#so if you misread my request are were disappointed. guess what!

[nymphoutofwater]

hello there folks! @infodump-matchmaking seems to not be so active lately, so I thought I’d do this the old fashioned way.

I’m working on a story right now in which one of the main characters has a strong interest in astronomy, which I know no more about than the average third grader. Is there anyone out there who’d like/be willing to tell me all about it?

[lieutenant-simp]

Stuck With Pity

GN! Reader x Wanda Maximoff

Warnings: One cuss word? Slight Angst I guess

Summary : Getting stuck in the elevator is less than ideal but it’s even less so when you are claustrophobic. To make matters worse you’re stuck with the girl you’re secretly in love with.

Gif not mine

A/N: This is my first Wanda Fic. I also didn’t proof read so take that as you will! I am claustrophobic to a certain extent so if this is not entirely accurate I am sorry. I also did not want to be as angsty as this is and please please leave me requests!

Words : 1,395

Part Two! Here

Groaning you reach over and grab the phone that has effectively woken you up for the second time that morning. Looking at who’s calling makes you groan even louder. Steve is relentless, since you’ve joined, to create some “team bonding” between everyone has resulted in breakfast with everyone on the weekends. You sit up slowly, extremely tired since you had been up training the night before, aside from it being 7 in the fucking morning.

You stand wincing slightly at your soreness but you push through it, after all, you’re an Avenger you can take a little pain. That doesn’t mean you can’t complain about it though. Walking over to the closet you grab a sweatshirt and put it on before walking into your bathroom. Tony may be hard to be around occasionally but he is quite accommodating. Brushing your teeth you try to wake yourself up, you pray that Steve made coffee. You walk to the elevator, push the button and wait for yourself to reach the communal kitchen that everyone is probably already at. You normally take the stairs but since your late, you do what you can so you don't get a yelling from Steve later.

Stepping in you wait for it to start and the floors to start counting down, but it stops before reaching your floor. You sigh, you didn’t want to be in here any longer than you had to.

“Geez Y/N/N at least pretend to be excited to see me” You look up slowly to see Wanda giggling at you. You give her a small smile, blush tracing your ears from embarrassment. You start to stutter an apology and explain yourself but she cuts you off. “Don’t worry I know how you feel about small spaces.”

You look down for a second before laughing as the doors close, “I’m an Avenger I shouldn’t be like this, it’s ridiculous.” Wanda squeezes your shoulder reassuringly as the doors close on you both again. Tony assured you when he put you on one of the top floors that his elevators are of the highest quality and surprisingly fast to ease your worry about it.

Closing your eyes and trying to focus on the music and Wanda's warm presence beside you to distract yourself from the panic that not only because elevators are terrifying for you, but because Wanda has always made you a little nervous.

Since you got there, you have just been pulled towards her. You don't know what it is about her, whatever it is it makes you extremely nervous and leaves you a flustered stuttering mess. Wanda is the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen, to you, she glows gently. Her blue eyes bright wherever she looks and it makes your heart skip a beat whenever you look at her. The aura that surrounds her always warm and welcoming. You look back at Wanda and see her smiling a little and you join her.

Looking away and back at the numbers that seem to slowly tick by the longer your in there, makes your breathing slightly faster. Sensing your discomfort Wanda grabs your hand to try and keep you grounded, which helped a little, but now the butterflies flip in your stomach and your face is bright red. She gently squeezes your hand to pull you back. The sensation providing a bit of comfort in the very unpleasant place you put yourself in. You look at her and she opens her mouth to say something.

*THUMP*

Well, that sense of comfort didn’t last long now did it. You look around trying to figure out what happened. The number on the elevator not showing where you're at, it has stopped. You let go of Wanda's hand before reaching out and grabbing the bar the wraps around the elevator, completely forgetting why you were in there in the first place. Why didn’t you take the stairs? So many thoughts spiral around your head and you slowly sink to the ground to feel something, to make the room feel bigger, anything.

“Jarvis, what happened,” Wanda asks suddenly. You don’t even hear his answer as you put your head in your hands. Whatever happened did not sound good.

You don't even feel an arm wrap around you as you just sit in your thoughts. You were trapped, in an elevator, with the girl you have a massive crush on, and now you were embarrassing yourself as you were having a panic attack. Panic from not only from being trapped but you were very clearly making a fool of yourself, Wanda can read minds and your thoughts are very very loud right now.

“Breathe Y/N, breathe” Wanda talks slowly to you careful not to disturb you. She talks to you trying to distract slightly, breathing does slow down slightly to get your thought in order more. You look up at her, her heart breaks at the fear in your eyes. “Can you talk?” you shake your head no, your breathing picks back up again as you have more time to think about what’s happening. You feel the gentle arms around you again. Instead of pulling away you wrap your arms around her and focus on her breathing trying to match it. Hearing her heartbeat you feel her slip into your head to talk, to understand, and help you. She feels what you’re feeling, she feels the fear, but most importantly she hears you. Hears your panic, in your head she calls out.

“I’m here Y/N/N” You look up at see her eyes focused on yours, becoming very aware of your situation, you back away slowly. As much as you longed for the physical contact, it kills you to know that to her it’s purely platonic. You shake your head gently the thoughts of where you are long gone as more come swirling in.

This morning was turning out to not be your day.

“Your thoughts are loud you know” You look up at Wanda the shock on your face clearly present.

“I’m sorry” The look of pity on her face breaks your heart. You didn’t want her pity. “What did you hear?” She looks at the ground slowly avoiding your eye contact. You don't even want to hear what she thinks, the look on her face full of pity and sadness for you. You're not weak, and you do not know what she heard. Whether it was about being stuck or your feelings for her didn't matter. You can tell she doesn't romantically like you, and you just wanted to be alone. You had a lot to think through when you can process your thoughts. You look back up to Wanda and you watch her mouth open slightly.

Suddenly you feel the elevator start moving again. The look of disappointment clear on Wanda's face before she can say anything. You pull away and shake yourself from your thoughts as you stand. She stands next to you as you pull away. Your thoughts not breaking from her, however. What you didn’t know is that she did actually have feelings for you. She shakes her head slowly the tears ready to spill from her eyes. Her thoughts also running just as fast as yours are, she wanted to tell you how she felt but you the look you gave her earlier had shown fear but anger towards her. She was trying to help she just wanted to help.

The door to the elevator opened and you don’t even bother for breakfast anymore, you’re headed straight for the stairs. You don't see the confused look the Avengers in the kitchen give each other as you walk past them. Never again will you take the elevator. Remembering what had happened in there with Wanda, sadness clutches your heart as you start to cry. The pure pity that was emitting from her eyes when she looked at you after reading your mind only proving the point of your love being one-sided, after all, Wanda was perfect and you, well you were you. An Avenger that is scared of small spaces.

What you didn’t know was that Wanda did love you back but you both had misread the situation. She didn’t even leave the elevator just letting it close again before crying softly in her hands. For once reading someone’s thoughts didn’t answer any questions but only showed more.

[shotofire]

omg thank you so much xd, that was so hilarious i couldn't stop laughing 😂, you're amazing never stop writing, i would like another oneshot modern levi if you dont mind, but this time his girlfriend prank him doing the challenge "pretending to give him a head/blowjob" thank you you're amazing 🖤🖤

I never mind your requests! It makes me so happy to see them in my inbox :p Thank you, you’re so sweet!!! I had to look up what this prank was lol but I the gist of it

•MODERN!LEVI x F!READER

•Warnings: cursing, smut... but not all the way

•Season: Not set within the show

(This is sort of a part two for, Who the hell is Mike?, some parts may be confusing if you haven’t read it)

-

Your best friend Angel bursted out laughing as you told her what had happened with Levi. It had been a week since you gave him a mini heart attack. Her eyes filled with tears as the laughing continued, she definitely found it comical.

Even more so, she wishes you recorded it. Of course doing what you did was out of character for you in general, so recording was definitely a no go. Plus it’s not like you’d post it, so what’s the point.

“I’m trying to imagine this face you’re describing,” she lets out more childish giggles, “he scrunched up his nose? What if that’s like his jealous tick?”

It probably was, you’d never seen him do something like that before in all the years you two had been together. He was always calm and tried not to show expression, unless smiling, so seeing him do something so out of the ordinary was interesting.

“I don’t know, it may be,” you said and watched how her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Some part of you felt bad for what you had done, but Levi assured you it was okay. He even went as far as to say it was funny now that he knew you weren’t serious. He still would randomly tickle you and say it’s punishment for what you had done, but it was just an excuse to attack your sides and hear your uncontrollable laughter.

Even a week later he was still coming up behind you and holding you still while tickling you until he felt satisfied. It was okay for a few days but now he was just trying to annoy you, but in a way you deserved it. You had made him think you were cheating on him with some guy named Mike, so tickling was nothing compared to that.

Angel pulled out her phone, “I have something else you should do!” You raised your eyebrows skeptically, but she was already smiling. If it was something else that would hurt his heart you weren’t sure if you could do it.

Yes the facial expressions he made out of jealousy were hilarious to say the least, but his eyes had also softened in worry and hurt. That was something you didn’t want to see again. It showed you how much he loved you, and how the thought of you breaking the trust you’d built for many years scared him so much in that moment.

She showed you the video and you were kind of confused, just like the last time. It was a girl putting her hair up and leaning towards her, most likely, boyfriend then diverting her attention to something else. Angel laughed out loud, “Imagine Levi with that look of disappointment in his eyes.” You still were lost at what was going on and she noticed. She wanted to call you an oldie, but decided against it.

You truly were left out of the loop sometimes, but at the same time Angel admired that. It was rare in this day and age to have no desire for social media, and you probably had a healthier mindset than her.

The girl couldn’t help but roll her eyes at your confused state. “She made him think she was about to give him head, but she reached for the remote beside him and turned on the tv,” she explained like it was the most obvious thing ever. Maybe you didn’t get it because you never put your hair up when giving Levi a blowjob, he had a thing for holding your hair himself. You honestly didn’t think you could pull this one off due to that, Levi probably would just think you’re putting your hair up cause you feel like it.

“So uh, I don’t put my hair up when I give Levi head,” you admit with a blush, “he usually holds my hair for me.” Her eyes automatically widen and she lets out a snort at how embarrassed you were saying that. “Then you’re going to have to do something extra so he does think you’re gonna give him head,” she says with her hands waving in the air.

You let out a nervous chuckle unsure of how you’d even be able to do that. The idea was to make it seem like you were going to but at the same time not going to. You weren’t that skilled in the acting department.

Levi probably would tickle you till you can’t breath if you did something to mess with him again. But this wasn’t harmful for his sweet heart at all, the most it would do is give him blue balls. He could definitely live with that, he gets enough action out of you. The man may be older but he definitely still had a crazy sex drive. So, that made it even a better reason to mess with his hormones.

When a smile spread across your face Angel knew you’d made up you mind. “Look at you getting involved with the trends, I feel like a proud Mom,” she squealed with pure happiness. Heat rises to your cheeks, the girl had once again convinced you to mess with your boyfriend.

“Stop, you’re making me feel old,” you griped but had a playful smile on your face. She shakes her head at you and giggles before pulling up more video to show you.

Levi came home earlier than usual, Angel was still sitting on your couch talking up a storm. He thought she was a good friend, but he didn’t appreciate what she had convinced you to do a week ago. “You’re home early,” you said with a smile. You liked when he got off work at this time, it gave you two longer to spend time with one another. “Erwin gave me the rest of the week off with pay as a Christmas present,” he chuckled a bit remembering how awkward Erwin was as he called it a Christmas present.

You let out a light squeal and wrap your arms around him, “That’s so sweet! Now I get you all to myself.” Levi watched as your brows wiggled with suggestion and he smirked. “Well, I guess i’ll leave my favorite love birds alone,” Angel said with a fake frown. You gave her a hug and she was off, leaving you with Levi.

“Let’s watch a movie,” you propose, “we haven’t sat down and watched one in so long.” He agrees with the idea and you hug him once again. This was part of your plan, to be all clingy. Sure you two were attached at the hip but constant touching from you usually meant something. Plus you were getting him to be still, which was hard.

The man always wanted to catch up with work, but tonight he had no reason to, It was all falling into place. As if the universe wanted you to fuck with him again.

After Levi changed out of his work clothes into something comfortable it was really starting to set into motion. You’d already picked out the movie, made popcorn, and grabbed a hair tie from the bathroom. Purposely, you set the bowl of popcorn on the table next to Levi’s usually side of the couch. All the lights were out besides the luminosity of the television. “You sure are eager to watch a movie,” he said with a quirked brow. You’d already taken your seat on the couch and Levi followed suit.

You giggled at his words and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He kissed you back, expect on the nose, and your heart warmed at the gesture. He was making it harder to follow through with your devious plan. Why did he have to be such a sweetie? Minute after minute went by and your hands stayed on Levi. Wether it was playing with his hair, or holding his hand, you were being a touchy fanatic.

Right after you gave him a peck on the neck you knew it was time of time to trick him. His shoulders perked up when your lips had met his neck, sending a shock to his stomach. You sat up some and took the band off of your wrist before messily putting your hair up. Levi was looking at you with hungry eyes, you’d definitely fooled him.

You turned towards him and rested your palm on his lap. His heart was starting to beat faster and his body was becoming hot. Right as he thought you were about to kiss him you kept leaning past his face, grabbing the bowl of popcorn next to him instead. You leaned back into the couch and set the dish in your lap. Shock grew within him as you started to eat away as if nothing happened. As if you hadn’t made him turn into a horny mess within the span of 15 seconds.

It was so hard to not laugh at the confused and dumbfounded expressions on his face. In a way, to him, this was on a different level of cruel. His dick was straining in his pants as you stuffed your mouth with popcorn. “What was that about?” he finally said, not caring much about the movie anymore. You raised your brows in confused and munched away, “What are you talking about baby?”

He put the back on his hand over his eyes and slid it down his face. The last thing he wanted to do was be an asshole because he thought he was getting head. He kept telling himself he misread the situation and was being too much of an aroused fuck. But when you started giggling up a storm he knew you’d done it on purpose.

“It was Angels idea wasn’t it?” You nodded as an answer, still consumed with giggles. He huffed at you before grabbing your hand and put on his crotch. The feeling of his bulge made you almost automatically stop with your childish sounds. “See how easily you got me worked up?” you didn’t say anything, only watched as his grey eyes darkened in desire.

The action made you gulp. He grabbed the bowl of popcorn and set it back on the table next to him. You yelped as his strong hands pulled you onto his lap. Levi wasn’t going to let you win this time, he’d be damned if Angel laughed later on as you explained it. He was going to punish you in a different way now, one that would leave you screaming.

“I bet you’re a little worked up too,” his finger traces your collar bone and you can’t help but shiver. He bucked his hips a bit, making his member hit the right spot on your heat. When you let out a slight whimper he knew you were wrapped around his finger this time. You felt your parts become ignited from his touch. He definitely wasn’t holding back.

“I’m gonna make you beg for me to stop,” he whispers in your ear with his deep voice. Strong arms wrap around your waist as he carries you to the bedroom. Your stomach is filled with excitement and your heard is starting to spin at the adrenaline rush.

Once he sets you down on the bed his lips start to attack your neck. Sucking and biting almost every inch, moans slip past your lips in ecstasy. His hands play with your chest only adding to the feeling, and you’re in a fit on pleasure.

Your vision is blurred as his hands snake under your shirt. Lips move away for a second to lift the clothing over your head. You should have known Levi would react like this, he wasn’t going to let you get your way again.

Fingers looped around the waistband of your fuzzy pajama bottoms, slipping them off your legs. He kisses the inside of your thighs with wet lips which causes your breathing to become more uneven. His hands pressed into your sides once his mouth began to hover over your clothed core. His hot breath so close to where you needed him most made your body feel like jelly.

“Beg for it,” he whispers with a smirk plastered across his beautiful features. That’s when you knew he had a long night planned for the two of you.

[kageyamas-love]

Hello! I have a couple of ideas for Iwaizumi requests if you’re feeling up to it. Ones a fluff and the other is an angst-fluff.

Fluffy: Both reader and Iwaizumi have been busy, busy for several weeks now and they haven’t had a relaxing day together so when the chance arises and their schedules align they jump at the opportunity to bask with one another in comfort and laziness.

Angst-fluff: Both reader and Iwaizumi are interested/pining after the other and Iwaizumi decides to take the first step and confess. The reader is ready to accept his confession but his fangirls (he has to have some; I mean the man is 🤤) overhear/find out. They decide to play into reader’s insecurities and they slowly begin to decide to turn down Iwaizumis confession. He finds out what his fans are doing and decides to handle the situation in true Iwaizumi fashion and then books it to the readers home where he pours his heart out to them. In the end they both end up together and happy.

Hopefully this is what you’re looking for! If not i’m happy coming up with something else.

Thanks!

-🦈

confession

pairing: iwaizumi x reader

warnings: angst, swearing but don’t worry it’s a happy ending:)

a/n: not me misreading the angst-to-fluff...😁 it’s ok it’s still the same idea ehe

being best friends with iwaizumi was amazing. he gave the best hugs, advice, and anything you needed. he was always your shoulder to cry on when things were difficult for you.

you’d been friends with eachother since kindergarten, always having each other’s backs. you couldn’t forget oikawa either, but youd always been a little closer to iwaizumi. your feelings for him had grown early too, however finally confronting them wouldn’t come for a while. you’d just assume they would go away.

oikawa had figured out your crush on his best friend long before highschool, thanks to his observational skills. he’d often make kissy faces teasing you about iwaizumi when the ace wasn’t looking.

throughout highschool, you started noticing how your two friends were becoming quite popular amongst the girls. some of them even resenting you because of their jealousy of your closeness to the boys. you often times shrugged off their pointed glares, and the occasional rude messages they’d leave on social media.

you never usually complained about it to the two, specifically iwaizumi, in fear of him finding out about your feelings towards him.

now, in your third year, oikawa started to bug you about how how ‘you need to confess before graduation’. the idea didn’t sit right with you, but eventually, he’d convinced you.

you settled on confessing the next day, wearing a cute outfit, and making a bento for him. you waited until lunch to confess.

you walked to the bathroom, deciding to touch up the light amount of makeup you put on the morning, and as usual, many of the bitchy girls of your grade stood in a circle, gossiping as usual. when they noticed you were in the bathroom, it went dead silent. you put the bag that held iwaizumi’s lunch down whilst you fixed up your mascara. you noticed many of the girls glaring at you through the mirror, but decided to ignore them. that was, until one of them spoke up. “you do know iwaizumi doesn’t like you.” she said, smirking. “yeah. why would he ever like a girl who could pass as a dog.” another girl said. some laughed, while others waited intently for your reaction. their insults didn’t usually effect you, considering the fact that you were closer to him then any of them would ever be. however, their words started to cause doubt to settle into your mind, making you second guess yourself. should i really confess to him? and how did they even find out i was going to?

you bit the inside of your cheek, trying to distract yourself from the tears that welled up in your eyes. one of them noticed this, and laughed. “look! she knows it’s true. she looks liked she’s about to cry!” you hadn’t even noticed one of the girls who’d snuck up, stealing the bento you’d made for the boy. “aw~ did little l/n make him a bento?” she taunted whilst throwing it into the trash bin. that seemed to be the last straw. you allowed the pool of tears in your eyes to stream down your face. you faintly heard the girls cackles as you stormed out of the bathroom. you decided to go home, not even bothering to tell anyone.

iwaizumi and oikawa sat down with the rest of the volleyball boys at their usual table in the cafeteria. usually, you’d be found sitting with them, chatting and giggling along with them. though, you weren’t there today.

