#queue aid panicking

[medicillin]

First Aid had prepped for days but nothing felt good enough. The engex she’d chilled didn’t feel cold enough, the flat didn’t feel clean enough, she didn’t feel put together enough.

She was working full time as a CNA at a small local clinic in Kaon. After her track record, Ratchet’s recommendations hadn’t mattered much in getting her back on her pedes after she’d left the Lost Light. Too many had talked, and not enough had given her the benefit of the doubt. But, recovering Kaon had taken pity on her with the stipulation that she worked as an aid and nothing more.

How would Pharma view her now? Washed up, strung out on her own stress and lack of recharge with cheap domestic engex out in her counter…she was definitely something. Or maybe she was just being too hard on herself.

She opened the door tentatively at first, spark on the defense as she slowly trailed up to meet the optics of the mech she’d destroyed. Her servos had-

First Aid cleared the bitter static from her intake.

Not today. No, not today.

She cautiously opened the hatch the rest of the way and glanced down the corridor, frowning behind her mask when she realized he was alone. She expected an entourage, seeing as how his sudden revival was the source of much public suspicion and fascination.

“AHA- N-No you made it to the right place!” She fumbled over her words, internally kicking herself when she strayed the obvious.

The little medic blocked the doorway for a beat too long before shuffling out of the way with an awkward little wave. “Oh, uh…come in! It’s not much, but it’s…it’s what gets me by! I have engex chilling-“ First Aid groaned, mortified, when she remembered Pharma didn’t drink. “Slag, I forgot you’re…it’s fine I can grab something else. Make yourself at home, there’s a datapad next to the berth if you’d like to read…eh…something.”

First Aid’s quarters at the Kaon clinic were modest at best. She owned a single chair, a small, tidy desk with a few thin texts imported from off-world, and a cold berth. She’d grabbed a tiny refrigerator from a sale at the local market, but she didn’t have much in it. It seemed she was surviving on clinic rations.

She finally dug out a pathetically tiny bottle of liquid energon, bringing it over and leaning against the wall aside her desk. “So how,” she mulled around for an icebreaker. “You’re alive. That’s an improvement. Eh- haha.”

continued: x , x // @medicillin

She actually responded? She actually responded. He really hadn't expected that. And now he wasn't so sure what to think.

After a few small back and forth discussions on possible meet up locations, they decided on First Aid's current whereabouts (which was a relief, since Pharma's place was an absolute disaster as of right now.)

After all this time, reconnecting certainly was a bit daunting. So much had changed. Pharma wasn't exactly in his best condition, and he knew that. But the urge to hide himself away was less than the urge to reconnect to someone who knew the experiences, who understood, who was there.

Once she opens the door, he gives an awkward expression. "....Well. Glad I made it to the right place. I got a little lost back there, didn't wanna knock on any wrong doors."

[cervidaedalus]

Did a bunch more follows on the new blog tonight. Mutuals are welcome to message me and ask for the name of the new blog but also I will find you. Italics to make that statement more terrifying than I intend for it to be. The icon is a white and orange deer thing with mint green eyes. I've been sidetracked on my projects because I ended up being brought onboard to manage the Discord for a cafe out in CA that Iove and adore. Trying to bring more life into the Discord with online events for non-locals like me, and a better Clubs system for both locals and travelers. I got the most yakkety-sax eye exam today because I guess my shitass vision with high irregular astigmatism confused not one, but two nurses. Apparently I'm high risk for glaucoma so I have to go back for testing in a couple weeks which is like. I'm a bit panicked because -glaucoma- that thing that fucks up optical nerves and can lead to total blindness. But I'm not worried because even if I do have the early stages, catching it this early means I can get the treatment to stop it from progressing. This means more frequent eye dr appointments thoooooo. I also got a confirmation that I wouldn't be able to pass the vision test for a drivers license. If I wanted to drive, my only option would be those fuckass binocular things that basically put me in the queue for a t-bone because I have had my peripheral vision forcibly removed. I also wouldn't be able to drive when its dark at all. I decided out of morbid curiosity to see what glasses would cost. My high index lenses alone are over 350$ with no add-ons. I would have to find a place that works with my insurance and even then there's no guarantee they'd cover it in full. Like, okay, so I have dogshit vision on the cusp of legally blind, bad enough to need those kind of lenses with the other -not even being an option-, and so bad I can't even drive without horse blinders and a big "fuck you" in the short days of winter? I've got eyes broken enough that I wouldn't be able to safely navigate to the bathroom let alone make myself food? You know that whole "ableism" thing I both preach about and riff on? Why on this capitalism wrecked purgatory of a planet are the GLASSES not immediately covered in full by insurance everywhere. The sheer amount of "then perish" disabled people get even from the systems put in place to help us would make Luigi Mangione pry apart jailbars with his bare hands and throw every cop in his way into a Bethesda noclip through the floor just to hunt every slug-brained neanderthal behind every medicaid insurance plan denying these crucial disability aids for sport. I'm leaving that string of words as the conclusion to this post.

[paper-poppy]

Telling

The day had arrived for the union. Fixing her hair in the mirror, Xira smiled softly. Longing for this moment so long.

Having their families be friends for ages, Xira had grown with Ren over the years, throughout everything they supported each other. 

Reminiscing over their little moment they spent together as children, sitting together by their favorite tree as the others were having fun at gatherings. Looking back Xira remembered seeing him blush when she would surprise him, not giving him a heads up before yelling out, ‘HELLO!!!’. 

Her mother came in and smiled warmly at Xira, “You look amazing sweetie”, kissing her head softly as she held Xira's face. 

Putting the final touches on everything else they were set to go. 

Xiela had tears, but the father of the bride was beside himself, crying waterfalls. 

It was a touching moment for everyone in the two families. Emil was a groomsman, and for the bridesmaid was Rinni, sister of the groom and best friend of Xira.

There was also the lingering sadness, as Xiela brushed back Luca's bangs, noticing the empty seat next to him. In the chair was a teddy bear with a small dress. 

Xiela put her arm around Luca and squeezed him in a hug. Stoic Luca just looked ahead of him, feeling so empty and alone. 

During the ceremony, the grooms eyes darted behind him and he squinted. Picking up on the silent queue Rella stood up discreetly, walking into the hall. She had come to know when he'd seen the future, but this time it was just a bit too late.

A huge crash made the guests jump out of their seats. 

Fog seeped into the Grand Hall, people were rushing into the room with all kinds of weapons. G'raha quickly roused to his feet, summoning his shield and sword he was beyond infuriated. Giving a look to stand down to his aether starved wife, Xiela frowned but nodded. 

Grabbing Luca she pulled him away to hide under a table to the side. The young boy was shaking, the loud crash was a frightening reminder when his sister was ripped away from them.

Burying his face in his hands Luca wished the world would just fade away. Comforting him with gentle words, Xiela held him.

“It's going to be okay Luca, everything will be okay. Every- thing. Is going to be okay.” Biting her tongue she felt a sharp pain. 

“Mum?” Luca was panicking, his breathing becoming shallow and fast.

“I'm fine love, we have to stay quiet though”, bringing her voice down quieter. The fighting continued, Xira had a furious expression on her face. 

Summoning her staff, her father's old weapon of choice, she spun it around and rained down crystals on the enemies. All those months planning for this day to be perfect.. she wouldn't let them get away with a simple warning.

Meanwhile Emil was cornered, his back pressing into the walls. Giving a sheepish grin he held his hands up. 

“Can't we just talk this out fellas?” 

A sword was flung at him and he narrowly dodged it, breathing deeply he stared at the group.

“I didn't want to do this…”, taking off his glasses, revealing his long lashes and piercing pink eyes. With a commanding voice and having eye contact with one of the men.

“Stop. You don't have to do this. Turn around and leave.” 

The man stumbled and swayed a moment until another lackey smacked him. 

Blinking he grunted and shook off the eye ability.

“Well it was worth a try-”, with a yelp Emil continued dodging attacks and ran.

G'raha was constantly fighting back attacks, it was like all the big guys kept aiming for him. He could take them but in a big group he was starting to feel winded. Rella came to his aid and took out the large group but there were still so many to handle. Giving thanks to her, G'raha went on to try and find his wife. 

Kicking the table up into the air, the food and drinks crashed into the ground. Instinctively Xiela put up a barrier to protect her and Luca. A giant scythe was trying to pierce her shield. Unable to sustain it much longer, her vision was becoming hazy, unfocused and blurry. She was beginning to use Luca to prop herself up. The sharp stabbing pain in her back didn't let up either. Finally she fainted. 

Filled with shock Luca was trembling. With a scoff the scythe user walked towards them.

“You should have died 10 years ago. I'll just finish what they left undone.”, raising the weapon to swing down on the two, he was blindsided by something red, slamming into him with a shield. 

“Don't touch them.”

[knoxvilleforever]

Spike Jonze Being Worried After A Stunt Goes Wrong Headcanons

request: Spike being worried about the reader after a prank or stunt goes wrong and trying to help the best he can??

spike is the most protective over you

jeff is steadfast that it’s because he has a crush on you

and spike will deny this

but he knows jeff is right

he just never wants to admit that jeff is right

ever

you guys were filming the ‘ball way’ today

you were actually excited for this one

the hallway filled with balls and the queue of guys ready to jump on them didn’t seem like it could end in disaster

you were about to be proved very wrong

watching weeman body surf across the balls was hilarious

you couldn’t stop laughing

‘that was the cutest thing i’ve ever seen.’

whilst chris was deciding to go across the balls on a surfboard

spike was next to you

‘please be careful when you do this.’

‘c’mon, spike. this is harmless!’

‘nothing is ever harmless on the set of jackass.’

‘you mean you don’t wanna try this even a little bit?’

‘of course i do.’

when it came to your turn spike was nervously behind the camera

he kept fidgeting and even jeff had to yell at him to stop

‘will you relax? none of the guys have gotten hurt so far. she’ll be fine.’

‘shut up, jeff.’

as you ran with the surfboard and dived into the balls

you were actually impressed with yourself that you made it onto two feet on the board

but then the board disappeared from under your feet

and your body was falling backward whilst your head managed to collide with the corner of the wall

a splitting pain shot through your head as you hit the floor and you let out a groan

you barely had time to lift your arm to your head

because someone was by your side and cradling your head

and you guessed it

it was spike

‘oh my god, are you okay? we need to get you to the medics right now.’

you focused your eyes on spike and you realised how concerned he was

but you were too distracted by the throbbing pain in your head that was bringing tears to your eyes

‘it’s okay, don’t cry. you’re okay. will someone get the damn medics?!’

spike was panicked

but he was trying to keep you calm at the same time

someone threw over a first aid kit for the blood that was starting to pool at the side of your head

and spike was quick to start dabbing gently at your wound

‘so you’re a nurse as well as a director?’

the teary smile you gave spike had him wanting to laugh and cry at the same time

‘if i’m a nurse now too does that mean you’ll start listening to me?’

‘i wouldn’t count on it.’

spike helps you up and then you’re heading over to the real medics who check you over in the next room

spike stays with you the whole time

and he won’t let go of your hand

after they deemed you not needing stitches and checked for signs of a concussion, you were free to go

‘thanks for sitting with me, spike.’

‘you don’t have to do that. i mean, i wish i didn’t have too, but i don’t mind this.’

he watches you like a hawk for the rest of the day

constantly gets you water

and makes sure you have aspirin if you need it

will ask if you need anything at any chance he can get

the other guys are sick of hearing it

‘dude just ask her out already?’

‘yeah you keep asking if she needs anything! maybe what she needs is a date!’

‘…fuck you guys.’

you overheard the whole exchange

so you decided to cut spike some slack

‘hey spike?’

‘do you need anything?’

you nod your head silently and he comes over

‘i need you to kiss it better.’

that’s got him smiling

he leans down and leaves the gentlest kiss on your forehead

‘i think you missed.’

he made sure he was going for your lips the next time

[chaosintheavenue]

Vari Vari Vari

Also went through a bunch of my ancient ask memes to cherry-pick some questions to answer to Develop him.

-

What was the first thing you decided or ‘learned’ about this OC?

His faction, and his general age in relation to Trin. Next came name, gender, and basic appearance details. He was only ever intended to be a background character from her 'school class', but somehow he managed to seep into my brain more permanently lol.

What’s their favourite type of weather?

He's accustomed to dry heat and the overall changeable climate of the desert, but doesn't particularly enjoy it, especially in the extremes. He'll take any weather as long as it's dry and in a general comfortable range.

What’s their opinion on insects?

He doesn't take any particular interest in insects that don't have the ability to harm him. Naturally apprehensive of anything that bites, stings, or is big enough to do damage to him through sheer size. I think he may end up sharing Charlie's specific dislike of Cazadores, though…

How would they answer the ‘Trolley Problem’?

With cold logic. Kill the one to spare the five.

How much medical/first aid knowledge do they have? How often do they have to use it?

He has all of the basic survival skills he needs to go it alone in the wasteland, which often includes patching up his own combat injuries, and a fair bit of biological/medical knowledge from old textbooks. Can keep a clear head when others are panicking around him, but doesn't currently have a lot of practical experience of dealing with others' injuries and wouldn't be especially confident in own his ability to help. All things considered, I think he'd be about as much use as Arcade Gannon in such a situation?

Do they listen to the radio or explore in silence? Any favourite stations and/or songs?

Dead silence whilst walking, for safety reasons more than anything else. He does sing/hum/whistle to himself a lot, but avoids doing it when the sound could alert anyone/anything to his presence. He doesn't use the radio on his Pip-Boy, but does have exposure to the commonly-played songs from locations with radios and friends who do listen to their radios. Not sure if he'd have any specific preference, right now I'm leaning towards a preference for instrumental music but that may be subject to change.

What's their opinion on the Scorched?

He's never met a full Scorched for geographic reasons, but he has heard a little about the concept of them from/regarding Trin. All that he really knows is that it's contagious, required him to drink some weird vaccine in a Nuka-Cola bottle to be able to associate with Trin, the infection development process is very painful, and that it rarely can (Trin may have sugar-coated things a little…) result in the victim being transformed into something 'other' and extremely aggressive. Bonus fact: When he met his first batch of Tunnelers, he did have a moment of wondering whether these unusual beings could be those Scorch creatures he'd heard about.

What's their opinion on the Rust Eagles?

From the little he's heard, he's suspicious of their methods and ultimate motives, and disapproves of a childhood friend's close involvement with the group.

