#/that type of walking you do when trying desperately not to fall down a slope but going too fast to go slowly

[beardedhandstoadshark]

[broke-art]

Syntax x Spider Queen's Daughter

"I brought food guys." You mentioned attempting to navigate down the slick slope into your mother's lair. You stumbled here and there and your hands were full. This made your balance limited.

"Allow me to assist you, my princess." Syntax held out his arms. His metallic legs stabbed into the rocks around you causing you to flinch a little.

To be honest, you had fallen for Syntax before your mother had... altered him. You still remembered the day you had come home from work, eager to see him. When his screams assailed your ears, you had ran to help. But it was too late.

Since then, you had been terrified of him. You weren't sure if it was still Syntax. So you'd kept your distance.

"Princess?" His voice shook you from your thoughts and you jumped slightly.

His green eyes studied your reactions and his lips tugged downward in a worried frown.

"Heh you know she's scared of you, Mr. Know-it-all."

Syntax glared over his shoulder at Huntsman. Whom watched you two's exchange with pure amusement. "If the Queen sees you harassing her, you're as good as-"

"It's alright, Huntsman." You informed him quickly.

They both stared at you for a moment.

Slowly, you moved close enough for Syntax to reach.

With a small grin he lifted you bridal style and climbed down the wall effortlessly.

Unaccustomed to the height and movements you tensed and hugged closer to Syntax. Who, without your notice, smirked smugly.

"It's alright, my Princess." He soothed. "I wouldn't drop you." He muttered the last comment near your ear and your cheeks exploded into a red hue.

You looked away and stared at the ground as he placed you down. Everyone took their food and you ate silently. Normally, you would stay in your room to avoid your mother's insane plots, but today was different. Today you wanted to...watch from a distance.

As you ate a dumpling you watched Syntax typing away at a computer, study some blueprints then go back to typing.

You studied his lime green hair, purple skin and reflective eyes. He was still very intimidating, but not nearly as much so, now that you studied him closer.

It was that moment his gaze flicked back over his shoulder and locked onto yours. A smirk tugged at his lips when he addressed you.

"You've been staring for a while, princess. May I be of some service to you?"

Your heart skipped a beat and you looked away quickly.

"N-no. Sorry."

Syntax cocked an eyebrow at you and placed down his work.

"Princess," He began walking over to you with his hands behind his back. "Lately, you've been rather quiet around me. You've been avoiding my presence, and you will hardly glance at me."

You squirmed slightly in your seat as he stood over you.

"I didn't wish to press, but I am beginning to worry. Do you think I would hurt you?" He leaned a little closer to you bending at the waist.

Your cheeks burned and you desperately sought for answers in your mind. Except, you were far too twitterpated to think.

"I-I... Well that is...you-" You stammered trying not to look at him.

Syntax watched you patiently. A slow smirk gradually building on his lips.

The look only made your face redder.

"I-I don't know?" You questioned looking up at him hopefully.

Syntax chuckled.

"Flustered, are we?" He leaned extra close and your cheeks exploded a deep scarlet. "That's a yes. Don't tell me you have a crush, princess."

"A crush?" Spider Queen demanded from the doorway. "On who?" She walked forward quickly.

Syntax backed away falling to a knee in a bow.

"To be honest I am unsure, my Queen."

Your mother put her hands on her hips staring at you.

"Well?!" She asked impatiently.

"N-no one mama." You stammered quickly. "Syntax was only worried about a boy at school, that's all."

Spider Queen hummed thoughtfully.

"Well done, Syntax." She praised turning to him. "Y/n is far too young for men." She cooed in a baby voice cupping your cheek.

"Mom, I'm old enough to go to college. Besides, I'd have good taste." You stole a small glance at Syntax.

He caught your glance and grew a hidden smirk keeping his head bowed.

"Aw I know you're eager, baby. But no, you're not ready yet." Your mother refused shaking her head.

"If you say so." You agreed knowing your mother would insist. You walked to your room and closed the door with a sigh. Just then your phone buzzed a bit.

You pulled it from your pocket. The screen bugged and glitched. You frowned and waited till your mother retired for the day. Then you slipped out of your room and knocked on Syntax's lab door.

"Come in." He called.

You opened the door and saw him at a work table. But instead of working, he was leaned back in his chair one leg resting on the other.

"Evening, princess. How may I be of service?" He asked with a smile.

"Well my phone was bu-" just then realization dawned on you. "You hacked my phone!" You accused.

Syntax smirked.

"Well we were having a conversation that went unfinished. Besides I am not positive about your little crush, but I have a hunch." He shrugged as he stood and walked over. "And you know what they say, princess." Gently, he took your phone from your hand and instead pressed a small thornless rose into your palm. "In for a penny, in for a pound."

He threw you a grin as he turned, his coat flaring up from the motion. Then he walked back to the worktable. And began fixing your phone.

Slowly, you looked at the rose. Then with a small smile you closed the lab door, and walked over to the table. It had been a long time since you had, but what could it hurt? You hopped up and sat on the work table, watching him work his mechanical wonders.

[yostresswritinggirl]

request for your event? you being klee's older sibling and having to look after her, but when no one's around you're just as mischievous as her :))

It is time to give love to the cutest child in the game, the chaos incarnate herself skdbslbwka I always love these types of scenarios, and with a lot of material available, I went haywire sksksks

Geronimo!

Snippets of angst here and there, but Klee always makes things better! (masterlist)

Responsible, reliable, strong.

Strength seems to run in your family, as well the familiarity with the element of Pyro. Ever since your mother Alice left to venture into the world after the appearance of Albedo, things had been busier and tiring on your end.

You had to fend for you and Klee outside of the little pension the Knights provide. Unlike Klee and Alice, you were no Knight of Favonius, just a normal citizen that does commissions for the Adventurer's Guild while delving into whatever your heart desires. Because of your lack of connection, most of the income you get are from your own work and the bits of mora your mother has left in your care. Your Spark Knight little sister is well in the hands of the Knights, all accommodation handled by them.

A lot of the Knights and even citizens are quite fond of her anyways, and so in multiple care she's not neglected the slightest.

Your mind is at ease knowing that your sister is enjoying a comfortable life while you deal with the loss of a parental figure in silence.

One night as you slip in next to your little sister in her room within the headquarters, the room your mother had occupied before she left, Klee begged you in her half-conscious state to spend the day with her tomorrow even if just for the afternoon. Klee was no spoiled child, she barely asks for anything nor forces others to do her bidding, and this desperation of hers had you crumble as you agreed.

That night you felt more tired than usual. Questioning to yourself, 'have you been neglecting the last family you had?'

Jean felt more than relief when she heard that you'd taking Klee under your care for the day, offering your deepest apologies and gratitude for continuing to look after her in your place. But as Jean waves you two goodbye, she was naive to the chaos she had allowed to come together.

Instead of skipping commissions like you had planned, under the coaxing of your sister, you ended up doing them with her. "It would be fun, Klee will be good and help out too!" And she did, especially when it comes to disposing the creatures around the city.

You watched a Hilichurl fly up from a huge explosion, body spread out as it disappears behind a line of trees in the background. When you looked back down after the smoke disperses, there's a huge crater in the middle of the Hilichurl camp and many unconscious Hilichurls in general.

"Let me try it too!" "Yeeey, go, big sibling!" Picking up one of her smaller bombs she'd laid out on the ground for easy access, you pulled out your bow and hanged the bomb by its head with a piece of string.

"Do a spin, a 360!" "Whatever my sister wants," you started as you started shifting your body in a turn, arrow and string pulled back and ready for release, "Sheeee gets!" When you saw the familiar view of the camp, you angled your shot slightly upwards and released, arrow piercing through the air before immediately turning downward with the weight of the bomb.

You two looked over the cliff to watch the fire show below, arm wrapped around her form to make sure she doesn't fall, as the supposed tiny bomb produced a huge mushroom cloud that sent a gale of black smoke up to where you two watched.

"That was so cool!" "So cool!" You gave your sister a high five, both of your hair disheveled from the force with ashes littered all over your body.

Gliding down the cliff, you didn't give the charred camp much attention as you two sped past to your next commission.

Once you'd went with her to a faraway river when she said she wanted some fish toast. Not wanting her to use her bomb and cause some kind of fish extinction in Mondstadt, you eagerly jumped in the pond after discarding some of your important items and outer clothing, an arrow in hand as you chased and stab the bigger fish.

"Wah, big sis/bro! Behind you! A green scary fish is about to bite you!" "A what now?!"

After you turned, you've ended up wrestling against the jaws of a giant crocodile that strayed into the stream. It took a few minutes before Klee finally stepped in with her Pyro catalyst.

You swimmed a little more to wash away the ashes, cleaning up your sister's face with a wet cloth too from the earlier Hilichurl extermination.

You're not as popular or in the limelight as your sister, many Mondstadtians only ever know you as a simple citizens who deals with commissions, and so very few (select few knights too) know of your connections with the Spark Knight.

When Klee isn't rambling about her bombs, confinement or Albedo, she likes to brag about you. The best and hardworking family, always responsible and witty that you manage to get away with anything. She proudly announces she wants to be as smart as you too, both clauses somehow sending worry to the Knights in fear of Klee and whatever you're capable of.

Despite your respectful smiles and composed appearance, your energy and genius stems from your unhinged mother. The best and worst part about it tho, is that you don't need to report to any higher ups about your experimentations and findings.

"If we lure in a Cryo slime here," you said with a gesture to the net set up by the catapult, "this catapult would sling it over to the field fire the whopperflower made!"

"Do you get it?" "Yes, yes! Klee will deliver a nice and big Cryo slime!" You watched as she took off with that cute run of hers, and not even a minute passes that she comes running back over the slope-

"That's one- two, three, four- five?! KLEE WE ONLY NEEDED ONE SLIME- AHHHHH!"

An adult and a baby Cryo slime got caught in the net which immediately triggered the catapult's mechanism. In the distance you watched them bounce off the flames, also effectively crushing the flower itself under their weight.

Leaving you two to deal with remaining slimes, which was easy with your precise shots and Klee's destructive power. You two escaped death with a few bruises from the bouncing abominations, your catapult broken amidst the encounter.

"(Y/N) is the best big sibling I could ever have! So fun to play with especially! Even if Klee misses them a lot, Klee knows that they're doing it for the best!" Kaeya and Jean awed at the way Klee speaks so fondly of you after getting cleaned up for rest, while you showered during this time in her room's bath. "Klee wants to be as cool as them!"

"What's this?" You emerged from the doorway with a towel around your shoulder, your appearance causing your little sister to jump down from Kaeya's arms to run into yours. "You little mischief, sneaking out of the room to disturb the Acting Grand Master and the Captain!"

"I wanted to talk to them about how fun and cool you are!" Klee giggled when you booped noses, the two older figures in the room chuckling fondly at the sweet scene.

"Perhaps you could look into joining our ranks? There's always a room for you in the Knights, someone as reliable as you would be helpful in protecting Mondstadt," Jean's smile echoes through her words of offer as she looks at you inquisitively, making you gulp at the idea.

You wanted to refuse, for many, many reasons really. But Klee's bright, wide eyes at the thought of finally being in the same place as you for possibly 24/7, tells you you couldn't really refuse.

It was only three months after being a knight that Jean finally realized the deep and ashen crater by Starsnatch Cliff was created by you and Klee's combined efforts. She stares warily as she sees your form pass by the cracked open door to her office, Klee towed behind you as you walk hand in hand with big smiles.

Mondstadt's walls shook that day.

Klee is actually my little sister's favorite character in Genshin. I was tempted to merge this with another ask, but no, I must hold myself.

@moaa @dandelion-dreams @witchsungie @lehra @zelos-simp @legionqueensav @snackgod @rxsalinee @cala-ran @wind-wheel @lilydewi22 @yellowflowre @traveler-lumine @nonniechan @creation-magician @hanniejji @gojos-baby @just-some-stars @volleybloop

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘 (𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒊 𝑺𝒂𝒏)

Tag: @seacottons

𝑃𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: 𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑖 𝑆𝑎𝑛 (𝐴𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑧)/ 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 (𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒)

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒: 𝐹𝑙𝑢𝑓𝑓, 𝐷𝑎𝑑! 𝐴𝑈.

𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 2𝐾

𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦: 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑, 𝑠𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟.......𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟, 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑗𝑜𝑦.

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~December 5th~

Y/N hurried towards her friends who were already settled at the very top of the mountain, their snowboards and skiis all lined up in a perfect row.

"Last one down pays for dinner." One of them suggested to which they all unanimously agreed to.

"3, 2, Go!"

The racers all started sloping down the snowy mountain, some going to different directions, but ultimately they were all headed south. Y/N shifted her weight to keep balance on her snowboard. Usually she'd show off and do a trick, but right now she was focused on getting down as fast as possible.

"Pick up the pace Y/N!" Her friend teased as they swooped right past her.

Y/N let out a snort as she leaned forward to get more speed and traction. She also decided to move more to the right, where she knew a shortcut that none of the others knew about. She let out a small chuckle at the thought of their faces when they saw her all the way down there.

Her smile faded fast when she saw someone step out right in front of her, a dark haired male that seemed preoccupied with taking a picture he didn't notice she was coming.

"Look out!" She shouted, finally getting his attention.

The boy froze and seemed unable to move. Y/N swerved to the left, a little too fast and ended up falling off her board, tumbling down a few feet before landing on a bed of snow. She groomed softly as she lifted her head, already feeling the aching of her muscles.

"Are you ok?!" The same man who had inadvertently caused her accident ran over and helped her sit up.

"I...think so?" She asked rather than answered.

She quickly stood up, taking off her googles and winter hat to try and inspect what damage had been done not only to her body but to her board. She dusted some of the snow off her and looked up to find the mystery man looking at her intently.

"What? Am I bleeding?" She touched her face and forehead, not a stranger to bleeding due to some of the accidents she'd been through.

"No! Not at all!! Just......"

He smiled shyly, dimples clearly shown on his cheeks as his eyes formed small crescents.

"You're really pretty..." He confessed awkwardly, leaving her baffled and speechless.

"Th-thank you....you're pretty handsome yourself..." She tucked some hair behind her ear.

"I'm San." He introduced himself, holding out a hand for her to take, which she promptly did.

"I'm Y/N."

You were sad that you had to pay for your friend's dinner because you lost, but you weren't to sad because San asked you out for a date the next day.

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~January 12, One Year Later~

"Brrr. It's freezing out there."

San shook the snow off him, placing his boots on the corner.

"I told you it was going to snow, but you don't listen." She rolled her eyes at him.

Adding marshmallows to the hot chocolate, she picked them up and set them down on the table in front of the fireplace, then proceeded to wrap one of the blankets around herself. San wasted no time in cuddling up next to her and taking one of the mugs in his hand, sipping slowly so as to not burn himself. Smiling sweetly at her, he scooted closer to her, his head resting on her shoulder.

"Remember when we met last year?" He suddenly spoke.

Y/N nearly spat her chocolate back into the mug.

"Ahhh yes. You mean when I nearly killed you?"

San laughed softly at that.

"Never in my life did I think I'd actually end up dating my almost murderer."

She rolled her eyes at that.

"You were the idiot that wasn't paying attention." She reminded him.

"I was trying to take a picture of a bunny that was nearby thank you. Which you scared off by the way."

They began reminiscing about their times after a year of dating, laughing about their first fight, their first kiss and the times they met each other's respective parents.

"You looked terrified of my dad."

"How was I supposed to be calm? Especially after he said he wanted to talk to me in private?" San defended himself.

Y/N hummed softly.

"What did he talk to you about anyway?"

San shrugged softly.

"The usual...like...if I broke your heart, he was going to break my balls."

Y/N actually slapped her knee at that one, knowing fully well her father would really be the type to say such things.

San scratched the back of his head as he wondered if he should say the next part.

"He.....also asked....... if I loved you...."

Y/N felt her heart drop at that word. Even though they had been dating for a year, they had never said the L word. She wanted to change the subject, afraid of his answer, but curiosity got the better of her and she had to ask.

"What....what did you tell him?" She fidgeted with the ends of her hoodie.

San shifted so he sat in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he confessed:

"I told him I loved you with all my heart and that.....I hoped you felt the same way..."

He looked at her with hopeful eyes, gulping slightly, afraid that his feelings weren't reciprocated. When Y/N didn't respond for a minute, he let out a defeated sigh.

"All right. I understand." He made move to get up, but Y/N made him stay in place.

"No silly. I was just shocked you actually told my father that." She explained.

"Well I wasn't going to lie. I do love you Y/N, truly I do." His voice sounded desperate at this point.

Y/N teared up and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Oh Sannie.....I love you too."

San widened his eyes at her words, he felt himself tearing up as well, but he was filled with warmth at the thought that she felt the same, it was not a one sided love. He couldn't help himself as he cupped her face and began pecking her lips repeatedly.

"I love you. I love you with all my heart."

He giggled as he intensified his kisses, turning them from small pecks into more heated and passionate lip locks that had her craving for more. San ended up pushing her onto the floor, his hands placed on either side of her face. They both looked at each other, both wanting to ask the same question but too shy to actually speak out about having their first time right then.

"Y/N.....if you don't want to, we can-"

She silenced him by pulling him on top of her and resuming their makeout session.

"I want to. Go ahead." She assured him.

San kissed her forehead.

"I love you so much."

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~December 25, 3 years later~

All of the boys gathered around the tree, already ecstatic at the thought of opening their presents.

"I'm really looking forward to Yeosang's gift for me." Mingi bounced in his seat.

"I told you. I got you socks." Yeosang repeated for the thousandth time, making everybody burst out laughing.

"You know you're just joking Sangie." Wooyoung pinched his cheek, much to Yeosang's dismay.

The clock struck midnight, signaling that it was now time to open presents. There was a lot of noises, squealing and rustling of paper heard, the latter all discarded near the floor, soon picked up by Seonghwa, who hated seeing litter scattered about.

"Perfect for you Hwa. I actually got you a broom and dustpan set." Hongjoong snickered as he held out the cleaning supplies from the house to his friend.

"Shut up." Seonghwa groaned, not at all amused by the joke.

"Calm down. I actually got you something else." Hongjoong held out the actual gift, which turned out to be Toothless slippers and bathrobe set. It made Seonghwa burst out laughing, donning his infamous awkward smile.

"Yah! What is this Kang Yeosang?!" Mingi held out a box full of assorted socks.

Yeosang merely shrugged.

"What? You all laughed and joked that I wasn't serious. Jokes on you bitches. I was dead serious." Yeosang sipped his tea as he stared Mingi down, who merely pouted.

"Look on the bright side Mingi. Yunho might stop complaining about you stealing his socks." Seonghwa patted his shoulder.

"It's not me!" Mingi retorted.

"No one else's feet but yours fit in them!" Yunho accused him.

Y/N and San just laughed and decided to just enjoy the presents they got for each other. Y/N was happy that San liked his presents, but she was saving the best for last, knowing he was going to go wild about it.

Pulling him outside, she closed the door behind them both, ignoring the chaos going on inside.

"If it's another mistletoe trick, I won't mind." San was already puckering his lips.

"No silly....there's another present I wanted to give you."

"Oh?" San tilted his head.

She pulled out a small and thin white box that had a purple ribbon wrapped around it. San shook it near his ear, trying to guess what was in it, but had no clue. He carefully unwrapped the ribbon and opened the box. He had to do a double take as he peered into the contents. He looked at his lover with wide eyes.

"Is this....?" He asked for confirmation.

She nodded and chuckled happily. San's face lit up and he picked her up, spinning her around as he kissed the side of her head.

"Oh my God! This is the best Christmas present ever my love! Thank you!"

Tears of joy started streaming down his face as he embraced the love of his life for a long time. He wasted no time in speeding back inside the house and wave the object around for everyone to see.

"Guys! We're having a baby! You're all gonna be uncles!"

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~December 5, Present Day~

San and Y/N made sure the carrier was covered fully by the long and thick blanket. After making sure it was sunny, San opened the door and allowed his sweetheart to walk out. Y/N carefully walked down the steps of the cabin they always stayed in since the day they met. San followed after her, one step behind her, ready to help if she needed anything.

They both looked at each other and smiled. Y/N put the carrier gently down on the blanket of snow as San took out his camera.

"Ready." San gave her the ok sign.

Y/N peeled back the blanket covering the carrier, revealing their tiny 4 month old baby daughter, who was now wide awake and observing her surroundings.

"Smile snowflake." San took a picture of her.

Light snow started to fall around them and the tiny baby reached her hand out to touch this new object that was foreign to her. A tiny snowflake fell on her nose and she sneezed softly when it made contact with her skin.

Her parents couldn't help but coo at how lovely and adorable she was. Picking her up along with several blankets, Y/N showed off the view to her.

"Look darling. This is the exact spot daddy and I met years ago."

San chuckled as he kept taking photos of his two most precious treasures in his life. After getting his fill, he walked up next to Y/N, poking his daughter's cheek.

"Even though you were born in summer, I'm sure you'll learn to love the winter just as much as we do."

The baby continued to be fascinated by the falling snow around her, her arms flailing into the air, trying to catch it, only to fall in confusion every time it melted in her tiny hand.

"I say she already loves it." Y/N noticed her reactions.

"I'm glad she does. I can't wait to bring her here every year to watch the first snow fall every time." San kissed her tiny head before looking back at his wife and repeating the action on her forehead.

"I love you. And I love our precious snowflake too."

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[zotlel]

Fall Into You (M) - 02

pairing: jaebeom x you

genre: romance, angst, series, eventual smut

synopsis: Your love life has been filled with nothing but bad experiences. Determined to give up on the idea of finding the one you meet a man who is desperate to change your mind and have you see him as more.

word count: 5.0k

Your skull feels as if it weighs over a hundred pounds, while your body was floating down a murky river of despair. You couldn’t bring yourself to open your eyes. All you know in this moment is that you need water. Now. 

Mustering up as much strength as humanly possible you swing your leg from your bed and hurry over to your bathroom. Hangovers are when you are at your lowest as a human. Craning your neck under your sink faucet you try to capture as much water as possible and allow it to slide down your throat. Once satisfied you shut off the water and try to steady yourself. Peeling one eye open at a time you notice that you were still in last night’s attire and also neglected to remove one of your boots. 

Last night? What happened last night?

Your brain begins to reel back in time to remember just how exactly you became as blackout drunk as you did. Last night, you can remember that Sofie and you were going to one of Dominic’s new restaurants, Jake couldn’t come. 

Okay, yes, this is good, now what else?

You neglected to eat dinner since you were worried about feeling bloated in your tight pants you were wearing. Opening your eyes again you look down at your jean-clad legs to confirm this much was true, and that also explained why you became so drunk so quickly. Dominic kept sending over tequila shots, his way of trying to harass you for the night the two of you hooked up while drunk off tequila, but you could never reject free drinks.

And then something else, something important happened.

A man!

Yes, that was it, a man came and sat in the booth with you when Sofie said she wanted to leave. You remember talking a lot to him and thinking he was incredibly handsome, but God you just could not remember his face or name for that matter.

His lips pressed deeply against yours as he cradled your cheek, heat spread over your body as desire licked at your loins. 

The flashback of kissing a total stranger last night has you smacking your forehead in embarrassment. How can you not even remember who you kissed last night? Did it stop there? Or did you also sleep with this man?

Jesus, you really were a train-wreck.

You groan to yourself when suddenly you hear something coming from your bedroom. Dread fills your body as you slowly turn to find the cause of the noise. This really could not be happening to you right now. Slowly you make your way to your bedroom to see a stray man with dark hair stretching his limbs in the morning light. Well, that confirmed your precious worries of whether or not you had sex last night. You never stayed the night with men, let alone in your bedroom, you must have been drunk out of your mind.

You stay still in the doorway as you watch the man slowly turn to meet your eyes. Not only was there a strange man in your bed, but it just had to be him. Jaebeom smiled lightly at you while rubbing the remnants of sleep out of one eye. You felt as if you were going to be sick.

“Hey, did you sleep okay?” Jaebeom asks you in his gruff morning voice.