“has anyone seen f/n?” iwaizumi asked as he took a bite of an onigiri. matsukawa shrugged, “maybe she’s doing extra homework for something.” iwaizumi furrowed his brows. you’d always texted him if you weren’t going to hangout at lunch. he didn’t let it bother him too much however. maybe she just forgot. he thought. “she even had a surprise for you iwa-chan! what a scaredy-cat.” oikawa groaned, scarfing down some of his milk bread. iwaizumi huffed, ignoring the heat that shot to his face at oikawa’s declaration. “i’ll be back.”

the spiker walked down the hallway. he wanted to come by your classroom, hoping to see you. he couldn’t help but listen to some of the girls who were talking lowly inside your class. one of them chuckled. “at least we scared l/n off.. if we didn’t, she would’ve totally confessed to him! she ran home like a little baby!” one said, laughing. “yeah! now we can have iwaizumi all to ourselves!” the other whispered-screeched. iwaizumi gasped, catching the attention to the two girls who sat inside. they whipped their heads around, eyes widening at the sight of iwaizumi with a deep scowl on his face. “uh- iwaizumi-san! d-did you hear anything we just said? ahaha...” iwaizumi let of a chortle in defence, shaking his head as he crossed his arms in disappointment. “next time how about you mind your own fucking business instead of messing with other people’s relationships.” he muttered, before he left the room completely.

you sniffled as you sat up from your bed, hearing multiple vibrations coming from your phone. you reached out to your side table, immediately seeing countless texts from iwaizumi, and even some from oikawa. ‘are you ok?’ ‘f/n please answer me.’ ‘i’m coming over.’ were the most recent messages from the former. before you even had time to reply, you heard the doorbell ring. you didn’t get up, assuming it was iwaizumi, hoping that he would leave. you assumed he’d already already left, when you heard your bedroom door open. your eyes snapped to it, only to see iwaizumi’s hands on his knees as he painted heavily. “f-f/n- i heard what happened..” he spoke, shutting your bedroom door. you didn’t even try to deny it as you took a deep breath, laughing bitterly . “yeah.. it sucked.” he slowly made his way over to the bed. to be honest, he was still not totally believing the fact that you were going to confess your feelings to him. had he misheard what those girls said? he was debating whether that was his case whilst he’d sprinted to your house from the school. he ignored the heavy beating of his heart.

he sat across from you, crossing his legs, trying to read your face. “f/n...” he started, but before he could continue his sentence you spoke up. “hajime, it’s ok. you didn’t have to come here. those girls were right.. i know you don’t like me back but i’m sure i’ll be back to normal soon.” you uttered, gripping onto the sheets under you to keep you from crying. a look of confusion coated his face before he finally realized what you’d said. he waved his hands in front of him. “huh? wait woah woah- how do you know i don’t like you back? i mean- i do like you back!” this caused you to look up at him for the first time since he’d entered your room. your jaw laid agape for a second whilst you thought of what to say. “wait- you do? this better not be some cruel joke hajime..” he shook his head immediately, swallowing deeply. “no, it’s true! i’ve felt this way for so long now.. probably since sometime in elementary.” he explained, which made a big smile grow on your face. realizing your reaction, he blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “so anyway.. would you wanna be my girlfriend?”

back to masterlist

[monaownsmyass]

New Perspective

If you have any fic ideas or requests you'd like me to write, you can leave me an ask!

Book: My Two First Loves, Chapter 51

Pairing: Ava Lawrence x MC (Emma Price)

Genre : Fluff

Rating: PG13

Word Count: 4,511

A/N: What would’ve happened if MC went college touring with Ava in Ava’s PoV. A certain couple also makes an appearance and gives Ava some advice 😉

Tag list: @ineedskyecrandall @kamilahsayeet2063 @avalawrencefl @lovekamilahsayeed @thequeenkamilahsayeed @heygmicheelle @djtjsmith14 @jjlover01 @soft-for-drake (lmk if anyone would like to be included or removed in my next fics.)

I stopped outside Emma's house by her driveway and honked. I knew she saw me 'cuz she was sitting on her porch steps but I still did it anyway.

"Get in, loser! We're going college hunting!"

She looked down and shook her head as she made her way to my car but I saw that smile on her lips.

She opened the passenger's side door and got in. She closed it before she looked at me and said, "For the record, that was highly unnecessary."

"For the record, where's the fun in not doing it?"

She rolled her eyes but I knew she was the complete opposite of annoyed.

When I first asked her if she wanted to go college touring with me, I was hesitant. It took me the whole day to decide whether or not I should've sent that message. Eventually, I thought 'Screw it!' and hit the send button. Instant regret flooded me as soon as I did and I left my phone unattended for the next few hours, dreading to see what her reply was.

It normally wouldn't have been such a big deal. She was my best friend after all. However, after that day when Mackenzie asked us to model for her, things became... awkward. It wasn't a bad awkward but we became kinda nervous around each other. I thought back to the day where I figured out that maybe, the girl I was crushing on, my best friend, had a crush on me too.

"I wanna capture the real you," I remember Mack saying vividly. You two have been friends forever! You gotta be able to come up with something!"

"Well, in that case..." Emma glanced at Mack and then at me. Just being under her gaze was enough to make me lose my train of thought. "Ava, come sit on my lap!"

My eyes widened but I caught myself, not wanting to be obvious. I cleared my throat and decided to tease her back. I smirked and placed my hand on my hip.

"Should I give you a lap dance while I'm at it?"

I did not expect the next words to come out of Emma's mouth.

"I mean, if you think it'll look good for the cameras..." she flirted back, speaking low in an enticing voice.

My breath hitched. It's not as if we haven't flirted before, we definitely have. Platonically flirting with each other was something we've always done. But this wasn't it. It felt more than that, it wasn't friendly at all. I could feel the tension between us as she looked me straight in the eye. Her eyes burnt into mine and I could see the want in them.

Any longer and I would've passed out.

I shook myself out of my daze and I sauntered up to her. The show must go on anyway. I wrapped my arms around her neck and painstakingly slowly slid myself down onto her lap, my entire body brushing against hers. The friction between us felt electric on my skin.

I was breathless at the close contact but I managed to ask, "How's this?"

"Great!" Emma squeaked out in a high-pitched voice.

Oh?

Just a few seconds ago she was making come-hither eyes at me and was acting all confident. Now she was a blushing, stuttering mess. This wasn't just two friends playing around, was it? The excitement I felt and the way she squirmed in her seat told me otherwise.

"So feisty, I dig it!" Mackenzie called from behind the camera. I almost totally forgot that Emma's little sister was photographing us. But I wasn't done yet.

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest but I had to know if I made Emma nervous the same way she did me, butterflies in stomach and all that.

I brushed my fingers lightly against the side of her face, stroking her soft skin before placing a gentle kiss. I brushed my lips against her cheek and saw her eyes widen and mouth opened, agape.

I felt her tense under me and hesitantly let her hand rest around my waist.

I could feel the heat radiating off her body and I was sure she could feel the same coming from me.

I leaned in close to her ear, my breath skimming her earlobe and whispered, "Relax." I felt her shudder and saw goosebumps appear on her skin.

Interesting.

"Perfect! I got it!" Mackenzie announced, causing me to spring apart from Emma.

"Oh!" Emma said, flustered. "Good, good."

After that situation, we kinda avoided each other a little. Don't get me wrong, we didn't go out of our way to not talk or see each other, but we didn't make the effort to do reach out either which is very unlike us.

A week later was when I decided to invite her to join me in college touring. I missed her and I knew ignoring whatever that was going on between us wasn't gonna help the situation either. I admit that part of me had asked her to follow me in the hopes that we could finally talk about it. Which explains why I was so nervous went I sent her that text.

To my great relief, she responded with a very enthusiastic, 'I'd love to!' when I checked my phone much later that day.

And here we are now, me in the driver's seat and her in the passenger's of my sedan, blasting music and on the way to some college. I glanced at her to find her already looking at me. Instinctively, she averted her gaze but just as quickly, she looked back at me. I guess she figured there was no point hiding.

"What?" I questioned with a smile, eyes back on the road.

"Nothing," she paused. "I just feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

"We see each other everyday."

"I know, smartass," she responded, laughing. "I mean, I feel like I haven't actually seen you for a while. How are you?"

The statement brought heat to my cheeks and I didn't need to look at her to know her eyes were piercing through my soul, wanting to know if there was truth behind the words that would pass my lips.

"I'm good." And it was true. Now that she was here, I've never felt better.

We made it to the first place on our list, Hartfeld University, which was also the school Emma was aiming for. We looked around together and I noticed that she was particularly interested in a cinematography course that was definitely perfect for her.

As we explore the campus, I could see her eyes light up and I knew she was exactly where she was suppose to be. I was happy for her but I couldn't help but feel a little jealous and insecure about my own future. I was so unsure and uncertain about what I wanted to do it made me anxious.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Emma asked me quietly as we walked through the courtyard.

"Hm?"

"You seem kinda spaced out. What's up?"

"Ugh," I sighed. "It's gonna sound stupid but I just realised how in over my head I am about this whole college thing!"

"It's not stupid, it's normal."

"Maybe, but god, I'm already uncertain about the present, how am I suppose to know what I wanna do in the future?"

Opening up to Emma had always been easy. She was a calming presence and whenever she was around me, I felt at ease.

She slowed down beside me and gazed at me. Once again, I felt nervous. "Uncertain about the present?" My palms sweated up as she spoke her next words. "What do you mean?" she asked even though I knew she knew exactly what I meant.

This was the moment I was waiting for, right? To finally confront my feelings about her and confirm hers. To finally have a talk about us. But I didn't. It was the main reason I asked her to tag along but yet, I wasn't ready. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I ever was gonna be ready.

"It's okay," I said. "If you're done here let's head on to the next uni."

"Okay," she uttered. I could sense the disappointment, as if she wanted me to share more. As if she was hoping I was gonna bring it up.

I ignored it and drove to the next place on out list.

After a few more stops, we finally made it the uni of my top pick; Belvoire University.

We made our way around the campus and looking at all the students there made me feel intimidated but having Emma by my side grounded me. I found myself wondering how on earth I could've ever felt awkward around her over the past week. She was my calm in the storm and I definitely would've been having a panic attack without her.

But then I felt her hand graze against mine as we walked and I suddenly remembered why. As much as she calmed my thoughts, she was also the cause of it to go into overdrive.

My initial instinct was to move away and brush it off as an accident but with everything that had happened between us lately, could it have been intentional? My mind raced. I may not have been ready to talk about it but that didn't mean I couldn’t act on it and test the waters.

Steeling myself, I decided to take the leap of faith. I sucked in a breath and let my hand brush against hers, as light as a feather. I felt her hand stiffen and for a moment, I thought I misread the entire situation and made a mistake. Our friendship has been put through the wringer and I don't think I could take it if anything else happened.

But something did happen. Something that would change our relationship as we knew.

She reached out and held my hand.

This action may seem small but it was the hugest thing to me. We've never held hands before and it felt strangely intimate. Maybe it was because I've never held hands with a girl, let alone a girl I liked, but the contact sent a jolt up my arm and through the rest of my body.

I turned my head to Emma's direction to find a small grin playing on her lips. I glanced down at our intertwined hands. My heart fluttered and I felt myself smiling at the sight.

So this is what it feels like.

We continued to walk down the pathway in comfortable silence, arms swinging slightly by our sides with our hands still in each other's. The soft hand in mine felt nothing like the rough ones I was used to. It was different. A good different. A better different.

Eventually, we came to a point where we decided to part ways to explore on our own since we wanted to check out different things. Emma's hand slipped out of mine and I ached to grab it and never let her go. But I stopped myself and watched her leave my side, waving me a goodbye.

"We'll meet back here when we're done, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, trying to mask the disappointment and anxiety I felt without her by my side in a foreign place despite finally feeling like I could be myself here.

Gripping the pamphlet in my hand, I strode to one of the buildings but almost immediately realised I had no clue where I was going. I looked around, trying to decide who I should ask for help. I saw a bunch of rowdy frats boys and snobbish sorority girls and made the subconscious decision to steer clear of them.

I peered around more and my eyes landed on two girls sitting by a picnic table by themselves. They were giggling with their arms around each other. They looked like they were in a world of their own even though there were plenty of people around them. Something about them drew me towards them. Before I could think about it, my feet led me to their direction.

"Uh, hi!" I interrupted, announcing my presence to the,. Both heads turned to look at me. "Sorry to intrude, but I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Sure thing! What can we do for ya?" replied one of the girls with a slight country twang.

"Well, I'm touring the university and I think I'm a little lost," I chuckled nervously.

"Oh, babe," the other girl in a pineapple jacket said to me sympathetically.

'Babe?' I thought, feeling myself blush. I knew it was friendly but being called that by someone pretty was bound to have that effect on anyone.

"Forget the touring, if you want to survive Belvoire, you gotta know how things are run here."

That piqued my interest.

"What do you mean?"

Both girls just looked at each other.

"You might want to take a seat for this one."

I did and they explained all the essentials I needed to know. By the time they were done, I was pretty sure I was staring at them in disbelief.

"Oh," was all I could say in response.

"Yeah, Belvoire isn't for the faint of heart," explained the girl with the accent. "I swear the only reason I'm still here is 'cuz of this amazing woman right here." She nudged the girl beside her and smiled.

"You give me too much credit, darling."

They leaned in and kissed each other. When they pulled back, they stared into each other's eyes, smiling softly at the other. They looked so in love. I wondered if I could ever have that. Not only being crazy in love with someone who felt the same way towards me but being comfortable and confident enough to show that love off to the world.

I may have been staring too long and hard at them even though I was lost in my thoughts 'cuz one of them asked, "what's wrong?", breaking my reverie.

"Nothing," I shook my head. "You guys are just cute together."

"Tell us something we don't know," joked the girl in pineapples and I laughed along but then she added, "So who's the girl?"

I froze. "Wh-what?"

"I was once where you are at one point in time. I know that look. And I know that you're dying to talk to someone about it so c'mon, you can tell us."

I sighed. There was no point denying it.

"My best friend," I muttered and hid my face behind my hands. "Who also likes these two other guys."

"Oh, babe," she said again.

"I know. I know, but I can't help it, she just feels... right. Like we were made for each other." I slapped my palm against my forehead at my words. "That sounded pretty cheesy, huh?"

"A little," the other girl giggled. "But trust me, if it's true, it's true." She took her girlfriend's hand and kissed it.

"Okay, cheeseballs, let's get back on topic." Pineapple Girl said but she was grinning. "Do you know if she likes you back?"

I scrunched my brows. "I think so? I mean, I can’t say for sure but I do have a strong feeling she might."

"Here's my advice. Just go for it. Even if ya think you have the slimmest chance, just go ahead and try your luck," said Country Girl. "And that goes for anything in life."

"But we've been friends for years, and I don't want to screw it up if things go south."

"But could you live with yourself if you never tried?" asked Pineapple Girl. "Could you settle for good if you knew you had the chance to make it better? Every stroke a painter does could risk their masterpiece but it's also another step closer to creating something beautiful, so go create something beautiful.

"Okay, Plato, when did you become so philosophical and wise," her girlfriend teased.

"You still have a lot to learn about me, love."

"Looking forward to it."

They continued their flirty banter but their words stuck with me and struck something within me, which made me ponder. Would I risk our friendship for something greater? Could I?

"I may have another problem," I interrupted. "I'm not exactly out. To anyone."

"Not the most progressive place you live in?" asked Country Girl.

I snorted. "You could say that."

"All I have to say is people will surprise ya."

"I'm just scared people will start treating me differently and stop talking to me."

"They aren't worth your time anyway, then. But I grew up in the Midwest and maybe I was lucky, but I definitely didn't have it as bad as I thought I would. I'm not saying you should come out if ya don't want to, but if you're ready, I suggest giving people a chance."

"Hey, worse come to worst, you're leaving for college soon anyway, so it would be the perfect place to start over," Pineapple Girl joked. "Belvoire might be a hellhole at times but our sexuality isn't a grievance here."

Listening to them made me see things in a new light. Maybe I was ready to deal with the feelings between Emma and I. I looked around and saw all the college students minding their own business and realised I had no reason to be intimidated. They didn't bother that I was some high school kid. They just didn't care.

And usually, I'd be extremely cautious about my every action, not wanting to give away the fact that I was not as straight as everyone back home thought. That I was gay, a lesbian. But being here, with Emma, when I was holding her hand, that wariness faded and I felt like I could finally breathe easy again.

Just then, I spotted a familiar figure making her way towards us. Even in a place full of eccentric people with unique personalities like Belvoire, she still shined the brightest. Like a diamond in the rough, a rose among thorns. And I was proud that I got to call her my best friend. My first love.

"Hi!" she greeted me with a smile. "I was wondering where you went."

"Hey, how was touring?" I asked, gesturing her to sit beside me.

"So boring without you." She pouted and grabbed onto my arm. My skin under her palm tingled. "But the people here are definitely... interesting though."

"You can say that again," Country Girl said with a laugh.

"Oh, right," I said, forgetting that we were in company. "Emma, these are-" I paused and turned my attention towards them. "Sorry, I don't think I caught your names."

They laughed and Pineapple Girl introduced her and her girlfriend.

"I'm Zoey and this lovely woman right here, is Bea."

"I'm Ava, by the way."

Emma also gave them a little wave and a smile to be polite.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Ava, Emma." She checked her phone and looked up to address me again.  "As much fun as it was talking to you, Bea and I have somewhere we need to be soon."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to take up that much of your time."

