#that was the point by the way. for everything to explode in a gigantic ball of drama

[eat-a-dicker]

could courtney and duncan have worked it out? not on that fucking show

[dancingthrustars]

Hindsight will whack him repeatedly over the head with the fact that in this exact moment, he barely even registers the question. He’s too busy fighting the very real chance he just has a heart attack and dies before anyone can so much as touch him.

Death’s scruffy head tilts again, the opposite way this time like it fucking matters, and then the oppressive terror in the air just vanishes. Like it was never even there in the first place. Air rockets back into his lungs, revealing the fact that he apparently stopped breathing at some point and leaving him dizzy, gasping, and very much on the edge of blacking out.

The guy wearing Death’s clothes just keeps smiling at him, friendly as can be. Admittedly with a tinge of confused concern the longer his oxygen problem goes on. When it doesn’t seem like it’s going to let up, a hand very gently grips the elbow of his shirt and leads him….somewhere. He’s not sure exactly where, it feels like a haze of streets and stairs and sloughing viscera. All he’s really sure of is coming back to himself staring at the dark waters of the nighttime bay through smudged glass, closed in on either side by some really bad curtains.

Very slowly but surely, other information filters in to fill the gaps the static leaking out of his ears leaves. The smell of lavender and mothballs. The feeling of heavy knit wool balled in his hands. The sound of water on tile. The give of an overstuffed cushion beneath him.

An apartment, his brain eventually gives him. Sitting on a threadbare couch with a gigantic throw blanket tucked around him, a sturdy defense against the cranked up air conditioning he can hear quietly rattling a vent somewhere nearby. When he feels capable he looks around, taking in the cluttered shelves, the half-disassembled kitchen sink through the doorway, the literal actual juice box on the coffee table in front of him.

He blinks at it, still coming back online. The little anthropomorphic apple on the front stares back at him, waving a little baton.

It gets quieter, some point during this.

A door clicks down the hall. He turns towards it, probably slower than he should.

The person who comes around the corner is damp, for lack of a better word. Like he was in a bit of a rush when drying off. He’s crammed into an ink-splattered old shirt that probably fit better a few thousand reps ago, hair tousled from a quick scrub with a towel and perilously thick glasses still slightly fogged. It doesn’t detract overall from the sleepy doe-eyed look of him.

For half a second the corner of his head that never shuts off wonders why he hooked up with someone who clearly can’t even be bothered to fix the paint job on his walls, general attractiveness aside. The rest of that second is dedicated to registering the armored jacket tucked over this new guy’s arm, the empty holsters dangling awkwardly from his hand. Clarity washes over him like ice. Shit, right. He tenses, preparing to bolt.

“Oh, you’re okay! That’s good. I was getting worried. I’m Jay, by the way. Kinda forgot to introduce myself?”

Uh.

He watches, stunned, as he then just. Goes to hang up everything he’s holding by the door. Literally just on a hook next to a few worn-down hoodies, a tiny coat, and a very glittery butterfly backpack. He feels like somehow he missed the moment he definitely died and wound up in some weird alternate dimension. Maybe during the fuzzy bit? Maybe he just collapsed in the alley and hit his head?

Jay—apparently—retrieves the most beaten of the hoodies and tugs it on, freeing his brain from the minor worry about the shirt exploding and blinding him or something at least. Then he just wanders over to the couch and plops down next to him, easy as can be. For a minute the two of them just sit there. Him mostly because he’s been stunned past the capacity for speech for possibly the first time in his life, and Jay apparently just because.

The grey in his hair seems miles more prominent with proper lighting. He’s not sure if he’s noticing for any particular reason or if it’s just his brain desperately trying to convince itself he isn’t sitting a foot from the literal personification of Death.

The literal personification of Death that has an actual honest to god lightbulb moment in front of his eyes before leaning over to grab the juice box and push it into his hands, tapping it with a firm little tok-tok.

“You should drink up. Hydration is good and I don’t have anything else at the moment, sorry. Meant to go shopping.”

Something about that kicks his brain fully back into gear. He sets the drink back down like it’s a bomb waiting to go off—earning a brief flash of a quiet frown in the process—and turns to put his back closer to the door.

“Why am I here exactly?”

“Because you were asking about jobs and then had a panic attack and I wanted to get that guy’s brains off me?”

The absolute audacity to look at him like he’s the weird one. At least the bewildered rage seems to be clearing out the remaining abject terror. The source of all of it just shrugs, unaffected.

“You said you were a forger. Friend of mine needs some work done on a box or something? I figured I’d get your info and bring you to her when she has time but then I thought you might pass out. I wasn’t just going to leave you on the street, that’d be rude.”

And. Fuck. That’s almost sweet and a direct contact with someone with a job already available might actually swing luck in his favor. However, he’s still a paranoid fuck and this whole situation is making him increasingly convinced he’s gone full crazy. Staying grounded is his only hope.

“I wouldn’t have anything to show her. I don’t have any kit here.”

“If you suck she’ll find someone else. But you’re not gonna suck, right? You’re good. Should be, at least.”

His blood runs cold. He only just manages to keep the immediate urge to run quelled, if only because he knows he’d be dead before he got five feet.

“And you know this how?”

Somehow, somehow, the look he gets is genuinely, painfully confused. It makes him want to throw something.

“Because you said you were having issues only here? And that you could do other stuff. And your hands are pretty beat-up, so I figure you’ve got experience.”

The juice box is back again, this time with the straw. When did that happen?

He sighs, takes a sip of the too-sweet probably-artificial apple-water.

“I…fine. But if something else turns up I’ll probably turn her down.”

Jay’s expression turns skeptical by shades, like whatever is inside his head is supplying him with just how ridiculous it is for someone to claim that in stages.

“Sure. Until then, you never answered my question? Are you any good with kids?”

“Um? A little?”

“That’s fine. If you need other work, I could use a hand around the house.”

“What does that have to do with kids?”

“I…have one?”

Juice box. Coat and backpack by the door. He’s a moron. Apparently this fact shows on his face because Jay just keeps trucking along.

“She’s out visiting family right now but usually with my schedule I’m basically? Always swamped? So it’s hard to regularly get to stuff like. Groceries or uh…”

He gestures to the kitchen and the strewn metal guts within.

“Literally any help would do. Like even just having a second body around the house so I can answer the phone.”

He runs out of steam then, his ever-present smile turning awkwardly nervous. Something about it drains the rest of the fight out of him. Maybe it’s because from this close he can tell that Jay is only maybe a handful of years older than him, pre-aged by poor sleep and stress. The dulled-edged look of him is mired with exhaustion, highlighted by deep shadows and early crow’s feet.

Could also be it’s just because he’s really fucking tired of staring at the hotel walls. Still though, on principle.

“You…want to pay me to get your groceries?”

“Kind of? More like I want to pay you to help carry the groceries up after I get them or hand me things I don’t want my kid handling when I’m working on my car. At least making sure she doesn’t start a fire when I’m negotiating a job?”

“Is that a concern usually?”

The so-so gesture he gets is not reassuring.

“I just need a hand with busywork and I need you and her to not kill each other if I step into the other room for a minute. At worst, I might ask you to drop by if I get hung up working and just…make sure you can’t smell smoke from the hallway or anything.”

This is not dissuading him about the potential childhood arson tendencies.

“And you don’t have neighbors or friends or anything for this?”

“Joanne is eighty, I think she’s teaching my kid to pickpocket whenever she goes over there, and all of my friends also work nights.”

Work nights. Alright.

Fuck it.

“Yeah, sure, fine. I could use the extra cash.”

The smile cranks up into something that could probably power a small city.

“Great! Let me get your number?”

What gets deposited in his hand can barely be called a phone, as cracked and scratched as it is. The case was probably one of those sparkly gel things at one point. He still dutifully taps in the contact for his current burner. Jay watches him for a moment, then pipes up.

“What’s your name, by the way?”

“…Oberon.”

“Well, s’nice to meet you Obie.”

Sure, why not.

[henry-and-the-seven-lords]

Hello @gluttonousfruit you are in fact my first request. (I did not forget about you in moving my blog.) I am super excited to have anyone ask me to write something! Also I would love to be friends! Feel free to message me through asks or in private DMs! I hope you enjoy the imagine!

Warnings: Fluff with a small amount of angst because Levi doubts himself 😞

Brothers Masterlist | Dateables Masterlist

Levi with an Animator S/O

"Okay MC, I know we just finished 'Swimming Only Leads to Hot Mermaids,' but I was thinking since we are already watching otomes, we should watch another series that everyone is recommending online!" Levi says this as he begins to pull out one DVD and place in another while bouncing on the balls of his feet like an excited puppy.

"I guess I could watch one more series, but it better be a good one. Sure the mermaids were attractive, but there wasn't much of a plot." MC says with a yawn. A quick look over to the clock, and it reads 11:48 PM in a blinding blue light. Not too late for one of Levi's normal bingefests, but a little too late for MC when they have classes tomorrow.

"No, I promise this one is good. Everyone is talking about the art style. They say it is so original that it's captivating." Levi walks to the small futon briskly and plops himself down next to MC as he continues to ramble about the art. His voice slowly trails off as the opening begins to play.

As the music fills MC's ears, they perk up and a small smile appears on their face. "Levi, could this perhaps be, 'I Went to Hell For a Weekend and Got Stuck in a Love Heptagon with Seven Incubi'?"

Levi faces MC in shock. The look on their face is quite smug. (In all seriousness, it reminds Levi of Mammon when he wins poker, but he doesn't want to be think about his brother while looking at MC. So he pushes that thought away.) This anime came out only the day before their bingefest. And even then, Levi had this copy pre-ordered for this very occasion and it arrived before any stores were selling physical copies. There is no way a normie like MC could have heard about its release. Does this mean MC isn't such a normie after all?

"You heard of this show already?" The surprise in his voice was impossible to hide.

"Yeah, I have heard of it." MC smiles and chuckles quietly, "I have never actually seen it, but I have heard the opening quite a few times."

"Oh..." Levi sighs. He was so stupid. Of course MC had heard the opening. It is all over his Devilgram and they were on their phone for part of the last show, so they obviously just heard it on there. Levi deflates looking solemn. It was just a pipe dream that MC would ever be interested in his yucky otaku interests.

"Hey! There is no reason to be all sad just because I know the name of the show. I still haven't seen the whole thing. My first time watching will still be with you Levi, isn't that special enough?" The smile on MC's face seemed sincere enough, but the words that came out of their mouth made blood rush up to Levi's cheeks. Their first... did they really mean to say it like that?...

As thoughts begin to flood Leviathan's head the show began. It was true the art style was captivating. So captivating in fact, that he forgot about his embarrassment. But MC's words still lingered in his mind as he watched the show.

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

"Well, I am dead tired." MC stands cracking their aching joints as they look at the clock. 2:37 AM. It was that late already? "I think I need to head to bed Levi. I have classes in the morning and I need at least a few hours of sleep."

"Are you sure?" Levi was just starting to enjoy MC's presence. At the beginning of the night, he was on edge trying to make everything perfect. Levi did want to mess up by being a yucky Otaku and give them a reason to leave him all alone. But as the night progressed, (and more snacks were consumed) he felt increasingly more comfortable with sharing his favorite shows with MC. "I have other shows we could watch to pass the time, or we could play this new game I got-"

MC walks over to Levi and gently sets their hands on his shoulders, "Games and anime are great, but what I need right now is sleep." MC watched as Levi's face filled with a blush and his eyes flashed with hurt. "I am not leaving because I am mad... or sad... or anything really. I just need to sleep, Leviathan." Their voice was barely above a whisper as they said his name. How could he disagree with them when they said his name like that; all the while, looking deep into his eyes. He felt like he could explode.

As MC turns away, the demon in question then sighs mutters a quiet "okay" under his breath. "Don't worry, Levi. This isn't the last time I will watch anime with you. I promise we can do another one of these when another new anime comes out." MC begins to pick up their things. A blanket they brought with them to keep warm in Levi's cold room and the rest of their human snacks. "Besides, I really liked that one, and I have heard they are already making season two." As they speak, MC makes their way across the room to the gigantic tank.

"Wait. How do you-"

"Good night Henry. Good night Levi." And with that, MC leaves. Closing the door behind them.

How did MC know about a second season? Even he, the Great Otaku Levi, has not heard about a season two on any forums or on any other website... After thinking about it, Levi suspects it's probably on Devilgram like the opening was. To prove his theory, he pulls out his D.D.D. and opens up Devilgram to the 'I Went to Hell For a Weekend and Got Stuck in a Love Heptagon with Seven Incubi' page. He scrolls through their posts and finds the opening, like he predicted, but what he didn't predict was their most recent post.

"This show would not have been possible without MC. Thank you for making such a great story and great art to go along with it!"

Levi reads the caption once, twice, thrice and is speechless. The photo for this post is none other than his MC standing with a hand drawn piece of the protagonist. He can even see their signature in the corner when he zooms in! He knew that they liked to draw, but he never thought they would make an anime.

Without thinking, Levi gets up and begins to run to MC's room. He needs to know that this isn't some sort of elaborate prank that MC and Satan brewed up to make him like a normie more.

The door to MC's room busts open, "MC!" The room is completely dark except for the light shining in through the doorway.

"Levi...? Is that you? Is something wrong?" MC's voice is soft and laced with sleep. If this were any other time, Levi would have screamed over their cuteness, but today he had a mission. He immediately marches up to the half asleep MC and promptly shoves his phone in their face.

"Did you make 'I Went to Hell For a Weekend and Got Stuck in a Love Heptagon with Seven Incubi'?" MC sits up and squints as their eyes adjust to the blinding screen and look at the post.

"Um... yeah. That's me isn't it?" Silence takes over the room, before Levi begins to scream.

"WAHHHHH! MC, why didn't you tell me!" Thankfully with the phone only being pointed at MC, they can't see the blush spreading across his face.

"Well, I didn't want you to treat me differently because I make anime." Laying back down as they speak, MC tucks a pillow under their head and looks up to where they guess Leviathan's face is. "Besides, I thought it was really cute how you were fanboying, and I didn't want you to stop because you knew you were in the presence of the creator." A small smile makes it's way on to MC's face as Levi feels his own get hotter.

Now covering his face, Levi quickly makes his way to the door while muttering, "You can't just say things like that..." As he begins to close the door, he pauses and opens it up again while looking back, "Can you tell me more about your show tomorrow, MC?" His voice sounds small compared to his previous scream.

"Of course Levi. We can talk for as long as you like."

[floralseokjin]

⤑ made-up love song v (m).

Your first encounter with Kim Seokjin doesn’t go so well, nor your second, or your third… and maybe that’s because it shouldn’t work on paper. You’re an elementary school teacher, never left the country despite hitting the third decade of your life not so long ago, and you’re unable to remember the last time you dated. He’s the dad of one of your students, nearly a decade older than you and divorced. Oh yes, and just another minor detail – he’s a multimillionaire. 

Your lives are lightyears apart, yet somehow, your paths having now crossed, things just seem to fall into place…

pairing; kim seokjin x reader  au/genre/warnings; strangers to lovers, romance, eventual angst, single dad! seokjin, ceo! seokjin, elementary school teacher! oc, age gap (oc is 30, seokjin is 37), seokjin is a dilf, fluff, smut; a shit ton of kissing, oral (f), seokjin likes eye contact, slight overstimulation, he also seems to have a slight potty mouth when turned on, romantic sex, protected sex, shower scene, oral (m), this chapter is basically just sex, enjoy! (yes, the dilf dick is b i g) lingerie described found here for the visuals ~  words; 9,572

↪︎ chapter index

chapters; i • ii • iii • iv • v • vi • vii • viii • ix • x • epilogue (+ drabbles)

Saturday couldn’t come soon enough. You were like a little kid at the lead up to Christmas. You couldn’t remember the last time you were this excited for something. Actually, on second thoughts, you couldn’t think of a time you were this excited for anything, period. And all over the prospect of sleeping with Seokjin, and definitely not in the innocent way… He had in no way explicitly stated that you’d be having sex this week, but the insinuation was heavy in the air. Everything leading up to this moment was suggesting come Saturday night you would not be sat in front of Seokjin’s 75” television watching boxsets… 

On the morning of you decided to pack a few things in a small case. You definitely planned on returning home in the day if needed or bored while Seokjin was at work, but the essentials were required: underwear, pyjamas, a few outfits, toiletries and skincare, your iPad, miscellaneous chargers. Soojung on the other hand was acting like you were never coming back… 

“I’m going to miss you.” She whined, having been hovering around you as you packed. “Leaving me alone with smelly Tae.” 

In a bid not to be alone in the evenings she’d invited her smelly boyfriend over for the week, but although she sounded irked it was all just an act. God knows what they’d get up to while you were gone, you dreaded to think. On second thoughts, maybe it would be best to stay at Seokjin’s place all week… You had no clue what you’d walk in on in your own home.  

“I won’t be gone the whole week. Besides, we can meet up for lunch and stuff.” You often visited her at the department store, perusing the food court until it was time for her lunch break. You weren’t secluded from the whole world while away. What did she think was happening? 

She helped you fold your clothes in momentary silence, deep in thought it seemed. “What if you love it there and want to stay permanently Dilf mansion?” 

You scoffed immediately, taking the small pile of t-shirts from her to pack away. “Soo, way to jump the gun.” You’d been dating barely six weeks, hadn’t even had sex yet, moving in together was number 1 on the highly unlikely list. Although, sliding in a couple of pairs of flats into the top pocket of your case and zipping it up, you hummed in consideration. “Dilf mansion does have a ring to it though…” 

Soojung’s attention was on another pile of clothing now – one you would be wearing this evening to leave for Seokjin’s house. Her fingertips brushed along the delicate baby blue lace of your lingerie, sitting on top of the pile and she looked up at you and grinned wickedly. “You’re going to knock his socks off with this.” 

You and her had spent yesterday browsing the mall with a very important task. To decide on the most perfect lingerie set. Knowing Seokjin for a while know, you’d noticed he had an inclination for the colour blue, so your chosen piece had to be a winner – practically see-through, littered in beautiful lace flowers. You were well and truly prepared for tonight, you were a woman on a mission. 

“His Dilf socks,” you corrected your best friend, both of you instantly exploding into a fit of giggles. 

Arin had left with her grandparents this morning, and as much as Seokjin was eager to get this weekend started and see you immediately, he actually had a few things he needed to take care of at work. It wasn’t until around 5pm that you got into your car to make the short journey, Soo waving you off proudly like you were about to attend your graduation. You were honestly quite calm given the circumstances, although one look at Seokjin as he stepped out the front door to take your case and all inner composure was lost. You were one big ball of excitement, most of it flurrying around in the pit of your stomach. Yet you kept cool on the outside, grinning at the handsome man in front of you despite your lingerie burning marks into your skin. 

And handsome he was today, (as if he wasn’t every day), his dark hair parted in the centre of his forehead naturally, his eyes crinkling as he smiled and leaned in for a kiss. You tasted a hint of mango on his mouth, an obvious sheen to his plump lips, and you presumed he’d applied some chapstick before you’d arrived – the chapstick you’d bought him not too long ago after he’d complained of cracked lips to you on the phone one night. 

“Hey,” he greeted softly, his arms around your waist, body pressed snuggly into yours. 

“Hey yourself,” you murmured, wrapping your arms around his neck, gazing into one another’s eyes before you lightly teased him. “Are we going to stay out here all night?” 

Chuckling heartily, he reached behind you, lifting your case with ease. “Let’s go put this in my room.” 

You’d never once stepped foot onto the upper level of his house before, so you were very observant on your way to his bedroom, eyes catching art pieces (you noticed numerous of Arin’s) and photos along the walls, light fixtures, as well as the odd plant here and there. You had to walk two flights of stairs to get to your destination, one average in length, the other shorter, veering off to the left of the corridor to reach a landing leading into his bedroom. You remembered what he’d said about changing and designing his bedroom himself, so you were very curious as to what it looked like inside. Yet still, the sight of it stunned you to brief silence. 

His was the largest bedroom in the house, the master bedroom if you were being fancy, but in your opinion it was more like a mini home in itself. All it needed was a kitchen and you would be good to go. It smelt just like him – of his cologne and the recognisable vanilla scent his house seemed to waft of every time you visited. The walls were warm grey, décor similar with dashes of cream and gold. The bed matched the whole vibe of the room – insanely large, and you could already tell it was going to be the comfiest thing you’d ever slept on. Directly opposite, but a long way away, were a sofa and love seat sat around a TV hooked to the wall above a stunning fireplace. There were two sets of double windows, from the ceiling to the wooden floor, dark grey drapes open – not that it mattered. Seokjin’s house was out-of-the-way, no chance of being seen. All you were met with as you looked down, was a small patch of garden you hadn’t seen before, plain and simple, but very beautiful. Tranquil. 

To the left of the room a door opened into another, perhaps a quarter of the size – his closet, and you followed him inside, still pretty much lost for words. He said there was no point putting your belongings away tonight, you could do it tomorrow, but he’d saved a drawer for you and there was an empty section of hanging space you could use too. There was also a dressing table you could put to good use, because he sure didn’t, and then he whisked you away into the bathroom, which was probably the most beautiful room in the house. Everything was warm marble in colour. A separate bath and shower (both gigantic) and double sinks. 

“I got you a robe,” Seokjin pointed out, and you followed his gaze to behind the door, two fluffy white robes hooked to the wall. 

Oh, boy. You could get used to this. 

.

.

Seokjin ordered takeout for dinner – from an Indian restaurant Namjoon kept raving about apparently. With the amount he ordered you could have sworn he was feeding a whole party, not just the two of you. You were stuffed in no time, curling up on the sofa with a glass of red wine as Seokjin loaded the dishwasher. He still hadn’t cooked an actual meal for you, and when he joined you, of course you reminded him. This week he was preparing dinner for you one night, and that was final. You needed to see what Chef Kim had in him – even if he insisted his skills were long forgotten.  

You cuddled as you watched a movie, which more often than not meant you’d start to become sleepy – just ask Soojung – but tonight was different. You were wide awake and practically thrumming with excitement. You were begging for the movie credits an hour before they were due, and when they finally popped up your heart started to beat harder in anticipation. It was nearing 11pm. Your lingerie was still burning welts into your skin… 

Seokjin kissed the top of your head, your back pressed into his chest where you’d been snuggled into him, legs across the sofa, for the duration of the night. One of his arms was crossed around your front, the other free to drink his wine as he propped his feet up on the glass topped coffee table. You could really get used to this. 

“What did you think?” He hummed, reaching forward to place his glass on a coaster. You grabbed his hand, not wanting him to leave you and he chuckled, quickly resuming position to now loop both arms around your shoulders, pressing you further into the warmth of his body. 

“I enjoyed,” you replied with a small shrug. In all honesty it would’ve been a great movie if you hadn’t been so distracted. 

You felt him lower his head, breath hot against your ear as he spoke. “I’m glad you didn’t fall asleep on me.” You giggled as he started to kiss the column of your neck, his barely there presses of his lips tickling you. Yet still you pushed into his hold, letting your head fall back. He took the opportunity to suck your earlobe between his lips, eliciting a sweet sigh from you. “I really can’t wait to spend this entire week with you.”  He whispered. 

You tried to keep your voice as uninvolved as possible – which was a lot harder when he now had your earlobe between his teeth. “Eh. I’m so-so over it.” 

“Y/N!” He scolded playfully, groaning a laugh as he lifted his head away. “Stop. Now’s not the time for joking around.” 

“I’m sorry,” you giggled, latching onto his hands. 

“Face me,” he murmured almost suddenly. “Let me kiss you properly.” 

His kisses were gentle and loving, his hands cupping your face as you leaned into him, hands placed across his hard chest. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt tucked into some black pants, he’d looked irresistible all night. He pulled away slowly, lips upturned almost drunkenly. “What’s that grin for?” 

Seokjin’s gaze flicked from your lips to your eyes repeatedly as he replied, thumbs massaging circles into your cheeks. “I’m just very happy. Is that allowed?” 

Giggling, you pressed your mouth to his, wrapping your palms around his neck to pull him in closer. He hummed loudly – indulgently, and let you lick into his mouth, his own hands slipping down to your neck and down your torso, gripping your middle. Your chest was flush to his and you welcomed the heat of his body. You were happy too. It had been a long time since you’d last felt this content, and tonight you’d realised just how lovely it was to be able to lounge with Seokjin and be in his company so casually, so naturally like this. You would become spoiled this week, but you couldn’t feel too worried right now. 

Breaking away again, it seemed like he wanted to say something, but your mouth was a greedy thing, finding its way down his neck and across his throat as he leaned his head against the back of the sofa, his breathing shallow as he let you wonder. His fingers brushed up and down your back distractedly, until he seemed to remember what he wanted to tell you. “Hey,” he whispered, breath catching in his throat when you pinched your teeth into his Adam’s apple softly. “Hey, stop for a moment. There was something I wanted to say before…” He trailed off, unsure how to finish the very obvious direction of his sentence, and as much as you wanted to nosedive straight into that pool, you pulled back to look into his eyes, waiting patiently. 

He straightened his back and you eased off him a little, finding his fond smile contagious. “I’ve enjoyed these past few weeks so much.” He began, sincerity in his tone . “I know I’m not old old by any means but dating you has made me feel like I’m young again. I mean, grinding in the middle of a bar is something I didn’t even do back in my college days.” 

“I fail to believe that,” you laughed. 

“Really,” he insisted, looking amused. “I was a nerd. A handsome one, but a nerd nonetheless.” Before you could roll your eyes he was continuing. “What I’m trying to say is that, I really like you, Y/N.” His fingers played with the ends of your hair lovingly.  “You know that already. Shit, I’m crazy about you. Just hearing your voice makes my day better. No matter how short a time we spend together, even if it’s just on the phone to say goodnight, I feel happy – I feel relaxed.” He paused to take a breath before moving to cup your face with one hand. “No matter how stressed I am you make it better by just existing.” 

“…Seokjin,” you murmured, a little lost for words at his declaration. 

He chuckled warmly, tops of his cheeks tinged somewhat rosy. “Too cheesy?”

You shook your head adamantly, reaching for his face as well. “Not at all. I’m crazy about you too.” His face lit up instantly and you couldn’t help but kiss him. “I’m so happy we met,” you confessed against his mouth. “I don’t want this summer to be over.” 

“It’s not over yet,” he laughed. “We still have time to make it even better.” You wanted that more than anything. Finding it difficult to keep away from your lips, he practically had to tear himself away. He was out of breath. “I know saying this out loud is silly given everything, but… Let’s make this official.” 

Your heart started somersaulting. You felt like you were in high school again, over the moon because Kim Rowoon had asked you to prom. Only this was better than that – much, much better. Linking your arms around Seokjin’s neck you tilted your head to the side, a grin unable to keep off your face. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Mr. Kim?” 

“What do you say?” He sounded hopeful and soft. 

You hummed out loud, thinking hard. “Can I get back to you? 3 to five business days seems about right.” You immediately squealed as you finished your sentence, Seokjin’s hands finding their way around your butt to tug you forward. You gripped onto his shoulders with the surprise. 

“Too bad because I’ve already been calling you my girlfriend at the office.” 

You didn’t have a chance to reply, the hard press of his lips against yours knocking you senseless. You found yourself in his lap not long after, fingers dragging through his hair as you clung to him, mouths moving in gradual urgency until you began to feel out of breath. Your tongues seemed to grow more daring, intent, as your soft moans mingled with his quiet groans. You hadn’t quite found yourself in this position before, usually moulded to the soft leather but this time you had Seokjin pinned tight, a heat that was quickly becoming unbearable burning between your bodies, and his hands running up and down your back didn’t help. 

