You spent the entire walk trying to explain to the boy that, no, you were not marrying his uncle. Cheka, however, kept talking about the imaginary wedding and all the things you needed to have there. You resigned yourself to not stopping him. He was talking about the cake when you entered the large room you'd first met Falena and Shani.

"Aha! There she is! A much more appropriate look for your guest, don't you agree, brother?" Falena said, prompting you to turn your gaze from Cheka to him, looking just in time to watch him clap Leona on the back.

Leona said nothing, just staring for a moment before clicking his tongue and looking away. You took this as annoyance for a moment before Cheka spoke up.

"Unca, unca!" Cheka said excitedly from your arms. "When you two get married you need to have a BIG cake, okay? And there needs to be chocolate, and 'biscus, and--"

"Married?" He asked incredulously, turning back to look at the boy, not able to hide the red on his cheeks now, before looking to Shani. "What did you do?"

"Children have impressive imaginations, don't they?" She asked pleasantly, taking Cheka from your arms to hers. "Thank you for letting me dress you, Yuu."

"Thank you for dressing me," you smiled at her, ignoring the burning on your own cheeks, "it was fun."

She smiled before taking your hand and leaning in to whisper to you. "If you cannot go home for school holidays, our home is open to you, just say the word."

You nearly teared up at this, simply nodding and squeezing her hand. "Thanks for everything, Shani."

Falena laughed as you walked over to join him and Leona, who had his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "I'd give you some words of warning, but you seem to know how to handle my brother better than I do at this point!"

"He's not so bad." You chuckled as he pointedly refused to look at you. "It was nice to meet you, Falena."

"You too! Come back anytime!" He beamed down at you before Leona grabbed your arm and started dragging you out of the room.

You waved back to the crown prince and princess as you were hauled out of the room and into the hall. Leona dragged you towards the entrance before making a sharp left a few doors down into another hallway.

"Leona--?"

"Shut up."

Your mouth closed with a clack of your teeth at his words, and you suddenly felt ashamed of your actions. Were you supposed to text him an SOS as soon as you realized where you were? When you realized what was happening? Before you could think about it further, he dragged you into a room at the end of the hall and shut the door, quickly caging you with his arms against it.

"What did they tell you?" He growled low, a dangerous tone you'd only heard a few times since you first stepped on his tail in the garden.

"N-Nothing--"

"Don't play dumb with me right now, herbivore, what did they say?"

"Kifaji and Falena kept saying that you're nice to me, and Shani said if I wore your patterns I'm less likely to get robbed." You said quickly, omitting her comment about marriage. "I was mostly with Shani, we talked about her sisters and my mom and the outfit, that's it."

His green eyes stared into your soul for a moment before he grumbled something under his breath, leaning forward to press his forehead against the wall next to your head.

"Leona?"

"Shani thinks she's funny." He said quietly, you could feel his breath against your ear as he spoke. "Makin' you match me, in public no less..."

"I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it--"

"Are you?" He asked, pulling back to look you in the eyes again, closer this time. "She's making fun of me."

"She's not."

"You don't know her."

"She's not making fun of you." You whispered, not breaking eye contact.

"You don't know what I say in those phone calls home." He muttered back. "Lemme guess, Shani already had that dress picked out for you, as if she plucked it from her own closet."

"...Yes?"

"You think the crown princess would ever wear the second-born's pattern?" He leaned in again, his jaw bumping your cheek as he moved to whisper in your ear. "She had that made for you, on purpose, for the day you eventually showed up."

"W-What do you say... in the calls home...?" You asked hesitantly, resisting the urge to reach your arms around him.

"Too much, apparently." He chuckled softly, lips grazing the shell of your ear. You felt like you would combust into flames any second. "Looks good on you though... suits you."

"L-Leona?"

He pulled back again, close enough to bump noses. "We have to get to the springs, otherwise our resident pretty princess won't play tomorrow." He whispered, still making no move to pull away.

"What..." your wet your suddenly very dry lips, not missing how Leona's eyes flicked down for just a second to catch the motion, "what did you mean by "when I eventually showed up...?""

"I said, don't play dumb, Yuu. You think I let just anyone braid my hair? You think I didn't notice that you do that while I'm tryin' to sleep?" He chuckled again, his grin almost looking like he was just flashing his teeth at you. "I pretend to not notice a lot of things."

"I'm not just anyone...?"

"You haven't been "just anyone" for awhile now." He muttered leaning in just a little closer, his nose brushing against yours gently before he stopped. "We need to go."

He let the moment hang in the minuscule amount of air between you for a second longer before finally pulling away, glancing over your outfit again as he did, making a triumphant little noise.

"Looks good on you." He muttered again before grabbing you by the arm to pull you away from the door.

Once you were out of the way, he opened the door again and walked out into the hallway, leaving you feeling like your knees were about to give out. With a moment to look around the room, you realized he'd pulled you into a bedroom that looked a little too similar to his back at the college.

"Herbivore." He barked from down the hall, kick starting you again.

"Y-Yeah!" You called back before hiking your skirt and jogging to catch up to him again.

If your friends, namely Vil, noticed the similarities between your outfit and Leona's, they were gracious enough not to say anything about it. You were, however, highly complimented on it, Kalim making a point to spin you around to see the dress twirl. Kifaji had a very self satisfied look on his face off to the side, which was quickly wiped away when Leona finally announced his plan to leave him in the dust.

..

Back at Night Raven College, you and Leona went back to your normal routine as if nothing had ever happened. You almost wondered if it had been a very sweet dream until you saw the dress in your closet again. You grabbed the skirt, rubbing the fabric between your thumb and index finger, as if to remind yourself that it was real. It had happened.

"What? You longin' for the Sunset Savanna again?" Grim asked from your bed, you'd nearly forgotten he was there. "I am. You really missed out on that meat, hench-human. I wouldn't mind goin' back."

"Yeah... me neither." You sighed, releasing the dress. You stared at it longingly for another moment before shutting the closet door to continue getting ready for bed. A very sweet dream indeed.

I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO USE MY WORK TO TRAIN AI

MASTERLIST

[hoshigray]

𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐇𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 | satoru gojō

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Going on a date with the guy who broke your heart is something you’d never thought would happen – especially on Valentine’s Day! But it’s just for him to be in your good graces again, nothing more…Yeah, go ahead and tell yourself that.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Gojo x fem/afab! reader - explicit content; minors DNI - modern + college AU - frenemies to lovers + mutual pining + confessions - Gojo and reader are at least age 20 - going on a date - sex in a public space; hotel room - breast fondling + sucking + nipple play - fingering (f! receiving) - oral (f! receiving) - clitoral play (sucking and swiping) - missionary position - unprotected sex (psa: wrap it up or get tf up + Gojo doesn't shoot inside) - pet names (baby, cutie pretty, princess, sweetie) - angst + fluff - cameos: Shoko, Mei Mei, Utahime, Geto, Nanami - mentions of tears and spit - humor bc I'm [not] funny.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 10.3k (going out with a bang, jfc)

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: final part to this short yet fun story !! tysm for the love you've given this series, it was a random idea that came to me last year and I'm so glad I was able to put more thought into it. all y'all's comments and rbs have been entertaining to read thru, love the support and engagement this story sparked with you, and I thank you sm for sticking around ccc: also!!! ty for 5.9k loveliessss mwah mwah~

and lol, yes, the title is based on the laufey song, hehe~

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“Sorry, Satoru, Y/n doesn’t wanna see you right now — like, at all.”

“Oh, Gojo. Sorry, Y/n’s in no mood to talk to you right now. Said you better not make so much as a step past this door. Because if you do, I’ll have to charge your savings.”

“Hmph, you got some nerve, Gojo! Didn’t you hear from Mei Mei earlier? Y/n doesn't wanna talk to you…What the hell did you do this time?”

You could hear your roommates telling off the person showing up at the front door from your door. Before, they’d come to you and ask if you wish to give this person an audience for your presence. Yet you say the same thing: you’re not ready to converse with them. You’ll probably never want to talk with them again. 

It’s been like this for the past week. Ever since the little fiasco between you and Gojo — not to mention you slapping him across the face for his upsetting words — things between the two of you have been quiet as promised. The very last words you ever told him were to never speak to you again after publicly humiliating yourself by crying in front of him.

Outside of being the talk in everyone’s mouth (I mean, who wouldn’t gossip about one person slapping another after walking into them saying some mean shit about the other), you’ve been worried about by your friends ever since the incident. Your direct senior roommate, Utahime, was the first one to see you crying to yourself after coming home from classes and immediately called up Gojo to rip him a new one for making her junior roomie cry. Shoko was the passive one who listened to both sides yet still put your emotional state above anything else, telling Gojo white lies that you weren’t in your dorm room whenever he’d try to visit. And Mei Mei walked with you to your classes throughout the week in case the tall figure tried looking for you.

But it didn’t stop there. After that day, your Contemporary Issues course with Professor Naga was sheer awkwardness. The silent tension between you and Gojo was so thick that it effortlessly suffocated your peers and made it hard to concentrate — especially for the professor and your friends, Ijichi and Haibara. Outside of the class, you did your part in avoiding Gojo, and the same applies to the lectures you shared with him. No words, no greeting – not even a mere glance – were shared in his direction. It was as if your life mission was to avoid him at all costs.

However, this is Satoru Gojo we’re talking about. Although he respected your no-talking rule in the premise of lectures, he’d still try to get your attention once class was over. And even then, you’d bolt to the door to not give him the chance. He’d follow right behind you and have to maintain a respectable distance when Mei Mei was the light lavender eyes behind your back.

But what the hell did he expect? What he said hurt you to your core, so there was no way you’d want to speak with him again. He deserved that slap! The sting you inflicted on his face for a few minutes was nothing compared to the torment of your heart that’s been aching for a long while now. You can’t even look at Gojo after what had transpired. The pain he caused has been with you for a while, yet it still felt new and fresh to reflect on. 

And yet…your mind still can’t help but agonize you even more. Do you think it was easy to not engage with Gojo this entire time? Oh, it was the worst, both for your soul and mind. The memories of his smile and dimples would come up every often, pooling you deeper into your dread. The routine of him speaking to you with whispers when it was just the two of you — like he didn’t want others to find you in the comfort of each other’s presence — like it was sacred. And the way he said your name. It toyed with your heart whenever you’d reminisce it. 

“Y/n!”

Especially after how much has changed in your relationship with him, you really thought things between you and him were going for the better. Or, to be honest, becoming something a lot closer and personal. Something you grew to want with him as the days’ encounters and nightly calls went by. 

“Y/n...”

But you were wrong, lecturing yourself for being so dumb and naive for wanting such a thing. Amid the fun, you had forgotten what you two were and believed that you could change from that. Change with him. And yet here you are, broken-hearted, barely concentrating on your Word document on your laptop. 

“Hey, Y/n,” your brow twitched with the snap of reality, Utahime opening the door after knocking. “It’s the front door again; it’s—“

“GRRRAAAHHHHHHHHH!!” 

You were never one to shout within your apartment — Utahime’s eyes widened at the sudden shout of vexation. You stood up from your desk and walked past her, marching through the hallway. Mei Mei peeks from her shared room, and Shoko pours coffee in the kitchen. All three of your roommates observe you stomping to the door.

You swung the apartment door open with vigor, “I SWEAR TO CHRIST, GOJO, WHAT PART OF ‘DON’T EVER TALK TO ME’ DO YOU NOT UNDERST—…Geto?”

“Oh, hey there, Y/n. I was worried about you.” You were surprised to open the door and not find the unusual silver hair you expected. Instead, it was Suguru Geto, Gojo’s dark-haired direct roommate, rubbing his cold hands together that weren’t covered with his black windbreaker. Next to him was Kento Nanami, standing silently in his sand-colored trench coat.

“Hey, guys,” knowing they aren’t who you thought it would be, your shoulders relaxed with your tone. “What’s up?”

“Well,” Geto sighs heavily before telling anything. “We wouldn’t be here for a reason. And, after hearing what happened between you and you-know-who, I think you can guess why we're here, too.”

And then it hits — the realization of how these two’s abrupt appearance came to be. “…He asked you two to come and talk to me for him.” 

The two roommates look at each other for a second, and then Geto points behind him with his thumb to the stairwell door. You follow his finger, seeing the person you’re talking about watching you from the door window. You try not to contort your face into an ugly, exasperated expression in front of the other boys. So, you settle for a sigh to alleviate the stress growing inside you.

“Ugh. What is it.” You ask Geto with an attitude that wasn’t easily sheathed.

“Honestly, all I know is that he really – like, really – wants to talk to you.”

“Well, I don’t want to talk to him. So there,” you shake your head and backtrack past the threshold of your door. “Sorry you two came here for no reason, but I can’t—“

“—Wait!” Geto cuts you off and brings a hand on the door to stop you from closing it. You caught the intervention, widening the door again. Geto explains himself. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you—well, no, sorry. I get that Satoru said some things that hurt you last week. Believe me: I already lectured him hell and back for it when Shoko told me you came home crying, and you have every right to be mad at him right now…But—“

“Did he tell you what he said to me?”

“H—No, he didn’t,” your brow quirked at that response. He didn’t? “All he told me when I confronted him was that he messed up real bad and crossed a line.” 

“A line?” You enunciated after him. “That’s cute...Geto, he won’t tell you what he said because I caught him saying those things. That scumbag,” you averted your gaze to the door window, seeing Gojo gulp at your fierce eyes. “—knows what he said. And he knows that I told him I want nothing to do with him for that.”

Nanami was quiet throughout the entire thing, so it took you aback when he spoke. “And I’m on your side in that regard. You’re right, he is a scumbag; tactless, crude, borderline annoying—“

“Just borderline?” Geto points the word out to lighten the mood.

“And the type of person to get on someone’s nerves purposely. And with that, I don’t blame you for cutting him off. If anything, it’s what he deserves, if not more.”

You knew there was more to say beyond that. “And yet…"

“And yet,” Nanami picks it up. “…I’d be lying if I said that guy doesn’t know when he’s at fault. He can be prideful and childishly playful — albeit disrespectful to anyone he thinks doesn’t deserve it. However, he’s not emotionless, and if he is disrespectful to his friends, he knows when he’s in the wrong.“

“And take it from me, Y/n.” Geto comes in with the assist now that things are a bit calm. “Fucking asshat will take days to apologize to me for something stupid, and that’s if he feels like giving me one. But even if he doesn’t, I know he cares about me like any best friend…Like he cares about you.”

You had to fight the urge to roll your eyes, so you close them and shake your head. “He doesn’t care—“

“Yes, he does.” Nanami doesn’t let you finish that sentence. “Like I said: Gojo is many things, but he’s not an emotionless moron. Because I can tell that whatever he said distraught you to your core and made him feel bad about it — pathetically so.”

“…How do you know?” You don’t know why you asked that question; why the fuck should you care? The fucker in question is the one that broke your heart behind your back, so why bother?

“Because when he came home that day, Geto pulled him by the shirt, threw him against the wall, and yelled at him like no tomorrow. And he just stood there, letting Geto give him his rightful lashing. He even told him he didn’t deserve you as a friend, which I agreed with. But then Gojo said something after that…”

Again, this isn’t something you should be caring about. So why are you turning to Geto to ask, “…What did he say?”

“He said I was right, that he definitely didn’t deserve you.” Before the raven-haired boy answered, he exhaled through his nostrils. “And that what he said about you was, by far, the dumbest thing he’s ever done, which is saying a lot.”

“A whole lot.” The blond-haired boy jumped in. “Y/n, don’t take this as me vouching for him. But, if you could have seen the look on his face when he said that,” he nods when you shake your head ‘no’ again. “You would feel the guilt and shame pouring from him. It was pathetic to look at — pathetic for him to express. But it was real.”

And you know it’s the truth — not because it came from Nanami, but because you could picture the scene as if you were there. You could just imagine Gojo’s face, a dangerous move as your heart skipped with a twinge. You imagine the emotions he was expressing, your skin crawling thinking about his blue eyes – usually filled with life and light – appearing so broken and devoid of animation. 

“He does care about you — there’s no mistake about it. You two have been friends since freshmen year; he’d be an idiot to let those years go down the drain because of him. And that’s why we went along with coming here in his stead and asking you to talk to him.” You open your mouth, but Geto isn’t finished. “Please, Y/n. You’re the mature one, but you don’t have to act strong on this one. I can only assume, of course, but I’m sure you want this handled, too.”

He wasn’t wrong, yet at the same time, you couldn’t shake the heavy feeling that was weighing you down. 

“I…I don’t want to speak with him.” The two guys didn’t change their facial expressions. “Not now, at least...I don’t want to see his face right now.”

“Then how about a phone call later tonight?” Nanami proposed. “You two can talk it out with each other after you guys think about what to say to each other. You can even have the call while we’re sleeping so you can have privacy.”

“Ehhh, but I’m nosy.” Geto teases his sophomore roommate, making the younger blonde huff. 

“Not tonight, you are. Plus, you got a project to present tomorrow, so you need sleep.”

“Fair, fair…But seriously, Y/n, you should talk with him. If not for him, then for us, for Shoko, Utahime, Mei Mei, all of us. We don’t want you upset about what this idiot did this time. So, one talk should be okay, right?”

It should be okay. Keyword: should. However, the anxiety that you harbor within your limbs tells you otherwise. The pool in your stomach churning into a state you find uncomfortable to fight against. 

But concurrently, you couldn’t lie to yourself; a piece was missing in all of this. The resolution was needed — there had to be a way to see the entire picture in this matter. Otherwise, you’d be walking around campus mad at the person behind a door examining your reactions for the entire semester — no, the whole next year! You knew you didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with that. You can barely go through it right now. So, might as well get this off the table before it worsens…At least, that’s what you say to rationalize.

“…Okay,” you straightened your posture. “The girls have morning classes tomorrow. Tell him to call me at midnight.” 

Your answer sealed the deal, the two males dismissing themselves before you closed the apartment door. Your roommates peered around the corner once they heard the door lock, coming to ask if you were all right. You molded a faux smile and said you were fine, and yet you couldn’t tell if that was a lie to them or yourself. 

From there, the time felt so long to witness and experience throughout the day, watching one hour pass after the other. The sun had never settled under the horizon so slowly before, taking its time to draw the curtains of darkness over the Earth. And yet the time went fast simultaneously — the minutes spooked you every time you looked at the clock. 

Was this the universe’s way of toying with you for agreeing to talk to Satoru Gojo? It had to be. Your stomach doing somersaults didn’t help either; you could barely get through eating dinner because the dreaded talk bound to happen in a few hours was all your mind could think about. 

And then, when everyone was fast asleep ten minutes before midnight, your nerves couldn’t settle down. Five minutes before, you decided to take yourself and the phone to the bathroom (because the fan would be loud enough to tune out your conversation), needing the tiny space to yourself to pace back and forth and not to disturb Utahime snoring away. One minute before, you were sitting on top of the toilet, watching the seconds go by on your phone, praying that he wouldn’t call on the dot. He wouldn’t buzz you at the immediate stroke of twelve, right? He had to be doing something — anything else — hoping he’d spare you another minute if he could.

BZZZR!! BZZZR!!

However, that wasn’t the case. He called you right on the dot, and your heart jumped at the vibration from your phone. His display name was titled ‘do not answer this jerk,’ a change you made the day after the incident. Yet here you are, in the bathroom, and your thumb shaking over the green button. 

It wasn’t until the sixth vibration that you pressed the button with a sharp inhale, bringing the phone to your ear with haste. The silence was in the air for a couple of seconds, worsening your anxiousness. Until—

“…Hey.” He was the first to say something, thank God.

“Hi…..Where are you?”

“Outside my apartment, sitting on the stairwell...You?”

“In the bathroom.”

“You sitting on the toilet?”

You know what he was doing, making the conversation easier before getting to the hard stuff. Nonetheless, you admit it was working while your nervous state gradually deteriorated. “…And what if I am?”

“Then I’d say….Heh, actually, no. I can’t make that joke right now. Not when we’re like this.”

“Mmm, like this…” You hummed, the awkward tension filling the silence once again. “….Look, Gojo—“

“Before you say anything,” he cut you off, but you allowed it. “I have a lot I wanna say to you, and I want to get them out the way before I forget and never get the chance to say them to you…Can I say them?”

Your brows scrunched together, your free hand drawing reassuring circles on your thigh, and your teeth gnawing on your bottom lip. “…Go ahead.”

“Okay…So, first off,” you held your breath to brace yourself. “What I said about you on that day — I’m not gonna sit here and say I didn’t mean those things when I said them because I did. But NOT in the way you’re thinking.”

“Then what way did you mean them, Gojo?”

“I meant them in the implication that I was trying to protect what you and I had.” Had? “Our relationship was being questioned, some girl was asking about us and…I know you weren’t ready to have our business out in the world yet, so I thought….I just said what was believable with how everyone sees us since we’re always butting heads and shit. So, I said and meant those things to protect us in the heat of the moment. And then…I guess I got carried away.” 

“You guess you got carried away?” You repeated, your anxiousness now substituting for subtle anger. “…Just a little person angry at the world around them? So exhausting to deal with someone so boring and uncute as me?”

“Holy fuck, you remember it all—“

“Of course I did!” How could you not!? “And then — hmph, now this one I’ll never forget — ‘I’ve seen prettier, been with better, I feel sorry for the poor bastard who does end up with them’…” Your emotions were a mix of offense and pain, irritation and misery. Despite that, your voice maintained a calm tone, even if you wanted to do nothing but yell at the screen. Yet that wouldn’t solve this. “Gojo, the fact that I know all of that, verbatim, and have refused to talk, think, touch, or even look at you since them…To say you got carried away is just…like, holy fuck. Who the hell were you?” 

He didn’t say anything for a minute, but you couldn’t blame him. Being hit with his own words like that, any moral human being would stop and let that shit simmer into their skin. 

“…I’m sorry,” you wanted to call bullshit so bad, but not after he followed up with this. “Really. I’m so…so fucking sorry, Y/n. I know that shit wasn’t cool, and, to be honest, I expected more than one slap for that. I only meant it to save you the burden of gossip; believe me when I say that.”

“I—ahem…” Nope, you were not going to do this. Not tonight. “I want to believe you, Gojo. But I just…I can’t; it hurts my head thinking about it.”

“I know…I did that to you, and I’m so fucking sorry. My foot was too far up my mouth when I said all that, just one useless thing after another….And you know what’s crazy? I think my conscience knew me spouting shit wasn’t the right call. I mean, I literally walked with you to the class that day; what kind of friend does that and say shit like that afterward? And when I saw you….the way you looked so…distant? Just like that, everything that we had was just gone. I couldn’t see it — I saw absolutely nothing when I saw you. That scared me, seeing the happiness and the smile you had minutes ago just vanish with the flip of a switch. And I fucking did that. I knew at that moment that I lost you…..Y/n…? Are you crying?” 

You immediately moved the phone away from your ear, covering your mouth with the arm of your sweatshirt. The cries you tried to suppress poured out at that moment, and the pain that scratched your insides left your system with every sob and intake of breath. The tears damped the material, soaking them in as they rolled down your cheeks.

As ways to start the eve of your Monday, crying with the person who broke your heart on the phone was not one you expected to be one of them. It all hurt: the rapid emotions, the memories of that day replaying in your head, the genuine sincerity expressed in his voice. It was all too fucking much, your face heating up to a concerning level that you’d think you’d blow up.

You give yourself a few seconds before bringing the phone to your ear, “….What else?” 

“Huh?”

“You said—sniff—that you had other things you wanted to say to me.” A change of subject was necessary, not wanting him to notice the broken crack of your voice. “So, what else?”