You suddenly felt so exposed, so vulnerable, even while still in your clothes you felt as if you were naked to a crowd of a thousand eyes. His eyes were light, and slowly your memories of last night began to stitch together. Sofie wanted to leave when Jaebeom noticed you two, he had approached you wanting to apologize for New Year’s, but you were more interested in him than hearing any sort of apology. You talked for what felt like hours while he just listened and looked at you, with those same twinkling eyes. You may have also cried, hard to say for sure.

“U-Uh yes, fine,” you cough awkwardly. How can you be standing in the same room with someone you cried in front of and then proceed to fuck? The discomfort was sweeping through your body like a tidal wave, “I’m really sorry for last night.”

“Trust me there’s nothing to be sorry for,” Jaebeom says as he starts to fix your bedding.

How could you let this happen? Was your self-discipline really so low that you would go back on your word about no hookups in a mere week? Albeit that Jaebeom happened to be one of the most gorgeous men you have seen, it was no excuse. This was your time for healing and being alone, just like Sofie said. How can you ever be trusted?

“Everything okay? You look like you’re about to be sick,” Jaebeom must have noticed the worsening expression on your face as you scolded yourself internally. You bring a hand to your forehead attempting to get a grip of reality. The world felt as if it was spinning and flipping all around you like you were in some sort of tortuous drying machine. 

“I’m just feeling really shitty. I think it’s best if you leave,” you tell him.

To your surprise, Jaebeom nods his head in understanding and begins to make his way past you towards your bedroom door without any sort of complaint. You figure it would probably be best to walk him through the hall to your front door just in the case of your roommate being scared to death by a stranger in the apartment. Silently you tread behind Jaebeom, his shoulders were wide as they sloped past your narrow hallway, you couldn’t help but admire.

As the two of you begin to reach the door Jaebeom suddenly stops and turns to you. He says nothing as he only just stares into your eyes. You began to feel so small in his presence, the way his eyes looked so desperately at your own, searching for something you knew you didn’t have. With shame filling your body you instead turn your eyes to the floor, Jaebeom realizes your discomfort and reaches his hand to the doorknob. 

Still, with his back to you, he says something just loud enough for your ears, “If you ever need anything, call me. I saved my number in your phone.”

“S-Sure, thanks I will,” your body feels hot at his words, he nods once before leaving your apartment, shutting the door softly behind him.

You stand there unable to move from your spot as you process everything that just happened. Your hookup with Jaebeom, your lack of memory, his genuine concerning tone, and most of all how kind he was. Your brain felt like mush as you struggled to get a grip on this strange man. In your whole history of one-night stands, this one was by far the most confusing for you. 

Once you are able to clear these headache-inducing thoughts from your head you look up and see you have just about twenty minutes until you have to be at work. As if an alarm went off in your brain you begin to hurry down the hall and speedily rid yourself of the remnants from the night before. As much as you did enjoy the occasional, oh who were you kidding, the frequent cocktail, you prided yourself in always being professional and punctual when it came to your career. Let’s face it, you were a competent woman playing in a man’s world and those people would do anything to see you knocked down a peg. 

You make quick work of straightening out your business attire and smoothing your hair into a low bun, you could worry about makeup while on the subway. You leave the door in a huff and begin to make your way to the station. All the while you could not help but try to rack your brain about the events that happened the previous night.

You moaned softly into his ear as he began to slip his fingers inside your panties, dripping with desire he slowly drew a finger around your arousal.

Your hand that had been applying mascara stops at the memory. You sit dazed while the subway softly rocks you back and forth as it trugs along the underground tracks. This was bad. Not only did you sleep with Jaebeom, but you also very much enjoyed it according to your memories. The moments the two of you shared were incredibly vivid in your mind. But oh, did you long for his touch. It hadn’t even been twelve hours since the encounter but your body was already yearning for the way his body felt on yours.

Fuck, this was bad, you thought.

You could deal with all kinds of men and the memories they left you with. The memories of disgust, anger, heartbreak, even resentment. But you had absolutely no idea what to do with this feeling of longing. Longing for a man you barely knew was not something you were going to allow yourself. Was your resolve really this weak?

The subway announces the arrival of your stop breaking your internal melodrama and effectively allowing you to shift your gears into work-mode. If you can just get through this workday you will probably never even have to see that man again. And if you did then you were going to tell him exactly how you felt. 

No not felt, what you knew.

You know that for both of your sanities you could not even begin to humor the idea of having any sort of relationship with him. You were not looking for any sort of man in your life. Whether that be a boyfriend or a friend with benefits type. You needed time alone, and for him to enter your life at this time is just wrong on every level. 

You settle into work easily enough once you reach your office. The familiarity of your workspace helped kick any lingering thoughts out the door. The sounds of quick fingers against keyboards, a smell of old coffee and ink cartridges fluffing through the air, and of course the heavy stares of your male colleagues as they picked apart your every step. You pay them no mind as you settle into your office and log into your desktop.

“Would you care for some coffee Ms. L/N?” Stacy, the new intern had just popped her head into your office the moment you sat. Stacy was smart and diligent, she stayed late to do the higher-up’s paperwork and always made sure to hold her tongue. Good girl. It just upset you dearly that a person of her capabilities was stuck with no pay and fetching coffee.

“Yes Stacy, thank you for asking,” you replied back.

She smiled sweetly at you before exiting your office. Waiting not a second longer you begin to check your work email as usual responding to your clients. Your fingers ran fast across your keyboard as you simultaneously would respond and keep one eye on the market to see if you had lost any money for any of your investors. The green arrows that flowed steadily at your bottom screen gave you a sense of relief as you began to allow yourself to sink into your work and forget about everything else.

To some, the work you do may seem dull. You understood why exactly they would think that, but it was so far from the truth. You found such a thrill in the way the stock market worked. The uncertainty of it all kept you hungry to know more. Because let’s face it, nobody, not even stock managers like yourself, knew if you were about to lose all of your assets or turn someone into a millionaire. It was quite a thrill for you, and if you were being quite honest, you had a damn good intuition about these types the things. Which is how you became the youngest stock manager in your division with a million-dollar reputation at your back, but you weren’t much for bragging. 

You would question yourself as you looked around the room at your coworkers. Most of whom lived in penthouses and rolled up to work in their glittering Mercedes. How was it that you carried most of the company’s reputation on your back alone, yet you were still living in a two-bedroom flat in the meat-packing district? You looked up from your computer as you remembered, no woman as competent as yourself has come as far as you have in this company. Therefore you had to tread a new road for younger women who would surely come after you.

Stacy walks into your office quietly as she leaves a fresh coffee on a coaster near your workstation. You forced a tight smile as a thank you. You had to pave the road for people like her. Because here was a brilliant mind fresh from Harvard business and yet her biggest responsibility was remembering how everyone took their coffee. 

You try to ignore these disgruntled feelings as suddenly your phone begins to ring. Snapped from your thoughts you reach for the device to answer the call.

Before you speak a gruff voice is heard through the speaker, “Y/N can I see you in my office?”

Your boss’s voice is low as it rumbles out the request. Right away, you tell him as you set the phone back down and begin to make your way towards his office abandoning your fresh coffee. You make your way towards the end of the younger manager’s offices until you are perched directly in front of massive double doors. You knock twice before entering, seeing your boss up from his desk gazing out of his floor-to-ceiling window.

Mr. Hobbes was considered a young man for his CEO position at your company. You were never sure of his exact age due to his overwhelming need to keep his life as private as possible. His hair was just on the brink of becoming an ashy tone but still had flicks of golden locks throughout. Hobbes was always nicely shaven and had a distinct green smell that just screamed “wealth.” He was one of the only men in the office who never tried to hit on or belittle you. Therefore, he was tolerable.

“Come join me,” Hobbes calls out to you, never looking away from his window.

With a deep sigh, you make your way over to stand near him and overlook his office view alongside him. The two of you stood silently next to each other and just watched. The people, cars, birds, and just about everything that made movement outside. It was odd. Standing as close as you were to one of the most powerful men in the country you would think it would shake you. Yet you felt absolutely nothing.

“You have a brilliant mind,” he begins next to you, “Did you know that?

“Haven’t thought too much about it, I just try my best just like everyone else,” you respond back honestly.

At this Hobbes laughs, “You haven’t thought too much about it.”

He then turns to you. His deep turquoise eyes staring you down, blue eyes were your least favorite color. They felt cold and distant, madness could be hidden behind them. Hobbes’s eyes were different, instead of the cold, you could feel a warm breeze on an ocean. He was a comfortable person to be around.

“Well, would it be terribly rude of me to start asking you to think about it? To think about your future,” he asks you.

“Not rude at all, I would just like to know your reasoning behind these questions.”

Your boss walks away from the window to take a seat at his large mahogany desk. Wordlessly he requests you to sit across from him in one of the smaller chairs. You make your way over to sit politely hoping to God he couldn’t tell that you got dressed in less than five minutes this morning. 

“I want to make you the head of recruiting,” Hobbes says to you.

You can’t help but let your eyes widen at his words. Head of an entire department. Sure you were good at what you did but you had only been working at this company for three years. This was surely too soon for such a big promotion.

“Head?” You ask him again to which he nods. “Sir, with all due respect, am I not under qualified for that sort of position?”

“I don’t give a damn about qualifications or years of experience. I care about numbers, and yours are good, no, they’re the best.” He begins to say, “I need more brilliant minds like yours so I figure why not take the best manager we’ve got and have her show the newbies how it’s done.”

To say you were complimented would be an understatement. You were shocked that Hobbes felt this way about you. While working at the company he mostly had kept to himself, rarely would you see him out on company dinners or even speaking during meetings. He was withholding so much power that you never dared to get on his bad side.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything yet,” Hobbes says. “Take time to think about it and come back to me with an answer by the end of the quarter.”

You nod your head at this, thanking him first you begin to stand and make your way towards his door. Before you are able to leave, your boss calls your name, you turn to see he had been following close behind. 

“Don’t let yourself think you are incapable,” he tells you. “I know talent when I see it and you’ve got it, Kid.”

You smile bashfully trying to avoid his eye contact. He laughs lightly at you before patting your shoulder gently in an encouraging way. You then turn to walk away once more and return to your office.

“That’s a good girl,” Jaebeom whispers in your ear as you feel his cock penetrate your dripping core from behind.

You turn back around shocked and look at your boss. Hobbes was staring curiously at your expression waiting for you to speak.

“I’m sorry did you say something?” You ask, afraid for the answer.

“I said you’re a smart girl Y/N,” he smiles lightly before turning his back to you and returning to his desk.

Your cheeks are hot from the misunderstanding as you quickly make your way to leave his suffocating office. Quick feet down the hallways as you desperately try to reach your office without having anyone notice your frazzled state. Slamming your office door your back meets the cool surface as you try and regain your normal heart-rate from the erotic memory.

You put your head in your hands to attempt to grab a hold of your subconscious. This situation was worse than you thought. How can one night of sex with Jaebeom be haunting you this much? Was it really that incredible? You sit back as you laugh at your own question. It was more than incredible. It was the best you have ever had.

You decided it would probably be best for you to drown yourself in work for the rest of the day. You needed so desperately for something to help distract you from your wandering mind, thank God statistics and economics had absolutely no sex appeal.

Time ticked on throughout your office. Your eyes stayed glued to your desktop screen but you could tell that the lights had begun to dim settling into the night around you. Fellow workers could be seen stretching their sore limbs high in the air before they gathered their things to leave. Quiet goodbyes were exchanged amongst the masses as everyone decided their life outside of this office would be a much greater place to be. 

You on the other hand could not let yourself be spared a single moment to yourself. It was the moment when the sensory lights had triggered to turn off in your office that you finally took in your surroundings. Once again you were the only person left in the office. With a big sigh you lean far back in your chair, elongating your spine against the back of the chair you begin to finally feel the exhaustion in your body. 

Deciding it was probably best for you to leave, you quickly gather your things and make your way out of the building. The bitter January air had you holding your coat closer to your body to try and conserve as much heat as possible. The other people passing you along the street seemed unaffected by the weather, it was after all a Friday night. Your workplace happened to be in the dead-center of the hippest club scene in your city. It was fun for you to watch people as you made your way to the underground subway station. With your headphones in, a soft calming melody played to assist in healing your slight headache as you watch young men and women laugh and hang off one another. You smile lightly admiring the way they all looked so alive and happy. 