Each brush of his fingertips had your skin prickling with warmth, dizzying your mind, and when you felt him brush against the curve of your left breast you leaned forward into his touch, desperate for more. Seokjin grunted, encouraged by your action as he cupped the soft flesh, his thumb grazing your nipple which hardened from the touch. Your kiss turned a lot more frenzied after that, Seokjin roaming your body with confidence, his unoccupied hand cupping your butt to rock you against his crotch. 

He was hard. You’d felt it stiffening ever since you’d climbed into his lap, but now he was solid, flesh pressing (probably painfully) against his pants, and feeling emboldened you lifted your hips, hovering over him for your hand to slot in between your bodies, cupping his erection firmly. He stiffened under your grasp, his breath hitching and you took that moment to drag your tongue along his, teasing him as you slowly started to stroke him above his slacks. He felt thick and rigid between your fingers, pulsing erratically against your hold, and he broke away from your mouth, head falling back as a loud, drawn-out groan slipped from his throat. You gazed at him – eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed, mouth parted as he breathed shallowly – and took a mental picture. You wanted to remember this moment forever. He looked gorgeous, basking in pleasure and you wanted to pleasure him more. It was an urge so strong you practically dived on him, mouth slamming into his. He soon gained his bearings, kissing you just as wildly as his hands groped your body. 

“Do you – mm, do you want – mm – to take this upstairs?” He asked against your lips, fingers currently digging into the soft flesh of your ass. The veins in his neck were visible, his desperation for you obvious, and you pulled away from the kiss to nod rapidly. If he didn’t get you upstairs soon you’d surely explode. 

You let out a little squeak as you suddenly found yourself in the air, safely held up by Seokjin. You immediately wrapped your arms around his neck, clinging to him as he began to make the brisk walk to the hallway and towards the staircase. “Oh, my god,” you muttered, laughing as you realised he was about to carry you bridal style all the way up the stairs. 

“What?” He laughed back, his eyes twinkling warmly. Your heart melted at the sight and you leaned in to kiss him, uncaring that you both may fall backwards and break your necks. 

“I may have forgotten about the amount of stairs in this goddamn house,” he panted lightly once you’d made it past the first set. 

“Put me down then,” you giggled. 

“Never,” he sang out, pecking you on the mouth sweetly. 

Once in his bedroom, he placed you down, closing the door behind you before caging you against it, kissing you like he hadn’t seen you for months. You keened into his touch, whole body hot and ready for him, but in the end you couldn’t keep up with his mouth. He’d never kissed you like this, he was a man possessed, you physically felt weak at the knees and you clung to him, moaning softly when his mouth fell to your neck. 

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he confessed against the wet skin, fresh waves of arousal washing through your body. His voice was an octave lower, gruff and nothing like you’d heard before. “I can’t contain myself knowing we’re going to be alone for a whole week.” 

“What do you plan on doing to me?” You laughed weakly, but to be honest, the time for wisecracks were gone. You were hanging on by a thread, this close to begging him to tear your clothes off. 

Cupping your neck he pulled away to look you in the face. His pupils were blown out, more black than the warm brown you were used to. The tops of his cheeks were tinged red, his own arousal very evident, and when he replied he sounded as sincere as ever. “Anything you want me to.” 

Okay, if he carried on like this, he’d mess up your plan good and proper. He was rude. Very rude. And hot, and sexy, and yours. God, you really wanted him. Your body was screaming for him. You pressed a kiss to his mouth, and then another, and another, determined not to get yourself glued there no matter how much he tried to drag his tongue along the seam of your lips. “L-let me freshen up,” you managed to get out, voice shaky as you (with great difficultly) held him away at arm’s length.  

At your words, he slowly made sense of them, his eyes refocussing before he gave you a short nod and politely stepped back. “Ok.” 

Before you could be tempted by that mouth of his once more, you made a dash for his bathroom, closing the door behind you. Immediately you began to rush out of your clothes, not even bothering to fold them properly because you were in such a hurry. You’d had this planned all night, wanting him to be rendered speechless, and staring at your lingerie cladded self in the giant mirror he had hooked to the wall, you reminded yourself to take a breather. You were going to walk out there calmly, the epitome of composed as you sought out his reaction. With one last look at your reflection, you walked towards the door and opened it. 

Seokjin was sat on the edge of the bed, legs sinfully spread (but oh so casually, which just made it hotter), but he wasn’t looking your way, his eyes darting around the room a little as if he was desperately trying to find some patience. Knowing he was riled and aroused made your head even more dizzy, and stopping by the doorframe, you called out to him. 

He looked your way instantly, eyes bulging even quicker. Actually they practically popped out on storks as he took in the sight of you in the baby blue underwear. He seemed paralysed. 

“Hey,” you smiled, all of a sudden feeling a little shy as you waited for him to say something. 

It took another moment, but then he was swallowing hard, wetting his mouth as his lips parted. “Oh, shit.” 

You smiled victoriously, those simple two words satisfying you fully. 

He outstretched his hand, voice thick and raspy as he beckoned you forward. “Come here.”

You obeyed, closing the distance between you quickly and Seokjin wasted no time clasping his hands around your hips as you stood in front of him, between his legs. If felt so good to finally have his hands on your bare skin. His touch was warm, soothing, but most of all, electrifying. Goosebumps spread as he dragged his fingers up and down your sides, his eyes drowning at the sight of you. 

“Do you like it? It’s not too much?” You asked, looking down at him. You glowed under his gaze. 

He lifted his head up, arching an eyebrow. “Do I like it? Is that supposed to be a genuine question?” He sounded just as baffled as he looked and it made you giggle. His fingers started to play with the thin waistband of your panties before delicately outlining the lace flower petals on your ass. The sensation made you shiver, and a small smile grew on his face as he watched you. “You look gorgeous.” He leaned forward, beginning to place small, gentle kisses on your abdomen and your skin rippled, butterflies appearing. “You’re beautiful.” He murmured, hot puffs of air hitting you, heating you up even more. 

You curled your hand in his hair, needing something to latch on to as you watched him mouth even more kisses along your flesh. The point of his tongue dipped into your navel scandalously, and as you gasped he looked up with his eyes and smirked, tongue now swirling invisible patterns along your stomach. The sight sent you a little gooey, legs feeling weak again as your heart thrummed inside your chest. 

“However… I was looking forward to undressing you…” He teased.

You teased right back. “You still have the lingerie.” 

He couldn’t handle that, growling quietly against your stomach, his hands rounding your ass to mould the flesh in his palms firmly. He’d soon tear the panties if he kept that up. Obviously the idea of stripping you naked sent him feral – something you’d remember well for this week. You yelped when you felt him sink his teeth into your hip bone, pulling him closer to your body by his hair, desperate for more. It was when you looked behind him, did you notice the pillar candles aflame on the two nightstands that sat either side of his bed. They weren’t burning before you’d entered the bathroom. You were sure of it. 

“Seokjin, did you light candles?” You asked without realising, changing the atmosphere slightly, but you didn’t mind too much, not when the image of Seokjin rushing to burn candles for the ~ambience~ was too damn adorable. 

He lifted from your skin, looking up at you. “Um, yeah.” He sounded a little awkward before he chuckled softly. “I thought against the slow R&B music.” 

“Good choice,” you laughed, fingers rubbing small circles into the nape of his neck. That would’ve been hilarious. 

“I’m totally out of my depth here…” He admitted, nudging you backwards a little to stand in front of you. He kept his hands on your waist, ducking down to be eye level with you. “I haven’t done this in a while.” 

“Snap,” you grinned, rubbing your nose against his as you wrapped your arms around his neck to hold him close. You kissed him deeply, feeling happy and relaxed. There wasn’t a nerve in sight and despite his honest words you knew he was at ease too.  

Your hands slipped over his shoulders and down his toned chest, stopping just before the waistband of his pants to tug at his t-shirt, untucking him. “You have to get naked too.” You whined, detaching your mouths. “I’m feeling sorely underdressed.” 

He let out an airy chuckle, immediately reaching for the neck of his shirt to tug it over his head. Your hands greedily started to explore his torso, running your fingers along his faintly lined abs before trailing up his hard chest. He shivered as you brushed against his nipples, a tiny laugh slipping from his throat. 

“What?” You laughed. 

“’Tickles.” He mumbled, leaning in for another kiss. You wrapped your arms around him, loving the feeling of his bare chest against yours, but soon enough you got impatient again, hands reaching for the button of his pants. You popped it open and proceeded to unzip him, at least giving his poor erection some reprieve. It had been pressed up against your lower stomach for quite some time, still rigid but as patient as ever. 

He took over, stepping back to push them past his hips, his lips still attached to yours. “Mm–Bed.” He hummed, taking you by the hips to switch places. You pulled away and sat down, watching him kick his pants off his feet and your eyes zoned in on the curve of his erection, hidden by his Armani underwear – black with a red waistband. His thighs were perfectly toned, his skim glowing in the soft lighting. He looked good enough to eat and your heart skipped a couple of beats as he walked forward. 

You laid back against the mattress, instantly groaning at how soft it was. You practically sunk inside. “Oh, damn this is comfy.” Rolling onto your side as Seokjin climbed on the bed, you hid your smirk. “I could just go to sleep…” 

“I don’t think so,” he told you, hovering over you. His hand smacked you ass causing you to squeal, and you flipped onto your back as he took the moment to cage you under his large body. 

This time his mouth completely bypassed your lips to kiss your chest, pressing into the indents of your collarbones before slipping to the tops of your breasts. He kissed the fabric, wetting it as his tongue traced the delicate flower petals and you gripped onto his shoulders with a moan as he encased one nipple between his lips, sucking gently, soaking the lace a darker shade of blue. “You drive me crazy,” he quietly panted, his hands reaching behind your back, arched into the pleasure he was giving you. “May I?” He asked, fingers finding the clasp of your bra. You nodded hastily, moaning louder when he lifted his head to kiss your lips. His motions were firm, tight pleasure filled grunts leaving him as he freed you of your lingerie. 

Immediately he pulled away, dark eyes soaking in your bare chest like it was the most stunning thing he’d ever seen. Your back arched further when his warm palms cupped your breasts, spreading a heat down your spine that settled between your legs. “You’re beautiful,” he awed, looking into your eyes, causing a sweet moan to fall from your lips. 

He moulded the soft flesh gently, before brushing his thumbs over your hardened nipples. That had you moaning again, pleasure you hadn’t felt in a long time rocketing up your body. It felt amazing to be touched by him, and you were greedy for more. He was on the same page, his lips replacing his thumbs, his tongue flicking against the sensitive bud that had you sighing out his name, your fingers threaded in his hair. He hummed against you, squeezing your breasts and pressing his body into yours – once – his erection pressing into your thighs, before he pulled away, kissing down your sternum before licking into your navel, his hands rubbing up and down the outside of your thighs. 

His lips avoided your clothed heat, which was frustrating to say the least. You were so eager by now, unsure if you could take much more kissing before you exploded, but Seokjin was a man determined – determined on kissing every inch of your body it seemed. He made it down one thigh before moving onto the next and as he got towards your knee you couldn’t help but giggle – it was beginning to tickle, but he didn’t stop, lips pressing down your calf.  

“Seokjinn,” you whined. 

He chuckled as he made his way back up the other leg, bending you at the knee before gently getting you to spread out for him. “What?” He murmured. Although you were distracted now, realising how aroused you had become, your underwear clinging to you desperately. He was kissing the inside of your thigh now, fingers hooked under the waistband of your panties and he was so close to where you wanted him you were trembling. He nosed his way to the apex of your thigh, groaning as he smelt you and then he was hastily tugging the lace down your legs, the last of your covering. Now you were totally naked in front of him, and he looked like he wanted to eat you up. 

“What do you want me to do?” He asked, voice gruff. He sounded so sexy. His eyes were glued to your centre yet he didn’t touch. When you didn’t reply, they flickered to your face. “Y/N. Hm?” 

You mind was a blur, you couldn’t think what to say, mainly because you wanted him to do anything and everything to you. You startled when he nosed the inside of your thigh, his hands sliding down your hips to grip the flesh underneath. “Taste you? Is that what you want?” He whispered, sending your insides somersaulting. He looked up as you nodded, and grinned. “You have to say it out loud, honey.” 

The bastard. He was teasing you. Trying to get under your skin. Your forced yourself to speak. “Taste me.” He hummed in response, pressing his mouth to your hip bone. You raised your tone, more determined. “Seokjin. Taste me.” 

He dived in. Placing gentle kisses up your slit, his lips ever so slightly brushing your clitoris. You moaned quietly, letting your eyes close as you laid back against the softest pillows you had ever felt. Your fists clutched the sheets, hips raising up when you felt the first wash of his tongue. Your breath caught, warmth turning you gooey. “Taste so good,” he mumbled into you – so quietly you wondered if you’d imagined it. 

You enjoyed the sensation for a few moments, quietly moaning intermittently before you felt the urge to take a peek. Opening your eyes and looking down your body, you saw Seokjin watching you, his eyes hungry. You quickly looked away, the back of your hand coming up to cover your mouth as a groan left you, your legs falling wider apart. The scene had been erotic but in all honesty you were feeling a little shy. It had been a long time since you’d had sex, so the idea of someone watching you so intimately made you feel funny. 

Seokjin was there to reassure you though. “Don’t look away, Y/N,” he murmured, pulling back to get your attention. “I want to see your face.” You looked again, watching him kneel low as he ran a hand up your thigh. His lips shone with your arousal. He looked beautiful. 

You moaned lowly when you felt him rub a finger at your entrance, and he watched you intently as he pushed inside, feeling you squeeze around the intrusion. He slowly began to curve the digit, pressing against your inner walls. Committed to pleasuring you, he watched your every reaction and this time you didn’t look away. 

“Does it feel good?” He asked, in awe as you writhed around on the bed, chasing the feeling. 

You moaned as you replied yes, only to jerk upwards when his thumb began to rub tiny circles against your clit. “Seokjin!” 

He liked that. Hearing you cry his name. He wanted to hear it more, dropping low to replace his thumb with his lips. He sucked the sensitive bud of nerves between them, flicking the tip of his tongue against it rapidly, earning him another cry, and he moaned gruffly against you, the vibrations shooting up your body. His free hand moved to your lower stomach, palm hot against your skin as he applied gentle pressure, holding you down. 

Oh god, you were a mass of pleasure, mind addled, unable to think straight. Not when he was making you feel so good. He slipped a second finger inside of you, his eyes flicking up to yours and you made it your life’s mission not to look away, chest heaving up and down as you squeezed around his digits. Your orgasm was building, pressure below getting harder to control – harder to ignore. Seokjin guessed it, breaking eye contact to bury his face further into your heat. The image was almost crude, so were the noises, but the most beautiful kind of crude. A crude that had you desperate for more. You jerked into him, rolling into each snap of his wrist, the pads of his fingers grazing your g-spot. 

“Want to make you cum,” he rasped, before sucking your clit back into his mouth and sucking determinedly. You groaned, head flinging back into the pillow, eyes clenched closed, a hand coming out to grip the roots of your hair as you rolled your hips into his face, giving into the pleasure well and truly. This orgasm was going to blow your brains out – and it did. 

In the end you had you to clamp your legs around Seokjin’s head in a bid to get him to stop, pleasure still rolling through your body as you panted like crazy. He eased from your clit, tongue dragging down your folds instead, meeting his fingers that were almost locked inside of your pulsing walls. With a grunt, he removed himself, kissing your mound one last time before he stopped. With his hands on your thighs as he kneeled between them, he watched you adoringly. 

“Oh, my god,” you panted weakly. Unsure what else you could say to describe what you’d just experienced. Why had he not been doing that from the get-go? From as soon as he’d reversed into your car?! 

That was all he needed anyway, your simple vocalisation, because no sooner had the words exited your mouth, he dived on you, kissing your mouth, your cheeks, your eyes, your forehead – whatever he could reach. “You’re amazing,” he gushed, his lips and chin still glistening with your wetness. You could taste yourself on him. It was glorious. His hands roamed your body like it was all new to him. As if he hadn’t been it for the last forty minutes or so. “Fuck. I can’t stop touching you.”

Your stomach flipped around, the sound of him cursing sending you dizzy. You licked into his mouth, kissing him messily, your hands raking up and down his back, before they settled on his ass. You gave the meat a squeeze and he grunted, pushing his crotch into yours. He was painfully hard – and desperate. (You hadn’t missed the way he’d been rutting into the mattress while going down on you…)

“Seokjin,” you breathed, moving your head to the side to get your words out. His tongue carried on going, swirling across your cheek. You liked getting messy with him. You tugged at his underwear. “Get naked. Need you.” 

“You don’t need a minute?” He asked, tongue now in your ear. He gyrated his hips into yours, grunting as he did so. 

You shook your head. “Like hell I do.” 

He laughed at that – breathlessly, but it was something. He moved, rushing out of the last bit of clothing he had on, and your eyes drunk up the sight. The missing piece. His dick was long and thick – smooth and warm once you got your hands on him. Hovering over you, you ran your fist up and down him steadily, just enjoying getting to touch him. He dropped to your side, pecking your lips before he pulled back.  “I need to be inside you.” 

You continued to touch him, running your fingers along the rigid flesh as he stretched behind him to pull a box from the nightstand drawer. 

It caught your attention right away. You raised both eyebrows as you let go of his length. “A hundred condoms?” 

He chuckled, sounding a little sheepish. “Too enthusiastic?”

“Do you want to kill me?” Death by (Dilf) dick wasn’t how you’d expected to go, if you were being honest. 

“Not particularly,” he shrugged, pulling one of the packet. (Discarding the box to the floor.) He turned back to you with an impish grin. “That’s why I bought the bumper pack of condoms.”

You rolled your eyes, pushing at his chest, but he grabbed your hand and kissed you, distracting you successfully. “No, if I’m being truthful,” he continued, letting you steal another kiss. “They were better value for money. I’m partial to a bargain.” 

“You’re unbelievable,” you scoffed. 

“You should’ve seen me purchasing them, I have never been more embarrassed in my life.” 

“Seokjin, you’re a near 40 year old man,” you judged openly, however on second thoughts – “But yeah, I’d be embarrassed buying a 100 condoms too.” 

Seokjin shuddered, looking mortified. “Just the thought of the cashier knowing I was going to get lucky…” 

You arched an eyebrow. “Get lucky?”

He looked comically caught out, eyes wide for a second before he shook his head. “Less talking now…” And then he was kissing you again…

Between rushed mouths and eager hands, he managed to tear the condom packet, pulling out the latex to slip it over his erection. Kneeling over you, you could see perfectly when he attempted to roll it the wrong way up.  “Oh, shit. Ignore that,” he muttered, fixing it immediately. 

You stifled a laugh. “Ignored.” 

He gave himself a tug, making sure everything was secure and your mouth practically watered. “Just warning you now, this may be a three pumps and Bam! kinda thing,” he informed you as he laid over you, pressing a kiss to your lips. “I am so turned on.”

You giggled, wrapping your arms around his middle. “I don’t mind. Just want you.” 

“I want you more.” He rubbed his nose against yours. 

Hitting his ass, you shot him a look. “It’s not a competition.” 

“Isn’t it?” He asked, pretending to be confused. 

“Quit stalling,” you whined. “Let’s have sex.” 

“Let’s,” he agreed with a warm smile. You turned gooey instantly. 

Pressing his knees to the mattress, he hovered over you, wrapping his hand around his dick to direct it between your legs. He rubbed the length up and down your slit, flesh heavy and hot, coating himself in your arousal. The sensation was good for you, but for him it seemed to blow his mind, eyes practically rolling back into his skull as he grunted. He stopped at your entrance, looking up at you as he slowly pushed the head inside. 

You shifted under him, trying to stay patient. You wanted nothing more than to be stuffed full of him, but realistically you needed to take things slow. You held onto his shoulders, silently telling him to continue. He let out a strained groan as he slipped in deeper, your walls snug and hot around him, begging him for more. Inch by glorious inch, you kept on taking him, until you were filled up just right. 

“Shit,” you uttered, looking up at the ceiling as you adjusted to the sensation. 

“Was that a curse?” He asked, voice tight but greatly amused as he nosed your throat. 

“Hardly.” Your voice was barely there, desperate for him to move. 

“I’d still class it as swearing.” He was holding his breath, yet still felt the need to be a smarty-pants. You moved your hips practically a centimetre and he grunted. He didn’t want you to win though. “I want more. Maybe not tonight, but I will turn your mouth filthy by the end of the week…”

A moan tore from your throat uncontrollably, and you couldn’t look at his face because you knew you’d be met with a gloating smirk. You steeled yourself, nose in the air. “Game on.” 

Seokjin laughed obnoxiously, but couldn’t wait any longer, slowly dragging out of you and then pushing back in. His breath hitched – so did yours, and he carried on, propping himself up with one hand as he gained a steady rhythm. 

“You feel so fucking good,” he moaned, watching your face. 

“You too.” You clung to him, feeling your face heat up and ended up dropping your gaze. 

“Honey, don’t be shy,” he whined, reaching to cup your face, in the process pressing more of his body weight into you. You clutched him tighter, wanting him as close as ever. “I like watching you. Knowing I’m making you feel good.” His mouth on yours now, you sunk into the kiss, moaning softly as his thrusts got quicker. You met each one, rolling into him. 

It wasn’t long before he was on your throat, kissing and nipping the skin, his hands exploring the rest of your body. Your ran your fingers through his hair, sighing sweety when his mouth wrapped around one of your nipples, slipping the hard flesh into his mouth to suck. 

Face pressed against your chest, his movements became a little erratic, breathing heavy until he was panting. You moaned along, loving how he was making you feel. “You are honestly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” He awed, voice raspy. 

You let out a weak chuckle, running your fingers through the ends of his hair. “Of course you would say that with a face full of my boobs.” 

He laughed too, kissing his way back up your chest, his hands pressing into the pillow as he leaned in for your mouth. You stared at one another for a little while, your moans mingling together, and it was the most intimate moment you’d ever shared with anyone. 

“Good?” He asked. You were unsure if he was asking how you were or if you were enjoying yourself, but regardless, the answer was the same. 

“Really good,” you smiled, running your hand down his chest. 

His thrust were getting messier, less controlled, less strategic, so it was no surprise when he had a confession to tell you, kissing you once again. “I’m-I’m… close.” 

He’d exceeded the predicted three pumps at least… “Hey, you can go a little harder,” you whispered against his mouth. 

He grunted, slacking at your words but quickly got a hold of himself. Each snap of his hips got firmer and harsher, fucking – because there was no other way to describe it – you into the expensive bed. Your cries of pleasure came out stunted and unsteady, his own grunts louder now, gruffer as he chased his end. 

“Seokjin –!” Your hands fell to his ass, holding him tight as he pounded into you. “Don’t stop,” you encouraged, which seemed to tip him over the edge – quickly. 

“Fuck. Coming…”” His face fell into the crook of your neck, panting as he tried to keep moving, and then he froze, his body hot, partly sweaty, a long drawn-out groan sounding against your ear as he came. 

You wrapped your arms around him, keeping him to you because in all honesty, you didn’t want to let him go. You could feel his heart beating against your chest rapidly, even after he’d partially caught his breath, and you knew yours was beating just as fast. You kissed his shoulder when he kissed yours, and slowly he lifted his head, turning to give you a drunken smile. He sighed contently. “That honestly beats any orgasm I’ve ever given myself lately.” 

“I should hope so!” You burst out laughing, not quite expecting those to be his first words and he immediately joined you before hugging you tight. 

.

.

You awoke naturally, light from outside peeking through the loosely closed drapes. Seokjin had his arm around you, his body curved into yours, and you could tell by his breathing he was still very much sound asleep. Proving your point, he grunted softly, rolling onto his back, his grip on you loosening. Carefully, you turned around to face him, taking in the sight of his sleeping form. His lips seemed to be pouted, eyebrows furrowed slightly – of course he had an adorable sleeping face. Of fricking course. 

The bed sheets were pushed down, draped across his pelvis, one hip sticking out, while his broad chest and toned stomach laid bare. You found yourself smiling, insanely happy, wondering if you’d been a saint in a past lifetime – you had to have been. How else had you hit the jackpot? A kind-hearted, beautiful man with a banging body? You’d struck big. 

Wanting to leave him sleep longer, you got up quietly, needing to pee, not worrying that you were butt naked, and as you left the bathroom, you moved to the closet (room) to fish for your phone in your purse. You’d left it there all evening yesterday, not wanting to be interrupted, and low and behold you had a bunch of notifications waiting for you on the screen. You got back into bed, getting comfy before you scrolled through them. Most were unimportant, news updates and social media notifications. You had a text from your mom reminding you to call your grandmother soon, one reminder regarding your phone bill going out tomorrow and then, from half an hour ago, a text message from your best friend. Why the hell was she up so early on a Sunday?! 

Soojung (8:32am) Spill the details girl! How was Mr. Dilf 🥵👨🏻🍆💦 

You snorted, pretty loudly, couldn’t help it, and when you realised you shoved a hand over your mouth, hoping you hadn’t woken your boyfriend (yes, it felt so good to finally use that word) up. You glanced over, but his eyes were still shut, a peaceful look on his face, so with a relieved inner sigh, you went back to your phone, wondering how you should reply. You had quite a lot to say, messaging her “the details” wouldn’t work. Maybe you could give her a summary? Until tomorrow when you could call her while Seokjin was at work. Maybe you could meet her for lunch. And who knew, you’d probably have more to tell her come then –

“Good morning, beautiful.” 

You jumped when you heard Seokjin’s voice, his arm wrapping around you once more as he snuggled closer, encasing you in his body warmth. 

“Seokjin,” you greeted, instantly shoving your phone onto the nightstand, face down. “Good morning.” 

“Mmm.” He rubbed his face into the crook of your neck, burrowing his arm under the covers to touch your skin, hand cupping your waist. He was still sleepy, voice groggy. You settled into his hold, closing your eyes. With a kiss to the top of your shoulder, he spoke again.  “What were you snorting at?”

Your eyes immediately flew open. He’d heard that? “Nothing,” you tried to reply casually. 

He laughed, the throaty sound shooting up your body, leaving warmth in its wake. “Come on, something made you laugh.” He lifted his head, looking at you pointedly, plump lips pressed together, mouth curving up slightly. “You have to share, it’ll be rude not to.” 

It took you a second to give in. “Fine.” It was probably time to let him know anyway. Soojung might try to kill you, but she couldn’t get you if you were gated in at Seokjin’s home…  You reached for your phone and flashed the screen on, holding it out to him. “Soojung’s an idiot,” you sighed. 

He delicately held the back of your hand, steadying the device so he could read the messages. A second later he was deeply amused, lips quirking before he let out a little laugh. “Has that been my nickname the entire time?” 

“Maybe…” Amongst other things… They could wait till later though. 

He hummed, trying to keep his expression casual, but you could tell by his eyes how amused (and smug) he was. “The emojis add a nice touch.” 

You rolled your eyes, about to tell him to shut up, but immediately his lips were pressed against yours. He kissed you sweetly – which was all just an act. When he pulled away, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, tone arrogant. “So… how was Mr. Dilf?”

“Seokjin!” You exclaimed. This couldn’t be happening. He was just as bad as Soo and Taehyung. 

Laughing loudly, he kissed you again, caging you under him smoothly. Your hands reached for his biceps, feeling them flex underneath you. “Was it good enough for a round two? Don’t expect me to keep my hands off you,” he told you, his fingers tickling your stomach as his face fell to your neck, kissing and biting the skin. 

You began to laugh, squirming under him, but no matter how much you tried to free yourself it was impossible. “Stop,” you whined. “Seokjin, you’re tickling me!” He eased off with the tickling but his mouth only seemed to ramp up, his tongue licking up your throat. “You’re so sexy,” he groaned, meeting your gaze, and instantly laughed. “I love embarrassing you.” 