What's their opinion on the Brotherhood of Steel?

He's extremely suspicious of their methods and ultimate motives, and disapproves of a childhood friend's close involvement with the group. Hm, this seems like a familiar story. He has personally met a few 'proper' BoS members (AKA not Trin), and has found them to be a mixed bag on the individual level, but he still would keep up some level of guard around them regardless. He also joins the long queue of the many, many people across the Southwest who are not fans of Elijah.

[hiraethhh-h]

congratulations! hope your having a good day <3 can i request lucifer, satan and mammon with a s/o who gets sick a lot? not like sick sick, but just a lot of colds. thank you and look after yourself! <3

Lucifer, Mammon, and Satan with an S/O Who Gets Colds a lot (HCs).

thank u nonnie, i hope you're having a great day as well! hc's are below the cut! <3

Lucifer

You were in Lucifer’s study doing a bit of studying on your own since you didn’t do so well on your previous Latin test

As per usual, Lucifer was buried neck-deep in paperwork

Things were going swimmingly at the moment until you got the violent urge to sneeze

And so, sneeze you did.

Unfortunately, all of the items in your lap clattered to the floor

You could feel Lucifer’s gaze practically boring a hole into the back of your head

A loud sniffle left you, followed by a small apology

Lucifer’s eyes softened as he stood from his seat and approached you

He draped his overcoat around your shoulders and gently took your hand to help you stand

“Another cold?”

With a meek nod, the both of you stepped over the fallen items and out of Lucifer later

Once you and Lucifer reached your room, he helps put you in bed before leaving to get medicine

Once he returns, he hands you a tissue box

In his other hand is a glass of water and pills

Lucifer is no stranger to you catching colds and when you do, he’s quick to come to your aid so your symptoms don’t worsen

Supplies you with whatever you need

Cough drops? Oh look, they magically appeared in the palm of his hand

Medicine? Liquid or pills, what flavor?

Cuddles? Those can be arranged…

Probably the most well-equipped to deal with situations like these (probably from having to take care of his brothers), even if demons angels rarely get sick.

Mammon

A laugh escaped Mammon as he set down a card

“Ha! Take that, I’ve totally got ya now!”

With a smirk, you reached for your winning card until a sudden sneeze left you

You had accidentally dropped your cards out of reflex, revealing your hand to Mammon

“WHAT?!”

A soft groan left your lips as you rubbed the side of your head

Thanks to the sneeze, your throat was feeling sore and strained

Mammon looks up at you, a brow raised in concern

He notices how red your nose has gotten, along with the tears in your eyes

He calls your name in worry, “Hey, hey, is another cold comin’ along?”

Quickly sets down his cards to join your side

Motions you over to his bed and tells you to lay down

“Y-You can borrow my bed. I gotta get ya some meds so don’t go snoopin’ around alright?”

Shortly after, he leaves and comes back with an armful of medicine and water bottles

He wasn’t sure which type to get so he grabbed whatever he thought would work best for you

Mammon eventually settles for your favorite flavored liquid medicine

He tries his best to make sure you’re okay

Need more tissues? Here’s a box.

More water? He’ll turn into sonic just for you.

You wanna use his jacket as a blanket?? *queue blushy Mammon* Just be sure not to lose it...

Sorry but he’s probably the worst person to deal with this-

But Mammon probably has at least some experience since he’s the second oldest

At least he’s trying though <3

Satan

You and Satan were curled up n the couch in front of the fireplace, a book resting in the blonde’s lap

Your eyes were shut, the sound of the fireplace crackling and Satan’s page-turning lulling you into a calm state

Recently, your body has been rather sore. You blamed the relentless back-to-back colds you received and that seemed to be the case

A sudden chill ran up your spine, the warmth of the fireplace fading away

Your face scrunched up in discomfort as you moved to rub your forearms

This didn’t go unnoticed by your lover

Your nose seemed to have turned the water-works on as you sniffled loudly, trying to hold back the snot that threatened to spill

Satan shifted beside you, reaching for the tissue box sitting on the coffee table in front of you

A small thanks left you as you took the tissue, blowing your nose

The blonde shut his book, placing it on the side and standing from his spot

He secured the blanket around you, making sure it kept you nice and warm

“I’ll be back with medicine.”

A few moments passed before he returned with a glass of water and pills

Much like Lucifer, if he finds out and/or hears that you’ve got another cold, he’ll be by your side at the drop of a hat

Here, have some tea infused with honey. It’ll help soothe your sore throat.

Feeling cold? He’ll grab you some more blankets.

Want him to read to you? He’ll gladly snuggle up next to you albeit with a flushed face.

He’s done lots of research on the human body and illnesses, so he’s pretty well-versed in situations like these that doesn’t mean he’s internally panicking and hoping he’s doing the right thing to help you

That and he’s used to you easily catching colds

[pinkhairedlily]

Chapter 7 - Student Council President Sakura

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Sakura went to her shift a little bit giddier than usual for a variety of reasons despite the busy holiday season; it was nearing Christmas after all. The first one – having finally tied with Sasuke in their recent exams, and the second – the approval of her personal project. There was also a third reason, but she was unresolved of what to feel.

Kakashi met with her alone after their monthly council meeting. It was the usual talk, the heavy administrative concerns they do not bother other council members with, reminders about problematic behaviors among the student body or personal problems that faculty or students were plagued with that needed intervention. He said an apology just as she reached the door.

“Sakura?” Kakashi asked, turning in his chair.

She looked back at him with a neutral expression. While she knew she wasn’t overtly passive aggressive in her actions, he might have noticed a change in her cheerful disposition towards him. Her clumped fingers anxiously fidgeted with the rubber band on her wrist, his rubber band that she didn’t use anymore to tie her hair. “Yes, sensei?”

“Were you offended with what I said during the school trip?” he asked, but his expression already seemed to know the answer.

Her eyes downcast, she turned the knob of the door, knowing that she was free to leave without replying, but as the door stayed ajar, she decided to come clean. “Yes.”

“I thought as much. I’m aware that I belittled you like a child. Your money is yours to spend however you want. Please know that I only have good intentions with what I’ve done,” her sensei told her. “But isn’t it also unfair for you to shoulder that much problem? I’m a paid employee and before that, I am your adviser. I have a responsibility just as much as you do. Next time you are presented with that, learn to ask for help.”

Sakura didn’t see the expression he had on his face. She was too flustered to compose a comeback and she can only settle for a meek nod before shooting out of the room like her tail was on fire.

“Girlie!” Her coworker’s voice brought her back to reality – a reality of a long queue of customers waiting for their to-go coffees, mini-cakes, and boxes of pastries to share with loved ones in this cold night while she’ll be likely stuck in shift well past beyond midnight, tolerating the café uniform, the itch of her black weave on her scalp, and the heavy makeup she wore for tonight. She flashed an apologetic (yet charming) smile to the other person, and they gave her a thumbs up.

The queue has thinned out by eleven, to be replaced soon by stragglers hoping to catch a last dose of caffeine pump. She stretched her neck and stifled a yawn, forgetting to say Welcome to a customer that walked through their doors.

“Your sweetest drink please and a half dozen of hazelnut cookies,” the customer said. “Thanks, Sakura.”

She almost broke her already strained neck when she raised it up quickly to meet the owner of the voice. No gel blonde hair Naruto with black circles under his eyes. Rookie MVP looked shit as hell.

She barely formed an excuse in her head when he waved his hand in front of her. “You can drop the act with me. I already knew the week you got discharged from the hospital. I just passed by after dinner with the team when I saw a girl manning the cashier with the same band-aid on her nose which I gave you a day before.” Naruto grinned at her in the off chance that it would reassure her.

“Will this be to-go?” Sakura asked as she busied herself with Naruto’s order, unsettled with her carelessness. At the back of her mind, she was yet to answer herself why she was adamant to use a disguise while working.

“For here. Apartment’s kinda bare during these times.”

As what she expected, Naruto was still seated when they were about to close, and ironically, he chose the corner table with no windows, contrary to what his other friend would have chosen. Like those usual nights with Sasuke, she slid in front of him, her disguise gone.

“Let’s go see the amusement park tomorrow?” It was as if she saw sadness being lifted from his shoulders the way they transitioned from slouching to an alert stance.

She found then that Naruto was always that person that found happiness at the simplest things.

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

“A horror house!” Naruto pointed at the very moment they stepped inside the park. He somehow absorbed his captain’s fashion persona, undercut prominent with his baseball cap, loose plain black shirt, and gray cargo pants.

“All right. Treat me if we reach the other end with you clinging to my arm,” Sakura teased. She was dressed in a mauve smocked crop top with high rise flared jeans and platform white sneakers that allowed her to reach Naruto’s shoulders. She wondered if her getup was too much what with the number of heads that turned her way as she littered in the entrance earlier.

Sasuke begged off through their group chat, saying he was unavailable. He was yet to explain that group hug last time, but he was evasive every time Naruto brought it up while she simply cannot find the right timing.

She guessed she was still taken aback by how warm his hold felt like. If she was right, whatever defenses he had around them were toppled down by himself that day. But what triggered it – she’d probably never know.

Naruto placed a fist on his chest. “This is one bet I’ll never lose.”

And he lost – spectacularly. His baseball cap was long gone thanks to a zombie who panicked when he almost punched it. He was also hyperventilating and sweating out of his wits, his throat may have gone hoarse by now with all his screaming inside.

Sakura cannot get rid of the long string of laughter that bubbled. “Come on, let’s cool off for a while.”

To help calm Naruto down, they had to line up with all the other kids in the merry-go-round, then off to paddle a swan boat on a manmade lake. She went all out in the shooting range and won Naruto a frog plushie while he blitzed through the basketball hoops, sneering at the kids beside him who were waiting for their turns.

They capped off the afternoon with a ride on the ferris wheel. They sat opposite each other, and Sakura suddenly felt queasy. She remembered she was apparently acrophobic, and so she focused instead on Naruto who was still in awe of the scenery. The park had a busy crowd today – it was the holiday season after all and families, friends, and lovers were up and about. She just hoped Naruto didn’t catch on yet.

“So why are you stuck with me instead of your family, Sakura?”

Ah he caught on. “They’re busy,” she simply replied. “Besides I’ll see them later in the evening.”

Naruto smiled at her, a smile that knew she was hiding more but he chose not to prod further. Sakura silently conveyed her thanks.

“I don’t know how to thank you. I was really in a slump when we lost, but this day made me recharge my drive and gave me a newfound resolve. You, Pres, is the first to hear it!”

Sakura can only grin, urging him to go on.

“I will bring our school team to the nationals and we will win.”

Sakura clapped her hands and gave him a thumbs up. “Of course, you will. I know you’ll do it.”

“I just wish I told Captain Haru before he left town for vacation.” Naruto slid lower in his seat. “Apparently, he and Hinata broke up. You’re friends with both of them, right?”

Sakura shook her head, shock at the news. She had an inkling from her previous conversation with Haru, but she didn’t expect it would come this early. “I am, but I haven’t really heard from both parties lately.”

“Well, Hinata’s father offered an athletic scholarship to Cap, but he turned it down, saying he was undeserving, and it might just be because of Hinata’s prodding.”

If she recalled correctly, Hiashi Hyuuga was the chair of the Sports Council that spanned all districts of their state. She could see why Haru was angry and disappointed enough to break it off with Hinata. “But they were so good together. Did he ever tell you how they first met?”

Naruto rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. “Do tell please!”

“There was a student exchange of some sort and Hinata ended up in our class for a month. Of course, she was the takane no hana and this immediately gathered a bandwagon group of shallow admirers. Haru, oh Haru, he found pretty people depth-less, but he was the class representative that time – “

“And you were?”

“Of course, a student council president. But wait pay attention Naruto!”

“Okay I am paying attention! But you really are an overachiever!”

“Yeah and what about it!” Sakura almost chuckled in exasperation. “So anyway, he had to escort Hinata back and forth at the school gates because of the unreasonable crowd. He would ask her random things, but most especially on archery since he was so bad at it. And they found a common ground and the topics expanded beyond the arrow and bow. The guy had the nerve to cover it up from me at first, saying they’re fake dating and it was just an arrangement to keep creeps at bay.” She sighed, suddenly saddened by the breakup. “I thought it would last forever.”

“But Hinata never introduced him to her family, did she?” Naruto asked. “Because Cap also told me that when Hiashi called him up for the offer, he didn’t know he was the boyfriend, he was simply a person her friend referred.”

Oh Haru. You must have known what family you were entering when you loved her.

“Hey? Time to get down,” the operator said. Their turn was already finished.

As they walked to the gates, Naruto asked her. “Love is too scary. You’ll never know if you’ll end up hurt or happy despite everything. Besides, can you even say it’ll be worth fighting for?”

Sakura’s fingers immediately went to the rubber band on her wrist, “It’s always a mix of everything, all the good and the bad, and somehow it’s all convoluted into one hodgepodge of memories that will be a part of you forever. It’s your decision what you want to do with it, and in between all of those, you’ll know. Like one big realization in your head that lights up like fireworks and splayed in big capital letters.”

Her eyes met Naruto’s gaze and his eyes slightly widened at her response.

“I talk vague, don’t I?”

“Not at all,” he replied.

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

January couldn’t come fast enough, and Itachi was out of the country just as quickly as he entered his apartment unannounced on Christmas Eve. A holiday break, he said, but if he wasn’t annoyingly checking up on him in the evenings, he was otherwise holed up in his hotel. The truth was, he had a conference and a simultaneous workshop with the state hospital. Sasuke was just a side trip, an obligation that his brother didn’t want to take care of.

He could have told him about Naruto and Sakura and how he now knew all the technicalities of baseball because of the former and that he can consider calling them as friends, but their brotherly bond was too frayed to bridge all of those thoughts.

It was a week before the start of the spring term, and he found himself re-reading Naruto’s texts over and over again.

Grumpy.

So how was your date?

AHHHHH SO IT WAS A DATE. I NOW FEEL SO SHY.

Idiot.

SHE LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL IN HER GETUP.

Yeah as if you two didn’t already spam the group chat with your pictures.

HEY AT LEAST WE EDITED YOU IN.

Why are you typing in all caps? Your phone broken?

GRUMPPPPPPYYYYY. Grumpy, I have something to tell you. I think I like Sakura – not the ‘like’ like others have for her. It just came to me, like fireworks in big capital letters. I LIKE HER.