"It's fine, babe." At the mention of the pet name, I felt Emma beside me tighten her grip that was on my arm. I raised a brow. Was she jealous? "It was nice talking to you."

Emma and I moved to get up and Emma was a few paces in front of me when Zoey called out to me.

"Ava, hold on just a moment."

I turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"She likes you too, I can tell."

Bea butted in, teasing. "Zoey would know, right, bestie?"

Zoey rolled her eyes but pulled her girlfriend in closer to her to give her a side hug.

I caught up to Emma and we made our way back to my sedan.

So I wasn't just imagining thing.

It was gonna be sundown soon but I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Emma just yet. It's been hours but I still have yet to do the thing I mainly invited her for. And as if she read my mind, she spoke up.

"Where to next?"

I looked at her, confused. "Um, home?"

"Oh," she said softly.

"Unless," I quickly interjected. "You want to do something else? Before I send you back?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw her bite her lip and give a tiny nod. "I don't want to say good bye to you yet."

My heart did a flip at her words and at the tone of her shy voice.

"Me too," I admitted and saw smile. "Alright, I know exactly where to take you."

I drove us to an open field that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I parked alongside a few other cars and Emma glanced around. She took in the sight of the other cars and then noticed the big screen in front of us.

"We're at a drive-in theatre?!" She asked, shouting.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to check this place out ever since I heard about it. And since it's on the way and I know you've always wanted to go to one so I thought why not." 

She stared at me, speechless.

"Unless this was a complete mistake and you want to go somewhere else then it's-"

"No! No, nothing like that!" She cut me of as she lunged towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Thank you!"

"Oh!" I returned her hug, resting my arms around her waist while chuckling. "You're welcome."

She squeezed me tighter before pulling back to her side again. I could feel myself blush furiously even minutes later. We talked for a bit before the movie started playing.

It was hard to focus on the film playing on the giant screen in front of us when beside me was the most gorgeous girl I knew. Her hand rested beside mine in between us.

My eyes may have been directed straight ahead but I was hyperaware of the tiny gap separating our fingers. Any closer and it would touch.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to see what would happen next. Emma's pinky brushed against mine and I averted my gaze down towards our hands. That simple gesture was a dare, a taunt. 'Come on, do it'. Ironically, it was also all the encouragement I needed.

I hooked my pinky around hers, waiting for her to pull back but she didn't. Slowly, I placed my hand on top of hers and gently squeezed. She took the next initiative to finally turn her hand so her palm met mine as our fingers interlaced.

I sighed, letting out a shaky breath which caught her attention. Her eyes shot in my direction and that action caused me to do the same to her. Her gaze glanced down at our interlocked hands and immediately back up to my eyes. She stared at me as I stared at her, the movie long forgotten. I could see the flame in her eyes as they bore into mine.

And in that moment, there was nothing in the entire universe I wanted more than to just kiss her.

I found myself leaning forward and maybe it was too dark to tell, but I was certain I saw her do the same.

I stopped myself before moving any further. My brows furrowed even as my eyes searched her pretty brown ones. Was I willing to risk our friendship? What we had was good. I thought back to Zoey's words. It was good. But it could be better. And I sure as hell would rather try than remain wondering what could've been.

"Ava," she drew out just above a whisper.

Maybe I wasn't ready to talk about it, I don't know when I'll ever be. But action speaks louder than words and I wanted to be as loud as possible. I was tired of pretending and hiding and I didn't want to wait any longer.

I held the back of her neck and crashed our lips together. The instant our lips met, I melted into a sigh. If I thought feeling her body pressed against mine was electric, the way her lips felt on mine was explosive.

I was invigorated from the way her lips moved on mine, exhilarated from the way her hands grasped onto my shirt, intoxicated from the way the scent of her perfume fogged my sense. Energy surged through my body and chills ran up my spine.

If this is what kissing was supposed to feel like I never wanted it to end.

Her hands left my shirt to travel down my arms and then to the small of my back. Her touch even through my clothes was making me heady. She bit my lip and that's when I lost it.

"Oh, Em!" I moaned into the kiss, unable to help myself.

The sound seemed to push her further. Never breaking the kiss, she got up from her seat to cross over to mine. She straddled my lap and locked her arms around my neck. My hands gripped her hips in response.

My body burnt as we kept kissing. She was driving me crazy.

"God, Ava," she groaned softly which ignited a fire within me. "You're amazing."

"Mm," I hummed in acknowledgement as my hands trailed to her thighs, giving them a squeeze.

The kiss was slow and intense. It was emotional and personal. I could sense that she was as eager as I was but we kept our pace, taking our time and enjoying the feel of the other against our own until we finally broke apart.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for that," I panted, my arms encircling her waist to pull her closer into me.

She giggled and gave me a kiss on the forehead. She still had her arms around my neck as she brought my head to her chest and rested hers on top of mine. I could feel her heart beat going a mile a minute. "I have some idea."

She pulled away to look at me.

"What?" I questioned, laughing.

"Earlier I told you I feel like I haven't actually seen you in a while. What I meant to say was that you are absolutely breathtaking and beautiful and awe-inspiring and I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be here with you."

I let out a huge grin at her confession.

"I feel the same way about you," I whispered before pulling her back into another kiss.

As we kissed, the only space that existed was us in my car. The movie playing, the other people, everything outside, it was all distant. It was all in the background. The only thing that mattered then was Emma and I in that moment and with every brush of our lips, we were creating something beautiful.

Together.

(More fics!)

~*~*~

Bonus scene!

“Zo!” I felt my girlfriend nudge me.

“Yeah, babe?” My eyes that were trained on the screen averted to look at her.

“Is that Ava over there?”

“The girl we met earlier?” I squinted in the direction she was pointing at. Despite it being dark, I could still recognise the face and figure shifting in the car parked a few spaces away from ours. “Oh! It is!”

 “And she’s with Emma?”

We watched as they leaned in towards each other. After a short while, Ava grabbed the back of Emma’s neck and their lips connected!

“And now they’re kissing?”

I laughed and said, “She wasted no time with that. I’m proud of her.”

“They’re so cute,” Bea said with a smile, looking back to me.

“They are,” I agreed. “But so are we!”

She giggle and nodded. “Of course we are.”

I gave her a peck on the cheek before resting my head on her shoulder and enjoying the rest of the movie.

[riversofmars]

I have an idea for a prompt! How about 13 becomes human again for whatever reason, she meets River, and without either knowing the other still manage to get together?

Thank you for this brilliant prompt! Not gonna lie, I was thinking coffee shop AU initially but I think I’ve come up with something better! 

For River this is set post Manhattan pre Darillium while she’s teaching at Luna U, she hasn't met 13 and obviously doesn't recognise her. 13 - for whatever reason as per the prompt - is under the influence of the Chameleon Arch and human, not remembering who she is.

Hope you like it!

Rating: G

Word Count: 1800

AO3

Stuff of Legends

“What are you doing in here?“

The Doctor jumped when a voice cut through the silence at Luna University Library. It was late, very late, in fact. 2am was fast approaching and the library had been empty apart from her. She had chosen the time deliberately, she had banked on people being asleep or off partying for fresher’s week.

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t realise anyone was…“ She looked around anxiously to see a figure approaching along the rows of shelves.

“You know this area is restricted, right?“ A woman came into view, wild curly hair, silky blouse and a keen sparkle in her eyes. There as a sort of amusement in her voice and she tilted her head as she looked her up and down. The Doctor got the sense she wouldn’t tell on her, at least not yet.

“Yeah, well, uhh… my archive request was denied so I thought…“ She didn’t really know what to say. She knew access to this section of the Library was restricted but she had come a long way for it and when her request was denied by the Academy of Time Travel, she had decided to go about it another way.

“You thought you would sneak in here instead?“ The woman concluded with a smirk.

“Well, they didn’t really give an explanation so…“ The Doctor scratched the back of her head. She was anxious about having been caught but so far, the other woman didn’t seem to mind too much. Perhaps she had snuck in here as well.

“Oh there was this incident, quite a long time ago now, a student snuck into the Academy’s archives and took an ancient vortex manipulator to have a sneak peak at her future essay papers… I mean, you can’t plagiarise yourself so they could hardly expel her but they did get a lot pickier with admitting people to their archives.“ The woman explained pleasantly.

“Well, firstly, that’s very clever of the student and secondly, very unreasonable to restrict everyone else’s access to the archives when some of us have actual research to do.“ The Doctor huffed, somewhere between admiration and annoyance. “Surely the student in question has long graduated…“

“And is a professor now. Professor River Song.“ River extended her hand to her with a smirk and the Doctor’s face fell.

“Oh, uhh… you’re a professor? You work here, I…I shouldn’t be here…“ She stammered, realising her mistake. This woman was staff! And she had caught her red handed.

“No, you shouldn’t be and yet you are.“ River observed sounding surprisingly unbothered about it which sort of made sense if she had been the student in question. The Doctor wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or worried. “What are you doing?“ River asked curiously and looked to the books the Doctor had gathered on a desk.

“Uh… just some research…“ The Doctor answered nervously.

“What are you studying?“ River picked up a book that she knew well. It was one of the more comprehensive guides on supposed Timelord meddling through time.

“Well, not technically a student…“ The Doctor admitted. She wasn’t sure what to say. This woman was thoroughly confusing. She was a professor here but also seemed to have an affinity for bending the rules. Could she trust her not to rat her out?

“So you didn’t just sneak into the Academy’s library section but into the university in general?“ River sounded impressed.

“No, I mean, I’m not a student, I’m a doctor, visiting lecturer… Luna University is meant to have the greatest collection of Timelord artefacts so…“ The Doctor felt the need to set the record straight.

“A doctor, huh? You sure you’re old enough?“ River smirked and the Doctor found herself blushing under her appraising gaze. Was she flirting with her?

“You don’t exactly strike me as a stuffy old professor either.“ She retorted before she could think better of it.

“Touché.“ River laughed lightly and looked back at the collection of books, scriptures and star charts. “Why the interests in the Timelords? Most people don’t even believe them to be real.“ She observed picking up another book to read the back of it.

“I don’t know, I just… personal interest, I guess. Something about them just intrigues me.“ The Doctor replied growing more self conscious. She felt a little silly. A lot of academics looked down on those paddling theories that the Timelords actually existed. Most people believed them to be the stuff of legends. While time travel was certainly real, the idea of almost celestial beings able to live forever seemed too fantastical to be true. While there was certainly something the legends were based on, there was no way of knowing which bits were fact and which were fiction.

“What’s your field?“ River asked curiously putting the book down.

“Astrophysics.“ The Doctor answered slowly. “Yours?“

“Archeology.“ River replied in amusement. “I’m much more likely to take an interest in this sort of thing than you, how do the Timelords relate to your research?“ It was a fair question.

“Star charts… well, that’s where I started. Everything else doesn’t really relate. I’m just… curious, they’re fascinating.“ The Doctor admitted, sticking her hands in the pockets of her coat before shrugging.

“Well, the stuff of legends always is.“ River chuckled.

“Unfortunately, I’m not likely to getting any answers here.“ The Doctor sighed feeling a little bit more comfortable now. It didn’t look like this woman would tell on her but it seemed to have been a wasted trip regardless.

“Answers to what?“ River asked and the Doctor shrugged again, with a little laugh this time:

“You know, I don’t even know… I can’t really explain it… never mind.“ She waved it off. “I can’t read it anyway, whatever this language is, I don’t understand it.“ She opened one of the books and held it out to River, pointing out the circular writing.

“It’s High Gallifreyan.“ River answered as she took the book off her. “The language of the Timelords, that’s what it’s called.“ Her eyes skimmed the page.

“You make it sound like they actually existed.“ The Doctor chuckled. “Is that your field of archeology? Mystical civilisations?“

“Perhaps.“ River winked. “Would you like some help?“ She handed the book back over with a smile.

“You can… you can read this?“ The Doctor exclaimed in shock, surprise and delight all at once.

“Don’t tell anyone.“ River chuckled and looked around to check no-one had heard her.

“How?!“ The Doctor didn’t know what to say. “How do you know how to read this? It’s not like you can just take language classes in this, can you?“ She was in awe.

“My husband taught me.“ River revealed with a sly sort of smile.

“Your husband?“ The Doctor’s face fell, she didn’t even know why she felt disappointed but she did. She had only just met this woman.

“Is that disappointment I hear in your voice?“ River had picked up on it right away and the Doctor blushed scarlet.

“What? No, I mean…“ She stuttered. “Uhm, your husband… does that mean, are you telling me you’re married to a… Timelord?“ The Doctor tried to deflect.

“If you presume that to be his one defining feature, I suppose so.“ River shrugged.

“So they are real? Timelords are actually…“ The Doctor didn’t know what to say.

“He is also the last Timelord. Or was… I’m not actually sure where he is these days, we haven’t seen each other in a while.“ River sighed with another shrug.

“But you just said he’s your husband.“ The Doctor frowned, she wasn’t making a whole lot of sense.

“He’s not the type to allow himself to be held too tightly.“ River smiled though the Doctor was sure there was a sadness behind her eyes. “We… things are complicated, when you’re married to a time traveller. For all I know I might never see him again.“

“And you’re just fine with that?“ The Doctor asked softly.

“Like you say, if he’s really a Timelord, he’s the stuff of legends. An ageless god. You don’t expect the sunset to admire you back.“ River retorted returning her attention to the books on the table, she ran her fingers over one of the ancient star charts absentmindedly.

“That sounds painful.“ The Doctor mused sharing in her sadness.

“Makes you appreciate the shared times all the more.“ River grinned as her wistfulness passed and the Doctor smiled and nodded, she understood. “To be honest, I don’t like being tied down either so we suit each other very well.“ River smirked gaining her swagger back.

“I see.“ The Doctor chuckled.

“That means if you would like to get a drink sometime, or if you would like some help translating these, I’m available.“ River elaborated when her initial statement didn’t have the desired effect of flustering the blonde. She looked up from the star charts to the Doctor waiting for the penny to drop. Her explanation did the trick as the Doctor went red in the face again.

“Really? I mean… you’re not… he’s not gonna…“ She stammered.

“Every time could be the last time, every Christmas could be last Christmas, that’s the thing about time, something you learn as a time traveller, you have to learn to live in the present.“ River winked and reached out and ran her fingers along the yellow braces the Doctor was wearing. “You do remind me a lot of him, you know, I don’t know… probably just my imagination. Or the fact that I’m really very attracted to you.“ She smirked.

“You’re uhh… very forward…“ The Doctor swallowed nervously.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.“ River’s confidence faltered for a moment, genuine concern came over her. “If I misread the situations, I…“

“No, no, it’s fine, I mean… I’d like a drink. With you.“ The Doctor burst out quickly, she didn’t want her to change her mind. “I’d like to go for a drink with you and spend some time together…“

“Good. I mean, great!“ River grinned, relieved. “There is this nice little bar across campus… You don’t need these books, I can tell you everything you could possibly want to know.“

“Lead the way, Professor.“ The Doctor nodded, a grin spreading across her face.

“I don’t think you ever told me your name, what do I call you, Doctor?“ River asked mirroring her expression.

“Maybe just that. I know it probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but I never really… felt comfortable with my name… Jane Smith… just doesn’t mean anything to me. Most people just call me Doctor.“ The Doctor shrugged with an apologetic smile. She wasn’t sure if River would understand but she thought it best to be honest.

“Is that so…“ River gave her a smile, her expression incredibly hard to read. “It’s a funny old universe, isn’t it.“ She held out her hand to the Doctor. “You never know what the future holds, you just live it.“

[walpurga-nacht-academy]

Djinn’s Bride! ~A Celebration of Love~

Part 5

[Walpurga Nacht Academy]

[Prefect Meeting Room]

Marcia: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?!

Rosa: … Hey, hey, you’re kinda going overboard with the whole surprised reaction, you know? We’re already way past that.

Marcia: Haaaaaa? Don’t treat this like it’s just an everyday occurrence! 

Rosa: Huh? But shouldn’t you be happy? 

Marcia: Ha?! What’s there to be happy about?! Can’t you sense the situation here?

Rosa: Grr! I can! I totally can! That’s why I thought you’d be ecstatic to have all your problems solved like this! Isn’t this what you’ve been hoping for?! That ‘rich overnight’ type of success story?!

Marcia: YOU IDIOT!

Rosa: ?!?!

Marcia: Stuff like that doesn’t exist in reality! If something is too good to be true, then it definitely is! Don’t just take it for granted that things will work out so easily!

Rosa: E-Eh? What’s with this speech?! Since when did you have such a strong moral code?!

Marcia: It’s just common sense, Rosalia. Money that’s not earned through hard work will just trickle down between your fingers.

Rosa: Th-That was surprisingly cool coming from someone like you… It’s kinda scary seeing you like this. 

Marcia: These things aren’t matters to laugh at. If I don’t take them seriously the old man will get disappointed in me.

Rosa: Marcia…

Marcia: That’s why, under no circumstances, can I just throw everything I’ve worked on to get married to this guy! 

......

Besides he’s totally not my type, anyway.

Rosa: What’s with these standards all of a sudden?!

Marcia: Sorry~ I just don’t go for guys that look this silly~ I want a super cool looking husband that’s also filthy rich~

Rosa: Haaaaaaa?! Then what was with that speech just now?! Make up your mind already! 

Marcia: Hehehe~

Blanche: Goodness gracious. This has gone on for long enough.

June: Tch. Fuckin’ headache.

Diana: …

Cass: U-Um, in that case, you wi-will not take Mister Djinn’s offer, Miss Py-Pyroeis?

Marcia: No way, no way! Hahahahahaha! It sounds super troublesome, you know?

Vita: What a shame. To think that you would willingly discard your golden goose just like this. My expectations were surpassed. Fufufu~

Marcia: … You still sound like you’re looking down on me, heh… In any case! That’s how things stand. So as you can see, I’m gonna have to turn you down. I mean I’m flattered and all that, but our timing just isn’t right~

Rosa: Geh, what’s with that obviously fake line? And turning him down in front of everybody…

Diana: These sort of things should be blunt.

Rosa: I-I guess, but you know…

Djinn: Ah, so that’s how it is?

Blanche: … He’s taking it surprisingly well.

Cass: Se-Seems like he’s an u-understanding person. Ho-How fortunate!

Marcia: Yeah, yeah. So sorry again~ 

Djinn: …

Marcia: Ah, but don’t look glum! I’m sure you’ll find someone who’s just your type~ Just keep looking! The world’s your oyster!