The ride through the subway was nothing out of the ordinary. You would occasionally catch yourself dozing off only for the loud blaring station announcements to wake you from your short-lived slumber. On your cold walk home from the subway station to your apartment, you couldn’t help but think about how nice a hot shower sounded.

Lost in your own world you hardly notice there was a certain new constant man in your life sitting on the front steps of your apartment. Quickly you remove your earphones from your ears, just then he notices your presence. Jaebeom looks up to you, smiling slightly, he rises to his feet until he is standing right in front of you. He smells like spring rain.

“Jaebeom, what are you doing here?” Suddenly feeling incredibly insecure about your appearance under his hot stare you make quick work to smooth down your frizzy hair.

“I just needed to talk with you,” he says, the heat of his words causing a cloud to release with it in the chill of the city night.

“About what?”

He laughs slightly at your accusatory tone. Jaebeom takes in the scenery around him, the dimly lit neighborhood streets illuminated where the two of you stood. Softly rubbing the back of his neck Jaebeom tried to calm his own nerves. 

“Well, we had a really good time last night, right?” Jaebeom asks you now, looking you directly in the eyes. You blush at this, remembering all the flashbacks you had been getting during your busy workday. It was now your turn to get shy as you look to your feet, too flustered to meet his stare. A slight wind worked its way between your bodies as if to wrap the two of you in one cold embrace.

“I just wanted to come here and ask you properly,” he says, causing you to look up at him curiously. “I wanted to ask you on a proper date.”

Jaebeom speaks while searching your eyes nervously, afraid himself that he may have misread the connection the two of you had. You yourself could not deny the chemistry you felt with Jaebeom. Sleeping together was one thing, but you were nowhere in the right headspace to be dating right now. If only you had met him later when you were fixed.

“Jaebeom I’m flattered really,” you begin to say, already cringing at your lame line. “Us hooking up last night was a mistake on my part. I am not in the right place to be with anyone.”

You continue your rant as Jaebeom looks perplexed.

“Sleeping together, dating… I can’t do any of it right now. So I’m sorry but I just don’t think this,” your hand waves between your two bodies for emphasis. “Is going to happen.”

You realize what you said was harsh. Hell, if you were on the other end of this rhetoric with a guy you really liked you would be crushed. Unfortunately, you had to be this upfront with men. You’ve tried subtly in the past, and somehow these guys just never understood that you were not interested. After much trial and error, you have discovered being upfront, albeit harsh, was the best solution.

“I-” Jaebeom begins to speak but then suddenly laughs. You stare at him with confusion. You expected a certain reaction from him, but laughter definitely caught you off-guard. Jaebeom can hardly contain himself as he turns to try and calm himself. Meanwhile, you stood just waiting to hear his explanation for his strange reaction. 

“That explains this morning then I guess…” Jaebeom says to himself causing your patience to dwindle.

“I totally understand you not being ready,” he finally calms himself down enough to speak with you. “But Y/N, we did not hook up last night.”

Your head recoils back in shock and confusion, you stare into Jaebeom’s eyes trying to see if he was somehow using this as some sort of power-play against you. When looking at his eyes though, all you could find was sincerity. 

How can this be true? You distinctly remember separate occasions of him from last night while sleeping with him. Come to think of it though, you were fully dressed when you woke up, and so was Jaebeom. Can you even remember coming home with him? Your mind was completely blank.

“After the restaurant, I walked you home,” Jaebeom can sense your confusion from your facial features and decides to fill in the empty space. “Once I got you home you asked me to come inside to make sure you got to bed. You started to get really upset once we got to your room so I lied with you in bed for a bit until you calmed down, and then I must have fallen asleep after then.”

Your cheeks are burning bright red, as you do in fact remember everything Jaebeom just said to be true. You remember sobbing once you got to your bed, you remember asking him to hold you. If you could die from embarrassment, you would already be standing in your grave.

“But I remember things from last night, I remember us kissing and you-” you try and salvage your shameful memories, but have a hard time getting yourself to say that you remember him fucking you.

“And I?” 

“You, touching me…” You look up at him and see a tinge of amusement on his face at your shy confession.

“Well I have to say, I am truly flattered you had a very vivid dream about me,” his smirk on his face is accompanied by a red tinge in his cheeks thinking of the two of you becoming intimate. 

“But I can assure you we just slept next to each other, I would definitely remember if more happened.”

He laughed lightly clearly finding this whole situation to be just one big misunderstanding. This was so angering for you to hear though. Jaebeom was now openly mocking you in your eyes for the thoughts that attacked you all day.

“I’m so glad you find this amusing, now if you don’t mind I would like to go inside and forget last night ever happened,” your words hold little meaning as the anger controls your tongue.

Jaebeom looks surprised at your reaction as you attempt to move past him. He can now clearly see you did not find this situation funny in the least bit.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you,” Jaebeom is frantic as you pass by him trying to reach your door. Softly he grasps your wrist causing you to look back and see his pained expression as he worries if he has hurt you.

“I understand you’ve gone through a lot,” he begins to say. “I just know what that feels like and it’s nearly impossible to go through those feelings alone.”

“You know absolutely nothing about me Jaebeom. Don’t feel special just because I used you as an emotional dumpster when I was too drunk to realize what I was doing.” 

You can feel the peak beginning to approach in your anger and it almost scares you. The last time you blacked out from your anger, it took more than apologies to recover the damage.

“You need to back the fuck off,” you spit venom at him.

He seems completely thrown back from your harsh words. His eyes are pleading with you, worrying that he might have upset you beyond repair. Behind all this banter Jaebeom cared for you as a person and he wanted more than anything for you to see him as more than just another man. He would never even think of trying to control or suppress you. He wanted so much more from you, he needed to know so much more.

You were not ready like him. Not ready to leap forth into another unknowing relationship with a man. He was the right person, but now was definitely not the right time. 

Silently he lets your wrist go as you hurry inside your apartment. Slamming the door you rest your back against it trying to control your breathing. The look on Jaebeom’s face was hurt. You had hurt him. Regret crawled its way up your chest making you feel absolutely nauseous for the way you handled speaking with him. The man had confessed to you for fucks sake. And you have the audacity to get upset with this complete stranger and hurt him just because you were embarrassed? 

This was a new low of yours.

[salemorbit]

In The Beginning...

[Link x genderneutral!Reader]

warnings: none! maybe fear of heights

~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the beginning, there was a voice.

Link's eyes fluttered open as the sound echoed in his head. He wiggled his fingers as the voice got louder.

"....Link....Link...."

Slowly, he sat up. Warm water dripped away from his body as several joints cracked with the movement. He inhaled deeply, looking around the room.

The voice in his head seemed to be just that: in his head. Like his conscience, but...different. It instructed that he get up, look at the tablet on the far left of the room, pick it up, start his journey.

As Link went through the motions, he eventually made it out of the cavern that he had been in and into the sunlight. He squinted his eyes in the sun, letting them adjust slowly as he took in the land before him.

Not much was certain in this moment. Link had just woken up from a century-long nap, and now he was tasked with venturing into a world unbeknownst to his malleable brain. His memories were wiped. Was this a dream?

Link made his way down the slope, talked to the old man, learned of what he should do next. His new destination was a strange structure buried in some rock. See what happens when it interacts with his slate. Easy enough.

He had to take down some Bokoblins on the way, masterfully slicing them down with an old double axe. After the fight, Link shifted the axe in his fingers, studying the weight. Uneven. Too heavy at the head. Double the strength needed to deal effective damage. Not comfortable.

As he slid the axe onto his back, Link climbed up a small hill to continue his quest. Upon reaching the top he halted. Eyes narrowing due to distance, Link peered across the clearing to make sure he was seeing things right.

Someone was crouching around the tilted rocks, hand brushing through pebbles. The old man hadn't mentioned anyone else besides him on the Plateau.

An enemy? Link sized them up.

No, he thought, too inattentive. If they were, anyway, Link could take them. He wasn't sure where this innate confidence came from, but he seemed certain he could take them.

Gingerly stepping forward, Link approached the mysterious person. He was soon within hearing distance of their incessant muttering:

"...ground is settled too evenly for this to be a recent obstruction," you grumbled, kneeling in front of an opening to the structure. "Was it purposefully built under these rocks? How does the pedestal work? I wonder if-"

Link cleared his throat, causing you to spin around and fall onto your butt in surprise. You scrambled back quickly, shielding yourself underneath the strange structure.

"I don't have any rupees on me!" You cried. "I'm not armed! I swear!"

Link just gazed at you, eyes slightly widening. You seemed afraid. Link didn't think he was that frightening. Maybe a little bedhead from the 100-year sleep?

Link consciously smoothed the crease he formed between his eyebrows. Giving himself what he could best figure was a neutral look, Link knelt down in front of you, holding his hands up softly to show he wasn't going to draw his axe on you. You shifted after a second of silence, peering between your raised arms to see Link urging allyship.

"You're not a thief?" You gulped. Link shook his head. "How'd you get up here?"

That wasn't a question he thought you'd ask him. Not even the old man seemed to wonder that. Link looked away for a second, legitimately thinking. How did he get up here?

"Can you talk? Are you deaf?" You asked, then quickly knocked on your head softly. "No, idiot, of course he's not deaf. He answered a question."

Link smiled softly, standing up and offering you a hand. You took it hesitantly, letting him strangely easily hoist you up. As you dusted yourself off, you looked him up and down cautiously. He sure didn't look the muscly type. This guy was just as tall as you, if not a little shorter. How could he handle such a big axe with such a lean frame? Dozens of questions dotted your mind, but he didn't seem like the talking type. Instead, he lifted something from his hip and gestured toward the structure behind you.

Your mouth dropped in a quiet gasp, gawking at the tablet he held in his hands. You knew those markings. You'd seen that before in the old books...

"How'd you get a Sheikah Slate?" You asked, ungraciously tearing it from his hands. You flipped it all around in your palms, furrowing your eyebrows as you ran your fingers over the carvings and tapped the sides harshly. Link just blinked at you, still registering the snatch, when you looked back up at him. Immediately you realized your rudeness, apologizing profusely and shoving the slate back into his hands.

"Excuse that, I've been traveling alone for some time," you said sheepishly, folding your hands behind your back upon returning the slate. "I guess I forgot my manners. The question still stands, though."

Link glanced up at you then raised his finger to point up toward the mountain you wanted to check out later. You tilted your head slightly. Did he live up there?

"The cave," he said, bringing his hand back down to his side. The first two words he spoke to you brought a smile to your face. His voice was a bit crackly, probably from not talking to many people himself, but serene.

"The cave. I was going to check up there later, maybe you could show me around?"

Link gestured again toward the structure behind you, ignoring the question. You nodded, eagerly stepping aside so he could move toward the pedestal. You followed slightly behind, wondering what he could possibly do to the structure that you hadn't tried for the last week you'd been on the Great Plateau.

Link took a few looks between the slate and the top of the pedestal before slowly setting the slate flat on the top of the pedestal. An orange glow flashed from the pedestal, making you gasp again and rush over to see the situation closer.

"....Watch out for falling rocks," you read slowly. You and Link shared a look before the platform you were standing on shook like an earthquake was splitting the Plateau. You stumbled and grabbed on to the pedestal, Link widening his stance so as not to topple over himself.

The entire structure ascended where you stood, carrying you and Link skyward. The top of the structure broke through the rocks it had previously been buried under, not stopping its pierce into the sky until you were well above the ground. At some point you had shut your eyes out of fear; heights were never your thing.

When the shaking finally stopped, Link tapped on your shoulder gently. You cracked open one eyelid, still gripping onto the pedestal with white knuckles. You gulped thickly, looking up at Link with your legs shaking.

"Is it done? Did we die?"

Link shook his head, pointing out toward the edge. You really didn't want to let go of the pedestal, but your curiosity got the better of you. With knobbly knees, you slowly walked near the edge of the platform that had risen from the ground.

The entirety of Hyrule Kingdom was laid out before you, almost making you forget how goddamn high up you were. The view was breathtaking, even higher than the edge of the Great Plateau, but the wind howled in your ears and reminded you where you were.