Sasuke wasn’t able to reply. He didn’t know what to reply or what to feel, really. These recent nights, his mind only brought him to the first moment he saw her in the café, and there was an unfamiliar pang he couldn’t name.

Then, suddenly he was in front of her in the café itself, ordering an iced americano and bruschetta with tomato and basil. Her eyes lit up in recognition; today she wore her black hair in low pigtails and a light dab of tint on her cheeks and lips.

She sat across him when it was her break time, cheery and still in disguise, the winter cold making the blush even more prominent. “I’m gonna bounce some ideas to you.”

Sasuke kept mum, relishing the sacred combination of tomato and basil in his mouth, but let his stare level with hers.

“The school board approved my personal project. I proposed to set up a mental health committee since our infirmary – get this – and guidance office don’t actually have a psychiatrist. The school will be asking a medical professional to come in for monthly guidance counseling and will be an official partner for outpatient concerns.” With her face on her palm, she leaned forward, seemingly surveying Sasuke’s minute expressions.

“That’s tricky,” he remarked. “How will you encourage them though?”

“I think just the mere availability and accessibility of it is enough to encourage students.”

“Hmm.” He took a sip of his coffee.

“Aren’t you gonna ask me why I did it?”

Sasuke knew that he already broke his resolve to remain uninvolved in the remaining years of his life here in this town. He knew that sometime ago, the walls he built up since the accident broke down in the constant presence of her and the blonde idiot. But in spite of, he knew that there was another layer of wall that withstood the recent onslaught. Unfortunately, something has started to leak from its crevices. Something that made him understand the overwhelming emotions that raged behind such walls.

He missed having her all to himself, like a little secret, a safe abode he could always retreat to – her with her black hair and makeup, her with her bouts of vulnerabilities laid out in front of him in rare moments, her with her emerald eyes and tufts of rose hair that peak from the weave, her in this table in front of him and the world outside divided by a glass window.

If he could name it, it was a feeling of loss, a loss he stole and a loss he never had the privilege of feeling in the first place.

“Because you’re a good person and you always think of others,” Sasuke started, still holding her gaze. “And I think you want it because you might need it more.”

Sakura was the first to break off. She soon excused herself and resumed her shift. By the time Sasuke finished his coffee and bread, it was almost closing time. His words may have struck a chord so he decided not to wait for her. Maybe he’ll talk it through with her next time, if she allowed him to. He was almost out of the doors when the new pair of customers passed by.

A glint of silver hair.

“Oh, hello there Sakura.”

And a brunette on his arm.

Sasuke never saw color drain as quickly as the blush did from Sakura’s face.

AO3 LINK | NEXT CHAPTER | CHAPTER 8

[jaskierswolf]

Picture Perfect

Welcome to part three of the Witcher Holiday Hallmark AU! The idea came from @fontegagrilledcheese  and the gang ran with it haha. This was a fun challenge, and I hope you all love it!! I’ll add the links for part 4 once they’re posted!

Part 1 - Bardic Buns - Geralt/Jaskier (with a side of Eskel) by @geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde

Part 2 - Picture Perfect - Aiden/Lambert by Me! Yay!

Part 3- Talk of the Town - Triss/Eskel by @comfyswitcherblanketfort

There’s more in the series but these are the Christmassy ones!

Warnings: Minor injuries and bleeding, reference to past injuries and scarring.

_________________________

“Fuck!” Lambert cursed as he hit his head on the car bonnet. He’d been startled by the roaring sounds of a motorbike engine and jumped up whilst he’d been working under the car, and now he’d have the bruise to go with it. He yelled in frustration and laid back down before pushing off and rolling out from under the car. It was a sleek black Audi A3 that had come in for its MOT. The owner was a jackass but they paid well.

Renfri’s Harley pulled to a stop just beside him and she tugged off her helmet, tossing her curls free like something out of a fucking movie. Lambert wiped his greasy hands on his overalls and sat up to glare at her.

“What the fuck, Shrike?”

Renfri smirked. “You’re bleeding by the way.”

Lambert swore again and tried to find a clean part of his hands. He winced as he prodded at the already tender spot on his forehead, and sure enough his hand came away bloody.

“You’re a fucking liability, Shrike,” he growled and stormed away into the office to find the first aid kit.

He grumbled his way through washing the grease off his hands and cursed to high heaven when he applied the antiseptic wipe. Luckily it wasn’t deep enough to need stitches so he slapped a plaster on and skulked back into the workshop.

His jaw dropped when he saw their latest customer. He wasn’t one of their regulars, not anyone Lambert had seen around town either and he would have remembered him. The man was fucking gorgeous with long dark hair tied up in a bun, soft strands falling loosely by his chin. He was wearing tight navy blue slacks and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The whole look was accompanied by a velvety navy blue waistcoat that had Lambert going weak at the knees. The man was laughing at something Renfri had said and Lambert felt his cheeks heat up.

“Fuck,” he grumbled and turned on his heels to go hide out in the office. He couldn’t deal with that level of hotness today.

Aiden glanced up to see a man hurrying away into the back room. The straps of his overalls hung by his side and Aiden tilted his head as he took in the sight of that magnificent arse.

Renfri’s fingers snapped in front of his face and he blinked. “You were saying?”

“We can fix your bike but it’s old. We don’t have the right parts in shop so we’ll need to order them in.” Renfri crossed her arms in front of her chest and rubbed her nose, wiping oil onto her face.

Aiden’s fingers itched for his camera. She just had this fierceness and presence about her that would play out so wonderfully in his work. That was the reason he’d come to a new city after all. He’d been bored of his office job and nine til five existence. He was an artist. He wanted to create and show the beauty of the world.

He smirked as he thought back to mystery man’s arse; there was certainly beauty in the world.

“I can come back.”

Renfri glared at him and rolled her eyes. “On your head be it.”

Aiden pulled on his coat, scarf and hat, winking as he waved good bye. He glanced one last time at his poor baby before walking out of the garage. He scoffed as the snow covered his eyelashes. It was gorgeous to photograph but he really hated snow. He hated the cold in general. He’d much rather be inside in front of a roaring fireplace with a hot drink in his hand and a partner to snuggle up with.

He sighed as that thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. Of course he would have no partner to snuggle with. His boyfriend had just dumped him and it was absolutely not the reason he’d decided to suddenly move towns and quit his job. He would never make such a reckless decision.

Oh but the redheaded mechanic with the nice butt, Aiden hadn’t even seen his face but he was pretty certain he was going to marry that man. It was nearly Christmas after all.

____________________

Lambert sighed as he stared up at the sign above the shop door, Bardic Buns. Lambert’s brother Eskel, and their friend Geralt, hadn’t fucking shut up about the new bakery and its owner since it had opened. Geralt was apparently now dating Jaskier, but Eskel would also blush if you mentioned the baker’s name around him. Lambert was suspicious. Something had gone on there… something that he really didn’t want to think about his brother doing but it did explain all those fishing trips that had been a lot less frequent since Geralt had started dating Jaskier.

He shuddered and grimaced. He was not going to be able to look the baker in the eye, but he was tired and he wanted cake for breakfast, not to mention he was curious about the man that had made such an impact on his family in such a short time. He sighed again and pushed open the door. It was warm inside the shop, decorated with tinsel and baubles, fake snow sprayed all over the window in tacky Christmas designs. Jingling Christmas songs were playing over the radio, and the smell of ginger and cinnamon filled the air. Lambert’s stomach rumbled at the smell, if the cakes tasted half as good as they smelled then he was in for a treat. He allowed himself a small smile and shuffled forward to get in line. He’d been in the queue for a couple of minutes when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and swore.

The beautiful man from the garage was stood behind him. His long hair was loose today, falling past his shoulders, the ends tucked into his long rainbow scarf. The old Ducati was still at the shop until they could get the parts ordered in but the snowfall was causing delays. The man had dropped in a couple of times since to check up on the bike, and every time Lambert would flee to the office. He was just so fucking gorgeous and Lambert hated the way he made his heart flutter. It was so damned dramatic and he was happy being single at Christmas, he always had been. He didn’t want one man to come in a ruin that.

“Lambert right?”

“Yeah, Ducati 350 Scrambler 75?” Lambert growled, running his hands through his hair and definitely not blushing.

“I prefer Aiden, but yes that’s my girl,” Aiden chuckled and held out a gloved hand.

Lambert shook it quickly and then pulled back, crossing his arms in front of his chest. The introductions had been made so he could go back to hiding from Aiden and his life would remain as it was. It was going to be fine. He just needed to not look in the deep blue eyes and he would be fine, if only they weren’t so captivating.

“So, is there any reason you keep avoiding me, Lambert?” Aiden asked with a smirk, a hand gripping his shoulder and Lambert, for some unknown reason wasn’t shrugging him off.  He growled and turned back to face the counter, his arm almost burning where Aiden was touching it. “Growling isn’t an answer, what are you, a wolf?”

“Fuck off.”

Aiden laughed and moved so they were standing side by side. “That’s no way to speak to a customer, wolf. Are you blushing?”

“No.”

“Yes you are, Lambert…. do you find me attractive?” Aiden practically purred in his ear.

He growled again. “Purring? What are you, a cat?”

“Touché. What’s your order, wolf?” Aiden winked and gripped Lambert’s forearm.

“Hmm. Was gonna go for the apple cake, maybe a coffee if they do them,” Lambert grumbled, staring straight ahead and ignoring the way his heart was racing, the fucker.

“Holy shit!”

“What?” He scowled and turned to face Aiden who was staring wide-eyed at the man behind the counter.

“That’s Dandelion,” Aiden hissed in his ear. “He’s been MIA for months.”

Lambert looked closer at the man, he had scruffy chestnut brown hair and the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen. He was smiling and dazzling the customer in front of them, and he was almost certainly Geralt’s boyfriend. “Nah that’s Jaskier.”

“No no no. That’s definitely Dandelion. He’s cut his hair and is now apparently wearing a cute little apron but that is definitely him. I saw him in concert a few years back, even got his autograph. He has the voice of an angel, and the arse to match.” Aiden was now also blushing and Lambert felt a dull ache in his chest. He was going to try and introduce himself to Geralt’s boyfriend but now he really really wanted to drag Aiden from the fucking bakery and far far away from this Dandelion fellow.

“Fuck.”

Aiden laughed. “Oh sweetheart, are you jealous?”

“No.”

“Come on, let me pay and I’ll walk with you to the shop.”

Lambert flushed and nodded. Aiden was apparently as stubborn as he was beautiful… and god was he beautiful. “Alright, but your bike is still broken.”

Aiden giggled as they approached the counter together. “Oh my darling, did you really think I came in so often to check on my bike? You’ll call me when it’s ready.” Aiden kissed his cheeked and then turned his winning smile onto Jaskier.

“Two slices of the apple cake and two coffees, black.”

Lambert couldn’t focus on the rest of the conversation. He barely registered Aiden asking about Dandelion and Jaskier’s little panicked shush, Lambert’s head was spinning and his face felt like it was on fire, burning where Aiden’s lips had brushed his cheek.

Aiden snapped him out of his haze by passing him a paper coffee cup. “Come along, wolf. You’ll be late for work.”

“Yeah well, that’s your fault, kitten,” Lambert grumbled and bumped their shoulders together. “Hey umm…”

“Yeah?”

“You want to get dinner tonight?”

“Only if you keep calling me ‘kitten’” Aiden winked and sauntered from the shop, leaving Lambert with an excellent view of his arse.

He stared for a little too long and Aiden glanced over his shoulder. “You coming?”

“Fuck, right… yeah.”

___________________

Lambert was somehow lounging on a sofa that wasn’t his own on Christmas Eve. They had both ended up at Aiden’s after the party the night before. It hadn’t been quite as terrible as Lambert had expected. It had actually been sort of nice to have the growing family altogether. Aiden hadn’t fawned over Jaskier the entire time, even if he’d been a little too excited when the former musician started to play.

Not that Lambert was jealous. Of course he wasn’t. He didn’t need to be.  He’d been on a couple of dates with Aiden and was completely smitten, not that he would ever admit it aloud. He’d stopped hiding when Aiden came in to check on his bike, which was now finally back with its owner. Lambert had had the pleasure of watching Aiden turn up in his biker leather which seemed far too tight around the curve of his butt, but fuck Lambert was not complaining. More than once Lambert had caught Renfri smirking at him as she worked on one of the other cars whilst Lambert kissed his new boyfriend goodbye.

And of course Renfri had told Yen and Triss so now the whole fucking town knew that Lambert was dating the hot new photographer. Aiden took the fame of being a new person in a small town in his stride but Lambert fucking hated the whispers and not so subtle glances. It would die down but not soon enough for Lambert. He just wanted to snog his boyfriend and keep doing his work. He was good at fixing shit, even if his methods weren’t always conventional and drove Shrike mad.

“You look absolutely divine, wolf,” Aiden cooed from behind the camera.

Lambert blushed, resisting the urge to pull the thick heavy furs up to cover his torso. He had a few nasty scars on his chest from his early days of being a mechanic. He’d gotten into an argument with one of bits of machinery and he’d had to get stitches. The scars had never quite faded but Aiden seemed determined to worship them until Lambert finally believed he could be beautiful.

“Fuck off.”

“Not happening, love,” Aiden laughed, and he heard the snap of the camera. “You could try looking a little less murderous? It’s Christmas Eve.”

“Bah humbug.”

Aiden gasped. “You don’t mean that.”

“Hmm.”

Aiden sighed and put down his camera, pulling a sprig of mistletoe from his pocket. “What about a little Christmas tradition? I stole it from Ciri.”

Lambert rolled his eyes but reached out for Aiden’s hand, placing a kiss on his wrist. “You know you don’t need mistletoe to kiss me right?”

“Oh I know, but it’s more fun this way,” Aiden winked and held up the mistletoe between them as he knelt by the edge of the sofa. Lambert huffed but still smiled as they pressed their lips together. “See?” Aiden mumbled against his lips and bumped their foreheads together.

“Hmm.”

“You’re almost as bad as Geralt. At least Jaskier knows how to talk.” Aiden cupped his cheek.

“My brother got the polite genes,” he grumbled. “I got stuck with hot and grumpy.”

“Just my type,” Aiden sighed as they kissed once more. “I love you, now don’t look at me like that. I know it’s too soon. I don’t expect you to say it back, darling.”

Lambert’s cheeks were burning up and his tongue felt heavy. He loved Aiden too. He knew he did. He had laughed more in the last week or so than he had in years. Aiden always kept him on his toes, dragging him out of his comfort zone just enough to allow him to learn to live again. He encouraged Lambert’s impulsive side that had fallen flat in the last few years, and he felt… happy?