Djinn: … Hm.

Marcia: …

Djinn: …

Marcia: Um, i-in any case! Since you won’t be fulfilling any wishes, guess you can go back to your lamp now! Ah, don’t worry! Our dorm will take super good care of it and won’t be bothering you or anything. 

Djinn: …

Marcia: … Ah? Uh?

Djinn: …

Rosa: … Hey, he’s still here… What’s up with that?

Cass: Ma-Maybe he needs help returning to his lamp?

Marcia: O-Oh! Hahahaha! Why didn’t you say that, man? Don’t be shy to ask for help! Here, here! As your kind master I’ll help you get back in the lamp and-

Djinn: … Actually.

Marcia: Ye-Yeah?! What’s wrong?

Djinn: That won’t be happening.

Marcia: E-Eh?! What do you mean?!

Djinn: Well, getting back there, is kinda, you know…

Marcia: Ye-Yeah?

Djinn: A huge hassle~

Marcia: … Huh?

Djinn: It’s~ sooooo~ lame~

Rosa: Geh! He’s just lounging on the table like it’s a sofa!

Blanche: It’s not as if he was much of a charming figure before, but…

Cass: Hi-His whole personality to-took a sudden shift…

Agatha: … Annoying.

Marcia: La-Lame? I mean, I guess I understand, but still… Didn’t you say the place is great?

Djinn: Ah, that… I was lying.

Marcia: Huh?!

Djinn: Yeah, it’s kinda small and cramped. Not to mention super dark. Can barely see anything in there. 

Marcia: A-Ah… 

Djinn: And it’s super lonely too~ Playing mancala against yourself is super depressing. Especially since I can barely see the board in the first place.

Rosa: … This guy’s life sounds sadder the more I hear about it.

Djinn: Haaa, I guess you’re right on that part, fluffy hair.

Rosa: Flu-Fluffy hair?!

Agatha: GYAHAHAHAHAHA.

Rosa: Do-Don’t laugh so loudly! It wasn’t even that funny!

Djinn: See~ That’s what I’m talking about! I want somebody to banter with and have fun. I’m super jealous of you guys~ Aaah, to be able to enjoy the world so freely~

Blanche: … He’s deeply misread the situation.

Diana: Mm.

Djinn: That’s why~ I’m looking for a wife~

Cass: He’s ju-just lonely in the end…

Rosa: Hmm, I guess we can’t fault him for this, huh? Alright, Marcia!

Marcia: Huh?

Rosa: Just go with him!

Marcia: HAAAAA?! NO WAY!

Rosa: But I feel super bad for him! Didn’t you just hear how pathetic he is? You’d be doing him a service!

Cass: Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi-Miss Morgainne! We can’t sa-sacrifice Miss Pyroeis li-like this!

Rosa: Eh? But didn’t you get that weird pitying sensation in your stomach when you heard him talk? Isn’t Marcia going with him the nice thing to do in this situation?

Cass: Um… I-I-I…

Vita: It would certainly solve this little issue~ I for one wish to congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials my dear magpie~

Marcia: He-Hey! Don’t marry me off, just yet!

Agatha: Hehehehehehehe… How… nice… you… get… to… be… a… March… bride…

Marcia: Nooooo! Listen to me!

Diana: Agatha. You’re wrong.

Marcia: Diana! You’re coming to my rescue?! I will worship the ground you walk on-

Diana: It’s June a bride should aim for.

Marcia: IS THAT REALLY THE PART YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT?! HAAAAAAAAAA?!

June: STOP YER YAPPIN’, DAMN IT!

Marcia: AAAAAAAAH! YOU MONSTERS! YOU’RE CASTING ME AWAY JUST LIKE THAT?! I’LL HAUNT YOU! I’LL SERIOUSLY HAUNT YOU ALL!

Vita: Oh~ What a delightful concept~ Is it not so, my dear Agatha?

Agatha: Hehehehehehe… seeing… the… chowder’s… agonized… face… would… be… fun… ehehehehehehehe

Marcia: HEARTLESS! ALL OF YOU! ABSOLUTELY HEARTLESS!

Cass: Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi-Miss Pyroeis!! Please!! Do-Don’t lie on the floor like this!

Marcia: AAAAAH, I DON’T CARE ANYMORE! YOU MONSTERS CAN JUST DO WHAT YOU WANT!

Cass: Mi-Mi-Mi-Miss Pyroeis!

Blanche: …. Djinn.

Djinn: Hm?

Blanche: I would like to make a request of you. 

Djinn: Ha, didn’t you hear me, bunny? Wish granting ain’t happening here today-

Blanche: No, that is not what I’m referring to. 

Djinn: Hm?

Blanche: As you can already see Marcia has no intention of following through with this arrangement. Forcing her against her will would only result in a miserable affair. This is why I believe it would be best for everybody to be done with this and move on. Don’t you agree?

Marcia: Blanche… BLANCHEEEEEEE!

Blanche: Do-Don’t cling to me like this! It is unpleasant!

Marcia: But!! I didn’t think you’d come to my defense like this! You’re an angel! A goddess! I’m eternally grateful to you!! My children will know of your-

Blanche: I understand already! So please, stop this right now!

Marcia: Blancheeeeeeeee!

Rosa: I-I guess Blanche is right after all. Forcing somebody to marry against their will is just…

Marcia: That should be common sense in the first place!! Seriously, why is your head screwed on backwards, Rosalia?!

Rosa: Huuuuuh?! Are you seriously calling me dumb right now, when I’m agreeing with you?!

Marcia: Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you almost sold me out! My only ally here is Blanche!

Cass: We-We’ve truly done something unforgivable…

June: Yer too harsh on yerself, Cass.

Marcia: And you’re not even trying to act compassionate at all!

June: HAAAA? WHAT WAS ‘HAT?

Marcia: Blegh!

June: I’MMA RIP ‘HAT TONGUE OUT RIGHT NOW, YA LIL’-

Blanche: I-In any case, I believe it has been made clear to you why I’m making this request.

Djinn: ................

Blanche: ...................

Djinn: … Gotcha.

Rosa: That was easy! That was way too easy!

Djinn: But… no can do on that one either, bunny.

Rosa: I KNEW IT

Blanche: ... Excuse me?

Djinn: As I told you girlie, sitting in that lamp is mind-numbingly boring and I don’t wanna do it anymore! 

Rosa: That’s exactly what a brat would say!!

Agatha: That’s… ironic… coming… from… you… hehehe

Djinn: So given the situation, there is only one solution~

Marcia: Eh, what do you meAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

[BOOM, CRASH]

Rosa: Wh-What’s with this wind current?! It’s like we’re sucked in!!

Blanche: It’s from the lamp! Take a good look at it!

[BOOM, CRASH]

Djinn: That’s right, that’s right~ We’re gonna settle this inside the lamp~

Marcia: I DON’T WANNAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Rosa: OUCH! HEY! DON”T PULL ON MY HAIR LIKE THAT! WH-WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!

Marcia: THIS IS PAYBACK FOR BEFOREEEEEEE-

Rosa: EEEEEH?! YOU’RE DRAGGING ME DOWN WITH YOU?! HOW MUCH OF A VILLAIN CAN YOU BE?! LE-LET GOOOOOOO-

Cass: Mi-Miss Morgainne!

June: CASS! SHIT!

Blanche: Himalia-senpai, your grip’s too strong!

Diana: ....

Agatha: Let… go… you… dumb… land… animal… Big… Big… Sis… !

Vita: My~ I shudder to think what a wondrous adventure awaits us all~ Fufufu~

Marcia/Rosa: THIS IS THE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORST-

back | next

[piratewithvigor]

a couple of the questions in the ask meme you reblogged really resonated with me, would you do 23, 24, 45?

Took me a bit to find the right list and I'm just guessing, but I hope this is the right one. I ended up answering these for two hours, so sorry about the novel

23. Were you happier four months ago than you are now?

Four months ago was March 13, by my calculations. And it's a really tough one to answer. A lot of dirty laundry happened that week, and I'm not sure just how much I want to share. What I do know is that one week before March 13, I was having a really great night. Went out on a mini road trip with a group of friends. We were gonna go have dinner in this little restaurant/convenience store in the middle of nowhere, but we only arrived 10 minutes after they'd closed down the kitchen. We bought snacks and this big tub of peanut butter ice cream. Drove around and ended up getting some KFC, then eating the ice cream in the high school parking lot before burying it in the snow to try and hide it until Monday. We sang Sk8tr Boy until we were hoarse. That kind of jubilant joy is gonna be hard to recreate.

A few days after that was my birthday. I've never really made a fuss about my birthday and it isn't super important to me, so acknowledgement from the people closest to me is pretty much all I look forward to. Making memories of some kind.

I had a boyfriend at the time I really loved. He'd gone on the mini road trip a few days before (also being a part of that friend group) and had mentioned offhand when my birthday was, so I knew he knew. We were never really chatty over text because he's much more vocal, but we always made it a point to wish each other good morning as soon as possible after we woke up. I already knew something was off when he took until 9 or so to wish me good morning (he had classes that started at 8, so I knew he wasn't sleeping in). It was the beginning of a day that was likely one of the worst birthdays I've had. After spending the day listening to those who did remember tell me to leave him, that this was unacceptable, I requested a call with him around 8pm. We hardly ever called, so I think he knew something was up. I told him he'd forgotten my birthday (and called him a dumbass in my rage, which wasn't called for)

I said a lot of things that night to people in my anger. I wish I could take a lot of it back, or explain what I had meant at the time, but none of it can be taken back and I accept that. We didn't break up that night.

The next few weeks were a little uneasy. He was jumpy and had gone into an anxiety/depression spiral over the fear of getting dumped (no matter how often I assured him that I loved him and had no intention of doing so), but as a result, we weren't leaning on each other with the right balance anymore.

A few days before Easter, I had an emotional breakdown that lasted several hours. He wasn't returning my messages and later said he was with two of our mutual friends at a beach about an hour away. I wasn't angry at him, but really disappointed. A lot of my turmoil had come from the solitude of being the only university student in a gang of high schoolers, so there were days I'd see them all having fun together without me, and I snapped a little.

The next day, one of those friends requested an evening hangout and I was obviously elated. I spent the day waiting and passing the time as quickly as possible. When she pulled up to my house at exactly the minute she said she got off work, I was a little suspicious, but suspected I had misread the message. The car was fully parked (also weird), my boyfriend was sitting shotgun (I didn't know he was coming) and the other friend was sitting in the backseat (I didn't know she was coming either). The vibe was all off and my boyfriend turned around in his seat and said that we needed to break up. He explained our relationship was taking a toll on his mental health.

In front of two other people, I didn't have the chance to get my emotions out properly. Nor did I have the chance to really talk things over with him. I learned later that this was because he wanted backup in case I got violent (one of the misunderstandings from the evening of my birthday).

I haven't seen him since then. I've only heard his voice twice during calls with other mutual friends who've remained neutral in the breakup. Overnight, my friend group went from a healthy regular 6 that could be expanded to 10 to only 2 who talk to me (in person friends, I should specify).

In the weeks since, I haven't left the property beyond picking up the mail or my brother from school. I've gotten a new interest that I adore (but my family hates). I've had days that feel magical and days where I feel like I'd be better off dead if I could give my all in a relationship and still be disrespected like that.

I don't know if I'm happier than I was 4 months ago. I have up days and down days just as frequently. They're just about different things. But maybe I am happier; some days, I notice my 'ups' are higher than they used to be.

24. Is there someone you wish you could fix things with?

Yes. In the aforementioned friend group, there were 6 of us who were the core: myself, my boyfriend, two other girls his age, one guy and one girl 4 years younger than me. I was never particularly close with the guy, but I always liked hanging out with him. The two other girls were the most regular hangouts because they were in town a lot, so if they went to hang out with my boyfriend, I was generally there too. They were the two in the car the night of the breakup.

The younger girl, I was probably the closest with. There would be evenings when she wanted help with homework or just someone to talk about nonsense while she listens. There were a good number of occasions where she would want to do homework late into the night and I'd lie in bed and tell her about movies I've watched recently. I considered her a really good friend, but because of our age difference, her parents were a little wary of her hanging out with the group outside of school (completely understandably so. I think the only reason she got to hang out with me was because her mom had been basically the youth pastor at our church since I was 8).

She took my boyfriend's side in the breakup. I know they were significantly closer than she was with me, but I just wish I didn't have to lose that friendship too. I sent her word through her brother to let her know I have no beef with her at all, but I don't think it did any good. It's very likely I won't be able to talk with her anymore, and I've mostly made my peace with it, but the lack of closure I got there is probably gonna mess with me for a while.

45. Do you believe exes can be friends?

I do. I have proof, but I don't know just how allowable it would be in this case. I consider myself to have had 6 relationships. They ranged from 1 month to 2 1/2 years.

My first one was third grade. The entire year, and about as PG as two 8-year-olds get. We broke up when fourth grade started, but were still pretty close friends. We got back together for a few months in seventh grade, but it wasn't working, so we went back to friends. He's now one of the only people I know in person who still talks to me. Definitely still a friend.

My second was 8th grade. A little bit toxic and we were probably better off ending when we did, but he gave me a lot of experience that I banked on for years. Have not spoken to him in close to 4 years.

My third was 9th grade. Definitely toxic. We don't talk about it. Stayed in contact and even friendly for about 2 1/2 years afterwards until I cut him off. It was really for the best in the end.

My fourth was later in 9th grade. My longest. Long-distance and one of my healthier ones. He left me after 2 1/2 years and gave me a whole lotta issues as a result. Our contact wavers on occasion, but we've never gone more than a month without talking.

My fifth was probably a week after my fourth. He was inheriting a basket case of a bitch. Also long distance and have not spoken since the breakup.

My sixth was the one who's breakup you read about above. We were together for almost exactly 18 months. My second-healthiest relationship after my first. He said we could still be friends, but the more time that passes, the less I believe it's a possibility.

[for-ests]

Tom x reader with Tom finding out that reader’s been seeing the doctor recently and ultimately thinks she’s pregnant, plans a huge party but when reader finds out what the party’s for, she breaks down in tears and reveals she found out she can’t have children. I’m gonna need some tissues for this 😭

Word count: 2, 120

Warnings: some angst, some fluff 

Thanks for requesting! And sorry for replying so late, I wasn’t sure how to write this :// I hope you like it!

❀∙∘✿∘∙❀

With a surprised expression appearing on his face, Tom studied the doctor’s admittance note that you had placed on the bedside table.

Was he supposed to be reading this?

He assumed it wouldn’t be a problem since you were registered under the same insurance. It was just a scheduled doctor's appointment, which you had told him about yesterday.

That’s what he thought until his eyes scanned over the word fertility.

So you had gone in for a pregnancy test.

With his heart beating faster, Tom studied the rest of the outpatient form. There weren't any statements about if you were pregnant, only that you had been checked up on.

Tom scowled, setting the piece of paper back on the table. The two of you had married over a year ago, and had been trying ever since then, yet you were still not pregnant. You got your period every month much to his and your dismay.

But that was when he realized that you hadn’t spoken about your period this month. He immediately smiled, hoping you were finally pregnant after all this time. He was sure that you would have mentioned something so important... unless you were planning on surprising him.

That had to be the reason. And after debating for a few more minutes, Tom decided to call his best friend Harrison, who was also the best man at your wedding.

“Mate… I think Y/N’s finally pregnant.”

“Really?” He sounded equally excited. “How do you know?”

“Well…” He scratched the back of his neck with uncertainty. He wanted a child with you more than anything. This would be wonderful news, and he really wanted it to be true. “I don’t have the pregnancy test or anything, but it looks like she���s missed her period, and she got a pregnancy test at the hospital yesterday.”

Just to be sure, Tom picked the outpatient form back up to study its contents.

“That seems promising.” Harrison agreed. “I feel like she would have told you right away if she wasn’t pregnant.”

“That’s what I thought.” Tom chuckled. “I think she’s planning on surprising me, but I kind of want to turn it around on her and through a party for her.”

With a genuine, kind smile spreading across his face, Tom began to picture the future you could have together with another member in your family. 

❀∙∘✿∘∙❀

But the reality you had to face was much more heartbreaking. Unbeknownst to your husband, your doctor’s appointment was to relay some devastating news. A fact that immediately brought tears to your eyes, news that you didn’t want to comprehend.

You couldn't have children. You were infertile.

Out of everyone, why did it have to be you? Especially when you wanted a child more than anything. Especially you, a woman that had too many people to please.

Who could you even talk to this about? You didn’t want to break the news to Tom… You couldn’t talk to your mother, whose only wish from you was to have grandchildren she could take care of.

Trying to keep yourself together for your poor doctor, you sighed deeply and wiped your tears away. If there was nothing you could do to fix it, you were going to grieve that possibility and move on.

“Adoption is always an option.” Your doctor handed you a pamphlet, resting her hand gently on your shoulder. You nodded, sniffling and trying your best to meet her gaze. She probably dealt with this often. “Don’t be hard on yourself. This is a natural phenomenon. Sometimes it just happens and there wasn’t anything you could do to prevent it.”

Nodding again, you gathered the other printouts and materials she had provided for you. “Don’t wait too long to break the news. Hiding it won’t change the truth. But with every woman it is always a possibility, your husband will understand. It could have just as easily been him.”

“Thank you.” You smiled, thankful for her advice. Sometimes all you needed was a reminder that you weren’t alone.

“I’ll see you soon, Y/N.” Your doctor looked just as sad as you, though she was better at hiding it. She left the room as you finished slipping into your jacket, leaving you alone to gather yourself and your spiraling thoughts.

For a moment, all you could do was sit there, trying to soak up the information as best as you could. How do you tell him? How would he react?

You took a deep breath and gathered your composure. You could deal with this later. Maybe on the weekend when you had time to relax and process everything. But right now, you had to go straight to work.

It was only Tuesday.

❀∙∘✿∘∙❀

It was only Wednesday. It was one of the hardest days of your life, forcing yourself to pretend that everything was okay. You still felt guilty that you had cuddled with Tom all night without telling him the truth. 

All day, a permanent scowl was engraved upon your face. 

For the last twenty-four hours, all you could think about was your doctor’s appointment, and what your doctor had told you. Even as you slaved away at your desk, in the back of your mind, the sadness loomed. You finished all your required work, but it was half-assed. You couldn’t focus.

You were incredibly relieved to head back home and collapse on your bed. Normally, you wouldn’t crave release so badly- but your revelation had been concealed. You still hadn’t told anyone, and that was because the news refused to sink in.