"Goddess above, I hate heights!" You yelped, falling to your knees in an attempt to be closer to the ground. How the platform rose, you didn't know. How you were going to get down, you painstakingly also didn't know.

You were stuck.

"It's a tower," came Link's voice, strong over the wind. "What goes up must come down."

His words did little to reassure you as you nervously nodded. Noticing your intense distress, Link knelt down next to you and lifted one of your arms.

"I don't know who you think you are, mystery man," you warned, though it came out weakly due to your fear, "but I will not let you take me to any secondary location."

Link chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I can help you down."

"Goddess, no."

"I can-"

"I've decided to live the rest of my life up here, thank you very much. There will be no helping down of any kind. I either die up here or die getting down, and I've had enough dreams of falling to know that's not the way I want to go out."

A few more moments of coaxing later, and somehow you had agreed to place your life in the hands of a spindly stranger on top of the highest thing you had ever let yourself be on top of. Screwing your eyes shut, you clung onto Link as he guided you down the sides of the tower, trying so desperately not to let the whistling wind psych you out.

Soon enough, you felt the ground at your feet. Collapsing almost immediately, you melodramatically lay your face on the ground and muttered thankful prayers to the Goddess. Link watched, an amused look on his face, as you finally stood up and turned to thank him.

"I owe you one," you said stiffly, avoiding his laughing gaze. "How about you stick around and I cook you some dinner? I know a pretty good steamed meat recipe."

At the mention of food, Link's stomach grumbled loudly. This eased the tensions a tad, you smiling gladly at his turn to be embarrassed. A red tint appeared on his ears as he placed a hand on his stomach.