You grumbled, realising you’d started to blush. “I’m not embarrassed,” you insisted. “I’m turned on.” Two could play at that game. Seokjin’s eyes widened comically, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. 

“Yeah?” He murmured, getting a hold of himself, mouth ghosting over yours. You nodded, dragging your hands down his back to settle on his ass. You could feel his dick rousing between your thighs. It was so easy to get him. He was like putty in your hands. 

“You’re okay though, mm?” He asked, tone softening as he stared into your eyes. “Did you enjoy last night?”

“I thought that was obvious,” you informed him, but his tenderness didn’t go ignored. God, you were really lucky. “I feel so happy,” you grinned, moving to clasp your arms around his neck. He grinned too, teeth on show, and then you couldn’t hold off any longer, kissing him eagerly.  

“Fuck,” he breathed, after you’d just licked a strip up his jaw line. His hands clung to hips. “I want you in so many ways.” 

You gave him a dangerous smirk. “We have all week, I’m sure you’ll be successful.” 

Groaning, he seemed beside himself, skin hot and sweaty, his hair dishevelled, falling into his eyes, cheeks patched red. Finally, he settled on a decision. “Would you like to shower with me?”

“Okay,” you replied instantly, your excitement already tenfold, and suddenly you were in his arms, rising off the bed to be carried (naked) bridle style to the bathroom. “Seokjin!” You squealed, clinging onto him tightly, but all he did was laugh. You could get used to this. 

His walk-in shower was grand, practically a separate wet room – two glass doors leading inside and a marbled tiled bench to the left with two panelled windows behind it. There were two showerheads – one large one attached to the ceiling and the other jutting out from the wall. Seokjin chose the centre one, knocking it on and enclosing you both in hot water. Warmth radiated from beneath your feet too – heated flooring, of course. 

You spent the next ten minutes wrapped together kissing, hands exploring one another’s soapy bodies. It wasn’t long before there was a very obvious erection bobbing against your stomach. “Someone says hello again,” Seokjin hummed against your mouth, nipping your bottom lip before he broke away and chuckled. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’ve been the cause of many an awkward boner.” 

You laughed, hooking one arm around his neck. “I noticed.” Your other hand wrapped around his dick, the wetness of his skin making it easy to glide your fist along the veiny shaft. You gazed up at him, admiring the way he’d pushed his wet hair above his forehead. He looked incredibly handsome – so handsome, you were finding it hard to control yourself. “Was this one of your ways?” You murmured. 

“Maybe,” he said with a smile, huffing out a little when your thumb grazed the sensitive slit across the head of his member. 

“I have a better idea…” You whispered, pushing a little at his chest. “Sit.” 

He obeyed, sitting on the bench while watching you wordlessly (but curiously), his eyes flashing when you moved to kneel in front of him. “Fuck,” he muttered, dick twitching in anticipation. You took him in your fist again, feeling oddly confident as you flicked out your tongue. It had been a long time since you’d sucked dick but you were more than ready. 

You washed your tongue across the head, hearing him grunt above you, and encouraged, you took him in your mouth, sucking firmly around the tip. His hands instantly reached for your head, fingers carding through your hair. He groaned lowly, thighs tense, but when you started to jerk your fist along his shaft, he relaxed into the pleasure, murmuring your name. 

“Okay, this idea seems better than mine,” he admitted, voice tight. 

You hummed in agreement, vibrations travelling up his length which made him groan, fingers in your hair tightening. Taking him deeper, you washed and swirled your tongue as best you could around the thick flesh. Seokjin’s length was impressive, but you had all week to grow accustomed to it, for now, you had your hand, continuing to stimulate him with both that and your mouth. The water from the shower hit your back and calves, the heat beneath you making sure you didn’t grow cold. 

“Should we go back to the bedroom?” Seokjin asked, sounding concerned, despite how good you were making him feel. A hand ran down your back soothingly. “Your knees will start aching.” 

Pulling off him, a string of saliva that attached you breaking apart, you shook your head and ran your palm all the way up his length, twisting against the tip. He bucked into your hold. “It’ll be worth it.” 

Seokjin let out a low growl, eyes dark. “Don’t say things like that.” 

You smirked, spreading your saliva up and down him slowly before speeding up, concentrating on the head. Seokjin’s mouth was open, his breathing shallow, chest littered with red blotches, making it painfully obvious how aroused he was. You wanted to run your hands all over the muscular torso, mouth too – but that could wait. First of all, you wanted to make him cum. 

“You have a pretty big dick. Has anyone ever told you that?” You purred, eyes flicking down to his crotch. 

Seokjin grinned confidently, the hand in his hair reaching to cup your cheek. “You seemed to handle it very well last night.” 

Oh. Heat exploded through your body, settling between your legs, and you took him back in your mouth, a hiss leaving his throat. He tapped your chin, gaining your attention. “Y/N, look at me,” he commanded softly. 

And you did. You watched every bit of pleasure that flitted across his face as you continued to suck his dick, never breaking eye contact, even when he did; eyelids closed, face scrunched up as he came down your throat a few minutes later…

Written 2020 - 2021. Please refrain from posting my work elsewhere. No translations allowed. © floralseokjin 2021

[zafirosreverie]

Can I request a Agatha x reader where they were both put up on the pole to for executed but reader didn’t have strong enough magic to fight off the other witches magic so Agatha had to save her but reader is injured so Agatha flys her to a cabin and takes care of her please.

Here it is love! I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: angsty?

Killy (Agatha x reader)

You couldn’t scream. You were so scared but you couldn’t scream. As two of your former sisters grabbed you by the arms and dragged you through the forest, the only thing you could hear was steps and Agatha’s pleas behind you as she was being dragged too. 

You cursed yourself for not knowing this would happen. Well, you knew it, but you always thought you would be smart enough to avoid it, or at least fast enough to escape. Oh how wrong you were. 

The witches tied you to the pole and you wanted to cry as Agatha was being tied beside you. You could feel her fear and that was so much worse than the trial itself. When Evanora stepped forward, you knew it was it. You were going to die.

“Agatha Harkness, are you a witch?” Evanora asked and Agatha nodded “And you, Y/N Y/L/N, are you a witch too?” she asked and you nodded too. 

“And yet, you broke our laws” she growled and you gulped. 

It was true, in your case at least. You were Agatha’s best friend and were always by her side. You loved her sarcastic comments and the way she flirted with everyone (although this made you jealous inside and broke your heart when she did it with you, because you knew she didn’t mean it). So, when your friend came to your room one night and asked you to help her break into the forbidden seccion of the library, you agreed without a second thought. 

Agatha was brilliant with magic and the dark one seemed to like her. A lot. It was almost natural for her and you knew it was because the magic wanted her. Most witches didn’t know it, and always mocked you for saying it out loud, but you knew that magic was a living being, one that chose some people to bear it. And this dark magic had chosen Agatha. 

Agatha. Not you. 

It wasn’t a surprise, to be honest. Your magic seemed to be weaker for a witch your age, but you didn’t mind. You enjoyed the feeling of it in your veins and always had conversations with it. Of course it caused you to be called a freak by other witches, but Evanora allowed it because she thought you were just a silly girl. And Agatha was always there for you, so you really didn’t care about the others. You couldn’t tell the exact moment you fell in love with your friend, but it didn’t matter. 

However, the dark magic seemed to notice you were too weak for it, so it ignored you. Agatha didn’t break any rule. Practicing magic was what your coven was for. But dark magic was another thing. It was out of the limits. It was dangerous. It was Powerful. It was everything Agatha was. It belongs to her, which made this trial a gigant injustice. She was just learning to control the gift that was given to her. That was all. 

You were the only one that deserved this trial. You were the one that asked Agatha to teach you dark magic, even when you knew you couldn’t contain it. You were the one that made a dangerous mistake. You were the one that played with a gift that wasn’t your. You broke the rules. You and only you. 

And you wanted to say it, you wanted Evanora to know it so she could free Agatha. But you couldn’t find your voice. Not that it mattered. Everyone knew deep inside that the youngest Harkness was becoming more and more powerful and that it scared the eldest. Evanora just wanted an excuse to get rid of her competition.

You were so lost on your thoughts that you actually missed most of the trial. When you blinked and focused again, you saw the witches getting ready to kill you. Great, you missed your own death sentence. 

“Hold my hand” you heard Agatha whispering to you and you frowned. 

She still had fear all over her beautiful face, but she was trying to be brave and you knew she had a plan. You were about to ask her how you were supposed to hold her hand while you had yours tied, when you felt her fingers. She was struggling to reach you, even when her hands were tied as well. It melted your heart. 

Pulling your magic bonds as much as you could, you managed to intertwine at least two of your fingers with hers. That seemed to calm her. You closed your eyes when the witches lifted their hands. 

Not even a second later, you felt their power. It was too much for you, and that was the point. To make your body explode with the magic they knew you couldn’t contain. A cruel and ironic death. 

You felt Killy (short for Killutal), your own magic trying to protect you, but she (you always liked to think your magic was a she) was weak and small compared to this and you felt her fading away. She was fighting but losing. And your body was breaking for the battle inside it.

But it all stopped suddenly. You didn’t know what was happening but the last thing you felt before passing out was your hands being untied and Agatha’s arms around you. 

_________

You groaned when you felt something cold and wet on your forehead. You wanted to go back to sleep, you felt so tired. 

“Y/N?” a soft voice said and made you open your eyes. 

Agatha looked at you, worried. She sighed in relief when you gave her a small and weak smile.

“What happened?” you asked as you tried to sit. Agatha helped you and caressed your cheek.

“It’s over” she simply said. “they can’t hurt you anymore, love” she promised and kissed your temple. 

“What did you do?” you asked and the frown on her face told you everything you need.

“They’re gone. They can’t touch you ever again” 

You smiled and nodded. You really didn’t need or want to hear the whole story. Agatha was there, alive and safe. That was all that mattered. The other witch kissed your temple again and left the room to get food and water for you.

“I’m here too” a little voice said in your mind and you smiled. 

“Killy”

“I’m sorry” she said

“Me too” you whispered.

You two talked until Agatha came back. She was so tender with you, touching you carefully, like she was scared you would shatter any moment. To be fair, maybe you would.

“You’ll be fine in a few days, love” she said and took one of your hands in hers “I’ll make sure of that”.

And she did.

For days, she was always by your side, making sure you had everything you needed, feeding you, brushing your hair, helping you to shower yourself. Everything. You needed something? Just ask for it and Agatha would give it to you.

It was wonderful, to know how much you meant to her. But it made it all more painful, because you and Killy knew something she didn’t.

______________

Days turned into weeks, and you weren’t any better.

Agatha was getting out of spells to try and you couldn’t even walk for yourself. One day, she took you to the river, after you insisted so much. She had to carry you into the water and hold you against herself the whole time, scared that you would drown. 

When the night came, you asked her to stay a little more, just to see the stars. Of course, she agreed and sat with you on the grass, hugging you when the air got colder.

It was the last time you left the cabin. 

When you arrived home, you felt even more ill and Agatha cursed herself for taking you out too soon. You got a cold, and your fever hadn’t gone in two days. 

Still, you always were smiling. 

That night, you called Agatha and asked her to lie with you in the bed. She blinked but climbed next to you quickly, wrapping her arms around your waist to pull you closer to her, in hopes her body warmth could help you.

“Remember that time I asked you to close your eyes and gave you a flower?” you asked after a moment of silence.

“I do” she said, confused. Was the fever getting worse?

“It wasn’t the flower I wanted to give to you” you confessed and locked your e/c eyes with her blue ones. 

“It wasn’t?”

“No”

“Then what was it?” she asked and brushed a strand off your face.

You smiled and shook your head. “It’s a secret” you giggled softly, almost a whisper.

“I thought we didn’t keep secrets from each other” she whispered back.

“We don’t” you agreed “But this secret can’t be told. Just showed”

“Then show me” 

You smiled and gathered all the strength you had left. You took her face and brought it close to yours, locking your lips to hers.

Agatha kissed you back and pulled you even closer to her. She had wanted to do it for a very long time, but she was scared you wouldn’t feel the same and then she would lose you.

“It’s the best secret we have shared” she whispered and you nodded “mind if i show you mine now’” she asked and you smiled as she kissed you again. 

Your heart was a little less broken. 

___________

“She’s Killy, the last part of myself that remains alive. Take good care of her, Aggie”.

Agatha woke up exalted, even when your voice in her head was so soft. She quickly turned to you and gently moved you. 

“Y/N?” she whispered, kissing your temple. 

But you didn’t move. 

She gasped and quickly took you in her arms, hugging you close to her chest. She tried to wake up for a few more moments, trying to stay calm, but the fear invaded her heart. After a moment, she understood what was happening.

She kissed you one last time and felt the tears rolling down her cheeks when she realised you wouldn’t wake up. Never. You were gone.

Later that day, after she buried you near the river, the place you loved the most, she felt something inside her. Something that felt painfully familiar. 

It was “Killy”, your magic. You had left it with her, as a promise to always be by her side.

____________

“Hi Agatha” a voice said behind her and she turned to see a light yellow ball glowing. She smiled

“Hi Killy” she said and extended her arm, allowing the ball to rest in her hand. 

When Wanda flew away, Agnes walked to her house. But Agatha couldn't feel anything but hope. 

Of all the magic she had, the only little pinch that remained was Killy. Not even her powerful dark magic could fight against the scarlet witch. But Killy did. She smiled as she thought of you and the promise you made when you gave her your magic. 

“I couldn’t protect her” Killy said “But Y/N said it was because I wasn't meant to. I was meant to protect you”

The witch’s smile widened. Of course you would.

Killy was still weak and young, but that was her fault. After all these years, she never tried to reach for her, because your memory was too much for her to handle. But now, she knew Killy would be able to grow up and free her. 

“Then let’s get started” she said “We have much work to do, Killy”

She could have swore she felt the ball smiling. But maybe it wasn’t that crazy of an idea. It was yours, after all. The last part of you that remained.

It’s been you all along.

a/n: I- I’m sorry, ok? But in my defense i was left unsupervised and anon never said it had to be a happy-ish ending. So yeah...Uppsies

[the-silentium]

A story of shirts

Masterlist - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 -  The survivor - Part 4 - Epilogue

Pairing: Bad Batch x Reader, Hunter x Reader, Crosshair x Reader

Words: 2774 words

Warnings: TESTOSTERONE.

A/N: Reader’s native language is *roll drum* French! Really original, I know! Translations will be at the end of the chapter ~

Taglist: @haloangel391​

"You gonna eat that?" Wrecker asked from your right, his chubby pointer finger signaling to your half-eaten piece of bread. 

"Yeah." You confirmed, taking more of the ration pack, reaching for the bread to illustrate. 

"Too bad." He stole the piece before you got a hold of it, hurrying to stuff it in his mouth as soon as you reached forward to take it back. 

"Wreck! It was mine!" You whined, hitting his shoulder multiple times in retaliation. 

"Cut it out." Hunter called from his spot on the other side of the fire, shooting the both of you an unimpressed glance over his water canteen. 

"But he-!" You cut yourself, not wanting to pout like a baby, instead taking a deep breath in and planning your revenge like a petulant child. 

You've been with the Batchers for a good year, flying them around different systems, perfecting your flying skills as well as developing some basic medical ones to help them when needed. 

So far, no one from the GAR noticed that you were a fraud among the army, letting you enough time to read about the GAR and become more familiar with the whole system and chain of command. You had now all the knowledge necessary to keep the lie going without a hitch. Hell, even Cody never connected the dots. 

Over time the relationships between you and each of the boys improved to the point where Wrecker would call you his vod'ika and you'd call him your frangin. 

Tech exploited his extended knowledge to gain a serious advantage over his brothers once a month. He would generously share his secret stash of candies with you whenever the first day of your period started (you were sure he did that to stay in your good favors and keep your irritation away from himself - which was working, fortunately for him). 

Crosshair would share some of his precious secrets blackmails so you could use them when the others were being annoying shits and kindly taught you how to properly shoot with blasters so you could defend yourself better.

Hunter used you as his personal enhanced senses painkiller, meaning that he'd requisition you for an hour when his head felt like it was on the verge of exploding from overstimulation, sit on the floor facing you, lean his head on your chest and listen to you singing a soft lullaby in your native tongue. 

Out of the corner of your eyes, you noticed Wrecker getting up from his seat on the ground beside you to get to the ship, passing right behind you to get to his destination. Swiftly, you straightened your hand, turned around and pushed the back of his knee forward to bend it with ease. 

Smirking, you admired your handy work when Wrecker yelped in surprise that his knee just gave up underneath him and crashed to the ground. 

You laughed wholeheartedly, covering Crosshair's snickers who watched you the whole time because he knew you'd serve his brother a good payback for taking your precious food. 

"You want to fight vod'ika?" Wrecker asked jokingly from his kneeled position a few feet away. 

"Bring it on frangin!" You replied, pushing your dry rations down your throat with a big gulp of water. That was something else that took some time to get used to. Tasteless water meant good water. Don't spit the good water. 

"Here we go again." Sighed Tech, rolling his eyes at banter. 

"Don't be a grinch, Tech. That's Crosshair's role." You flicked his shoulder and ignored Cross glare to get up and meet the big man who instantly went to poke your side. 

He'd learned his lesson a while ago when he punched your shoulder playfully and let you a gigantic bruise on your skin that lasted for weeks. Hunter genuinely thought that he'd hit you hard (he did, but Wrecker was excited, so you weren't mad) leading to the 'no hitting your teammates' rule. Wrecker felt bad for a while but soon you got him to cheer up and instead of fake fights, you'd do poking fights. 

Jumping to the side, you moved your foot behind his knee to repeat your previous trick, effectively making him fall on one knee and pushed him on his back with all your strength. 

As soon as he was on his back you poked his stomach, not too hard to make him sick, he just ate after all, but enough to mark your point. 

"That's for my bread!" You laughed, dodging his hands trying to grasp yours to stop you from assaulting his abdomen. 

He finally got a grab of your wrists, joined them in one of his hands and attacked your sides with his free hand, poking to the right places to have you yelp and trash around. 

"Stop! Stop!" You shrieked, pulling on your arms to free them. 

"As you wish." He grinned, opening his hand when you pulled with all your might, your elbows hitting your own abdomen and emptying your lungs from their precious air. 

You groaned for a few seconds, recovering from the blow sprawled over Wrecker's chest unceremoniously. His laugh resonated through your body, the vibrations shaking your bones and making your teeth clash together. 

"Still wanna fight?" He teased, head lifted from the ground to meet your unimpressed gaze. 

"Enough for tonight." Hunter cut you off as you opened your mouth to sass him back. 

Closing your mouth without another word, you rolled your eyes and got to your feet, following Wrecker inside the ship to retrieve an extra layer to keep you comfortable under the stars. 

You walked past Wrecker who stopped at the fresher, to enter the barracks to rummage under your pillow for Hunter's top blacks he threw at you the night prior. 

He noticed that you often stole his blacks whenever you felt cold at night in the ship, sliding under the fabric only when you thought they were asleep. You always made sure to replace it before he woke up, always neatly folded like it never left. But he knew. Your scent lingered on the fabric, a fact you forgot to think about, not that he minded. After a couple of times, he started to simply throw the blacks at your face before laying down on his bed. He knew you never got used to the cold of space, your skin remembering the constant warmth of the jungle, letting you vulnerable to any change of temperature. 

You slipped the blacks over your head, the fabric covering your three-quarter sleeve shirt without a hitch and offering you the extra warmth needed for you to be able to find sleep instead of chattering teeth for the whole night. 

Now ready to go out and bury yourself under your blanket near the fire, you walked out with a pep in your step, eager to lay down and relax for the remaining hours before a new assignment arrived and forced you all away on some dangerous mission. 

"Acceptin' the markin'?" Wrecker appeared from the fresher, wiping his hands on his pants. 

"What?" You stopped, confused at his question. Did you have ink on your face or something? 

"He means this." Crosshair answered for his brother, walking further into the ship to pinch the shoulder of the blacks on his way to his bunk where he retrieved an extra blanket for himself. 

"What about it?" 

"You're only wearin' Hunter's." He remarked, toothpick dancing between his lips. 

"Wrecker's are way too big and you'd strangle me with the sleeves if I took yours." You pointed out, a hand moving to your hip. What was his point?

"Why not Tech's?" He approached closer, clearly trying to intimidate you. It may have worked in the beginning but this era was long gone. 

"Last time I did he started hiding them so I wouldn't do it again. What is this about?" The two of them shared a look and you knew they had information you didn't, and the mere idea of it made your heart speed up a bit. 

"It wasn't Tech who hid them." Crosshair faced you again, his arms crossing at his chest, the blanket folded over one of his arms. "It was Hunter." 

It took you seconds to connect the dot and make sense of everything. Hunter started throwing you his blacks the night after you borrowed Tech's and after that, you couldn't find his anywhere again. You'd accepted the gesture and never questioned it afterward, simply thinking that he cared about your sleeping habits or something. 

He did care. But for a totally different reason. 

"He's jealous." You whispered, eyes widening to Crosshair's delight. 

At the back of your mind, a part of you was melting, the sergeant's possessiveness flattering you to no end, although another part of you found it was stupid to be jealous of his brother. You noted to talk to him about that later, but you were sure that the subject would arise rather sooner than later if the mischievous glint in the sniper's eyes was anything to go by. 

"He is. So you'll wear this instead." He took a top of his blacks from within the blanket and shoved it onto your chest until you picked it up. 

"Your blacks? Wait. Are you angry at him or somethin'?" You eyed the fabric in your hands, rolling the hem between your fingers. This wasn't a good idea. There were ulterior motives to his actions. Always. 

"Just wanna see him boilin'." He replied, rolling his head on the side a bit. 

"You wanna call him on his bullshit." You pointed out, one eyebrow slowly lifting in the air, unimpressed.

He didn't respond but his smirk told you enough, and the longer he held your gaze, the wider the grin creeping its way onto your lips became. Yes, you had feelings for the dark-haired clone, but you were fundamentally a prankster. Always in for a good laugh. Plus, what problems can a shirt do? It's a shirt!

You removed Hunter's blacks, keeping a hold of your undershirt so you wouldn't show too much to your brothers and quickly slipped into the new shirt. Sadly, the sleeves were a bit tight so you had to adjust your undershirt sleeves but you manage to replace them easily. 

You rolled Hunter's black into a ball and throw it onto your bed. 

"Don't be mean." You threatened Crosshair with a finger under his chin.

"And you don't drool all over it." He took his toothpick from his lips to poke your fingers with it. You hissed and he threw it away. 

You walked out with Cross at your side, Wrecker choosing to walk before you so you would all be close enough to see the shift in Hunter's expression. If the boys were right, that is. 

Unfortunately, Hunter seemed too engrossed in his conversation with Tech to notice your shirt so as soon as you all sat onto your respective blankets, yours placed between Wrecker's and Tech's, you leaned slightly forward toward Crosshair. 

"Thanks for the shirt Cross!" You smiled at him. 

In the corner of your eyes, you noticed Hunter straighten, head moving to you despite Tech still addressing him. Cross grunted in acknowledgment, already watching Hunter and was clearly enjoying what he saw. 

Your eyes moved to the sergeant's, who was now deeply frowning, too concentrated on analyzing your shirt that he didn't notice the four pairs of eyes scrutinizing his face, three playful, one confused. 

"What's wrong?" Tech asked, head-turning to you to see what disturbed him that much. As soon as his eyes fell on you he knew. And you felt stupid for being the last one to notice that this was happening. "Ah." That you've been stupid enough to let yourself fall into a territorial fight. 

"Not to your liking, Sarge?" Crosshair sassed, enjoying the tightness in his brother's jaw.

You started to feal really bad. And confused. Was Crosshair really interested in you too? You knew Hunter cared about you, the kisses, the hugs, the moments of vulnerability shared with one another, they all told you that you meant something more. But Crosshair’s behavior really started to contradict everything you thought you knew about him.

"What's that?" He turned to confront his brother, catching on to the fact that he'd been played as soon as he registered the smugness coating Crosshair's face. 

"Cut the crap. 's just a shirt." He rolled his eyes at Hunter's barely concealed annoyance. But it wasn't just a shirt. Not to them. 

It started to dawn on you that this was a terrible idea and that you've been played and that- oh shit Hunter's fingers closed to form a fist entangled in his blanket.

"Stop right there." You hurried to cut Hunter's words that you just knew would start a bickering war. You had to stop it before it could deteriorate to something bad because you didn't trust Crosshair to not put oil on the fire and hit every single one of his brother's nerves. To top it all, he was the one right next to Hunter. This was getting dangerous.

" 'm not wearin' anyone's shirt." 

You removed the blacks, ignoring the concert of grumbles telling you not to, rolled it in a ball, switched the ball with Tech's and used it as your personal pillow. You laid down on your back and pulled the blanket tightly around yourself, eying the stars above like you used to on Fors. 

You seemed to have done the right thing, because the rest followed your example, Tech's head burying itself in his new pillow inches from yours. A yelp from Crosshair soon followed by a smack in retaliation made you sigh, effectively cutting short their childish behaviors. 

It took a couple of minutes until the sergeant heard what he was waiting for, a soft clattering muffled by the blanket covering your mouth, the sound of your hands moving up and down your arms in hope of creating warmth and your irregular breathing that you controlled enough to keep it down but not enough to keep it steady. 

The boys had fallen asleep, Wrecker's snores echoing between the trees around, Crosshair's and Tech's soft regular breathings were easy to distinguish. 

"Y/N." He called softly to not wake his brothers, his eyes already on your subtly shaking form. "I know you're cold." 

You turned your head in his direction, frowning. 

"So? I won't get the shirt back on." You whispered, gaze moving to Tech to make sure he was still sleeping. 

"Good. C'mere." He lifted the corner of his blanket, to which you raised an eyebrow. 

"Sharing your blanket to prove yourself better, now?" 

"Just…" He pointed to the spot next to him with his head. "C'mere." 

You huffed while sitting up to look around, the three remaining clones were still out, their peaceful face illuminated by the dying fire in the center of your circle. Carefully, you got up with the fabric tightly wrapped around your shoulders, stepping over Tech's hand and reached the offered spot. 

Immediately you felt the warmth radiating off him and like a moth to a flame, you wrapped yourself around him without shame because you needed this. And because it was so unfair that he could regulate his temperature while you couldn't, so you decided that he had to share. 

Clearly, he didn't mind, his arms sneaking around your waist to keep you close and offer you more of his body heat, his head leaning down a bit to breathe in your bewitching smell and place a kiss onto your hair just as you snuggled closer and leaned your head onto his chest, one of your legs sneaking between his to get more comfortable. 

"Better?" His chest rose and downed slowly, unlike the beating of his heart beneath your fingertips. This was the first time you had this much contact with each other, the feeling not lost on either of you. 

"Yeah." You moved your head to place a kiss under his jaw and reposition yourself. "Didn't know he even liked me." You whispered, finger moving in circles over his heart, asking yourself how did this happen?

"He liked you after our first time on Fors. He was a goner after the second time." He explained truthfully, the memory of the second trip onto this godforsaken planet made him shiver in dread. How people could live in this hell was beyond his comprehension. 

You noticed his reaction and automatically reached up to dissipate the trauma with a slow movement of your fingers over his cheeks. 

"But I was there first." He smirked, arms tightening around you somewhat.  

"Don't start." You smacked his chest softly to which he quietly laughed.

--

Frangin = Brother

Next part here: A story of having each other’s back

[btsinwonderland]

A Drop of Poison - Ch. 9: The Creature

A Loki fanfiction!