He’d almost forgotten what that had felt like.

The way his heart raced in his chest at the mere thought of Aiden was a dead give away that he loved him too, but the words were stuck in his throat. He groaned and buried his face in Aiden’s neck. “Same.”

Aiden’s hands stroked through his hair. “I know, love.”

“Fuck off,” he grumbled.

“Merry Christmas to you too, my darling.”

________________

Tag list: @marvagon, @elliestormfound @slythnerd @caspertheassholeghost @feraljaskier @artistsfuneral @hailhailsatan @wherethewordsare @havenoffandoms @bitchy-witchy-post-mortem @electricrituals @geralt-of-riviass @geraskier-trashh @00qtee @kittynannygaming @stinastar @scribblesonmapleleaves @thecomfortofoldstorries @fontegagrilledcheese @anythinggoesfandoms @veritasrose @trickstermoose67 @ohheytheremiss @kueble @love-more-today-than-yesterday

[thundergunexpresss]

Not One To Take Advantage

“Fine,” you sigh, “how about if you come in with me now, I’ll let you touch my boob.” ... It’s the most ridiculous bribe, you’ve been together for over a year and he literally touched your boob before he left out the door, but judging by the sound of the door slamming shut and the scurry of his feet behind you, you’re pretty sure it worked.”

Round two baby!!! Please leave prompts/requests in my inbox, I suck at coming up with my own and I’m struggling to think of interesting plots! enjoy ❤️

MASTERLIST

‘Outside x’

Send.

You drop your phone in your lap, looking up to the entrance of the bar. It was late, but you had volunteered to pick him up, not wanting him to have to drunkenly find his way back to your apartment on his own. It was a work do, which meant he would get absolutely wrecked. You loved to see him enjoy himself, being with the team allowing him to let go and relax with people he trusts. Plus, he was particularly handsy when he was drunk, and you loved the attention.

A hand smacking down onto the passenger window shakes you violently from your thoughts, your body jumping back against your door, shrieking as you recoil.

What the fu- Spencer.

You blink at his face which has suddenly appeared opposite you, a toothy grin on his face as he brings a hand up to wave through the window. Reaching over to unlock the door, you relax back into your seat, turning the key in the ignition.

“You’re such an idiot,” you huff as he shuts the door, hand reaching up to grab his seat belt but hitting the window with a thud instead. After a few more seconds of ungraceful grabbing, the belt clicks in place, and he brings his hand to his face to inspect the damage.

“Ouch,” he pouts, eyes wandering up to you under the dim light of the car, “hey, lets go to a store and get a first aid box,” he hesitates, “and also some chips. And chocolate.”

You laugh as the car pulls away from the bar, facing the road as you begin to drive in the direction of home.

“You has a good time then?” You raise your eyebrow, glancing over at him to find he’s already looking at you, “...what’re you looking at?”

“It was great,” he’s not so much slurring his words as he fumbling over them, eyes glazed and pupils blown from the drinks, “would’ve been better with you though.”

His hand lands on your thigh, squeezing and spreading his fingers across the fabric covering them. It’s literally right on queue, and you chuckle as you push his hand away.

“I’m driving, Spence.”

Home isn’t far, only a couple of minutes at this time of night, but you doubt he’s even registering that you’re in a car he’s that far gone. Clearly, he doesn’t care either way, his hand creeping back up your leg a lot higher than last time.

“Spence...” you warn, eyes keeping to the road, as he pushes his fingers clumsily towards your crotch. A shiver tickles up your spine as you feel how cold they are, finger tips pressing in slightly harder as his hand ascends up your leg. You can see your apartment building from where you are, fingers gripping the wheel as you keep your eyes forward.

You can hear him breathing beside you as you pull into your parking spot, key turning the engine off as the car falls dark. If you weren’t hyper aware of him touching you before, you are now. You turn to look at him, swallowing saliva you didn’t realise had built up. He’s biting his bottom lip over a smile, his eyes shining as he looks at you.

“You’re hotttttt,” he beams at you, grinning as his fingers find the lacy trim of your underwear. You let him rub at the material, your eyes still locked with his as you smile at each other. He’s so fucking cute when he’s drunk.

His smile falls into an over dramatic frown as you move your body away from him, pulling the door open as you hop out the car.

“Inside,” you pop your head back in, pointing to the front door, “before I make you sleep out here.”

He’s whines and crosses arms, childlike in his refusal to leave the car. It would definitely be annoying if it wasn’t for the smirk threatening to spread over his lips as his eyes sparkle - even in the dark. He’s toying with you, trying to get you to play along.

“Fine,” you sigh, stepping away from the car as you turn to the door, a full blown grin across his face as you look back, “how about if you come in with me now, I’ll let you touch my boob.”

It’s the most ridiculous bribe, you’ve been together for over a year and he literally touched your boob before he left out the door, but judging by the sound of the door slamming shut and the scurry of his feet behind you, you’re pretty sure it worked.

The lights are still on in the apartment, too bright in contrast to the dark outside, your eyes squinting as you turn the dimmer until the room becomes shadowed. Spencer slides past you, pulling at his tie as he drops down onto the couch, his hand reaching out, fingers grabbing the air.

“What are you doing?” You laugh, dropping your keys and making your way over to him. You need to go to bed, the early hour taking its toll, but before you can begin coaxing Spencer from his seat, his hand is grabbing your sweater, pulling you onto his lap at an awkward angle. You’re not really straddling him, one knee between his legs, holding yourself up by the pillows behind him.

Before you can readjust, his hand is looping round your neck, pulling you forward and crashing his lips into yours as he kisses you. It’s messy and it’s maybe a little bit too tongue-y, but he’s drunk, and he’s needy, and-

Drunk. Call it bad timing, his hands pushing under your sweater to feel your skin, a shiver shooting up your spine as he drags his fingers along your lower back.

“Spence,” you try to speak, but he’s lost himself in the kiss and he doesn’t even register the words, “Spence, we shouldn’t.” You pull yourself away from him and he looks panicked, desperate to get his lips back on yours.

“You’re drunk,” you explain, “what if I’m taking advantage of you.”

“No, no no no,” he drawls, “M’not drunk.” It’s cute and you really aren’t opposed to letting him just go wild on top of you, but something just feels a bit off, you being completely sober and him barely remembering his name. You sigh, pulling your bottom lip between you teeth as you look at him. You take in his pleading eyes, the way his body has melted into the couch, his hair dishevelled and lips swollen.

“I know,” your words are soft as you pull yourself away from him, settling on the couch in the spot opposite, the two of you sprawled out, watching each other. His brow is furrowed in confusion as he watches you, and you’re not sure if he’s waiting to see what you’re doing or if he just hasn’t even registered that you moved yet. It was quite the thrill being mentally superior to him, even if it was solely due to his blood alcohol level.

Bringing your hand up to your mouth, you relax into the couch, lips parting as you push your index and middle finger onto your tongue. You begin to suck on them, putting on a bit of a show for him, holding eye contact as you get your fingers wet. His pupils are fully dilated, chest rising and falling violently as he watches. You can see in your peripheral his hand creep up to his crotch, pushing his palm against the hard outline of himself under his trousers, whimpering at the first contact. Sliding your fingers from your mouth, you watch as they glisten in the dim light of the lounge. Spencer’s eyes follow them too, watching as you push your hand beneath the waistband of your sweatpants.

There’s something about the way that he can’t even see what you’re doing, the fact that he’s so visibly aroused just by the sight of you with no makeup and your pyjamas on infront of him that makes your hips jerk as your fingers come in contact with your clit. You begin to push your finger a tight circle around it, eyes fluttering shut as the feeling relaxes your body. It’s shameful how close you are just from a few seconds of your own touch, but the way Spencer’s eyes are watching you sets you on fire.

“We can both get what we want,” you say through laboured breaths, “we just can’t touch.”

His eyes shut and a whine escapes his mouth as he tugs on the fastening of his trousers. You watch him hurriedly pull down the zipper, lifting his hips as he pushes his clothes low enough that his cock springs free from its confines, slapping against his stomach and throbbing from the lack of contact.

It would be so easy to lean forward and lick a thick stripe up it, make him come undone with your mouth, even just with your hands, but this is exciting. You know he feels it too, the excitement of hands off, watching what you can’t have. His head is probably spinning right now, his fingers have wrapped around his length and he’s picked up a sloppy but quick rhythm, he doesn’t seem like he’s trying to make this one last.

Circling your clit a few more times, a guttural moan escapes your lips as you push your fingers further down, pushing two inside of yourself, feeling how wet you are. Bringing your other hand inside your sweats, you carry on with the tight circles you’ve been pressing over your clit, and- fuck.

It’s so good. Both hands are working at a rapid pace, you don’t know where to focus - your fingers which are working in and out of you, not quite filling you enough, or the knot forming in your lower stomach which threatens to snap and send you over the edge any second. You’re not even focusing on Spencer anymore, your head falling back onto the pillows behind you as you speed up your fingers. It’s so good, it’s so good, it’s so fucking- ah, good.

Your mouth falls open, no sound coming out as your muscles begin to spasm, your chest heaves up, struggling to keep your hands on yourself as your body moves involuntarily, shaking as you come.

Your mind feels like mush, your senses numb as you soak up every last second of your orgasm. The only thing your brain focusing on being the smacking sound coming from your boyfriend. Your eyes blink open as you lift your head, and how could you forget.

He’s still staring straight at you, his hand working over himself so fast you can barely see it. You know he’s close, he’s only bothering to pay attention to the angry red head of his cock, the noises falling from his lips becoming ragged and guttural. You know how much he loves watching you in pleasure, sometimes eating you out for hours, coming back up to face level with you, a wet stain on the front of his boxers just from watching you, not even having to touch himself to get off from it.

Pushing yourself onto your knees, you steady yourself on his thighs as you lean in, your face hovering above the erratic movements of his hands. He must think you’re about to take over, his hand slowing as he lets out a sigh which almost sounds like relief.

Neither of you have spoken since you started, and you keep it that way, not wanting to disrupt the magic boy in front of you. Your hand covers his, building a rhythm again as moans fall from his lips, despite the fact it’s his own hand. Just you setting the pace for him enough to make him want to come undone for you.

“I’m close,” the words barely make it out of his mouth, chest heaving as he looks at you desperately, eyes wide and pleading.

There’s not much time until he’s going to spill. Your eyes flick to his hand, and then back to his face. You weren’t going to touch him, but Jesus, you wanted to.

You look away from him, gaze averting as you concentrate on anything other than the thought of how he looks when he comes, his hair in his eyes and his lips red and bruised from his own biting.

You could perhaps compromise.

Leaving down, a thick line of spit falls from your mouth, hitting the head of his cock. It makes his hand slippery, the slap on his skin becoming louder as his movements become violent. You don’t wait to see his reaction, leaning up and connecting your lips just as messily as they’d met when you’d first got home.

The noise he makes is animalistic, strangled and as if he’d let go of all control of his body as he comes, fingers gripping onto your arm so tight it hurts. You press kisses against the edge of his mouth, his lips, his cheeks, gentle reminders of your presence as his body twitches, riding the wave.

It takes a minute of sitting in silence, chests heaving as you both allow yourselves to enjoy the moment together before either of you makes an effort to speak.

“You said,” he starts, muttering through heavy breaths, his alcohol laced breath hitting your nose as he speaks, “I could touch your boob.”

A laugh escapes you, grin lingering as you pull the two of you up from your slump on the couch. He’s messy, and as you look down you realise you’re messy too, but it can be dealt with in the morning. It’s nearly 4am, and you need sleep.

His arm drapes over your shoulder as you lead him towards your bedroom, supporting his drunk and spent body as best you can. Stripping him of his clothes and leaving them on the floor, you pull the blankets back and collapse into bed. He’s not far behind you, arms finding your body and wrapping round you as he settles his head to the pillow.

He’s not brushed his teeth, or washed, or had a drink of water as he normally insisted, but his grip on your waist and his face nuzzling into your neck convinces you that it’s not important.

His grip loosens, muscles becoming lax, the only noises coming from him the shallow breaths he takes as he sleeps. It’s soothing, your eyes shutting as you focus on listening to his breathing regulate. Seconds from falling into your long over due sleep, Spencer moves, his hand making his way from its spot on your waist and of course, even drunk and sleeping, he’s still the man you fell in love with, stubborn and insistent.

It lands on your boob, fingers resting there, gently squeezing as he hums sleepily, insistent on getting what he was promised, and your heart flutters.

You love drunk Spencer.

[thesculptedflower]

A Firecracker

May I request a Riddler x reader, where they meet during a heist, and after taking hostages and what not, the Riddler nabs the reader as a prize too.

@craftyjellyfishcat​

Note: I have to push the S1 Ed fic to tomorrow, I’m so sorry! Things came up at home, but it’ll be posted asap! Love you guys!

A Firecracker

’’Number 357!’’ The banker shouted, the queue moving painstakingly slowly. You glanced down at the number on your paper. 401. You sighed, prepping yourself for the next few hours you’d have to spend at the Gotham City Bank. You had fought your way up the cruel path of being a small business owner in Gotham, where basically anyone was a rival to you. People only look after their own gain, rarely wanting to see the neighboring business succeeding. You had faced many threats from businesses that were run by big and important families, but you didn’t lower your head. You fought back, even when they tried to burn down your place. It was a sloppy job, and they were quickly caught and brought to justice. Which was exactly why you were now queueing at the bank, the court had granted you a small fund to help you re-build. It felt good to be aided, but it also painted a huge target to your back. 

It didn’t make you scared or paranoid, but it sure made you even more courageous to push back those who tried to bring you down. You knew you had it in you.

You had lost the track of time, when a small explosion pulled you from your thoughts. People were screaming and running all over the place, but nobody saw anything or anyone. The heavy safety doors sealed all the exits and people were starting to panic more and more. Suddenly all the lights went out, except for one. The light shined above the staircase to the second floor, and under it was a tall man in a green suit. The Riddler.

You tried to find a way out of the room, but the darkness around you made it impossible.

’’Fear not, dear citizens of Gotham!’’ Riddler announced extravagantly. ’’I’d like to play a game.’’ 