Needing to tell someone about your misfortune, you were about to burst. Especially since you were keeping such vital information from your husband.

It was killing you.

Sighing deeply, you climbed the steps to your shared flat. All you wanted to do was sleep away your problems.

But sleep didn’t come swiftly like you had planned. Your husband had planned something much more extravagant.

As soon as he sees my face face, he’ll know something is wrong. You thought, regretfully rummaging through your purse to grab your key.

But then, you heard commotion behind the door, causing you to lift your head. Thinking you heard the rustling of more than one person, you slowly turned the key. The pepper spray in your purse was just a movement away.

But what you opened the door to find was much, much worse. You would have preferred to call the police then have to face every single person that you loved.

Smiling right back at you.

“Congratulations!” They all screamed.

You saw balloons, presents, and food- filling up every surface in the apartment. Your friends were clapping and shouting until they all finally turned to glimpse the look of horror that was staring back at them.

You didn’t need a sign to analyze the reason they were there.

Who had misinformed them?

Feeling as if you were suffocating, your eyes scanned the living room. Your eyes met Tom’s, and once he realized the panic in your gaze, his smile fell.

Tom approached you. “What’s wrong, darling?”

“I-“ you exhaled shakily. He gripped your hand for reassurance.

Silence consumed the apartment. Worried looks took the place of gleeful ones.

You felt sick to your stomach, glancing around at everyone’s confused expressions, all for you and Tom’s future family. It was all you could have ever wanted, all you could ever possibly need. Except for the fact that you were infertile.

How did Tom figure out?

“Tom...” you said softly. The tone in your voice indicated something heartbreaking was about to be admitted.

Despite that, his hand tightened around yours.

“Everyone...” you looked around shyly, trying to meet as many eyes as possible to relay such detrimental news.

The atmosphere shifted at the sight of your crestfallen expression.

“I’m not pregnant.” You shifted awkwardly on your feet.

“Oh.” Tom chuckled to release some tension. “I guess I misread the form, then.”

“Of course you would.” Zendaya teased, and you turned to find her gentle smile. Despite the party being for a reason that wasn’t happening, nobody seemed annoyed or upset at the fact.

Your mother stepped forward, out of the kitchen. You smelled her cooking and it made you feel secure. “Honey, you don’t need to look so upset. We’re happy to be here anyway.”

“Mom-” Your lip quivered. Why couldn’t you just be pregnant? Why did you have to let everyone down like this?

Knowing you were on the verge of some strange mental breakdown, your mother set a comforting hand on your back. She traced gentle, soothing circles with the palm of her hand like she used to when you were a child.

You felt small, but somehow you still felt loved.

“I guess I should just get it out now.” You took a deep breath, meeting Tom’s eyes. One look and he seemed to understand why you were still distressed. You normally thrived in social situations. It was odd to see you so flustered and upset.

“It’s okay.” Tom whispered. He didn’t need to say it. You could tell them anything.

Your shoulders somewhat relaxed, and your heartbeat slowed to normal. It somehow felt refreshing to let go of the weight of this secret. Something that shouldn’t have been kept a secret in the first place.

“It’s worse than that, I can’t get pregnant.” Despite being relaxed, you still couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, even though you felt them all on you.

You desperately wanted someone to say something. You wanted the disappointed silence to go away, but you knew your confession was much more complicated than that.

Finally gaining the courage to meet his eyes, you found him staring right back at you.

“Say something.” You pleaded under your breath, so softly that only he could hear.

What if he couldn’t love you the same? Now that you couldn’t give him children…

He could have any woman he wanted.

“That’s okay.” He promised. “Since it’s been so long, I assumed it was one of us.”

At those words, you managed to laugh. Even though tears were now streaming down your face, you could tell he was trying to keep it together in front of everyone. You should do the same.

Tom reached forward and embraced you tightly. Guilt was evident in your words, tone, and expression. Your husband couldn’t stand to see you so distraught, especially since he was the one who had put you in such a stressful situation.

“I love you no matter what.” He whispered in your ear, petting down the strands of hair that threatened to poke your tear filled eyes.

Gripping onto him tightly, you exhaled. “I love you too.”

That was all you needed to hear from him to know everything would be okay. It might not be the same moving forward, but it would be okay.

“I’m sorry for putting you on the spot, darling.” He kissed the top of your forehead as he pulled away, facing everyone that had fallen silent, unsure of what to say or do.

“I guess I should apologize to everyone.” Tom awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, still managing to look his friends and family directly in the eyes. You were far too embarrassed to follow suit. “I know you all took time out of your day to come celebrate something that’s not going to happen.”

“Ohhh,” Your best friend rolled her eyes. “Don’t be dramatic now. It's not a big deal.”

You laughed through your nose, nodding at her in appreciation. You noticed that all of your closest friends had gathered in the corner with the booze. Somehow, it comforted you to see them so relaxed despite the disappointing news.

There would still be a party, and soon everyone would forget about it. All you needed was a couple of drinks and an engaging conversation. The seriousness of your situation could be discussed another night.

There was no rush to find another path.

“I think your love is enough to celebrate.” Tom’s mother raised her glass, looking directly into your eyes as she spoke.

“I agree with that.” Your own mother smiled. “A party is still a party!”

And with that, the mood shifted into something much more optimistic. Though the reason behind the gathering had been spoiled, you and your husband had surrounded yourself with a great circle of people, who were there to support you through any decision you would make.

And in the end, that was all you could ever ask for. Whether you were able to have children or not, you would never be alone.

[retvenkos]

heart pt. 2 // john ambrose mcclaren

To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You - One-Sided John Ambrose McClaren x Lara Jean, One-Sided John Ambrose McClaren x Reader, slight fluff, slight angst

requested

Summary: For one moment, you eyes lingered on your phone. John Ambrose had gone to hang out with Lara Jean and a few old friends at the old treehouse they used to haunt in their youth. He had been nervous about it for days prior, and you had joking told him to text you and S.O.S. if he needed an out. You were almost certain he wasn’t going to take you up of your offer, but for the last hour you had the inexplicable feeling that he would. What was it? Intuition? Desire?

pt. 1

Part of you wanted to pull away from John Ambrose McClaren the moment he expressed that his heart did not belong to you. It was the sensible part of you, perhaps - the part of you that was self preserving and knew that nothing good could come from lingering near a boy who had the potential to break your heart into dozens of tiny pieces. But, another part of you - evidently, the more persuasive part - begged you to stay by his side, despite what would come.

You hadn’t known Lara Jean Covey for a long time. You no longer went to school with her or even lived nearby. You hadn’t seen her since sixth grade, when she and John were attached at the hip. You had no idea what she was like, but some nights, you would stay up late, concocting stories about what she was like.

You figured she was a cheerleader or some athletic type. Who else had the confidence to send a love letter to a boy she hadn’t seen in literal years? 

Yes. You were sure of it. Lara Jean Covey was the complete opposite of your John Ambrose, and because of that, their relationship could only progress in one of who ways:

1. John Ambrose meets her, realizes how much she had changed, and is immediately shocked. Being the gentleman that he is, he’d try to disregard how different she is from the last time they had spoken. Things would go badly as they tried and failed to reconnect, and they would eventually part ways, John disappointed at getting his hopes up. You would console him while he was an emotional wreck, saying he was too good for her, anyway, and you would mean it more than he understood. OR,

2. The two meet and it’s the perfect combination of opposites attracting and having enough history and vague similar interests to sustain the perfect relationship. John Ambrose would be head over heels for the girl who had been an old friend, once, and a new love interest, now. They would move fast, and eventually you would be left giving him recommendations for date spots and giving him pep talks. You’d always be at his side, but farther away now that he had someone else to fill his days.

Was it wrong for you to prefer the former?

Not that you wanted John Ambrose to be heartbroken. You knew what it felt like to get your hopes up for nothing and wouldn’t wish it on him for a moment. But would you be able to stomach the two of them together, when push came to shove? Would you be able to drift away from John Ambrose, knowing it was for your love of him, that you held him at bay?

You sat on your floor with a notebook open in front of you, waiting to be filled, but found yourself unwilling to create anything on the blank page. You sighed and popped in your headphones, turning up the music so as to drown out the conflicting voices in your head.

For one moment, you eyes lingered on your phone. John Ambrose had gone to hang out with Lara Jean and a few old friends at the old treehouse they used to haunt in their youth. He had been nervous about it for days prior, and you had joking told him to text you and S.O.S. if he needed an out. You were almost certain he wasn’t going to take you up of your offer, but for the last hour you had the inexplicable feeling that he would. What was it? Intuition? Desire?

You sighed at your hopelessness and turned back to your empty page.

You worked, your head bobbing to the music only you could properly hear, your face settled in a concentrated sort of frown, and when someone knocked on your bedroom door, you didn’t hear them.

Knock knock.

You erased what you had just put down on the page, twirling the pencil in your hand like a baton.

Knock knock.

You smiled as one of your favorite songs came on, reminding you of memories with John Ambrose - walking to the mall in the summer because neither of you had a car and wandering through the stores, not having enough money to buy anything of value. You would always end up at the vending machines at some point, and John always seemed to have just enough quarters in his pockets to get you both something without having to break the single, crumpled dollar bill he had with him. The summer’s top 100 always seemed to play on loop, there, and while the songs were synthetic pop, and not always to your taste, it reminded you of him.

Bing!

The sound of your phone cut through the music, catching your attention and pulling you back to the present. You stretched to reach your phone and dragged it back to you, unlocking it with practiced ease.

from: johnny (12:04 p.m.) S.O.S.

You immediately stood up, disregarding your notebook on the floor as you snapped to attention. Looking for a pair of shoes you could slip on, you typed out a next.

to: johnny where r u?

Bing! He was quick to answer you back.

from: johnny Outside your door.

You pulled out your earbuds and unlocked your door, swinging it open.

John Ambrose stood on the other side of your doorframe, his hands holding his phone tightly. He smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “I see you got my text.”

“What’s wrong?”

You allowed him in and he sat in your desk chair, careful to avoid stepping on your current project that lay abandoned on the floor. He was already comfortable in your space, and if it weren’t for the look on his face, your mind would have dwelled on that thought.

“How was the treehouse?” You tried again, and you saw him stiffen at the comment.

John Ambrose opened his mouth, but hesitated before speaking, as though trying to find the right sentiment. “Eventful,” he eventually said.

Oh?

One of your eyebrows shot up and he sighed. You knew the feeling. Usually it was you who had a complete lack of words for what happened in the world around you, but this time, it was him. It was puzzling, really.

John Ambrose McClaren always seemed to understand everything - it was his super power, really. There was no situation too dificult, no problem beyond comprehension. John could figure everything out - he always had. When you didn’t understand it, he did. That had always been part of your dynamic - there was nothing that the two of your couldn’t sleuth when given the time and proper motivation.

But matters of the heart were never quite so simple as everything else. You knew that better than anything. Sometimes, there was no clear answer.

John averted his eyes, turning his body to the opposite wall, trying again. “Lara Jean apparently has a boyfriend.”

“What?”

“And old friend, too - Peter Kavinsky.”

You blinked furiously, your head shaking back and forth. After a moment, you moved to better see John’s face, to gauge his reaction to finding out. 

He was staring at your wall, blankly, his eyes seeing right through the pictures you had put up, there, most of them containing the two of you in various stages of your lives. You wondered what he was thinking, but he was in his own world, now, one where he probably relived every moment he had spent misreading signals from the girl he had always had a crush on. He had been convinced that she liked him back - how could he have gotten it so wrong?

“I’m sorry.” On instinct, you walked over to him and sat down of the ground next to his chair, resting your head against his knee.

For a minute or so, he was quiet. When he eventually spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. “I thought I had a chance, y’know?”

You nodded and hugged his calves, the only part of his that you could easily reach for your place on the ground. You hoped it conveyed the same sweetness as an actual embrace, something that could comfort him they way he had always comforted you.

“Why would she send me that letter if she was already involved with Kavinsky?” He shook his head, as though trying to clear it of cobwebs so that he might be able to understand. “Why even write it?”

He asked valid questions - ones you didn’t know the answer to.

“Even if she thought I would never receive it, why address it to me? Why write something like that?”

Your mind went back to the writing that Lara Jean had left on that love letter to John Ambrose. You considered her words - so sincere, so brave. They were really quite puzzling, especially for not having meant them. But... no... She had to mean it. Otherwise, why write it? What did she have to gain from making love letters that didn’t mean anything? From what you had heard, Lara Jean only had a lot to lose - a boyfriend and now, an old friend.

But, if that letter did mean something, why send it now? What did she have to gain by making John Ambrose McClaren believe that he had a chance with her?

Lara Jean was only losing, in the end.

You knew that John Ambrose was worth losing everything, for. Did she?

“Feelings aren’t always rational, I guess.” You spoke, you eyes ahead, looking at the photos of your life, with John Ambrose always at your side. You didn’t notice him looking at you, then, and if you had, it would have only given more stock to your words. “Loving the people you do doesn’t always make sense.”

“You sound as though your talking from experience, (Y/n).”

You looked at John Ambrose, gazing deep into his eyes; you could see everything you loved about in reflected in their depths - his compassion, his cleverness, his talent, his love. You smiled, dipping your head in a nod, as if allowing him in on one of your best kept secrets. 

“Yeah, I am.”

[pengirl91]

Love square fluff week - Flowers

AO3

Marinette hated exams. Then again, was there anybody who liked them? It was just that, that day, in particular, she was too tired to even want to study despite the exam being the next day. Stupid Hawk Moth and his late-night akuma attacks. He knew they were Lycé students. He was purposely trying to piss her off. And it was working.

Thankfully Alya was there for her. She had organized a study group for the two of them along with Nino and Adrien. She had been nervous, of course, about being able to concentrate while around Adrien but as it turned out, it helped her stay awake.

“Does anybody have Jule Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days? I can’t find my copy.” Adrien asked, rummaging through his bag.

“We haven’t touched that since the beginning of the semester. Do you really think it’ll be on the exam?” Alya asked, looking through her own bag. Nino, noticing the kerfuffle, removed his headphones.

Marinette looked through her bag. She vaguely remembered maybe having thrown it in. She had grabbed all their literature books.

“Found it!” She said triumphantly, as she handed it over to Adrien, blushing as he smiled and thanked her. She looked back down at her notes, proud that she was interacting with him so well. Sure it had been two words but she hadn’t dropped the book or anything like that.

“What’s this?” Adrien asked. Marinette looked over and froze at the sight of the dried red rose Adrien gently held up. She immediately blushed. It was the rose Cat Noir had given her the day she found out he had real feelings for her. She hadn’t kept any of the previous ones. She had always cast those aside. But this one. This one had meant something. Not to her. Not in that way. It’s just that she couldn’t bring herself to throw it away. So she had kept it.

“Ouuuh a red rose. What a romantic color.” Alya said.

Marinette blushed further.

“And a pink one.” Adrien noticed, grabbing a second rose that was sliding out of the open book.

Marinette sank further into her seat. It was the flower Cat Noir had given her the day he came over for brunch as per her dad’s request and told her he couldn’t return her feelings since he was still in love with Ladybug.

“Isn’t that the one Cat Noir gave you?” Alya asked, raising an eyebrow.

Why had she told Alya that story again?

“Oh hum, yeah, it might be. Or just another pink rose, you know how much I like pink.” She laughed awkwardly.

“What about the red one?” Adrien asked her.

She stared back surprised. Why was he asking her that?

“Ouuuh is that one from Cat Noir too?” Alya asked laughing.

Marinette blushed, now matching the flower in question. “I- It’s-”

“Wait, is it really?” Alya asked, getting serious.

Marinette grabbed the flowers from Adrien and gently, but quickly, put them at the back of her literature studies book.

Adrien was looking at her with wide eyes, mouth open in surprise. She wasn’t sure why he was reacting that way. They were her flowers after all, not his.

“They don’t mean anything, let’s just get back to studying.”

“If they don’t mean anything then why are you keeping them?” Alya asked knowingly, leaning towards her.

Marinette blushed, eyes shifting between the three sets of eyes on her. She squirmed in her seat at Adrien’s bright smile. Was he laughing at her? She had rarely seen him smile this much before.

“I- They’re just flowers. Can we please focus?” Marinette begged Alya with her eyes. Alya put her hands up in surrender. She knew the relief would be temporary and Alya would want to know more when it was just the two of them. But thankfully none of them brought it up the rest of the evening.

***** “Ok, very funny.” Marinette pulled out the single red rose from her locker the next day.

“What is?" Alya looked over and started laughing. “It wasn’t me.”

Marinette eyed her suspiciously.

“I swear. I wouldn’t do that.” Alya said, eyes wide.

“Nino?”

Alya harumphed. “I hope not! He never gets me flowers. He better not be getting you roses as a weird prank.”

“You don’t think-” Adrien wasn’t mean but he had played that bad prank on her at the wax museum once. But he said he wouldn’t do that again.

“Adrien? No way. Unless… unless in a romantic way?” Alya said.

Marinette shook her head. That would be too good to be true.

“Oh, another rose?” Adrien said, passing by to get to his locker making her jump. “Is it from Cat Noir again?”

“We don’t know, there’s no note,” Alya answered for her.

“Probably just someone who accidentally put it there.” Marinette laughed it off. “We should hurry to our exam.”

“How would they get it in your locker by accident?”

Marinette froze and blushed at Adrien’s smile. How did they get it in her locker? If they had pushed it through the opening the flower would have been squished. She put the flower back in the locker and closed it. She would have to remember to get a new lock.

***** The next day she found a red rose waiting for her at her desk right before their math exam.

“Ok, someone is definitely trying to woo you.” Alya eyed it in wonder.

Marinette blushed as she gently placed it in her bag. She didn’t want it to distract her during the exam. Although her eyes kept moving towards her bag, trying to figure out who could possibly be leaving these for her.

***** The following day it was two red roses, this time in her bag, as Marinette discovered upon arriving home after her Science exam. She didn't tell anyone about those, she just added them to the other two in the vase in her bedroom. Smiling at the small bouquet that was forming. Whoever was giving these to her, it was making her smile during these stressful exams.

***** She had been sure it was someone from school. But then she woke up to find three red roses on the kitchen table.

"Mama. Who brought these?"

Her mother smiled as she sipped her morning coffee. "I promised I wouldn't tell."

Had it been her parents all along? That would be sweet although, granted, a little weird but it could be their way of encouraging her during exams. It made no sense to be disappointed.