Previous Chapter --- Next Chapter

Full Chapter List

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“Ouch! You stepped on my foot!” Pom said to Mo as the three of you stumbled inside the invisibility cloak. It barely covered the three of you and Mo was uncomfortably crab walking.

“I’m sorry, I can barely see a thing,” he said.

“Will you both please be quiet? The cloak isn’t soundproof, Skurge could hear us from across the school at this point!” you said.

The three of you crossed the main hallway and were about ten feet away from a side entrance to the courtyard outside. It was then you heard footsteps. The three of you were in the middle of the hall and there was nowhere to hide, so you stood completely still and waited.

It was Professor Heimdall. He was the one teacher you were concerned about who could see beyond what was ‘normal’. You held your breath as he walked past you. He paused for a moment and glanced about the room, as if he sensed something off, but he moved on. When he was far enough away, Mo and Pom sighed deeply and you led them out the door.

The air was chilly, and a biting wind flapped the cloak against your feet. “Let’s move fast. We can’t afford someone seeing us! Hold the cloak and walk together!” you said, above the howling wind.

The trees rustled and leaves soared past you. Some hit the cloak and you tried to shake them off as best you could. At one point, Mo had bumped his head onto a tree branch since he was so occupied watching his own feet as to not step on anyone’s toes again.

When the three of you reached the treeline of the Forbidden Forest, you stopped and took off the cloak. The autumn air chilled you to the bone, but you shook it away, concentrating on what you were about to do.

“Mo! We need you to stay here in case something goes wrong. Get help only if you absolutely have to,” you said.

Pom nodded. “I don’t think there’s much of a vantage point from the windows, so if you stay close to the trees here, you should be covered until we come back with Ken.”

Your heart lurched at her positivity and you prayed he was still alive.

“Got it! You two better hurry your asses up, because it is cold and I want to keep my balls if you don’t mind.”

You rolled your eyes at him and looked at Pom. “You sure you want to come with me?” You said.

“I need to find him.”

Mo shouted behind you both, “don’t die!”

You threw the cloak around both of you and ventured into the darkness of the forest. The sun had set several hours ago, and it was nearly midnight. The trees were encased in shadow and the faint moonlight cast an eerie glow over the grey parts of the forest. Everything looked more dead than you remembered before. The leaves were dry and withered looking and many of the flowers had wilted. The ground was so uneven that it took you and Pom several minutes to get used to walking together with the cloak. You had no idea if invisibility would be helpful or not; it depended on the creature’s senses.

There was a distant howl in the woods that sent a chill down your spine.

***

Loki raced out of his office and down the corridors, heading to the main floor. He burst through one of the east exits and cold air slapped his face as he rushed to the Forbidden Forest in the direction that he had seen the students on the Marauder’s Map. The magical map did not lie. When it showed names, those people were there.

He jogged across the field and approached the treeline of the Forbidden Forest. “I know you’re there, Darwish! Show yourself or risk expulsion!” Loki yelled over the wind.

A figure slowly emerged, hands up and face panicked. “Professor Laufeyson! Please don’t expel me. I was just standing guard!”

Loki glowered at the student. “Quit your whining, you mewling quim! Where are the other two?”

The student’s eyes widened as he stammered, “P-P-Pom and Freya went into the forest to find her brother.”

Loki’s expression nearly lost its composure in a fit of anger, but he forced it together. Through clenched teeth he said, “take yourself to the Headmistress, now! And tell her to wait to expel you until I return. If she - the girls are dead, then expulsion will be the least of your punishment, I promise you that.”

The boy nearly tripped on his way back to the castle, glancing back at Loki with a horrified face. Loki flicked his wrist and an orb of green light shot into the forest. He rolled his shoulders once and ran into the dark.

***

“Freya, did you hear that?” Pom said, her voice a small squeak.

The woods were cold and night had become foggy. You took her hand and rubbed the top of it as you ventured deeper into the forest. There were all sorts of creaks and snaps, hissing and buzzing. It was when the forest quieted down that you grew concerned. No crickets or owls; not even the sound of a scurrying mouse.

“Why is it so quiet?” You whispered.

A crash sounded from the bushes beside you, and you and Pom fell backwards as a young centaur screamed at the top of his lungs. The light brown horse half of his body had a frightful gash along the side, revealing parts of his intestines. A large black mass jumped from where the centaur came and landed on the creature.

“No! Please! Help me!” The centaur screamed.

You and Pom gagged at the sight as this larger creature snapped its jaws and bit down on the centaur’s throat. You wished you did not know the sound of a breaking neck, but that last crack was forever seared into your mind.

The creature was an enormous black haired wolf. It was thrice the size of any normal wolf you had ever seen. Its gums were blood red and its yellowish teeth were as long as your forearm. You shivered underneath the cloak and prayed that the centaur’s blood was enough to keep your scent away.

“Freya, we can’t do this, we have to leave, oh my god!” Pom said, wriggling away.

“Wait!” you said, pulling out our wand. “Homenum revelio!” A line of light shot from your wand and you felt a pressure just above you, as if something was leading you towards the left grove of trees.

You lifted Pom up by the hand and ran towards the trees, following the line of light. The creature was busy feasting on the unfortunate centaur as you slipped away. Beyond the grove of trees, there was an area that was covered in rock formations. Some dipped low and others created tricky hills to climb over. The spell led you down a steep rock into an area where several trees had been snapped in half and broken - no doubt by the monster you evaded. But just below a cracked log, the light of the spell disappeared.

A groan came from underneath the log. Your heart leapt. Pom shuffled away from you and ran towards the sound.

“Ken! Oh my god, Freya! It’s him!” Pom said, crying. She pulled out her wand and cast a levitation spell to remove the log from his body. His right leg was broken and his left arm was missing.

“Dear god, Ken,” you said, taking off the cloak.

“You...found..me...” he said in ragged breaths. The left arm that was missing had crystals of ice around the stump.

“He would’ve bled to death if you hadn’t frozen that,” you said.

A twig snapped, and you heard growling from between the trees. Your stomach dropped as Ken moaned. “Kill me, don’t let that thing get me, please! Just kill me now!”

Helping Pom lift him up, you waited until she was sure she could support his weight. “You two go, I’ll distract it.” You took the cloak and wrapped it around her and Ken.

Pom looked at you with tears in her eyes. “Freya, what if it gets you!”

“Just go!” You threw your arm out and shot red sparks between the trees, away from them.

The wolf shot through the bushes, soared above you, and landed between the trees in a vicious snarl. If you had hesitated even one more second, it would have found the three of you.

You climbed up and helped Pom lift Ken, who was trying to conceal his pain poorly. He mumbled and yelped, making all sorts of noise. “Get out of here and take him to the infirmary!”

The wolf howled as Pom and Ken escaped through the trees and you ran in the opposite direction. You heard the creature behind you and glanced over your shoulder as you saw it only a few feet away. The white of its teeth gleamed maliciously in the moonlight, and its mouth was stained with fresh blood. There was no way you would outrun that thing.

“Bombarda!” The ground exploded behind you in a hopeful effort to slow the wolf down. You jumped towards thicker sections of trees you thought were tight enough to protect you, but you heard them groan and give way to the gigantic wolf in a loud crash.

It growled behind you as you threw another exploding spell. This time, the creature dodged it and jumped up on the trunk of a large tree, gripping it with its long dextrous claws. You kept running and approached the bottom of a steep slab of stone covered in dark vines. It was too steep to climb. The wolf’s yellow eyes glowed as it eyed you with a crazed sort of hunger. It growled deep in its throat, ready to rush you.

You raised your wand, ready to deliver the killing curse, not even sure if it would work since you had never tried it. You knew they might send you to Azkaban for it, but you would rather die of a dementor’s kiss than be eviscerated like that centaur.

“Avada-” you said, and then your hand caught on something. A black vine twisted around the hand that your wand was in, which prevented you from moving.

The wolf jumped to the ground and stalked you slowly with what seemed to be a demented grin on its face. The gleam in its eyes now twinkled.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you said, struggling against the black vines and trying to untangle yourself with your free hand.

It opened its mouth, revealing a blood red tongue and horrible breath, and you wondered if this was the last thing you would ever see.

A green light whipped right past your face and the wolf was knocked off balance. You looked up and saw Professor Laufeyson with green fire blazing in his hands. You painfully slipped your hand out of the vine and ran to his side. “How did you find me?”

“I will answer your inquiries after we deal with a more pressing matter,” he said, throwing you a glare. The creature recovered and snarled at you and Professor Laufeyson.

It snapped its teeth, and drool fell from its lips. Professor Laufeyson raised his hands. “So, you’re Fenris, the dreaded beast of the Dark One,” he said, giving it a casual look. “Little smaller than I thought.”

It growled and lunged as Professor Laufeyson threw burning green balls of flame at it. It landed too close and swiped its massively sharp claws towards you. Professor Laufeyson shoved you aside and was knocked sideways against a tree.

“Professor!” you ran to his side and helped him sit up. The creature had raked two claws along his left side in deep wounds that stained half of his shirt with blood. His blood continued to flow at an alarming rate.

“Looks like I can’t get past the guard dog tonight,” he said with a pained laugh. “You might want to hold on, Miss Eves,” he said.

It occurred to you right away what he was going to do, and you immediately gripped his arm and felt your whole body twist around for a painful second as the wolf raised its claws again to strike you. One moment you were in the forest, and the next, you were in a dimly lit room.

You both swayed after Professor Laufeyson apparated you out of the forest. You recovered quickly, but Professor Laufeyson, on the other hand, swayed dangerously; nearly knocking over the nearby coat stand. You took him by the arm and led him to a four poster bed in the centre of the room.

“Are we in your room?” You said, realizing where you were.

He groaned, blinking several times. “Yes.”

You knelt in front of him and looked at his shirt; he was still bleeding profusely. “You need to get to the infirmary, you’re losing too much blood, sir.”

He shook his head lazily. “My shelf, bottom drawer...Blue vial...pour it on the wound…”

“What? I’m sure Volstagg will be a much better medic-”

“It’s poison. I need the antidote now,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt.

You ran to the shelf at the corner of the room and retrieved the vial. He laid back on his elbows, completely shirtless, and you told yourself this was no moment for leering. You glued your eyes to his wounds and poured the contents of the vial over them. He winced as the liquid bubbled over his wounds and hardened to a bluish coloured scab. The bleeding finally stopped. “Do you have bandages?” you said.

He nodded towards the shelf again and you opened several drawers, one of which contained a strange silver bowl with swirls of blue and white light. You closed that drawer and found the bandages in another.

You wrapped his abdomen in white gauze gently as he watched you quietly. Then, you left him to wet a cloth to clean the blood off. When you returned with the cloth, he was half sitting and half laying on the bed, fatigue in his eyes.

“Are you still dying?” you said, as you guided his head to the pillow.

His eyes closed, and he shook his head. “Sleeping...side effect….it’s fine.”

You smiled at his slurred speech and leaned over him to slip off his shoes. You brought the cloth to his chest and started to wipe the blood away, careful to not touch the covered wounds. After a few minutes, you thought he was asleep and turned to get up, when he grabbed you by the hand.

“Stay,” he said in a thick, sleepy voice.

Your heart fluttered as you stood there wondering what to do. His hand pulled on your arm and you nearly fell into bed beside him. You sat up against the headboard and he leaned away from his pillow until his head was in your lap. You sat there like a statue for several minutes, shocked. Only when his breathing evened out and he was truly asleep, could you relax. His head was warm on your lap and you wondered just how strong the side effects of that antidote were. His black hair was slightly greasy and matted, though it smelled quite wonderful, so you took your chance and lightly ran your fingers through it. It was utterly soft, and you nearly froze again when he snuggled closer in your lap and rubbed his face on your thigh with a tired sigh. Your body reacted with heat between your legs and you felt a rush of blood to your cheeks. This was certainly not the time to become a feverish mess, so you breathed in and out, calming yourself down.

You ran your hands over his hair in soft caresses and for that small moment, forgot anything you had to be worried about.

[thiswasinevitableid]

54. I’m not sure what you think I said, but you start calling me an asshole and whip a ruler at me and somehow, we both end up in detention

Indruck, sfw, please?

Here you go! Content note: spiders appear at one point.

I based some of this AU--namely the concept of the Crucible and how magic is channeled--on the Carry On series by Rainbow Rowell. And Duck is trans in this, because any good wizarding school is inclusive.

After three years at Amnesty Academy, Duck is used to the objects being magically propelled through the air. But a ruler zipping through the air and smacking the back of his head is a new, unpleasant experience.

He tracks it to two chairs to his left, the new third year with the silver hair. He hasn’t even been here a day, what the fuck the is his problem?

“Hey, what the hell man?”

“You know very well what.”

“Uh, no I don’t, and I don’t appreciate bein hit with a fuckin ruler!”

“The maybe think before you insult someone next time!”

“I didn’t fuckin insult you! I don’t even know your name!”

“Ahem.” Ned, their Charms professor, looks down at them reproachfully, “gentlemen, while I know the review of Zone of Truth is rather dull, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t entertain yourselves with mindless conflict.”

“Sorry, Ned.” Duck mumbles, sending his pencil shooting below desk level to whack the other guy in the leg at the exact same moment he whips his pen at Duck’s hand.

“OW!”

Ned sighs, “I hate to do this, but-”

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“Detention! Lovely, my first day here and I’m in trouble. Thank you so much, Duck Newton, for landing us here.”

“You started it!” He growls as they take their seats. God, he hopes this isn’t one of Woodbridge’s days.

“Huh, only two.” Mama wipes her boots on the mat, closes the door behind her, “Afternoon, Duck. And…”

“Indrid.” Says his nemesis, “It is nice to meet you Professor C-” he cocks his head, “you really prefer I call you ‘Mama?’”

“Yep. Never could get behind that more formal stuff. Let some of the first years call me ‘Ms. Mama’ if they really need to feel like they’re showin some deference.”

Mama is deputy Headmistress of Amnesty. The only reason she’s not fully in charge is that she’s not a witch and some families object to that. So The Quell technically runs the school while Mama does most of the actual day to day work. She also teaches a course of non-magic practical skills because, “some things you can’t magic your way out of. Like taxes.”

Duck loves her class and, while he doesn’t understand why someone would opt into this weirdness, he admires the guts it takes as a fifteen year old human to walk into a wizarding school and declare that there was plenty you could learn there even though you couldn’t so much as send a spark from your fingers.

As he and Indrid watch the clock tick down, Mama pulls a bag from her satchel. The contents are cookies, which she offers to each of them.

“Barclay tryin’ out new recipes?”

“Course he is. Kid is gonna be the best damn kitchen witch in the country by the time he graduates. Guess he’s plannin to spend the summer drivin around and learnin the food magic of different regions.” She smiles, “bet you’ll never guess who’s goin’ with him.”

“Joe?”

“Bingo. Apparently he wants to study niche cultural magic.”

Duck’s pretty sure there’s another motive; sharing a van bed with Barclay. It sounds fun, roving the country, discovering new places with someone handsome by your side.

All that’s by his side is a glower hiding behind red glasses.

“Mama? I, ah, would it be possible for me to leave five minutes early? I’m supposed to get my pairing from the Crucible tonight.”

The older woman looks between the two of them, “Better tell me how you landed here first. Ned just said it was an argument.”

“He threw a ruler at me outta nowhere.”

“It was not, you know what you said.”

“The last thing I said before you hit me was ‘“nah, man’ when Billy offered me a pizza roll from his lunch.”

Indrid goes still, “Oh. I, ah, I misheard you. I thought you said 'mothman.' I apologize. I ought to have given you the benefit of the doubt.”

He seems so suddenly downtrodden that Duck shrugs, “Yeah, you should have. But it ain’t the worst thing that’s happened to me here. Not by a long shot.”

“No kiddin” Mama leans back on the desk, “Two of you can go at five til.”

His evening turns uneventful after that; dinner, hanging out with Juno and Aubrey, half doing homework and half fucking around on his phone in his room (the agreement between the school and the government is that a long as the students don’t post vidoes of themselves doing sick stunts with magic, the government will ignore any explosions and/monsters in the vicinity of the school).

He’s never had a roommate; when the Crucible spat out his name in fire on his first day, there was no other name with it. Almost everyone else rooms in pairs or trios. So his belongings are strewn about the tiny cabin that makes up his home away from home. Which is why, when the door creaks open at ten p.m, he sits up and prepares to fire off a spell.

Indrid stands in the doorway, one bag over his shoulder and another in his hand. He looks tired.

“Hello, Duck. Ah, I guess that one is my bed, then.”

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

The class schedules for Amnesty are generated by the heart of the school itself. Indrid isn’t entirely sure what that means, but the heart must not be terribly creative. It stuck him in divination class. He’s been seeing the future since he was five, managing it with his drawings since he was eight. Even the professor has no idea what to do with him, since the images come in like a garbled T.V signal when he uses a crystal ball and the cup shattered when he tried to read tea leaves.

At least Barclay gave him a conciliatory caramel while they swept up the shards. It made him feel a bit better, though whether that’s due to enchantment or Barclay being exceedingly good at cooking is hard to say.

And now he has to go to “Magical Weaponry.” Magical Defense he understands; there are still lots of malicious forces out there, or even just everyday evils that it’s good to be able to ward against. Plus, Vincent is a good professor, enthusiastic and understanding.

Professor Minerva is just as enthusiastic but twice as loud. This is their first day in the actual gym, as opposed to at a blackboard, and his visions suggest it’s going to go poorly for him. As it should; he’s not a fighter, he’s a disaster.

At Amnesty, magic is channeled through objects. Most people use wands or their hands but some, like Aubrey, use jewelry (a necklace from her mother) or another accessory.

Duck Newton uses a sword. Or he’s trying to. The sword seems to be winning.

“Exert your will on him, Duck Newton, he answers to you!”

“I answeeer to only the capable.”

“Shut up, Beacon.” Duck adjusts his grasp, but nothing happens until he drops the sword and sends a spell through his fingers. The target explodes. Indrid suddenly feels a bit better about his own probable performance.

Duck notices him, indicates the practice area next to him is clear. While they started off poorly, his roommate is doing his best to demonstrate southern hospitality. He invites Indrid to eat with him, helps him when his visions offer no help in navigating the grounds, and even lent him a blue and green shirt (Amnesty's colors) for his first Spirit Day. Duck is the best thing to happen to him in his first month here.

By the time class is over, they have six broken targets, a shredded mat, and a knife that is now a very confused frog between them. They manage to laugh about it, even as Duck scoops up the amphibian and tucks him into his shirt pocket.

It’s then that Indrid realizes he has a crush.

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

“You comin to the game tonight?” Juno measures her sapling.

“Assumin nothin comes up and nobody’s tryin to kill me, you know I’ll be there.” He loves cheering Juno on during her soccer games (hey, not everything has to be magic based, even at a wizarding school).

“Drat.”

The hissed frustration draws his attention to the far end of the work table. Indrid is trying to coax his Venus Flytraps to perk up, but they remain brown and limp.

“Need some help?”

“Please, as you clearly know what you’re doing.” Indrid tilts his head towards the sapling pine tree Duck is working on. If he does his growing spells right, he’ll be able to take it home as a Christmas Tree during winter break.

“You tend to picture words or, uh,pictures when you do your spells?”

“Images work best. The trouble is that the futures sometimes make it difficult for me to picture a spell clearly.”

“What if I try describing how I’d see it and you picture what I say?”

“It’s worth a try.” Indrid closes his eyes.

“Okay. Think about the roots drawin water up from the soil, about the traps absorbin nutrients from prey. That brown is goin green as they do, they’re stems are growin stronger…” he grins as the plant turns bright green, it’s mouths open, “hey, ‘Drid, look”

“Oh!” Indrid flaps his hands, “it worked! Now I can keep them healthy and big andohno, nono not again.”

The table cracks and collapses as the plant turns gigantic, blocking out the light from the greenhouse roof.

“Holy fuck, that’s great!”

“Language, sport, but I agree.” Thacker, the head of the magical Horticulture classes, whistles as he looks the plant up and down, “this is mighty impressive Indrid. Wonder if we could use it on some pumpkins come fall…”

“I don’t recommend it, unless you want them to chase people.” Indrid points to one of the heads, which is swaying in the air and lowering closer to him. It snaps and he leaps back, falling to a pile of potting soil. Thacker raises his walking stick and the flytrap returns to its proper size.

Duck helps Indrid up, but his friend stays quiet through the end of class and on the walk back to their room.

“You know it ain’t anythin to be ashamed of, right?” Duck flips on the light, “we all fuck up spells now and then. Hell, Aubrey is on track to be the best spellcaster this school’s ever seen and she still has trouble.”

“But mine go haywire constantly” Indrid flops, dejected, onto his bed, “forget mastering my powers, I’ll be lucky if I graduate able to keep them in check. If I graduate at all.” His hand searches the bed blindly; Duck sets the weighted, plush bat into so Indrid can set it on his chest.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve never lasted more than a year at a magical school. Or a non-magical one. I started at Mt Vernon when I was fifteen. Tried Deep Hollow and Shasta the year after that. I’m powerful but I can’t seem to channel it well, and three different schools decided I was more trouble than I was worth.”

“Bullshit.” Duck rests a hand on Indrid’s knee, “you’re strugglin with somethin; that means you need more help, not less. And if anyone gets it into their heads to kick you outta Amnesty, I’ll raise a goddamn ruckus.”

Indrid chuckles, quiet and disbelieving.

“I’m serious. You know Aubrey and them would side with me, and Joe knows school policy well enough he could probably find a reason why them tryin to get rid of you was against the rule.”

“Thank you.” Indrid’s smile is a rare flower, fragile and stunning.

“You want one of those calm-down caramels Barclay made?”

“Please.”

Duck grabs the box from the cabinet of their little kitchenette, then snags a Coke and a pineapple soda from the fridge. Indrid is no longer horizontal, is instead sitting with his back to the wall so Duck has space to join him.

Under the fizz of fresh bubbles, his friend murmurs, ‘“Have people really tried to kill you?”

“Yep. Someone sent an assassin after me my first year, and there was a Dire wolf on the grounds last winter that was clearly locked on to my scent. Perk of bein a Chosen One.” He grumbles as he swigs his drink.

“...Who on earth sends an assassin after a fifteen year old?”

“Right?! Fuck if I know, they never got any information out of the guy. Fuckin prophecy I swear, I didn’t even want these powers, let alone to be some kind of hero.”

“I sympathize.” Indrid rests his head on Duck’s shoulder, “there are prophecies around my birth as well.”

Duck clunks their bottles together, “To bein’ fucked over by stuff we can’t control.”

Indrid drains his soda, then perks up, “Oh! Oh dear, you should go if you want to be there for Juno’s match.”

“Come with me?” Duck can’t get the image of the two of them sharing a giant pretzel while smushed thigh to thigh on the bleachers out of his head.

His friend grins, “Of course.”

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

Duck hoped, after his not-great time in middle school, that a magic academy would be asshole free. But no, there are assholes everywhere, and these ones have even more tools for tormenting their targets. He’s never been one, nor have any of his friends. The one time someone tried to bully Barclay, Dani sicked three spectral hummingbirds on them until they apologized.

Indrid, odd and new, is an easy target, though he seems to hold his own just fine (and his proximity to the most powerful witch in school does scare off many potential antagonists). But three guys in their Magical Defense class have zeroed in on him.

They’re standing in line to practice against an evil eye when Indrid’s glasses, the ones he doesn’t take off even when he sleeps, hit the floor by Duck’s feet. Duck scrambles to grab them before they get stepped on, wondering why everyone is making such a fuss. Then he turns and backs up in alarm.

An eight foot tall moth creature is where Indrid should be, red eyes wide and claws clicking together anxious.

“Who let that thing in here?” Someone yells from behind him.

Indrid’s antenna flatten.

“Fuck, wasn’t expecting him to be that big a freak” one of the bullies scoffs.

Black wings twitch.

“Newton, give him the glasses back so we don’t have to look at him!”

Indrid trills, upset, and leaps into the air at the same moment Aubrey yells, “that’s enough” and Vincent shouts a reminder about no flames in enclosed spaces and also detention for you three. Duck is to busy climbing out the window Indrid flew through to pick up the details.

One two-story fall later, he’s chasing a dark shape into the Monongahela forest. While the parts of the woods near his hometown of Kepler are non-enchanted, this chunk is magic down to the moss (he plans to write his final year project on how those halves of forest mesh on an ecological level). One of the worst aspects of the enchanted portions is their tendency to re-shape around travelers. His usual way around this is to have an unwavering sense of where he’s going and pretend the woods are giving him an unchanging path to get there. But that trick does fuck-all when he doesn’t know his destination.

After two hours of searching he’s no closer to finding Indrid, it’s getting dark, and he’s debating heading back to the school for help. He hasn’t been this deep in the woods since he fled the Dire Wolf, and he knows the deeper you go into the trees, the wilder the magic becomes. Bad news for him, even worse for his friend who's out there somewhere, upset and alone.

Eight gigantic eyes glitter at him from the dirt, and he quickly rearranges who has it worse right now.

Throwing a burst of light into the trapdoor spiders eyes buys him enough time to bolt to a tree and climb. As soon as it crawls free of its burrow he freezes; if he’s remembering right, they use vibrations to locate prey.

Fuck, that thing is the size of a VW Beatle. Why is that even a thing? No spider needs to be this big!

In spite of his stillness, it spies him and sets its forelimbs on the tree-trunk. There’s nothing else for it; he draws Beacon, pictures the spider shrinking, and casts his spell.

A soft crunch of leaves signals it hitting the ground, now an unremarkable size for an arachnid. Just as he steps down a branch, a second trap door opens and an enraged spider bursts out, looking for it’s friend. When it can’t find it, it turns and snaps its mandibles at Duck. This time, Beacon does nothing, no matter how Duck commands and curses as his eight-legged doom gets closer.

A crackle of electricity and then this spider disappears as well. On the other side of the trunk, red eyes regard him with worry, “are you hurt?”

“Nah, all in one piece thanks to you.” He holds out his hand, “you wanna head back?”

“Yes, please.” Indrid flaps to the ground, Duck following him on foot and then turning them towards campus, “you did not need to come look for me.”

“Course I did, not gonna let my friend get swallowed up by the forest. Oh, here” he holds out the red glasses, “you want these back?”

“Not just yet. That is, if this form is not too alarming to you.”

Duck takes in the glossy feathers, the charming ruff, the way the face is still obviously Indrid yet excitingly new, “I’m good.”

Light flickers from black claws, stars and flowers spinning out with ease, “It’s so much easier when I’m like this. I never foresaw my disguise charm being an issue, but the older I’ve gotten the more it seems to influence my ability to control my spells. But, well, you saw how people reacted. Even you were startled.”

“In my defense, I thought you’d been eaten by, well, you.” Duck casts the same spell, vines of light chasing the red flowers, “I’m still sorry, though. You ain’t horrible like this, ‘Drid; you’re fuckin stunnin. Never seen anyone as incredible as you.”

Indrid stops, looking down at him, “Do you truly mean that?”

Duck rises on his toes, pecking his cheek, “Yeah, I do.”

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

The Halloween Formal is the most elaborate event at Amnesty. Indrid feels that if there’s any day he’s within his rights to be in his true form, it’s when everyone else is dressed as monsters.

He doesn’t have a date. He thought Duck was in the same predicament. Then his friend left before he was half-done grooming his feathers, saying he needed to get flowers for his hot date.

Ah well. At least Indrid will get to see him there and spend some time with his friends.

He checks his reflection in the gleaming black walls, orange and purple lights glowing and jack’o lanterns floating above his head. He adjusts his robes, the nice red ones his father sent him, and prepares to enter the ballroom.

“Hold up.”