"I'll take that as a yes."

~~~~~~~~~

wooooooohoooooo first fic comin at you full force!! nothing too intense or fluffy or anything. just trying to get a read for how it feels to write in this format.

requests are welcome! :))

[paversandplatters]

||𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚙|| (5/20)

Apocalypse! Au (TW! Minor gore and cussing)

Reader x multiple

Chapter 5: A Flock Found

They pack a wheel barrow to the brim with the newly acquired supplies they find not botheringing to leave behind much of anything, making sure to cop the twenty five gallon container of gasoline from the tool shed out back behind the building... Lord knows they'll need for the grand task ahead of them. By the time the light in the south western sky began to fade from a light gray to pink over the backwaters of the panhandle they're ready. They slip outside through the rectory's side door and creep single file along the edge of the property. Y/n takes the lead, periodically glancing over her shoulder for any sign of the herd that had crossed the highway or any sign of the group that occupied this space all too recently. She carries a glock with a full magazine just in case. The dusky air gets clammy and cool on the back of the stranger's neck as he follows them to the car. They climb in hurriedly, stowing their provisions in the rear cargo bay. Y/n kicks the engine on as the newcomer clambers into the passenger seat next to her- much to the dismay of the other two- unfolding an old dogeared map.

"They usually stick pretty close to the ocean." He says almost to himself, silently calculating the mileage between them and the gulf. "Probably should start down by Perry or Carwfordville." He senses movement ahead of them through the windshield and glances up in time to see a couple of jagged shadows emerging from the woods about a hundred yards away, drawn to the sound of their engine. Garbled growls can be heard over the drone of crickets. The trace smell of garbage on the breeze, the light and space of the outdoors is almost overwhelming to him. He feels like he's been asleep for a hundred years, locked away in that dank and dirty church- he starts to feel dizzy.

Y/n gooses the accelerator and the SUV lurches away. He sinks into his seat as they roar down the road, swerving to avoid the half dozen or so biters now skulking out of the woods blocking their path. They sideswipe one the creatures, ripping a chunk of its shoulder, splattering fresh gore across the glass of his side window.

"You get used to it." she states after he flinches in disgust. He just stares at the splatter, flecks of bone chips, and a long trail of black bile.

"I don't think anyone can get used to that ..." Nick mutters from the back seat.

Night falls and the darkness deepens behind the trees on either side of the road. Most of the streetlights in this part of the country have gone the same way as the internet or cable TV, so the road only gets darker and darker as they head south towards the steaming thickets and festering swamps of the coastal lowlands. The going is slow, most of the two lanes are crowded with rusted out wreckages ,the carcasses of cars and trucks so old now that the weeds and switchgrass have begun to grow up from their metal endoskeletons. The two young men in the rear breathe heavily, thickly, half asleep while Y/n drives and softly hums some forgotten tune. They had passed the jerky and water around a few minutes ago- their standard fare of supper- and now their bellies growl and their eyelids droop with exhaustion.

"You never gave your name..." His hushed voices rings out from the shotgun seat.

"Hadn't crossed my mind at the time, sorry about that... It's Y/n" She chuckles softly. "The one with the headband is Nick but goes by Sapnap, don't ask i don't know- the other one with the accent is George." he just simply hums in reply.

"What about you big guy? What do they call you?"

He takes a moment to regard the woman seated next to him; his head still trying to wrap itself around this complete stranger who's shown him nothing but kindness. On the one hand, she seems trustworthy enough, friendly, a good listener, courteous and capable of single handedly taking out an entire chapel full of reanimated corpses... On the other hand she seems like a walking time bomb. He'd seen her type before- they type that's too kind until something or someone breaks that trust. A hairline trigger. The sad fact is he doesn't have a large array of options. Staying in that hellhole of a church with those enslavers, listening to the groans of the dead, waiting for whatever those bastards would do next quickly loses its charm... Seeing the aftermath of her cleaning house with that knife had given him an odd charge- a cathartic release. He's also aware that he'd never be able to find the caravan on his own given the sorry state he's in. He really has no choice but to go along with her and her scruffy ass men and hope for the best.

"I don't have a name.. that is, one that I can remember.."

She desperately wants to pry, how could he not remember his own name? But the thousand yard stare and glassy gaze is enough to stop her from inquiring any further. "Well we've gotta call you something big guy." She's met with silence in response. "Alright, I guess Big Guy it is then." He offers only a meek hum in response. In an attempt to silence his own raging thoughts his eyes landed on the red bandanna tied to the rearview mirror for what was probably the hundredth time since he started on this way too long car ride.

"... What's that about?" He points to the red scarf.

"It belonged to a friend of mine a long while back, before Sapnap and George were a thing." Her hands tighten their hold on the wheel. "I was caught by 'traders' and he was stuck in the same hole as me... Couldn't have been any older than fourteen at the time. One night the compound was under attack, their front gate was breached- luckily we were kept at the very back end, so when the opportunity came we managed to escape our holding cell and I hoisted him over the wall. Told him to keep running, to not look back. He got away but I was caught again," She takes in a deep breath before resuming her story.

"I was quickly sold off to some asshole who had these two chained up for breaking into their stores... one thing led to another and we snuck out and snagged this ride... we've been moving around since." It was obvious by her tone there was a lot she was leaving out and probably for a good reason. Notably the two in the back seat were dead silent, so much so that it made the air feel heavy and dense enough to cut with a sharp enough knife. Suddenly he was wishing he hadn't bothered to ask in the first place

"That sign back there," He manages, desprate to break the heavy air "Said 'Cross city 12 miles" He glances up from the map in his lap, gazing out the side window at the stewing darkness of Dixie County Florida. "Got a feeling we're getting close."

The vast patchwork of wetlands passes in a blur on either side of them. The land oozing a low blanket of methane as gray as mold, clinging to the shadows of pine thickets and gullies like dirty lace. The air smells briny and rotten with dead fish. Every few minutes they pass the ruins of a small town or wreckage strewn trailer parks. No sign of survivors in these parts, though only the occasional silhouette of an upright corpse shambling by, it's eyes like twin yellow reflectors in the darkness.

"We can't just keep burning gas all night." Sapnap says from his place in the rear, his voice all cranked up with pain and panic "and we can't just go off of what you overheard those traders talking about- Much less go off of feelings.." Big guy just keeps a neural face.

"We're in the ballpark" He persists "Believe me they'll be hard to miss." Y/n grips the steering wheel, her jaw working overtime on a piece of gum, snapping and chewing complusively as she drives.

"How many vehicles do they have in this convoy?" George questions between wheezy breaths.

"No idea... but it's quite a few ."

"That's pretty general."

"They'll be easy to spot." He replies once more, gazing back out at the darkness. "Our best bet is to follow the coast, they like to keep close to the water.."

"Why's that?"

He shrugs. "According to those 'traders' they keep their eyes peeled for ships or any possible way they might get their asses the hell out of here. Most of the bigger boats around here have been destroyed by the hurricane that hit a couple years ago, so it's a long shot that they'll find anything..."

They're about to give up the search when they start to climb the gentle slope- at first so gradual it's almost unnoticeable - up the side of a vast malodorous landfill- the barren trash-strewn scrubland to their left reaches across miles of sandy berms, all the way down to the deserted ghostly boardwalks that wind their way along the beaches. The sky has begun to bruise pink with predawn light and Y/n has just started to say something when the Big Guy sees the first faint streaks of red dots in the distant haze.

"LOOK!" He points his large gnarled hand down at the far dunes of ashen white sand winding along the coast. The surface is so pocked and windswept it resembles the dark side of the moon.

"Where?" She cranes her neck, slowing the vehicle down to a crawl.

"I don't see anything."

"About Half a mile up there... Look at the tail lights!"

She takes a deep cleansing breath as she finally sees the caravan chugging along the coastal road in the predawn light, it looks like embers throwing up puffs of smoke in their wake.

"Holy shit, I see it." A big smile washes over her face, Glad she decided to follow through with this insane plan.

"What do you think of those boys?" The two young men in the rear lean forward, transfixed by the sight, each of them rapt and silent as they gaze at the convoy.

"What are you doing?! Blaster your horn at them," George stutters anxiously. "Don't let them get away !"

Y/n smiles to herself, in her former life she used to be fascinated by the wildlife shows, often catching them in the late night showings after work before she turning in for the night. She remembers one episode in particular, on the behavior of sheep vs the behavior of wolves. She remembers the flock mentality; the sheep moving almost as one, easily managed by a single sheepdog. She remembers the instinct of the Wolf, stealthy, patient as it and its pack creep up on the flock. She shoots a glance across the dark interior at the larger man sat next to her before turning her head to face the two sat behind them.

"I have a better idea."

Taglist

@the-wandering-pan-ace @hvrcruxes

[lemonpeter]

STARKER by Peter B. Parker

Chapter 4: Reunion

A/N: things are moving along! we can’t wait to hear what you guys think! - bloo and bri

Warnings: death mention, Peter is still 17 (that isn’t changing), marriage discussion, resurrection (in a way), mention of trauma

Masterlist ao3

————

Ned stared up at the overly large glass doors in front of him. “Whoa.”

The new SHIELD headquarters was pretty impressive, mirrored glass making up the entire outside. An interesting choice for a building that got attacked quite a bit, but maybe it was reinforced glass. It wasn’t his place to judge.

The agent that had been sent to pick him up simply looked at the teenager blankly before snapping his fingers a few times in quick succession. "Inside, please."

"Oh, yeah, okay right." Taking a step forward, Ned walked through the doors when they slid open. "So, uh, do you know where I am supposed to go, exactly?" He looked over at Grumpy expectantly.

"Front desk," was the only response he received as the man walked away from him.

So much for that. "Thanks," Ned muttered to himself, clutching the straps of his backpack and making his way to said front desk. Not off to a great start. The first guy definitely was not the most helpful person in the world, but maybe someone else would be. He hoped that would be the case.

The blonde woman sitting behind the desk looked up at him, pausing her typing. "May I help you?" She didn’t sound unkind, so Ned decided to try his luck.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, I think so. I'm here to see-"

"Leeds."

His head jerked up as he heard the voice. That was not at all something he had expected. It was hard enough to convince himself that the email was real, but he hadn’t even dreamed that he’d be having any direct interactions with the man in front of him. "Holy shit, you're Nick Fury! I mean- uh- yes, Ned Leeds, that's me.”

There was a moment of tension before the director narrowed his eye in Ned’s direction and spun around on his heel."Come with me. You need to be fingerprinted and we need to get you a badge."

“A badge? Like- the kind someone who works here gets?”

“Not exactly.”

Throughout the whole process, Ned was wide-eyed with amazement. Everything was so cool. The whole thing had to be a dream, and he was sure he was going to blink and wake up in his bedroom. He repeatedly did his best to hold back streams of thrilled babbling and little noises of excitement.

He still hadn’t held back as much as the director had hoped.

“You’ll be working with one of our agents,” Fury groused, pausing as the door to the briefing room slid open to allow them to enter. He stepped away from the teen to sit in the dark leather desk chair placed at the head of the long glass table. Looking down at his watch, he sighed before raising his gaze back up. “Oliver will be your point person. You’re not to bother anyone else, understood?”

Ned nodded his head a few times in quick succession. “Yes sir, Mr. Fury, sir.” When the man’s eye narrowed at him, he hastily corrected himself. Shit. “Sorry, sorry- Director Fury. Sir.” He hurriedly let himself fall into another desk chair to Fury’s right and waited for further instructions.

None came. The only sounds to be heard were the ticking of the clock on the wall and the soft whoosh of their breathing. What was with no one giving him any information? It was unnerving, as was the silence, and Ned couldn’t help himself-

“So, uh-,” he started, fiddling with his backpack, which he was now clutching in his lap. “When’s this Oliver guy supposed to get here? What like, department is he from?”

Fury merely stared at him blankly, expression giving absolutely nothing away. “That’s classified information.” His eyebrow twitched minutely, betraying the fact that he was fucking with Ned, but the teen didn’t pick up on it.

“Oh, oh okay. Well what can I know? Like- How am I supposed to help you guys-”

The door burst open, a slight female form rushing into the room, arms full. “Sorry I’m late, Director,” she breathed, nearly gliding along the floor as she made her way to a seat on the opposite side of the table from Ned, beside Fury. Her glasses were slipping down the slope of her nose and she hurriedly pushed them up with the side of her hand. She took a deep breath before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that had come out of the intricate braiding atop her head. “I-”

The man sighed and shook his head. “I don’t wanna hear it Oliver-”

Ned’s mouth was open wide as he stared at the girl woman across from him. “Huh? But you’re-”

His interjection made the young woman turn her attention on him, a smile overtaking her kind face. “Oh! You must be Mr. Leeds! It’s nice to meet you, thanks so much for coming in. We could really use your help to locate your friend Peter.” She stuck her hand out, delicately French-tipped fingers shining in the light. “Paige Oliver, SHIELD Agent.”

Palm slightly clammy, Ned’s fingers twitched as they shook hands. “Paige,” the teen whispered, awestruck, before catching himself. “I mean, um, Oliver?” His cheeks flushed a little and he cursed himself and pulled his hand back. How was he supposed to address her? He had not been prepared to be working with a girl, much less one as pretty as this agent was. She couldn’t be that much older than him, probably an older teen, but only 25 at most. Fuck. “I’m uh, I’m Ned. Guy in the chair.”

Paige grinned at him, dark eyes lighting up behind her lenses. “Welcome to the team.”

Fury just rolled his eye with a huff as he waved a hand through the air. “If you two are finished- Oliver, catch him up to speed.”

***

Peter looked up from his notebook when he heard footsteps padding across the carpet of the sitting area. His eyes burned slightly and he couldn’t help but wonder just how long he’d been working. It was hard to keep track of time in the illusion. “Hey T,” he smiled, running a hand through his hair as he looked back at Tony.

“Hi yourself,” the older man replied, looking rather cozy in his sweatpants and t-shirt as he sat down on the couch beside his fiance. His arm wrapped around Peter’s shoulders and he pressed a quick kiss to his temple. “Whatcha workin on? Wedding stuff?”

Peter sighed, snuggling into the embrace. It was so nice to just be held. “How’d you guess?” Like it hadn’t been all he’d been working on since the proposal.

Tony chuckled. “You get this little wrinkle- right here,” he poked the middle of Peter’s forehead before smoothing the pad of his finger over the area. “Means you’re focused too hard on something.”

Letting out a little huff of a laugh, the teen let himself relax a bit more, head falling to rest on Tony’s shoulder. He liked how the man picked up on some of his body language or little quirks. “Yeah, some of this is just- it’s taking a lot more work than I thought it would.”

The billionaire made a soft noise. “Anything I can help with, baby? You know I don’t mind.”

Peter shook his head. “No, I… It’s okay, thank you, though. I really wanna do this- wanna surprise you, y’know?”

“Well, how about I-” Whatever Tony was beginning to say was cut off by the sound of Peter’s stomach growling. Loudly. He laughed before continuing, “How about I go get started on some lunch? You keep working, and I’ll call you when it’s ready, okay?”

“That sounds amazing, Tony, thank you.”

“Of course. Love you.”

“I love you too.” Opening the notebook back up once he could hear Tony banging around in the kitchen, Peter stared at his next task, one he’d been avoiding: the guest list. The blank guest list.

Other than himself and Tony, there were only a few people that he wanted there. He wanted his family to be there to see him get married, to see him finally get his happy ending.

Too bad everyone he’d ever loved was dead. (Except for May, but- He didn’t want to think about that.)

But...maybe he could bring them back. Just like he’d done with his new fiancé.

Just the thought made his heart beat faster in his chest, the possibility of seeing them all again. Uncle Ben. Fuck, his mom and dad. He’d give anything to hold them, to see their smiles and hear their laughter-

Before really even thinking about it, his pen was flying across the page. Mom. Dad. Ben. May.

He paused after the last one. He felt- Was it wrong to bring May back? She wasn’t really gone, not in the same way that the others were. She was just- missing. Fuck, he missed her so much. But maybe this was something he would have to do without her. Tears stung his eyes as he crossed her name out with a shaking hand.

Mom. Dad. Ben.

No. It looked incomplete with one of the most important people in his world missing. Wiping the tears away, Peter started writing again.