The request took him aback, but he knew better than to question or fight you. “…Second of all, I wanna say – since I’m not sure I’ll ever get the chance to tell them to you in person – I want you to know that you’re more than what I said. There’s nothing 'kinda' pretty about you — you’re pretty all over. I’m not saying that to butter you up; it’s something I’ve said to myself all this time…Who am I kidding, saying I’ve been with prettier and better when I hurt the most beautiful and kindest one my eyes ever laid on….? Boring and uncute? Heh, you’re anything but. Sure, I say you're uncute when you nag at me to no end, but I don’t think there’s been a single day that I’ve thought you were a sore for my eyes. You’re too gorgeous for that.”

“Gojo—“

“I don’t deserve you as a friend, Y/n.” Your breath hitched. “Honest. I shouldn’t even be talking to you right now. And yet, you gracing me with time to spare shows that I really don’t have the right to have you close to me…I’m sorry.”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know he was honest about his apology. You felt it in your bones; your gut told you what Gojo told you was true. Your anger was nowhere to be found, but your guard was still up.

You slowly exhale through your mouth before taking your turn in the conversation. “So…Is that all?” 

“….”

“…Gojo?”

“….”

“Gojo? Are you still—“

“I like you.”

Okay, you lied; your guard wasn't up for that.

There’s no way he just said that. There’s no way those three exact words left his mouth and entered your eardrums. They kept ringing throughout your head, bouncing off the walls of your cranium with each repeated syllable. Your eyes widened by the second, your body coming to a complete standstill. And yet, the only thing that was moving and showed signs of life was your heartbeat increasing with the silence.

He likes you. The Gojo Satoru — your frenemy, annoying peer, and friend who enjoys your yelling and nagging — likes you.

“You…You what?” You heard him perfectly, but you wanted to confirm this wasn’t some joke.

“I like you.” He didn’t hesitate to replicate. “I do, I really do. I’ve liked you for….quite a long while, way before we started having sex together.”

“How long ago is that?”

“I think since the spring semester of freshman year when we had started to get a little closer before you became friends with Geto...Yeah, for a while now.”

“…Why?”

“Hmm?”

“Why do you like me? 

You heard him sigh out a large breath before answering. “…To be honest, I just like how you…are you. Like, you’re not scared to be yourself around me. Many people I’ve known try to kiss my ass for me to call them a friend, and even then, those guys are assholes…But you, I don’t see that — I never saw that. You’d never kiss my ass; you’d always be down to tell me when I’m wrong or right. Being around you was different from other people; I felt comfortable around you like you were one of my friends.” 

You didn’t intervene, listening to every word he was to say. 

“Not to mention…Heh, you’re so cute. Like, actually. And pretty, and independent, and bright. I can’t count how many times I’ve been lost in my thoughts about you. Especially recently, you’re all that I can think about. I like how it feels to hold your hand, and your fingers look small against mine. I could never get enough of you talking to you; it’s one of the things I look forward to. And, holy fuck, the way you smile. I swear, you could kill me with that face of yours. And your eyes — I’m always told mine are so beautiful to look at, yet I find that impossible whenever I get stuck when you look at me….Y/n? Are you—You’re not crying, are you?”

You said in sniffles. “You’re such a fucking asshole, Gojo…”

“Huh!? Why??”

“You break my heart one day and then say all these things the next…Are you trying to tell me that stunt you pulled is that dumb thing where people say stupid shit about someone else because they like them?”

“Hey, I told you why I said them! Besides, those two bimbos were getting in our personal life, and we didn’t have anything to call our relationship, so…!”

“Sniff—And you! Why didn’t you tell me you liked me for so long instead of annoying me to no end?”

“I could’ve done that, but…I don’t know. I guess our relationship was easier the way we had it. Things were less complicated for you. Plus, you’re cute when you’re angry at me.”You had to scoff at that. Of course, he’d say something like that. He can be such a prick sometimes. “I was okay with how things were, being all naggy and arguing with you while secretly close to you. I didn’t want to change something we were used to into something more.”

“Mmm.” You could only hum to that sentence, letting his words sink in before saying anything. “…Would it have been a bad thing if it was something more?”

He didn’t answer immediately, indicating that he took the question in serious thought. “No…I wouldn’t have minded. But that decision was all yours to make.”  

“Gojo,” The words you were about to say were about to be so nerve-wracking that you had to take in a deep breath. Chewing on your lips while exhaling through an open mouth. “….Would it be a bad thing if I said….that I liked you, too? And that…I still like you—”

KA-BANG-BANG!!

You jumped at the sudden sound coming from the other side of the line, as it was not the response you were expecting, and you could hear him saying curses further from the phone. After a few brief seconds, Gojo’s voice comes back.

“Fuck, sorry, sorry! I just dropped my phone on the stairs!” He sounded so worried, as if he lost you. “You.…You like me?”

“Yeah, I do…” Gosh, you didn’t think this would happen, the heat on your cheeks expanding to your ears and neck. “I really do. And I’m also willing to forgive you. BUT, you have to prove your worth by redeeming—“

“I WILL!” Again, it wasn’t the reaction you were expecting! He replied with such momentous excitement that you could imagine the sparkle in his blue eyes. “I will, I promise! In fact, I have an idea; how about I take you out on a date?” 

Huh!? “A date??”

“Yeah, on Valentine’s Day, this Wednesday! I know this great place not too far from here, or maybe you wanna go to a small café to wind down from classes? You can pick—”

“Wait, wait! We have classes that day; we have our night class with Professor Yaga—“

“We could skip—“

“Hell. No.” You shut him down with quickness. “We’re going over some serious discussions that day for our papers on Friday; we’re just gonna have to do the date after class.” 

“Pfft, God, you can be such a geek sometimes.”

For the first time that night, you rolled your eyes. “Says the Digimon-fanatic talking to me right now.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He snickers at the phone, and your heart swoons at it. It felt like you hadn’t heard that laugh in ages. “So…Is that a yes?”

It had you thinking for a temporary moment; talking with Gojo again just felt so…familiar. It was something you’d been missing for the past week, accepting that you’d never experience it again. And here he is, inviting you on a date? This was, by all means, a weird night. An apology, a confession, and now being asked out? 

Regardless, you can’t shake the feeling of wanting to be by his side again. And with a chance like this, why brush it off? “Yes, I accept your date.” 

“Then it’s a Valentine’s date. Cool.”

“Cool.” You awkwardly repeated after him, becoming squeamish with the brief silence. “Okay, well, now that we talked. I need to get some sleep.”

“Mmm, okay. Go get your sleep, then. Be sure to think of me in your dreams~”

Your head is shaken again, this time with a smile. “Whatever. I’ll try…Think of me too, Satoru.”

“I always do, Y/n.” Jesus, the way he gently and affectionately said your name. Is this what it’s like to admit you like someone? “Good night.”

“Good night…Oh, wait! You said you had a joke earlier.”

“Hmm…Oh, yeah?”

“Well, now that we’re kinda on good terms…What was the joke?”

“Oh! I was gonna say it’s kinda a shame that you’re sitting on a toilet and not on my face.”

“Goodbye, Gojo.”

“PFFFT, No, wait, I’m so—“

CLICK!

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

As far as dates go about, this is one that Satoru Gojo was the most nervous about. 

As promised, after your class with Professor Naga ended, Gojo waited for you with his car on Main Street by your dormitory. He was already dressed for the date, adorned with a black turtleneck and jeans that matched his Chesterfield coat. But you had a few things you wanted to touch up on before going out for the night, so he texted back that he’d wait for you outside.

What he didn’t expect was being instantly shot down by you once you came down and walked to his car. Because holy fucking shit, you looked so fucking beautiful. If this was a “touch-up,” all the people he went on dates on must’ve not been trying.

You were wearing a black halter long-sleeve top; your collarbone and shoulders were out for his eyes to trace and breathe to hitch. Your arms were shielded by a hoodie that looked a bit big for you but did its job of protecting you from the cold winds. And black thigh socks that contrasted with the plaid skirt and the puffy boots. And…did you put on lipgloss on? Holy shit.

“So,” you’d say meekly to catch his attention since he’s examining your every feature. “I’m ready…” They were simple words, yet they had the power to have him stop leaning on the car and grab the door for you. You were chewing on your lip, avoiding his gaze that watched every step you took. “You’re staring, Satoru…”

“Hmm? Oh! Sorry...” He’d close your door and mutter, scratching his neck where the heat from his ears crawled around. 

And from there, the date began. The plan? He wanted to take you to some fancy restaurant, but you politely declined and told him you’d settle for dinner and a movie. And you two did just that, going to this burger joint that was popping off when you entered. You two sat at a booth by a window, enjoying your food and conversing about each other’s day.

“You did not have to do that.” You said in giggles, bringing a fry to your mouth. 

“I did, too!” Gojo replied after taking a big bite from his burger. “The fucker almost tried to dirty my basketball shoes; do you know how much those shits cost? Expensive as hell.” 

“Yeah, but to push your buddy to an ice bath because he almost dirtied your shoes?” You shook your head with a smile. “And all shoes are expensive these days, Satoru.”

“Yeah, well, mine were custom-made. So,” he takes another bite. “Serves him right.”

Gojo didn’t notice it himself, but you saw a bit of ketchup on the corner of his mouth. Tending to your friend’s obliviousness, you grab a napkin and stretch to him. At first, he thought you were giving it to him to wipe it off himself; nope. You did it for him, tenderly dabbing the condiment off his lip. 

And you didn’t even notice what you were doing until your eyes met his, instantly pulling your hand back. “Sorry! You just…had something on there…”

“Mmm, thank you…” he said it low, but you heard him. What you couldn’t hear, thank God, was the beat of his heart going at an unsteady rate. It took a minute for you two to shuffle uncomfortably for the conversation to flow back.

After the dinner was the movie, a random action movie that you two felt interested to see. And it wasn’t that bad of a film; the plot was pretty subpar, the acting mediocre, but overall, a good movie. 

However, Gojo couldn’t focus on the movie for lengthy periods because his eyes would usually drift to the right of him where you sat, surveying how engrossed you were watching the film that you didn’t notice him. God, even in the dark, you looked so gorgeous and cute. 

Sometimes, he’d glance at your armchair and look at your hand, the inner dialogue between himself on whether he should go for it and place his hand on top of yours. But he doesn’t do it. He wants to, but he can’t, not like this. It was killing him so much; the feeling of wanting to touch you and have you against him again was haunting him — they’ve been haunting him for the past few days now.

“Fuck…” he’d mutter under his breath, but you wouldn’t hear because of the sound of explosions coming from the theater speakers. He wanted you but didn’t want to mess this date up. He couldn’t afford to screw this chance with you, he just couldn’t. 

Once the movie was over, he’d walk with you to the parking lot where the car was parked. The chill winds of February crawl up on your bodies, and you bundle up into your warm hoodie. “Did you enjoy the movie?”

He hummed with a tilted head. “Meh, I’ve seen better. It wasn’t too bad. What about you; you liked it?” 

You looked up to ponder and shrugged, swaying side-to-side as Gojo leaned on his car. “Yeah, it was okay. There’s better stuff out there.”

“You just saying that to agree with me?” 

“No, maybe you’re reading my mind and copying my answers.” You give a tiny smug look, only for him to smile along.

He then asks, “So…did I do good with this?” He can’t lie; how you lifted your brow instead of giving an immediate answer made him a little nervous. And with the tilt of your head and turning your body fully towards him, you knew you had him in the palm of your hand. You hand him your verdict:

“I think so. You treated me to good food, didn’t try to poison me, and got a free movie ticket out of it.” You jokingly punch his chest. “Yeah, I liked this date, Gojo. Consider yourself redeemed.”

He snickers lightly, “Good, I don’t think I can take another day of you being mad at me.” That made you giggle; good. Things go quiet for a while, and he averts his stare downward. His eyes land on your hand, the thoughts from the movie theater teetering back to his head. Goddamn it, he really wants to touch you—

“I can see you staring through those glasses, Gojo.” And just like that, you propelled your hand to link with his, making the tall boy flinch. “Your subtlety is wearing thin.”

Your teasing tone evokes a chuckle disguised in a sigh from Gojo, his fingers slithering to intertwine with yours. “What makes you think so?”

You peer up to him. Fuck, your eyes were so beautiful. “You were practically staring daggers at me while watching the movie. Am I on your mind that much?”

“Yes.” You expected a different answer – something more playful – and it’s why you couldn’t breathe after he brought his face closer to yours. “Infintely.”

Suddenly, the cold air didn’t bother you anymore. The heat on your face blossoms across your cheeks and ears while maintaining eye contact. “Am I on your mind right now?” He nods, your noses barely brushing each other. You whisper to him, “What are you thinking about?”

“I wanna kiss you.” He closes his eyes; you can see from his shades. “I want to hold you like I did before.” The hand clutching yours gets firmer. “I want you…Just you.”

The way he has with words effortlessly pulls you in, his voice comforting to the point you allow him to put his other hand around your waist. You faintly reply before connecting your lips with his. “I want you too…Satoru.”

When he pecks your lips, a feeling you two feared was wiped off the Earth returns to warm your bodies. Your hands instantly go around his neck like usual, sighing through your nostrils as you permit to sink into his hold and kiss.

Gojo uses this to bring his hand behind your neck to keep you on him, the kiss becoming more passionate by the second. He licks on your bottom lip, a sign of wanting entry. So, you open and lick him back before he takes the initiative to put his tongue inside your mouth. And you moan into his lips — fuck, how he missed the sounds you’d make for him. It felt like forever since the last time he heard them. 

This moment brings the spark between you two back, the sounds of the world around you drawing out from your space. All that mattered was you being in his embrace and him having you with him like this again. It all felt right — being with each other — with nothing bothering this peace meant for you two.

So much so that Gojo took it upon himself to convince you to stay with him tonight at a nice hotel close by, where you two couldn’t get off each other the moment you closed the door to your room. Hot kisses are exchanged as you two remove each other’s clothing, Gojo undoing your bra and lifting you to place on top of the bed. 

His lips never leave yours, even when his hands play with your chest. Your legs wrap around his waist to pull him closer as he rocks into you. Your core down south experiences throbs that entail you want him, your horniness dialing up with every grind of his groin.

He breaks the kiss to playfully bite your lip so he can hear you yelp for him, placing his lips from your chin down to your neck. You say in shaky breaths, “Hahhh, Satoru, please touch me more…”

He lifts his lips from your clavicle, “Of course, princess; you know I always got you.” He then licks from your collarbone down to one of your nipples in a tantalizingly slow fashion, your body squirming from anticipating what he’s about to do. His tongue finds its way to swirl around the bud, having your hum to the wet touch. And when he decides to suck it into his mouth when it’s hardened, you gasp. 

But it doesn’t stop there, one hand tweezing the other nipple as he licks around the one in his mouth. The free one snakes down your abdomen to your skirt, lifting the material for his digits to meet the damp spot of your panties. 

You jerk at the feeling of him moving the material to the side, rubbing his bare fingers on your precious, wet cunt and clit. “Ahhnn! Satoru, Satoru—Mmmm…” He rubs around on your folds in circles before adding his forefinger smoothly inside, his slender digit efficiently rubbing your vaginal walls have you holding back whimpers. 

When he thinks you’re ready enough, he adds his middle finger inside. Both his digits scrape and graze around your inner walls, provoking silent screams to leave your lips. Your fingers find his hair to tug, which only has him suck on your breast more. 

“Hooohhh, mmmmh…Right there, right thereee…please—Ohooo…!” You moan to him, your thighs jerking with every scratch of his fingers in your chasm.

“Mmm…you close, pretty?” Gojo releases your nipple for a quick second, returning it inside his warm mouth after he sees you nod hurriedly. “Hold tight, okay? Lemme get you ready, sweetie…”

You cry at the increase in speed, the nails of his fingers scraping the velvety tender spots inside you. Your body jerks to him as your hands find his shoulders to pinch on. Gojo lets go of your bud once again to move his lips down south, spreading your legs to take a look at your mess.

“Holy shit,” he says with a bitten lip before he crouches down to kiss your clit after slipping your panties off. “I fucking missed this pretty thing so fucking much.” He licks your soapy folds up to your clit, drowning the delicate button with feverish laps of the tongue. It has you screaming his name, and he loved that so fucking much.

Gojo stuffs his face to your slit, drinking your essence while teasing the clit with fast swipes. Your wails get louder and louder, and he doesn’t make it any easier when he keeps your legs spread for him to continue his work. Oh, fuck, oh, fuck, fuck, fuck! I’m gonna cum, I’m—“Ahhahnn!!”

That’s when you come onto his face, your cunt spasming with electric pulses and your legs shaking with every hit of your orgasm. And he keeps on sucking and licking your fluids; you’d think he’s sucking the life out of you. But you can’t blame him; the boy is starved for you.

He soon withdraws his face from between your legs when you’re done with wailing and crying, licking his lips and leaving off the bed to take out a condom, throwing his jeans and drawls to the floor. But then something is wrong, and you can see it when Gojo presses his lips into a thin line before climbing back to the bed and maneuvers on top of you. He aligns the glans of his cock to the entrance of your vagina, and it’s there that you notice he doesn’t have the rubber on.

“I…I forgot to bring a condom, sweetie.” He says to you in a tune that harbors slight worry, and you can tell from his azure eyes that he’s a little nervous about this step. You held back a giggle; for once, he looked adorable when worried about something.

“…How good is your pull-out game?” You ask, half-jokingly.

His white brows trench together. “Are you sure?” 

You nod and kiss him on the cheek. “I trust you, Satoru, so just be careful, okay?” 

He blinks at you, taken aback by your lack of resistance. Yet, at the same time, he knew you needed this just as much as he did. So, with that in mind, he pushes the glans into you, observing your breathing to gauge how much to propel inside. The tip of his length then bullies itself inside you, a sharp gasp coming from your sweet lips while Gojo moans at the raw feeling of you around him.

“—Hnnn! H–Hooooly fuck,” with every inch he pushes inside of you, the sensation of your pussy chills him up his spine. The rubber had been shielding this away from him, every dent and smooth tissue of you wrapping around him. Oh, fuck, this was a dangerous game to play. “Oh, shiiit, you feel so fucking good..”

You could agree with that notion, experiencing his naked girth inside you for the very first time. You could feel his veins graze against your walls, the curve scraping your spots tenderly. “Ohhhh, fuck, you too, ‘toru…Oh my God…”

Even starting with slow thrusts was a hard card to pull, the subtraction of the condom making this feel so new and fresh — a scary dance to do with two young lovers. He pulls his cock slowly til halfway up the tip and then rushes it back inside to your wetness. Your pretty purrs fly out with every movement.

Gojo takes this time to look at you with your disheveled figure sprawled out for him to see and pick at like eye candy. Watery eyes batting up at him with pleasure behind half-lidded orbs, your chest that he loves so much out for him to give a nipple another tweak, and your legs curling around him as his tempo increases. You’re so fucking beautiful, and he’s so lucky to be able to have you under him again. He wouldn’t want it any other way — he wants to belong to you and you with him. It’s a dream he’d kill to have with you.

“Y/n…” he says your name in a shaky breath, groaning at your slit clamping onto him so suddenly. “Can I…Be your boyfriend?”

You didn’t have enough time to react appropriately because Gojo hammers his cock into you with no warning. You scream out for him to stop, to wait a minute so you can give an adequate response! But no, he ruts into you like his hips have a mind of their own, forcing you to cling onto him for dear life as the curve of his length jabs you in places that have you rolling your eyes to the stars.

“—Ahahhnn!! Ahhh! W-Wait, Satoruuuu!!” Your words slur out with a hot breath, drool coming down your mouth with no control. “You want me….Mmnph! To be your—“

“Yes! Oh, fuck…yes!” He says with no hesitation, slamming his pelvis down to your pussy so fast that his balls smack on your taint. Oh, fuck, this felt way too damn good! “I wanna be yours, and I want you to be mine—Hooooh….No one else’s…!”

“Nnahh…!! Ohhh, my God, fuuuuck…!” Your heart beats eighty miles per hour, your whole body endures heat shared with Gojo, and your thoughts travel too fast to keep up. He wants to be my boyfriend? He wants to be my boyfriend! “…R–Really?”

“Yeah, really, really.” He smiles breathlessly at you, placing a kiss on your forehead. “Let’s be a couple, yeah? I want you so bad; you drive me so fucking crazy—Hannhh!! Shit, shit… I don’t want to hide this anymore — to hurt my cutie anymore. Let’s make this official so I can be with you without worries.” He snaps his hips harshly, grinding his pelvis with the flex of his abs, provoking more horny howls to seep from your puffy lips. He lowers to whisper to your ear while a hand clings to yours on the side. “Whatcha say, princess, hmm? Let’s be together….Hmmm…!”

Holy fuck, this is not a confession you were expecting while having your insides churned out, with your crush between your legs, in the middle of a hotel room, on Valentine’s Day. Your mind was getting foggy enough from the hot commotion in your inner thighs — now your head was filling up with fantasies of being with Gojo as a couple! This was beyond bizarre, something out of a fucking movie! 

And yet, you couldn’t find any reason to say no! There’s no denying it — those feelings Gojo had for you were the same as you had for him. You feel so happy being around him, in his hold, whispering and expressing his vulnerable side to you, and you’d want to throw all that away? Hell no! 

“—Mmm, yessss,” you can’t help but shed a little tear at him, to which he readily dries away with a thumb. “Yesss, Satoru, I wanna be yoursss — please…take care of me!”

Gojo slams his lips onto yours, your mewls taken by hungry lips while his strokes go at a rapid tempo. You almost choke on his spit from the way your clit catches abrupt hits from his pelvis, and the tip of his dick pokes your fragile spots with precision. 

Oh, Jesus fucking Christ! You felt it; it’s coming. You felt it in your bones, the shivers crawling up your spine as you inhaled to prepare. “Maahhh! ‘Toruuu, I’m gonna cumm…! Quick, pull out—Oooooo!!” 

Thank God you gave him a warning. The tall other was too lost in the feeling that he was just about to come inside you! He removes his body off of yours to swiftly pull his member out, using his hand to finish the job for him, although he already misses the warmth of your cunt. 

He comes at the same time as you, his load shooting out from his urethra and spilling onto his hand. White fluids slide between his fingers as he continues to stroke himself off while your legs twitch and your slit contracts and flutters on nothing, letting the wave of your climax pass on through with every howl. 

The air of the hotel room cools your bodies after disconnecting your sexes off each other, and huffs and pants from heaving figures are evidence of you two trying to find your balance in the world. Sky-blue eyes lock in with yours, and he laughs in faint puffs.

He crawls his way back between your legs after wiping his hand, placing kisses up your neck and chin. “Hahhh, fuck, that felt way too good.”

“Mhmm,” you hum with him, letting him place his head in the crook of your neck. 

“Hey,” he traces a finger along your collarbone. “Wanna skip classes tomorrow?”

Your eyebrows draw upward. “One day of Valentine’s isn’t enough?”

“Nope~. Plus, I wanna make up a week’s worth of not being around you.”

“Pfft, sure,” you stifled a laugh. “But you need a single day to do all that?” 

He lifts his head with a grin. “Well, we don’t have enough clothes to stay here until Saturday.” He maneuvers himself to lie on his side. “Why? You doubt I can do it?”

“You’re free to prove me wrong,” you give him a sneer. “I suggest you start getting to work.” You didn’t expect your words to flip a switch, causing the snow-haired other to grab you by the legs to him. He restrains your hands above your head, and you can’t fight the giggles from his playful manner.

“With pleasure,” he claims your lips again, your sweet murmurs entering his ears.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

“Psst, oh my God, do you see that?”

“Holy shit, this can’t be real!”

“Woah…Am I in the right universe?”

“Satoru, I told you people would stare…hurry and let go of my hand—“

“Nope! I like where your hand is right now~.”

It was like this the entire day. Ever since your Valentine’s Day date with Gojo, things instantly returned to where they were supposed to be and more! It was amazing how one day could make the bitterness of the weeks prior dissipate with the February wind. There was nothing to be scorned about —nothing to be scared of — everything felt clear to you and the person you were holding hands with.