When he turns, Duck is standing there in his black dress shirt and green tie, looking for all the world like he’s alone.

“You got one more thing to put on” He holds out a bracelet of flowers, sized to slip perfectly over Indrid’s hand. There are matching flowers pinned to one side of Duck’s hair.

“Oh. Oh my. You really-”

Duck uses a small spell to bend Indrid into a kiss; it’s a bit messy, since their mouths aren’t meant to fit together, but Indrid would not trade it for all the magic in the world.

“Yeah, ‘Drid, I really do.” With that, Duck offers his elbow and they walk arm in arm into the great hall.

[belit0]

1000k Commission [Uchiha Obito x Fem Coffy Reader] @obitobrigade

Obito x reader(coffy) pregnant, him giving belly kisses while setting up the nursery. It can be nsfw,fluffy or however your imagination goes with it😊

[Writer: Honey, I'm so sorry for the delay. I wanted to challenge myself and write more than just sexy content and ended up falling into writer's block :(. Hope you like this, it's nothing I would typically write! I don't consider myself good with fluff, but I wanted to do it for you because I know you like it :/ ]

Commissions are open! [Sasuke / Itachi / Shisui / Obito / Izuna / Madara / Indra]

On a beautiful autumn afternoon, the Uchiha is carrying a giant television on the stairs, trying to reach the first floor without the device falling in the process.

At the end of these, she waits for him, holding her huge belly with both hands while caressing it, and questions with her eyes the stupidity her man is trying to do.

"Tobito..."

"What, Coffy. What?"

"We talked about this, didn't we?"

"We talked about this, yes, and you heard my completely valid points about why we needed a TV in the nursery!"

"So, you suppose it's relevant when you have to squeeze in two cots as well? Think about it, love..."

"Perfectly relevant. They're twins. Twins. And we have no idea how to look after them! I have no idea how to look after them! I need therapy while I take on that responsibility."

"And your therapy is a TV..."

"Leave me alone."

With no choice before the stubborn Uchiha blood in that man's veins, the only thing left to do was to allow him trouble with the device on the stairs, while Coffy rescued herself in bed, necessary with such an advanced pregnancy.

Eventually, the gigantic TV came to the baby's room, where the basic decorations were already in place. The painting was a simple matter, Obito insisted that he wanted a neutral tone even though both newborns were boys, and some furniture was already in place.

The man's next challenge, however, brought an unexpected mental complication.

Nails in the walls.

The Uchiha had never been involved in such tasks before, they were not really his thing. In his childhood, he preferred to be the one holding the lantern while Madara fixed everything. But now, on the verge of becoming a father, it was time to face the unknown, put on his trousers, and leave everything finished for the end of the day.

Taking one of the small metal objects and the hammer, he positioned himself against the wall, calculating firmly the trajectory of the blow.

"Now... just... FUCK"

The nail bent after the weight hit it, leaving it as a hook and becoming useless to Obito's goal.

How hard would it be to hang up some damn childish pictures?

Taking another nail, he tried again, only to bang his fingers in the process and end up knocking the hammer to the ground.

Okay, plan two. If that method didn't work, he had another way.

Double-sided tape.

Why didn't I think of it before... thought Uchiha as he cut piece by piece and removed the safety label, revealing the glue and placing it behind the paintings that were to adorn the walls.

Everything was wonderful and impeccable, the enormous television occupying half of the room, the two cradles tightened in a corner, two holes in the wall from the failed nails, and a hand with ice from the blow of the hammer.

But all wonderful and impeccable!

And so, Obito was ready to close the door and finish the task. Until the hanging pictures suddenly gave way, falling abruptly and crashing to the ground, making crystals fly in all directions. Of course, the tape did not hold, and the lazy solution was not successful.

Completely exhausted by his failure, he went to where Coffy was resting and dropped heavily next to her on the bed.

"I'm so done with this parenting thing.”

"Love, we haven't even started...”

She laughed, stroking his hair, and appreciating the man's real frustration.

"Let me remind you why all this is worthwhile. Go on, put your hands, feel them, listen..."

With delicacy, as if something that would break at the slightest touch, he placed his ear against her belly, hoping to feel his unborn children.

A kick caught him off guard, making the skin on her belly stretch and come down quickly, as if something was trying to reach him from the other side, to greet him, to touch him.

"Did you see that?! Baby it looks like your skin is going to break! Are you okay?!"

"It's normal, honey, they're trying to greet Daddy!"

"You have too much energy kids, stop moving like that, you're making mommy crazy!"

The Uchiha spoke to the belly as if he could really see his children as if he had them in front of him and was dealing with them. A touch of concern for his wife's comfort shone through his pupils, as well as pure love and care for the little humans he was somehow holding in his hands at that moment.

"They are not, love, in fact, it is one of the best sensations in the world. I have a feeling that they will be as intense as you..."

"Hey, watch your mouth woman, just because you have this giant yoga ball attached to your body doesn't mean I can't put you in your place."

With a seductive smile, Obito joined his lips with Coffy's, consummating that beautiful bond with his children in the middle.

If he didn't believe that having sex during pregnancy is something strange, he would have destroyed his girl there and now.

Separating from his kiss, curiosity overcame Coffy as she collected all the strange noises and dirty words she heard from the bed while he was working.

"Obito..."

"Hm?"

"How bad is the mess you left in the baby's room?"

"Do you want me to be honest or do you want this moment to continue?"

Not daring to listen to her answer, he held her tightly and directed her head to his neck, while the two of them curled up in the only position she could tolerate at this point.

"Anyway, I will trick Shisui into coming to clean up by promising him a beer or something... You don't have to worry."

"Was it the TV exploding the noise of broken glass I heard earlier?"

"What?! Are you crazy, honey?! Do you think I'm that stupid?! Geez."

[lunarliza]

JJ Maybank Must Die | Chapter 2: Ping Pong Balls

fuckboy!JJ x Reader

series masterlist | chapter one

JJ Maybank is the island’s most infamous fuckboy- not that you ever cared. But when a group of tourist girls come to your surf shop crying to you about him, you agree to help them plot revenge. Sabotage is all fun and games, until you find that the playboy you were sworn to ruin happens to be falling head over heels for you.

Yes, this is based on John Tucker Must Die lol

Problem not solved.

You and Sophia eagerly sipped on your smoothies, waiting for the trio to show up to their five-o’clock session the Monday following the party. Alas, they piled through the front door with deflated shoulders. 

“Well?” Sophia perked, eyes gleaming, “How’d it go? Did you make him cry?! Please don’t spare any details!” Her palms clasped together in front of her like a kid who just came up with an evil-genius plan.

“Tell them what happened,” Annalise ordered Arabella, clocking the fiery-haired girl’s shoulder. 

Arabella sighed dejectedly. “Well... not exactly. So I went to the party, hoe clothes on and everything like we planned. Saw him, used my signature look and look away move, and it worked! He came over and we started talking and-”  

“She fucked him,” Maia finished bluntly, prompting a betrayed gasp from Sophia and face-palm from you. 

“Mhm,” Annalise added, “He whisked her away before me or Maia could get the chance to interfere.” 

“I couldn’t help it!” Arabella cried, covering her face in mortification, “He was just so... smooth and sweet. And those eyes! We started talking about sea turtles! You guys know they are my weakness.”

You couldn’t help look on your face. Arabella was sweet, no doubt, but boy, the girl sure was spineless. It was a good thing she was pretty.  

“He is the devil!” Sophia enunciated each word of her sentence and huffed. “This is going to be harder than I thought!” 

“We just need someone stronger! Someone with a heart of steel unlike this one,” Annalise added, smacking her friend on the back. 

“We could give it another go,” you agreed, “but who’d be our guinea pig now?”  

You pondered at the ceiling until you felt all four pairs of eyes practically stab at you. It was like jumping into a vulture’s nest. 

“Oh no, not me!”

“Why not?” Maia questioned, frustrated. “You’re the only available one left. Plus, you couldn’t give two shits about him. It’ll be like busy work to you.” 

“Yeah not gonna happen. Find someone else, please. This is non-negotiable.” 

Out of nowhere, Sophia seized your hand and tugged you into the back room of the shop. “Excuse us for a minute,” she said to the girls before shutting the door of the crammed space.

It was a good thing your supervisor left early for the day, your asses would be toast if he were to witness the scene. 

“I think you should do it,” your best friend urged.  

“Have you lost your mind?!” you yelled-whispered. 

“Oh come on, y/n! Do it for me. For Annalise. No! Do it for all the girls on this island who has ever shed a single tear for him!” 

You sighed heavily. “I can’t do it, Soph. I’m sorry. He’s terrible and Karma has her kiss for him, but not me. Also, you know how I feel about those parties at the Boneyard.” Your look grew to one of disgust. 

“Mhm,” she crossed her arms, “This wouldn’t be because of Pope would it?” 

“No!” 

Yes. It absolutely was. 

So you might’ve maybe use to have a teensy tiny little crush on Pope Heyward-one of JJ’s best friends. It wasn’t your fault he was so cute and smart... and respectful! 

The boy stole your heart and ran away with it when you were paired up for science lab sophomore year. Him, being the genius he was, always did the experiments so gracefully while you royalty fucked everything up. 

One day, you poured the wrong solution into the beaker and the goopy liquid exploded everywhere. However, without an ounce of complaint, Pope offered to stay after with you to scrub down the walls and tables. A modern day romance if there ever was one. 

After months of daydreaming about him, you finally worked up the courage to ask him to the end-of-year dance. Sophia and your other friends hyped you up as you approached his locker after school.

Much to you dismay, he said no. But he did it in such a nice way, you couldn’t hate him for it. If anything, it made you hurt even more that you got rejected so kindly. Ever since then, you never stepped foot near him or his friends, too humiliated to even think of it. 

“You’re a terrible liar, y/n,” Sophia stated. 

She then grabbed onto your shoulders to stare you straight in the eyes. “Look, I know you swore never to see Pope again, but, honestly, fuck him! He missed out on a kick-ass date. But think- you could kill two birds with one stone! Go to the Boneyard, look hot as fuck, dance on JJ a bit and then vamoose! Pope’s jealous and JJ gets a bite in the ass!”  

Your brows furrowed in annoyance. Leave it to Sophia to convince you into her petty ploys. “I don’t know...” 

She persisted further. “Okay, I wasn’t going to tell you this because I knew you’d be super jealous, but my cousin got me front row to Venus Panic in Charlotte at the end of the summer.” 

Your eyes jolted out of your head. “No fucking way!” 

You loved Venus Panic with a dying passion. They were your favorite band who never ever came to the U.S. 

Sophia let out a long breath. “Yes. If you do this, y/n, the ticket,” she paused, “the ticket is yours.” 

It was like pulling teeth from her to make that kind of offer. Damn her for being so conniving! 

“Alright. For Venus, I’ll do it.” 

“Thank the gods!” Sophia leaped up and down in the confined room, hugging you and thanking you a ga-zillion times. 

She looked as if she sealed a million dollar deal when you two emerged from the room. You, on the other hand, were ready to fling yourself to the seagulls. 

“Operation JJ Maybank must die is a go girls!” she announced before the group started frolicking up and down, earning stares from people looking through the glass. 

“Alright, alright,” you said as they settled down, “Now that we have that done, can we please actually surf now?” 

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

The night of the next Boneyard party, you and Sophia drove to the condo the girls were staying at. Pulling up to the building, both yours and Sophia’s eyes widened. You knew the complex was on Figure Eight, but you didn’t know it was that luxurious and huge. They even had valet at the front, and you were greeted by doorman on your way in. 

Apparently Annalise’s dad was an important rich man in Virginia. He remarried, and was currently honeymooning in some exotic island. Sending his condolences, he let her choose whichever one of his condos she wanted to stay at for the summer with friends. For some unknown reason, she chose the Outer Banks. 

“Party’s here!” Sophia sang when Arabella answered the door. 

You entered into the spacious unit, in awe. The endless kitchen was lined with white Italian wood while the counters were topped with the fanciest marble you had ever seen. The living room was the size of your house with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the island. And the view was spectacular. 

So this was how the other side lived. 

Maia and Annalise squealed when they emerged from their rooms and hugged you and Sophia hello. They had on silk robes with their hair up in rollers. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show had nothing on them. 

They handed you two some seltzers from the fridge before Maia dragged you to the gigantic vanity in her room. Eyeshadow palettes, brushes, and compact powders littered the surface. She sat you down and fiddled with the ends of your hair. 

“So, y/n, what kind of look do you wanna go for tonight?” 

You were taken aback. “I’m not sure. Maybe something natural since we’re gonna be outside?” 

Maia scoffed playfully and shook her head. “Y/n, it’s a party! If you’re not glamming you’re not scamming. Actually say no more! I know exactly what we’re gonna do.” 

And so, she worked her magic as you watched through the bulb-lined mirror. You asked her about the products she was using while she gave you the rundown of the importance of each item and step. She was very knowledgable and swift with her hand- especially when it came to the winged liner. 

You got along with Maia. You learned that she had a successful makeup channel and wanted to start her own brand one day. She also told you about her boyfriend and how he was in Thailand for the entire summer. 

After two hours of searching for lost lip glosses, waiting on Annalise to change for the tenth time, and chugging your fifth seltzer, the five of you finally made it to the Boneyard at its peak hour. 

Linking arms, you all strutted down the beach, ready for your mission. 

The four scattered when you reached the sea of people, leaving you to locate the blonde target. After a few minutes of searching, you couldn’t find a single trace of him or any of his friends. 

Heading over to the keg, you poured yourself a drink in hopes it would loosen your raging nerves. It also didn’t help that Maia’s bikini top was hardly covering your nipples. You knew a nip slip was just waiting to happen at some point in the night. 

You casually sipped your drink and circled the party again, catching a glimpse of the wavy-haired boy at the beer pong area. 

JJ slammed his fists on the table after landing another shot. 

“Fuck yes! One last shot and your ass is grass!” he belted to his competitors: two random tourist boys who were chugging at a ridiculously slow pace. JJ then proceeded to high-five his friend, John B, who you also recognize from school. 

“Don’t be a coward,” you muttered to yourself before striding to the crowd clamoring around a fold-out table. 

From the sides, you attempted a few of the “flirty glances” Arabella taught you but no luck. The boy would much rather bounce a ping-pong ball.

You resorted to crossing your arms and waiting for the game to be over. With no surprise, JJ and John B won as the tourons groaned and withered away to the bonfire. 

“That’s right baby! Undefeated!” JJ gloated with his hands smugly flung in the air. 

“Alright who’s next?” John B shouted, earning no response from the herd. 

Welp... it’s now or never. 

“I’ll play,” you volunteered and stuck your hand up. You could feel JJ staring at you quizzically.

“Alright, alright we have a challenger! But who’s your partner?” John B asked. You wanted to slap yourself for not thinking this through properly.

“I’ll do it,” a deep voice spoke behind you. You whirled around to meet eyes with none other than Pope. He stood cooly behind you with a beer in hand. 

You originally planned to avoid him at all costs during the party. But that all went down the drain as he set down his drink and started ordering the cups in a pyramid formation. 

“You’re going down Heyward!” JJ hollered, taking the first shot. The ball glided into the first cup with ease. John B’s shot followed, but bounced off to the side. 

Your partner grabbed the beer and hurled it down instantly, using his wrist to wipe his mouth. You snatched the fallen ball on the ground while Pope nodded for you to go first. 

So this might have been the first time you’ve every played beer pong in your life. But, in your defense, you’ve done it a million times on your phone. It couldn’t be that hard. 

You tossed the first shot and it wheezed over all the cups. Whoops. 

“This is too easy,” JJ jeered, eyeing Pope as he made the next throw. It landed in one of the back cups and John B swallowed the contents down. 

“Sorry, I’m just off my game today,” you mumbled to your partner. 

“Nah, don’t worry about it. You wanna know my trick?” Pope raised as another one of JJ’s balls flew into one of your cups. You raised your brows as he handed you the beer. 

“The more drunk you are, the better you play.” 

Guzzling down the liquid luck, you fingered another ball and took your aim. Flinging it towards the mass, you gasped when it actually landed into the center cup. 

“Oh my God!” you cheered as Pope’s face mimicked yours. He high-fived you with both hands as you bounced up and down in glee. 

“That’s what I’m talking about y/n!” 

For the rest of the game you and Pope played neck-and-neck with the other two, continuously making shots and chugging down beer. His tactic worked. You were on fire. 

The flock around you chanted your name every time you scored. You could see your friends hanging around in the far corner hollering your name and sending you thumbs ups. 

It was game point as both teams had one target left. It was their turn. JJ took the stage, chucking the ball skillfully. Much to your demise, it swirled along the rim before plopping in. JJ roared out in victory. 

“Hold your horses,” Pope interjected with a finger in the air, “We still have redemption.” 

“Let’s see it then,” John B panted, worn out from the tension. 

“You got this.” Pope patted you on the back and handed you the ball. 

Your eyes bursted. “W-What? No no no, Pope you go.” 

“Relax, y/n! I believe in you. Just focus.” 

You gulped and turned to the boys taunting you across the table. Saying the quickest Hail Mary in your head, you launched the ball and had to shut your eyes. 

A sudden rush of shrieks alarmed you. Peeling your eyes open, you saw both JJ and John B’s jaws plummet to the ground. 

It went in. 

“Now that’s what the fuck is up!” Pope hurled his fist at this chest. You were frozen in utter disbelief. Maybe the Gods were in your favor. 

Pope added two more cups to your side of the table as John B copied his actions. The four of you went at it a few more times before you were one-and-one again. Both John B and JJ missed and the balls rolled back over to you. 

Taking the first shot again, you slung the ball, but it flew off the rim. You were chattering on your nails as Pope proceeded to make his attempt. 

One swish and the ball landed straight in the hole.  

You both jolted up in the air, doing a little victory dance. JJ shushed you- ready to go for his redemption kill. His ball missed the cup by a hair and John B’s slid off the table, deeming you and Pope the winners. 

In your exhilarated drunken state, you threw your arms around Pope, and he let out a soft chuckle. You hastily pulled away after you realized what you were doing. Thankfully, the crestfallen losers immediately came over to shake your hands and say “Good game.” 

JJ’s hands hung onto yours a moment longer. He studied you with his eyes before treading away towards the bonfire. 

As winners, you and Pope stayed a few more rounds before getting beat out. You noticed JJ come back to watch you for a few rounds, eyes fixated on your every move. 

After shaking hands with the girls who beat you, you waved a confused Pope goodbye and jogged over towards the drink area for water. In the corner of your eye, you saw JJ hurry up to you with giddiness. 

“That was some game you played out there,” he complimented as you swigged down your water. 

“Thanks! Guess I just got lucky back there.” 

He leaned both arms on the table, raising his brows suggestively. “Might just be your lucky night then.”

Oh brother. 

You threw him an uneasy smile and treaded away to the dancing crowd. Of course, he followed you, struggling to keep up with your pace. 

“Hey, what’s your name? I’ve never seen you around before.” 

You scoffed low enough to where he couldn’t hear. Never seen you? You’ve been in the same classes since second grade. 

“I’m y/n.” You slowed down a bit, remembering your sworn duty. 

“Well I’m JJ. JJ Maybank.” He flashed you a toothy smile. 

You stopped amidst the dancers as a popular, high-beat electronic song came on. You flung you hands around JJ’s neck and pulled him close. “Dance with me, JJ Maybank.” 

The two of you rocked back and forth for a while before the music transitioned to a provocative rap song. Both you and the light-haired boy rapped the entire first verse with ease, giggling once the chorus hit. 

“So... how come I’ve never seen you at one of these parties?” 

You shrugged tossing him a look of disinterest. “Not really my thing.” 

He tugged you in so his forehead was on yours. “Then what is your thing then, hm? What’s a cute girl like you up to all summer?” 

“I’m a surfing instructor.” 

“Is that so? You know, I’m a pretty good surfer myself...” His hands traced down to your swaying hips. 

“I’ll be the judge of that,” you retorted, running your hands up and down his biceps flirtatiously. 

It was probably the alcohol doing all the work, because in that moment, you knew you were being absolutely irresistible to the boy who’s hands were burning to stay in the... respectful areas. 

“Maybe one day I can show you,” JJ rasped. You barely heard him through the booming of the speakers, but still locked eyes with him alluringly. 

“Mmm, don’t really have time for amateurs.” 

“Ouch... feisty aren’t we?” His lips were millimeters from yours. 

“Please, you know you like it.” You decided to close the gap. 

Boy, were his lips soft. His chiseled hands made way to tangle up in your hair as he expertly kissed you amongst the throng of people. He slid his tongue into your mouth, and you could feel how hungry he was. 

You stopped after a minute, purposely cutting it short. His eyes were aching for more, but you refused. You wanted to starve him. 

“Wanna get out of here? There’s a cool place on the beach I can show you,” he asked, fingers toying with the back string of your bikini. 

You shrugged. “Why not.”

Smirking, JJ’s hand snaked around your waist as he led you to the back trees of the Boneyard. You approached a small patch of sand enclosed by a circle of trees, and it all clicked in your head. This was his sex hideout. 

You glanced around the spot. The moon beamed straight into it, and the leaves of the trees hung down fancifully. In its own weird way, it was kind of romantic- if you didn’t think about how many times he’s taken people there to fuck.

He tugged you towards the center, wrapping you in his muscular arms. 

“You’re the cutest girl I’ve ever seen. I could just eat you up,” he muttered seductively, nipping at the sides of your jawline. 

You were beginning to understand it now- his irresistibility. The guy was charming. You let him kiss you for a little bit until you felt him undo your back bikini string. 

You quickly jerked away, tying it back into a bow.

“You know what, I think I’m good,” you said abruptly, backing away. 

JJ looked as if someone offered a kid ice cream and knocked the cone off the second he was about to dive in for the first taste. “Wait! Where are you going?” he urged.

“Away.” 

His face flooded in disbelief as he let out a loud scoff, darting after you as you jogged back to the dancing pack.

“Wait! Y/n come back!” he called out. 

“What for? I’m not sleeping with you JJ!” you shouted, making sure everyone around you heard. 

When his face went beet-red you knew you work was done. 

You sped up the sand, out of sight, to Annalise’s car where your friends were circled. They whooped and cheered at your presence. 

“We saw everything!” Maia exclaimed, hauling you in for a bone-tight hug. 

“That was so awesome! Y/n, you’re my hero!” Arabella chimed in while you all crammed into the Mercedes. 

“Ladies, ladies,” Annalise began before pulling out of the parking lot, “Tonight we celebrate the fall of JJ Maybank!” 

The car erupted in drunk glee as everyone swaddled you from their seats. 

As you drove back to the condo, Sophia rolled down her window from the backseat and stuck out her head. 

“Fuck you JJ Maybank!” 

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

note: dw there is even more D R A M A to come lolz 

chapter 3

tags: @obxlife​ @rudyypankow​ @yeehaw87​ @ilymarkchan​ @jellyfishbeansontoast​ @tangledinsparkles​ @toloveortobeinlove​ @pixelated-pogues​ @normatural​ @teamnick​ @drizzlethatfalls​ 

[hehron]

Snowball

Somehow I was in a very intense writing mode and managed to whip up another one shot for @fightfortherightsofhouseelves hinny Christmas fest!! This is a little hinny au where there was no war, and everyone’s alive. I really love the idea of Harry having friends as a child. So just assume that the marauders all had kids that were his age :) Oh, also, I love the trope of Hermione being Harry’s sister!

Summary: The little sneak from next doors who used to pummel him with snowballs unfortunately grew into a rather attractive minx Harry couldn’t quite get over.

FF.net   AO3

“Incoming!”

“Everyone! To the fort!”

“The fort's fallen!”

“Last chance, losers! Give in!”

“Never! Harry, there's the snow shield!”

“I've got it!” Harry exclaimed, running towards the hedges that separated his and Ron's house. He had picked up the plastic shield, and was brushing the snow off of it when-

“Hey!” He turned around, glaring at his sister. “That's against the rules!”

“I haven't done anything,” Hermione shouted back.

“Yes, you did! You hit me with a snowball!”

“Did not!”

“Did- ow!” He spun around as another snowball hit him in the face. Narrowing his eyes, he peered over the fence, from where someone let out a small giggle.

“Who's there?” He asked, shuffling forward on his knees towards the hole they'd made on the fence last summer. He squeezed through the shrubs tickling at his neck to come face to face with mischievous brown eyes.

“Hello,” She smiled toothily, before hitting his face with yet another snowball.

“Stop that,” He complained, spitting out some of the snow he'd caught in his mouth.

“Why? You're having a snowball fight, aren't you?” She asked, bunching up snow from the pile she'd made.

“We were but-”

“No buts!” She said, throwing it at him again.

“What are you doing? We're losing!” Ori came up beside him, only to be hit by another one of her snowballs. “Hey!”

“You suck at this,” She grinned at them.

“Who is she?!” Ori asked, ducking as she threw another one.

“What are you- Ginny?” Ron said, poking his face in.

“Merry Christmas, brother dearest!” She sang, pelting him with half a dozen snowballs.

“That's it,” Harry said, wiggling out, and throwing one back at her. Unfortunately, she was prepared and took cover behind her snow hill.

“Why are you wasting our time? Just admit defeat or fight!” Hermione stomped over, Teddy and Neville, right behind her.

“It's not our fault! She was the one who started it!” Ori protested, pointing at Ginny's head peeking from behind her hill.

“Who-”

“She's my sister,” Ron said impatiently. “Ginny, I told you to leave us alone!”

“But I want to play!”

“You're a girl! This is a boys-only game,” He said.

“No, it's not! She's playing!” Ginny accused.

“Hermione's not a girl-”

“I am!” Hermione said angrily. “And I say we let her play,” She glared at Ron, much to Ginny's delight.

“That's not fair! You'll have four players then,” Harry protested.

“I'm going inside. I didn't want to play in the first place,” Neville moaned, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

“Come on, we can hide behind my snow hill,” Ginny said to Teddy and Hermione.

“It's still unfair,” Harry whined, as they tried to find a place to hide.

“Why didn't you let her play with us? We could have won,” Ori grumbled to Ron.

“I didn't know she was so good at it!”

“What are you doing here? This is enemy lines,” Ori asked as Teddy joined them.

“They kicked me out! Said they wanted a girls vs boys game!”

“It's four against two,” Ron said hopefully. “We can win this.”

“I don't think so,” Harry said, just as the girls rolled over their snow hill into a gigantic ball and sent it towards them. Before they could even register what was happening, the ball hit them, half burying them in the snow.

“We win!” Ginny and Hermione chanted, walking around them as they loudly protested and tried to free themselves, failing miserably. It was a good Christmas.

20 years later

“Yeah, yeah, it was a great Christmas,” Harry called exasperatedly as he made his way out into the back. As much as he loved both Hermione and Ron, he thought he'd explode if they regaled their proposal one more time.

“The lovebirds are here then?”

Harry turned his head to see Ginny sitting on a box by the friends, a bottle of butterbeer in hand.

“They arrived two hours ago,” Harry said with a slight shudder.

“Merlin! The proposal took two minutes! How on earth do they stretch it out for two hours,” Ginny asked horrified.

Harry snorted. It honestly wouldn't have been so bad, if Ron hadn't forced the plan down his throat a dozen times before proposing.

“They're coming to yours next,” Harry said.

“I was never here. You never saw me, ” She said, looking him dead in the eyes.

He laughed, feeling the familiar burst of excitement like he did every time he saw her. Honestly, it had been too long.

“Been a while, hasn't it?” Ginny smiled slightly, as though reading his thoughts.

“Last World Cup, after your game,” He said, a little too quickly.

“Almost four years,” She nodded, a faraway look in her eyes.

“Heard you're up for this year's team as well,” He commented.