Mom. Dad. Ben. May.

***

“Have you guys tried to access EDITH?” When no one responded, instead just looked at him blankly, he furiously began flicking through the holograms in front of him, looking back and forth between it and his laptop. “Okay so EDITH is this really cool AI that Mr. Stark-”

Fury was quick to interrupt. He was doing his best to make sure there was no more rambling than was truly necessary. “We know about the tech, Leeds. But what reason would Parker have for creating illusions or utilizing the world’s most powerful armed-drone weapons system?”

“Look,” Ned sighed, fiddling with a pen. It made him feel weird, talking about Peter like this. “I know Peter. Probably better than almost anyone else. He...never really dealt with Mr. Stark’s death, and all of that stuff that happened in Europe with that Mysterio guy really didn’t help. Add in him being outed as Spider-Man?” He’d done a lot of thinking about this. And if he was honest with himself, he’d kind of known what was going on as soon as he knew his best friend had gone missing.

He desperately wanted to be wrong, but he knew that he wasn’t.

The young man shook himself out of his thoughts and continued. “He’s...hiding. He doesn’t want to be found because, well- Everything’s gone wrong here, for him. So he’s gone somewhere where nothing can go wrong.” His words only served to further convince himself as he said them out loud for the first time.

Nick stared at the teenager. “You’re telling me that Parker is creating his own alternate reality where everything is sunshine and fucking rainbows? He’s running around making daisy chains?”

Paige’s brows were furrowed as she tapped the cap of her pen on the table. “It’s a fairly normal and reasonable reaction, actually. Healthy, in some circumstances, though I’m not sure about this one. Mr. Leeds is right, Mr. Parker has dealt with extreme levels of trauma recently, and he’s most likely gone untreated if he’s anything like his older counterparts. He’s attempting to protect himself.”

Rolling his eyes, Fury turned his attention from the young agent back to their new ‘consultant’. Lord help him. “So you think he’s out there, unsupervised and unstable, with a multimillion dollar piece of Stark tech? Great. How do we find him, Einstein?”

Ned began typing furiously on his laptop. “Well, uh, I kinda already tried? I asked Paige, I mean- Agent Oliver, sorry, for access to SHIELD’s file on EDITH from last summer. I was able to look at the program logs and analyze their code. Once I figured out what I was working with, I was able to bypass some of the encrypted security features and download the logs up til now.” He frowned a bit, pausing. “I can see that the EDITH program has been in use recently- but the dispatch data for the drones… The location is scrambled.”

“So what you’re saying is we still don’t know where he is.” Paige’s voice was slightly amused.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” The director’s most definitely was not.

“Hey, we might not know where he is, but we can at least get in contact with him now. Well- hopefully. Maybe. Since I was able to access EDITH’s archives and- basically, I think I can hack deeper into her programming and alter Peter’s illusions remotely.”

He thought back to the footage he had seen when he’d cautiously (read: uneasily- there had been things he’d never wanted to witness his best friend doing) made his way through the most recent files in EDITH’s archives in order to make sure Peter was indeed the one using the tech. And he definitely was. There was a lot to unpack there, especially considering the amount of time Peter was spending wearing the glasses.

But he was thinking specifically about the way Peter had written May’s name down on the notebook page titled “Guest List” before scratching it out, then repeated the whole process all over again several times.

This was definitely going to hurt his friend, Ned knew. But he also knew that it was for Peter’s own good. Hopefully the other teen would realize that in time, too.

“I think we should send May Parker in.”

***

Tony and Peter were laying on the couch in the living room, watching TV and cuddling. Or, well, their legs were cuddling. The older man was seated on one side, while Peter was stretched out on the other, their lower limbs entwined with each other under the fluffy throw blanket that the teen had claimed as his own.

Tony pointed his toes, pressing them into the meat of Peter’s thigh. “What’s up, baby? You aren’t even paying attention- this is your favorite show.” He waved his hand through the air, the gesture pausing the program. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he turned to study the young man’s face. “You look...anxious, Pete. What is it?”

Quickly trying to school his facial expression into something more neutral, Peter made eye contact with Tony for a second before directing his gaze to the giant flatscreen in front of them. “I’m fine,” he said softly. “Just thinking, y'know? Sorry for getting distracted,” he trailed off as Tony started the show back up again.

He had made up his mind about bringing his family back. He missed them and wanted to spend time with them, share this part of his life. There was no reason not to; it wouldn't hurt anyone.

Anyone other than Peter, that was. But he’d already worked on coming to terms with that.

So he was starting to second-guess himself. What would happen when it was time to say goodbye? Could he handle that?

Or- actually, he never got to say goodbye to them in the first place. His parents had died miles away from him. He'd been young enough that he couldn't really remember them dropping him off with his aunt and uncle when they left for their trip. He hadn't been with Ben when he was murdered. Maybe this time he could finally get the closure he so desperately needed, on his own terms.

This would help him in the long run, he was sure of it. The whole thing would.

With his mind now made up, Peter reached his arm out to grab at Tony's hand, which squeezed his comfortingly. He watched the action on the screen without really following what was happening, debating the best way to move forward.

Peter took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing for a moment.

Then the elevator gave a soft ‘ding�� behind them, and FRIDAY’s gentle voice rang out through the penthouse, signalling that someone was on their way up.

Peter felt like all the tension he’d been holding in his body released at that moment. He was ready.

Tony, however, jumped a bit in surprise, the sudden interruption pulling his attention away from the TV, and turned to look at Peter with a confused look on his face. “Who- Are we expecting someone, Pete? Did you order pizza or something?” Waving his hand again, the program paused once more.

A nervous chuckle escaped Peter’s lips as he wiggled his way out from under the blanket. Thankfully the AI hadn’t mentioned exactly who was on their way up. “Or something,” he said, pushing himself off the couch. He walked up the two little steps to the main area of the penthouse, stopping a few feet from the elevator. The LED screen above the door indicated that it would be arriving momentarily, only two floors away.

The older man slowly made his way towards the teen. “Peter?” He sounded a bit anxious too, feeding off of his partner’s energy.

Shaking his head, Peter shot Tony a quick smile, one that he hoped was reassuring. He thought he’d had more of a grip on his emotions, at least from the other’s point of view. He would have to do better, couldn’t let his control slip so easily. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. Just- There’s some-”

Another ding, this one a bit louder, and the doors opened.

“Peter?”

Tears immediately welled up in the young man’s eyes when he heard the voice say his name. A sob erupted from his mouth as he brought his shaking hands up in an attempt to muffle it. “Mom,” he cried, barely even glancing at her before he was all but running into the arms that hadn’t held him in over a decade. “Mama- I-”

Mary ran her hand through her son’s curls, pulling him close to her chest. “Oh, Petey, it’s okay. It’s okay, baby, I’m right here.” She hummed softly, squeezing him tighter.

Peter shook his head, forehead digging into his mother’s collarbone. He didn’t want to let go, never wanted to let her go ever again. He felt like he was back to being six years old. She still smelled the same, like honey and vanilla. Like safety and home. “Missed you, missed you so much-”

Richard laughed softly from his place beside his wife once his son had started to calm down a little. “And what am I, Pete, chopped liver?”

“No, of course not,” the teen mumbled, turning his head to smile shakily at the man. One of his hands came up to wipe some of the tears away while the other stayed clutched around the fabric of Mary’s sweater. “But you’re not Mom.”

His father only laughed some more, moving to wrap his arms around them both. “It’s good to see you, bud. We’ve missed you something awful. Look how big you’ve gotten.”

“I’ll say!” Ben's exclamation made another choked sound bubble up from his nephew's lungs. His warm, booming voice broadcasted his happiness as much as the grin on his face. “Not a rugrat anymore, are ya champ?”

"Hi Uncle Ben," Peter said through more tears, overwhelmed at the sight of the man he'd grown to love as much as his own father.

After a moment and a few more pleasantries, the group started to move towards the sitting area, and Peter didn’t stray far from them, content with letting himself be enveloped by all the love he’d missed for so long, even as he heard Tony begin introducing himself to everyone.

But someone was still missing. He glanced behind his family in the direction of the elevator, trying to focus again.

May was supposed to be there too. She had to be, he couldn’t do this without her.

***

“Dammit, Leeds, patch her through,” Fury urged impatiently, closely watching the screen where they could see the illusion playing out in real time.

Ned winced in response, switching around a bit of the coding in what he hoped would be the last step. He hadn’t really had enough time to perfectly add any more tech to the program, but even his minor modifications would be helpful. They needed anything they could get in order to try and get through to Peter.

Hopefully his attempt would work.

He turned to look at May, who was watching everything with wide eyes. "You ready, May?"

And for a second, she didn't know how to answer that. The woman wasn’t so sure about getting involved with SHIELD, but she was desperate to have Peter back. She wasn’t sure what was going on with him. Things had been weird ever since Tony Stark died- well, weirder than the new normal of her teenage nephew moonlighting as a superhero. So there wasn’t any hesitation on her part when she agreed to going into his illusion.

It seemed complicated, but maybe that was just because she hadn’t ever been very into technology. Anything other than her phone seemed to be beyond her understanding.

Ned had managed to get an old virtual reality headset semi-patched into the EDITH program. In theory, it would allow May to see and participate in the illusion that Peter was living. And the hope was that he’d just think she was part of it until she could get to him. Then she could talk some sense into him and convince him to come home where he belonged.

“Alright May, here we go,” the teen spoke up again despite her silence, eyes back on his computer screen. “Anything coming up yet?”

May sighed and shifted her position in the chair, about ready to pull the stupid headset off. She knew that she probably looked pretty ridiculous to everyone else in the room. And for what? All she saw was a black screen, mocking her with its emptiness. “No. Nothing. It’s just-“

Suddenly there was a flicker of light that turned into a hazy mess of colors- It almost looked like what she saw without her glasses. “Wait, I think I might have something!”

A hush took over the room as all eyes were on May, everyone waiting with bated breath to see if their efforts would be successful.

“Remember what we discussed earlier, you have to act like you’re part of his world. He can’t know that you’re actually you yet. It is imperative that you assimilate into his alternate reality,” Paige said from where she was standing across the room, watching as the older woman began to turn her head about, clearly trying to explore her surroundings. “We might only have one shot at this!”

May took a deep breath and nodded. Yeah, no pressure. She definitely remembered. She had been instructed to keep her feelings in check until they either got Peter to shut the whole thing down or they learned his location. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t act differently than how Peter expected her to in the scene he’d set. Which was going to be- challenging, to say the least. Because she definitely had a lot of feelings about this whole situation going on between him and Mr. Stark.

Ned’s hands flew across the keys, his whole focus on successfully getting May into the illusion and to Peter. He had to save his best friend. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself, otherwise.

The whole picture slowly came to life before May’s eyes, blurred blobs sharpening into recognizable objects, and she could no longer hear the commotion of the people around her. All she heard was-

She heard the sound of Ben's laughter, mingling with the voices of Richie and Mary, and her heart somehow sank to her stomach and jumped up into her throat at the same time.

He’d really brought them all back.

***

The elevator dinged once more, the missing piece to Peter’s puzzle walking out with a gentle smile on her face as she looked around the open layout apartment. May made eye contact with Peter and her face immediately lit up. “Oh, Peter. Hi baby, it’s so good to see you.”

Peter’s own eyes widened, and he grinned as he took a step towards her. He heard his uncle cry out happily behind him, “There you are, May! What’d you do, get lost?” At the same time, the hair on his arms stood on end and a shiver ran down his spine. And huh- he must’ve missed his aunt even more than he thought, in order to be excited enough for this type of-

With a gasp and a panicked cry, Peter’s eyes flew open as he fumbled with the glasses until they went flying from his face. The sound of them hitting the padded floor vaguely registered in his mind. He turned his head left and right frantically, while simultaneously springing to his feet and leaping up into the corner where the ceiling met the wall.

His heart was racing in his chest and thudding in his ears as his eyes darted around the room, trying to locate the threat that his extra sense was picking up on. (He refused to call it the Peter-Tingle on principle.)

It was silent for five minutes as he sat there, shaking and blinking back tears. Nothing had happened- Karen said there were no other heat signatures within a 70 mile radius. There was obviously no threat but- What the fuck was that?

His spidey-sense had been haywire for a while, yeah, ever since he came back after the Blip. But it was always a case of them not alerting him to potential threats, never had they been overactive like that, unnecessarily hyper-vigilant.

Maybe it was all the stress finally catching up with him.

Trying to control his breathing, Peter let himself drop down to the floor, landing in a crouch. He stood up and slowly made his way over to the gym mats he had been lounging on. The teen spun around in a circle once he reached them, searching the ground for the blue-framed lenses.

They weren’t too far away so he retrieved them in a couple steps and ran his finger over the dark glass. There didn’t seem to be any damage, thankfully. He’d never forgive himscame backthing happened to the glasses. They were the only good thing he had left.

Tucking back into his prior position, Peter curled up on the cushioned surface. After looking around a few more times, listening as hard as he could, he sighed and placed the glasses back on his face.

He had a family to get back to, and he didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer than he already had.

[mnxxlove]

Hey! I was hoping for 3, 9, & 12 with obi-wan please? 💕

SECRET AFFAIR

Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Prompts:

3; secret dating.

9; smut or fluff.

12; age gap.

Word Count: 2717

Summary: Y/n and General Kenobi, have been having a secret affair ever since the war began. But they haven’t gotten time or privacy to be all by themselves. They barely had news about each other, which made their relationship to be dangerously needy and not as conservative as they wanted it to be. Suddenly, one day, she gets the news that she’s going to be accompanying him and General Skywalker to protect their old common friend, the senator Amidala.

Their relationship has always been strictly professional, but once they get alone, it's just Y/n and him. Meanwhile, Anakin has a private talk with Padmé and the chancellor, Obi-wan and Y/n sloped off for a few minutes.

warnings: unprotected sex (do not do that. you ought to always use protection!), super light smut, old language(?(, age gap(-4), fluff, and I added a bit of angst, bc I’m build like that.

Thanks for your request love 🌹

gif not mine;

It was too early in the morning, not even the clouds were letting the rays of sunshine to brighten the city of Coruscant, and she was already upset with the whole Council. They've decided to make a decision that involved her, without her being present. And she later on, got warmed about it as always.... As much as she wanted to make decisions for herself, she was still not having enough privilege to do so. She could not stand it. But still, to this day, she needed to bite her bottom lip, nod and do as it was said.

"Did I hear you clearly? Am I going on my first ever solo mission?" Her voice sounded in a mix of excitement and exasperation. Such as if she could not believe what she did hear coming from her master's mouth.

"I have never said you were going all by yourself." Mace spoke seriously, his eyes staying wide opened while he stared at her in expectation. Y/n raised her chin, to look at him directly in the eyes, to then keep her breath right deep inside her lungs.

"Look, it's not that we don't trust you –." Her master continued, his voice soothing this time. But she did not care at all, so she talked back without thinking, then interrupting him abruptly.

"Well, it looks like it." Her voice did not sound with anger but with disappointment, instead.

There was a big pause between them. Mace sighed,  raising one of his arms while making her a signal for her to take a seat just right in front of him. Pressing her lips in a thin line, she sat, legs crossed, just as he was sitting. He was having his mouth opened, but any kind of words weren't escaping from his mouth. She did not have any idea about how long they decided to stay quiet. Seconds felt like minutes, and it did haunt her, making her feel pressured and quite too anxious. Y/n tried to keep her gaze steady on her brown robes, but his sudden voice got her by surprise, making her raise her face immediately.