After that date successfully went well — and won your heart in more ways than one, you’ll admit — you and Gojo decided it was time to unveil the status of your relationship. No more secrets, no more hiding feelings for each other; you two were officially a couple, both in private and outward!

Spending two days alone together felt like a dream, being so close to each other without worrying about being seen and critiqued in the eyes of others. But now, back on campus grounds, you can’t go back on your promise and have to walk with your cheeks and ears burning as Gojo’s fingers tighten the grasp around yours. 

Of course, the change of pace was a complete shock to the students and staff on this Friday. The number of perplexed gazes and starstruck figures who stopped to look at the two of you was too many to count — hell, you even saw Professor Gakunaji’s eyes widen for the first time! It was all so embarrassing, being the talk on everyone’s mind after keeping a low profile for so long. And here you are, holding hands with the star basketball player, the guy everyone knew assumed you couldn’t stand being within arm’s length with, and now, the boy you want to spend the rest of your college life with, Satoru Gojo.

Who, by the way, is loving every single second of this — of course he is, the fucking cheeky bastard! You don’t think you’ve seen his smile and dimples never leave his face for the entire day. He was stuck to you like glue, walking you to your classes and immediately returning to your side after his lectures ended like a happy puppy. He knew you were a little overwhelmed with it all, but that wasn’t a problem because he’d happily make sure you didn’t think you were the only one going through with this. Plus, you just looked so fucking cute looking all bashful around him now that he expresses his love for you publicly. I mean, the way you were in shock after he kissed you on the cheek after walking you to your second class of the day with Utahime? Oh, he wished he had a picture! Especially with your roommate’s jaw dropped to the floor (which never closed throughout the remainder of class as she just stared at you) after seeing the startling, romantic interaction.

And now, here you two go, walking out from your last class of the day with Professor Yaga — who was caught off guard when you two walked in together with a lovey-dovey (mostly on Gojo’s part) atmosphere but gave you a small smile as you walked to your seats (which were changed because Gojo pleaded you sat next to him from now on) as Haibara and Ijichi exchanged cheeky glances at the observation. 

You two were walking down to the dining hall, where you planned to have dinner with Shoko and Geto and tell the two best friends of Satoru Gojo of your intimate relationship. But gosh, everything was going too fast! “Hey, Satoru—“

“Yeeeess~?” He says in a sing-song tune, too pleased with himself as he swings your hand to and fro with his. 

“Do we really have to do this today? Why not eat with Shoko and Geto tomorrow—“

“Huuuh!!? But I’m taking you out tomorrow!” You want to hide your face when passersby hear your boyfriend’s reaction, immediately swapping gossip when they’re out of your vision. “Besides, they’ll be hella busy studying tomorrow at the library, so today was the best option.” 

You nod aimlessly. Ughhh, this is just too much. I feel like my head is gonna implode. Then, you felt Gojo grip your palm tighter and put your walk to a stop, prompting you to look up at him again. 

“Hey,” he says with his signature smile, his dimples becoming more prominent now that you’re gazing up at him. “It’s gonna be okay, alright? I got you, and you got me, right?” And he brings you in for a tight hug that has you squeaking and your lips quivering from hearing people gasp at the display of affection. “And now that I finally have you to myself — officially! — don’t think for a second that you can ever get rid of me!”

On the one side, you really want this fool to let go of you so everyone can stop staring and you can get this dinner over with! And yet, on the other side, your heart was beating in such a tune that had you melt into his embrace, and the smell of his cologne made you hum to his chest. You can’t seem to fight the smile growing on your face and your hands coming around to hug the white-haired, lovestruck fool back. “You’re too silly, Satoru…”

“Uhh, are we interrupting something?” 

With haste, you and Gojo break the hug to see the owner of that familiar voice. To your surprise, it was Shoko greeting you two with a smile. Next to her was Geto, also harboring a sly smile on his face before you. 

You cough to clear your throat away from Gojo, who sneaks his hand on your shoulder to keep you close. “H–Hi Shoko, Geto! I see you guys beat us to the dining hall.“

“Yeah, we were wondering if you two would make it. But now,” Shoko’s brown eyes venture from the figures of Gojo and you being close together, “I can see that you two wanted a bit of time to yourselves.”

“Uhhh, oh, you know; we just wanted to walk together since we had our last class for today!” You try to move your shoulder away from Gojo, but his grasp gets firmer and firmer.

Geto laughs, “Oh, no need to act so shy on us, Y/n! It’s good to know that you two are back to being close and cool now. Especially now that you two are a couple.”

“Ohhh, c’mon now, we’re not—“ you stopped, your body going rigid, and everything suddenly fell silent. “Wait….You knew?”

Geto hums as confirmation. “Yeah? Gojo told me.”

Your face forms into confusion. Gojo?

“Me?” Silver brows hang up at the statement. “I never said anything.”

Shoko makes a slightly bewildered expression. “What are you talking about? Remember that photo that you sent to Geto on Wednesday, and—“

“Woah, woah, woah.” Gojo’s fingers tense on your shoulder. Oh, he knows he’s in trouble. You can tell as he silently removes his hand while you question his best friends. “What picture?”

“Uhhh, the one he sent when you two were out for Valentine’s?” When we WHAT!? “Hold on, lemme pull it up from our messages…Yeah, this one.”

The moment Geto brings out his phone and gives it to you, Gojo felt his heart dropped to his ass. Not that you could tell, but the aura of fear was enough to be picked up. What showed on the screen not only had your jaw drop to your feet, but the cutesy feelings you had a minute ago with Gojo faded. Instead, it was replaced with the growing irritation that had your fingers tremble.

Geto’s phone screen displays a message and an attachment from Gojo on the night of your date. Judging by the time, it happened when you assumed you two were sleeping. The attachment proves your point, showing your sleeping face peacefully on Gojo’s bare chest. And the man in question is shown groggily awake, holding his phone to take the picture while his lips are planted on your forehead. The message below the photo answers Geto’s question, “Yo, you two made up already?” To which the taller figure says, “Yeah, kissed and made up. :3”

“Gojoooo….”

Before you do or say anything, your shaky hands return the phone to its owner, which Geto takes silently while backing three steps away with Shoko. 

“SATORUUUU!!!”

You yell out his name without a care for the people around you who immediately look at you. You turn to where he’s supposed to be — supposedly by your side. But you’re not surprised to see that he’s gone, turning your heel to find that the snowy-headed figure was backing up with his hands up.

“H–Hey now, Y/n,” He says nervously. He better be nervous because your eyes showcased a wrath he wasn’t ready for. “Calm down for me, okay, princess?”

“You…Are so…FucKING DEAD!!!”

And it was there that you chased him down, running around the halls. Geto and Shoko watch with baffled expressions before they scoff with laughter. The same goes with the other students who witness the commotion, enjoying the familiar banter between you two. 

It’s weird to say that you and Gojo are officially a couple now, at least to the public eye. However, no one seems to be in denial of it or push it aside. If anything, they seem happy for you two, finally coming around to express each other’s love for one another in a better way than insults and shouts.

And your friends can say the same, enjoying the change of ambiance whenever you two are in the same space. No more trying to ignore the rambles and arguments between you two, no more tired eyes rolling around their sockets when you call each other names. Because they know those will happen anyway; nonetheless, it’s now in a better light that the banner of young love is finally open and hanged.

 It’s a love that you and Gojo can finally express, be free, and be happy with.

“COME BACK HERE, SATORU GOJO!!”

“NO, YOU’RE JUST GONNA HIT ME!!”

And you two wouldn’t want it any other way. 

© 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲2024 ❤︎ reblogs + comments are appreciated wholeheartedly ☆ dividers by @/cafekitsune & @/animatedglittergraphics-n-more.

[zenmiren]

sypnosis: from friends to strangers to friends to lovers. you have known michael kaiser ever since you were kids, your cloud 9 friendship ended after he mysteriously stopped meeting up with you, and 4 years later, you meet again.

michael kaiser x reader

likes and reblogs are appreciated!!

— not proof-read, might be some mistakes

content: fluff, angst if you squint, nickname 'mihya' is used, childhood friends to lovers trope

saturday, 2:35 pm. berlin, germany.

— 3rd december 2007

8 year old michael kaiser sat by himself under a slide at the park that he went to often. he had been booted outside by his father once again, and with no where else to go, he fled to the park. michael had no friends, so usually, he just sat and watched people play, walk by with their dogs, etc..

until.. he spots a ball, old and rough looking. it clearly wasn't important since it was left behind, and maybe he could fit in with other kids if he had a toy of his own that he could play with.

he crawls out from under the slide and takes the ball. he threw it, bounced it and punched it around, but he was left wondering why his ball wasn't as bouncy as the other kids ones.

compared to his ball, which had pentagons and hexagons, the other kids had brightly coloured balls, and a few kids even had an orange ball with intricate stripes that they threw in a hoop. he tried to throw his ball high up in the air, to make it seem like he knew how to play too, and hopefully, the other kids would ask him to join... but instead.. a girl who was a bit shorter than him, but definitely his age approached him with a toothy grin.

"thats not how you play soccer" you pointed at him with your fat little index finger.

michael was.. awestruck, to say the least, he had never seen someone so.. soft looking, it gave him the urge to protect you, and he didn't even know your name...

"uh-uh.. what." what even was soccer? michael had no idea.

"soccer, you have a soccer ball. are you good at playing?"

"uh-"

"clearly not if you're throwing it around like that!" you laughed, unaware that you had made the boy a tad bit insecure of himself "but don't worry! i'm not very good, but still, i know the jist of it!"

michael simply nodded, letting you lead him along to a more open space. he watches you make a makeshift goal, using two sticks as the point you have to kick past before you strolled over to the ball and kicked it past.

"score!!" you happily exclaimed, cheering as you threw one hand up in the air, gripping the corner of your shirt and putting one leg ahead of the other [JUST IMAGINE KAISER'S MAGNUS POSE BUT LESS DRAMATIC.. cause ur not a try hard like michael is..]

you and michael had played until evening, and michael had quickly realised that he was a natural at the game.

the days after your first encounter, you hadn't shown up to the park in a bit, michael was disappointed, but had hoped you had returned. while you were gone, he practiced kicking the ball and doing tricks to impress you when you came back.

in reality, you were just sick with a fever and had to miss a few days of school and going out, which you were very upset about, but your mom made you just suck it up.

when michael finally saw you again, playing with your friends from school, he was so happy, yet so shy, and he didn't have the guts to approach you again. meanwhile, you were looking for the boy in the black hoodie that you played with before.

when you met eyes, michael felt relief when your face brightened, and you quickly excused yourself from your friends, running over to him and saying hi.

michael had a lot of fun with you every single day, for years. after your school, you would meet up at the park, it didn't matter how tired you were, you had to see him, atleast once a day. michael wasn't much of a talker, hangouts always usually consisted of you yapping about your day while he listened, hummed along and added commentary here and there. to you, it was perfect, you liked that michael listened.

your friends often wondered why you never finished all your food, and your mom found it strange that you always asked for extras whenever she packed your lunch. she summed it up to you just being a growing girl, and that it was most likely just cause you were going through puberty.

you would always just give your spare food to michael though.

you watched as michael scarfed down the remaining food in your lunchbox. neither of you talked, you both just sat on a small hill together. you laid on the grass while michael sat upright, since he didn't want to choke with how fast he was eating.

your eyes scattered around his body and face, he had taken off his signature black hoodie, showing off his forearms and all the bruises and scars that came with it. your gaze travelled up to his face, you always noticed his wounds, but never mentioned it, it must have been a sensitive topic. he had a busted lip, a black eye and a few bruises around his cheeks and forehead.

you sighed, before an idea came to mind.

saturday, 11:15am. berlin, germany

— 15th november 2014

the next day, you showed up to the park with a picnic basket, you had lied to your mom, saying that you would go out with a few friends, since she had no knowledge of michael.

"mihya" you hugged him from behind, effectively making him flinch in shock.

"hey, [name]..." his eyes drifted down to the picnic basket ".. what's.. that for?" he shrugged over to it

"oh! i brought some snacks for us"

michael's fat ass immediately got excited, and he watched as you set the picnic blanket down. you urged him to sit on the blanket, and when you opened the basket, it revealed a lot of snacks you brought, and a few medical items, like cotton balls, alcohol and gauze bandages.

you two made conversation, for a bit before you brought up the wounds. your hand gently cupped his cheek, softly caressing it.

"mihya.. let me clean your wounds, i'm not gonna ask how you got them, i just want to help.." you leaned in close, and michael felt his heart start to race... he hated how you were such a good person.

you ended up cleaning his wounds, only because you were so insistent.

as you used the last of your bandaids for a bruise on his cheek. you ended it off with a sweet kiss on his cheek, to which he flinched away before a heavy blush made its way on his cheeks. you giggled, and michael wished that he could save this in his memory forever. better yet, he wished this lasted forever.

you made him feel things that felt good, you were a safe space to escape everything else in his life. you were what heaven felt like, and michael hoped that he would never be separated from you.

he should have knocked on wood.

around a month after that day, michael mysteriously stopped showing up. not even a hint to why. you remembered clearly that the last time you both were together, he said "i'll see you tomorrow!".. and yet.

you, however, remained hopeful. michael isn't the type to just leave without a word, right? you waited for hours on end, every single day, and he never once came back. by the end of january, you had given up completely.

tuesday, 6:44pm. munich, germany

— (your birthdate) 2018

michael returned to his penthouse after practice. he was drenched in sweat, and his jersey stuck to his toned muscles. he sighed, kicking his shoes off, putting his duffel bag down and plopping down on the couch, manspreading before he whipped his phone out.

he needed a vacation, honestly. he scrolled on instagram, looking through his feed. he stumbled upon a collaboration post of a bunch of university students his age. michael raised a brow, and swiped to see the rest of the photos.

his blue eyes widened when he saw a familiar face, holding a cake. then it clicked, how could he forget? it was your birthday... michael mentally slapped himself, he thought of you every single day, and yet he managed to forget the most important day of the year, which was YOUR date of birth.

he was enamoured.. you looked so pretty, aged like fine wine, in his opinion, even though it had only been around 4 years.

his eyes went to the curve of your nose, the crinkle of your eyes as you smiled, the way your lips looked so so soft.. my goodness.

he set his phone down, his thoughts going on overdrive before he picked his phone back up, and looked through the collaborators on the instagram post, it was your birthday, so obviously you would be a collaborator. he clicked on your profile and mentally applauded himself when he found that your page was public.

he felt a small smile show up on his face when he saw what you were up to. you were a university student in munich, the same city he was in.. you went to a pottery class with a few friends just for fun, you had a part-time job working as a waitress at a 4-star restaurant. you had one cat, named misty, and your friend group over all had a good vibe to it.

michael was happy that you had trustworthy people to hang out with, however, he still wanted to be your number one best friend, maybe even more, so of course, he was a tad bit jealous.

he ordered a bouquet of generic roses to send to your university the next day. it came with a card that said 'send to [name] [last name]', so obviously you received it.

for a while, michael was fine with just stalking your social media and sending you gifts, without signing his name, but it all stopped once ness had come to practice with a familiar girl.

michael raised a brow, he remembered her from somewhere, but he just couldn't remember where.

"kaiser! this is eliza, a close family friend of mine!" ness beamed as michael glanced to eliza, who shyly waved.

eliza.. eliza... ah.. now he remembered.. michael had seen her name when he was scrolling through your followings.

ness had explained that eliza had invited him to a big meet up that was happening tonight with her friends and acquaintances, just for fun, and he wanted michael to come along, since for some reason, ness thought they were friends.

"is [name] gonna be there." michael blurted out, placing a hand on his hip.

ness tilted his head in confusion at the unfamiliar name, and eliza wasn't expecting that question.

"you know [name]? yeah, she'll be there" eliza nods

"then I'm coming."

".. right.."

ness didn't leave him alone for the entire day, constantly asking about who you were and how you knew each other. michael tuned him out. he was more focused on what he would wear, what cologne he would wear... what cologne would you like?

that night, he finished getting ready. he just wore something casual, since the gathering wasn't remotely fancy. ness had picked him up and as they drived, michael felt butterflies in his stomach, his knee was consistently bouncing and his hands felt clammy.

they met with eliza outside of the bar and when they went inside, michael was met with a few familiar faces, he recognised some as people you were following online, and some he didn't know at all.

his eyes shifted from face to face, before he saw yours. michael immediately started regretting coming here.. he was perfectly fine with just watching your life on instagram.. 'michael.. fucking idiot..' he mentally slapped himself. he should just leave honestly. michael was full of ego and confidence, and here he was, buckling his knees for a childhood friend.

he was just about to leave the bar, but you had already seen him, he swore he saw your eyes widen, just a little tiny bit before you excused yourself from your friends, just like how you did so many years ago at the park when you were children, and approached him...

"michael.." you addressed him

"hey." he forced himself to smirk, putting up his arrogant, usual facade.

"wipe that smirk off your face, asshole" you huffed, crossing your arms. "you have some explaining to do."

michael wasn't shocked when you returned to his penthouse with him that night... just to catch up, of course!

sunday, 6:30pm. berlin, germany

— 28th april 2025

you and michael were walked around your hometown, you had just gone as a 2 day trip, and soon, you both would be going to greece anyway, so you didn't need to go on holiday for too long.

you stopped by the old park you used to spend time in "mihya look!" you ran ahead, breaking your hand holding "hahah! this place barely changed!"

michael lovingly watched as you walked around the playground area ".. yeah.. it really hasn't.."

whilst your back was turned, he pulled out a velvet box from his coat pocket. he looked down at it, before looking back up at you, before looking back down at it again. he took a deep breath

".. mein liebling." he called out, gaining your attention. you turned over your shoulder, only to be met with the sight of your boyfriend down on one knee.

"...!!" you gasped and he softly smiled at your cute reaction.

".. let's get married?"

UGGGHHH TS SOOO BUNS 😞😞 it ain't proof-read either whay the heck

please pslpslspslspl ignore grammar mistakes

fic of THIS POST

TAGLIST:

@yvanllie @mrsitoshirin

borders by @dollywons and @cyberbeat

[ptergwen]

Hi there, I'm SO HAPPY YOUR BACK! I was wondering if you could maybe write a Tom Holland Peter Parker x fem Stark reader based on this prompt?: You’re unconscious after a mission gone wrong, and Peter’s voice shakes as he desperately calls your name, when Tony comes. If you don't want to do it, its ok

stay

ask box  |  taglist  |  blurb masterlist  |  main masterlist

w/c: 2,005

warnings: mentions of blood, angst (happy ending!)

a/n: hi lovely thank you sm! you guys know i love my angst so i felt very in my element with this one hehe, thanks for the patience while i get used to writing again! feel free to keep sending in your reqs and chatting, i love hearing from y'all and will answer asap ♡

"y/n? it's over, i got him. i’ll come find you, okay?"

you don't answer.

"y/n/n? can you hear me?"

there's only silence on peter's end of the headset. peter isn't worried, not at first. he figures maybe you just got disconnected.

"y/n?"

nothing.

now that peter hasn't heard from you on the third try, he is starting to worry. the two of you had gotten separated during your mission. the plan was for you to distract your opponent and peter to web him up, but you lost him somewhere along the way. it was hard to stick together in the dark, twisty tunnels. he'd thought it would be best to take care of your opponent himself and find you after.

tony is going to kill him if he let anything happen to you. it's okay, though. he can just use his suit to track your location.

"friday?"

"yes, peter?"

"take me to y/n."

peter swings through the tunnels to get to you faster. friday guides him, which he's grateful for because he doesn't have a great sense of navigation as is. it's even more difficult underground. peter lands where friday tells him to, but he doesn't see you.

"are you sure this is where she is? i think she might've lost connection... maybe her location didn't update."

"y/n's watch is online, peter."

peter notices something on the ground, its blinking light catching his attention. he picks it up. sure enough, it's your stark tech watch, but where are you?

"would you like me to check again?"

peter makes out a figure a few feet away. it isn't moving. he takes a few steps toward the figure, reaching for his mask.

"that's okay. thanks, friday."

he removes his mask to see better, brows knitting together. something doesn't feel right. peter's senses confirm it, the hairs on his arms standing up and eyes focusing harder in the darkness. in peter's head, he already knows it's you. in his heart, he hopes it isn't.

peter crouches down and puts a hand on the figure's shoulder, rolling them over to face him.

it's you.

your spandex suit has some rips in it, and dirt is coating your back. your mask is pulled up part of the way. peter takes it off, revealing blood dripping down your forehead, your eyes just barely open. tears roll down your cheeks. peter cups your face tenderly in his hands, eyes desperately searching for yours.

"oh my god, baby, what happened?"

"that guy."

your voice comes out weak. despite the blood and tears staining his gloved fingers and the tightening in his throat, peter does his best to stay calm.

"what guy? the one we were fighting?"

"yeah."

"he did this to you?"

you hum in response. peter props an arm behind your head for support.

"it's okay. everything's gonna be okay."

"but... it hurts."

"i know, baby. but you're gonna be okay. we're gonna get you home and..."

your eyes flutter closed.

"hey, hey, hey. look at me."

peter strokes your cheek, willing you to stay awake. you grunt.

"tell me where it hurts so i can take a look. can you do that for me, y/n? where does it hurt?"

"my head. on top."

peter carefully parts your hair, searching for the source of your bleeding. there's a damp patch of hair near the top of your head. he moves it aside and finds a gash. it's small, but fairly deep. he doesn't think he can handle this on his own; he needs to tell tony.

"i’m gonna call your dad, okay?"

you don't respond. your eyes are closed when peter looks for them.

"y/n? you have to stay awake."

you don't say or do anything to indicate that you hear him. tears prick peter's eyes, threatening to spill over. he doesn't know much about head injuries, but he knows this isn't good.

"please wake up, y/n/n."

peter grabs both your shoulders and shakes, hard enough that it should wake you. nothing. you seem to have slipped into some sort of an unconscious state.

your watch starts to beep with an incoming call from your dad. peter accepts it with a shaking hand.

"friday tells me your vitals are suspiciously low, little lady. what's going on?"

peter fights to keep his tears at bay. he cradles your head with one hand, placing his other on your heart. he needs to feel your heartbeat to remind himself you're still here.

"it's me, tony."

"kid? where's y/n?"

a quiet sob escapes him, tears finally falling. tony doesn't need to hear anything else.

"i’m on my way."

it doesn't take long for tony to get to you and peter. he comes whirring through the tunnels, retracting his iron man suit when he lands. you lie on the ground, your head in peter's lap. you'd woken up shortly after peter spoke to your dad, but you aren't really responsive. peter is cradling your head gently in both hands and whispering words of reassurance.

he's so focused on you that he doesn't even notice tony is there until he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"what happened, kid?"

tony kneels down next to peter.

"i... i don't know. the guy we were fighting... i didn't see, i think she hit her head."

"okay, okay. let me see the damage."

tony uses his watch to illuminate the dark area. there's dry blood all around the crown of your head, in your hair. it's worse than he expected. he doesn't let it show, though. he doesn't want to alarm you any more than you already are, or peter for that matter; he's a mess.

"i found this."

peter moves your hair to show your dad the wound on your head. tony shines the light on you to get a better look. concern flashes in his eyes briefly, but long enough for peter to see it.

"friday, call the med bay. tell them it's my daughter."

"yes, boss. it appears y/n may have a concussion. i've detected a large contusion."

you bring a hand up to your head, trying to feel the wound. peter coaxes your hand away with a don't touch, baby. you try to say something, but you can't. you're in too much pain. your dad and peter share a knowing look.

"we'll be there soon, fri. make sure they're ready for us. and call happy, tell him to pick us up asap."

"i’ll let them know right away, boss."

a bright light shines directly in your eyes, making you stir a bit in peter's lap. you whine and squeeze your eyes shut. fresh tears fall down your cheeks.