***** "Last exam today! How do you feel?" Her mother asked her the next morning.

“Good.” She was eager to be done of course but oddly enough, she was well-rested. There hadn't been an akuma attack since before exams. Maybe Hawk Moth wasn't out to ruin her future prospects after all.

“Which one is it today?”

"History.” She smiled. It was one of her best subjects. She grabbed breakfast, casually looking about the room.

"No flowers today?" She asked, trying to mask her disappointment.

"Not yet I guess."

Marinette smiled and kissed her mom on the cheek. "I love you." Maybe they would wait until she got home.

Her mom chuckled. "I love you too."

Her phone rang with an akuma alert.

"I better go!" She rushed out of the house. So much for Hawk Moth given them a break. She checked her watch. She had half an hour to deal with this akuma and make it to school in time for her exam.

***** "Pound it!" Ladybug smiled triumphantly. She checked her yoyo, she had five minutes to get to her exam.

"I was going to try and find you later today but can we meet on the rooftop overlooking the Notre Dame tonight at 8?" He asked nervously.

Last time he asked her this he had set up all those candles and he had been heartbroken that she hadn't shown up. Her heart beat faster as she struggled to come up with the right response.

Her earrings beeped. Only two minutes left.

"Just, please consider it. I hope to see you tonight!" He catapulted away.

***** She showed up at 8, still unsure how to tell him that she still loved someone else. Maybe she wouldn't have to. Cat Noir wasn't there yet and there weren't any candles or anything. Had she misread the whole thing? Her heart sank a little before she reminded herself that she didn't want Cat Noir to still love her. Or at least, she shouldn't.

"Thanks for coming, M'lady."

She spun around, heart sinking while also speeding up when she saw he was holding 5 roses.

"Did you know that a dozen roses represents complete love?" He asked, handing her the five roses.

She took them on instinct blurting the first thought she had. "But this is only-" Ladybug froze. She had gotten seven red roses up until that moment... As Marinette. She gasped.

"If I knew sooner that you were keeping my roses, I would have done this a long time ago."

That did not answer the question in her mind. How had he figured it out? Had he actually figured it out? Or were the other flowers elsewhere? She panicked as her eyes darted around. Maybe she had missed something.

Cat Noir took a step towards her. "Wait no, it's ok I- Sorry, I'm doing this all wrong." He stopped and smiled. "Plagg, claws in." Green flashed as he revealed himself.

Marinette's jaw dropped at the boy in front of her.

No. Freaking. Way.

[r6shippingdelivery]

For the writer's ask meme, could you do 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 25, and 42 (which is, after all, the answer to everything)? Sorry for requesting so many, but the questions are too good!! Thank you 💕

That’s a lot of questions! 😄 But sure, I’m ready to answer them all. I’ll just put it under a read more because I tend to ramble a bit:

1)  Do you listen to music when you write?

Yeah! Actually, it’s funny you ask this, since I was precisely talking about the same thing this morning on Twitter. To sum up, I listen to different stuff depending on my mood (not to set a mood for whatever scene I’m writing), and it can range from classical music, to rock, to synthwave, to Britney Spears on a loop 😂

2) Are you a pantser or plotter?

I have no fucking idea what a pantser is, but by context I deduce it’s the opposite of a plotter. So the answer is that I’m a mix of both? I do make a very brief outline of the story, just the most important plot points like they’re the bare bones of a story. How those ideas get connected, that comes out to light while I write (or when I get a sudden great idea while brushing my teeth or when I’m about to fall asleep).

10) Do you set yourself deadlines?

Yeah, and I fail miserably at abiding by them 9 out of 10 times. The problem I have with self-impose deadlines is that I know there are absolutely no repercussions if I fail, aside from being disappointed in myself I guess... so I end up re-negotiating/moving the date forward 😅 In other news, I don’t respect my own authority.

11) Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

That’s an interesting one, because the authors whose works I think impacted me the most, in terms of how enthralling/addictive I found their writing style, are Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Terry Prattchet, and Virginia Perez de la Puente (yay for Spanish representation!). And all their styles and themes are nothing like the stuff I ended up writing in my fics, imo. 

12) Describe your perfect writing space

My room, my computer, door closed, headphones with music on, lighting a candle or incense stick. And most important: no interruptions (until I lose track of time and someone has to remind me that it’s dinner time). Internet access is a must because I sometimes need to fact check something or look up the translation of some very basic word I magically forgot how to spell.

15)  How do you deal with writer’s block?

Procrastination time! 🌈✨ I also feel guilty I’m procrastinating and try to write a tiny tinsy bit every day, just around 100-200 words, small goals. And even if I hate whatever I wrote, I try to ignore it and keep going because the only way to beat writer’s block is with a baseball bat. Most of the time, writer’s block is just a mask worn by plain ol’ insecurity tbh.

17)  What writing habits or rituals do you have?

One terrible writing habit: writing late at night. Even if I managed to get off my ass and write during the day, the pull of late night writing is strong. There’s something magical about that time frame between 2am to 3am, and it’s most probably that you’re tired enough to stop giving a shit and just write whatever comes to your mind.

25) Favourite part of writing

The feeling of satisfaction when finish and/or write down that one scene/story that had been stuck on your mind, it’s like scratching an itch. And also, when you realise the missing plot point to connect two ideas and you get a moment of “Oh shit, I’m a genius!” 😄 

42) How do you feel about love triangles?

I don’t like them. I’d go as far as saying I hate them. Unless there’s a fresh spin on it (the protagonist thought they were in a love triangle but they severely misread the situation, it ends in a threesome/poly, the thrid wheel is the best friend of one of the othe two and the supposed triangle is just gossip, etc), love triangles are so trite and overdone imo, like no thanks I’ll pass. It doesn’t help that in most instances is so obvious who the protagonist will end with, so then why torture the readers/audience with this boring bullshit??

[ladyxxdaydream]

47 (Texting the incorrect number but continuing the conversation)

Well, this was a fun way to spend my sunday morning (✿◠‿◠).

These are meant to be a little rough–spur of the moment writing with little editing–while I’m working on my longer fics. If I get enough requests, I may add a drabble section on my Ao3 page, and polish them up to post over there. Thanks for the request, tea! Hope you like it.

ʕ≧ᴥ≦ʔ You can submit your own from the list here. ♡

☆゜:。*。。*:゜☆

Kakashi couldn’t sleep. He grabbed his track pants he had discarded on the floor, removing a wrinkled piece of paper out of the pocket. Gai had finally entered this century, and gotten a cell phone. He had scrawled his number on top of a flyer for his personal training program—Green Beast—before Kakashi had left the gym earlier today.

He punched it into his phone and sent a text.

Yo, what are you doing?

Binge watching the newest season of Icha Icha instead of grading exams. God, it’s so terrible.

Wait, what? Kakashi knew for a fact that his best friend didn’t watch Icha Icha, much to his dismay. Gai was a crossfit trainer; he’d have no reason to be grading exams. And Kakashi imagined that his friend’s exuberance would translate through text. There wasn’t nearly enough yelling in the form of all caps and exclamation points. Did he have the wrong number? But then why would this person be answering like they knew him?

And what was that crap about Icha Icha being terrible?!

He couldn’t help himself.

Then why are you watching it if it’s so terrible? He typed out, annoyed.

It’s like being stuck in traffic over a car accident, and you’re cursing the people who keep slowing down to stare, while vehemently telling yourself you won’t act like everyone else, but then you get there, and you become that bitch. You can’t help but stare.

Kakashi couldn’t hold back his laugh. It rang out in his empty apartment.

Hm. Sounds like you secretly like it.

Of course I do. What, you think I have no self restraint? You know me better than that.

Shit. What was Kakashi doing? He should really tell this person he accidentally sent a text to the wrong number, but it would be weird now. He already continued the conversation.

Another text came through.

LMAO I can’t believe Lori went after Gavin. Good lord.

Kakashi’s face broke into a grin. He knew the exact moment this person was talking about. He’d already watched the season, twice, despite it being released on Netflix yesterday.

God. This puts my students drama to shame, which is rather impressive. Speaking of, Naruto ‘accidentally’ kissed Sasuke today, and Sakura ran out of the classroom crying.

Kakashi answered without thinking.

How do you accidentally kiss someone?

You don’t? That was his wording when I asked him what all the fuss was about. Guess he’s not ready to admit he kissed a boy on purpose. I’ll tell you about tomorrow. What time did you want to meet at Blackberry Cafe?

Oh god. Kakashi had a terrible idea.

10? He typed out.

Can we make it 11? I’ll probably be up all night watching this bullshit.

—-

Kakashi was sitting at a table in the corner of the patio, inspecting the customers. It was 11:15. So far he’d narrowed it down to three people. One was a woman, who had just answered her phone, which immediately eliminated her. The speech pattern didn’t match. That left two men who were sitting alone. If Kakashi was being honest with himself he was hoping it was the cute one with the ponytail—

—who had just glanced at his watch, sighed, and pulled a stack of papers out of his messenger bag, along with a red pen.

..watching Icha Icha instead of grading exams…

Bingo.

Kakashi got up and walked over, standing in front of the empty chair across from the teacher.

“Uh, hi.”

“Hi?” the man replied, giving him a small smile as he wrinkled his face in confusion.

Kakashi’s heart skipped. Fuck.

“Is this seat taken?”  

The smile grew a little bigger. A blush coloring his cheeks.

“Actually, it is. I’m waiting for someone.”

Kakashi thought he saw the slightest bit of disappointment flicker across the man’s face. It was enough to encourage him forward with his ridiculous plan.

“I think that someone is me.”

The man put down his pen, giving Kakashi his full attention.

“Clever, I’ll give you that. But I know that it’s not.”

“No, really. It’s me.”

The man scratched at the scar the cut across his nose and over his cheeks, his irritation apparent.

“I’m flattered by your effort, but pushy persistence isn’t attractive to me.”

Oh boy. Well. He’d already come this far…

“I’m not being pushy. It was me you were texting last night.”

The man narrowed his eyes. Kakashi tried not to wince under his glare. It was formidable.

“What?”

Kakashi pulled out the chair and sat down, as the man nearly squawked with disapproval.

“My friend wrote his number on a piece of paper. There was one number that could have been a 4 or a 9 and I guess I got it wrong.” Kakashi said, matter of fact.

He watched as the man face contorted through several reactions.

“Are you insane?” he hissed.

Well, maybe, but…

“Not clinically. I’m not a serial killer or anything, if that’s what you’re asking.”

The man widened his eyes.

“Ok, sorry, that was a stupid thing to say, considering.”

“Try idiotic.”  

Kakashi bristled.

“Well, what about you? My number can’t have been in your phone, yet you spoke like you knew me.”

“I just got a new phone yesterday! None of my contacts transferred. I thought you were Izu—my friend. The number looked vaguely familiar I—this is fucking absurd. Why the hell would you come to meet me?”

“You seemed interesting.” Kakashi shrugged.

“After a ten minute text conversation?” he asked, incredulous.

Kakashi rattled off other reasons in his head. How he’d had a terrible fucking night. How he couldn’t sleep because he was plagued by painful nightmares. How he was seconds away from taking enough anti-depressants to knock him the fuck out for a few hours, when their texts had distracted him enough to forget about it completely.

“I was having a bad night and you made me laugh,” he settled on saying.

The man scoffed, yet there was a softness in his eyes.

“How can I trust you? It’s not like someone can vouch for you—“

“IRUKA!”

Gai was mid-stride to their table, before he froze.

“K..kakashi!? You two know each other?!”

“You two know each other?!” Kakashi countered.

“Iruka’s my newest protégée! We just started training a few weeks ago,”—Gai’s eyes lit up—“Why have I not thought of this before?! This is absolutely perfect! What incredible genius set you two up?!”

“Uh, actually, you did, Gai. I misread the number you gave me and well,” Kakashi spanned his hands out in front of him to say here we are.

“What luck! How beautiful! It was meant to be. I’ll leave you two alone,” Gai said, quickly making himself scarce.

“You know Gai,” Iruka deadpanned, both eyebrows raised, as he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

“He’s my best friend.” A smile crept across Kakashi’s face. “How’s that for vouching for me?”

[thedyingmoon]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

~ A V X Reader set in an Alternate Universe wherein you get to swim with V (?!) 🤔

~ This is dedicated to all my new followers. Thank you so much! 🖤

~ Now tagging my sweet friends, @heaven-on-a-landslide , @gxthghoulfriend , @acieoj , @ehrzeth , @simmy-ships , and @lessy86 . 🖤

~ Sorry, this is a bit late. I made sure this is screened and re - screened, just for you! 🖤

~ Shall I put a NSFW warning? Nah. Let's do this! 🖤

***

XI

***

You inhaled deeply as you faced the wooden door of the infamous establishment.

Ten years of searching, of wandering to unknown places away from home, and it had led you to this very moment.

At long last, you will finally see the man in your visions.

You opened your (E/C) eyes as you exhaled. Yes, there was no turning back.

You lifted a hand and opened the door,...

"Can't you read?" The man, who sat behind the desk, lazily drawled. "I'm closed!"

You raised an eyebrow, wondering whether you misread the sign. You took a step backwards and took a glance at the aforementioned sign outside.

Satisfied that you were right, all along, you warily went back inside, trying to ignore the heat and utter darkness of the building. You took a step forward, your eyes getting accustomed to the limited light, and took a good long look at the supposed owner of the Agency, whose feet were on top of the desk.

"I'm,..." you began uneasily as the man comfortably shifted on his seat. "... looking for someone."

"Sorry, hon." The man answered uninterestedly, his voice muffled by the magazine covering his face. "Don't run a lost and found here. If you're looking for a lost pup, then - "

"I'm not looking for a dog."

The man didn't answer. Instead, he slowly removed the obscene reading material off his face, put his feet back down on the ground, and faced you.

Upon seeing his face, your eyes widened in surprise, then went back to normal in utter disappointment. Yes, his hair's white, he looked tall,...

... but, you were positive he wasn't the man you were looking for all those years.

"Oh, I'm,..." you stuttered as the man raised an eyebrow.

"What is a beautiful lady doing here at my place?" The man's lips slowly went up in a lazy, yet charming, smile as he subtly looked at you from your eyes to your feet, then back again. "Are you lost?"

You took a step backwards as the man finally stood up, towering above your vertically - challenged form.

"I,... "

"Yes, hon?" He asked you, his broad chest already a mere inches away from your face.

"I'm sorry." You managed to say before your senses got knocked out. Now, as he looked down at you with amusement, you realized he looked exactly like the man in your visions. But, what you couldn't understand was the fact that he wasn't the one you were looking for. "It seems that I went to the wrong place."

The man's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." You told him as you swiftly drew back and retreated to the door before he could even reach you. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

And with that, you went out as rapidly as you could.

You sighed, feeling your shoulders slouch for the first time in months. You thought it was hopeless. You just couldn't find him no matter how much you look.

But, as you took a single step away from the building, your vision suddenly turned blurry along with your mind. You felt a familiar numbness take over your whole body.

Right then and there, the entity took over as it showed you a vision so vivid, you thought it was real.

A few moments after the unexpected trance, you stared into space, mouth wide open, unable to believe that you were actually in the right place.

You need this man in order for you to get to the man you were actually looking for. You were so damned sure of it.

The man was about to go back to sleep on his chair when you suddenly burst open the door.

"On second thought," you began. "I'm looking for a job,..."

***

"(Y/N)? Honey? Hey!"

You were instantly brought back to reality upon feeling Nico's hand on top of your shoulder. Somehow, you've been staring at the spot where Dante have been for a few minutes that the others thought you were shocked, or something.

But, how could you be shocked? You're free. He finally set you free, and that's what you truly wanted.

So, why would you feel this way towards him?

"Guess we're going our separate ways." Nero exclaimed, wiping the Red Rose with a table cloth to rid it of the Demons' blood. He looked up and saw you looking at him. "Hey, you must be (Y/N), right?"

"Yes." You said, then nodded, pushing away the thoughts of Dante off your mind. "I' am. And you must be Kyrie's lover."

The young man smiled, went towards you and held out his hand. "Nero, Devil May Cry Fortuna branch."

As you took his hand, electricity surged from the skin that made contact with his to your every nerve, instantly putting you in an unexpected trance. You knew from that moment that the entity inside you would show you another set of visions.

And you were not wrong, for there, in the deepest recesses of your mind, was the sight of the youth, all bloody and torn, holding out his right hand to you. You saw yourself reach out, then all of a sudden, you're eyes went wide at the sight of,...

"(Y/N)!" Nico said, waking you up from your trance. You instantly jolted back to the present and found yourself staring at both Nero and Nico.

For a few seconds, you couldn't utter a word, until Nico pulled you away from Nero.

"Okay, what did you see?" Nico whispered to you, knowing full well where you just have been.

"What?"

"Oh, ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout!"

"Oh," you muttered, putting your hand against your forehead. "Nothing special."

"Really?" The Artisan was understandably skeptical.

"Really." And you knew you were lying.

From where he sat, V watched the interaction between you three, of Nero holding out his hand to you for a handshake, of you suddenly blanking out, and Nico taking you away, whispering things to you.

Clearly, from the moment he met you in the park, V had every right to become suspicious and curious of you. From the moment you almost sliced him in two to the time you protected him from Dante. He knew you meant every word about you protecting him but,...

... why him?

And, what do you and Dante mean regarding the time?

And, now, it looked as though Nico knew something, as well. And Nero? Oh, well,...

Really, the Yamato was not wrong for bringing him back here. It was clearly because of you. So, what choice did he have but to unravel everything about you, physically, spiritually, and emotionally?

"You can't come in here!"

V snapped back from his thoughts to reality when he heard Nico's obnoxious voice. This time, the woman was not letting you inside the van.

"And why is that?" You shot back at the woman who blocked the entrance to the vehicle.

"Just look at you! You're still dripping!"

Nico was right. You were dripping with the blood of the Demon you skewered.

"That's why I want to come inside and take a shower!" You argued.

"Not a chance, honey. Can't let the place be dirtied by Demon shit."

"Hey, it's not shit!"

"What are they arguing about?" Nero asked V.

V just raised his eyebrows. "Sensibilites."

"You go take a shower somewhere else, not here!" Nico continuously argued.

"What the hell, Nico?!" You screamed, trying to get past your friend, but to no avail. "Come on! There are Demons loose out there! Do you expect me to strip with all those things waiting to murder me?!"

"T-that's why you're not going alone!" Nico's voice stammered at what she suggested.

However, you knew her for years. You knew what she's cooking up for you, the bitch.

The Artisan disappeared into the vehicle for a while, and when she reappeared, she tossed what she's carrying to V, who caught it just in time before it landed on the ground. He looked at the thing he just got from the woman, and instantly groaned in his mind.