“Yeah,” She said, pursing her lips in a way that was very unlike her. I 

“Big step down from last time's reaction,” He raised his brows, remembering her jubilation.

“I'm thinking of quitting,” She said abruptly.

“Oh,” He didn't know what to say to that. For some reason, he thought she'd play till she was old and wrinkly.

“What are you smiling about?” She asked with narrowed eyes.

“Nothing, never thought you'd want to quit.”

Her lips quirked. “Thought you'd have to pry away the broomstick from my dead, cold hands?” She asked, thinking of all the times she'd used that phrase when her mother protested her choice of a career.

“Something along those lines,” He said, amused.

“I would have thrown a fit if someone told me four years ago that I'd be considering leaving Quidditch,” Ginny commented.

“Why are you leaving, then? Is everything alright?” He asked gently.

“Yes,” She sighed, taking a swig of her butterbeer. “It's just… It's just not fun anymore. I miss home. I'm missing out on so many things. I couldn't even make it to Vic's birthday two years in a row, and I haven't come home for Christmas in what-”

“Three years,” Harry supplied. “I get it. You don't have to justify anything. I was only curious.”

She smiled. “I know. But I'll only quit after the World Cup. Got to set some more records, haven't I?”

“I thought being Witch Weekly's sexiest athlete was the highest honour,” He teased.

“I'm afraid you've been lied to,” Ginny said with mock sympathy.

“Witch weekly? Lie? Never in a million years. Next, you'll be telling me you and Angelina aren't in a scandalous relationship, hoping to conquer the Quidditch world?”

“I'm afraid Angie chose George over me. Don't know why she'd pick his sneaky ass over innocent old me,” She sighed dramatically.

“You? Innocent? You're sneakier than George,” Harry narrowed his eyes at her.

“Oh?” She asked innocently, before pelting his face with snow she'd hidden in her fist, just like she'd done the first time they'd met.

“At least, you don't have a giant mountain to hide behind, this time,” Harry retorted, aiming a snowball at her.

“Who said that?” She laughed before hiding behind a snow hill Vic or Dom had probably made.

“You never play fair!” He accused.

“You sound like all those losers of the opposite team, who just can't admit defeat,” She stuck her tongue out at him as another snowball hit him. “That's how you throw, learn it from a pro,” She bragged.

“That's funny 'cause there's something we aurors do when the other guy is playing dirty,” Harry said.

“What's that?”

“We tackle them to the ground,” He said, spinning her around by the waist.

“Harry! You use magic to catch them!” She shrieked, through her laughter.

“Not in muggle areas!” He corrected, before losing his balance and falling over Vic's hill, Ginny squished between him and the snow.

“Looks like you lost your snow hill,” He murmured, heart beating wildly at how close they were.

“Don't you aurors have to pay for the property damage?” Ginny demanded.

“Ah, you caught me,” He said with mock disappointment. “Go on, name your price, then.”

“You got snow all over my mouth, and now I'm freezing. I think you ought to kiss it better,” She said seriously.

“Oh yeah?” He grinned.

“Yes.”

“Well, if I must,” Ginny's snort of amusement was lost in her throat as he closed the distance between them.

“All better?” He mumbled against her lips.

“Mm,” She smiled.

“You hit me in the face with snow twenty years ago, I think you owe me something too.”

“Well, then,” She said, kissing him again.

“With interest since you're paying me back so late,” She laughed into his mouth, both of them feeling inexplicably happy.

“I'm so glad we're doing this. I have no idea how I'd have managed not to do that if we're going to be organising a wedding,” Ginny said as they pulled back.

“I know I wouldn't have been able to hold back. Besides, isn't it tradition for the Best Man and Maid Of Honour to bet together?” He winked.

She let out a laugh, giving him a short kiss, just as they heard voices from inside.

“It's time for proposal listening again, I guess,” Harry sighed.

“I put some of Fred and George's canary cream in Ron's pudding,” Ginny smirked, and Harry thought that handling what was sure to be an exasperating wedding would turn out to be the most fun in the world if she was there by his side.

[a-magical-artist]

Top Ten Favorite Doppels

Turned in less than five minutes before Halloween ends, but whatever:

10. Abigail

Hagumu is really just a scared kid despite being a Neo Magius stooge, and Abigail is a very good representation of that; Hagumu closes her eyes whenever she comes out, to which, same as Abigail is a very intimidating doppel filled with teeth and spikes. Her form’s listed as a “reversible shape” and she gives the impression of a torn up, straw-filled doll with a toothy mouth and spines/shards all throughout her inner lining. It’s also a good twist that since Hagumu’s magic makes her unusually strong against witches, Abigail is the opposite, being effective against magical girls. 

I really love the exterior on this one, it looks very pretty and ornate, and it does a nice job contrasting with the messy, shard-filled fiber underneath.

9. Gothel

I’m very close to unlocking Gothel (all I need are materials for Magia leveling), but I already love her design. She takes Yozuru’s wish and magnifies/projects it as many witches (or doppels) do, in her case, trying to find someone or something that can make Yozuru feel the emotions she wished away. She takes the form of a tower (name being a great Rapunzel reference) with exposed ribs she uses to drag in and crush whatever she sees, which is...fairly impressive as a doppel design without being too gory (a reason why Beatrice and Therisia aren’t here or in this slot). 

8. Clothette

I...really, really don’t like Suzune Magica, and I don’t like Suzune. I do however, have a grudging respect for her Doppel design. Clothette’s based around a gadfly, comes out of Suzune’s eye, has bells for eyes, and is constantly on fire. It’s a great design, but points off for coming from a character I can’t stand.

7. Gibdaughter

So, fun fact about hummingbirds for anyone who doesn’t know; they’re beautiful little birds...that have the worst tempers. I love them for that, and I’m happy to see one used as a base for a doppel design. Gibdaughter, as per usual, externalizes Kanae’s wish to be left in peace by using her very love of music. Her main attacks all revolve around the vibrations she gives off, adjusting them to resonate with her targets until they shatter. Given both the animal and the character of Kanae, this was an all too appropriate fit. The doppel’s mechanical appearance is pretty and both a nice reference to hummer feathers (they give off a metallic sheen when light hits them), and to Kanae’s aloof exterior.

6. Sylvie

Given how sweet and caring Ikumi is, this one was a surprise. Sylvie’s a very invasive doppel-moreso than Hevelius even-in that she’s not only formed from Ikumi’s lower half, but also seems to thread her way through her entire body given Ikumi’s eyes turn into glowing, barbed anchors. Definitely lines up with her nature, but...jesus. She gives the impression she’s based around one of those cymbal monkey toys, which is already creepy enough, but Sylvie’s “head” is just Ikumi, and also the gigantic screw jutting out of her upper back. The accordion midsection does not help in any of this and makes Sylvie’s movements look off, even for a doppel. Good but horrifying design, though the glowing eye anchors are a little over the top for me. 

5. Hund Balou

Hund Balou is one of the rare genuinely disturbing doppels; Hanna was already very close to being her by externalizing her curse on the world and those around her, so there’s not much for Hund to do except just. be destructive. Her form is creepy, her description’s creepy, everything about Hund is really screwed up. And Hanna, being spiteful, vindictive Hanna, loves her and thankfully, never got the opportunity to use her for some pretty obvious reasons. Hanna’s relationship with Hund is similar to Alina’s with Old Dorothy-both are in sync with their doppels and have the same goal, which is...horrifying given both characters. Hund is really cluttered and witch-like in appearance, being covered in leashes, chains, and buttons with a splattered green/purple/blue dress topping it all off. Her mixed media feel is pronounced, which is a good indication of how close Hanna is to her, and how messed up her implications really are.

4. Ein Roter Drache

This is the stupidest, and yet most awesome doppel I have ever seen; it’s a dragon that makes its entrance by riding on its hoard of treasure and smacks its targets with its tail. The tiny crown is a really funny touch for it and I will forever be sad that I can’t get Elisa outside of a support as of NA’s shutdown

Also love how it’s just Elisa’s bottom half to give the illusion she’s riding the doppel-that’s awesome and I love the creativity going into it

3. Oaji

*Insert the “What are you doing in my swamp” mere here*

Oaji takes the appearance of an entire swamp that lures people in, hinting at both the barrier of the witch and the witch herself possibly being similar to Zola, which is a cool concept. I love how simple she looks, and her coming out from behind Chiharu lines up with her misguided efforts to help her. She kind of gives off a similar vibe to Elsa Maria from the original series-even the branches bring the Sebastian familiars to mind. Also really love the lantern and the gray pool forming underneath Chiharu-the gold streaks just really top everything off here.

2. Marita

I love assassin bugs and so I love Marita. Instant number two for me

For real though, I didn’t expect these to be used as a doppel base, so I was very surprised when Sunao came out and her doppel had this as one. It looks appropriately creepy and very elegant, and I like the little necklaces hanging just below the head of the doppel. Marita also shares the needle/sewing aesthetic with Latria, and although there’s no blood, the giant one serving as a mouth is scary enough in implication. The crystal ball (that turns red during attacks) being the doppel’s abdomen’s also a nice touch. 

Honorable Mentions:

Old Dorothy: Old Dorothy in-game is described as witch-like, and that’s because unless the viewer knows where her core body is, she just looks like an unrecognizable mass of puffballs and paper flowers dipped in orange paint. With witches, you can never really tell what it is you’re looking at, so Old Dorothy gives off that same impression. She didn’t officially make it because of her weird little core body, but I do love her gimmick. 

Theresia: I do like Theresia, but I felt her design wouldn’t fit since I’m trying to avoid the more gory doppels. I do like how she’s literally just Sana’s ears, and how there’s two versions of her that have an equal chance of coming out (though this does present some complications when going competitive with Sana).

Poker Alice: Too much of what looks to be exposed muscle for me to feel comfortable putting her in, but I adore the skulls exploding outward behind the chair and the hands covering Yukika’s eyes. Speaking of, the eyes on this thing are both cool and nicely scary in contrast to the simplicity of the rocking chair. 

Gosirsa: Colorful and very beautiful, the wheels at the front make for a surreal touch, something that many doppels tend to lack due to being scaled down versions of the full witch. Didn’t make it because there’s too few slots and too many doppels to choose from, but definitely in my personal faves.

1. Campanella

Campanella’s just the right amount of dumb, elegant, and unsettling, hence her being here at the number one spot. Yachiyo’s training event also helped me warm up to her; while Yu Hong and Cyan were self-defeating and frustrated respectively, Camp was really, really mellow by contrast. She seemed willing to work with Yachiyo as long as she accepted and stopped rejecting her, which was, at the time, a very nice change from the usual (not that Camp doesn’t try to take over however-once Yachiyo implies she’s going to keep running from her, she goes on the attack). She takes the form of a ticket puncher holding a lantern, comes out of Yachiyo’s leg, and gives the overall impression of a scorpion, ridiculously oversized shoes and all. Her anime appearances are a nice representation of Yachiyo’s fears and it’s just really satisfying to find out  that they have enough of a relationship to where she can use her in fights. Doppels when it comes down to it are a sort of agreement/truce between the magical girl and their witch self; not only does it allow them to come back, it allows them to make peace with their insecurities and fears without the danger of turning into a witch. Campanella, both in-game and the anime, represents that relationship to its fullest, so she’s at the #1 spot. 

[haikyuu-philia]

Karasuno - Airport Edition

I’ll go to bed now (it’s past midnight, whupps...) and begin with the requested prompts from the prompt list once I’m up again! So have these headcanons for now :D

Summary: The adventures of the crow boys before an eleven-hour-flight and me creating headcanons for it!

———

The whole chaos started very early on the school grounds where they met like usual for their trips, but this time it was meant to be much, much bigger. A tournament abroad had invited them to represent Japan. A solid eleven hours away by plane in Switzerland.

Sugawara, Ukai and Takeda took turns on asking the team about the presence of their passports. Every time Hinata proudly presented the bundle of important documents that his mom had prepared for him.

When they unloaded the car at the airport, Kageyama literally wanted to set the bags to their owners because ‚it would safe time‘. 

After a little ruckus involving Tanaka, Noya and Kageyama (the latter had tried to set Kiyoko’s bag first) Daichi actually considered to leave behind half of the team before going through security. 

As Takeda had already checked-in the whole group online, they only had to drop off their bags at the counter of the airline. There was no way in hell that Takeda would trust every student with their own ticket. 

Not after they had nearly forgotten Kinoshita, who had gone to the toilet, at school earlier. 

Being booked as an official group they were able to skip the regular counter and the adults took care of talking to the assistant that was meant to receive their suitcases. 

Quote by the woman at the counter: „You two have such a lovely family! I wish everyone a nice vacation. Enjoy the time with your kids!“

It was that moment when Ukai questioned when he had turned from the unmotivated shopkeeper into a seemingly somewhat fatherly figure of fourteen teenagers.

When they wanted to proceed to security, Daichi nearly made everyone stand together in pairs, holding hands and not letting go until they were legally forced to: 

Hinata had run off to the toilet, Tanaka and Noya were glaring at everyone that dared to look at Kiyoko or Yachi, Tsukishima wanted to leave the airport to abandon the trip, etc.

But if you believe that it got better under the supervision of the security agents, you are terribly mistaken. 

Kageyama started to gloom because one of them had told him that a volleyball was not allowed as cabin luggage on an international flight. 

For some unknown reason Daichi had a print of the airline guidelines with him to prove that Kageyama was indeed allowed to have the ball as his cabin luggage. 

Oh god, Ennoshita realised that he would have to cover that position next year.

In the meantime Asahi nearly had a panic attack because the metal detector reacted to him in this fierce way of beeping and blinking. For a moment he already felt the handcuffs around his wrists until he was good to go after a manual check.

Something in his bag had alerted the x-ray, so Suga had to unpack its whole content to present it to the agents. Granola bars, pills for headaches and nausea, baby wipes, hand sanitizer and the list goes on. In the end everything was alright.

For the flight back to Japan there will definitely be groups in which they will go through security to have at least one (1) responsible person with everyone.

With two more hours to spare they sat down at their assigned gate, some of them visibly relieved that nothing had exploded so far. Yet again they managed to get everyone’s attention. 

„Could you possibly stop acting like we are in the future? This is an airport, of course there will be planes outside“, Tsukishima remarked at the sight of the Chaos Quartett being glued to the gigantic windows. 

Cue to the third years sitting together in another corner, chatting about the upcoming opportunity and their progress as a team. How the achievements and laughter always made up for the chaos.

This is an announcement for Suga and Daichi, little Hinata is waiting for you to pick him up at the souvenir store B27. 

Everything else went quite well, except for that one time that Nishinoya decided to do a rolling thunder in the middle of the crowded hall in order make his way through the people and someone was about to call security on him.

Half of the team was pretty impressed with Tsukishima’s knowledge about planes that he spilled for the pure reason of making the Loud Ones shut up. The other half didn’t listen or didn’t understand anything he was talking about.

Additionally, the girls and the three remaining second years had retreated to playing UNO for nearly the whole waiting time. Kiyoko destroyed everyone with her luck of getting the special cards. At some point Ennoshita had 14 cards in only two colours to get rid off. 

Selfies, oh the ridiculous amount of selfies. They somehow managed to squish everyone into one frame - Tsukishima wasn’t amused at all. And you can see it in his face.

Before anyone could get the idea to use even more ridiculous filters, the salty french fry was saved by the boarding announcement. 

It took one impressively loud warning from Daichi and Ukai in absolute sync to make they stay put. 

When the line had gotten smaller, they waddled towards the counter where Takeda handed them their tickets one by one - They had to return it once they had found their seats, though.

Let’s be honest, the airport crew had a lot of highlights with these boys to talk about later.

-----

Posted: April 20th | Requests: Open (Check out today’s prompt list!) | Match-ups: Closed

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 27

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 10,891

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

You know that counting sheep thing?

Does. Not. Work.

Of course, maybe I'd be having better luck with it if I was able to go more than seven or eight sheep before my stupid brain would get distracted chasing some other wayward thought down the rabbit hole.

And it didn't help that there were so many wayward thoughts to choose from too. There was wondering when all that seething rage Grandfather was barely keeping in check was finally going to explode and murder me. There was confusion over Mother's actions and uncertainty as to which side she was going to end up being on, mine or that of the family's reputation. There was dread over the talk I was going to have with her and Father that had seemed to take so distressingly, painfully long to get here but now that the time was finally almost upon me, it suddenly seemed far too soon.

But probably the one that was eating away at me most of all, the one playing complete havoc with my nerves, the one that had kept me up tossing and turning all night long so far… was Anna.

I hadn't seen her for the rest of the party. To be fair, I hadn't stayed much longer after she'd fled from me. By that point, my capacity for human interaction had been maxed out and I'd needed to get out of there. Thankfully, Lea had managed to free himself from the clutches of my relations and had rejoined me, bearing two slices of cake. One look at me was all it took for him to know, then he was helping me make a quick exit. After escorting me back to my room, Lea had asked if I wanted company but I'd turned him down, saying I just wanted to go to sleep. He'd left me with a smile and one of the pieces of cake, which I'd set aside untouched on my vanity. From there, I'd changed into my nightgown and readied myself for bed, doing a poor job of it as I didn't even braid my hair. Then I'd turned off the light and crawled under the covers.

But I did not sleep.

Instead my mind whirled and raced and at the forefront of it all was Anna. What was it that had her so upset? Why couldn't she just tell me? How could it have caused such a drastic change in her attitude towards me? When had it even all begun? Was it something that she had been dealing with in silence, letting it fester for some time now and I just hadn't noticed until it'd gotten to be too much for her and she could no longer keep it hidden?

These were just a few of the questions that had kept me up. Were still keeping me up, even now as I spotted the first feeble rays of sunrise beginning to light the night sky outside my window. Honestly, this thing with Anna was stressing me out more at this point than even the idea of The Talk™ was.

But thankfully, all that sleeplessness hadn't been for naught! I had a theory now. I'd been over it again and again in my head. Mentally retracing and RE-retracing every step, every action I'd taken in the weeks between my wedding day and this very weekend, trying to figure out what it was I'd done, how I'd wronged my sister. And there was only one thing I could think of.

I should have called her sooner.

After running away, I shouldn't have waited so long to let her know that I was okay. God, she must have been going out of her mind with worry waiting to hear from me. I know I would've been, had our roles been reversed. And sure, she'd seemed fine that first day she'd tracked me down at the food court, not to mention every day that'd followed after that up to this point. But she'd probably just been keeping the fact that it had really hurt her to herself. And to make matters worse, I hadn't even ever apologized for how long it'd taken me to reach out to her. That's probably all I'd needed to do to make things okay - an acknowledgment of my thoughtlessness and a simple sorry. That was it. And it'd never even occurred to me to do that, not once, not until right now in the wee hours of early dawn.

True, it was all just a guess. But it's all that I had! Now then... how to make her feel safe and comfortable enough to open up and just tell me that? It's not like when we were kids and could just talk to each other about anything and everything. It's not like I could just magically make it all better like we'd always used to over whipping up a batch of-

I suddenly sat up with a gasp.

Because that's when I had it.

I knew what to do.

"Scotcheroos!"

"There you are!"

I didn't even glance up at the sound of Lea's voice, just paused long enough to sample a quick taste of the contents of my mixing bowl before scrunching up my face. "No, no, it's still wrong… maybe I just need to…" my muttering trailed off as I resumed pacing and stirring the concoction more furiously.

"Ya know, I take it back," he said, crossing his arms and leaning one shoulder against the kitchen door frame. "This place isn't a Clue board, it's a goddamn labyrinth. I've been wandering 'round lost in circles for who knows how long now. Luckily, I eventually came across a minotaur who I could ask directions. Good guy. Not at all as bullheaded as the stories would have you believe."

I was only half paying attention to what he was saying. Apparently, it wasn't the half that knew a lame pun when it heard it. Instead it was the half that marched up to him, shoved a small, chocolate-butterscotch coated spatula in front of his face and asked, "Does this taste right to you?"

He blinked, eyes flicking to the silicone scraper then back to me. Then he poked a finger to the goop and stuck it in his mouth. "...it tastes good?"

I huffed and pressed, "But does it taste right?"

"Yes?" he ventured a guess. I frowned and squinted up at him hard. "...and by yes, I of course mean no. Obviously!"

"I knew it!" I whirled around to slam the bowl down onto the counter. My hand came up to rub a curled finger over my chin as I groaned, "Ugh, what am I missing here?"

He was looking at me. At the nightgown I was still wearing. At my bare feet. At my hair thrown up into a loose, sloppy bun with several obstinate tendrils escaping to trail all around my face and neck. "...so is this where you've been hiding all morning?"

"All morning?" I laughed, shaking my head as I moved over to a second bowl on the stove top. Maybe I'd been on the right track with this earlier attempt. "Don't exaggerate, it's only-"

"Noon?" he offered with a half-shrug.

"Noon?!" I parroted back in disbelief. He nodded and I looked to the clock on the oven, which only further confirmed it. "But that's impossible, there's quite simply no way I've-" the words caught in my throat however, for all it took was one glance about the kitchen to verify that, yes in fact, there quite simply was way. My parent's home had a massive, king-sized kitchen to be sure but even so, I'd managed to cover almost every surface in it with many, many other bowls filled with all my previous discarded attempts. Oh gosh, you'd think I'd been at this all night, not just merely since the crack of dawn.

"Ya missed breakfast by the way," Lea said conversationally. "Man, was it awkward with only me sitting there with your folks, Gramps and a handful of your aunts and uncles. Lemme tell you, they're not as big of fans as you are of the Let Me Guess Your Fave Ice Cream game."

I winced, scratching my cheek with a tiny, "Sorry." Now that I thought about it, I did remember the cook bustling about in here as well at some point, probably making the breakfast Lea was referring to. She'd left me to my own devices, the kitchen being more than big enough to accommodate us both without getting in each others' ways. I'd only thought she'd been in here for a minute or two though.

He waved it off, "Nah, don't worry about it. I like to think your fam and I really bonded over all those crepes and long, uncomfortable silences."

I just gave a vague hmm in my throat, already distracted by the task at hand once more as I moved from one bowl to the next. This one? No… Maybe this one? No…

"I didn't know ya knew how to cook," I heard him say.

"I don't," I muttered, pulling a face at the peanut butter rice crispy batter in this pot, which was a whole other mess of problems. One minor catastrophe at a time, however. First I needed to figure out the topping, then I could work out the rest. I sidestepped to the next bowl.

Lea tipped his head to one side. "So then you just know the recipe for this one thing?"

"Not really, no."

His lips pursed to the right. "...struck in the middle of the night by the sudden, inexplicable but undeniable urge to teach yourself how to cook before the day's out?"

I paused, looking up to meet his gaze. "Yes."

He cocked an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Nope." And my search continued! Maybe in that pan over there…

"Okay seriously, whatcha doing?"

Ah-ha! Not the pan, but the gigantic bowl right next to it! I think this batch had been the closest so far. I picked it up and started walking towards Lea, declaring, "Scotcheroos!"

His brow furrowed, "Scotcha-wha?"

"Scotcheroos," I repeated, coming to a stop in front of him and shifting my hold on the container to one arm before stabbing a finger into the mixture. "Taste," I calmly demanded - his only warning before I suddenly stuck my fingertip drenched in sugary, chocolatey goodness into his mouth, forcing a small, strangled noise to choke out of his throat. Hand retracting, my eyes big and round and imploring, I asked, "What's the missing ingredient?"

"I, uh…" he cleared his throat, averting his gaze under my scrutiny as he rubbed at the nape of his neck. Then he snerked and grin, "Love?"

My eyelids drooped. "...not funny."

"It was a lil funny," he mumbled, making me scoff as I spun around and started pacing again, free hand coming up to clasp over my mouth as my index finger tapped the tip of my nose in thought. "C'mon, El, what're ya worried about? It tastes fine."

"But it doesn't taste right," I insisted, snatching up a clean spatula from a nearby utensil holder and feverishly stirring at the mixture. Was that helping? No clue. As previously stated, I didn't know the first thing about cooking. "And it has to. It must be absolutely perfect. You see, when Anna and I were children, Halima used to come over all the time and make these with us. Particularly whenever there was a squabble between us girls that she wanted to help settle. And these always, I don't know… helped… make things better. Somehow. So I thought that maybe… If I could just… Then possibly Anna would..." I stopped, puffed out a slow breath and regathered myself. "But it's been so long since she last made them with us and it just keeps coming out… wrong. I can't remember the exact recipe."

"Why not ask Halima?" he suggested, moving to stand opposite the kitchen island from me.

My eyes rolled as my feet continued to patrol back and forth. "What, at 6 a.m. when this whole madness began? Besides, I don't think she and Mattias even stayed here last night and I don't have her phone number."

"Well then, they have this fabulous invention called the internet."

"Don't you think I tried that already?" I swung up the spatula in frustration, sending some butterscotch-chocolate flying straight towards Lea. He ducked and it blurred over his head to splatter against a wall behind him. "But all the recipes out there are a little different, and none of them know Halima's secret ingredient."

He snapped his fingers, "Applesauce."

I froze midstep. Then I slowly turned to look at him, the hint of a smile tugging at one corner of my lips. "So you were listening last night."

"Course!" he beamed, hunching forward and propping his elbows on the island countertop, arms folded together. "Always do when ya got something to say."

I snorted, brushing the empty sweet talk off as I went back to pacing and stirring. "Anyway, nice try, but it's not like she uses the same secret ingredient in all her recipes. Hmm, maybe it was… honey? Or coconut oil? ...marshmallow cream...?" When I happened to glance Lea's way again, my feet came to a grinding halt once more as I gasped, "Sea salt!"

Both his eyebrows shot up his forehead. "As in the ice cream?"

"No, as in sea salt." Slapping the spatula down onto a counter, I started throwing open all the overhead cupboards in a frantic search. The upside of such a well-stocked kitchen was it had everything. The downside was it could be impossible to find the one thing you actually needed. But behold! Sea salt! There at last, in the ninth cupboard I'd check. But ugh, of course it just had to be on the top shelf, didn't it?

Swiping a finger over my cheek to brush a few strands of hair out of my face (which then promptly fell back into place), I secured the mixing bowl by hugging it tightly to my stomach with one arm while stretching the other up high over my head, reaching for the blue bottle. "It's probably not the ingredient, but it's at least one ingredient I forgot." Almost there…

A hand that wasn't mine suddenly appeared over my head to beat me to it, snatching up the little bottle of sea salt. I whipped around only to be greeted by the sight of a black band tee stretched snugly over a broad chest that I was becoming almost disturbingly all too familiar with at this point.

Pssst, Lea's eyes were up there, dummy.

Can you blame me, though? Really? I can't help it if the damn thing was always in my direct line of sight! Curse my genetics for making me so damn short!

I hastily looked up to meet his gaze as he offered me the sea salt. Gosh, he was so close. Really, the only thing separating us was my bowl. Beating my blush back with a proverbial stick, I gingerly took the small bottle with a soft, "Thank you." I then flicked the top open with my thumb and gave it a squint, wondering how much was too much. Welp, only one way to find out! I tipped it upside down over the mixture and let the pouring commence.

"So ya really think these Scotcha-thingies will get Anna to talk to you?" he shook his head slightly.

"I don't see why not." I kept dumping more and more out of the bottle. Better too much than too little, right? "It's always worked in the past. It'll work now. It has to."

"Yeah, but-"

"It has to!" I snapped desperately, slamming the bottle down on the countertop now with a loud bang that made me wince. Grimacing, I added more quietly, "Otherwise I don't know what else to do."

Lea frowned down at me. "...okay, real talk? How much sleep did you get last night?"

My nose wrinkled. "Zero, give or take an hour. Except not give, only take. Is it possible to get negative sleep?"