"it's okay, it's okay. it's just your old man."

you squint your eyes open.

"dad?"

"hey, y/n/n."

"what... what're you doing?"

"just gotta take a look at something. look up?"

you try to open your eyes again, but your eyelids feel heavy. tony holds one of your eyes open himself, then the other. he clicks his tongue.

"what's wrong? is she okay?" peter asks your dad.

"pupils are bigger than they should be. still reacting to light, though. that's good."

"what does it mean if her pupils are too big?"

"friday's right. she could have a mild concussion."

the light turns off, your body finally relaxing. peter's body stiffens.

"that's serious, isn't it?"

peter looks from tony to you, stroking your hair and cupping your cheek, then back up at tony. tony can see the fear in his eyes.

"it shouldn't be, the bleeding just gave us a scare. we'll know more when we get her home."

you grab at peter's knee. he places his hand over yours, thumb smoothing along the back of your hand. you look around the tunnel with blurry vision.

peter doesn't like the uncertainty of this. they don't even know the extent of your injuries, just that they might be serious. he knows you're going to be okay, that tony and the med bay team know what to do and you'll bounce back from this because you're you, but he's scared. you've never been hurt this badly before.

"happy's got our location. he'll be here as soon as he can," tony tells you, voice uncharacteristically soft. you blink your eyes in response. "how long is that gonna be?" peter asks.

"i’m not sure, kid."

hot, frustrated tears fill peter's eyes.

"we can't just wait around anymore. she's been like this for a while."

"trust me, pete. i don't like waiting either."

"then let's just bring her back ourselves."

tony gives peter a stern look.

"let's not."

"why not? it's faster if one of us takes her. i’ll swing her there right now."

peter is already scooping you into his arms, preparing to pick you up. you groan at the sudden movement. tony removes you from peter's arms and takes you into his own protectively.

"i said no. we're not flying her home, and we're definitely not swinging her. it isn't safe."

peter stays quiet, blinking back tears.

"you've gotta remember, y/n isn't like you. she doesn't have powers. for the stark's, it's just us out there."

he knows tony is right, of course he is. he forgets how vulnerable you actually are because you're always so strong. riding home with happy may take longer than peter wants it to, but it's safer for you. he needs to think about your best interest. putting other things first caused all of this in the first place.

if peter had found you earlier instead of finishing the fight, maybe he would have been able to get you help sooner. maybe you wouldn't be in this bad of a condition.

"i’m sorry, tony. i’m really, really sorry."

"no biggie, i get it. you're just looking out for her."

"no, that's the problem. i wasn't."

"what're you talking about?"

peter can't hold back his tears any longer.

"i wasn't there when y/n got hurt. it must've happened when we separated. when i found her, she... she was already like this."

"hey, kid. don't do that, don't blame yourself. you didn't know."

"i could've known if i paid more attention. i could've heard, or... or maybe she said something."

peter avoids tony's gaze, too ashamed to look at him, and too guilty to look at you.

"everyone gets caught up, pete. hell, you know i do. but you know what? you're here for y/n now, and we're taking care of her. that's what matters."

"you mean, you're not mad at me?"

tony surprises him by outstretching an arm and pulling him into a side hug. peter manages a small smile, wiping at his watery eyes.

"do i seem mad?"

"guess not. thanks."

tony pats him on the shoulder.

"time to go. happy'll be here any minute."

"okay, i’ll go ahead of you guys so you can see where you're going."

peter starts to collect your things while your dad helps you up. you're disoriented, head pounding, and you stumble a bit because you don't quite have your balance. tony is quick to catch you.

"easy, y/n/n. you're alright, yeah?"

"i want peter."

"he's right here, just leading the way. i’m gonna help you."

"no, i want peter."

peter's heart clenches. he looks to your dad for permission.

"alright, parker. i'll trade you. but be careful, she's precious cargo."

tony lets go of you, but he stays close just in case. he takes your things from peter. you fling yourself into peter's arms, hiding your face in the space between his neck and shoulder. peter hugs you to his chest. tony smiles at peter and nods in approval, making peter smile back.

"i got you," peter coos. "are you gonna need help walking, or you got it?"

"i dunno, i'm dizzy. carry me?"

"sure, baby."

peter picks you up bridal style, one arm secured under you and the other supporting your head. you loosely wrap your arms around his neck.

"can you stay with me when we get there?"

peter kisses the side of your head lightly.

"i’m not going anywhere."

tags (join my new taglist!)

@spidermans-gf @sacharinee @thollandsgirl2013 @pettypeety

[illbegottenfaith]

Masterlist

all works are theodore nott x fem!reader

au's

older brother!theo 💙

politician's son!theo

drabbles

the one where theo asks you out to a wedding (fluff)⚡️(Part 1)

the one where you make theo cry (fluff, comedy) ��⚡️

the one where you scold theo for dozing off (fluff, established r/ship, eepy theo) ⚡️

love me like a child (angst, first person reader)

the one where theo gets glasses (fluff, established r/ship)⚡️

✌️

bring me back something from the beach (fluff, comedy) 💙⚡️

the one where theo keeps trying to kiss you (fluff, established r/ship, eepy reader) 💙

fics

fml 💙

You came around the hood to see Theo shaking out his hand, like he had been burned, swearing colourfully under his breath.

While he had the sense to leave his jacket in the car, the front of his shirt was splattered with windshield wiper fluid. A rogue curl had escaped and was now sticking to his forehead. His collar had wilted in the heat, and half of his sleeves were probably crumpled beyond help from where they had been folded to his elbow.

And yet, infuriatingly, he still managed to look good. Good in that maddening, ravenous way where you couldn't decide if you wanted to ditch him on the side of the road or climb him like a tree.

Theo tapped at a knob tentatively with his wrench, dropping it when the knob sparked. You had to physically shut your eyes. He was so pathetic, so hot.

“I'm pretty sure I’ve isolated the issue,” Theo was saying, wiping his hands on a cloth. “Definitely a leak of the, erm, braking fluid.”

You fixed Theo with a look. You narrowed his eyes at him.

“You made that up just now.”

“Did not,” he replied, a little too fast.

“Did so.”

Theo frowned, squinting into the hood. “Just five more minutes,” he mumbled, picking up his wrench again.

you rope theo into going to a party with you and accidentally fall for his juvenile mannerisms (theo nott x ravenclaw!reader, fluff, comedy)

ferrari 💙

"Please don't tell me you're giving me the car. Respect for other people's property is the only thing stopping me from driving this off a cliff."

"I'm not giving it to you," he said, as your fingers curled uncertainly around the metal. You relaxed.

"I'm teaching you how to drive it."

You laughed. Then stopped laughing.

“You’re serious?”

You were glad it was the middle of the night with nobody around, because you were gaping at him rather unbecomingly.

"Dr - drive this? Are you crazy?"

"I'm picking up a pattern here. I'm starting to think you have a very low bar for insanity."

as part of a social visit, you spend a fortnight at an English politician's estate with his god-awful son (politician's son!theo x american socialite!reader, enemies to lovers, forced proximity)

that one girl from summer camp

"Zabini," you said, much more impatiently, taking a step towards him. He let out a strangled sort of sound and stepped back.

"No. I already told Theo I want no part in this - this game of yours."

You scoffed. Someone had to have given him a heads up. "Was it Draco? Was he the one who told you?" That slimy eyesore of a snitch.

"It doesn't matter," Blaise was saying, more preoccupied with finding a way out now that you were drawing closer, closing in on him. "I want nothing to do with it. This is between you and Theo."

You laughed weakly.

"Honestly, Blaise. I just want to have a little chat with you! There's nothing wrong with that. Why are you - where are you going? Why are you walking away from me? Blaise? Why are you run - Zabini! Stop running! TELL ME WHO THEO'S TAKING TO THE - "

you drive yourself up the wall trying to figure out who your best friend is taking to your year's farewell dinner (fluff, friends to lovers, jealous!reader ft. the Slytherin boys)

Icarus Spell 💙

Theo squinted, trying to make out the silhouettes of his roommates. “Why are you all listening to me sleep?”

"Kind of hard not to," came Enzo's peeved disembodied voice from somewhere in the shadows. Theo sighed.

"Well," he said wearily, massaging his stiff neck, "what was I saying?"

Mattheo cracked an eye open. "I wasn't listening so much as trying to get you to shut up."

"Oh."

"I had a pillow ready."

"I bet."

"To smother you."

"Yeah, I get it." Theo grumbled, pushing back his covers. “Go back to sleep. All of you.”

theo doesn't realise you're what he's been dreaming about. Or, keeping him up, to be more accurate (fluff, friends to lovers)

do you exist? or have I made you up? 💙

Your chest tightened.

“Where are you going?” you asked drowsily, too sleep-addled to have the sense to disguise your suspicion.

Theo wasn't looking at you. He was staring out into the too-bright wasteland of what was left of the night's storm, beneath clouded skies.

"...out. Just stepping out for a quick smoke."

"In that jacket?"

He finally deigned to look your way.

"It's cold out."

You sat up slowly, looking at him through the half-dark. The silence between you wasn’t angry. You wished it were. But it was full. Heavy. Knowing.

Theo moved through his room slowly, occasionally adding to his unassumingly deep pockets. You watched him blearily. Miserably. It made sense, after all. Running away was the best thing Theo could do for himself and his family. You should have seen this coming. Maybe you did see it coming. Gut feeling, and all that. You wanted to sulk, even if it was just so that he would have to stay to cheer you up. You wanted to yell at him, berate him for leaving you.

years after theo, now presumed dead, walked out of you life, you see him once again on your television screen (angst, soft!theo, a little fluff)

BAD REVIEWS

Before you could continue your protests, he took your hand and kissed your knuckles in full view of half of your year, completely unbothered.

“Your stuff’s in the boot. Packed it this morning.”

Your mouth dropped open. How did he manage to get into the girls' dormitories?

“You what—?”

“There’s snacks,” he continued, unrepentant. “I even charmed the glove compartment to keep your disgusting fizzy drinks cold." Traces of the Theo you knew started resurfacing. He sounded pretty damn proud of himself. "You’re welcome.”

“You’re mental.”

“And you’re exhausted.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Come on, Y/N. You can revise in bed with me and a view of the sea. There’s a fireplace. I booked the biggest suite they had.”

He pressed a chaste kiss to your palm. Your face burned.

"Please? For me?"

You should’ve walked away. You meant to walk away.

But he had that look again - the one he used to reel you in after every fight. The one you couldn't bear to tell off. That soft-eyed, unwittingly innocent look like he wasn't even capable of doing anything wrong, let alone on purpose. Behind him, the sunlight hit the car just right, glinting off the chrome like some surreal, too-good-to-be-true movie scene.

It was stupid. And ridiculous. And maybe that was the point.

you've heard more than your fair share of bad reviews about theo nott. that doesn't stop you from becoming the newest addition (lovebombing, possessive!theo, angst)

world-endingly, soul-crushingly awful ⚡️

Theo thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“Dunno. Something like…you’ll be the only ever one none before you ever were. I knew you before I knew the kind of person I wanted to be. And it's a sad thing to see your favourite person leave.”

Silence.

Ivy blinked. Mattheo’s mouth fell open slightly.

“...what the fuck, mate,” Mattheo breathed.

theo doesn't realise this is NOT how best friends normally feel (bsf!theo, oblivious theo, comedy)

new girl*

Theo wasn’t the type to notice things like that - things like the flush creeping down your neck, the slow rise and fall of your chest, the way your lips parted slightly as you sighed, exasperated by the heat. But his gaze lingered anyway.

You looked up yourself, and almost immediately your eyes found Theo's. You returned his stare with a steely look of your own. You quirked up an eyebrow. He refused to look away, unabashed. For some reason, he couldn't find it in himself to feel embarrassed over having been caught staring.

He hadn’t meant to look, and he certainly hadn’t meant to wonder. But the thought burrowed deep in his mind before he could stop it.

How far down does that flush go?

theo doesn't have a crush. he merely likes the way you blush (fwb!theo, slightly suggestive content, tw reckless driving)

stutter⚡️

"You look - " he started, then faltered.

Shit.

"Y-you l - l -"

Silence.

"Oh, my god," you murmured, slow and smug, realisation dawning on your face. A wicked smile unfurled across your face. He wasn’t getting out of this alive, was he?

"Do you not know how to talk?" you demanded, eyes glittering with suppressed mirth. "Is this your first day on planet Earth?"

Theo clenched his jaw, crossing his arms in a futile attempt to feign indifference. "Shut up."

something about you and your features reawakens theo's stutter (fluff, comedy, banter)

stuck with you

You can practically see him puffing out his chest on the showier tricks he does with laser-focused concentration. It makes you want to laugh, his almost childish need to be impressive. To impress others. To impress you.

But, for reasons that eluded you, you were impressed. Not once had Theo ever let you down. It was as though he was incapable of it. You didn't exactly rely on him, but when he was around, his deep, self-assured voice was guaranteed to soothe your frazzled nerves. Even now, when all you wanted to do was bitch and moan about how you were never going to see the light of day again, he somehow managed to distract you, amuse you. Theo always knew how to turn a bad situation around and, well, to someone as catastrophic as you, what could sound more appealing?

you get stuck in the Room of Requirement with a not-so-distant acquaintance and realise there's no where else you'd rather be (mutual pining, fluff, happy ending)

kiss me better, love 💘💙⚡️

“You never mean to, but here we are.” You cross your arms. “Third time in two weeks, Theo. This is getting ridiculous. Should I hire a nurse for our dates? A medic? Do you need to start taking my clothes off under medical supervision? Is that what we've come to?"

Theo glares at you (or the shadowy figure he was mostly sure was you), trying to pull his attention away from the stinging pain. “Oh, don’t start - ”

“You don’t think before you do things.”

Theo groans. “I think plenty.”

“No, you rush plenty. Really, it’s a miracle you still have all your limbs -”

He rolls his eyes. “Oh, here we go.”

as the two of you stumble into bed after a Valentine's dinner date, theo realises it's not fair how much he loves you (fluff, bickering as foreplay)

you must have just read it in my eyes💘

Without looking back, you reached behind and wordlessly pulled Theo along so he wouldn’t lag behind, all while your conversation with Ivy continued unbroken and unfettered.

It was such a small thing. Thoughtless, instinctive. You hadn’t even glanced at him.

But Theo had looked at you, and for some reason, he couldn’t look away.

over the years, Theo realises just how much you mean to him, bit by bit (fluff)

for the rose and the pearl (Part 2)

For a moment, you let yourself sink into it.

For a moment, it’s easy to forget.

But then the thought creeps in—quiet, insidious.

I’m not that girl.

attending Mattheo's wedding with Theo makes you realise you're not the girl he could truly build a happy life with (angst)

saboteur (Part 3)

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

You made a half-hearted attempt to raise your hackles as he took a slow step closer. Fighting was all you ever did with Theo, even at times when you weren’t sure if you really did want to fight with him, like now.

“Bathing,” you said flatly.

He raised his eyebrows, his lips twitching into something wry and unimpressed. “Clearly.”

From the right, a cheeky giggle floated through the warm, sticky air from the mermaid portrait. You flushed, crossing your arms over your chest as you sank a little deeper into the water.

“Go away, Nott.”

your self-sabotaging tendencies can keep theo away for only so long (hurt/comfort, angst)

sweet?! (Part 2)

"In short," Theo continued, as if you hadn't spoken, "you want me to treat her like I do you."

He tilted his head.

"Why is that? Do you feel...betrothed to me? Or, perhaps, you consider me your boyfriend? Since we're being honest, and all."

you may not be the one dating theodore nott but you'd be damned if you let anyone think of him as sweet (fluff, slight angst, unacknowledged pining)

unadulterated loathing (Part 1) ⚡️

"She's doing this to me and she's doing it on purpose."

Mattheo had creased his forehead.

"Like a...like a hex?"

"No," Theo had said, distractedly scratching the hive that had appeared on the back of his hand. "It's worse than a hex. My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling, my face is flushing..."

"...oh," Mattheo had said, realisation dawning upon him. "I get it. It's lo-"

"That's it, Mattheo." Theo had interjected. "You're absolutely right."

"I am?"

"Yes, exactly. Loathing is what this is. Loathing." He had swivelled around, hatefully fixing his gaze on where you were laughing over some undoubtedly inane subject matter over butterbeer with your friends. "Unadulterated loathing."

yours and theo's feelings for each other evoke a deeply visceral physical reaction in both of you, for which there can be only one explanation (enemies to lovers, banter, mentions of injury)

for cryin' out loud! (miniseries) (ongoing)

...and a bruise underneath* (Part 2) ⚡️

His eyebrows disappeared into his hair.

"Didn't want me to get mad?" Theo echoed incredulously. "Honestly, L/N," he said sharply, looking more than a little peeved, "what did you think I was going to do?"

"I don't know," you wailed, closer to tears than ever, "break up with me?"

Theo opened his mouth to respond before closing it again. He furrowed his brow, mouthing indecipherable half-words as if trying very hard to wrap his head around what you were saying.

you can't help becoming distant as your relationship with theo starts feeling like an open wound (angst, happy ending, comfort)

walking away with your kiss on my cheek... (Part 1) ⚡️

"So...two weeks."

"Mhm." You weren't the type of couple to explicitly express affection, especially of the vulnerable kind. You'd miss him, of course, even if you didn't say it. Would he miss you? You shook your head internally. No, you decided, you wouldn't ask. You'd only seem clingy and that wasn't the kind of couple you were. "Be good, have fun."

He adjusted the strap of his duffle bag. You fixed the collar of his jacket. You wondered if he'd tell you about Katherine before he left. From somewhere else in the Great Hall, one of his friends called him over. He pressed a final chaste kiss to your cheek. You watched him walk away with a hollow sort of feeling in your stomach. Merlin forbid you express any kind of attachment to your boyfriend.

He glanced back at you one last time, fidgeting with the strap of his bag, and just like that, he was gone.

Gone.

He didn't say a word about Katherine.

your relationship with theo starts to sour as you begin to suspect him of keeping secrets from you (angst, miscommunication, established relationship)

in sweetness 💙⚡️

"I'm fine, really," he had repeated, as he dragged your hand down to his chest, eyes lidded. "I'll sleep it off."

You had pressed your lips into a thin line, highly conflicted over how much you wanted to argue with a clearly sick patient. Your other hand had drifted to his scalp as you had distractedly started raking your fingers through his hair. Theo's lips had parted as he sighed in relief, melting further into his pillow.

"Just...just stay. For a while." His eyes had been fully closed by then. "I get the worst dreams when I'm sick."

You had run your thumb along your clasped hands. "What do you dream about?"

Theo had paused. "Terrible things," he had said after a moment, in a pleasant, light voice, as if you were merely discussing the weather. "Terrible things that I can't change."

He had no idea.

visiting theo's childhood home grants you a deeper understanding of his inner workings (angst, happy ending, friends to lovers)

merry christmas, please don't call ❄️

"I just - I just feel like lately...all we do is fight." You hated how small your voice sounded. You flinched as the memory of your last fight insistently pressed on barely-healed wounds. I don't hate you, you had said. I don't - I could never. No. I could never hate you, Theo. Over and over, you had repeated it like a mantra. What had you done all that for? Why did you care so much?

"Tough luck, Y/N," Theo said, his voice bouncing off the marble walls. "This is what couples do. They fight."

You drew your knees to your chest, trying to regulate your breathing. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. "I'm sick of it, Theo. I really am. Aren't you sick of it?"

one year on, you look back on the fight that ended yours and theo's relationship (angst, no happy ending)

can I take your order? ❄️🎂

Ivy paid, and the two of you found a table in the middle of the shop to wait at. You couldn't stop kicking yourself over the interaction. That was twice you'd made a fool of yourself in front of him now. Once your drinks were ready, Ivy fetched them. When she handed you yours, you turned the cup around in your hand. It felt like any other drink. You turned it a little more and your heart skipped a beat. There was your name scrawled in black ink, and at the end was a slightly untidy, yet unmistakable, heart.

"Aww," Ivy crooned, peeking over, "he likes you."

"Shut up," you mumbled, trying to hide your burning face. Still, when she wasn't looking, you ran a thumb over his writing, memorising every careless flick of his marker.

you get off on the wrong foot with the new barista at your hometown's coffee shop, but even your off-putting behaviour isn't enough to deter him (coffee shop au, fluff, one-sided reluctant acquaintances to lovers)

maybe stay here forever ❄️ 💙

"Don't," you whined, dragging his hand back to where it was a moment ago. "Let Enzo do it. We don't get to see enough of each other as it is."

Theo sighed. "So you're just never going to let me leave?"

"I can't help it," you said, "I like the way you speak. I love hearing you talk." You rested your forehead against his, your eyes fluttering close. "Promise you'll never quit talking to me."

"Done," he murmured against your lips, a hand sliding to the small of your back.

the holidays have you feeling sentimental over yours and theo's relationship (established relationship, domestic bliss, descriptions of grief and anxiety, angst)

spend your cookie dough dough dough ❄️⚡️

"Right," Theo said tersely, once he had planted you firmly back inside the tower, with a look that told you he thought you were being absolutely ridiculous, "I'll just give this to my other girlfriend, then."

"Theo -"

"No, no, I get it. Maybe I've misunderstood our relationship. I'll just shower all my love and affection on some other girl."

You frowned at him impatiently. "Don't sulk, Teddy. I love it, really, I do - "

"Then what's the problem? It's my money to spend as I see fit, Y/N. Maybe - maybe - it's a little pricey, but so what? A guy can't spoil his girl for the holidays?"

you have a hard time being spoiled by your boyfriend, even if it's the holidays (established relationship, fluff, gift-giving (theo's version))

handwritten (miniseries) (ongoing)

Look, he was the one who showed up at the window on his broom, drunk out of his mind.

Drunk??

I know! What was he thinking, risking his neck all the way up there at the Ravenclaw dorms?? It was like he didn't even notice too. I thought I was hallucinating at first, but then I opened the window and nope, that was him, and then I screamed and he nearly fell off his broom so I hauled him inside. He practically faceplanted on the floor. I was terrified - I thought he was poisoned or something, but then I tried to prop him up and he had this dopey look on his face and he reeked of firewhiskey. Ugh, it was so annoying. I don’t want to talk about it.

You know what he said to me? After all that?

I thought you didn’t want to talk about this?

Uh-oh.

Uh-oh?

Uh-oh. Like a goddamn Looney Tunes character.

yours and theo’s story as told through notes passed in class (estranged friends to lovers, newstudent!theo, fluff, slight angst) Part 1 | Part 2

symphonia ix 💙

"What are you doing here?" Theo asked conversationally, keeping his tone light, as if he found strange girls fully-clothed in bathtubs every day. You continued staring at the tiled wall in front of you. You felt rather than heard him crouch closer to you and tentatively hold your wrist, preparing to sling your arm over his neck.

“Let’s get you out of there, hmm?”

You twisted your wrist out of his grip and you felt him retreat minutely. “Get away from me,” you rasped, your voice brittle with disuse.

Theo was no longer able to disguise his stricken tone. "Tesoro, please. You'll feel better once you're dry and warm-"

theo helps you recover from a terrible case of burnout at his family’s lakehouse (brother's bsf!theo, hurt/comfort, descriptions of burnout, self-loathing)

lucky (miniseries) (finished)

“But - why? How? If anything, I’d say you hated me.”

Your lips parted as your brow furrowed. “What gave you that idea?”

“What gave me the - I don’t know, all the scowling? The glaring? The snide remarks? The bodily harm?”

You flushed at the memory of the Potions storeroom incident. You could kind of see his point. “That was one time.”

“You owe me new pants, by the way. New pants and a new di-"

a tussle over a vial of Felix Felicis proves to be strangely enlightening (academic rivals, enemies to lovers, slight angst/yearning) Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

2001*

“Or maybe it’s something else entirely. Perhaps you like having me run after you. Is that where you get off, hmm? The thrill of the chase? Being a tease?”