It was a small, white dress seemingly made completely out of lace. Nothing else.

You saw how V eyed the article of clothing and suddenly felt your heartbeat triple. You turned to look back at Nico, whose eyes looked clearly dancing in delight and mischief.

"You have got to be kidding me,..."

"Oh, do I look like I'm joking, huh, hon?"

"Okay, I'll go, too. I'll guard the place, just to make sure." Nero offered, clearly clueless of what's going on, the poor boy.

Nico raised her eyebrows at him and gritted her teeth.

"Don't you have something else to do, huh?" Nico asked the boy.

"Like what?"

Oh, the dense, little - ! "Like calling Kyrie! Dude, a nationwide evacuation has just been announced! Aren't ya gonna talk to her?!"

"Oh, shit!" Nero exclaimed, brushing Nico aside to enter the van, clearly forgetting about the situation.

Which left you and -

"Okay, get a move now, you two. And give me the bow, I need readjustments with that." Nico requested.

You removed the thing that was strapped to your right thigh and gave it to the Artisan. After that, she slid the door of the van closed. You were sure you saw her wink at you before doing so.

Oh, that - woman!

"We must move,..." V said in a low and raspy voice behind you. "... before any of those creatures return."

You glanced behind you and saw the man looking at you with an unreadable expression, one hand leaning on his metal cane, and the other firmly holding onto the white dress.

You sighed. You knew V was only trying to help, and you also knew that he was only a victim of Nico's ingenious scheming. There was no reason for you, whatsoever, to get mad at the poor man. You'll only take a quick shower, he'll guard the front door, end of story. What could go wrong with that?

And so, about an hour later, you found yourself already regretting your decision to go along with Nico's suggestion. The residents of the mansion have already evacuated along with the rest of the citizens of Red Grave, so, the two of you naturally assumed that you're free to use the private bathrooms.

It seemed you were wrong.

V could hear your muffled screams through the door and thought you were in trouble, so he took the initiative of knocking on it to check if you were fine. When you gave him permission, he opened the door and found you still on your filthy gown and staring at the shower head with your arms crossed and your delicate eyebrows furrowed.

To be perfectly honest, V found this frustrated side of you very adorable, especially with that pout of your lips.

But, he could never ignore your dilemma.

"Again?" V asked you. After you nodded, he said, "So, the electricity has really been cut off."

"It seems like it. Ten private bathrooms, no running water." you said, then turned to look at him with furious eyes. "I can't go back there! Nico would never let me in!"

V sighed. He actually already thought of an alternative idea after your fifth bathroom, he just didn't want to suggest it to you. Or rather, he was shy of suggesting it to you.

But, seeing that you two were left with no other choice, he had no other reason left to hold back his thoughts from you.

"Actually,..." V began, then cleared his throat, finding it so difficult to say the thing to you. "... there is,... another way."

Your eyes lit up in hope. You went towards him with a bright smile. "Okay. What is it, V?"

"There is,..." V nervously said, suddenly feeling the air leave his lungs.

"Yes?" And you looked so eager.

V sighed, unable to go on. "Just,... follow me." he said, helpless and defeated by his own cowardice in front of you.

And so, after a few more minutes, you found yourselves looking at the most wonderful swimming pool in the middle of the garden just at the back of the mansion. The black marbled pool was surrounded by life - sized statues of Greek Goddesses and there was a small table with a pair of chairs nearby.

Despite the picturesque scenery, you couldn't help but sink in embarrassment.

V noticed your uneasiness and spoke. "We could not afford to wander outside to look for an actual bathhouse under the current circumstances. But, if you wish to go out and - "

"This will do." you said with utter determination. You knew V was a gentleman. There was no way in the world that he'd take a peek at you while you washed. So, you decided to trust his judgment.

"Then, I'll just put this here." he said as he put the dress in a table near the pool.

You nodded and started to undress. V noticed this, hastily looked away, and went somewhere far where he would not be tempted to look at you. He decided to take a seat on the stairs that led to the garden pool and took out his book to keep himself busy. At least your problem would be solved.

But, V's torment was already beginning as he heard the soft sound of clothes being removed and placed on the ground. Heck, he could practically hear the garment as it slid off your smooth skin!

After that, he heard the splash of water, and he made one wrong move to turn around and see,...

... only to find you completely submerged in the water.

He sighed, disappointed and frustrated with himself for being the opposite of what you must have thought of him. He was about to go back to his reading when he saw you surface the water. His eyes widened as your hair splashed in long, silky waves of (H/C). Your back was turned against him, so he only saw your long hair and your bare shoulders, down to your -

V practically gasped as he snapped his attention back to his book. He was looking at William Blake's illustrations but, he was fully aware in his mind that he wanted to look at you.

And, as if by cue, some of the black ink that adorned his skin vanished as Griffon materialized.

"So, Shakespeare!" the Demonic bird began, his voice all too mischievous to ignore. "I'm pretty sure you're filthy after that battle.."

"Your point is?" V asked, but he knew what the bird meant.

"Aww, come on! Join the lady."

V gave him a smirk. "Not a chance."

"My, my, V! You are the only man I know who would not bend to his own needs. This situation is basically made just for you!"

"I'm sure the lady would not appreciate that,... suggestion,... of yours."

"Pfft!"

Knowing that V would not listen to him, Griffon flew and perched himself on top of a statue of Cassandra, the prophet. He may have failed for convincing V to join you, but he had other plans up his wing.

"Oh, look V!" the bird began. "I didn't know that girl could swim that good."

V just smirked, not taking his eyes off the book. But, Griffon knew his master was not reading, at all.

"And how the moonlight shine upon her wet milky, white skin. Truly a sight to behold!"

The poet began laughing in a low voice.

Griffon was not done.

"And those exquisite locks that went down her head like a cape,..."

"What you are doing right now is,... futile." V answered, but Griffon believed that his master would give in sooner or later.

"Oh, oh! Look, V!" The bird went on. "The girl was getting out of the water! Such graceful features! Such elegant form! Such beauty! Such - "

"You know that taunt of yours would never work on me."

" - generous chest. Look at that!"

V shook his head, unable to believe what Griffon was doing to his already aroused senses. He was waiting for the bird to say another word but, he was silent.

"Ran out of taunts?"

"V."

"Ran out of things to say, perhaps?"

"V!"

"Or, maybe the cat got your tongue?"

"V! SOMETHING JUST CAME OUT OF THE WATER!"

V chuckled. "And what kind of strategy are you using now?"

"I'M FREAKING SERIOUS HERE, V! THE LADY NEEDS HELP!"

"What in the - ?!"

V looked just in time as a sentient body of water rose up from the pool, imprisoning you in a huge, translucent vortex. He jolted to his feet and instinctively summoned Shadow.

"(Y/N)!" V screamed as he saw a porcelain mask with a pair of sapphires for eyes surface the sentient form of water. The gems lit up and the vortex of water morphed into a monstrous form of about fifteen feet with multiple claws of clear liquid that started going after him and his familiars, destroying everything in its path in the process, including the table and chairs, your dress, and the statues.

But, it didn't matter to him. He could dodge and deflect those things as easily as eating pie. What he was worried about was you. You were already drowning within the watery grave and you would surely die if he didn't do anything.

And, most of all, he felt guilty for even suggesting the goddamn pool in the garden in the first place.

"Slice them!" V commanded, making Shadow transform into multiple, sharp, dark whips that, indeed, sliced through the water.

But, it was useless. The monster easily regenarated its limbs with another flash of its sapphires. And what's more, it became even more hostile as it attacked them. Two of its claws made their way towards V, breaking the black marble floor beneath them. The man barely made it in time as he commanded the feline to slash the claws, temporarily stopping the attack. However, another claw that came out of nowhere landed a direct hit on his stomach, flinging him towards the other side of the garden.

He struggled to get up, glancing at the monster with dangerously narrowed eyes as it regenarated its claws. And through the vortex, he caught a glimpse of you, slowly drowning to death.

"We must get to its weakness." He whispered savagely, getting to his feet as he leaned on his cane. "And we must be,... swift!"

"How do we do that, V?" Griffon asked as Shadow provided a shield for them. "I can't do anything! I'll hurt the girl if I use my power!"

"Yes, you can." V simply answered.

"Are you going mad?!"

"I,... " V heaved, determined to end this trauma. "... might be."

A few seconds later, Griffon dashed towards the monster as Shadow lowered her shield.

"Hey, loser!" The bird spat at the mask. "That all ya got?! Hate to break it to ya, but a mosquito's bite hurt more than your pathetic claws!"

The sapphires on the porcelain mask lit up once more, sending some claws on Griffon's way, which he avoided easily.

"Ha! Ya can't catch me!" Taunted Griffon, leading the claws as far away from the vortex as possible.

And, as Griffon did his job, Shadow ran towards the monster, morphing into spikes along the way and slashing its lower part to reduce its height.

"Easy now, easy now!" Griffon chanted as he flew and twirled in midair, trying to confuse the monster. It did not even get the chance to retaliate as Shadow turned into a huge wheel of spikes that ultimately reduced the half of its height.

The monster was about to use its watery power once more when a cane suddenly materialized right before its gem eyes. Then, all of a sudden, a man materialized in midair, as well. He grabbed the cane and stabbed the center of the mask with its pointy end.

For a moment, it seemed that the monster was going berserk, but when the mask finally split in two with V's strength, it rapidly disintegrated, leaving you in midair, unconscious.

V managed to catch you before you fell on the ground and quickly took you away as he finally summoned the golem with a snap of his fingers. The dark, monstrous being called Nightmare came down on the ground like a meteor, annihilating everything on its way. As the huge being took form, the monster was still trying to regenarate, but thanks to V, it only formed a pathetic blob on the ground. And before the monster could even take a decent form, Nightmare fired its laser attack at it, causing its watery form to finally disintegrate and die.

A few moments passed. Upon realizing that the monster could no longer return, V called Nightmare back, instantly making his hair revert to black.

"Is she still alive?" Griffon asked, flying above you.

V placed you carefully on the ground, cupped your face, and,...

You were pulled back towards the light of consciousness as you coughed the water out of your system. You felt a strong hand as it gently rubbed your back.

Then, it finally hit you: you were getting out of the water when you were suddenly enclosed in a watery prison that almost killed you. But, here you were, safe and sound!

Which means,...

"(Y/N)?" You heard his voice. And he sounded awfully afraid.

"She's alive! She's ALIVE!" came in the sound of the Demonic bird. "Hey, V, where did you learn CPR?"

You rolled on the ground, opened your eyes, and saw him. It took time for your sight to adjust, and when it finally did, you noticed that he looked really worried, but at the same time he was grateful that you were safe.

"V-v,..." Your throat hurt like hell and you only managed to whisper. "What h-happened?"

"Forget about it." The man answered, his hands still supporting you. "Forgive me."

"For what?"

You felt V's hands tense on your bare skin. You also noticed how the man's green eyes were trying to focus only on your (E/C) ones.

And, suddenly, you realized,...

***

"I think I should go after them, after all." Nero said as he took a few steps forward, only to be stopped by the freckled woman.

"No need for that!" Nico said to him, her hands still on his shoulders. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

"But, it's almost two hours now! We - "

Nero stopped talking all of a sudden. Nico noticed him looking intensely at something behind her, and her eyes followed. It was then that she saw you and V, both dripping wet. But, what's more interesting was the fact that you were wearing V's coat and you were pulling at it like you don't want to be exposed.

And you looked furiously embarrassed.

"Honey, what ha - ?!" Nico asked.

You glared at the woman, feeling your cheeks heat up. "Don't ask."

***

🖤🖤🖤

[etlunainmorte]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

***

You inhaled deeply as you faced the wooden door of the infamous establishment.

Ten years of searching, of wandering to unknown places away from home, and it had led you to this very moment.

At long last, you will finally see the man in your visions.

You opened your (E/C) eyes as you exhaled. Yes, there was no turning back.

You lifted a hand and opened the door,…

“Can’t you read?” The man, who sat behind the desk, lazily drawled. “I’m closed!”

You raised an eyebrow, wondering whether you misread the sign. You took a step backwards and took a glance at the aforementioned sign outside.

Satisfied that you were right, all along, you warily went back inside, trying to ignore the heat and utter darkness of the building. You took a step forward, your eyes getting accustomed to the limited light, and took a good long look at the supposed owner of the Agency, whose feet were on top of the desk.

“I’m,…” you began uneasily as the man comfortably shifted on his seat. “… looking for someone.”

“Sorry, hon.” The man answered uninterestedly, his voice muffled by the magazine covering his face. “Don’t run a lost and found here. If you’re looking for a lost pup, then - ”

“I’m not looking for a dog.”

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly removed the obscene reading material off his face, put his feet back down on the ground, and faced you.

Upon seeing his face, your eyes widened in surprise, then went back to normal in utter disappointment. Yes, his hair’s white, he looked tall,…

… but, you were positive he wasn’t the man you were looking for all those years.

“Oh, I’m,…” you stuttered as the man raised an eyebrow.

“What is a beautiful lady doing here at my place?” The man’s lips slowly went up in a lazy, yet charming, smile as he subtly looked at you from your eyes to your feet, then back again. “Are you lost?”

You took a step backwards as the man finally stood up, towering above your vertically - challenged form.

“I,… ”

“Yes, hon?” He asked you, his broad chest already a mere inches away from your face.

“I’m sorry.” You managed to say before your senses got knocked out. Now, as he looked down at you with amusement, you realized he looked exactly like the man in your visions. But, what you couldn’t understand was the fact that he wasn’t the one you were looking for. “It seems that I went to the wrong place.”

The man’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” You told him as you swiftly drew back and retreated to the door before he could even reach you. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

And with that, you went out as rapidly as you could.

You sighed, feeling your shoulders slouch for the first time in months. You thought it was hopeless. You just couldn’t find him no matter how much you look.

But, as you took a single step away from the building, your vision suddenly turned blurry along with your mind. You felt a familiar numbness take over your whole body.

Right then and there, the entity took over as it showed you a vision so vivid, you thought it was real.

A few moments after the unexpected trance, you stared into space, mouth wide open, unable to believe that you were actually in the right place.

You need this man in order for you to get to the man you were actually looking for. You were so damned sure of it.

The man was about to go back to sleep on his chair when you suddenly burst open the door.

“On second thought,” you began. “I’m looking for a job,…”

***

XI

***

“(Y/N)? Honey? Hey!”

You were instantly brought back to reality upon feeling Nico’s hand on top of your shoulder. Somehow, you’ve been staring at the spot where Dante have been for a few minutes that the others thought you were shocked, or something.

But, how could you be shocked? You’re free. He finally set you free, and that’s what you truly wanted.

So, why would you feel this way towards him?

“Guess we’re going our separate ways.” Nero exclaimed, wiping the Red Rose with a table cloth to rid it of the Demons’ blood. He looked up and saw you looking at him. “Hey, you must be (Y/N), right?”

“Yes.” You said, then nodded, pushing away the thoughts of Dante off your mind. “I’ am. And you must be Kyrie’s lover.”

The young man smiled, went towards you and held out his hand. “Nero, Devil May Cry Fortuna branch.”

As you took his hand, electricity surged from the skin that made contact with his to your every nerve, instantly putting you in an unexpected trance. You knew from that moment that the entity inside you would show you another set of visions.

And you were not wrong, for there, in the deepest recesses of your mind, was the sight of the youth, all bloody and torn, holding out his right hand to you. You saw yourself reach out, then all of a sudden, you’re eyes went wide at the sight of,…

“(Y/N)!” Nico said, waking you up from your trance. You instantly jolted back to the present and found yourself staring at both Nero and Nico.

For a few seconds, you couldn’t utter a word, until Nico pulled you away from Nero.

“Okay, what did you see?” Nico whispered to you, knowing full well where you just have been.

“What?”

“Oh, ya know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout!”

“Oh,” you muttered, putting your hand against your forehead. “Nothing special.”

“Really?” The Artisan was understandably skeptical.

“Really.” And you knew you were lying.

From where he sat, V watched the interaction between you three, of Nero holding out his hand to you for a handshake, of you suddenly blanking out, and Nico taking you away, whispering things to you.

Clearly, from the moment he met you in the park, V had every right to become suspicious and curious of you. From the moment you almost sliced him in two to the time you protected him from Dante. He knew you meant every word about you protecting him but,…

… why him?

And, what do you and Dante mean regarding the time?

And, now, it looked as though Nico knew something, as well. And Nero? Oh, well,…

Really, the Yamato was not wrong for bringing him back here. It was clearly because of you. So, what choice did he have but to unravel everything about you, physically, spiritually, and emotionally?

“You can’t come in here!”

V snapped back from his thoughts to reality when he heard Nico’s obnoxious voice. This time, the woman was not letting you inside the van.

“And why is that?” You shot back at the woman who blocked the entrance to the vehicle.

“Just look at you! You’re still dripping!”

Nico was right. You were dripping with the blood of the Demon you skewered.

“That’s why I want to come inside and take a shower!” You argued.

“Not a chance, honey. Can’t let the place be dirtied by Demon shit.”

“Hey, it’s not shit!”

“What are they arguing about?” Nero asked V.

V just raised his eyebrows. “Sensibilities.”

“You go take a shower somewhere else, not here!” Nico continuously argued.

“What the hell, Nico?!” You screamed, trying to get past your friend, but to no avail. “Come on! There are Demons loose out there! Do you expect me to strip with all those things waiting to murder me?!”

“T-that’s why you’re not going alone!” Nico’s voice stammered at what she suggested.

However, you knew her for years. You knew what she’s cooking up for you, the bitch.

The Artisan disappeared into the vehicle for a while, and when she reappeared, she tossed what she’s carrying to V, who caught it just in time before it landed on the ground. He looked at the thing he just got from the woman, and instantly groaned in his mind.

It was a small, white dress seemingly made completely out of lace. Nothing else.

You saw how V eyed the article of clothing and suddenly felt your heartbeat triple. You turned to look back at Nico, whose eyes looked clearly dancing in delight and mischief.

“You have got to be kidding me,…”

“Oh, do I look like I’m joking, huh, hon?”

“Okay, I’ll go, too. I’ll guard the place, just to make sure.” Nero offered, clearly clueless of what’s going on, the poor boy.

Nico raised her eyebrows at him and gritted her teeth.

“Don’t you have something else to do, huh?” Nico asked the boy.

“Like what?”

Oh, the dense, little - ! “Like calling Kyrie! Dude, a nationwide evacuation has just been announced! Aren’t ya gonna talk to her?!”