"If it is, you most certainly have," he snorted. "Alright, Missy, I think it's naptime for you."

A contemptuous huff escaped my nose. "Don't patronize me, I'm not a child. I'm fine."

"You have chocolate all over your face."

"I-?!" Embarrassed, my hand rushed up to scrub at my face. Lea's eyes crinkled and I could see him biting back a grin. When I lowered my hand to look at it, I figured out why. They were smeared all over in chocolate too, so I was probably only making the face situation worse.

He started lifting a hand towards me, then seemed to think better of it, using it to smother his smile instead. Then he asked, "Allow me?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. But then I sighed and tossed one hand up in an impatient gesture for him to get on with it. Snerking, he took the mixing bowl from my grasp and set it aside so he could step closer to me. His hand rose once more, gently brushing the curled knuckles of his fingers along my chin and across the tip of my nose, wiping away the smudges there. Was it just tired, sleep-deprived brain talking, or did he have that soft boyfriend look in his eyes again? Maybe he didn't even realize he was doing it. Maybe he'd forgotten how to turn it off at this point. Either way, that proverbial stick I'd mentioned earlier had snapped in two by now, making it impossible to keep the blush at bay anymore.

His hand cupped my cheek then, his thumb lightly stroking along my skin and leaving warm tingles in its wake. He let it linger there and I had to wonder at how stubborn that particular smear of chocolate must be. And still with that damn look. That thing could be considered a lethal weapon. Honestly, I was surprised I was still standing.

His lips parted, taking in a breath, about to say something and-

"Elsa dear." At the sudden sound of my mother's voice, Lea jumped and jerked back a step from me, swearing under his breath as he turned his back to us both, fingers viciously ruffling his crimson spikes. Mother arched one delicate eyebrow at me from where she had just appeared in the doorway. "Here you are. We've missed you all morning."

"Ah… yes, so I've heard. Sorry, I uh…" My hands self-consciously smoothed up and down my nightgown before clasping together as I took a quick glance about the kitchen. At the small mess I'd made here. Should I even try to explain? The more I thought about it, the more insane it sounded. "...just lost track of time, it seems," I finally settled on, hoping Mother wouldn't pry further.

Thankfully, she did not. Instead, she simply said, "Your father and I are ready for our discussion." She paused, giving my appearance a once over. "...perhaps you would like some time to freshen up first. You can join us in the Indigo Room in an hour." She tacked on a quick, "Lea," by way of greeting to him, bowing her head slightly.

"Ma'am," he returned with a weak chuckle and tiny wave. Then Mother turned and walked off, disappearing down the hallway. "Dun dun dun!" Lea mock chanted ominously, earning his shoulder a light smack from my hand and he sniggered.

Shaking my head, I muttered, "Well, guess I should go get changed."

"I'll meet ya outside your door when you're ready and we can take our lil stroll to the gallows together," he said brightly.

I gave a rueful smile, "You almost make it sound pleasant. Until then." On my way out, I ran across Gerda in the hall, who I asked to make sure no one tidied up the mess I'd left in the kitchen. Seeing as how it was a disaster zone of my own making, I preferred to clean it up myself later rather than make someone else do it. Then I headed up to my bedroom.

One would think I would be in a state of extreme panic now that the time of The Talk™ was finally upon me. However, as I switched out of my nightgown and got myself otherwise ready, I was oddly more just… numb. Huh. Perhaps I'd already used up all my crazy this morning and had nothing left in me to fret with. At least not right now, in the relative sanctuary of my old room. I'm sure I'd have no problem rustling up a fresh wave of cardiac arrest-inducing anxiety once I was standing in front of my parents.

But for now, I'd take comfort in this numbness. Who knew, maybe there really was nothing to worry about anyway. I'd been assuming the worst this whole time, but I honestly had no idea what this little chat was going to have in store for me. My parents had been doing too good of a job staying tight lipped and keeping their opinion on this matter to themselves. No big shock there, really. Who do you think invented the Conceal, Don't Feel mantra? My parents were the masters of that technique and had always been experts at keeping their cards close to the vest. But perhaps I was in for a pleasant surprise. Perhaps all they wanted to say was how proud of me they were for standing up for myself and how they would support whatever path in life I chose, as long as it made me happy!

...yeah right. All of Arendelle would freeze over in the middle of June before that happened.

Regardless, just under an hour later found me almost ready to go. I was somewhat more presentable now, dressed in a nice sundress I'd brought packed in my luggage for this weekend and with my hands and face washed clean of any remaining chocolate. I was just sitting down on the edge of my bed to tie my ankle boots when I heard my phone buzz. Retrieving it from my nightstand, one peek at the notifications informed me that Lea had sent a text:

Knock knock

I looked to my bedroom door. Then back to my phone, thumbs typing a message back.

Who's there?

There was a pause in his reply, so I tossed it onto the mattress next to me before reaching down to tug the laces of my boot tight. It wasn't until after I'd knotted the bow and moved onto the second shoe that my phone was vibrating again. I picked it up.

A dumbass

I quirked an eyebrow at that. Then tapped back:

A dumbass who?

I'd finished the other boot by the time his response came.

A dumbass who Bgan a knock knock joke w/o realizing it n so hz no punchline 4 u

One side of my mouth twitched up.

Wow, how embarrassing for you. They could revoke your snark license for that utterly epic failure.

I watched those three little dots bounce.

Shush n get ur butt out here alrdy

Snorting, I rose to my feet and pocketed my phone. A quick look around the room unfortunately revealed no further ways for me to procrastinate. Alright… guess it was time to get this over with. Heaving a heavy sigh through my nose, I exited the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind me.

Lea was waiting just outside, one shoulder propped against the wall to my left as he scrolled through his phone. Slipping it into his back pocket, he glanced up at me with a tiny smirk but then his spine snapped straight and his eyes widened. "That dress…"

"Hm? What about it?" I looked down at myself. There didn't seem anything particularly striking about it. Just a simple white sundress with a small purple diamond pattern decorating the hem at the bottom and- "Oh! Now I remember. This is the one you said I was wearing in your little fiction you cooked up about how we met, right?"

"Yeah," he smiled softly, scratching at a spot behind his ear. "It's as pretty on you as I, uh… imagined... it would be."

"Thanks," I ducked my head shyly. Luckily I'd had time in the past hour to tape and glue my proverbial stick back together, so I was able to thwack that blush down before it ever really had a chance to even get started. Peering back up at him once more, I couldn't stop a small huff of a laugh in my throat. "Is that what you're wearing? Really?"

"Gotta problem with it?" he shrugged cheekily. He hadn't changed since the kitchen. He was still in his faded band tee, ripped and ragged skinny jeans and steel-toed boots. And yeah, I get it, there was this whole badboy aspect he was going for to keep my parents from thinking they could scare him off. But at the same time, there had to be some sort of compromise, some sort of middle ground where he wasn't also provoking them and possibly making this upcoming conversation worse than it had to be.

Suddenly, he was snapping his fingers. "But wait, you're right! Be right back!" Then he was running off down the corridor back towards the guest room he was staying in. Since it was in the same direction we needed to go anyway for the Indigo Room, I just shook my head as I followed behind more slowly.

He was popping back out of his door just as I caught up. I took one look and wanted to facepalm. "Better?" he asked, smugly flipping up the collar of his leather jacket. "But wait, there's more!" Lifting the jacket up slightly revealed the return of that silly wallet chain hanging from his hip.

Ugh, I should have just kept my mouth shut.

"And the icing on the cake!" he reached inside his jacket and started pulling out the pink, heart-shaped sungla-

"No!" I darted forward, shoving them back into his inside pocket. Crud, these dumb things were becoming the bane of my existence. I pat my palm against where I could feel them on the outside of his jacket, saying sweetly, "Why don't we just keep those tucked away for now, okay?"

"You sure? Just trynta dress to impress!"

"But you're already so very impressive. Too impressive, in fact. My parents might faint from the sheer amount of impressiveness you already are."

"Woah, I'm even more impressive than I thought and that's saying something!" he chuckled. Then with a grin, he bent at the waist into a half-bow and flourished one hand out ahead of us. "Well then, shall we?"

I nodded and we set off down the hall.

We walked along in a companionable silence. Lea seemed to realize I was using this time to mentally prepare myself and bolster my emotional defenses. My mind kept going over it again and again. The exact words I wanted to say to my parents. It'd been something I'd constantly been turning over in the back of my brain ever since Friday evening's dinner. I had a whole little speech prepared. Must have ran through it a million times in the past two days. I had to, otherwise I would just be left stuttering and floundering and drawing a complete blank before my parents. It went a little something like…

Good afternoon, Father and Mother. How are you?

(Good opening. Solid. Cordial. A classic.)

As I'm sure we're all well aware, we're here to discuss the events of my wedding day.

(Straight to the point. Very concise and clear.)

First, please allow me to apologize. I deeply regret any pain and indignity my actions may have caused you or the rest of the family.

(And thus in one fell swoop, I've demonstrated sympathy and understanding, letting them know I acknowledge their feelings, their side of things. Was I killing it with this little speech or what?)

However, please understand that I quite simply could not go through with it. I didn't love him. I wouldn't have been able to make him happy, and he certainly wouldn't have been able to make me happy. It wasn't until I ran away from my old life altogether that I realized I just wasn't happy period. That I hadn't been for some time.

(A simple and straightforward statement of the problem. Plain and direct. Uncomplicated. How could they argue with that?)

I felt smothered. Like I couldn't breathe. I needed my freedom and getting away from everything I'd previously known helped me realize that. Living somewhere new, getting a job, forging out my own path in life… I've been much happier than I have been in a long while. This is what's best for me right now and I hope that with time, you'll come to realize that too.

(And just like that, a ready-to-go solution was presented to the aforementioned problem. The hard work was already done! All my parents had to do was just hear and accept that. Easy, right?)

Thank you for your time and consideration, I now open the floor up for further discussion and questions.

(...okay, maybe that last bit was a tad overly formal and unnecessary, but you get the picture.)

I think that covered all my bases. Sure, it didn't mention Lea at all. But it didn't totally negate the alleged role he'd played either, at least as far as my parents knew. I was hoping to maintain that little fib by just avoiding discussing it with them entirely. And sure, Lea would be present, but he was just going to be there as moral support for me and a deterrent for debate from my parents. Really, the focus of the talk shouldn't be on him anyway. It was supposed to be on me, on my feelings and why I did what I did.

I was able to rehearse my speech in my head a couple more times before we at last turned a corner and I spotted it.

The doorway leading into the Indigo Room.

Ah, there it was. The spike of adrenaline. That constricting of my chest. Right on cue, panic slithered in to encircle my heart, squeezing it, causing cracks in its protective little numb bubble, seeking entry. I gulped but kept walking, my step never faltering. My hand unconsciously found Lea's, causing him to shoot me a glance out of the corner of his eye. Then he smiled as he gave it a warm, tiny squeeze.

This was it.

There was no turning back now.

Just twenty more steps and I'd be through that door and facing whatever awaited me beyond. I screwed my eyes shut, going over my speech for the umpteenth time. These words were really the only things keeping me sane at this point.

Good afternoon, Father and Mother. How are you?

Ten more steps. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

As I'm sure we're all well aware, we're here to discuss the events of my wedding day. First, please allow me to apologize.

Five more. I sucked in a breath and held it.

I deeply regret any pain and indignity my actions may have caused…

Three… two… O-

"Ah! There you are, my boy!"

The sudden, booming, and dare I say even cheerful voice had me stumbling and snapping my eyes open wide. Was that… I could have sworn it sounded like…

...Grandfather?!

He'd just come bursting through the very door we'd been heading for, with Father and the Duke walking out behind him as well. He was holding his arms wide open and had this huge smile on his face and- my god, was that an actual skip in his step?

Who was this man and what had he done with my grandfather?

...on top of that, I was just now discovering that Loud, Smiley Grandfather was way scarier than Quiet, Scowley Grandfather.

The maneuver was swift, calculated and efficient. He clapped his hands down on Lea's shoulders, catching him off guard as he spun him one-eighty, tearing his hand from mine. Then Grandfather was slinging an arm around Lea's shoulders all chummy-like. "Come! Walk with us, lad," he rumbled with laughter, forcing Lea into a staggering march beside him as he led him away. "Have you ever had a 1939 Macallan Scotch? Or a Gurkha Black Dragon cigar? No? Would you like to? How about right now?"

"Er…" still being all but dragged away, Lea glanced back over his shoulder at me uncertainly.

Bewildered myself, I just shrugged before gesturing for him to go along with it.

I feared Lea trying to resist whatever this was might risk poking the bear.

The Duke brushed past me to follow the two of them, posture rigid and face as crotchety as ever. Father was the last to go, gracing me with a brief smile. "Go on in. They're waiting for you," he nodded back towards the Indigo Room. Then off he went with the rest of the menfolk. Watching them go left me absolutely baffled.

What on earth had that been all about?!

I had nothing. Zilch. No plausible explanation whatsoever. Well, none except for-

Oh no.

They were literally about to murder him.

Think about it. It was the only thing that made sense! Why else would-

Wait… "they?"

That's what my father had just said, right? "They're waiting for you inside." His exact words. Who was this they? Shouldn't it just be Mother in there? Either Mother had had a change of pronouns and I was about to have a completely different conversation than I'd been expecting this whole time, or…

...someone else was in there with her.

Anna, perhaps? Yeah, that had to be it. After all, despite whatever her issue with me was currently, she was supposed to be there to have my back through this. And with Lea having just been straight up kidnapped, I'd need Anna's help more than ever. Yeah, that's probably all it was. Just Mother and Anna in there.

Hoping I was just being paranoid a second ago and Lea wasn't actually off somewhere getting assassinated this very moment, I shoved such thoughts to the back of my mind and prepared to go inside. I squared my shoulders, smoothed the nonexistent creases out of my dress, swept my braid-

Fudge, I'd forgotten to braid my hair! It was still up in that crude bun. Oh well, no time to fix it now. Hopefully it wouldn't come across so much as "messy" as just "stylishly disheveled." Regathering what little courage I could muster, I took a deep breath, clenched my hands at my sides and finally, at long last, stepped through that door into the Indigo Room.

It was a sitting room that lived up to its name. Everything was a rich shade of blue-violet from the walls to the carpet to the window curtains to the two couches taking up the middle of the room, facing each other from across the long coffee table between them. Sitting together in one of those sofas were three people. Mother - of course I'd expected her. Aunt Yelena - admittedly a bit more unexpected, but actually wasn't all that shocking. And... Maren? Okay, seeing her here actually did kind of surprise me.

But even more concerning than the people I saw before me now was the one person I wasn't seeing.

Anna.

Where was she?

Mother rose to her feet, a subdued smile on her face as she folded her hands in front of her just below her waist. "Elsa. Thank you for joining us. Please," she bowed her head slightly towards the couch across from her, "have a seat."

Perhaps a better question would be, what the heck was this?

...some kind of intervention? An ambush?

Oh gosh, was that why they'd taken Lea away? Had they just been trying to separate us so they could get me alone? Divide and conquer?

I stood rooted to the spot, not budging an inch. Aunt Yelena, usual stoic expression set firmly in place, said, "Maren dear, perhaps you could assist your cousin."

Maren grimaced, making a soft noise in her throat that was half huff, half growl. Then she stood, making her way over to me to take hold of my elbow, gently guiding me over towards the empty sofa. My feet dazedly followed. "Sorry," she whispered to me. "I didn't want to be here. Grams made me." She shot Yelena a sour look as she nudged me into taking a seat before rejoining the other two on the opposite couch.

Then everything fell silent.

Well... everything, that is, except for the hammering inside of my ribcage and the shallow, raspy breaths through my nose.

Alright, fine. So what if this wasn't exactly how I'd pictured it? So what if instead of my parents, I was facing off with some sort of, I don't know… matriarchy tribunal or whatever? So what if Anna wasn't here?

...why wasn't she here? She was supposed to be here! She was supposed to-

No! Stop it! Be strong! Be brave! You can do this on your own, Elsa. Remember the speech! Just recite those words you know so well by now and everything will turn out alright, you'll see. You got this!

Inhaling slowly through my nose, I began, "Good afternoon, Father and-" Shoot, I'd already screwed it up! Wincing, I stammered, "N-Not Father! Mother! A-And Aunt Yelena and Maren too, of course! Er… h-how are you? As I'm well aware, we're here to discuss my day." I blanched, looking down at my hands as they balled into trembling fists in my lap. "Wedding day! My… my wedding day. First, please apologize. Allow! Allow me to…" Ugh, so much for the speech. Why didn't I think to bring friggin' note cards? "...that is to say, I r-regret any actions my pain and indignity may have- wait! No, I-"

Yelena suddenly cut in with a blunt, "Does that boy have you on drugs?"

"What?!" my head shot up and I gaped at her. "I am most certainly not on-"

"It's okay, child," she held up a placating hand. "You're in a safe place. You can share the truth with us, we won't judge. Please, tell us how that boy has led you astray. Debauchery, intoxication, hedonism-

"Auntie," Mother interrupted her, placing a hand over hers as she shot her a small warning look. Then her full attention was on me again, her tone calm, as if she were speaking with a small child. "Elsa, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I understand. Believe it or not, I was young and impulsive too once. I've known men like Lea. Men who are handsome, who appear mysterious and dangerous and how exciting and… alluring all that can seem. It's just a phase, that's all. He's just a phase. But it's all over and done with now."

...a phase? "No, that's not what-"

"It's done now, Elsa," she repeated more sternly, expression hardening. "You just had to get it out of your system. And now that that little indiscretion is behind us and in the past where it belongs, we can forget all about it and you can get back on the correct course and fulfill your obligations."

"...get back on the…?" I echoed quietly, my brow furrowing. Then my head rocked back, gaze widening. "You don't mean-"

"Yes," Mother's eyes closed with a solemn nod. "Be grateful that your father and I were able to speak with his parents and smooth everything over. The wedding had to be rescheduled of course, but will otherwise proceed as planned."

"You still expect me to marry him?" I asked incredulously. This was absurd! Unreal! I'd even go so far as to say I must be dreaming, that this was literally a nightmare, except I would never be so lucky. I knew without a doubt that I was fully awake, that this was real life, and that this was exactly how my family worked. I shot up to my feet, "No! I'm a full grown adult, you can't just-"

"We can and we will! Sit down, you foolish girl," Yelena snapped dryly. "We are all in agreement here that-"

"We?" Maren grumbled, slouching down further into her seat, propping her temple against her fist as she glared down at the coffee table.

Aunt Yelena narrowed her eyes on her granddaughter. "Yes, we." Her cold gaze then shifted to lock on me once again. "We are all in agreement here that your actions have shown you to be too immature to be making your own decisions and so we must make them for you. You have let that delinquent cloud your judgment and good sense. Tell us, are you even so naive as to think yourself in love? Please, lowlifes like him merely take perverse pleasure in seducing and praying on young, innocent girls and using them until they grow bored and move on."

I'd lowered myself to the couch once more. I wasn't even sure when that'd happened. I didn't remember doing it. "...no, that isn't…" I began, but then stopped with a frown. This was all wrong. This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to be going. It wasn't supposed to be about Lea. He wasn't supposed to be the main topic, just an obstacle. Well, my family had seen him as an obstacle alright - one they simply had to eradicate before everything went back to normal and I did as I was told. Shaking my head, I began again, "He isn't like that, but that's besides the-"

"Oh no?" my aunt quirked a disdainful eyebrow. Then to Mother, she said cooly, "Iduna, if you would please."

A look of unease flitted across Mother's face and she hesitated for a heartbeat. Then her hand was reaching down to her hip for something that'd been tucked away out of sight between her and Yelena. "I found this in your room," she said, eyes downcast as she laid the thing out on the low, hardwood table between us.

It was Lea's spiked choker that he'd left with me.

My fingers squeezed the edge of the couch cushions to either side of my knees. "You were going through my things?" I asked quietly, looking up at Mother. She avoided my gaze and said nothing. I felt a sharp, unpleasant twinge inside my chest.

...was this the real reason she'd come to visit me a couple nights ago? Not because she'd missed me or wanted some time alone with me, but to… snoop? What, to look for something, anything that could be used against me, no matter how small or ridiculous?

"I shudder to think what other horrors we might uncover in a more thorough search of whatever squalor you're using as a poor excuse for living arrangements at the moment," Yelena tsked. "Tell us, what other depraved acts did that boy use to beguile you? Substance abuse, carnality-"

"Oh god, Aunt Yelena, no!" I buried my face in my hands. I take it back… this was, in fact, a nightmare. This was ludicrous. All this fuss over a stupid, cheap piece of goth jewelry. Puffing out a breath, I gestured towards the collar, "That, right there? It's nothing. It was just a joke, okay? It's-"

"The crumbling state of your future is no joking matter, young lady!" she huffed back, for the first time showing a crack in her stone cold mask. "Look at you! I don't even recognize you anymore. Gone is the sophisticated and well-mannered woman we all nurtured and helped you grow into. We're left with nothing but this pathetic, disgraceful shadow of what you once were. Your actions are mindless. Your behavior is deplorable. Your appearance is appalling." My appearance? What on earth was wrong with- oh for the love of… curse you, you cruddy bun! I just knew you'd be my downfall! "There is little doubt in our minds that this is all that degenerate's doing. He's got you all turned around, making questionable decisions and not taking care of yourself. And you let him. Why? Just what do you have to say for yourself?"

It's funny… now that I was at last being given a real chance to speak, I found I could no longer string even two words together. My lips parted, but nothing came out. My throat had closed up, my voice had abandoned me. I glanced to Mother, but she still wouldn't look me in the eye. As for Maren, she just gave me the barest of shrugs and mouthed another silent 'sorry' to me.

My mouth was dry. Blood rushed in my ears. This was all wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Leading my family to believe that Lea was my boyfriend had been a mistake. It hadn't helped, it'd only made things worse. Now I'd been backed into a corner where I'd either have to defend the lie or come clean with the truth, and I didn't see either option turning out particularly well for me. My hands were wringing at the skirt of my dress, mangling and abusing the fabric. The corner of my eyes stung. This should have all been going so differently. Lea should have been here. Anna should have been here. Where-

Suddenly the door to the room crashed open, making all four of us jolt. I twisted around in my seat to see Lea storming in, a dark scowl marring his features. I blinked.

He was angry.

I'd never seen him angry before.

I hadn't even thought a single angry bone existed in his body.

"Come back here, you vulgar, deadbeat hooligan!" the Duke snarled as he too came in, hot on Lea's heels, his mustache swishing in an agitated frenzy. Lea ignored him and kept going.

Grandfather was next to arrive. Gone was the smile from earlier, replaced by pure unadulterated rage as he roared, "We told you to stop! Did you not hear us?! Or are you as deaf as you are brainless?"

"Lea?" I asked as he at last came to a halt next to me, my wide eyes darting back and forth between him and them. "What's going on?"

"Get your things," he ground out through grit teeth, grabbing my hand and pulling me up to my feet. "We're leaving."

"Wha-?" That was all I got out before he was on the move again, tugging me into a stumble after him.

Grandfather and the Duke were still bellowing their outrage, hurling insults that were getting lost in a jumbled torrent of words as the two of them tried to talk over each other. By now, Father had entered the room as well but unlike the other two, he only narrowed his eyes and remained grimly silent.

"Lea," I tried again, my free hand going to his arm as I struggled to keep up with his long, hurried strides, "tell me what happened."

"Oh, I'll tell you what happened alright. What happened is Gramps here," Lea came to an immediate stop in front of the man in question, glaring daggers at him, "tried to pay me off to ditch you and disappear for good."

Both eyebrows shot up my forehead. "...Grandfather, is that true?"

"Of course it is!" Grandfather snapped, jabbing a finger into Lea's chest. "That's all you're looking for, isn't it?!" Another jab. "A nice, plump handout to make you hit the road and stop sullying my granddaughter's honor!" And yet again. "Well, what's the matter, dolt?!" Jab, jab, jab. "What, were you hoping for more munny?! Not enough zeroes for you on that check, hm?!"

Lea's right eye twitched. "Swear to god, Gramps, if you poke me with that fucking finger one more damn time-"

"You mean to tell me you didn't take the munny?" a new voice, slow and dubious, interjected into the conversation. We all turned to see that Aunt Yelena had left the couch to join us, squinting at Lea with a skeptical frown.

"Shit no! What's wrong, you buncha geezers, hearing aids on the fritz? How many times do I have to fucking say it?! I don't want a damn cent of your stupid, stinking munny. Next person to ask will hear me telling 'em just exactly where they can take their munny and shove it! C'mon El, let's go already!" And he was off again, charging out the door and taking me with him.

I had to hand it to Lea. The tension in his shoulders, the flaring of his nostrils, the flash to his green eyes… he certainly had the whole offended boyfriend act down pat. He'd almost even had me fooled for a second there, but clearly it was all just for show. I mean... pretty sure it was, anyway. It's not like he'd actually-

Thud!

That was the sound of me faceplanting into Lea's back as he came to an abrupt and unexpected stop just as we exited into the hallway. Ow. With a tiny wince, I looked past him to see what the roadblock was only to discover we'd almost had a head-on collision with-

"Anna?" I gasped softly. "Where have you-" The words died on my tongue.

She was shifting her weight from one foot to the other as a small, nervous smile flashed across her face. But that's not what I was looking at. No, what I was looking at was her shoulders. More specifically, at the arm wrapped around her shoulders. More, more specifically, at the person attached to the arm wrapped around her shoulders.

My eyebrows knit together. "...Hans?"

Hans Westergaard. That's right, those Westergaards. As in the owners of the multi-billion dollar corporation Southern Isles Exports. As in long time business partners and allies of the Fryse family stretching back generations upon generations. As in this was their son before me, right here, right now. As in a boy I'd known since I was a child and had grown up with into teenagers. As in the teenager I'd began dating in highschool and started calling boyfriend. As in the boyfriend who'd proposed and became my fiancé. As in the fiancé who I'd left at the altar.

...as in my now ex-fiancé who currently had his arm wrapped around my little sister's shoulders.

I don't know how long I just stood there, staring and not blinking. It felt like an eternity, like time was standing still. But in reality, it was probably only a second, maybe two before I heard myself asking, "...what is this?"

Hans visibly stiffened, awkwardly removing his hand from Anna. His fingers scratched against one auburn sideburn at his temple as he muttered to her, "You... haven't told her yet?"

"Told me what?"

I knew. Deep down inside, I knew. It was so painfully obvious now, how could I not? But still, I needed to hear Anna say it.

"Told you that…" she stretched the last word out before trailing off, gnawing on her bottom lip as she poked the tips of her index fingers together and her eyes darted frantically about. Finally, in a voice so tiny I almost couldn't hear it, she blurted out, "Hans is my new boyfriend?"

Annnnd there it was.

...wait, was this what she'd been freaking out about all weekend? It was, wasn't it? Oh gosh, it all made so much sense now! Why she always seemed to change the subject whenever I'd asked her about the new guy she was seeing, why she kept clamming up whenever I'd approached her, why she ran away practically every time I'd so much as uttered a single word to her. It wasn't anything I'd done, she was the one who felt like she'd-

...hang on, back up a second. Rewind to the conversation I'd just been having in the Indigo Room. Hadn't Mother said… I could have sworn… Had I misunderstood? No… no, I don't think so…

Pretty sure it had been stated in no uncertain terms that I was still expected to marry Hans.

But that didn't make any sense! Not unless-

I looked at her sharply. "His parents don't know. Father and Mother don't either."