Some of the people screamed, causing even more fear in the others. ’’SILENCE!’’ Riddler shouted, clearly agitated that his speech was disturbed. His deep voice quickly filled the whole space. ’’If any of you try to run, I’ll press this trigger, that will let out a toxic smoke. If you get all three questions right, I’ll let you live.’’He explained, showcasing the trigger inside his jacket. You stayed as low as you could, trying to slowly make your way closer to him. You weren’t the strongest, but you thought you could distract him long enough for the police to arrive. 

’’None of you shall be harmed, but only if you answer correctly to these three simple questions.’’ He was smiling like a maniac, walking down the stairs step by step, holding a gun in his hand. If you only could get that gun. ’’Let’s begin!’’ He shouted, the people below him shaking from the pressure. ’’I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?’’ 

There was a short silence, before people started whispering to each other, trying to come up with the correct answer. You were quick with your thinking, but you didn’t want him to notice you were getting closer to him. ’’An echo.’’ You whispered to a person next to you and kept walking.

’’An echo!’’ The person shouted, lowering his head afterwards to avoid being seen properly.

’’Excellent!’’ Riddler exclaimed joyously. ’’You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again, you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why?’’

Whispering began once again, accompanied with a few desperate cries. This one was harder, but you came up with the answer in time, once again whispering it to the person nearest to you. ’’They’re all married!’’ They answered.

’’Correct once again. Maybe I chose the wrong bank.’’ His smile wasn’t faltering, he was so sure of himself, so confident. 

You were almost at the base of the stairs, ready to jump for his gun any point now. You knew he had the higher ground, but you had to take the chance. 

’’I have keys, but no locks and space, and no rooms. You can enter, but you-.’’ He started, but was interrupted by your sudden attack. You jumped out of the crowd aiming for his gun, but unfortunately for you, he had seen it coming miles away. He was surprisingly quick with his moves, ceasing you by the arm before you could even lay your hands on him. Now that you were forced to face him, you noticed how dark and dangerous his features were. The black bowler hat casted a sinister shadow on his face, making the already dark brown eyes seem even darker. The strong glasses framed his face perfectly, highlighting the strong jaw and high cheekbones. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were taken aback by how good he looked. And he was so intelligent, he saw right through you. 

’’Like what you see?’’ He teased, a cocky grin playing on his lips. You could feel a blush rising to your cheeks, but thanks to the poor lightning, it wasn’t too obvious. 

’’A little firecracker I see, daring to interrupt me in the middle of the last riddle, tsk tsk.’’

He was menacing, but you weren’t scared yet. You knew he loved his riddles, and he wanted to know if this poor audience could get away from him. 

’’Now if you please, let’s rise our bets a little, shall we.’’ 

He made you stand perfectly still on one of the steps and aimed the gun at your head. It made few people shriek, but you tried to motion them to be calm with your hands. The Riddler watched you silently communicating with them and let out a quick laughter. ’’Now would you look at that, what a heroine we have in our midst.’’ He said moving to stand behind you, and you swore you could feel his eyes on you. 

’’I’ll ask this one final riddle, and if you get it right, you’ll all get to go home.’’ He continued. ’’But, if you get it wrong.. Bang.’’ He pretended to shoot you in the back of the head. ’’She goes first.’’

People were crying and getting more panicked, but you remained calm. 

’’Only one color, but not one size. Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain, doing no harm and feeling no pain. What am I?’’ He almost whispered, him being so close to your ear send goosebumps down your arms. You concentrated, forcing yourself to think of an answer. 

’’Is this too hard for our savior?’’ The Riddler teased, moving to speak to the other side of your head. ’’Time’s running out, and I’m right here, shadowing you.’’

That’s it.

’’A shadow.’’ You said almost too quickly.

You could feel the grin he had on his lips. ’’Well done, but unfortunately I can’t leave with empty hands.’’ 

You didn’t have time to comprehend his words before you were muffled with a cloth that smelled like, chloroform. 

* * * * * * *

When you woke up, you felt like you were hit by a truck. The room was small and dimly lit, and you sure as hell didn’t recognize it. You panicked a little and tried to sprung up from the bed, only to realize that you were tied down, only one hand free. 

’’Easy there, we don’t want you breaking anything.’’ A familiar, though more soft, voice said from somewhere in the room. Your eyes darted around, trying to find the source. A tall figure stood next to a kitchen counter, pouring two cups of coffee. He was wearing an ordinary flannel, and didn’t seem threatening at all. You had your guesses, which were proven right as he turned around. For some reason, you didn’t feel scared anymore.

’’Coffee?’’ He asked, setting the cup on the night stand next to the bed. You followed his every move with your eyes as he sat down to the end of the bed, carefully sipping his own coffee. Neither of you said a word for a while. 

’’You told me the answer.’’ You said first. Riddler lifted his brown eyes to yours, smiling genuinely this time. ’’That I did.’’

’’Why?’’ 

He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head a little.

’’You were telling the right answers to the others, trying to distract me from following you in the crowd. I wanted you to survive. You’re, different.’’ He explained, stirring his coffee with a spoon. The smell was delicious, and it was harder to protest the growing need for the coffee. 

’’It’s my own blend, a little chocolatey and not too dark.’’ He said suddenly, reading you like an open book. You could feel yourself blushing again as you carefully reached for the cup. The aroma was heavenly, and so was the taste. In a different situation, you would have loved to spend time with a guy like him. ’’It tastes amazing.’’ You whispered, hesitant to compliment him. He smiled in return before standing up slowly, careful not to frighten you. He pulled out a key from his pocket and freed your other hand. Your eyes were looking for an answer, even if your mouth didn’t ask.

’’You trusted me enough to drink the coffee, I’ll trust you enough to let you go.’’ 

Almost immediately you jumped out of the bed, but the effects of the chloroform were still pretty heavy on you, causing you to almost fall to the floor. You weren’t sure if you were lucky or not, but you were caught by the arms of your capturer. He held you so gently, it really felt like he didn’t want to harm you at all. You stared up at his brown eyes, trying to find a reason why you felt this way. Why were you so okay with being in his arms, this close to him. You could smell his cologne, and you liked it. You knew it was wrong, so why did it feel so right. 

He helped you back to the bed, where you took the coffee cup to your hands again. It was still warm. ’’Why are you being like this?’’ You asked carefully. He sat down next to you, now closer than before, but you didn’t move away.

’’I don’t really know, having you here brings out parts in me that I thought I had lost.’’ He answered quietly, showing a more vulnerable side of him. You turned to look at him and for a moment you could see a totally different person looking back at you. 

’’But I do understand if you want to leave.’’ He continued, turning to look down at his cup.

’’I think I’ll stay, for a while at least.’’

You were totally out of your comfort zone, but you weren’t afraid of it. Maybe all those fights and struggles were preparing you for this moment. This moment you shared with one of the most dangerous man in Gotham. And you were okay with it. He wasn’t dangerous, not to you anymore.

[justasmallbloginabigklainefandom]

So the booster was still hell and I still cried and panicked at the first aid people had to keep an eye on me AND I am pretty certain I stayed there past closing time and they kept it open a bit longer for me (thanks!)

But it still went so much better and I only needed, like, 30 minutes to calm down instead of 45 like the first time.

I think it’s because

I made the appointment last minute, yesterday, so I couldn’t spent days going insane as the day was nearing (didn’t sleep for two days when I got the first shot)

The appointment was in the evening, so I didn’t have the weird pressure to fall asleep early, which never works.

I mean, I wondered if I was going to spend all of today worrying, but I also had an exam, so my reasoning was that the nervosity and stress of the exam distracted me, which did work!

I was able to lie down, which helped a lot with getting a bit more relaxed and it was harder for me to jump away

The person giving the shot decided to do breathing excercises with me. The person who did the first shot and the extra person who stepped in to help, tried to distract me, which just didn’t work. Here, the person promised to not try to surprise me and catch me off guard, which was nice.

Also, no long queues. I felt a bit of pressure the first time cause I was holding up the line. I think there were, like, 50 people around that same time slot. Now, almost no one was there and the person who gave me the shot told me that he redirected others to his colleagues, so I could take my time to lie down.

Oh and I came prepared and brought my Switch to play Animal Crossing afterwards to calm down!

ANYHOW COVID IM GOING TO FIGHT YOU DON’T YOU DARE MUTATE AGAIN

[ohokimdumb]

Carlos Oliveira Imagine (Bruised and Battered) Smut ❤️😍🥰

Request: hiya! i adore your work! would you mind doing a carlos x reader where the reader has to fix carlos up after a mission goes wrong? he’s like hurt and shit and she kisses him better 😳 it can move into smut if you like! thank you ❤️

A/n: thanks @multifandom-jamie for your kind words, it means so much to me. I hope you adore this piece as much as the rest! 🥰❤️ I thought it’d be a cool idea if both Carlos and reader worked for Umbrella before the raccoon city incident blew up. There’s a little smut towards the end of the story :P

You sat quietly at your desk in Umbrella headquarters. You grew impatient, it was passed the time Carlos usually takes to complete basic missions. You tapped your fingers against the metal of your desk, and suddenly the door flew open.

“You got pretty messed up, Carlos.” One of the accompanying mercenaries reminded Carlos as the tall, South American winced in pain.

“You think I’m not aware?” Carlos shrugged the two mercenaries off when he noticed you stand up from your desk. They exited the examination room to get dinner. Carlos smiled and walked towards you, but he stumbled and sat a cut-up hand on his ribs. You quickly aid him and walk him to the examination seat.

“It’s not that bad, just a couple broken ribs.” He winced when you began to feel just under his chest.

“Definitely broken.” You sighed. You needed to clean those cuts or he was going to worry about more than a couple broken ribs. Ideally, it would only take you a few seconds to clean all the cuts on his body; years of aiding men who risked their lives for others...you’ve mastered the art of healing. You guessed your eight years of medical training played a role as well. You grabbed ointment, bandages, tools, and rubbing alcohol from the cabinet.

Carlos groaned when he saw all that was in your arms. He stood up to help you carry some of the supplies to the table. You denied his help.

“Sit down, Oliveira. I’m not helpless.” You lectured him and set everything down on the small metal table next to the examination chair. Carlos eyes widened from your unexpected subtle hostility.

“Yes, mami.” He held his hands up in surrender and you chuckled. Even though you wanted to be mad or frustrated with him, he always made you laugh somehow. You were amazed how someone could be so positive in such an emotionally devastating job. Especially someone who was constantly in the front line. Perhaps that was a main reason you fell in love with him; he kept you level headed during so many dark times.

You cleaned, spread ointment, and bandaged every deep cut you saw on his body. There were quite a few that time, which had you curious about what happened.

“What did you run into?” You asked as you finished bandaging the last deep cut on his forearm. Carlos shrugged with a cocky smile on his face.

“That’s confidential.” He taunted your patience.

“Your two broken ribs say otherwise.” You looked up at Carlos from what you were doing with an eyebrow raised, and his smile quickly turned into a half-assed smirk.

“I saw some weird shit, y/n.” Carlos eyes were no longer in a soft state. You saw pure terror swirl in his eyes. You stepped closer to Carlos and ran two fingers down his arm. He pulled you even closer to his chest with his arm that didn’t hurt. You had an idea about what he saw. Those claims of people seeing humans eating each other were in every newspaper article.

“Cannibalism?” You asked. He glanced at the ground, then back at you. Fear remained in his gaze as his brown eyes swam in yours. He was terrified, scared of the future. It wasn’t so much about himself, more toward your well-being. You brought life into his life when he had nothing left. When he transferred to Umbrella, he was alone. In South America his fellow mercenaries were slaughtered like cattle during his last mission for the South American forces. His family had cast him out as a disappointment when they heard of his failure as a soldier.

“Something I never want you to see.” Carlos pledged as he rested his forehead against your chest. You lovingly ran a hand through his soft, tangled hair. He purred at the relaxed feeling it brought to his psyche. Carlos’ breathing was calm and slow, content as he held you close. He needed your comfort, your wisdom, and your strength to help him continue forward. You were his rock.

You placed two fingers under his chin, forcing him to look up at you. He seemed hopeless. How did one fight something so horrendous as inhumanly slaughtering each other. He wasn’t even sure those people were human anymore when they decided to act so inhumane. He desired your warmth.

Carlos crashed his lips against yours; it was a soft, loving kiss. It felt like a kiss someone would grant if it were to be their last. You kissed him back, setting a hand on the side of his bruised neck. It was strange seeing purple marks that weren’t created by your lips. Carlos slid his hands down your back, reaching your cheeks and squeezed gently. You squeaked from his actions and he smiled in the deepened kiss. You slid your hands up his slightly torn shirt and felt his hard abs. He winced at your touch. You panicked and removed your hand from his body.

“No, don’t stop...please.” Carlos practically begged for your touch. He kindly took your hand and pressed it against his sensitive skin. You nodded and stroked the lines separating each muscle of his abs; a more gentle touch that time. Carlos attacked your neck with affectionate, wet kisses. He sucked and nibbled at your skin; bruises would surely appear tomorrow morning. You whimpered from his desirable affection. You were glad he came back to you. That nothing terrible happened to him. Carlos grew hungry; he wanted to touch you...the most sensitive part of you. He casually slid his hand down your gray leggings and into your peach, lace panties. You gasped when his hand deliciously invaded your center. He smiled at the fact he got you flustered so easily.

“C-Carlos...we shouldn’t do this here.” You told him. Truthfully, you didn’t want him to stop. What if you two were caught, though? Carlos disagreed and began to rub your clit with two fingers. Your cheeks flushed a bright red as he rubbed a bit faster as each second passed. He attacked your collarbone next, sucking and nibbling across. You tilted your head back slightly so Carlos had better access. A low growl emitted from his lips as he tasted the saltiness of your skin. Your breathing hitched as he rubbed even faster before. You decided to return the favor. You slid a hand down his pants and pumped his already erect cock. A pleasurable groan escaped his lips when you began to rub his throbbing member.

“Faster.” He ordered and you obeyed. You pumped his cock faster, already feeling his pre-cum all over your hand. Your legs grew weak as your climax was near; your panties were soaked in your juices.

“C-Carlos...I’m c-close...” You struggled to speak as intense lustful shock waves shot down your spine, into your core. He made a sweet sound in response. He certainly wasn’t close to cumming, but your pleasure was all that mattered to him in that moment. You were embarrassed from being so close to cumming so fast, but it had been awhile since Carlos was able to touch you. He had been so busy being sent off to other cities to contain, what you assumed was Umbrella’s doing.