“Oh, shit!” Nero exclaimed, brushing Nico aside to enter the van, clearly forgetting about the situation.

Which left you and -

“Okay, get a move now, you two. And give me the bow, I need readjustments with that.” Nico requested.

You removed the thing that was strapped to your right thigh and gave it to the Artisan. After that, she slid the door of the van closed. You were sure you saw her wink at you before doing so.

Oh, that - woman!

“We must move,…” V said in a low and raspy voice behind you. “… before any of those creatures return.”

You glanced behind you and saw the man looking at you with an unreadable expression, one hand leaning on his metal cane, and the other firmly holding onto the white dress.

You sighed. You knew V was only trying to help, and you also knew that he was only a victim of Nico’s ingenious scheming. There was no reason for you, whatsoever, to get mad at the poor man. You’ll only take a quick shower, he’ll guard the front door, end of story. What could go wrong with that?

And so, about an hour later, you found yourself already regretting your decision to go along with Nico’s suggestion. The residents of the mansion have already evacuated along with the rest of the citizens of Red Grave, so, the two of you naturally assumed that you’re free to use the private bathrooms.

It seemed you were wrong.

V could hear your muffled screams through the door and thought you were in trouble, so he took the initiative of knocking on it to check if you were fine. When you gave him permission, he opened the door and found you still on your filthy gown and staring at the shower head with your arms crossed and your delicate eyebrows furrowed.

To be perfectly honest, V found this frustrated side of you very adorable, especially with that pout of your lips.

But, he could never ignore your dilemma.

“Again?” V asked you. After you nodded, he said, “So, the electricity has really been cut off.”

“It seems like it. Ten private bathrooms, no running water.” you said, then turned to look at him with furious eyes. “I can’t go back there! Nico would never let me in!”

V sighed. He actually already thought of an alternative idea after your fifth bathroom, he just didn’t want to suggest it to you. Or rather, he was shy of suggesting it to you.

But, seeing that you two were left with no other choice, he had no other reason left to hold back his thoughts from you.

“Actually,…” V began, then cleared his throat, finding it so difficult to say the thing to you. “… there is,… another way.”

Your eyes lit up in hope. You went towards him with a bright smile. “Okay. What is it, V?”

“There is,…” V nervously said, suddenly feeling the air leave his lungs.

“Yes?” And you looked so eager.

V sighed, unable to go on. “Just,… follow me.” he said, helpless and defeated by his own cowardice in front of you.

And so, after a few more minutes, you found yourselves looking at the most wonderful swimming pool in the middle of the garden just at the back of the mansion. The black marbled pool was surrounded by life - sized statues of Greek Goddesses and there was a small table with a pair of chairs nearby.

Despite the picturesque scenery, you couldn’t help but sink in embarrassment.

V noticed your uneasiness and spoke. “We could not afford to wander outside to look for an actual bathhouse under the current circumstances. But, if you wish to go out and - ”

“This will do.” you said with utter determination. You knew V was a gentleman. There was no way in the world that he’d take a peek at you while you washed. So, you decided to trust his judgment.

“Then, I’ll just put this here.” he said as he put the dress in a table near the pool.

You nodded and started to undress. V noticed this, hastily looked away, and went somewhere far where he would not be tempted to look at you. He decided to take a seat on the stairs that led to the garden pool and took out his book to keep himself busy. At least your problem would be solved.

But, V’s torment was already beginning as he heard the soft sound of clothes being removed and placed on the ground. Heck, he could practically hear the garment as it slid off your smooth skin!

After that, he heard the splash of water, and he made one wrong move to turn around and see,…

… only to find you completely submerged in the water.

He sighed, disappointed and frustrated with himself for being the opposite of what you must have thought of him. He was about to go back to his reading when he saw you surface the water. His eyes widened as your hair splashed in long, silky waves of (H/C). Your back was turned against him, so he only saw your long hair and your bare shoulders, down to your -

V practically gasped as he snapped his attention back to his book. He was looking at William Blake’s illustrations but, he was fully aware in his mind that he wanted to look at you.

And, as if by cue, some of the black ink that adorned his skin vanished as Griffon materialized.

“So, Shakespeare!” the Demonic bird began, his voice all too mischievous to ignore. “I’m pretty sure you’re filthy after that battle..”

“Your point is?” V asked, but he knew what the bird meant.

“Aww, come on! Join the lady.”

V gave him a smirk. “Not a chance.”

“My, my, V! You are the only man I know who would not bend to his own needs. This situation is basically made just for you!”

“I’m sure the lady would not appreciate that,… suggestion,… of yours.”

“Pfft!”

Knowing that V would not listen to him, Griffon flew and perched himself on top of a statue of Cassandra, the prophet. He may have failed for convincing V to join you, but he had other plans up his wing.

“Oh, look V!” the bird began. “I didn’t know that girl could swim that good.”

V just smirked, not taking his eyes off the book. But, Griffon knew his master was not reading, at all.

“And how the moonlight shine upon her wet milky, white skin. Truly a sight to behold!”

The poet began laughing in a low voice.

Griffon was not done.

“And those exquisite locks that went down her head like a cape,…”

“What you are doing right now is,… futile.” V answered, but Griffon believed that his master would give in sooner or later.

“Oh, oh! Look, V!” The bird went on. “The girl was getting out of the water! Such graceful features! Such elegant form! Such beauty! Such - ”

“You know that taunt of yours would never work on me.”

“ - generous chest. Look at that!”

V shook his head, unable to believe what Griffon was doing to his already aroused senses. He was waiting for the bird to say another word but, he was silent.

“Ran out of taunts?”

“V.”

“Ran out of things to say, perhaps?”

“V!”

“Or, maybe the cat got your tongue?”

“V! SOMETHING JUST CAME OUT OF THE WATER!”

V chuckled. “And what kind of strategy are you using now?”

“I’M FREAKING SERIOUS HERE, V! THE LADY NEEDS HELP!”

“What in the - ?!”

V looked just in time as a sentient body of water rose up from the pool, imprisoning you in a huge, translucent vortex. He jolted to his feet and instinctively summoned Shadow.

“(Y/N)!” V screamed as he saw a porcelain mask with a pair of sapphires for eyes surface the sentient form of water. The gems lit up and the vortex of water morphed into a monstrous form of about fifteen feet with multiple claws of clear liquid that started going after him and his familiars, destroying everything in its path in the process, including the table and chairs, your dress, and the statues.

But, it didn’t matter to him. He could dodge and deflect those things as easily as eating pie. What he was worried about was you. You were already drowning within the watery grave and you would surely die if he didn’t do anything.

And, most of all, he felt guilty for even suggesting the goddamn pool in the garden in the first place.

“Slice them!” V commanded, making Shadow transform into multiple, sharp, dark whips that, indeed, sliced through the water.

But, it was useless. The monster easily regenerated its limbs with another flash of its sapphires. And what’s more, it became even more hostile as it attacked them. Two of its claws made their way towards V, breaking the black marble floor beneath them. The man barely made it in time as he commanded the feline to slash the claws, temporarily stopping the attack. However, another claw that came out of nowhere landed a direct hit on his stomach, flinging him towards the other side of the garden.

He struggled to get up, glancing at the monster with dangerously narrowed eyes as it regenerated its claws. And through the vortex, he caught a glimpse of you, slowly drowning to death.

“We must get to its weakness.” He whispered savagely, getting to his feet as he leaned on his cane. “And we must be,… swift!”

“How do we do that, V?” Griffon asked as Shadow provided a shield for them. “I can’t do anything! I’ll hurt the girl if I use my power!”

“Yes, you can.” V simply answered.

“Are you going mad?!”

“I,… ” V heaved, determined to end this trauma. “… might be.”

A few seconds later, Griffon dashed towards the monster as Shadow lowered her shield.

“Hey, loser!” The bird spat at the mask. “That all ya got?! Hate to break it to ya, but a mosquito’s bite hurt more than your pathetic claws!”

The sapphires on the porcelain mask lit up once more, sending some claws on Griffon’s way, which he avoided easily.

“Ha! Ya can’t catch me!” Taunted Griffon, leading the claws as far away from the vortex as possible.

And, as Griffon did his job, Shadow ran towards the monster, morphing into spikes along the way and slashing its lower part to reduce its height.

“Easy now, easy now!” Griffon chanted as he flew and twirled in midair, trying to confuse the monster. It did not even get the chance to retaliate as Shadow turned into a huge wheel of spikes that ultimately reduced the half of its height.

The monster was about to use its watery power once more when a cane suddenly materialized right before its gem eyes. Then, all of a sudden, a man materialized in midair, as well. He grabbed the cane and stabbed the center of the mask with its pointy end.

For a moment, it seemed that the monster was going berserk, but when the mask finally split in two with V’s strength, it rapidly disintegrated, leaving you in midair, unconscious.

V managed to catch you before you fell on the ground and quickly took you away as he finally summoned the golem with a snap of his fingers. The dark, monstrous being called Nightmare came down on the ground like a meteor, annihilating everything on its way. As the huge being took form, the monster was still trying to regenerate, but thanks to V, it only formed a pathetic blob on the ground. And before the monster could even take a decent form, Nightmare fired its laser attack at it, causing its watery form to finally disintegrate and die.

A few moments passed. Upon realizing that the monster could no longer return, V called Nightmare back, instantly making his hair revert to black.

“Is she still alive?” Griffon asked, flying above you.

V placed you carefully on the ground, cupped your face, and,…

You were pulled back towards the light of consciousness as you coughed the water out of your system. You felt a strong hand as it gently rubbed your back.

Then, it finally hit you: you were getting out of the water when you were suddenly enclosed in a watery prison that almost killed you. But, here you were, safe and sound!

Which means,…

“(Y/N)?” You heard his voice. And he sounded awfully afraid.

“She’s alive! She’s ALIVE!” came in the sound of the Demonic bird. “Hey, V, where did you learn CPR?”

You rolled on the ground, opened your eyes, and saw him. It took time for your sight to adjust, and when it finally did, you noticed that he looked really worried, but at the same time he was grateful that you were safe.

“V-v,…” Your throat hurt like hell and you only managed to whisper. “What h-happened?”

“Forget about it.” The man answered, his hands still supporting you. “Forgive me.”

“For what?”

You felt V’s hands tense on your bare skin. You also noticed how the man’s green eyes were trying to focus only on your (E/C) ones.

And, suddenly, you realized,…

***

“I think I should go after them, after all.” Nero said as he took a few steps forward, only to be stopped by the freckled woman.

“No need for that!” Nico said to him, her hands still on his shoulders. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

“But, it’s almost two hours now! We - ”

Nero stopped talking all of a sudden. Nico noticed him looking intensely at something behind her, and her eyes followed. It was then that she saw you and V, both dripping wet. But, what’s more interesting was the fact that you were wearing V’s coat and you were pulling at it like you don’t want to be exposed.

And you looked furiously embarrassed.

“Honey, what ha - ?!” Nico asked.

You glared at the woman, feeling your cheeks heat up. “Don’t ask.”

***

🖤🖤🖤

***

[gayestnerdsinfiction]

“You rose to me ash blackened and new” for any of your ocs? (Also: Can i just briefly say that i love your writing a whole lot? It's just very fluid and elegant and I really enjoy reading it.) ❤

aaahhhh thank u so much!! i always see when u leave nice tags on my stuff it makes me smile so big! (also i misread the prompt and added a word to it but i’m sure no one will care right???)

Israfil paces warily around theedge of the room, keeping as close to the sleek black walls as he can managewithout touching anything. He had expected Hell to be fiery and cluttered andthoroughly unpleasant. He supposes the rest of it may very well be like thatfor all he knows, but this room looks like a fancy corporate office occupied bya very goth businessman. The desk at the center of the room looks to be pureobsidian, polished and shining beneath the stark white ceiling lights. Theblack chair accompanying the desk is plush with dark green accents and wheelson the bottom. Israfil never saw a wheeled chair during his time in Heaven. Hewonders if there’s any significance to that.

He’s in the middle ofsurreptitiously examining the ornately framed painting of a woman that hangsbehind the desk when the front door swings open with a whoosh of hot air.“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Lucifer says smoothly, strolling into the office. Heis dressed in a well tailored crimson suit and a wide brimmed hat, which he promptlytosses onto the desk. “How’s tricks?” he asks, pulling the wheeled chair backand taking a seat.

“Oh, you know,” Israfil says. “Beenbusy.”

“I can tell.” He reaches into oneof the many drawers in his desk, removing a small, silver box. “Cigarette?” heoffers.

“No. Thanks.” He clears his throat.“Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I was sort of caught up with…something.”

“Israfil,” Lucifer says, taking acigarette out of the box and lighting it with the tip of his finger, “believeme, I know all about your exploits in humanity.” He gives Israfil aknowing look. “You should know by now that no one has any secrets from me.”

“Right. That’s true. Anyway—”

“It’s a shame what happened,” heinterrupts, wisps of smoke curling out of his mouth as he speaks. “But I guesshumans aren’t really made to last. Not like us.” He grins, looking for a momentlike his old, charming self. “We’re like the cockroaches of this whole wretcheduniverse.”

“Right,” he repeats, softer thistime. “Look, Lucifer—”

“You know, I remember when youfell,” he continues, gesturing for Israfil to sit in one of the green armchairsacross from the desk. “It was quite scandalous, really. God’s golden boygetting cast aside without warning.” He leans forward slightly, as if preparingto tell him a secret. “You know, my wife and I took bets on whether it wouldstart another uprising in Heaven. From what Michael told me, a lot of theangels were not happy with that little turn of events.”

Israfil didn’t know that Luciferand Michael still kept in touch. Though, he supposes it makes sense. After all,Michael was the only one who was ever really close with Lucifer. “You’remarried?” he asks.

Lucifer waves a hand at thepainting Israfil had been inspecting. It depicts a tall, dark skinned womanwith tumbling black curls and blood red lips. She sits cross legged upon agolden throne, a jackal lying peacefully at her feet. “Lilith,” he says fondly.“You might remember her from the garden?”

Israfil nods slowly, eyes fixed onthe painting. “Vaguely.” He remembers that Adam had a wife before Eve, and thatshe, too, had been dismissed from the garden. Apparently Lilith and Adam had a…difference of opinion regarding the woman’s place in a relationship. “Youmarried her?”

“How could I not?” He turnshis chair to face the portrait with a soft sigh. “I knew she was brilliant themoment I met her. And she’s got a body that just won’t quit.”

“Okay, anyway,” Israfil saysabruptly, feeling more than a little uncomfortable at the turn thisconversation is taking. “I was wondering—”

“I wanted to claim you right afteryou fell, but your grace hadn’t burned off yet,” Lucifer says, seemingly intenton telling this story whether Israfil likes it or not. “Besides, it was way toointeresting to watch you play house with the human, and I thought it mightthrow a wrench into my entertainment if I took you under my wing too early.” Hepauses, swiveling around in his chair once more and tapping a bit of ash offthe end of the cigarette onto the table. “I’ll admit, I was a bit disappointedwhen you didn’t come to call after I adopted you,” he murmurs, looking upthrough his eyelashes at Israfil. “Some demons less benevolent than I mighthave perceived that as a snub, you know.”

“Like I said, I was busy.”

“Of course. You were busy.” Hetakes a long tug on the cigarette, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling aboveIsrafil’s head. “One of my seers came to me with a vision. On the eve of yourfirst little scuffle with Raphael.” He blows a perfectly rounded smoke ring. “Sheprophesied that you were going to fall in combat.” He chuckles to himself. “Outsideof an IHOP, no less. If I hadn’t stepped in, that would’ve been super embarrassingfor you. And you have far too much potential to let you get taken out in aparking lot brawl, of all things.”

Ah. So that explains why he hadbeen claimed during that fight all those years ago. He had always had thesneaking suspicion that Lucifer knew something he didn’t—which, granted, wastrue most of the time—that led him to choose that moment to claimIsrafil as one of his own. It had always seemed a little too apropos to be a coincidence.“I appreciate your intervention,” he says curtly.

Lucifer nods slowly. “It really wasa beautiful sight,” he murmurs. “Watching as you rose to me like ash, blackenedand new, with the full force of Hell at your fingertips.” He exhales softly,his eyes fluttering closed. “I was proud to see you triumph like that, rebornwith my dark blessing.”

Israfil resists the urge to scoffat the utterance of ‘dark blessing’. Lucifer must think himself quite the poet.“It was a welcomed gift,” he admits. “Your patronage, I mean.”

“Hm.” He stubs out the cigarette onthe back of his hand. The flesh sizzles and blisters before returning to itsusual, eerily smooth texture. “And now you’re here.”

“Now I’m here.”

“I suppose you’re wondering whattask I’m going to ask you to perform,” he says casually, popping the cigarettebutt into his mouth and swallowing it. “To prove your loyalty to me, naturally.”

Israfil nods, relieved to befinally getting to the point of this whole meeting. “I don’t intend to residehere,” he says carefully, “but I’m willing to carry out my… duties, as the needarises.”

Lucifer smiles, lips pulling backto reveal a mouth of glossy white teeth. “Good,” he says. “Your service isinvaluable to me.” He runs his palm over his slick, dark hair, eyeing Israfil withgreat consideration. “You’re currently living in Oakland, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Good,” he repeats. “In downtownOakland there is a restaurant owned by a man who has a band that I don’t like.Have the restaurant shut down for me.”

Israfil blinks. “Is that all?”

“That’s all.” There is a devilishgleam in his eyes, but he offers no elaboration and Israfil doesn’t feel quitebold enough to ask, so he says nothing and simply nods his head in agreement. “There’sa good lad,” Lucifer says brightly. “Now, I have a very important meeting witha few of my generals, so I’m afraid I’ll have to send you on your way.” Hewaves his hand at the tall double doors at the other end of the office and theyswing open, revealing a broad shouldered, burly demon standing just beyondthem. “Halphas will show you out.”

The demon bows low at the mentionof her name.

“Right. Okay. Well, I’ll be… seeingyou, I guess.” Israfil gives an awkward half bow to Lucifer, feeling a bitstrange at having to bow to someone who was once his delinquent cousin, andshuffles out of the room. He has a gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomachthat tells him he should’ve given more thought to the implications of Lucifer’srequest. He knows better than to believe that the order is as innocuous as itseems. But even the unforeseen consequences of shutting down a singlerestaurant are probably preferable to any of the things Lucifer might haveasked a demon he liked less.

Even so, as Israfil follows Halphasdown the wide halls of Hell, something in the back of his mind tells him heshouldn’t have been so quick to agree.