"We don't what?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Mother's voice. I'd forgotten about her. Really, I'd forgotten about everyone else. Mother, Father, the rest of my family, even Lea who's hand I was still holding… every last one of them, completely wiped from my brain. For a moment there, all I'd been aware of was my sister, my ex-fiancé, and me. Now the rest of them were crowding out the door behind Lea and me, many still with scowls twisting their faces. Mother's expression, on the other hand, was that of surprise as she spotted who was standing next to Anna. "Hans? We didn't know you were coming by today. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

As Hans gave a weak smile and struggled for some sort of polite response, Anna piped up with, "Could everyone excuse Elsa and me real quick? We'll just be a sec, promise!" She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me several steps away, leaving Hans looking rather distraught at being left to fend for himself before our family.

Well… our family and Lea, but I doubt Hans was going to be getting much assistance from that corner.

Once Anna and I were far enough away where a hushed conversation would not be overheard, she snatched my shoulders and whispered hastily, "Sis! I was gonna tell you, I swear! Mom and Dad too. But it just… it never seemed like the right time, ya know? I-"

"How long?" I cut her off, my voice flat.

Her forehead wrinkled. "...how long…?"

"How long have you and Hans been…" I looked away, my nose scrunching up slightly.

"Oh! After you two broke up, definitely, definitely after!" she insisted with several firm nods. Then her face blanched, "You weren't thinking that...that he and I would've... before you and he... No! No, we'd never do that to you! Not ever! Not in one billion, trillion years! Never, ever, ever, ever-"

"How long after we broke up?" I pressed, meeting her eyes now with a frown.

Here she grimaced, sucking in a breath through her teeth and turning her head away as she rubbed her elbow. "...the day after?"

...okay, I didn't mind the fact that Hans had moved on. It was actually almost kind of shocking how little I cared. I guess it was just further confirmation that I'd made the right decision by not going through with the wedding. Besides, how hypocritical of me would it be if I did care? Here I was, crushing on Lea for crying out loud! But that's all it was - a crush. And at least in my case, it'd taken several weeks to develop.

Hans had waited a day to move on. And he hadn't moved on with just anyone, he'd moved on with my sister. And since then, the two of them had probably been… doing things, ugh! To think, the guy I'd been engaged to for a year, doing god only knows what with my baby sister less than twenty-four hours after I'd-

...well, to be fair… he probably knew the "Lea and me" story by now, so he'd probably thought I'd been cheating on him for months now...

...then again, Hans didn't know about "Lea and me" the day after I broke it off. Heck, I didn't know about "Lea and me" the day after I broke it off! I didn't even actually know Lea then! So it's not even like Hans had had the moral high ground when he'd… when he and Anna had…

"-not like we meant for it to happen, it just sorta, ya know… happened!" Apparently, Anna was mid-babble as I tuned back into whatever she was saying. "I mean, I always thought his eyes were kinda dreamy, but he was your fiancé so I was all, woah there girl, hands off, no touchy, big friggin' no-no there! But then, all of a sudden, he wasn't your fiancé, and well… I was there, and he was there, and we just… happened!"

...there was something…

"And I wanted to tell you, oh my gawd, you have no idea how badly I wanted to tell you! I didn't want either of our parents to find out before you did, I wanted you to be the first to know and for you to hear it from me! But we just kept putting it off and off and off-"

...something… something my subconscious was trying to tell me right now…

"-and off until finally! This weekend! I said it's now or never, damn it! It was going to be Friday night, I was going to have him over for dinner with Mom and Dad at the same time you brought over Lea! But then I just… dunno, I chickened out and told him to stay away!"

...scratching, picking at the back of my mind…

"So then I said Saturday! Definitely Saturday! At Grandfather's birthday party! Think of it, it would have been perfect, like… like our grand debut! But then I friggin' wimped out again! I was just really scared how you might react… I didn't want to see you hurt or…"

...god, what was it? I almost had it, it was literally on the tip of my-

"But finally, I said you know what? I just gotta rip off that stupid bandaid! Today! It had to be today! That's why I brought Hans here, now, so we could finally just-"

"Why today?" I asked abruptly.

She blinked once, then twice. "...what?"

I fixed her with a hard stare. "Why did it have to be today? Why this weekend? Why… when Lea was here?"

She froze, eyes growing round. Then she was tugging at one of her pigtail braids, looking anywhere but at me. "I don't know what you-"

"This is why you convinced me to trick Father and Mother into believing I was dating Lea." My frown deepened. She flinched and said nothing. I was breathing heavily through my nose now as my chest burned. "It is, isn't it? You knew our parents wouldn't have approved of you two. That they still wanted me, as the eldest, to marry Hans. So you thought that... that if I showed up on their doorstep with a boyfriend who was their worst nightmare, that it would somehow… what, make you and Hans not look as bad? Lessen the blow? That Mother and Father would use up all their freaking out on me and have none left over for you?"

She gave a small "...no?" with a half-hearted shrug. My eyelids drooped. Then she sighed, "Okay, maybe a little bit… but that was just a small part of it! The smallest part! A teensy-weensy, itty-bitty smidge of it, I swear! The main, big reason I suggested the Lea plan was because I really thought it would help you! That it would be just the boost you needed to stand up to Mom and Dad and get you through this big talk with them and-" Anna's words drowned in sharp gasp. "Frick, the talk!" Her eyes drifted back over to where the rest of our family was still gathered. You could see her putting two and two together, could all but hear the gears beginning to turn in her mind. "...was that happening right now? I didn't miss it, did I?"

That was it.

Right there.

The last straw, apparently.

I was done. So done. Done with the lies, the expectations, the not getting any sleep, the panic, the stress, the fear, all of it… I just let it all go. I don't know how. I'd never been able to before. It had always seemed impossible, but now it was so simple, so easy. All of it, just gone with a tiny snap inside my brain. In its place, an almost eerie peace had settled over my heart. I knew what to do now. It was so clear, so obvious. I turned away from Anna and started to walk calmly back towards the others.

"Sis?" I heard Anna whisper after me, but I just kept going. "...Elsa? What are you-"

"Father. Mother," I came to a stop in front of them, pulling their attention away from whatever discussion they were in with the rest of the group. All eyes turned to me now. I could sense it in all of their looks - the curiosity from my parents, the thinly-worn patience of my aunt, the simmering fury coming off both Grandfather and the Duke in waves. Normally all of it would be enough to break me, but not this time. Instead, I just let it all wash harmlessly over me. I could feel Lea at my side and I took what little comfort I could from that. Then I drew in a long, deep breath and began.

"Lea and I aren't dating. We never were." I stated it simply, as if I were merely discussing the weather. Mother's and Father's gazes widened in shock while low grumbles and murmurs passed amongst my other relatives. I went on, "I didn't even meet him until after I ran away from my wedding. He's just a friend, one who was willing to go along with a ridiculous and what I can see now was quite honestly pointless plan.

"I didn't run away because of him, he had nothing to do with it. I ran away because of me. I did it for me. I wasn't happy. I didn't want it… not the wedding, not the life you'd laid out for me, not the future you'd so carefully planned, none of it. I needed to be on my own, I needed the freedom and space to make my own decisions and to be me, to decide what I wanted and what was best for me. It's my life. I get to decide how I want to live it and none of you get a say in it. Period." I stood a little taller now, hitching my chin and narrowing my eyes, "And if you don't like it, well then that's too bad."

A hush fell all around us. My parents' brows were furrowed as they exchanged glances. Father was the first to speak, "Elsa, perhaps we should take a seat somewhere and talk about th-"

"How dare you, you ungrateful girl?!" Grandfather suddenly erupted in a snarl, face a dark, blotchy red as he stomped forward. "I will not stand for such insolence in my presence! No granddaughter of mine is allowed to speak to us in such a manner ever, you hear me?"

My eyelashes twitched. An almost imperceptible wince. The only reaction I gave to his outburst. My gaze then shifted from him back over to my parents. Whether or not they were in agreement with Grandfather's statement, they kept it to themselves, remaining mute on the subject with small grimaces. Locking my eyes on Grandfather once more, I said evenly, "Very well then. I guess that makes me no granddaughter of yours."

I started to turn to leave, but then paused. Looking back to my parents one final time, I tacked on, "Oh, and the next time you try to marry me off to someone, you might want to make sure he's not in another relationship already."

Both their postures snapped straight at that. "Hans?" Mother asked, turning her focus on him now. "What does she mean by that?"

"I, uh…" he laughed feebly, sidestepping in a poor attempt to hide behind Anna. As for her, she just gaped at me as I turned my back on them all and walked away. I could see Maren out of my peripheral, her jaw slack as well, but with a smile tugging up at the corners of her lips as she brought her hands together in a slow, silent clap.

"You stop right there, young lady!" Grandfather was shouting after me, but I did not stop. "You will do as you're told or so help me, that's it for you! Step one foot outside this house and you're cut off! Disowned! We'll have nothing more to do you with, you hear me?! Nothing!"

Still, I kept walking. I could hear a single pair of footsteps behind me. Once they caught up to walk along beside me, I glanced over, knowing I'd be greeted by Lea's grinning face. I told him, "You can put them on now."

He cocked his head at my words. But then it clicked, and his grin stretched wider. "You sure?"

"Positive," I said flatly, staring straight ahead once more. I could still hear Grandfather yelling his tantrum after me back there. "Go nuts."

"Oh hell yeah!" He reached inside his leather jacket, whipping out the heart-shades and slipping them onto his nose. Then he spun into an about-face, striding along backwards next to me now. "Suck it, bitches!" he crowed back at them all, throwing his hands up to flip the double bird as we turned to disappear around a corner.

That's right.

Suck it, bitches.

Author's Note: So THAT's why Anna's been acting all squirrelly! How 'bout it ya'll, didja see it coming from a mile away? xD Hopefully I surprised at least one or two of you with that lil twist xP And oh gosh, when it rains, it friggin' POURS! So much being thrown at Elsa all at once xD Hope the drama turned out okay! As you've read through 27 chapters of my writing by now (at least! I'm sure there's those of you who've read my other stuff too tho xP), you've probably gathered by now that I'm more about the sass, humor, and mindless fluff and less about… *gestures towards last half of above chapter* THIS. But I did the best I could and that's all anyone can ask for! Also… those damn heart-shaped sunglasses, I swear xD They were just supposed to be a one time throw away gag for the yacht chapter, but apparently my Lea muse liked them so much that he kept finding an excuse to bring them back every damn chance he got! It wasn't supposed to be a running gag, it really wasn't! But hot damn, if the Fire Boi wouldn't look good in those puppies xD

So, it's official… Elsa is finally done with all of it. Done with the lies, done with the family BS, all of it. Next time, what's she gonna do now that she's finally at long last well and truly free? So many possibilities! Where will she go? What will she do? Will she and Anna ever be able to patch things up between them? What's next for her and Lea now that their lil fake dating scheme is kaput? DOES that sheep counting thing ACTUALLY work for anyone? I mean, seriously?! Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[alaenawrites]

Falling For You (part 3!)

Part 3 of Falling For You!

You can read part 1 here and part 2 here. Enjoy :))

~~~

The next morning, Remus woke up before the birds could peck at his hair. The sun was barely rising above the lake, and he could still see dew on the Quidditch fields from his dorm window.

Marcus, Theo, Luca, and Ezra were still asleep, he assumed, curtains on their four-posters closed. Glancing at the alarm clock next to him, he realized classes didn’t start for another three and a half hours. Why am I awake?

With a jolt of excitement, he remembered the previous night, the words spoken only eleven hours ago. “Meet me at the astronomy tower Friday night. Seven o’clock.” He stretched his arms above his head and swung his legs onto the soft, dark blue carpeting, not bothering to contain his grin. Sliding his feet into the brown slippers beside his bed, he stood slowly, stretching his neck. As he stepped into the hot shower a few minutes later, he couldn’t help but think, “Three more days!” 

~

Remus was buttering his toast in the Great Hall, chatting with Grace, when Marcus slid in next to him at the Ravenclaw table. He nodded in greeting, but Marcus looked distracted.

“Have you seen him today?” 

Remus froze, toast an inch away from his mouth. Panic swirled through his head. First, No. I don’t think he eats breakfast. Or supper. Then, How did he know? Did James tell him? No, he wouldn’t, they’re not even friends, was it Sirius? Maybe he had seen them together at the Ball- Remus’s quickly spiraling thoughts were interrupted- Marcus must have seen his eyes widen and taken it for confusion, though he would have been only partly wrong. 

“Luca,” he explained, glancing up from the plate he was piling with food. Remus sighed in relief and started in on his toast. “Have you seen him today? I’ve been looking all over for him. I haven’t talked to him since last week, the Yule Ball, we-” Marcus turned an interesting shade of red. “I saw him there. Anyways, he wasn’t in his bed this morning.”

Remus shook his head. I guess not all of the boys were still asleep. “Sorry, mate. Hope you find him!” Marcus just nodded, and got up to leave, taking his plate with him to the other end of the table. A few moments later, James sat down next to Remus, looking a bit frazzled. 

In a low voice, James said, “Sirius told me about your plan to meet up this Friday. Don’t forget what I told you. I can’t tell you what to do, but you know what I think. Don’t go.” Puzzled, Remus opened his mouth to ask why, but James was already standing and walking out of the Hall. What happened between Sirius and James? Why did Sirius tell James if they don’t like each other?

~

On Friday morning, Remus woke even earlier than Wednesday. It didn’t even take him five minutes to remember why he felt so excited and full of anticipation- tonight! Only one more day! He struggled to make it through all of his classes, and even Theo pointed out how strangely he was acting. 

Finally, dinner was over and Remus was sitting on his bed, staring at his clock. 6:35. He closed his book, stood up, and pulled his curtains closed. Hopefully the boys would think he was asleep when they got in and wouldn’t bother him. 

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he ran a hand through his hair and smoothed his robes. Taking one last shaky deep breath, he smiled and walked out the door to the dorm room. 

Getting out of the common room was easy- a group of Ravenclaws was studying for an upcoming Herbology exam in one corner, and various students were reading or writing essays in the armchairs around the fire, but nobody looked up from their books. Everyone else was either in a teacher’s room getting extra work or in their dorms (or someone else’s- Ravenclaws weren’t particular about where they slept. He had woken up to quite a few Ravenclaw girls asleep on his dorm floor over the years). He opened the door and walked right into the hallway, no questions asked. Now came the hardest part: making it down the tower, across the school, and up the Astronomy tower without getting caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris- or McGonagall. He stuck to small corridors, ducking into open classrooms whenever he heard the telltale meow of detention for a week. At last, he made it to the top of the tower. 6:59. With one last deep breath and a glance down at himself, he pushed open the door to the roof.

Remus gasped. Sirius was right- this truly was the best place to look at the stars, and it was a perfect night for stargazing, but that’s not why he gasped. Sirius, dressed in dark blue robes, was staring at the sky, leaning back on his hands, neck craned up, sitting on a large blanket that he had spread in the middle of the tower’s roof. On it was a large picnic basket, open, full of chocolates, Honeydukes’s best candy, and various desserts snagged from dinner. Two bottles of butterbeer were sticking out the top, and there were napkins and cups next to the basket. Three small candles, charmed blue, were flickering a few feet away, and Sirius had obviously enchanted an air bubble around the blanket, preventing the wind from knocking things over. 

Remus took a step forward, barely believing his eyes. Sirius must have heard his footsteps and turned to look towards the door. When he saw Remus, his face lit up with the huge grin spreading across his face. He stood up and looked right at Remus, staring into his eyes. Remus felt like the sun had just floated about a million miles closer to earth.

“What do you think?”

Remus was speechless. He could barely whisper out the words, “For me?” Sirius nodded, grin fading slightly. 

“Do you like it? I mean, I wasn’t sure if it was too much, I just assumed you like chocolate. You do like chocolate, right?” Remus nodded, smile growing. “Okay good. I thought the candles might be a lot but I didn’t have time to get rid of them and now…. Here you are.” Sirius grinned again. 

Remus shook his head. “No. It’s beautiful- it’s absolutely perfect. Wow.” He laughed a little, “Thank you.”

Sirius just smiled, perhaps a little brighter than before. He gestured for Remus to come join him in the magical bubble and sat down again, facing the edge of the roof. Remus passed through the enchantment, feeling the cool magic wash over him for a minute before joining Sirius on the blanket. He looked up, into the night sky, just like he had in his dream. He couldn’t point out any of the constellations, but he noticed the North star, one his mother had taught him when he was younger. 

Sirius took the butterbeer and the sweets out of the basket, pouring two glasses. He gestured towards the pile of desserts. “Do you want anything? There’s a little bit of everything in here.” Remus smiled. As he took a chocolate frog, he felt his fingers brush Sirius’s. Electric shocks fizzled through his hand, up his arm, through his body. He thought he felt his brain fry, just a little. 

They sat on the roof in comfortable silence, drinking their butterbeer, eating their snacks, looking at the stars. Every now and then, one of them would make a joke, or talk about something that happened in class that day, and the other would laugh and tell another story. 

Once, Sirius took Remus’s hand in his own (Remus almost fainted) and used it to point out something in the sky. “Do you see that constellation?” he had asked. Remus had shaken his head, partly distracted by the fact that Sirius was still holding his hand. “It’s Gemini. The twins.” After that they hadn’t said much of anything for a while, holding hands, staring into space, occasionally eating chocolates or tarts.

“Do you ever think about space,” Sirius said suddenly. Remus looked up from a muffin he was about to eat, surprised. 

“What do you mean?” Huh?

Sirius smiled. He went back to where he was fiddling with his wand under the sleeve of his robe. “I mean, we think we’re so big, so important, y’know? But really, we’re so itty bitty. Even the continents on Earth seem huge to us, but Earth is gigantic.” His eyes widened, “And the sun is, what, 110 times larger than Earth? And then there’s all the other planets. That’s just our solar system. Think about the whole Milky Way, it must be so huge. What happens after space, does it just go on forever? How far is infinity? It just makes you wonder….” He trailed off, looking up into the night sky, eyes wide. He cleared his throat, cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Looking down and then back at Remus, he shook his head slightly. “Nevermind. That’s kind of silly. Anyways.” He looked away again, moving to unwrap a muffin.

Remus realized he was staring and quickly shut his mouth, nodding slowly. “No.” Sirius’s eyes snapped up. 

“No?”

“No,” Remus confirmed. “I think about that a lot, actually. People act like every single movement is important, and, don’t get me wrong, it is, on Earth, but…”

“Not in space,” Sirius finished. Remus nodded. Their eyes met, and Remus’s breath caught. Sirius’s eyes were wide and sincere, and he wasn’t quite sure when either of them had moved, but they were suddenly right next to each other. Sirius smiled a little. 

“Hi,” he breathed.

“Hi.” Remus hoped Sirius couldn’t hear his heart pounding.

Sirius brought his hand up slowly to Remus’s face, giving him time to pull away. Remus leaned in slightly. He could feel Sirius’s breath tickling his lips, his thumb tracing shapes into his cheekbone. He ducked his head down slightly, their lips only millimeters apart. What if he doesn’t want- Sirius moved forwards, pressed their lips together, answered all of the unasked questions swirling in his mind. 

He was amazed that he had gone so long without this, without this closeness and this feeling and the taste of Sirius on his tongue. He let himself explore his mouth, bringing a hand up, cupping the back of Sirius’s neck, deepening the kiss that much more. Sirius made a little noise, low and breathy, and Remus felt the familiar fireworks explode in his stomach, his brain, his spine- but this time, they were that much hotter, that much more intense. It could have been seconds, but it felt like hours, days, years. Remus couldn’t bring himself to care. He could have sworn one of the enchanted candles had tipped over onto him; he felt like every atom in his body was alight with Sirius. Even the heartbeat in his ears seemed to whisper SiriusSiriusSirius. He had never felt this alive. 

After what felt like forever, they both pulled away slightly, heavy breaths on each other’s lips, kissed red. They both laughed a little, ducked their heads down. 

Sirius looked up at him, traced the line of his jaw with one finger. The smile on his lips seemed to dance there, light and breathy as a feather. “I suppose I should have asked you this before, but…” he leaned in to press a soft kiss to Remus’s left cheek, then his right. Remus’s entire body felt like a sparkler, fizzling into the night sky. “Will you be my boyfriend?”

Remus smiled and brushed his nose against Sirius’s, placed a soft kiss on his lips. “As if I could say no.”

[il-allora]

Oversharing II

Check out  @reynaruina ‘s Ponytail Dib AU

CW: Mental health, depression, dub con, alcoholism. If it isn’t your shit, don’t go there, babe.

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Fucking hell… “ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!!!” he screamed from his window and ran to put pants on as the ground shook under his feet, the sound was loud and ominous enough that the neighbors stopped screaming at each other and just started screaming in general confusion. Dib sighed, looking at the time on his watch, “Motherf— Ugh!” he complained shoving his feet into his boots and yanking his coat from the kitchen chair. He slammed the door behind him and heard the entrance mirror he had turned fall and break as another tremor shook the building. Shit.

He sighed and wondered what was he doing again as he walked down the stairs, revising his pockets until he finally found his flask and taking a swig from it. What was the fucking point? He was gonna save the city and the world again, for everyone to ignore what happened with the guy with the skin condition and the… Fucking. Colossal. Robot. Heading downtown… In any other context, that would be cool as hell, he caught himself thinking.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and taking another swig of cheap gin, he put the flask away and took his car keys. Revised the trunk where his world-saving-gear was in since the incident with the zombies. He could use the extra power interruption system he had upstairs, but this would make due… Dib sighed, climbed on his car and turned it on, “I told him I didn’t wanna fucking do this this fucking week,” he swiveled in traffic and over the sidewalks, people cursing at him as he apologized apathetically at the insults and ugly handsigns… He should just go there and wreck his own bit of havoc by letting Zim have an extra minute of glory punching buildings or whatever he was doing.

Parking his car on a corner he took the backpack with the Swollen Eyes symbol and said, “Let’s do this,” against his every impulse he walked towards the robot as people ran away in hoards pressing and pushing him, he even felt a kick at the knee (what the hell??). Once he was close enough he put his digital signature detection googles and saw most commands for the robot were at the top… “Fucking great, space boy, not cliché at all.”

Pushing the googles up he ran for cover against a hydrant, then against the piece of a building, inching his way towards the gigantic, stupid thing. Behind cars, behind debris, jumping and dodging rocks of all sized the robot seemed to be kicking around undecided on where to go. Until he found the stairs and ran to climb up almost losing a foot as the alien seemed to notice him and try to shake him off, good time to use the tensors at his trousers to climb, awesome… It’s great to remind yourself why you’re broke by buying everything you need for confrontation with an alien invader. Just as he wanted his Saturday to end.

Adrenalin cursed through him as he put a little laser robot he built to burn through the metal, pushing his goggles down over his glasses, he waited while the robot… Danced? Hm. He climbed in and then found high ground at the air vents, taking a go pro strapped to his head along with a flashlight, he crawled up and down and over to the next room, then the next and as he thought he was lost in the stupid thing.

Finally falling through to a dark room filled with machines… Huh… Control room. He looked around, recovering as easily as ever from the fall and forgetting how bothered he was by this whole matter for a second as he fiddled around and rigged the computer with a little self destruction command he’d learned from his times abducted at Zim’s house.

Cautiously walking to the door, he bumped into GIR, “Destroy intruder!!” he said with his eyes turning red and Dib prepared for anything the crazy thing had in store, before he could know it had climbed to his chest and started ticking him, “HAHAHHAHAHHA, fuck, stop!! STOP!!!” running down the hall as he could in the middle of the weirdest, scratchiest tickle fight he’d had ever in his life. He fell on through the door by the end, belly on the cold metallic floor as the little robot climbed off his back “Well done, GIR!! Now, strap him!!!”.

Dib growled and panted as GIR screamed, “Yes, Master! CANDYYY!!” Then from his head he shot sticky candy that quickly had him stuck to the floor. Dib sighed again, somehow there was a part of him that regretted leaving his apartment, while the rest of him screamed at it ‘if you didn’t the world would be doomed’, ‘fuck the world, the news will be that there was a hurricane downtown anyway’ said the apathetic side and he looked up at Zim defiantly, “LET ME GO NOW, ZIM!!” to which the alien laughed. “Oh, I knew that if I made enough noise The Dib would come to the rescue of this pathetic, little rock… I KNEW YOU COULDN’T RESIST THE CHALLENGE!!!” Dib sighed and pressed his forehead to the floor, lifting it quickly thankful that it hadn’t stuck to the floor…

He narrowed his eyes at Zim and said, “You won’t win, Zim! It’s already time you realized that you don’t stand a chance against Earth!” the blade hidden in his sleeve came out and he saw through the candy as Zim kept chatting. God that guy loved to chat about his grandioseness…

“You make Zim laugh, Dib stink! HA!” he laughed sitting back at the pilot seat sparing one last glance at Dib as he struggled against his ties, “Now at least you get a first row seat to watch me burn down this city and unleash doom on my path to your preseedent’s back yard!” he laughed manically as the robot stumbled, “Oh… Computer!! What was that?!” he screamed. The AI was blocked out when Dib unleashed the virtual self destruction. He finished freeing his feet, at which GIR applauded cheerfully as if he were performing a magic trick.

Dib rose an eyebrow at it, and then jumped back as a leg from Zim’s pack punctured the floor before him, “I told you, you won’t-!” the ray came from nowhere and missed him by an inch, before he could brace himself he was thrown against the wall and pushed up by his collar. The gin he’d had was enough as not to mind the pain too much, so he swallowed thickly against the pressure and he had seldom seen Zim so close. They looked at each other for a long moment and Dib was having a rough time not liking being manhandled by his rival, but alas, fight goes both ways. He punched Zim in the face and he fell back with Dib on all fours on top of him. Two fundamental notes on irkens were that: 1) They were strong and 2) They knew how to make a fight.

The knee to his stomach was almost sweet and he doubled over, falling on the mechanical legs trapped under him. So they stayed there on the floor, literally rolling punches until the both of them were battered and somehow Dib felt less angry about his life choices. He could do this all his life, he was good at this, the world needed him.

Soon enough Zim limped away after breaking a window as he lifted and pushed Dib almost through it, the robot was quickly going down as Zim had GIR lift him by the pack to safety and as the ground approached Dib counted to three, made a jump of faith and rolled on glass and tough broken asphalt as the robot collapsed on the ground. 

Panting and pressing at his bloody nose, Dib limped a few blocks away, feeling his coat sticking to his arms and holding his belly as it was still queasy. The robot exploded to bits and sent him rolling to the ground again, he covered his head as the expansive wave broke the window of every building around him.

Zim is definitely why he can’t have nice things… He wanted a peaceful Saturday night wallowing in self pity and having a shameful orgasm or sleeping…

Groaning and grunting, Dib finally got to his feet. Leaning heavily against a building and walking down the street. He didn’t even bother looking back, he unstuck his coat and then noticed that his shirt had been cut at the front… What the hell was with Zim and shirt breaking?! He sighed and covered himself as well as he could, leaving the coat and backpack in the trunk. 

After a while he finally plopped down on the driver’s seat in a haze and saw the parking ticket on the windshield… Of course…. This fucking city… He put the car on drive and went back home. Earth’s savior needed to get blackout drunk right fucking now.

On the other side of town, in a strange little house there was an alien smiling at the screen showing Dib walking out of his car and the door of the vehicle falling as he apathetically walked back inside the building.

Zim hissed as the restoration serum pumped into his system, “I don’t understand, Dib-stink, you deserve this awful world! Why don’t you take it??! You’re capable of it as the best irken invaders I’ve ever met!!” he said as his antennae fell and he sighed helplessly as the strong warrior of Earth walked out of sight, “I could make you the President of Earth if you let me… You’d be deserving, my Dib” he said frustrated balling his fists at his sides and feeling twice as defeated, ironically by the same man.