Your thighs trembled as Carlos slid the same two fingers into your center, but continued to rub your clit with his thumb. Your walls tightened around his fingers as cum squirted into his hand. He felt the warm of your juices fill his hand and a cocky smile spread across his face.

“Guess that’s our queue to head home.” Carlos teased you. You lightly smacked his shoulder playfully. He acted as if your slap was painful.

“Oh please, you’re a big boy.” You removed his cum-soaked hand from your panties and reached for your coat.

“In more ways than one.” He spanked your cheek with his clean hand.

[diyunho]

The Joker x Reader - “Ashes”

After The Joker’s daughter accidentally drowned, his relationship with Y/N fell apart: they were guilty of failing to protect what they loved, blaming each other and themselves to the point of no return. The sole palpable proof of Emma existence is her ashes encapsulated in glass pendants her parents wear and that’s hardly a memento able to help in such a difficult situation. Ashes are not meant to bring people together.

“Happy Birthday, Pumpkin Pie,” The Joker grumbles. “Here’s Charlie: I thought you would like to see him,” he places the purple hippo on Emma’s headstone.

Today his daughter would have been 4 years old. Instead of the usual party filled with laughter and presents he’s at “Eternal Peace” cemetery early in the morning for a different kind of festivity.

J never celebrated birthdays before yet once she showed up in his life the anniversary got a fresh new meaning: Y/N ensured that The King of Gotham was aware of how lucky they both were to have her. And he did learn to care about that tiny being he created who first called him something similar to “dada”, then a cute “da’y” and finally the word he craved to hear every single day until she was gone: “daddy.”

Being a father thought him a couple of things, but the most important was quite stunning: the index finger from his right hand wasn’t only meant for using a trigger; it was also his child’s soother.

Emma would keep it prisoner when she slept from an early age; of course all babies do it although in this case it didn’t go away once she got older.

And he misses that…

A lot.

Actually, he would give up on a robbery or anything that involves him holding a gun if she could clutch to his finger one more time.

That’s how much he misses The Princess.

“Sir, sorry to interrupt,” Frost gets him out of trance. “There’s movement at the South gate. We have to go…”

J snatches the plush animal and follows Jonny on a path behind the crypts when a woman walking on the alley leading to Emma’s grave catches his attention: although she has a red wig and sunglasses on, her disguise doesn’t fool him. It’s Y/N.

She’s carrying a small cake and intensely stares at the pavement, unaware of her surroundings.

The Joker can’t really tell what she’s doing once in front of the tomb, nevertheless he guesses she’s singing “Happy Birthday” while wiping the tears strolling down her cheeks.

He didn’t see Y/N in about 4 months. They went to the cabin by Moon Lake after Emma’s drowning and things were so rough he left immediately. She never followed, called or texted.

J didn’t either.

Why bother? They were guilty of failing to protect what they loved, blaming each other and themselves to the point of no return.

Today is extremely difficult to deal with, especially since the catalyst binding them vanished forever.

The sole palpable proof of Emma existence is her ashes encapsulated in glass pendants her parents wear and that’s hardly a memento able to help in such a difficult situation.

Ashes are not meant to bring people together.

***************

After 2 Hours

“Hi,” The King of Gotham drags his feet on the porch and takes a sit on the chair next to yours.

“Hi…” you whisper, surprised to spot him after such a long absence.

Complete silence, then he utters:

“I’m here for the cake,” he points at the sweet treat resting on the wood table: vanilla- strawberry combo, your daughter’s favorite.

“Are you?”

“Yeah, I crave the taste…”

You lean over and cut two slices, sharing Emma’s birthday cake with her dad. It’s really painful to swallow the morsels knowing your baby can’t; it seems J is in the same boat.

“I can’t make anybody happy…” The Clown mumbles under his breath and the randomness of his statement makes you wonder what’s going on in his mind.

“Me neither… Sweet Pea was happy, wasn’t she? She was a happy kid…”

The Joker moves his plate towards you, hissing:

“She was and she would still be with us if instead of flirting you would have watched her!”  

“… … W- what?!...” you glare at him, astonished he has the nerve to pop up and hurt you in such a manner. “Since when talking to somebody is flirting?! Where were you, huh? Where were you??? In your goddamn office plotting more schemes in order to get more money because nothing is enough!” you raise your voice and burst out crying in the next second. “She was ours to protect, the only treasure that mattered! I just… I just took my eyes off her for a few moments, I had no idea my baby was drowning in that pool …” you keep sobbing at the horrible memory, heartbroken. “I could have save her…Why didn’t I…?…”

The Joker can’t understand what you’re saying anymore, yet he doesn’t reply to your accusations or remorseful confessions.

How could he?

He’s equally responsible for Emma’s demise but it’s easier to attack her mother.

You abruptly get up and rush inside the cottage, abandoning J to his own demons. He doesn’t know if he should bail or stay, thus he continues to gaze at the lake numb to everything.

Still… The quietness is becoming unbearable so he finally gathers the strength to stand up and search for you.

“Y/N?...” he shouts. “Where are you?”

Silly question since the cabin is a little area with a kitchen/living room combo, one bedroom and bathroom: easy to find what you’re looking for.

No response but the shower is on which queues him Y/N must be there.

The Joker approaches the bathtub, unwilling to remove the curtain and talk to you face to face.

“It was my fault too…” he admits a fact that tormented him since the accident. “I should have kept an eye on her… I couldn’t predict she’ll sneak out to play by the swimming pool… I would give away a fortune if I could fix it… Do you believe me?...”

You sniffle and cover your mouth, trying to avoid his trap: if you engage, he will probably bite more and that’s the last thing you need.

“I have Charlie in the car; I thought you might want him tonight,” J reveals the true purpose of his visit. “Drop him off tomorrow at 3pm, I’ll be at the warehouse on 17Th Street. You can’t have the toy, it belongs in her room…”

You hear his steps receding and gasp for air, completely crushed by despair: the agony of grief is stronger than any consolation a stupid purple hippo could offer.

But it was Emma’s favorite and The Joker is willing to share a token of what you both lost; now that you think about it… you really missed Charlie…

**************

Next Day, 2:05pm

“Where’s everybody?” you mutter whilst entering the code at the gates. Usually there are at least 8 henchmen guarding the fence and no sign of them so far. You drive up the unpaved alley, curiously checking out the landscape: same trees, bushes and trucks you’re familiar with, except you can’t discern a single goon patrolling the perimeter.

You honk to get the crew’s assistance without any success and you wonder if The Joker tricked you; I mean, you should have seen it coming: he is probably attempting one of his convoluted strategies to punish you for the tragic past.

You stop in front of the building, intrigued to notice it appears deserted.

Suddenly, a powerful blast shakes the ground and you watch part of the roof collapsing on the north side; a few windows shatter also.

You jump out of the car, totally confused at the strange occurrence.

“Hello?” you yell. “J???”

There’s smoke coming out of the opened metal door and you hesitantly walk in the warehouse, coughing at the suffocating odor.

“J?...” you scream. “J!!!!!”

A faint knock in the distance prompts your attention.

“Y/N!!”

“J??” you run towards the source of the noise only to find him under rubble next to the south entrance. “Oh my God!” you kneel by his feet buried under bricks. “What happened?!” The Queen frantically removes debris as he groans in pain.

“Explosives, that’s what happened. Shit, I think I fucked up my legs!”

“Where are the guys??!!” you inquire, managing to free his feet enough for him to move.

“I gave them the day off,” The Joker’s explanation puzzles Y/N. “Hurry up, please!! Another detonation will follow shortly!”

“Jesus Christ!” you quicken the pace and push the last bricks out of the way. “Can you stand?”

J rolls on his side, unable to comply.

“No, you’ll have to haul me out of here!”

“Come on!” you place your hands under his underarms and start pulling. “The exit is right there!”

You huff while straining to get to safety as The Clown aims to aid by lifting his body off the ground as much as he can.

“Behind the truck!” he urges once you’re out of the premises and you barely have time to hide behind the vehicle when a second bang levels half of the construction.

“This didn’t go according to plan,” J admits in a low tone, panting a storm after the ordeal.

You asses his wounds, pressing on the ankle and he immediately growls.

“The bone’s fractured,” you wipe your sweaty forehead.  “What plan?”

“It’s actually your fault for all of this; I told you to swing by at 3 o’clock. You’re early!”

“Huh?”

“You were supposed to come when I told you then boom! Before you reached the building it would go up in flames: you would flip thinking that I’m dead and then I’ll show up and ask you to come back home. You would be so excited to see I’m alive you couldn’t refuse. Yet you ruined everything: you appeared out of nowhere, I panicked and messed up: you know I’m not good with this stuff!!”

You can’t even process the plot he’s throwing your way.

“What kind of plan…”

“I just told you I’m not good at this stuff,” he interrupts. “You know I’m not.”

You touch your chest, baffled at the ridiculous story.

“My pendant!” you exclaim when you realize the chain is not around your neck anymore. “It’s gone!” Y/N desperately searches the grass. “My baby, where’s my baby?” you part the green lawn on the verge of crying. “I can’t find my pendant! Maybe I dropped it the building,” you whimper and prepare to flee when J grabs your jeans, firmly holding on.

“Don’t go; the poles might cave in and whatever is left standing will squash you!!”

You don’t comprehend why he’s so worked up and his plea catches you off guard:

“Don’t go! I’ll give you half my ashes, ok?”

The Queen debates on The King’s proposal, conflicted by his candid offer.

After all, if ashes tear people apart, how come they can’t bring them back together?

Also read: MASTERLIST

https://diyunho.tumblr.com/post/153664676321/joker-x-reader-masterlist

You can also follow me on Ao3 and wattpad under the same blog name: DiYunho.

[docholligay]

The Great Nugget Caper, 1 of 2

I only got the first half of this done before I leave for my little birthday trip to a bunkhouse in the middle of nowhere, but I hope you enjoy it anyhow! it’s still 1800 words ahaha. In the MaS universe

It would not be fair to accuse Michiru of being a paranoid sort. She was not necessarily given to imagine that the world would not go on without her, that she was the only one who could appropriately care for a loved one’s needs, that the rest of the world was grossly imcompetent on the subject of how to order delivery or fluff a pillow. To an extent, she prided herself on not being overly fussy on such subjects. If Mina wanted to take M.A. to the park herself, Michiru did not worry. If Rei fed Kimi, she assumed Rei was perfectly capable of such a thing. Michiru was not some fearful clucking hen. 

But all of us fall short of our best expectations, from time to time, and so it was with the current situation. Haruka had been home from the hospital for two weeks, mostly asleep or halfway there in the first, the second slightly more alert on the couch in the living room. She was, in all medical ways, fine. Or doing just as expected, perhaps slightly better than. They had been warned that recovery from the extensive surgery would be slow, though ultimately largely rewarding. 

Haruka had taken it like a champ, she could admit to herself. After fighting against the pain of it just hard enough to prove that she could transfer in and out of her chair herself, and thus be allowed to go home, she had utterly given in to relaxation. Rei and Mina had helped chase her toddler around the house, Kimi was the sweet sort of baby she always had been, and so Haruka had felt little guilt over sleeping for an entire week. 

What she did feel guilt over, however, was her mild annoyance with Michiru’s fussing. 

It made sense, of course. Michiru had been affected by Haruka’s long stint in medical care after the end of the War as much as Haruka had. Haruka had panicked while they readied her for surgery, over which she felt more embarrassment than guilt, though her doctor had been exceedingly kind, and she had cried a little as she came out of anesthesia, which she supposed was just how she was living her life now that she no longer had that same deep well of anger to rely upon. Michiru had seen her in pain and distressed, and it had reactivated some of her old fears as well. 

Haruka told herself this, often. 

Patiently. 

Rounding into the second week, Haruka had begun to taper down her pain medication, and feel slightly more like herself. She went downstairs in the morning to watch TV and read a few magazines. She ever so slowly and carefully changed her pajamas and washed her hair. She rolled into the kitchen around noon and made a simple little lunch. She colored with M.A. All of which might have been fine but for Michiru’s insistence on helping, or that Haruka was pushing too hard and going to hurt herself. It became a buzzing background noise, like a mosquito to the ear. Haruka let me help you. Please, allow me. I can rinse you. M.A, Papa needs to rest. She had tried removing her hearing aid, to remember, in a twist of cruelty, that her hearing loss only affected the one ear. 

The grilled cheese was the last straw. 

Haruka had thick cut bacon, peppered and sweet smoked, a gift from Usagi and Seiya for her recovery. Did Usagi understand love outside of food? Sometimes Haruka wasn’t sure, but she would never complain about getting artisan bacon. She had been thinking about it all morning, until she putzed slowly into the kitchen and laid out some simple white bread, cheese, and started to fry up the carbon in a pan. She was going to cook the grilled cheese in the bacon grease. She was a genius. 

“Oh, Haruka, you must let me do that.” 

Haruka sighed. “Michi, it’s a grilled cheese. I make it for our three year old all the time.” 

“No,” MIchiru came up behind her, “the pan is very hot, and remember, she said it would be six weeks at least until you were fully recovered.” she shook her head and took the handle of the pan, “I will make this for you, my love, please, please go rest.” 

“It’s a grilled cheese.” she looked up at Michiru. “I’m not doing anything. I haven’t been outside of the house or the hospital in weeks.” 

“Haruka.” 

Haruka Tenoh made mistakes. Her heart was often in the right place, but who knew where the hell her brain was half the time. Later, she would blame this particular breach of intellect on the pain medication, and her great love of her wife. She looked so worried. She was so insistent. She clearly loved Haruka and wanted her to get better. 

She shrugged and wheeled herself back to the living room, gingerly setting herself on the couch. Michiru, a bit longer than Haruka might have expected later, presented her with a grilled cheese sandwich, or what might have been a grilled cheese sandwich in another life. The bread was charred black and smelt of burnt oil, the cheese had flowed out the side and barely caressed her beautiful bacon. The bacon had been slaughtered a second time, crisp to the point of blackness, the gorgeous peppering flacked off. There was no hope for the sweet cure. 

For the first time in a very long time, Haruka felt the icy fingers of despair close around her heart. 

There are a multitude of reasons to expand our families beyond blood or legality, to create communities that allow support to be a web of many threads and not one singular lifeline. If it had only been Michiru and Haruka against the world, it might have been too much to ask against the frustration of a ruined sandwich, and the thousand small cuts of Michiru’s worry. Luckily, Rei saw everything, even when she could hardly see. She had tried, as gently as Rei knew how, to tell Michiru that Haruka was perfectly capable of doing small things for herself. 