“I am not a -“ you began hotly, before you caught the mischievous twinkle in his eye. You rolled your eyes. “You’re too cocky for your own good,” you muttered. 

“I thought you like me cocky,” he teased.

theo doesn’t understand what’s holding you back from taking things further (fluff, softcore smut)

bad day ⚡️💙

“Hey, doll.” His nose nudged yours and you finally relented, wrapping an arm around his neck as he kissed you. His face felt cool against your warm forehead, and he smelt pleasantly of some non-descript yet refreshing soap. 

“My neck is killing me,” you mumbled against his lips as you broke apart. Theo leaned back to get a better look at your wan face, distractedly running a hand down your spine.

a visit from your boyfriend perks you up even on the most frustrating of days (established relationship, fluff, comfort)

❄️ - xmas fics 💘 - valentines fics 🎂 - birthday fic! 💙 - author's favourites ⚡️ - top fics

[screamlet]

BuckTommy Angst Week - Day 3 - Kidnapping

@bucktommyangstweek

notes: doing my part for the 8x14/8x15 helicopter hostage spec parade! ~500 words.

---

Athena calls him when he's already 10 minutes from the scene.

"TikTok told me about the hot LAFD pilot in a hostage situation like a half-hour ago! When was someone gonna call me?"

"Well I apologize, Buck, but I've spent the past hour reviewing protocols on when to call a hostage's ex-boyfriend and I couldn't find anything until this very moment."

Buck sulks, even though she can't see him. "I'm 10 minutes away." He swallows hard. "Why were you gonna call me? If I'm—"

"Because they have demands and Tommy won't share them until he talks to you."

"He's probably just buying time."

"Maybe, but it won't work much longer. When you hit the barricades, just get out and run."

Buck knows he's close from the number of helicopters overhead. If the 118 reports to a disaster, the sky can be crowded with newscopters trying to get footage. Right now there's a single LAFD helicopter circling overhead while black helicopters hover menacingly nearby. He has to push aside the thought: You're going to watch Tommy die today.

Athena meets him, a mean-looking guy in a black FBI jacket on her heels. "Evan Buckley, this is Agent—"

The agent roughly drags Buck over to a crowd of cops and agents, then picks up a radio. "Kinard, we have your guy here. Start talking."

Buck shoots him a look. "This is a little stressful, okay? Could you give us a second?"

The agent makes sure his thumb is off the talk button. "There's a bomb on that chopper and if they don't land willingly in the next 30 minutes, we have authorization to chase them to the ocean and shoot it down." The agent smiles tightly and hands back the radio. "Good luck."

Athena glares over the agent's shoulder: Real piece of work. Buck takes a breath and hits the button.

"Tommy, it's me. It's Buck."

"Evan? I can see the scene from here, wave to me."

Buck waves, wishes he had worn some brighter colors. "Can you see me?"

"Yeah, I see you fine." Tommy laughs; he sounds breathless. "Listen, I'm gonna hand over the radio in a second so everyone can do their negotiating thing—shit, get that out of my side, would you?"

"What are they doing to you, Tommy?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Tommy says, like a liar. "Evan, listen. I love you, okay? I love you and I get if you don't want to stick around and see something horrible, but if I get out of this alive—do you want to grab dinner later? You pick the place. Not our usual."

Buck covers his mouth, smothering a sob. It's so intimate, even as a hundred people listen to the last words Tommy will ever say to him. "Yeah, maybe Thai? Let me know when you're on your way. I'll order ahead."

"It's a date."

Buck nods. "I love you. I'll see you soon. Don't be late."

[krirebr]

These Days

Relationships: excon!Curtis Everett x female Reader, estranged brothers Andy Barber & Curtis

Warnings: heavy and unresolved familial angst All of my work is 18+ - Minors DNI

Word Count: ~1.2k

A/N: Earlier today, I asked for angsty brother combos and you all delivered! Here is the first story inspired by that. I'm hoping to do a few more of these throughout the week.

This brother duo was suggested by @buck-star and @foxgloveprincess. It is angsty, of course. I had too much fun writing it for how sad it turned out. Whoops!

You barely looked up when the bell above the door rang. “Hi!” you greeted with one eye on your computer, “picking up or dropping off?”

The man in front of you cleared his throat. “Uh, neither. I’m trying to find Curtis? Uh, Curtis Everett. He works here, right?”

That got your full attention, your protective instincts flaring to life. “What’s this in reference to?” you asked without answering his own question.

He cleared his throat again and you took the time to examine him. Tall, broad, dark fluffy hair and a full beard. He was dressed in a gray overcoat that you could tell at a glance was more expensive than anything you owned, the stiff collar pulled up to his chin. With a glance to the parking lot, you could tell right away that the black Audi must belong to him, much nicer than the cars you usually serviced here. He shifted his balance from side to side and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, uncomfortable, in a way that was deeply familiar to you.

“I, uh, I’m his brother. I was hoping to talk to him.”

Andy. Shit. You drummed your nails on the reception desk to buy you a little time. As much as you wanted to just flat-out tell him to get lost, you knew you couldn’t make that decision for Curtis. You gave Andy a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll go see if he’s available,” you said with forced evenness.

 You tried to move as calmly as you could as you went through the door that led from the little front office to the main garage. You walked over to the far stall where you could just see Curtis’s legs sticking out from beneath an old Toyota. “Hey Curtis,” you called out loud enough to be heard over the din of the garage. “Do you have a minute?”

He pushed himself out from under the car and immediately greeted you with a big smile. “Always for you,” he said, but then he clocked the serious look on your face and his smile dropped. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh,” you started, wringing your hands in front of you. “Andy’s here. Your brother.”

You hated the way Curtis went visibly stiff. He didn’t say anything for a very long moment. Then, in a small voice, he asked, “Why?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, wanting desperately to reach out to him but knowing he preferred it when you waited for an invitation to invade his space like that. Especially when you were both at work. “He just said he wanted to talk to you. I can get rid of him if that’s what you want.”

He looked away, staring at nothing in the corner of the garage, and didn’t say anything. You just stood quietly and waited. Then, finally, he shook his head and looked back at you. “No, I doubt that will work. Better to at least hear what he wants.” He took a rag out of his pocket and wiped the grease off his hands.

“Okay,” you said, wishing you knew of a way to make this all better. “I can hang out here, give the two of you some privacy.”

His headshake was immediate. “I’d rather you didn’t, if that’s alright.”

“Of course,” you said, finally wrapping your hand around his wrist for just a moment. “Whatever you need.” You knew how much hard work had gone into being able to ask you for even that. You’d walk through fire for him. This was nothing.

He gave you a silent, decisive nod, then walked back out to the front desk, with you right behind him.

You watched Andy carefully as he saw his brother for the first time in... you weren’t exactly sure how long. At least a decade. Maybe as much as two. His eyes roved over Curtis’s closely shorn hair, his stubble, the tattoos on his neck, and then down to the matching ones on his hands. His expression was pinched, his eyes sad, but you had too much loyalty to the man beside you to feel bad for him. You were too afraid of the havoc this visit might wreak. 

“Curtis,” he greeted, his voice heavy with emotion. “It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah?” Curtis asked with a raised eyebrow. “What can I do for you, Andy?”

Andy at least had the decency not to look surprised by the steel in Curtis’s tone. “You’re a hard man to track down. I hadn’t realized you’d taken on Mom’s maiden name.”

Curtis shrugged, not softening his stance at all. “Yeah, well, don’t think our last name ever did anyone any favors. Maybe changing it after I got out was too little too late but…” He trailed off and sighed. “Why are you here?”

Andy’s eyes flicked to you, and you crossed your arms over your chest. “I wanted to talk to you. In private.”

“No,” Curtis said without hesitation. “She’s fine. She can hear anything you have to say.” 

You unfolded your arms and moved closer to Curtis, dangling your hand next to his, an offer he accepted as he took your hand. Andy, of course, clocked the movement, along with the small rock on your finger. You watched as the realization of who you were hit him.

He swallowed hard enough for his Adam’s apple to bob.  “I saw Dad a few weeks ago.”

You felt Curtis’s surprise where your body brushed against his. “Wow,” he said, his voice icy. “Didn’t realize you visited him. Hope he feels special. That’s certainly something I never got while I was inside.”

Andy winced and you couldn’t help the satisfaction you felt, knowing the wounded man beside you as well as you did. “It was a one-time thing,” Andy gritted out. “My son’s in some trouble and–” he cut himself off and shook his head. “But it made me think about you. Wonder how you were doing.”

“Suppose I should feel grateful,” Curtis forced out as he hung onto your hand for dear life, “you finally deciding to think about me for the first time in almost twenty years.”

“That’s not–” Andy started, his voice rising slightly, but Curtis interrupted him immediately.

“I’m doing fine, Andy, but now I gotta get back to work.” 

Andy just looked at him for a long moment, then slumped in defeat, just enough for you to notice. “I’d like to see you again, if that’s alright.”

Curtis exhaled shakily. “I don’t know,” was all he could say. You squeezed his hand, a silent reminder that you were here, no matter what he decided. He glanced at you as he added, “You can call here again, I guess, she’ll answer and let you know what I decide.” He shot you a questioning look and you nodded to confirm that was fine.

Andy just stood in front of you awkwardly for a long moment. Then finally, he took his gloves out of his coat pocket. They were nice, expensive. You could tell. “Alright,” he said quietly and turned towards the door. Just as he was about to walk out of it, he turned back. “Congratulations,” he said, “to you both.” Then, with one last look at his brother, he finally left. 

You wrapped your arms around Curtis the moment the door swung shut, whispers of how much you loved him all you wanted him to hear.

---

Tag List

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[legendofmorons]

Written in the stars (forever on loop) chapter five - I will wait

Pairing: pre- poly! Chain x reader, Wind & reader

Rating: T

Summary: You spend the day telling people you're leaving, getting dragged into a fight, and having a somewhat honest conversation with Legend. Hyrule is having a very bad time, Four would like everyone to get their shit together so he can have a turn with a breakdown, and Epona is definitely my favorite. (Aka: I drop a bunch of information, smack everyone with the angst stick, and gloss over like three sort of concerning things)

Warnings: cursing, Canon typical violence, angst, blood

Other: If I missed anything, please let me know.

Previous masterlist Next

------

Morning comes with little fanfare.

Warriors wakes you up carefully, informing you it's time to be alert. You groan, but get up.

You set about getting ready for the day and putting things in the enchanted bag Wind gave you. (The kid is a life saver!)

Once you've gotten your things packed, you find yourself pulling Wind and Sky aside to tell them about your decision before everyone else.

You consider simply not telling them. You could just slip away. You could avoid saying goodbye.

You hate goodbyes.

You could avoid any possible confrontation.

That isn't right, though. Even with all the strange tension the group deserves to know you're leaving. They deserve to know there's one less person to feed.

Wind and Sky especially deserve to know. They've both been so good to you.

It would be a coward's choice to simply disappear and appealing as it is... you know it's wrong.

Wind and Sky deserve better.

Being a better and more healed version of yourself is hard and sucks sometimes. Making mature decisions sucks.

You take a deep breath and try to prepare yourself before you do this.

"Can I talk to you two?" You ask as you approach Wind and Sky.

"Yeah, of course!" Wind answers.

"Sure." Sky says.

You offer a soft smile. "I wanted to tell both of you something before the others."

"That's ominous." Sky says with a weak smile.

"What's going on?" Wind asks, tilting his head.

You take a deep breath. "I'm staying at the next town."

"What?" Sky croaks, eyes going wide.

He looks a little sea sick, but you can't imagine why.

"I'm not going to leave with you, I'll stay at the next town."

"Why?" Wind asks, sounding tense.

You give a weak smile. "I'm not a fighter like you guys. Besides... I'm slowing you all down. I think we can all agree I'm not exactly an adventuring expert."

There's a beat of silence.

"No one is at first," Sky says gently, quick to reassure you.

"Maybe not. But I'm staying at the next town." You say, trying to sound firm without sounding callous.

Wind rolls his eyes. "If this is because Legend is being a little bitch-"

"It's not." You say quickly. "I'm having a lot of things going on in my head, and I need space to sort through them."

"Oh." Wind deflates.

Sky gives you a look somewhere between guilt and relief. "If you're sure."

"I am." You say.

It really does seem like the best plan anyway.

"You're sure this isn't about Legend being a dickbag?" Wind asks.

You snort, "It's not that."

"Fine." Wind sighs. "If this is what you want."

"It is." You say.

Sky gives you a tired smile. "I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this."

"It's not your fault." You say, "Thank you for helping me out."

"Of course." Sky says with a strange hitch of his breath.

Wind rolls his eyes, "What were we supposed to do, leave you there?"

"You could have."

"Who does that?" The teen scoffs.

You shrugs, "Some people."

"Not us." Wind says.

"Not you." The agreement is pulling itself from wherever those strange dreams are from. You believe it, though.

Your The heroes aren't the type to leave anyone stranded like that.

Wind sighs. "Does anyone else know?"

"Time, and Four because he was there when I told Time."

"Four?" Sky blinks.

You nod. "Yes."

"If you're staying at the town, could you send a letter for me?" Wind asks.

You agree, of course you can! It's no work and he's done so much for you.

You let the news sit until after Wild has given everyone breakfast. You sit with Wind, of course. The boy is currently glaring at Legend as if the man did something personal.

Weird.

Why is the sailor so mad at Legend?

Did the veteran say something?

"I have something to tell all of you," You say, words feeling far heavier than you want to acknowledge or admit.

It shouldn't be so hard to tell a group of people that don't seem to want you around that you're leaving.

But...

The dreams....

Something makes it feel wrong to leave. Something is your heart says you're meant to he with this group.

(But that is absolutely ridiculous... right?)

All eyes turn to you except Wind, who is still giving Legend dirty looks.

"What is it?" Warriors asks, brow raising as he appraises your behavior.

"I'll be staying at the next town we find." You say, trying to bite back the abject bitterness about leaving.

"What?" Wild manages.

"Why?" Hyrule asks, face looking like you've struck him.

Okay...

Why do any of them care? You seem to just make them uncomfortable anyway.

"I've got some things to sort out, but I'm also not really a fighter. We all know I'm slowing you down."

"You are not." Sky says.

You smile, "I definitely am."

"It's- not your fault." Wild tries to reassure.

That's very sweet of him.

You laugh a little, "Either way, I'm staying at the next town."

"Are you sure?" Warriors asks.

"Yes."

"Well... Good luck." Four offers tightly.

Legend stays silent, not looking at you. The break is nice, in all honesty.

"I do want to say thanks to all of you, for helping me out and making sure I don't die." You offer with a smile.

"It's not a big deal." Twilight waves off.

"It's what anyone would do." Hyrule says.

You shake your head. "Not anyone."

"It's what we do." Time says.

"You are heroes." You smile a little.

"So we hear." Legend scoffs, glaring at the ground.

You sigh, turning back to your breakfast. This hasn't been the worst interaction, but it hasn't been the best either.

"Don't let him bring you down." Wind nudges you.

"I'm not." You say.

"Good." Sky smiles weakly.

Wind just sighs. "I'm going to miss you. No one else is as fun."

"Hey!" Wild gasps.

You laugh, letting the apprehension from before melt away. There's still an ending that almost seems to loom despite the relief you know you'll receive... but things are good.

Here, in this little bubble made up of you, a teenage scallywag, a grieving but friendly bird lover, and a horse, things are good.

Here you are safe.

All you have to do is ignore the dreams and half memories of your boys the heroes you travel with.

-------

You take the extra sword and shield that Wild gives you, wearing it on your belt easily enough. Traveling seems both easier and harder now that you know you have a set end point for your adventure.

You may not know how many days before you find a town, but you know every step is a step closer to leaving this group. A step closer to leaving Wind, Sky, and Epona.

Today, you travel beside Four. He's rather quiet, but at least he isn't hostile.

Though... Legend hasn't said but one thing to you since yesterday. He won't look at you now...

It's an improvement.

His constant anger is exhausting.

Four may not be as fun to be around as Wind, or as friendly as Sky, but he does at least steady you if you trip.

He dosen’t give you dirty looks.

Four answers any questions you have with a steady patience, eyes almost glinting violet in the light.

The dirt road you trek along is as monotonous as you may think.

Epona keeps falling a little behind Twilight to get your attention. If you slip her an apple at some point, that's really just between you and Epona. Isn't it?

(Wind notices, and he accuses you of being a pushover for Epona. But what if you are? She's an angel!)

Blue skies with big puffy clouds seem to be common here. Today is no exception.

Wind is just behind you with Hyrule, in front of you Time and Twilight walk.

Epona trails a little behind Twilight, choosing to walk at your side instead.

You pass Epona a bit of carrot while you all stop before a rickety old bridge.

"How many is that?" Wind asks from behind you.

"Not as many as she deserves." You flash a grin over your shoulder.

"Why do you like her so much?" Four asks.

You turn to look at him, and for a moment, you swear his eyes are red...

You hum, "She's a good girl. How could anyone not like her?"

"I guess that's fair." Four says, voice a little too far away.

"You okay, smithy?" Wild asks.

"I'm fine." Four says.

The man isn't particularly convincing, but you aren't sure how to bring it up.

There's the sound of rustling and hooves.

You turn, several others turning with you to find the new sound.

A blue lynel surges forward.

"Fuck me." You hiss.

Maybe it's not polite but really, lynels are evil and awful.

"You have the worst curses." Wind snorts.

Twilight turns and presses Epona's reins into your hands without warning, "Take Epona and get outta here. We'll find ya later."

You feel like you're supposed to argue and try to pull your own weight... but you've never fought a lynel in real life, and getting killed seems bad.

So, taking Epona and leaving it will be.

You grip her reigns and take a deep breath.

Scanning the area, you see a path through the trees that is more of a dirt road truly.

Epona can run faster than you...

The boys launch into fight, and you make the executive decision that riding Epona is a great idea.

You clamber up onto Epona, clumsy and panicking. As soon as you settle your weight on her saddle, you click your tounge, squeezing your knees to her sides for a second.

Regardless of your level of experience with horses, you can safely say you've never had to ride a horse while running from an evil centaur being.

Epona takes off into a gallop towards the path in the trees.

You can hear the others fighting, but for your own sanity, you focus on the reigns in your hands.

"When did they learn to ride a horse?!" Someone calls from behind you.

"FOCUS ON THE FIGHT!" Legend calls back, making more sense than you want to examine.

("Focus on the fight, firefly!" A man calls to you, the smell of malice wafts through the air.)

You need your brain to stop doing these things.

Epona breaks the tree line and jumps over a fallen log without stopping. She dosen’t seem to need much instruction.

"You're doing so good, sweetheart." You tell her, white knuckliing the reigns.

You don't pull on the leather in your hands.

If Epona has a plan, you aren't going to argue.

There's a whistling before a pain blooms in your shoulder.

An arrow connects in your shoulder. And you curse.

Looking over, you see several lizafos and a few like likes.

Shit!

You snap the reigns and squeeze your heels to Epona. "Come on, girl, hurry up."

You glance back and nearly scream. There's a shadow there - ripping through the enemies. It looks a lot like dark Link-

You snap the reigns again. You are not dealing with this.

You need a huge pay raise to deal with this, starting with getting paid at all.

Sometimes fighting is a great choice. This is not one of those times. Fighting an evil demon version of a hero seems like a great way to lose.

Epona starts running, clearing obstacles.

You lean forward, dropping the reigns to hug her neck. You might actually die.

"Fucking Bezos." You huff.

You aren't actually sure how this could be his fault but it sounds good.

The shadow ir whatever that is seems focused on the monsters while Epona runs.

Epona runs until she sees a clearing and then she stops.

You groan, getting off her back and looking at the artow in your shoulder. Ow.

This is such-

There's a panicking whiney from Epona.

You turn, eyes falling onto the Bokoblin who just attacked her with a bat.

What an ass! No one hurts Epona!

Ever.

Rage courses through you.

You take your sword in hand, using the arm without the arrow, of course.

Rushing forwards you engage with the blue bokoblin.

"Not my horse, fuck head!" You growl.

You dodge a sweep of the beasts' club.

Swing.

Duck.

Stab.

Pivot-

Epona nickers, bucking the air and slamming her back hooves into the beasts head.

"Good girl!" You praise.

You deal the finishing blow while the beast is down.

The moment the threat is gone you begin to crash, pain flaring in your shoulder where the arrow still is. Exhaustion seeps into your body.

Epona comes over and nudges your good shoulder.

"Hey, sweetheart." You smile softly.

She chuffs at you.

You laugh softly, "Are you okay, pretty girl?"

She nudges you again before walking forwards so your good arm brushes your arm.

"Are you offering to let me lean on you?" You ask.

Epona chuffs again.

You laugh weakly, energy waning too fast as you lean on her with your good side.

"What a sweet girl." You smile softly.

You sigh, looking at the arrow in your shoulder. The next town can't come soon enough.

Unfortunately you have no fairy or potion, so you suppose you'll just have to wait for the boys to find you.

Hopefully it isn't Legend, you aren't sure you can deal with his attitude right now.

You hear movement before you see it.

"(Y/n)?" A voice calls.

That sounds like Time.

Time emerges with Hyrule amd Wind in tow, gaze falling to you with a hiss of "Goddesses."

"Hi." You say, going to wave with your bad arm and wincing.

"You're hurt." Hyrule frowns.

"At least you left it in." Wind sighs.

"Are the others okay?"

"They're fine." Time says firmly, voice stern even though his hands shake.

You nods. "Good."

"Let me heal you." Hyrule says.

"You don't have to. I'm sure I'll be fine-"

"Don't be stubborn." Wind snorts.

"Fine. Thank you, Hyrule." You say.

Hyrule swallows hard as he comes closer. He won't look at your face but he is unnaturally pale while he stares at your wound.

His hands shake as he reaches up to break the long end of the arrow.

"You have monster blood on you." Wind says as he looks you over.

"Good." You manage, "Stupid thing attacked Epona."

"She isn't bleeding, at least."

"Just bruised- Shit!" You hiss out as the arrow his pulled from your shoulder.

"I'm sorry, honeybee." Hyrule says.

What did he just say?

"What?"

"I know it hurts." Hyrule soothes.

Why did he call you 'honey bee'? Maybe... maybe you misheard?

(You can almost imagine his voice calling you that as he points out stars above you...)

Hyrule's magic washes over you and it feels like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. It's like honeysuckle and summer night breezes.

It feels right. The magic feels like coming home to hot chocolate in a blizzard. It weaves into your being like it's meant to be there.

Those dreams are really messing with your head....

"We're glad you're okay." Time says tightly.

"I'm glad you're all okay." You offer.

"We're heroes, of course we're olay!" Wind declares with a grin.

You can't figure it out.

Time looks like he's pained but you can't find any injury.

Hyrule pulls his hand back from you, magic leaving with them. "Feel better?"

"Yes. Thank you." You smile.

"It's what I do." Hyrule waves off.

"We should go back to the group." Time says.

"Sure, just hang on." You say, procuring another bit of carrot and turning to Epona.

She takes the carrot from your hand happily.

"Really?" Wind laughs.

You nod, putting both hands on Epona's cheeks. "You're such a good girl, sweetheart. You kicking that beast was awesome!"

"She- she kicked a monster?" Time asks, sounding like he might fall over.

You nod happily, "Shs did! It was amazing!"

"Epona is pretty good." Hyrule nods.

Epona just gives a happy snort at your shoulder, as if she is checking that it's better now.

"She is."

"She must like you." Time says.

"I hope so." You smile.

"Let's head back, Wild is making lunch." Wind says, tugging you firward by the hand.

You let him lead you back to the group, Epona, following you with Time and Hyrule in the back.

The walk is slower on foot but you don't mind. Epona deserves a break.