“Haruka is perfectly capable of doing small things for herself.” She said, in what she felt was an impressive show of gentleness. “That sandwich looks awf--not like what Haruka wanted.” 

Michiru frowned deeply. “I confess it will not win any particular culinary award.” 

“Come on,” Rei grabbed her by the elbow. “We’re taking the kids to the zoo.” 

Haruka had never loved Rei so deeply as she did in this moment. Bless her stubborn, impossible, insistent personality, at least right now. She picked Kimi up from her tummy time and moved toward the door. 

“M.A.!” she yelled upstairs. ‘Your Mama and I are going to take you to the zoo!” 

There was a tiny thundering and a shout of pleasure, but Michiru looked at Rei as if she might be both insane and a traitor. 

“I can’t possibly leave, Haruka needs--”

“Michiru, I’ll be fine.” Haruka laid her head back on the couch, eyes to the unfeeling ceiling.” 

She whirled about. “And what if there is some emergency? A fire? A flood? What if you fall?” 

“Michi--” 

“That’s why I’m here,” as if on queue, and perhaps on direct text from Rei, Mina came through the door, grinning brightly, her choppy bob bright pink at the shoulders, “I’ll fireman’s carry her over my shoulder and dump her on the lawn.” 

Michiru pursed her lips together tightly. For all the sins she could, and would, happily lay at Mina’s feet, she would never let harm come to Haruka if she could help it. Michiru knew this to be true, as well as she knew that Rei was never going to allow her to stay in the house with Haruka. 

It is frustrating, to lose, but it happens to us all eventually. 

Michiru took her purse from Rei’s outstretched hand and gave a brief huff. As Rei helped M.A. get on her shoes, and clicked Kimi into a stroller, Michiru looked at Mina seriously. 

“She needs her pain medication every 6 hours, and she can take an extra if there’s a particular breakthrough. Nothing too strenuous, or I will hear about it, and I will be terribly cross with you--” 

“Oh no, not cross!” Mina broke into a peal of laughter, “Calm down. We’re not gonna do anything. We’re gonna make grilled cheese or some shit.” 

“Nothing. Strenuous.” She walked back over to Haruka. “You’re certain you won’t need my help.” 

“Babe,” she took Michiru’s hand, “I am SO sure I don’t need your help.” 

Michiru stood for a moment, still trying to play the chess game, still trying to reason out a way that she could win the day and stay with Haruka, watching her, caring for her, ensuring that she was safe. But there seemed no way to move the king, with all of them set against her, and so she sighed. 

“Promise me that you will take care.” She shook her head, “That you won’t hurt yourself in some foolish attempt at bravado.” 

“No one wants to do this again less than me.” 

She nodded, withdrew her hand, and looked back to Mina. “Behave.” 

“Michiru!” Rei snapped from her position behind Kimi’s stroller. “Come on, everyone’s waiting.” 

“Come on, Mama!” M.A. tapped her toe and waved. 

Michiru put her purse and her shoulder and took her coat, sighing as she followed the little parade out the door, taking one long last look at Haruka. Haruka smiled and waved as they left, and the door shut behind them, cloaking the room in silence once more. 

Haruka dramatically threw her head back and sighed. “I love my wife.” 

MIna sat down at the edge of the couch. “Yeah, I have to remind myself of that sometimes too.” 

“She’s just,” she sighed again, “I know she worries about me, and I know it was a big surgery and stuff but, you know, I, I’m an adult, and I can make a grilled cheese sandwich.” 

Mina glanced over at the side table. “Well, if that’s the banner for adulthood, Michiru’s in trouble, that’s for damn sure.” 

Haruka chuckled, then looked longingly at the sandwich. “That was Usagi’s special bacon.” 

“Our lives are nothing but sacrifice for the princess,” it sounded strange coming out of her mouth. She hadn’t thought of Usagi as the princess for at least a year, she thought, but there it always was. She stood up quickly, as if she could dodge the thought. “What do you want to do today?” 

Haruka crossed her arms and looked up at Mina conspiratorially. “I want to get out of here.” 

“Like the backyard?” 

“Mina,” Haruka adjusted herself carefully on the couch, “I haven’t left the house in weeks. Michi’s watching me like a hawk. I want to go out, to a shitty bar, our shitty bar, and get a beer, and a plate of loaded chicken nuggets, and I want it right now.” 

“You realize your wife will kill me if she catches us?”

“Yeah.” 

“Noble of you to be willing to sacrifice my life like that.”  Mina tucked her hair behind her ear, “Are you supposed to drink on your meds?” 

“No.”

“Excellent. I’m in.”

[akitokihojo]

Enchanted - Interlude

Before last weekend, this little part didn’t exist. I had a craving for more inukag softness and figured the creation of this would also be a good way to say thank you to those who’ve followed and read and responded positively to this story up until now. I really don’t have the proper words to express how happy and grateful I am to all of you, so I attempted to communicate that through this short bit!

Part five will be posted later today!

----------

She hadn't even noticed him, completely absorbed in what she was doing - or she just couldn't hear his footsteps approaching while she kneeled so close to the stream. He took advantage of her unawareness, treading over twigs and dried leaves carefully until he stood just a few inches behind her. Crouching carefully, Inuyasha readied his hands, making a deep noise he knew would startle her as he quickly and tightly grasped the sides of her arms. Kagome screeched, a shiver running over her entire body as she lost her balance and almost toppled forward into the water, his hold on her preventing the fall.

He laughed, bringing her back as she looked over her shoulder, her panicked expression shifting to offense as she wriggled from his hands. He laughed even harder, jumping to his feet and back as she turned to push him away.

“You’re such a jerk!” She shouted, flicking the remnants of the water on her fingers towards him! “You scared the crap out of me!”

“Just what I was going for!”

“Shouldn’t you be at home or something? Aren’t you still grounded?” Kagome mocked, standing up and whipping her hands to the side in an attempt to air dry them quickly.

“As a matter of fact, no.” Inuyasha feigned a grimace, stepping forward to hold her arm so that there was no risk of her stumbling into the stream. “I’ve been off the hook for almost a week. I’ve just had some things to take care of. What are you doing out here?”

“Kaede wanted a specific herb, so I came out to find it.” She pointed to a little bucket a few feet off to the side, a small, green plant poking out from the soil its roots were snuggly blanketed in. When the prince’s attention was turned, she wiped her hands on the front of his dark blue cloak, drying them as thoroughly as possibly with the smuggest smirk she could conjure. “I was washing my hands when you came up. How’d you know where I was?”

Inuyasha looked at her with baffled amusement, chuckling but never stopping her. He tapped the tip of his nose with a finger, silently telling her he’d caught her scent before lowering his hand to brush some loose dirt from her hip. She was wearing a long, white dress, black stitching trimming the edges of the scoop neck and sleeves. A black string laced just below her breasts and down the center of her abdomen tied the cloth snug against her waist, and her wavy, dark hair contrasted beautifully with it all. It was bold to wear such a light color while uprooting a plant, but she’d managed to get out of it with minimal stains, and the few that had caught weren’t deep or eye-catching in the least. Not if anyone was paying attention to what was important. With the dense clouds setting in overhead, the forest lifeless and dull, and the world being filtered in the dreary colors of the winter season, Kagome walking through the woodlands in a long and flowing dress of white really helped solidify his original idea that she was actually a nymph. He could practically see the tiara of vine and baby’s breath adorning her head.

There was a cleared throat from behind Inuyasha, clearly intended to interrupt their moment, and Kagome glanced over, noticing two guards watching them. Slightly uncomfortable, like she might be doing something wrong, she withdrew her hands, taking a step back as Inuyasha lolled his head in their direction. It was the same two people that had been there on the first day she met the prince. The man was giving a knowing smile, his head tilted and indigo eyes alight with humor while the woman beside him gave a sympathetic grin, as if to apologize for her partner. She was in the same uniform as he, her coat and pants a little more fitting for her petite body, but still looking flexible enough for her to take action if need be.

“You remember my escorts.” Inuyasha groaned, holding a hand out in a presenting manner.

“How could I forget? Sango and dirty mouth, right?”

The female knight immediately snorted, hiding the laugh behind her palm while Inuyasha didn’t even bother to bear the same courtesy.

“I didn’t - I didn’t even do anything to deserve it this time.” Miroku muttered, bemused.

“You always deserve it.” The prince sneered.

“Wow. So much fun. So glad we came.” 

“Alright, alright.” Inuyasha waved him off, turning back to Kagome. “So, it took a good day and a half, but we tracked down the man.”

Kagome watched his ember eyes travel from hers to the healing mark on her cheek. She’d had a fun time coming up with a detailed lie on how she’d tripped over her own feet and face-planted into something when Kaede asked about it. But she wasn’t a very good liar and the herbalist didn’t even need her wit to catch onto the impracticality of it all, so Kagome just insisted a lot could happen in the dark and pretended from then on that she was too embarrassed to talk about it.

“His name’s Bankotsu, and he’s been taken care of.” He said, grazing his thumb over the fading scratches.

“Yes,” Miroku stepped forward, a genuine grin on his lips. “Thank you for reporting him to the guards when you did. We couldn’t have found him without the scent on the cloak you gave us.”

Kagome resisted the curious furrow of her brow, glancing at Inuyasha who merely stared at his aide. Without a queue from him, she could only think to play along; the prince wasn’t supposed to be out that night, so she didn’t want to be the one to blow his cover - especially after he’d saved her.

“Uh - sure. No problem. It was the right thing to do.”

“I’m kidding. I know you’re lying and I know everything that happened that night.” Miroku plainly stated.

“What? Why’d you set me up!?” She asked incredulously, flashing a glare toward a grimacing Inuyasha.

“Because he owes me one and you called me a dirty mouth.”

“He got Koga to act as if you reported the assault to him, who then reported it to the council, who then - you know, it’s a long chain that had to completely jump over me which Miroku was responsible for.” The prince explained. “But he’s got his payment now, and he’ll be shutting up.”

Sango nudged her partner to make sure he heeded Inuyasha’s word, then made a vague gesture to the prince with a slight twist of her expression.

“And,” He drawled disappointedly. “I have to get going. We were passing through on the way to run an errand.”

“Oh, okay.” Kagome gave a tiny nod, smiling softly. 

It didn’t feel right to leave with just that. After the other night, their feelings, learning so much about one another, touching, walking away with a simple goodbye seemed beneath them now. He could physically feel the eyes of his aides watching him, though, and it quickly created an awkward tension as he fumbled over his thoughts on what he could possibly do to say hey, nothings changed and I’m still in love with you but my guards are watching like vultures and I’m not quite sure what’s appropriate right now because I’ve never really done this before and apparently I’m not too good at it. He wanted to kiss her - even a little peck would do - but felt increasingly uncomfortable as the two continued to stare. Clumsily, Inuyasha cleared his throat and briskly kissed the top of Kagome’s head, to which she gave a surprised and breathy squeak. 

“I’ll - uh - see you -“

“Oh, come on! You can do better than that, Romeo.” Miroku taunted.

He felt his own face ignite in a wave of heat, his expression dropping pleadingly. At his side, Kagome turned, understandably hiding her own humiliation from the people he used to call his friends.

“Could you give us two minutes, guys?”

“Just two? What are you gonna get done in two?”

“OH-kay, we’ll be going!” Sango pinched the back of Miroku’s arm, exasperatedly dragging the idiot around the curve in the trail where they couldn’t be seen anymore. 

Inuyasha hid his aggravation behind his palm, massaging one of his temples with his thumb until he knew they were gone and some of the awkwardness dwindled. Turning to Kagome, he noticed the deep pink of her cheeks, her brown eyes staring off at a bush behind them while sucking on her bottom lip.

“I’m sorry - I hate him - I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She uncomfortably laughed, bowing her head shyly. “I guess we’ve gotta get used to that, right?”

“No, because I’m killing him tonight.”

Kagome laughed again, this time the return of her stability bringing back the melodic ring in her voice. His eyes were glued to her smile, softening whatever edge he’d previously felt, and in his peripherals he noticed her hand slowly, waveringly inching toward his own. Inuyasha stayed perfectly still, allowing her to move at her own pace until the tips of her cold fingers curled around his, and when she was there, he helped to firmly entwine them together. As she glanced up, biting the side of her bottom lip, brown eyes captivating him, he decided to take full advantage of their momentary privacy.

“Come on.” He whispered, pulling her a little ways away toward a large tree to conceal them.

“Where are we going?”

“Shh.”

“Inuyasha.” She giggled faintly. He guided her around the opposite side of the trunk, never letting go of her hand as he leaned his back against the bark and brought her closer. 

Kagome happily stepped inward, her smile widening as the prince, her prince, tenderly swiped some hair behind her ear, the pads of his fingers following the curve of her hair and tickling over her collarbone.

“Hi.” He sighed.

“Hi.”

Inuyasha closed the gap that remained, grazing his lips over the plush of hers, feeling her press onto her toes to seal them together. The soft touch quickly heated, their seconds together being spent wisely. He released her hand as she gave a slight suck to his bottom lip, snaking his arms around her back to hold her closer, feel the way her body arched into him, kiss her deeper. They’d only shared a moment like this once and yet he already felt himself growing selfish and addicted. The prince felt her hands climbing up his chest, the motion tedious and deliberate, and if he was fooling himself into thinking she had the same thoughts of codependency as he, that was just fine by him. Once her fingers met his neck, Inuyasha inadvertently dragged in a sharp inhale from the shock.

“Your hands are freezing.” He murmured into her mouth.

“Warm them for me.” Kagome giggled, her fingers curving around the back of his neck, threading into the silver hair at the nape.

If Inuyasha could spend the rest of his life kissing her, tasting her, rubbing noses, hearing her sighs, breathing her in, nothing more - nothing less, he’d easily consider his years well spent. It was like they matched each other perfectly, synchronized, and the way she molded against him was so comfortable that words failed to describe how elated he was.

His name was called by one of his aides, and immediately he groaned defeatedly, the thick noise reverberating between their lips. As if it never happened, he continued kissing her, holding her impossibly closer for one more moment. Again, his name was called, and Kagome pulled away an inch.

“I think our time’s up.”

“No, ignore them.” He kissed her. “They’ll go away.”

Giggling, she gave him one last, delicate kiss before stepping back from him so he wouldn’t be tempted to neglect their calls further. If they came over and found them this way, she’d most likely die of embarrassment. 