Wind tugs you along until you break the trees and can see the others.

Sky sees you and makes his way over. "Hey."

"Hi." You offer. "You okay?"

"We're just tired. That thing had black blood." Sky waves off. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Hyrule healed me so I'm good." You shrug, grateful to be pain free in your shoulders.

Sky frowns, "What happened?"

"An arrow got me, but I'm okay."

Wind grins. "They had the good sense to leave it in until it could be treated."

"Oh." Sky squeaks.

You are sure why. Maybe Sky is squeamish? Maybe Hyrule is too actually...

Weird.

But monster blood is different...

Oh well.

"Wild should be just about done with lunch. Come on!" Wind says as he tugs you over to the cook.

Things aren't perfect, and you're still going to leave them behind... but it's nice right now.

Wind's enthusiasm and some good food do wonders for your mood.

You even get a little cat nap in thanks to Sky.

-------

Legend takes second watch, sending Four off to bed with a yawn and a knowing look. He knows he needs to do perimeter, but first, he wants to make sure everyone is okay.

Sky is half out of his bedroll, face in the pillow and snoring lightly.

You and Wind are near Sky. Wind is sprawled over you, acting half as a blanket thanks to his propensity to moving in his sleep.

You seem peaceful enough, face pressed into the pillow.

Wind flips over and is no longer on you, sprawling sideways out of his bedroll towards Wild. The champion is sleeping like a log.

Hyrule and Twilight sleep near the fire.

Four goes to sleep near Time, the two of them both closer to the fire.

Warriors sleeps on his back, near Sky again.

Legend sets about doing a perimeter check, careful to be as thorough as he can be. He won't let haste doom them.

After his check of the perimeter, Legend goes to sit near the fire again. He's awake enough, but the warmth is always welcome.

After all of his adventures, he's chronically a little cold.

He hears shifting, looking over towards where it is coming from, he finds you.

You're struggling against the blankets in your bed roll, brows knit together.

You make a soft sound.

"Link!" You manage weakly, still asleep.

Legend just stares at you. What are you dreaming that has you acting like this?

You kick your blanket off, continuing to fight against some unknown force.

There's a traitorous part of him that wants to comfort you. The part the hopes against reason that you're his lover who's been reincarnated again, just like always.

He pushes that part down.

"Link look out - she's behind you - Link!" Your voice is small even in your panic. He only hears you because he's awake.

Your face is scrunched up as your arm reaches up.

You bolt upright, eyes flying open with a choked gasp of a name. "Hilda -"

Oh.

Oh no.

You're breathing heavy and Legend -

Legend is having a breakthrough.

"You good?" Legend manages to get out.

Your head whips towards him, shoulders loosening when you see him. You swallow thickly.

"I'm - yeah... yeah... sorry." You manage to get out.

"It's fine." Legend says.

It isn't fine, actually, but that's not your fault.

What he just witnessed shakes lose memories of his lost lover who had the same nightmares about Hilda hurting him over and over.

They - the dreams looked just like whatever you woke up from.

Little details start falling into place.

It's you.

You're here.

What are you doing here?!

Oh.

Oh no.

Legend has been so rude to you. He's been a real piece of shit.

Honestly, he's ashamed. Even if you weren't his soulmate, reincarnated how he's behaved is atrocious. Wild is right about that.

You're still sitting up, trying to slow your breathing down when he looks over again, trying to slow your mind and heart down.

You're- as breathtaking as you've ever been. You always have been, even before he figured out that you really are - well... you.

Have you been having dreams like this from previous lives... the whole time?

Does your Link know?

Where is your Link? You haven't said anything about him at all.

Do you... have a Link? Did he pass?

Have you met him yet?

Legend has about a million questions and no voice to ask with.

He can't help wondering if you know. Do you know who you are?

What you are?

Do you know why they've all been struggling around you?

Can... Can you forgive him for how awful he's been to you?

Legend could kick himself for all of it.

Should...

Should he tell the others?

Is it kinder not to tell them because you're leaving again and staying at the next town?

He probably shouldn't tell them.

What's one more secret?

Legend absolutely owes you an apology, though. Maybe a hundred apologies.

He looks at you again.

You're sitting up, knees drawn to your chest as you try to slow your breathing. You look exhuasted.

How long have you been having dreams from past lives?

"It's not real." You whisper.

Legend swallows hard. He closes his eyes before he opens them and does what he should have done before he ever figured out that, in fact, his beloved trinket.

You are a person, and ever reincarnation soulmate or not, you deserve better from him.

"Do you want to join me?" Legend asks.

Your head whips over to look at him. "I don't want to intrude -"

"I'm offering." He says.

You get up, silently crossing the space to sit on the log with him. There's space between the two of you.

Legend can feel the urge to reach out and pull your close bubble up.

He dosen’t. He dosen’t have that right anymore, especially not after his behavior.

He shouldn't have taken his grief out on you at all, regardless of if you're you or not.

Goddesses. How long has he wasted with you?

"Bad night?" He asks stiffly.

You nod. "Yeah."

"Damn." He says.

You snort, side eyeing him. "Thanks."

"Do you... want to talk about it?" He asks as he looks you over.

You shrug. "Won't matter. Just a lot of weird dreams. Some are nice. Some aren't."

"That sucks."

"It does." You agree. "It's not the biggest problem, though. My sword skills are hit or miss, and I think I might have to fight Twilight for custody of Epona before I leave she seems to like me."

"She does." He agrees, trying to ignore the twinge in his chest at the reminder that you are leaving. "It drives Twilight up a wall. He's jealous."

He knows it's better this way.

He knows that the town will keep you safe from the danger of this quest.

He knows it's for the best.

But it's still losing you.

Again.

He's not even sure he'll find the words to apologize properly before you leave

"He shouldn't be, Epona adores him."

Legend just shrugs. "I don't understand cowboy feelings."

You laugh a little, tense and shaking. But it's the first laugh he's gotten out of you in a long time.

He's missed it. He's missed the way your laugh sounds.

"He's a boyscout who loves his horse." You muse, eyes softening in the firelight. "I guess you don't have Boy Scouts here, do you?"

The question is a genuine one, your gaze turning to him again.

"Uh, no clue what that shit is." Legend shrugs.

Goddesses! How is he supposed to act?!

You obviously don't know about the soulmate reincarnated thing. He can tell, he knows you, and your mannerisms are the same.

If you knew... You'd confront him about it. You wouldn't let them agonize like this if you knew.

He doesn't want to tell you. You don't seem familiar with Hyrule, so he's not sure you've even heard about the soulmates thing.

Besides, before just now, he's been a complete jackass to you!

He's kicking himself for it, but he would bet if he went from that to saying your his soulmate that your head would spin. You wouldn't believe him.

"It's something kids do. They learn survival and camping and sell popcorn." You explain.

"Huh." Legend manages.

"Can... I ask you something?" You ask.

"Sure."

"Did I do something to you?" Your question is fair, but the way you stare into the fire to avoid looking at him hurts.

"No. You didn't..." Legend weighs his options, the way this could play out. He makes his decision. "You just - You're too much like someone I lost."

"Oh." You say, understanding blooming in your lovely eyes.

"Look... I know I've been a real shit, and I know taking my problems out on you isn't fair. I'm sorry I've acted like a real..." Legend pauses, looking for the right words.

"Fucking asshole?" You offer with a half smile.

"Yeah," He breathes out. "I've been a real fucking asshole."

"Your behavior sucks. But, I forgive you, as long as you try to do better." You tell him. "I don't understand it all, but I know grief."

You have always been too forgiving of him.

Legend snorts. "Yeah."

"I don't expect you to be warm and cuddly." You crack a weak smile. "If you could just stop glaring at me all the time, I'd be thrilled."

"Yeah... I've really been an asshole."

"A little." You agree.

Legend raises one eye brow. "Just a little?"

"Okay a lot."

"I know." Legend says.

He does know. He knows because Wild shouted some sense into him. He knows because he examined himself. He knows because of how you watch him wearily.

Legend feels his fingers twitch with the urge to pull you close and keep you warm and safe in his embrace.

He ignores that urge for so many reasons. The biggest reason being that you have shown zero inclination to want that from him.

You seem less tense now, shoulders only a little tense as you watch him.

It's a start.

-------

Hyrule spends most of the morning hovering near you, right up until Four pulls him away to go gather more firewood for the slate. The fae wants so badly to fight but he knows he is being strange about you.

It's just-

Everyone has a capability for magic, even if the ability is technically so minute it's inconsequential. As a fae Hyrule is very good at magic and can sense magic in others.

When he was healing you yesterday... he felt your magic.

Your magic isn't anything particularly impressive. The magic you possess is enough to use potions and elemental rods but not enough to do a whole lot more.

There's nothing wrong with that, you have rather average magical thresholds so you aren't in danger of potion sickness.

The problem with your magic is that it is yet another almost identical trait you share with his honeybee. Your magic feels like home in ways he thought he could never feel again.

Hyrule has to be losing his mind.

"You need to get your head on right." Four says, interrupting the other man's spiral.

Hyrule looks over and swallows hard. "Right."

"What happened yesterday?" Four asks, eyes almost looking red for a second.

Hyrule takes a slow breath, readjusting the wood in his arms. "They got hurt yesterday... when I was healing them- their magic is- Why do they have to be so much like my honeybee?"

Four sighs. "I don't know."

"Is there any chance they're our (Y/n)?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up." Four says firmly, eyes glinting blue for a moment.

Hyrule feels his face crumple. "I just-"

"I know." Four says, "We all know. But getting your hopes up is only going to hurt yourself worse."

"It already hurts."

Four takes a slow breath, pushing Blue's anger and Red's tears away. He understands both feelings and would love to give in to either, but he can't fall apart right now.

Right now, the blacksmith needs to keep it together against the grief beating in his heart and the splitting headache he can't escape.

"Hyrule, grief never goes away completely but you can drown in it. Our soulmate would hate to see you drown I it."

"Four..."

"You just have to hold on until we reach the next town."

Hyrule winces, "I don't know if I can."

"You have to." Four says with nothing but empathy. "We all have to."

"Just until the next town?"

"Just until then."

Hyrule sighs, swallowing hard. "Okay."

Four looks back the way they came, "We should head back."

"Who's supposed to be protecting them today?" Hyrule asks.

"I think that's Twilight and Wild."

"Okay." Hyrule says.

Four gives a weak smile, eyes almost looking green. "We're going to be okay."

"I know."

"Come on, we should hurry. Legend was being weird and I really don't want to deal with Wind trying to set the vet on fire with dirty looks." Four says as he turns to head back.

Hyrule gives a weak, performatory laugh. "Yeah... me neither."

The two make their way back to camp, silence filtering heavy in the air.

When they get back they nearly drop the woof in their arms.

You and Wind are sparring with the wooden swords again, except this time Legend is laughing when you trip over air but he offers you his hand silently.

Four is pretty sure something is weird. Legend went from so hostile you two didn't share any positive interactions to withdrawn, and now he's offering to help you up.

"Is that a changeling?" Hyrule whispers.

"I don't know."

"What did we miss?" Hyrule wonders.

Four just sighs, "Who knows."

They watch you take Legend's hand with a 'thanks'.

Hyrule sighs. "At least Wind dosen’t have to be pissy."

"Be nice." Four huffs, the tug of his lips gives him away, though.

Hyrule and Four take one last moment to remind themselves that this is just until the next town. They can pull through.

They have to.

--------

In the trees, a panther lounges, watching the group of heroes, but the animal's interest lies far more in the horse and the non-hero.

It's almost time for the large cat to introduce themself. The next town is soon, and the feline is tired of playing the long game.

By nightfall, the panther should finally be able to get to the non-hero.

Soon.

Soon, everything will be much better.

-------

Next

Tag list: @danyzta @vrsin @silver-the-pendejo @tulip-does-stuff @justanotherweeb666 @yourlocaltreesimp @blueberrysungie @victoryssong23 @shu-leepy @sleepifonlyigoti @sour-patch-delight

[midnightshindig]

what if cecil’s spouse was one of the guardians omniman killed in the first episode 👀

Cecil x OgGotG!Reader

Damn we all need some therapy, huh?

I've been getting a lot of angst requests and if you requested angst, and I haven't done it yet- especially if it's a Viltrumite reader, it's mostly because I'm mentally quite soft and it takes a lot more out of me to write good angst than good smut or fluff

Don't let this make anyone feel bad or stop requesting, I love it, but I just wanna be transparent about my process

You guys are amazing at requests though I eat this shit up EVERY time

Fic below the cut!!

I'll be honest idrk how to format this

Cecil and you are married in secret due to your status as a Guardian of the Globe

and it actually works out quite well

He's able to trust you to not die, and he's not constantly anxious you're going to get murked in battle

your power is super healing, like on some Deadpool type shit it should be virtually impossible to kill yo-

what the fuck.

Cecil and Donald arrive on scene at GHQ and there's blood everywhere.

Literally.

Everywhere.

Now Cecil is a tough man, he's been through stuff that would make the average person lose touch with reality

But this makes him almost throw up.

By far the worst part is that he can tell which blood Is yours because it's actively bubbling and trying to pull itself back together

The rescue team is trying to scoop you into a pile so you can reform, but there just isn't enough of you

Just blended and mashed guts and viscera, like your insides had been slushies before you'd died, and you'd been torn to shreds

but your blood was bubbling

could you even really die? Could you feel this? Could you think? What was Cecil going to do?

He watched you struggle to come back, and after THE IMMORTAL couldn't be resuscitated, he knew it was over

Your blood levelled and there was no effort to reform

maybe you'd finally died, perhaps you'd just given up

He didn't know.

He's pissy when he gets home, he can't cry, he's not sure he physically can

He wants to, but he's alone now, in his house, there's nothing stopping him

but he can't.

He looks at your wedding photos on the mantle, and down to the band on his hand

The cleanup team leaves yours in a box on his desk the next day

and he sobs.

He sobs so hard and so violently Donald clears the room, before excusing himself.

He hasn't cried since he took his job the GPA, this is decades' worth of tears just built up and pouring out of him as he clutches your ring to his chest

His was a black tungsten band, yours the very same band with Lonsdaleite set in. The two strongest materials available to him so you could wear it in battle.

He remembers asking you to marry him, and sobs harder

The two of you are on the beach, a ridiculous venture to get Cecil over his distaste for it. He's younger then, shortly after accepting his position at the GPA

"Y'know-" you start, adjusting your sunhat as he grimaces on the towel laid out for him, under a large umbrella "I don't understand how you can hate the beach, it's so cheery!"

"You get sand in your ass and the water is polluted, there are screaming children everywhere and this beach allows dogs."

You roll your eyes, leaning over to kiss the top of his head before standing back up

"Well I'm going into the water, you don't hate me, do you?"

"No, of course not. I know what you're doing, Y/n, it won't work."

"Noooooo, of course not" You wink at him, leaving him under his umbrella as you head into the water.

Ah hell.

He adjusts so that the ring box in his pocket isn't so obvious

This should go well. This has to go well.

You're at the beach until sunset, when Cecil is so anxious he springs into action without any thought

He doesn't have a speech prepared

He doesn't have anything prepared except the ring in his pocket

but fuck, it's so picturesque.

"Y/n- Y/n get out of the water!" He calls to you, but you just stick a tongue out at him

"If you wanna talk to me you have to get in!"

He can't believe you're doing this to him- or rather, he's marrying you because you do this to him.

And so Cecil plunges into the water, all the way up to his hips in it before he reaches you

You smile wide at him "Ahh you got in!! What's up?"

The wind blows the hat off your head as Cecil pulls out his ring, unable to kneel due to the water

"Will you marry me?"

"..."

"...??????" He's stressing out

"...!!" You're estatic

You tackle him into a hug, plummeting you both into the water

so much for not getting his hair wet

"Oh Cecil- this ring is beautiful!"

"Haha- I know, and it's resilient too, you can wear it while fighting..."

"and never take it off..." He finishes to himself, wiping the tears from his eyes and hoisting himself up, braced against the desk in front of him.

"Ugh... that's embarrassing. I can't believe it." He tries to put back on the tough guy act, but there's a pain in his heart and in his gut and everywhere. It hurts everywhere.

This is when Donald pokes his head back in with a box of tissues and a warm beverage

He doesn't say anything, just brings it over and sits in the desk chair next to where Cecil is holding himself up

After a long silence, Cecil nods at him, taking a drink from the mug

It isn't better, but it helps.

[flowersandskeletons526]

"How Else to Prove That I'm Devout" - KPDH polytrix fic (part one)

Brain rot go brr. Angst be upon ye. Also known as putting Mira in the guilt blender. Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

------

Mira liked meet and greets. Usually.

Most of the fans that came to the events were amazing, always so ecstatic to see the band and talk to their idols even if only for a few seconds. Sometimes they got the ones who tried to reach across the table, got a little too touchy during pictures or asked personal questions edging towards the more severe side of parasocial relationships, even one fan that had to be whisked away by security after making some off-color comments to Zoey early on in Huntrix’s rise to fame. But that was more or less a workplace hazard when you had your face plastered across half the world. They were all aware of it and they had people and procedures to handle those situations as they arose. 

The little happy moments outweighed all the bad for her. Young girls with streaks of pink in their hair gushing over how cool her costumes were and how badass she was, whispering the swear word to hide it from their parents standing off to the side. The boy with shaky hands held close to his chest telling her that he just got accepted into dance school and her choreography was his inspiration. The quiet teenager with hardened eyes like hers who confessed cutting contact with a less-than-loving family, because if she could come from the same situation and find strength outside of it, then so could they. 

That last instance was just after their first nationwide tour. She would never admit how hard she cried about it the second she was alone.

Mira didn’t mind the press. Usually.

It was another workplace hazard. Things got misconstrued or taken out of context. Her past was occasionally pried into a little deeper than she liked. Luckily the interviewers and reporters she interacted with were mostly respectful, and Bobby and the girls were always there to shut down any that weren’t. It was better than the horrific tabloid culture Zoey described from the United States. 

However, it wasn’t always inescapable. 

It was their first real public appearance after the hell that was the Idol Awards, after about a month and a half of dodging speculations and invasive inquiries and trying to keep Bobby from having a stroke due to the stress. He set it up to be easy for them, to Mira’s eternal gratitude: a couple hours signing autographs and talking to fans, taking a few pictures, releasing new merch and teasing at upcoming concerts. Not that there were real solid plans for a performance any time soon.

No one would admit it, but a major reason for it was so Mira, Rumi, and Zoey could show their faces as a united front. They could only quell the breakup rumors for so long without actually showing proof that they were false. The girls knew that they were closer than ever, and so did Bobby, to an extent, but half their fanbase couldn’t look past the Takedown performance and still feared they were broken beyond repair.

Currently, Mira’s only fear was that someone would call her out for running a little too fast to the car. She smiled and waved to the mob of fans and reporters and photographers following them, did everything she could to look normal and not let on exactly how fucking exhausted she was. She was the last to get there as always, staying behind Rumi and Zoey to create a barrier, a shield between them and anyone in the crowd who might have ill intentions. That was her place: protecting them from the very beginning of their story.

But it meant there was nothing creating a barrier for her, and Bobby was occupied talking to another person on the PR team, and a small event meant a small security presence, and all of that compounded made it disturbingly easy for a sleazy looking man with a selfie stick and a live stream to come running up to her. 

“Welcome back, my fellow detectives!” he was saying into his phone camera. “I’m Investigator Scotty from Idol Investigators, covering Huntrix’s first public appearance after the Idol awards! I’m here with Mira, lead visual and choreographer! Mira, how are you feeling seeing all these fans still showing up after your last performance?”

She barely remembered to fix her face in time, plastering on her camera-ready smile that Celine had drilled into the three of them a lifetime ago. She was allowed to be a badass, but she was not allowed to be an asshole. 

“It’s amazing to see everyone,” she gushed. “We’re always so happy to get a chance to talk to our fans.”

She didn’t like the emphasis he’d put on the word still. It made her plant herself squarely between him and the open door of the car.

“And we are all, of course, very happy to see you,” the streamer said with an over-exaggerated smile as he panned across the crowd. 

Someone touched her back, and she wasn’t sure if it was Rumi or Zoey but she felt all their concern and confusion radiating from the simple pressure of a hand planted over her spine. She made eye contact with a pair of security guards near the venue doors. They nodded once and started making their way through the crowd as the streamer continued talking.

“So, my subscribers want to know-” Ugh. “-if you have any response to your brother’s recent comments.”

Her brother?

Mira’s heart stopped in her chest. Her blood ran cold. The world went silent, save a high pitched ringing in her ears and her own hammering pulse. She heard herself chuckle but she wasn’t sure if she was in control of her own mouth anymore. 

“Excuse me? My brother’s comments?” she repeated, a biting edge infecting the words. 

“We obtained an exclusive interview with your brother after footage of the Takedown performance was released-”

There was footage of that night?

Before the questioning could go any further, the security guards grabbed the streamer under his arms and swiftly carried him away. Just as he began spouting off about freedom of the press, Bobby came around to usher Mira into the car and climb in after her, shutting and locking the door behind them. The driver sped off without having to be told. 

Rumi and Zoey were on her in a heartbeat with an arm around her shoulders and a hand on her knee. 

“Are you okay?” Zoey asked almost frantically. “Who was that guy?”

“Mira, what did he say to you?” asked Rumi. 

She didn’t answer. Instead, she stared straight ahead at Bobby sitting across from them, furiously typing on his phone.

“Bobby.”

“I’m looking, I’m looking!” he promised. “What show did he say? Idol Investigators, right? Where have I heard that before?”

“Wait,” said Zoey, “isn’t he that guy who has cease-and-desist orders from, like, three different bands?”

“Yes! That’s him!” He clicked on something and began scrolling. “Well, he’s popular in the United States.”

“He would be popular in the United States,” Mira grumbled.

“Mira!” Rumi hissed with a pointed glance towards Zoey.

Zoey made an uncertain noise in the back of her throat. “No, she’s right. Celebrity news is very sensationalized over there, it’s actually a really big problem.”

Bobby frowned at his phone. “Mira, I think he was just trying to get a rise out of you. I don’t see any…” His face paled. “Ah. Okay, um… Oh, jeez.”

Mira stuck her hand out. “Let me see.”

“Mira,” Rumi began warningly.

“Give me the phone.”

“Bobby, do not give her the phone!”

“Bobby!”

Part of her felt bad watching the poor man glance between them, torn between Mira wanting to deal with her own family drama and Rumi death-glaring the both of them to leave alone whatever ridiculous comments were made. In the end, Bobby closed his eyes and just stuck the phone out towards them. Mira got to it first, opening the chosen video with one hand and holding Rumi back with the other, ignoring her leader’s protests of “You’re only going to get upset” and “Whatever they have to say isn’t worth it!”

Her brother’s face filled the screen. Just the very sight of him sent so much anger and pain coursing through her veins that she almost crushed the device in her hand. 

It opened in the middle of the stupid streamer speaking behind the camera. “-and I am here with Huntrix choreographer Mira’s brother-”

“Do not mention my name,” her brother snapped in that dumb fake uppity accent he’d spoken with since they were children. 

“Here with Mira’s brother. So, sir, you’ve seen the video of the infamous Idol Awards performance?”

“Have I seen it?” He chuckled smugly. Mira wanted to smash his face in. “No. No, I have not watched the footage, but I’ve heard more than enough about it. And I am only speaking on it now so you paparazzi types will stop harassing my parents for a statement.”

Of course, he was. Anything to make her look worse while retaining his distinction of the perfect dutiful son.

“I’m an investigative journalist,” the streamer corrected. “And what is your statement?”

Mira gritted her teeth as her brother rolled his eyes. “If my sister is involved, an extremely public fight like that does not surprise me. I am, however, obligated to commend her manager. The way he spun this as an elaborate stunt is a public relations miracle. That is all I am willing to say on the matter. Now please, kindly, leave my family out of this mess.” 