Once more, Inuyasha’s name was called, this time more croaky than the last. He’d missed bringing that desperate cry from Miroku. 

“Alright, alright! I’m coming!” He drawled. Reaching an arm over Kagome’s shoulders, he pulled her close as they walked back, tucking her into his chest so he could easily kiss her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist, walking in sync with him as they came back to the path where his guards waited.

“I hate you.” Miroku chided.

“Sorry. She was showing me a tree.” Inuyasha said, shrugging.

“You’re filthy.”

The prince chuckled, giving a flick of his hand so they’d head off knowing he’d be right behind them. They followed his silent order, and with the small window he had, Inuyasha curled a finger beneath Kagome’s chin and tilted it up for his advantage. Just a small kiss this time, but she smiled into it and his knees almost caved.

“I’ll see you later.” He whispered.

“Bye.”

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Final |

[graglithans-library]

Welcome to Paris Fur-ance Ch 10: Briefing, Investigation, and Sisterly Bonding

I firstly would like to acknowledge that yes, I am two weeks late on this.

I secondly would like to address that I will post multiple chapters into the Queue to make up for that.

So for now, enjoy a sudden influx of story for you tumblr lurkers.

Shirou and Ladybug go over what happened with Miracle Queen, and Shirou begins his investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, Michiru and Nazuna have a bonding moment at the Tsurugi household.

Landing atop a roof bordering a fountain plaza, Ladybug looked over to Shirou as he landed nearby. “This was where we last encountered Hawkmoth.”

“Do you mind if I take a look around?” Ladybug shook her head, and Shirou started to examine the area. No scents left. Likely washed away by rainfall. Not surprising with the time frame, but that would have made this a lot easier.

As Shirou looked around, however, Ladybug’s mind began to go back to when it had happened. She could practically see it all over again, everyone standing in the courtyard, or on the roof, right where they had been that fateful day.

Master Fu as he desperately tried to protect himself with the Turtle from Hawkmoth and Mayura’s sentimonster.

Miracle Queen’s laugh as she forced almost her entire team to transform and attack both her and Chat.

Hawkmoth’s malicious smile as he held the Miracle Box, if only for that one fight.

Master Fu naming her guardian at the cost of his memories.

Chloé as she greedily grabbed as many Miraculous as she could after being un-akumatized.

Shirou’s attention was back to the young heroine as a small shudder ripped through her. The haunted look in her eyes made him pause for only a moment. “What exactly happened?”

Letting out a steady breath, Ladybug straightened up and looked down over the plaza. “Chloé Bourgeois, a former Miraculous user, aided Hawkmoth in a planned attack that targeted the Guardian instead of Chat or myself. The result was the exposure of our entire team of backup heroes, the near loss of all the Miraculous, and the former Guardian losing all memory of the Miraculous as he passed the title on to me.” Turning to Shirou, she frowned. “The only reason I’m telling you her name is that, of all the Miraculous users, Chloé had already announced herself to all of Paris, which is how Hawkmoth knew to target her in the first place.”

Shirou put a hand to his chin and hummed; eyes closed. She said this Bourgeois girl was here as well and was with Hawkmoth at the time, right? Opening his eyes, Shirou looked to Ladybug. “I’ll need to do some digging around, but I have an idea of where to start. Do you know where Bourgeois currently is?”

Nodding, Ladybug pointed over towards another part of town. Shirou could see there were more businesses there than homes. Still, a hotel could be seen dominating the other buildings by presence alone. “Chloé has been under house arrest ever since it got out that she willingly aided Hawkmoth.” Ladybug sighed and shook her head, looking sadly down at the fountain. “Her father is the current Mayor of Paris, and owner of ‘Le Grand Paris.’ Due to her age and her father’s influence, the house arrest was the extent of her sentencing. She could have had a far worse punishment. She's lucky.”

Raising an eyebrow, Shirou seemed skeptical. “You don’t sound like you agree.”

Ladybug shook her head softly as she looked up from the fountain and over the city. “Hawkmoth manipulates the emotions of those he interacts with, no Akuma needed. Just being in his vicinity for too long can let him warp your mind. It’s something I managed to learn from the old master’s grimoire before we lost it as well. It would be child’s play to set off Chloé's temper and bait her into working with him, considering how much of a brat she was before all of this started. Even then, we keep akumatized victim’s identities private from the media as much as we can, so I’m surprised she even was called out and tried. There wasn’t a person in Paris who was aware of what was happening during her akumatization.”

Shirou took a moment to think over everything, letting out a steady breath. A scandalous leak regarding the Mayor and a lack of police to track a terrorist involved with the scandal. Whoever let it out would have to know it was willing or used false evidence to make it look that way. Either way, this looks like a means to punish the mayor or keep him in line. Stepping over to where Ladybug was standing, Shirou’s voice made the heroine turn to him. “I’ll get back to you with what I’ve found at a later date. Can we meet here?”

Ladybug nodded one last time as she grabbed her yo-yo. “Sure, but how will you get a hold of me?”

“I’ve heard you like to patrol at night,” Shirou smirked and pointed at the roof. “I’ll just wait.”

“R-Right.” Ladybug blushed a bit and cleared her throat. “Well, I’ll let you get to- uh, Investigating. Bug out!”

Shirou was a little impressed at how fast she fled, and as a result, he couldn’t help but picture Michiru running off as well. “I think she and Michiru would get along well.” He paused at the thought before scowling at himself. He had more important tasks to focus on.

Starting with Le Grand Paris.

________________________________________________________________

By the time Shirou had made his way to Le Grand Paris, it was almost dawn. He looked up at the building’s windows and hummed in thought. “So, she’s supposed to be somewhere in here.” His eyes focused on the topmost windows, noting how they had access to the roof. According to what I was told, she had the top floor’s suite to herself. He could easily have jumped up the fire escape and entered that way. However, if he was going to do this, he decided he’d try more... legal methods first. It should be possible to ask to speak with Bourgeois without breaking and entering. House Arrest usually did not mean nobody could talk with the detained.

Maybe Michiru is rubbing off on me. Shirou looked over to his right and saw a distinct lack of chaos happening. Nevermind. The city’s still standing.

Walking inside, he looked for the first member of the staff he could find. The receptionist, some exasperated looking woman, jolted up at the sound of the door before smiling nervously. “G-Good even- uh, good morning, sir! How may I help you?”

Shirou’s gaze, stern as ever, went right through the poor woman. “I’m looking for a Chloé Bourgeois. Can you tell me where I can find her-” Shirou looked down at her nametag and raised an eyebrow. “Mireille?”

Mirielle paled at the mention of the young girl before looking down. “I-I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t help you. Mlle. Bourgeois was removed from the hotel some time ago.” She nervously gestured towards the elevator, eyes closed to keep from looking at anyone. “I would take you to see Mayor Bourgeois, but you would need to schedule an appointment. H-He’s been a rather busy man these days.” She gulped a bit and kept her eyes down at her papers. “Is there anything else I c-can help with?”

Shirou, let out a breath through his nose before turning to the front doors. “Thank you for the information.”

Looking back over his shoulder as he was on the sidewalk once more, Shirou could see Mirielle collapse onto the counter before hastily grabbing the phone and calling someone. He could smell how panicked she was from out here, and he walked around the building to the back.

Illegal methods it is.

Climbing the fire escape, Shirou soon was standing on the roof and looking at the doors leading inside. A quick check found the door unlocked, and he made his way inside the suite.

Looking around, he could tell it was cleaned recently. Everything was folded neatly or packed away in their proper places. What he didn’t see, however, was any signs of someone living in the room. Expected, but let’s test how thorough the staff is. He opened various drawers and the closet, looking for any missed items, and found nothing. A check under the bed proved just as fruitless.

A whiff of something in the air, however, made him pause. He turned towards the kitchen, and his eyes narrowed. Walking in, he looked around until a glint from the window caught his eye. A pair of sunglasses, yellow-gold in color, were sitting on the windowsill as if they were thrown there. Picking the glasses up, Shirou gave a cursory sniff before humming. Her scent’s still here; I can use that.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled.

The scents were a story all their own.

He could smell what he assumed was Chloé. That was no surprise. However, other scents should not have been so fresh. At least four men, all of the more muscular builds, and the scent of adrenaline. He could also smell a hint of blood, which made his hackles rise. Most worrying, though, was the scent of someone rather important to his current predicament.

The man who robbed the Medical Center was here sometime last night. However, his scent was older than the other men. Whatever reason he was here, it was a short trip.

Opening his eyes, Shirou looked at the glasses and scowled. Something more was going on here in Paris than just his perp running loose.

And at least part of it was tied to this Chloé girl.

________________________________________________________________

Michiru was bored.

She would have spent the day playing basketball, but there wasn’t a hoop to be seen in the Tsurugi estate.

She would have hung out with Kagami, but unlike yesterday, the heiress had to go to class.

She would have gone into town to see what was going on. However, she didn’t speak French. She was also required to be shifted into a human outside the estate per Shirou and Mrs. Tsurugi’s orders.

So in all, the tanuki had quite the conundrum; one she was having trouble solving. However, since the best problem solvers she knew were either in Japan or somewhere in the city, she went to the available one.

Namely, the friend who was just trying to enjoy a cup of tea.

“So... what do we do today?”

Nazuna had been in the midst of taking a sip of tea when Michiru had found her in the main foyer and almost choked from Michiru’s sudden appearance. She raised an eyebrow at her friend’s question for a moment before humming in thought and setting her cup down. “Well, it’s not like we can just go around Paris without Kagami or Shirou. Neither of us has any money either.” Taking another sip, Nazuna set her cup down and shrugged. “I guess we just hang around here for the day and enjoy some tea.”

Groaning, Michiru slumped forward with a whine and let her arms dangle. “Really wishing I’d taken those French courses.”

Stopping short of grabbing her tea again, Nazuna’s eyes widened as she looked over at Michiru in surprise. “You had the chance to learn French? You? ”

Michiru shrugged a bit and rubbed the back of her head. “Mayor Rose offered. She also offered me German and English.”

Nazuna’s face scrunched in confusion. “I thought you passed our English classes.”

A blush started to grow on Michiru’s face as she rubbed her head a little faster. “I did, but It’s been so long since I’ve had to use it, so I uh... mostly forgot?” Nazuna shot her a deadpan stare. “I wasn’t exactly social for a good year before heading to Anima City, sue me!”

Chuckling a bit as she got up, Nazuna smiled at Michiru. “Right. So why did she offer those lessons again?” Michiru’s jaw tightened as she looked up, sweating bullets. Nazuna’s smile fell into a small frown as she raised her eyebrow again. “Michiru?”

Nervously glancing anywhere but Nazuna, Michiru let out a shaky laugh. “I uh... may have been offered an advisor position like Shirou’s?” The foyer was left in dead silence. Michiru risked a glance at Nazuna, only to find her unblinking gaze boring right into her. “Nazuna, you’re staring.” When the stare continued, Michiru’s nerves started to act up, making her shrink back into a ball and tuck her tail between her legs. “Nazuna, please! Stop! It was just the advisor position she offered, not the butt-kicking! I swear it’s the safe job and not the dangerous one!”

Michiru didn’t have a chance to dodge the sudden bone-crushing hug she was pulled into.

No longer in her chair and spinning around in circles, squealing all the while, Nazuna beamed at her friend with absolute jubilation before setting her down. “This is amazing!”

A thoroughly dazed Michiru’s head rolled around a bit as her eyes did the same in their sockets. “Eh?”

Nazuna stepped back as Michiru got her bearings. “Michiru, didn’t you say you wanted to help with relations between beastmen and humans and how we had a ‘unique perspective’ since we’ve been both?”

Blushing a bit, Michiru rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, yeah, but-”

“Then, this is perfect!” Nazuna excitedly cheered before remembering where they were. Blushing a bit as she calmed herself, she waved a hand idly. “I mean, I’d probably help you if I wasn’t already starting my idol career,” Nazuna added with a smile, “but this would even let your parents come and see you once we get back!”

Michiru froze for a moment before looking down with a fragile smile. “Yeah... my parents.”

Nazuna’s own smile faded down into a concerned frown. “Did... did something happen?”

Michiru was silent for a moment before nodding as she started to rub her arm. “...Dad... wasn't happy about,” she waved a hand at herself, “this.”

“...what?”

Michiru hastily waved her hands in front of her and gave a shaky smile. “I mean, at least Mom tried to be there for me! So you don’t have to worry about that! But... uh...” She sighed and let her shoulders sag a bit. “Yeah... He made it clear he wasn’t happy about what happened to us.”

Grimacing for a moment, Nazuna soon pulled Michiru in for a much softer hug than before. “I’m so sorry, Michiru. I-I shouldn’t have-”

Chuckling dryly, Michiru hugged her back. “It’s alright, Nazuna. It’s not like I told you or anything.” Letting go of the hug, she gave her usual bright smile and a thumbs up. “Besides. Shirou’s our dad now, even if he won’t say it out loud.” The two laughed a bit at that and moved back to where Nazuna had left her tea. As they sat, Michiru’s ears perked up as she hummed in thought. “Now that I think about it, do you think he and my mom would get along? She did say she wanted to adopt you after meeting your parents that one time.”

Nazuna snorted in amusement and picked up her drink. “That might be pretty entertaining to see, actually.” Sighing softly, she looked down at her tea. “Still... sorry about bringing up parents. I guess I was just hoping your family had reacted better than mine did.”

Michiru’s eyes narrowed as she frowned. “Nazuna. What did those jerks do?”

Shrugging, Nazuna looked off to the side for a moment. “They disowned me the moment they saw me.” Michiru’s jaw dropped, but Nazuna smirked evilly as she took a sip. “Jokes on them, though. I’m famous now, and I’m not sharing anything.” She gave Michiru a wink. “Unless, of course, they grovel at my fuzzy toes. Then maybe I’ll consider it.”

The two laughed at the thought, knowing full well that there was absolutely no way Nazuna’s parents would even attempt that. When they both got a hold of themselves, Michiru wiped a tear from her eye and jabbed a thumb towards the front door. “... Say, want to go hunt down Shirou and get involved in whatever he’s up to?”

“It’s not like you do anything else most of the time, and you usually drag me along anyway.”

“All of those incidents were one hundred percent unintentional, and you know it.”

“That’s a load of crap, and we have video evidence to prove it.”

“In my defense, I was left unsupervised.”

“Marie was there.”

“In our defense, we were left unsupervised.”