“Okay, that’s enough.” Rumi snatched the phone away and closed out of the video before handing it back to Bobby. 

Mira stared at the floor. If she was involved, a public fight wasn’t surprising? What the hell did that even mean? And the way he said public, like it would’ve been fine if the whole thing had just happened behind closed doors instead. That’s what always made him so much better than her, wasn’t it? She refused to uphold their family image, refused to tone it down, refused to be anything but authentically herself every single second of her life. 

Something hateful and dark blossomed in her chest. What right did he have to say anything about this? He didn’t even know what happened!

But then again, neither did she. Not really. Rumi had told her and Zoey the very basics: Takedown started playing and there were demon copies of the two of them and that’s why everyone thought there was a fight. She didn’t give any more details, and the look in her eyes when she told them, the way her voice cracked, how she’d unconsciously covered her patterns… Mira knew not to push further. But now there was this footage of it…

“Mira.” Zoey’s voice brought her back to reality. She looked up into wide, anxious black eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Mira said, her voice steady and blunt. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Rumi and Zoey shared a look. “The things he said-”

“Fuck him. I don’t care what he thinks.”

She could see all over their faces that they didn’t believe her, but they didn’t pursue it. Bobby, to his credit, also took the hint and quickly changed the subject to the more positive success of the event. Mira tuned out the moment he said the word “trending.”

Rumi kept a hand on her knee the entire ride home.

When they reached the penthouse and said goodbye to Bobby, Mira headed straight for her room. She heard Zoey start to call after her, only for Rumi to quietly shut her down. Mira almost wished she hadn’t.

She stripped out of her clothes and tossed them unceremoniously in the corner of the room before changing into her pajamas. It didn’t matter that there were still several hours of daylight left. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she grabbed her phone and opened a search engine. She typed Huntrix into the search bar.

The first suggested search was “Huntrix Takedown live.”

Mira closed out of the app, powered her phone all the way down, and stashed it away in the very back of her dresser drawer for good measure. She didn’t sleep that night.

The next morning, she was up and moving with the sunrise. It was strange, being the only one awake in the penthouse. Usually Rumi was the first one up, making coffee or tea for the three of them or workshopping a song in her room, quietly singing or strumming her guitar as Mira passed her door. All she heard now was the soft patter of her own footsteps.

She didn’t bother with coffee or breakfast. She’d get that later, and Zoey liked it when they ate meals together, anyway. Instead, she changed into workout clothes and headed straight for their home gym a few floors down in the building. Past all the machines and free weights was a small section of punching bags and sparring dummies and racks of various weapons. Bobby gave them a weird look when they requested that be put in, but Mira gave some bullshit explanation of martial arts being conducive to better dancing and Celine - fuck her - had backed her up at the time, so he accepted it, albeit still a bit suspiciously.

She picked a wooden staff off a rack and stepped into the center of a mat. At first, she simply moved with it, spinning it in long, smooth motions like she had when she was first learning to use her weapon. It didn’t have the same weight or balance, of course, but she just needed something to move with in the moment. It was calming. Just her in the quiet, the low swish of the staff cutting through the air, falling into her body, distracting herself from-

With my sister involved, a public fight doesn’t surprise me.

Her staff struck a sparring dummy square in the neck. Every muscle in her body tensed. He didn’t know what he was talking about. He wasn’t there.

She struck a body blow.

They hadn’t spoken in years. He had no idea who she was. He never did.

Strike the head, the ribs, jab to the solar plexus.

It wasn’t her on that stage. Whatever it was that Rumi faced, it wasn’t her. It wasn’t her! He wasn’t there!

Flinging the staff aside, Mira roared in frustration and tackled the dummy off the mat and onto the concrete floor. She started punching over and over with all her strength, imagining it was her brother beneath her fists instead of foam and plastic. It was a hit for every disapproving stare, every lecture on maintaining the family’s reputation, protecting their societal standing by erasing everything that made Mira Mira, until they erased her from their lives completely. A hit for every time her brother should have supported her but didn’t, every time he basked in their parents’ praise while she was slowly but surely forced out. 

And now he had the nerve to do this? To go on some stupid invasive paparazzi channel and fuck with the family she made for herself? He didn’t have any right!

Mira closed her eyes and hit harder and harder until she couldn’t feel anything, could only hear her pounding heartbeat and the thud of the punches, could only hear-

“Mira! Mira, stop!”

Rumi’s voice rattled her for only a split second, just long enough for her to misjudge a punch. She slammed her fist at full force into solid concrete. 

Mira fell back clutching her wrist, her hand already starting to bruise, gritting her teeth to make a growl out of a scream. The fallen sparring dummy was stained red with the blood dripping from her split knuckles. She bit down on a curse as Rumi and Zoey, still in their pajamas, fell to their knees on either side of her. 

“What the hell, Mira!” Rumi asked in exasperation, more worried than angry. “What were you doing?”

She refused to answer. She didn’t know how. How could she possibly explain, “I was imagining killing my brother because he brought up the worst day of our lives,” without sounding insane? She just kept her head down and her eyes off Rumi’s expectant stare as Zoey gingerly took her wrist.

She inhaled sharply through her teeth. Zoey loosened her grip. “Sorry,” she mumbled. She turned Mira’s hand over and looked up at Rumi. “It looks broken.”

Rumi rubbed her temple and sighed heavily. “I’m calling Bobby.”

“Do not call Bobby!” Mira hollered, but Rumi was already on her phone across the room, speaking quietly so Mira wouldn’t overhear. 

Despite not having it on speaker phone, Mira heard the scream from the other end of the line clear as day.

“Mira did what?!”

[sevs-corner]

Tf 141: Ghost and his marriage problems w/ you

part 1: Price | Masterlist here! | Inspo playlist here! Angst to comfort

Ghost is a man of few words, the comment of it being 'few and far between' used too often to describe him and his stand-off demeanor with you in public.

Though, he cares not for those things, only ever lending an ear for you only.

Yet you wished he did when manhandles a man that was only trying to talk to you about baked goods you were selling.

You slammed your front door closed after Simon went ahead inside and paced around the living room, before settling on a chair once he hears you stomp in.

"What the fuck was that Simon?"

You seethed, pissed off at how Simon was so quick to assume things, turning things to an eleven when it didn't to be-- making an issue at a situation you were very well handling yourself already.

"He got too close," he grunts with a shrug, "too suspicious for someone just 'asking' a question."

You rubbed your face roughly.

You think maybe he was emotionally and socially stunted but no, he was able to conduct himself just fine at his jobs and during missions-- what the fuck is he on right now?

"What kinda bullshit is that?" You scoffed at him and he huffs, leaning his elbows on his knees yet still making eye contact with you.

"You..." He starts but then breaks off, sighing and ruffling his hair.

Simon wanted to choose his words carefully. He couldn't say it was gut feeling that he gets when someone gets too close to hurt you.

As a soldier, he was trained to always be on his toes, and that type of behavior becomes hard to rub off when all he thinks of is protecting you whenever you guys go out.

He knows that no one knows how his face looks like out in public, but he is still scared-- haunted by the notion, or even the thought of you getting hurt as a means of revenge to get back at him.

He knows his records aren't clean and he isn't proud of some of the things he did either, but he knew it was worth it when the world could have its bits and pieces of peace from it-- especially if you were, and you still had that same gleaming smile whenever you greet him home.

So he tries to keep that all away, to keep the peace, and most importantly-- to keep you happy.

Even if that required him to be on guard 24/7, always wary of the things going on in your life and working double to make sure you were alright.

Even if it gets him the short end of the stick, getting the brunt of your anger.

"He..." he licks his dried out lips, "...he looked like he had ulterior motives, hun."

You stomp to him, hands grabbing his face as you stared down at him, eyes so pointed and open that there were unshed tears at the end of it.

"And who are you to be the judge of that?"

He bites his lip, sucking in a breath, and he just wants to speak--

"Because I've been onto him."

"...What-?"

You were breathless for a moment, letting go of Simon as he whispered words that made it cloudier-- made him more vague and so stubbornly confusing.

But when he doesn't reply for moments after that, you ask him what he meant by that. What he wants to mean by that-- because all these conjured up thoughts swirling in your head were doing no good for the position you were putting Simon in inside your head.

"Simon please..." you breathed out in resign, "...just tell me."

Yet he doesn't.

He sits there, ever so still.

And you think he's stuck like that if it wasn't for the constant soft crunching of his gloves as he grips and releases it.

If it weren't for his chest heaving up and down-- you would have thought you lost him.

"If you're not gonna talk, I'm leaving." You decided, having enough of working today and just... all of this with Simon.

You love him, you truly do, but him shutting himself like this is just so exhausting-- and you couldn't take another moment of it.

"Wait."

His voice rings loud enough from the doorway, where you already putting on your shoes, and you pause, letting him have a couple seconds to follow-up.

"...Its cold out, grab your coat."

You huff, slamming your shoes down again for the second time tonight. Luckily, there weren't your favorite pair, but they'd understand if its them dealing with as stubborn of a partner like Ghost right? You could only amusedly think so for a moment before going close to Ghost, glaring down at him while his face was turned downwards to the floor, no longer making eye-contact with you.

"'s that all you're gonna say to me?"

You ask again, giving him another chance, another out for him just to get it off his chest-- to just,

"FUCKING TALK SIMON!"

Your breaths are heavy and from the way Simon didn't even flinch nor move, you decided to forego that chance. To just leave and--

"He was stalking you."

You turn to him again, facing him with less intensity that you thought when you finally see him.

He's disgruntled, hair a mess, mask and gloves off, disheveled clothing-- face so scrunched with lines, you'd think he was carving the wrinkles on his face permanently.

You wait, nodding at him to continue-- not trusting your own voice at the moment to convince him to keep talking.

Simon breaths in deep.

He had no choice.

It was either he lets you leave him (and fuck him and everything he lives for if he just lets you do so without him even trying) or he talks, and shows... everything and risk you leaving either way.

If both ends at the same conclusion, fuck him for throwing caution to the wind and giving one last damn shot to keep you by his side.

"Remember when you got that weird text?" He starts off and once he sees you nod in confirmation, he continues. "Thought I should look into it."

"I told you it was just spam." You mutter and you see him shake his head, muttering a small- "not to me."

And you kept your mouth shut at that.

"Once I did," he gulps, "started seeing all the nasty shit he had on his computer and what he planned to do..." he paused, breath coming out steady.

"...once he got to you today."

You feel like a bucket of ice cold water just got splashed onto your face, your stomach dropping, your throat constricting.

"..what...?"

Was all you could manage before you see Simon stand, and you could finally see why people were scared of him, the elusive and ruthless man on the field-- the man they call Ghost.

Now you knew why he sat, why he also took the low ground with you, why he showed himself to be smaller than you because seeing him right now-- standing at his full height with a gaze you can no longer call familiar.

It was downright chilling to the bone.

"He was going to take you for himself." He growled, his emotions resurfacing once he saw the guy's search history and the not-so-elaborate plans he shared with a couple of mates on his messaging app. He had the receipts and he was going to fucking expose the guy if it weren't for your interference--.

No. He shouldn't think about it like that. You were worried for him. Yeah. You weren't disrupting anything, you were just looking out for him. That's it.

'Keep it down, Ghost.'

"If I didn't intervene," he grabs your jaw and forces you into his gaze, "I would've broken my promise to always protecting you."

This breaks the dam.

Simon, as much as he was an emotionally stunted man, meant every word he made to you in his vows.

And at the end of it all, he swore, he promised--

'Promise to protect you always.'

Was how he ended that, and how he slipped that band on your finger right now.

You felt so stupid.

Maybe it was you who were quick to assume such things of a man who would no thing to hurt you.

"Shh..." He holds you close, finally closing the distance he wanted to make ever since you guys got home. "I'm sorry."

He whispers onto your hair as one of his hands stroke it while the other was wrapped around your side.

His chin was on your head, and he just lets you sob onto him-- lets you say your apologies, but he doesn't take them.

It wasn't your fault. It was his.

And he wants to make amends.

Even if that ended up with you leaving, he'll still fulfill those vows he promised.

Because he swore it to the only person who accepted him for all that he is.

So, he'll try his best to make it work. For the both of you, or even just for your sake.

"Lovie," he mutters once your sobs turned to sniffles, "your smiles look better on you."

You huff, unable to stop the breath of a laugh from the sudden left hook of a compliment.

"I'm sorry Simon." You finally peel away from his chest to look at him and place your hands- more gently this time- on his heated cheeks.

He shakes his head-- "no, 's not you." He kisses your palms, trailing it higher until he reaches that golden metal on your finger, and his lips linger on there for moments before talking again.

"I should've told you," he admits, "just didn't want you to worry."

You immediately smacked him which made him slightly flinch at the sudden hit on his cheek.

"Dummy," you sniffle, "I still would-- whether you didn't or did."

You pout at him, "you know me Simon, I'll always worry."

He nods somberly.

"Just don't wanna add onto it." He pokes your forehead and you giggle.

"See, its already so big--"

"Shush!" You slapped away his hand this time and you could see a smile starting to grow on his lips.

"I'll remember that for next time." He promises, this time replacing his finger with forehead, tiredly connecting it to yours.

"Promise to tell me next time?"

"I promise."

"I'll worry with you instead."

He chuckles at this, relenting to your whims once more.

"You're gonna make my head bigger like yours then."

[dixons-sunshine]

Shopping Spree, Hangout Dreams | Young!Daryl Dixon x Young!Fem!Reader

*GIF isn't mine*

Summary: While hanging out with Daryl, an old friend decided to pay you an unexpected visit. Not wanting to cut your visit short, Daryl offers to tag along to the supermarket. You agree, which lead to the funniest but best shopping experience of your life. And the hangout afterwards turned into a night you'd never forget.

Genre: Fluff, some angst (mentions of Daryl's dad and his scars—reader knows about his home life.)

Era: Pre outbreak

Warnings: Swearing, blood (from reader's period), mentions of abuse, mentions of Merle being an asshole to reader and Daryl, allusions to money problems (reader chooses the cheapest foods while in the store and lives in a trailer park), reader's mom is implied to be a single parent.

Word count: 4.6k (this got way longer than I expected)

A/n: Honestly my second favourite story I've written. It's not great, but I loved the concept very much and writing about Daryl before the apocalypse turned out to be so much fun! I definitely need to write more about pre-apocalypse Daryl.

Navigation. SSHD masterlist. AO3. Taglist.

“I'm telling you, you're overreacting. How was I supposed to know that it was gonna go flying in your direction?”

“It wasn't even supposed to go flyin' like tha' in the first place. I've been tryin' to teach ya to fish fer months now, but yer hopeless. Stick to buyin' fish from the market fer yer safety and mine.”

You threw one of the pillows on the couch you were sitting on in his direction, trying to look offended but failing miserably due to the burst of laughter falling from your lips. Daryl easily caught the pillow and chuckled, a boyish grin on his face. He flopped down next to you on the couch, keeping the pillow on his lap as he watched you trying to calm your laughter.

“You're mean, you know that? I'm not hopeless, fishing is just hard,” you said with a smile, looking at him through your eyelashes.

The smile you wore and the sparkle in your eyes made Daryl's heart skip a beat. His mouth suddenly felt dry and he felt an overwhelming urge to close the distance between the two of you—and urge he's had for months now—but he refrained, his father's deprecating words about his 'nonexistent' worth echoing in the back of his mind.

Daryl shook the thoughts from his mind and focused back on you, your smile he loved so much still gracing your features. “Nah, it ain't tha' hard,” he replied, resting his arm on the back of the couch.

“Says the fish whisperer,” you retorted, crossing your arms over your chest in mock anger, but the huge smile on your face ruined your facade.

Daryl couldn't help the amused laugh that escaped his mouth. “Fish whisperer?” he asked, a crooked smile on his face as he looked at you. “Tha's what yer callin' me?”

“Yeah, you're a fish whisperer. Every time I try to catch a fish, you lean down to the water and tell the fish to be difficult so that I can't catch them and you get the satisfaction of watching me fail. I've got you all figured out, Dixon,” you joked, a teasing grin on your face.

Daryl shook his head at your ‘accusation’ and chuckled. “Ya got me,” he responded. “Sorry ya had to find out like this. The fish and I jus' have this unspoken bond, ya know? They do whatever I tell 'em to.”

“I knew it,” you replied playfully, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Apologise right now.”

“'M sorry,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I'll talk to the fish and get them to go easier on ya.”

“Thank you,” you laughed in playful triumph.

“Yer welcome,” he replied with a shake of his head, the crooked smile still on his face. “Now are we gonna watch tha' movie ya promised or are we jus' gonna go back and forth over your lack of fishin' skills?”

“Yeah, I just gotta use the bathroom really quick. You can pick out a movie in the meantime,” you acknowledged, getting up from the couch once you saw Daryl nod.

You headed into the bathroom of your small trailer home and closed the door, heading towards the toilet to tend to your business. However, as soon as you sat down, you saw blotches of blood on the inside of your underwear. You groaned inwardly at the horrible timing of your period's arrival and reached for the box of tampons you kept located near the toilet. However, as soon as you opened the box, you audibly groaned at the sight of only one tampon remaining. You didn't have any pads either due to your mom having used the last one a week prior, so you'd have to make a run to the store.

You finished your business, grabbing a fresh pair of underwear from the laundry basket you had yet to take back to your room as well as a pair of pants, before going back out to Daryl. He patiently waited for you on the couch, the movie he picked out paused and waiting to be watched. He fiddled with the remote in his hands before looking up at you when he heard your approaching footsteps. He gave you a small smile before frowning, instantly noticing the ashamed look on your face.

“Wha's wrong?” he questioned, getting up from the couch and taking a step towards you.

“Nothing! It's nothing, I just...” you trailed off, unsure how to go about telling Daryl about why you needed to cut the visit short.

“Ya jus' wha'?” he asked anxiously, unnerved by your sudden awkwardness. You were never nervous around him, so the sudden awkwardness baffled him.

“I have to go into town. I need something urgently and it can't really wait. I'm sorry,” you apologized sincerely, your tone holding sadness at the prospect of the visit you had to cut short.

Daryl's heart sank at your words. He enjoyed hanging out with you and really didn't want to go home yet. He was sure his dad wasn't passed out from drinking yet and he didn't want to accidentally set him off into another rage and deeply pay the price for it, so he wanted to wait it out here with you. But now he most likely wouldn't be able to.

“Wha' do ya need?” he asked, nervously chewing on his bottom lip.

You hesitated for a moment. You liked Daryl, and not just platonically, either. Despite his rough exterior, he was undeniably sweet, kind, caring, affectionate and so much more. He knew how to make you laugh even if he preferred to be serious most of the time and he always treated you with the utmost respect. But you also knew that both his brother and his father were misogynistic pricks. They didn't know the first thing about women and feminine needs, so they definitely didn't teach Daryl about any of that. You didn't want Daryl to look at you differently or be grossed out by you because of your period. You wouldn't be able to handle that.

“Hey, ya alrigh'?” Daryl asked, snapping you out of your thoughts. His eyebrows were furrowed in a deep frown, his eyes flickering between your eyes in concern.

“Yeah,” you nodded. “I'm fine. I just zoned out for a second.”

“Ya didn't answer my question from before. Wha' do ya need in town?” he repeated his question.

You swallowed nervously before sighing. “I'm on my period,” you whispered, heat creeping up to your face. “And I'm out of tampons.”

Realisation struck Daryl like a ton of bricks. “Oh,” he mumbled, awkwardly fiddling with his hands.

In all honesty, Daryl wasn't weirded out by you saying that, but he didn't know how to go about the information you gave him. He only had the tiniest grain of knowledge about women's periods—thanks to the many women his dad brought home—but he knew that freaking out about it wasn't the way to go. You were one of the most important people in the world to him, and by god he would do anything to ensure that you knew that you could go to him whenever you needed anything, even for something like you needing period products.

“Ya want me to give ya a ride to the store?” he asked, completely taking you by surprise.

“No, I don't want to trouble you. I'll just walk,” you declined his offer, nervously hugging yourself in an attempt to appear nonchalant and simultaneously ward off the pain that would soon stab through your lower abdomen.

“I ain't lettin' ya walk, especially this close to dark. God knows what trouble is waitin' if ya set foot outside this trailer park alone. Tha' new motorcycle gang likes to hang 'round here and I dun' want them to get any ideas with ya,” Daryl replied steadfastly, his mind already set on escorting you to the store.

You smiled at Daryl's worry towards you. It was rare to see his softer side, but when you did, you always cherished it. Daryl Dixon truly was unlike any man you've ever met.

“Fine,” you relented, your voice adapting the playful tone from earlier. “You can drive me, but just so you know, I'm taking advantage of your hospitality. I need to buy some groceries anyways, but I never got around to it because it would be too much to carry if I walked.”

Daryl's lips twitched up into a half smile and nodded. “Alrigh',” he agreed. “But yer buyin' me a Coke fer my valiant efforts of simply drivin' ya to the store.”

“Deal,” you laughed lightly, unaware of the effect it had on Daryl. His heart quickened at the sweet sound of your melodic laughter and he had to duck his head to hide the blush that formed on his face.

“Let's go.” He motioned for you to follow him and you obliged after grabbing the grocery list, following him out of your trailer and over to his neighbouring trailer. The two of you quietly made your way over to his beat down truck, a vehicle he was 'graciously' being lent by his older brother. Or as Daryl once told you, Merle simply dropped it off one day after getting his motorcycle and just seemed to forget about its existence. So now the truck unofficially belonged to the younger Dixon brother.

You opened the passenger side of the vehicle and got in, closing the door behind you. Daryl got into the driver's side and started the truck, his eyes glancing around at the wrappers and few empty cigarette boxes that littered the floor. “Sorry 'bout the mess.”

“It's fine,” you reassured him. “It certainly doesn't look worse than my trailer when my mom and I have been too lazy to clean up.”

Daryl quietly nodded and started the drive to the store, pulling out of the trailer park. The drive was mostly spent in silence until about five minutes in when a bunch of motorcycles whirled past the truck in the opposite direction. Daryl visibly stiffened after one particular motorcycle drove past and you frowned, placing your hand on his arm to try and ease his tension. At the unexpected action, Daryl tensed slightly but soon relaxed under your tender touch.

“Who was it? The guy on the motorcycle? You seem to know him,” you questioned, earning a disgruntled sigh in response.

“'S my brother,” he responded after a moment's hesitation. “He's back in town fer a while but I dun' know why. He hasn't bothered to come see me.”

“Merle's back?” you asked, trying to keep the distaste out of your voice, but failing miserably, causing a small smile to fall on Daryl's face.

It was no secret to Daryl that you despised his brother. The few limited interactions you had with the man were enough to fuel your distaste. Merle either made sexual passes at you, insulted you or questioned your intentions with Daryl. When you didn't fall for his advances or insults, he'd take a jab at your friendship with his younger brother, claiming that Daryl was "pussy whipped" and that you were taking advantage of him. Daryl always immediately shut him down, but that never stopped Merle. Each time it took walking back into your trailer to get the man to shut up.

“Yeah,” Daryl confirmed, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “I think he joined tha' new motorcycle gang. He's a stupid son of a bitch, my brother. Never learns his lesson, but wha' can I do? He ain't ever gonna listen to me.”

“He's a grown man. He'll hopefully learn from his mistakes,” you started, knowing your words probably weren't much comfort for him right now. “If you want, I can punch some sense into him. I've been wanting to punch him for a while now.”

That seemed to lighten Daryl's mood a bit. His lips twitched into a half smile. “Nah, but thanks fer the kind offer. I'll let ya know if I ever need ya to punch him fer me.”

“Please do. I'll practice and everything,” you joked, playfully punching the air in front of you for added effect, eliciting a small chuckle from him.

“Alrigh', Bruce Lee, we're here,” he laughed quietly, parking the car outside the store.

The two of you got out of the truck and moved to the store. Once inside, Daryl grabbed a shopping cart and leaned his arms on the handle bar, looking at you expectantly. “Where to first, boss lady?”

You giggled and took the grocery list from the back pocket of your jeans, unfolding the paper and starting your list. “We'll come back to the period things later. Let's get the necessities out of the way first.”

Daryl pushed the cart as he followed behind you, walking into one of the grocery aisles. “Tampons ain't a necessity?” he asked, curiously watching you search for the cheapest pasta before adding it to the cart.

You shrugged and walked on, hearing the squeaks from the wheels on the cart following closely behind. “It is, but not before food. I can always improvise or ask one of the neighbour ladies for it, but I don't want to ask for food.”

Daryl nodded, although you couldn't see him. “Yeah, tha's understandable,” he said, his eyes scanning over the products in the aisle.

You continued grabbing things on your list, adding them to the cart. You even grabbed two bags of chips and the Coke you promised Daryl, as well as a drink for yourself. After that, you made your way over to the feminine hygiene section and started looking over the various different choices, searching for your preferred items.

“Wha' the fuck?” you heard Daryl whisper behind you, prompting you to turn around and look at him. You giggled at the sight in front of you; Daryl holding a pack of pads whilst his eyes trailed over the different period products, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“What?” you asked with a giggle, gaining Daryl's attention.

“Why the hell do y'all need so many different things fer yer pussy blood?” he asked bluntly, eliciting an amused laugh from you.

“First of all, don't call it pussy blood. That's disgusting. Second of all, it's all about preference. Some women prefer pads, others prefer tampons and other things. And not everyone is the same. Some women have heavier flows and some women need bigger tampons and pads than others,” you explained, amused at the deep frown Daryl wore.

Daryl nodded slowly. “Alrigh',” he started. “But still, it's a lot. Tampons, pads... And wha' the hell is a fuckin' diva cup? Y'all use tha' to make tea fer yer pussies or somethin'?”

“No,” you responded, laughing lightly at the confused man. “I don't know how a diva cup works because I've never used one, but it's for our periods. Like I said, preference. Some women prefer diva cups over pads and tampons.”

Daryl shook his head slightly and turned away from the shelves, focusing his eyes back on you. “Well, ya got whatever pads or tampons ya prefer? Or do ya use somethin' else that wasn't named in yer explanation?”

You rolled your eyes and smiled, amused. You grabbed a box of tampons, as well as a box of pads, and added them to the cart. “No, I use pads and tampons, don't worry.”

“Why would I worry?” Daryl asked, pushing the cart as the two of you walked over to pay for the groceries.

“I just meant that you didn't have to worry about there being any more "period product" surprises. I don't think you would've been able to handle it if I told you there was more,” you explained.

“Well... 'S there?” he asked hesitantly, chewing on his lower lip.

“Yeah.”

You walked ahead to the checkout aisle, leaving Daryl baffled behind you. He sped up to catch up to you, and together you started unloading the items.

“This was more than I bargained fer when I offered to come to the store with ya,” Daryl said, handing off items to be scanned.

“I said I would walk,” you replied nonchalantly, shrugging your shoulders. “Would've spared you the headache you got from looking at all those different brands and stuff.”

“Nah, I'd take the headache over somethin' happenin' to ya. Walkin' alone ain't safe,” he retorted, giving you a stern look.

“I would've been fine.”

“Maybe, but I wouldn't risk it. Still ain't gonna risk it.”

“Ah, young love,” the lady working at the cash register interrupted, startling both you and Daryl. “You two lovebirds are absolutely adorable.”

Daryl ducked his head in embarrassment, a blush spreading across his face. You could feel your own face flush with heat as well.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, handing the owed amount over to the cashier before moving over to grab a few bags.

Daryl followed your lead and grabbed most of the bags. Together the two of you walked out of the store and over to his truck. You placed the bags in the back of the truck before getting into the passenger side, Daryl getting into the driver's side. He silently started up the vehicle and pulled out of the parking lot, starting the drive back to the trailer park.

“Thank you, by the way,” you said after a few minutes of silence, shifting Daryl's attention to you.

“Fer wha'?” he asked in confusion, shifting his eyes from the road to you and then back again.

“The ride. And for making me laugh. It was nice.”

“My confusion was amusin' to ya?” he asked with a small smile, glancing over to you.

“No, but the things you said were. Especially the thing about the diva cup. Comedy gold right there,” you said with a smile, gaining a quiet chuckle in return.

“Glad I could make ya laugh,” he replied, before a look of realisation crossed his face. “Wait, ain't ya supposed to be in pain? From wha' I know, period's are supposed to hurt.”

At his words, realisation dawned on you. You could suddenly feel a dull ache in your lower abdomen, a telltale sign of a greater pain awaiting you in a few hours. You just hoped that you had some ibuprofen left back at home.

“I'm fine for now,” you reassured him. “The pain's manageable.”

Daryl nodded. The rest of the drive was spent in silence, save for the rumble of the engine and the wind coming through the open windows. You stared outside at the rising moon, the stars starting to light up the approaching night sky. The trailer park soon came into view and Daryl pulled up to your trailer instead of his, putting the vehicle into park. However, instead of getting out, Daryl tensed up as he stared ahead at his trailer.

You followed his line of sight and saw what he was looking at; his father leading a woman into the trailer. His father shut the door behind him, effectively cutting off your line of sight. You turned to Daryl and saw his jaw clenched in anger, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as his mind seemed to be in another place. You doubted that Daryl even remembered you were still in the truck with him.

“You can stay over if you want,” you said quietly, snapping Daryl from his wandering thoughts. “My mom's working the night shift down at the bar. I've got the trailer to myself tonight and I wouldn't mind having some company.”

Daryl hesitated for a moment. “Ya sure? I can go home. Doubt the old man would notice me slippin' in anyway.”

You nodded your head at him. “I'm sure. Come on.”

Daryl followed you from the truck and into your trailer, carrying most of the bags so that you could unlock the door. Once you were inside and he placed the bags down, he silently admired you as you grabbed a bowl to pour the bought chips into.

Daryl appreciated the fact that you never pried. He had told you once about his father and what he did to him because you'd accidentally caught sight of one of the scars on his back. However, instead of pity, you offered him comfort and understanding, telling him that you were there if he ever needed to talk to someone or needed an escape. You never brought up his home life or his scars, and only ever talked about it if he initiated the sensitive conversation first, which was rare. Because of that, Daryl was convinced that you were an angel in human form. You understood him in a way nobody did, and he would forever be grateful for the chance he got to know you.

You could feel Daryl's intense gaze on you and you could feel your face heat up. Daring to be confident for a moment, you glanced up and locked eyes with him. “See something you like?”

“Mhm,” Daryl hummed in agreement, completely capturing you off guard. You inhaled sharply and tried to slow your racing heart.

Daryl inwardly cursed himself. He hadn't meant to let that slip, but he had gotten so lost in his thoughts and admiration of you that he acted before properly thinking. He blushed for what felt like the thousandth time that day and ducked his head, finding the floor very interesting all of a sudden.

“Well,” you started after clearing your throat, grabbing the bowl of chips and the drinks you bought for you both and walking the short distance into the living room, Daryl hot on your tail. “I'm glad you enjoyed the view. It's my "I desperately need to wash my hair" look.”

Daryl chuckled but said nothing. He got comfortable on the couch, sitting beside you as you handed him the Coke you promised him. “Thanks,” he said, nudging his nose up at you in a nod. “How's yer stomach?”

“Surprisingly okay. I guess the pain decided to give me a break for now. I probably won't be so lucky tomorrow, though,” you responded.

You grabbed the remote and hit play on the movie that Daryl had picked out earlier before you went into town, the opening sequence playing loudly. However, about ten minutes into the movie, Daryl took the remote from you and paused it again, confusing you.

“Can I ask ya somethin'?” he asked unexpectedly, his face conveying how nervous he was.

“Of course,” you replied without hesitation, shifting on the couch until your body completely faced him.

“I dun'... I dun' really know how to ask ya this, and I really hope this won't ruin anythin' between us, but I need to know if ya feel the same,” Daryl nervously said, fiddling with his hands in his lap.

“Daryl, what-”

“Nah, let me finish, please. 'S jus'... Yer so perfect to me, y'know tha'? Yer so kind, so carin', so affectionate. Yer basically a ray of sunshine. Yer the complete opposite of me, and ya could spend yer time with someone who deserves ya, but ya choose to hang out with me. Even though 'm damaged goods and I ain't gonna be nothin' more than a dumb, redneck scum, ya always treat me like 'm this fine piece of priceless art or somethin', and I dun' get why. Yer-”

The sudden pressure of your lips against his instantly shut him up. His eyes widened for a moment before he closed them, his hands instinctively going to rest on your waist. The kiss was slow and hesitant, but loving and sweet at the same time. It was perfect and neither of you wanted it to end, but you soon pulled away, looking into Daryl's ocean coloured eyes.

“You're not damaged goods and you're not a dumb, redneck scum. Don't ever say that about yourself again, you hear me?” you told him quietly, your hands gently resting on his cheeks. After he nodded, you continued. “Where's all of this coming from? I'm not complaining at all, but it's kind of unexpected.”

“I've felt this way fer a while now,” he explained, taking one of your hands off of his face and playing with your fingers. “I never said anythin' because I didn't want to scare ya off, but after tha' lady called us 'lovebirds' and ya offered to let me stay over without question after ya saw my expression earlier... I dun' know, I guess I jus' needed to let ya know how I felt. Didn't know if ya'd feel the same, though.”

You smiled at him and leaned forward to press another kiss to his lips, this one more firm and sure than the first one. “I do feel the same,” you confirmed after you pulled away. “I just never thought you'd like me.”

“Guess we both wasted time not sayin' anythin' 'til now, huh?” he asked, giving you a boyish smile.

“Definitely,” you nodded in agreement, a huge smile on your face.

“I guess we have to thank yer time of the month fer this happenin',” Daryl said. “If it didn't start and we didn't go to the store, tha' lady never would've called us 'lovebirds' and we never would've seen my father and tha' woman enterin' the trailer, so ya wouldn't have asked me to stay over. I probably would've gone home by now if we didn't have to go to the store and probably would've never gotten the balls to say anythin'.”

“I never thought I would be this grateful for my period, but I am now,” you said, leaning your forehead against his.

Daryl closed the remaining gap between the two of you, the two of you descending into a slow, hungry kiss. You brought your arms around his neck and his arms encircled around your waist, bringing you closer into his arms. As the two of you got lost in the moment, you didn't hear the trailer door opening, too caught up in each other to hear anything else. However, the clearing of someone's throat startled you, the two of you practically jumping apart.

“Sorry, am I interrupting something?” your mom asked with a raised eyebrow, her hands on her hips as she looked over the two of you.

You looked over at Daryl, your face flaming with heat at being caught by your mom. Daryl's eyes widened as fear crossed his face, his breathing heavy from your previous actions. You turned your attention back to your mom and sighed.

“Mom, don't freak out. I promise I can explain.”

[owl-of-fandom]

written for @drarrymicrofic prompt: 18 by One Direction wc: 626 | slight angst with a happy ending, no warnings

Draco tracks the movement of Harry's wild curls as he moves, bouncing through the kitchen, preparing tea and breakfast for two. His black hair is even messier than usual. The curls stick up in every direction. Bed hair extraordinaire. 

Harry hums along to the wireless. Some pop song is playing. Draco has to admit it is rather catchy. If only it wasn't so early. 

It's miraculous still that Draco gets to have this. That he gets to see Harry like this. All soft and carefree, barefoot, in his pyjamas, dancing through his kitchen with a love bite visible high on his neck. Draco smiles to himself, remembering how it got there. 

Finally Harry puts a plate in front of Draco. The food smells heavenly. If this is what breakfast with Harry Potter always is like, he might just become a morning person. 

"Here's your tea, love," Harry says and freezes, his hand still on the handle of the mug. 

Draco's eyes snap open. His ears ring with the last word. He drags his eyes from the steaming mug, slowly, so so slowly, up to Harry's face. Harry's dear face, frozen in shock and blushing a deep shade of pink. It looks lovely on his brown skin. Perhaps Draco should make him blush like this more often. 

But still. He doesn't mean it. He can't. 

Draco's own heart is beating furiously, as if trying to jump through his throat out of his chest, just to lay right there on the breakfast table, bleeding out his feelings, clear, and obvious, for everyone to see. 

Harry's impossibly green eyes go wide as an array of emotions flit across his face, too fast for Draco to recognize any of them. Then he closes his eyes.

This is it. He's going to take it back. He's going to realize how ridiculous this whole thing between us is. He's going to end it all for good. 

Harry pulls back his hand from Draco's mug, sits down finally. He looks at Draco and smiles and Draco has to force himself to keep breathing, swallowing his treacherous, rapidly beating heart back down his throat. 

How can he be this beautiful when he's about to break my heart?

"I won't take it back, Draco," he finally says. His voice is like the softest caress. Like a lover's touch. 

"Listen, I know it's a bit crazy and maybe too soon," he chuckles and runs a hand through his curls, rubs his neck. "I knowit's way too soon to say. But when you touch me, it feels electric. And when I hold you it feels like you belong right there. Like … like I was made for holding you." Draco swallows hard.  Did he really mean—?

"And obviously we haven't always been, you know, nice to each other," he continues with a smirk, "I mean we practically hated each other. Until 8th year, I suppose." 

Draco's mind flashes back to nights spent silently in front of the fire, just the two of them. To how when the whole school despised him, hexing him, spitting on him wherever he went, green eyes turned to him not in pity, but in reluctant understanding and eventual companionship. 

"We probably still have a long way to go, but I'm really happy with where we're headed. You make me very happy. And yes. I love you."

He smiles at Draco shyly through his lashes. A genuine smile, soft and vulnerable and lovely. 

He takes Draco's clammy hand across the table. 

"I don't expect you to say it back, darling." Draco swoons. 

Could he really have this? 

He swallows hard. Now or never. He puts his hand against Harry's cheek, gently stroking his cheekbone. 

"I've loved you since we were eighteen," he says. 

[samdeancass]

Too Much

Requested by Anonymous

Prompt: #39 from my Prompt List: "I'm not a human, I never was. So why are you expecting me to act like one?"

Pairing: Castiel x Winchester!reader

Genre: Angst, Slight Fluff

Characters: Castiel, Y/N, Dean, Sam

Description: Lately, Castiel hasn't paid much attention to Y/N, leaving them feeling lonely and confused. When they confront him about it, they don't get the reaction they were expecting.

From the moment you first saw Castiel, you knew you would fall hard. However, being the sister of Sam and Dean Winchester made it ten times harder than it should have been. Dean was always very overprotective when it came to you and was not very happy when you confessed your unique and deep feelings for Cas to him.

"That's not a good idea," Dean warned. But you stood your ground. "Cas isn't like the others. He chose us over his own family. That's not the action of an emotionless being!" Dean, defeated, pulled you into a hug. "I'm happy for you, but please, be careful. I don't want to see you hurt."

Sam, always the voice of reason, had a different perspective on your feelings for Castiel. 'I thought angels couldn't be with humans. How would it even work? Can they start families? Do they even understand human emotions?' Sam pondered these questions while you stood in the doorway, rolling your eyes. 'I've never read anything that says angels can't be in a relationship with a human. And I believe that Castiel and I can figure it out.' Your determination shone through your words. Sam smiled and nodded. 'Thanks for sharing, Y/N. I'm sure it'll all work out.'

After dealing with your brothers, you weren't sure that Cas could feel the same about you, whether he would even understand what they would mean. After spending hours trying to figure it out, you decided to just go ahead and tell him. He was sitting in the library, looking through lore books, when he looked up and smiled widely at your sudden presence. "Hello, Y/N." You smiled back at Cas, his smile always infectious. "Hey, Cas." You sat opposite him, twiddling your thumbs in your lap. He tilted his head with worry and confusion, clearly recognising your feelings. "Y/N, what's the matter?" You locked eyes with Cas, and your breath hitched in your throat before taking a deep breath. "Truth is, Cas, I've got something to confess. I've felt something for you for a while, but I haven't had the confidence to tell you until now. I wasn't sure whether you could reciprocate those feelings or even understand what they mean, but I needed to tell you."

To your surprise, Castiel smiled widely back at you, his hand reaching across the table to take yours. "I feel the same way, Y/N. At first, I wasn't sure what they meant, so I talked with Dean. He said, and I quote, 'If you hurt her, I will kill you, bring you back and send your ass down to hell.' I wasn't sure how you felt about me, so I kept them to myself. So, you couldn't imagine how happy you have just made me." You brought your hand up to your mouth and kissed it, a sentiment that made Cas blush. "I can imagine, angel. I feel the same way."

For the next few months, your relationship with Castiel and your feelings for each other grew. Considering your hunting life, you could have never imagined you would ever find someone to love. There were dangers to being the girlfriend of an angel, but you were already a Winchester, so you were used to the threat. Your relationship wasn't conventional; you had to teach Castiel a lot about love and how to treat the person you loved, but you didn't mind. He was your angel, and his innocence made you love him even more.

However, no matter how hard you tried to teach Castiel how to act with the person you loved, it never seemed to stick. You often found yourself alone in the bunker whilst he and your brothers were off hunting, stuck on the sidelines and feeling rather lonely. He never used to leave you behind; he loved being by your side whilst hunting, but something has changed, and you were determined to know what.

You waited until they returned from the hunt and walked into the war room, arms across your chest. "Oh no, Cas, you've done something wrong, buddy. She's got that look in her eyes." You narrowed your eyes at Sam, a silent warning to shut the hell up. He chuckled and held up his hands in surrender before making his way to the kitchen, Dean following suit but not before making sure you were ok. "Hey, kid. Everything good? Do I need to make good on my promise?" You smiled slightly at him and shook your head. "Everything's fine, Dean. Cas and I just need to chat; that's all." He nodded in understanding before following his brother. Cas made his way towards you, a soft smile on his face and placing a kiss on your head, but sensed your tenseness and his features changed completely.

"Y/N, what's wrong? Did something happen while we were away?" You shook your head, a soft breath leaving your mouth. "Let's go to my room; we need to talk about something." He looked confused but followed you to your room, closing the door behind him. "What's the matter? I can sense that there's something wrong." "You're right, Cas. There is something wrong. Something wrong with us." His expression changed as you finished your sentence to a look of hurt and sadness. "What do you mean? I don't understand. We both love each other; there's nothing wrong with that." You took his hands and guided him to the foot of your bed, sitting yourselves down. "I agree; there's nothing wrong with us loving each other, Cas. But it's been feeling rather one-sided lately. I always show you how much I love you by doing your favourite things and teaching you the ways of the human world. I always want to spend time with you, but you either push me away or you're too busy. You leave me behind on hunts even though you know I can handle my own. I'm kind of sick of being in this relationship alone. When humans are in a relationship, actions and feelings are reciprocated."

Castiel ripped his hands from yours, and his expression turned into frustration and hurt. "You seem to forget, Y/N, I'm not a human, and I never was. So why are you expecting me to act like one? I don't know how you act or treat each other in relationships, and I barely even know how to act properly with my friends. I'm trying so hard to let you know that I love you, but I don't know how. I never want to push you away, Y/N; I just don't know how to act around you, and it becomes too much for me to handle. I never want to leave you behind when I go with your brothers, but I feel like I must, so I know you're safe; that's the only way I know how to properly show you my love. If that's not good enough, then I suppose our relationship isn't working at all."

Before you could say anything, Castiel stormed out of the room and past the kitchen, alerting the brothers that something had happened. You knew he had left with the bang of the bunker door, and sobs wracked your body. You hadn't realised Cas didn't know what to do; you just thought he was lousy. Sam and Dean rushed to your room and wrapped you in their arms, seeing your state. "He's gone, hasn't he? He's really gone. I've really hurt him, guys. I need to find him to get him back." You were about to stand up, but Dean pulled you back down, shaking his head. "No, princess. Let him cool off; he'll be back. No matter what happened between the two of you, he'd never leave you." You smiled and nodded, but you had a horrible feeling in your stomach that he wouldn't come back.

Tags:

@bxoken-heartss @deascheck

[selkiefinalist]

BELATED FIC REC POST

okay last(?) week i was really in the mood to rec some fics and then ran out of energy to actually do it but tonight i have a LAPTOP, i slammed a cup of coffee at 8 p.m., and most importantly have a willing heart, so here is a compilation of the various asks i received:

Fic(s) you could do a whole PowerPoint Presentation on:

generations by talahui (hockey fic, ej/nate): except my powerpoint would be about how this is the most important, exactly perfect fic for me and i would make the author (beloved) also present, but much more articulately, on the themes and content of the fic itself, as i am well known as an inarticulate pile of sentient goo. however, here is the loose outline of what my slides would be:

why ejnate is the most important ship ever written

how the author's use of casual/domestic intimacy really came for me but also, you know, tells you everything you need to know about a certain commitment-phobic character's intentions

the power of choice!!! my beloved

how to hurt my feelings while making me happy about it in three steps

the most accurate upper midwest characterizations of all time

scenes that are specifically so painful and also perfect to me. this might be also slide 4 but it's my presentation so i do what i want

future full of yesterdays (1d, narry): godddddd i love this fic, i re-read it a few weeks ago after many years of not having read it and it really held up for me, my powerpoint would be a little rusty but very sincere and every slide would be like 'why this fic is perfect, cont.'

2. a fic you would recommend to get someone into a fandom or pairing you love or have loved

listen i really had to think about this, because hockey fandom is soooooo. like there's so much good stuff, and different stuff, and just. it brings a tear to my eye. but i need to be true to who i am, and i always try to rec stuff that i haven't before, so here is a mix of rarepair fics of varying lengths/ratings/players:

laundry day by screamingcryingthrowingup (~3k, pinto/sanderson). this fic is like if you dared someone to spit in your mouth because you didn't think they would do it but you kind of thought they might because they're a little bit of an asshole and then they actually do spit in your mouth and you're like oh shit

since we're here anyway by robokittens (~4k, chabby/josh). just a really, really good fwb plus a lil extra

cut from the bone by underfallingstars (~80k, i did say there would be varying lengths lol, roope/wyjo). hanahaki disease fic!!! bless this author, i was tearing my hair out through the WHOLE THING

hold by frausorge (2.4k, dillon/jones) for the magic au lovers, i reallllly enjoyed how magic worked in this fic

at home in the uncanny valley by ionthesparrow (~36k) i remember reading this when i was just dipping my toes into hockey rpf and sending it to la and also clawing my face off

3. A fic from a past fandom that you still reread (or at least still think about if you don't revisit old fandoms)

let's go with nevada's fault (~35k, ziall, 1d fandom). ultimate comfort pairing, comfort fic. every three years i go down a big ziall rabbit hole and never ever regret it

4. Fic(s) you would/did create fanart for

one million years ago i made a collage for steph's luckyverse fic. i'm not really an arty person, but i do like doing stuff with my hands

5. Fic(s) that keep you up at night (Either reading or thinking about)

ok well quite literally when i woke up at 3 a.m. on saturday morning FOR NO FUCKING REASON two weekends ago, while also still fuming about season four of the magicians, i read the entirety of damage control for a walking corpse (queliot, ~75k) and then, more slowly, the rest of that series, which really just. the beauty of all life. is something to weep about.

6. Great Angst Fic

i'm not the biggest pure angst fan, like i will definitely read it but some level of angst or whump often crosses the line to straight-up melodrama and that's when i have a hard time sticking with it HOWEVER if you haven't read jes' anything that touches (~50k sidgeno, mind the notes) then i think you should.

in a different way, angst that kind of pries you apart and puts you back together but not in quite the right way, like in a way that's still beautiful and still you but not exactly, try how planets form by caltrain (3k, dumo/yamo)