"I gave my word, not them. They just agreed. I see potential in you, but I do not want you to go on a suicidal mission all by yourself, indeed." He continued, making her let out a deep breath of exhaustion. "General Kenobi and General Skywalker will accompany you in this mission, as long as the events do not change, of course..." He added, his voice calmed. Mace continued talking after that, but she did not hear anything clearly, it was too late. Her mind and thoughts were clouded by him again. Obi-wan's voice could easily trumble inside her head, making her feel completely lost. His subtle scent of vanilla and smoke was completely unforgettable, and easy to remember. Sometimes, it was that easy to imagine him with her, that she would not help but to sob. Imagining his presence was not the same as feeling the cozyness she would feel around him. The touch of his fingertips or the caress of his lips... It was too much to handle, and her heartbeat by consequence, began to pound rapidly. Making her master, to easily notice that her composure changed from then of sudden.. Mace did not say anything else, he just stared in confusion.

"I- I need to go. Excuse me, master." Her voice now way more softened, stuttered, while getting up from her seat. Her master did not say a word back, he just gave her a light nod while closing his eyes.

Y/n's heartbeat pounded hard and fast in her chest, it almost hurt. Feeling herself choking, she walked rapidly by the long corridors way to her quarters. Her right hand placed just where her heart should be. But it wasn't, because her heart left the same day he did. Her chest would raise and lower rapidly, while she could not help but to feel the adrenaline running through her veins once again. She was not used knowing anything about him, and when she did get any type of information, it would feel bitter but still pleasant to know and be aware that he was still alive, far away from her and achieving what he always desired.

Swallowing hard, she opened the door from her quarters and once she was already inside, she closed the door behind her, to then, resting her back on it. The room had a blueish subtone, making her understand that the clouds were still hiding the sun. She took a deep breath, her eyes kept closed, trying to find any kind of relaxation. Suddenly, she let herself fall to the ground, sliding her back down slowly. Her forearms then, resting on her knees, while she hid her face in desperation. Y/n's feelings have never been mixed up, as talking about Obi-wan, she loved him, truly. And he did as well.

It was madness! They were too reckless back then, to know certainly what they were truly feeling for each other, nevertheless, they were mature enough to take that one step, they needed to take and so they did, formally dating and having a serious and mature relationship. They knew that whatever they were feeling was true and honest.

And so, none of them wanted to leave the council, so, they decided to keep it as a secret, although they knew it was practically impossible at a certain time to know anything about each other, meanwhile he was up, fighting in galaxies far away from Coruscant.

The rest of the morning, she spent it inside the four walls of her cozy quarters. Wishing the hours and minutes to run as fast as possible for her to finally meet with him, after being apart from each other, for months. It was going to happen, and she was not ready. She didn't need time, y/n knew right deep inside her heart, that she was never going to be able to be ready to meet with him again... Impatiently, she let her hand travel up, to her collar, grabbing the necklace he gave her. It was the only thing she owned from him, and she did not want to lose it. She could not be able to apologise herself, if she ever loses it... Mace told her that they would be in Coruscant in a few hours, and it has already passed a few hours, making her feel completely irritated. A normal person would wait someone such as taking a seat or distracting itself, making some time for it's own, making useful things and to not waste minutes or mostly, hours not doing anything. However, on the other hand, she preferred to walk all over her quarters, stepping her feet rapidly on the floor.

Y/n was all nerves and insecurity at the moment, but she did stop feeling like that just for a matter of second. When the communicator from her bedroom did warn her that they already arrived. Before getting out of her place, having her eyes closed, she decided to calm herself down or anyone at this point, would notice that something was wrong with her. Having her mind clear, and a neutral face on, now, she left and walked until arriving to the furthest living, in which were always used for making private reunions. Approaching, she noticed that there were a few bodyguards protecting the entrance, but they noticed her clothes and the body of her lightsaber placed on her belt, and so, they let her in.

“It has been far too long.” Padmé admitted, a bright smile curving on her lips, while she looked at both not only Jedi, but her old friends.

The whole place was in complete silence, or at least it was until Y/n decided to step a foot inside the living. She seemed relaxed, or at least she was, until she noticed that not only the senator was there. Suddenly, all eyes were marked on her, and she tripped on both her feet accidentally, almost falling but still managed to get on her way to the senator, obviously, trying not to keep as much eye contact as she could with Obi-wan.

“Glad to see that you’re alright..” She gasped out of sudden once passing her shaky, sweaty hands by her tight shirt. She did grab Amidala���s hand to then take Anakin’s and Obi-wan’s too. Her words were fast and almost improvised, and Obi-wan knew it. He knew her more than she knew her own self. But he did not remember her as exactly as she looked at that precise moment, still, she was the same clumsy girl whom he decided to fall head over heels for, when he was just a young boy.

She was not going to ignore it. She could not be able to. It was impossible to ignore the fact that she has been craving for him to be with her, to stay just where she was at the moment, and not being able to gaze at his piercing blue eyes, at least once. Although she would’ve loved to have the guts to, she knew that if she did so, she would be lost. Whereas, on the other hand, he could not be able to stop staring at her. Her hair was now longer, falling down her back. And she was still keeping two braids placed as a crown, such as how she used to hairstyle her hair when she had no time for. Her face seemed way more brighter than he was able to remember, but she still owned that heavenly smile, which he adored and missed so much.

The chat did not last for so long. It was clear that their job was going to be about protecting the senator, or at least that was their mission for now on. Once everything was said, Y/n excused herself not after giving to her lover a grin. Once she was already out, Obi-wan did excused himself as well, and he did walk towards the exit. Finding her, waiting for him.

“Long time no see...” He admitted, smiling ear to ear. His eyes brightened as cristal. Obi’s voice sounded amusing, and it was understandable. She felt the same way too. Having him with her was good, but at the same time, too risky..

“Likewise.” She breathed out, to then smile back at him. The energy between them was speechless, their words always soft and careful, most knowing that they were still on the catch of the eye of anyone.

Although none of them would still admit it, their eyes were full with emotion, and words weren’t needed at that moment. It was left clear between each other, that they did miss each other like madly. Although, the verbal language was not used at any given moment between them, they were sure about it.

“So, how are things going?” She cleared her throat.

“Anakin has gotten his first ever padawan... She's strong but reckless.” Obi-wan admitted in a sigh and it immediately made her chuckle.

“So, were we.” She affirmed, having a playful smile marked on her lips. Obi just smiled back at her, his chin lowered and his eyes closed.He was happy, and so was she. They’ve been together, at the same place for less than an hour, but he was sure that he needed to ‘have a talk with her’. Without saying anything else, they just had a little walk, enjoying each other’s company. For once in a lifetime, the air did not feel suffocating. But still it felt quite too difficult to breathe. "I've been wanting to talk with you, actually." He admitted, now making her turn her head. Her face changed and her eyes were not longer shining but clouded with lust, and so were his own. She perfectly knew what those words meant and she was not going to hesitate.

“...Is it possible if we can have some privacy, now?” Obi-wan continued, but his voice sounded more of a whisper now. Blinking rapidly, she scanned both sideways, to see if anyone was nearby. When she made sure there were no people around, she grabbed his hand, and they ran straight to her chambers, which was not too far away from where they were at. Once they were already inside, she expected him to be soft and delicately as always, but instead, once the door was closed behind her, he pushed her against it, placing both his hands on her face, and pressing his lips with her own. At first she got surprised, but she still kept kissing him back. Her hands now trailing up to the back of his nape, twirling her fingers with his now shorter hair. Within seconds, he did take off his cloak, and hers as well. They were still standing at the same place, so, instantly, he did place both his hands, down on both her thighs, making her jump and twirl her legs just between his waist. Her hands now being placed on both his shoulders, while he carried her and laid her down not too delicately on her bed. She swallowed hard, while she watched him rapidly bend over, to kiss her once more, but now, with way more passion.

“Stars! I missed every piece of you, my love…” He admitted, his voice hoarse and low, while leaving wet kisses all over her neck. Y/n did not say a word back in response. She was just letting out low but soft moans, letting him just be the only one who could be able to hear them. His arms were trailing all over her body, while he slowly took off her pants to then throw them far away from them.

“We can only be absent for ten minutes, you know it.” She was exasperated, while trying to unbutton his pants. Her hands were fast but clumsy, then, him taking off his trousers and his underwear quickly by himself.

“I know. I know. And I need you.” He whined, while placing himself on top of her, both hands placed comfortably pressed on the mattress.

Without saying anything else, lust in both their glances, she placed her left hand on his right cheek, to then making him bend his head over to press his lips with her own once more. Still having their mouths pressed together, he did push his hip afterwards, getting her by surprise and then, moaning of pleasure in his mouth. It was slow but constant, but within seconds, their breathing started to get exasperated, and the only thing that was able to be heard in that room was the bed slightly creaking. It was slow but hard at the same time, and it did hurt the very few pushes but it then became satisfactory. Once they were getting close, his communicator started to vibrate, they did ignore it but then it turned constant, making him groan annoyedly.

“Shhh,..” She hushed him. “Ignore it. Just concentrate on me, love.” That was the least she needed to tell him, for him to do so. Once she felt that she was getting closer, she started to moan even way more pleasantly.

Her chin was placed on his left shoulder, while both her hands were placed on his back, her nails pressed hard. He was getting upset, and she knew it just by the way he was acting at the moment. He was always careful and she knew it, but for the first time, it just didn’t feel like just having normal sex. It was needy and wanted. It always has been like that, but the fact that they’ve spent months apart, without having any type of information of their good given status, they both craved that moment even more. Suddenly, his movements became faster, making both their breaths to mix up. He wanted her to scream his name out loud but it was not going to happen as long they were in Coruscant... Right before cumming, and him hearing her letting out a loud moan, he did kiss her one last time, to then, her placing both her hands on his face.

[babyflossy]

ice cream | j.ww

gif credits to owner

pairing: wonwoo x reader

requested: yes! requests are still open mainly for nct, seventeen and ateez but i can probably write for others!

summary: when wonwoo’s babysitter cancels on him, you offer to look after his daughter despite the fact you have zero experience with children.

genre: single parents au, fluff

warnings: unedited

word count: 1.7k

when wonwoo's babysitter cancels on him at seven am on a thursday, he thinks his week can't get any worse. he's already had to dodge difficult clients and reschedule a whole day’s meetings after his three-year-old daughter, heejin, was sick and he had to stay home. that thought is proved incorrect, however, when he clips heejin into her car seat and he sees her bottom lip start to wobble. sighing loudly seems to only make the little girl more upset and before he can comfort her, the tears are already streaming down her face.

"hey, hey, hey," he soothes, wiping his fingers on the delicate skin under her eyes. "it's okay, sweetheart, daddy's bringing you to work today," wonwoo wracks his brain for something to cheer her up, at least until he gets to his office. "how about we get ice cream for lunch? would that cheer you up?"

he almost amazed at how ice cream seems to always solve heejin's toughest problems. warm relief floods his system as she stops sniffling and beams at him, her large eyes shining up at him.

"there we go, you have to be a good girl, though. can you do that for daddy?" she nods vigorously, clutching her fluffy bunny toy in her hands.

as it turns out, the ice cream promise can only work for so long, and as soon as wonwoo steps into the elevator, heejin clinging to his leg, her tears start falling again. he lifts her up, perching her on his hip as he tries to calm her cries. he wraps his arms tighter around her, pulling her into a comforting hug.

the last thing you expect to see when you're frantically trying to fit another consultation into wonwoo's schedule is a toddler in the office. let alone a toddler clung to your boss, crying into his neck. you freeze momentarily, confused, but are broken out of your stupor when the person on the other end of the phone starts shouting at you.

"i'm very sorry, mr montgomery, but mr jeon's schedule is completely full for the next week," the man in question shoots you an apologetic smile as he passes, trying not to laugh at the bewildered expression on your face. "i can fit you in for early next week, or i can defer you to another lawyer?"

after your borderline traumatic conversation, you decide to find wonwoo and ask him what the hell was going on. unsurprisingly, he's sat in his office, but instead of him in the chair behind his desk the little girl from earlier sits there, her body engulfed by the dark brown leather. she's still crying, her sobs getting louder and louder the longer you stand in his doorway. you're not sure if you should knock, you usually don't bother but the way he's crouched in front of her, offering her a reassuring smile, seems personal.

"i didn't know it was bring your child to work day," you start, walking a few steps inside the office before stopping, unsure how to act. "i would've brought my cat."

wonwoo chuckles and stands, accepting the slim brown file you hand him, flicking the first page open as you try not to stare at his child. you hadn't even been aware wonwoo had children until this moment. he still hasn't actually said it's his daughter, but the slope of her nose and the sparkle in her wide eyes confirm your suspicions.

"her babysitter cancelled this morning; the replacement is coming here at two." his words are distracted as he frowns at the busy day he has. he had been hoping it would be quick day so he could take heejin home and put a disney movie on for her to watch, maybe cook her favour food as a peace offering.

"ah, i see." you weren't quite sure why it was so jarring to find out wonwoo had kids. perhaps you should've known by the way your heart deflated slightly when you realised the kid must have a mother somewhere.

he looks up at you at your voice, frowning not unkindly. "i know it's inconvenient, but there was nowhere else she could go." the way he says it makes guilt flush through you and you immediately try to change your attitude.

"no, no, it's fine," the bags under his eyes don't do anything to make you feel better. "what's her name?"

"heejin," he smiles at her and you nearly melt, "she's nearly four. but she has a tendency to never stop crying when she starts. i think she's just scared."

walking up the chair, you crouch down and offer her your warmest smile, holding out your hand to her. "hi, heejin, my name's y/n, i work with your daddy." her cries stop, and she stares at you in what looks like confusion, but you were never good with kids. wonwoo holds his breath and waits for her to start screaming like she usually did with strangers, but he's shocked when heejin matches your smile. your eyes widen when her tiny hand clasps the ends of your fingers, an innocent giggle making your smile widen.

when you stand back up, the shock still on wonwoo's face makes you laugh. the file in his hand catches your eye again and you would regret if you didn't offer to help later. "do you want me to watch her for you? i can work in here, you have meetings to get to."

"you know i'm only making you do this because i'm desperate, right? i'm so sorry, i'll make sure you get a bonus for this," are the last words he says before he kisses heejin's forehead and rushes off to his first meeting, shooting you one last grateful smile on the way out.

once heejin had completely calmed down, she was quite easy to deal with. you were typing away on your laptop, replying to emails and starting to sort out the cases you and wonwoo would have to deal with over the next few weeks. heejin was sat on your lap, colouring a tiger you had printed off for her, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. thankfully, no one knocked on wonwoo's office door for the whole morning except mingyu, who apparently heejin already knew and loved.

the surprise on his face wore off quickly when she shouted in glee. "uncle mingyu!" she called, dropping the orange colouring pencil and waving her arms up for him. he shot you a questioning look over her head as he picked her up, throwing her up in and catching her a few times. you mouthed the words babysitter cancelled at him and he nodded in understanding.

"hello heejin-ah, what are you doing here?" mingyu's voice was theatrically positive and you had to stop yourself form laughing at your usually serious co-worker playing with a tiny little girl.

"daddy said i had to come to work with him, but then he promised me ice cream for lunch," you never thought ice cream could make a child so happy.

"well if he promised then i guess you should get excited," he patted her hair down as he sat perched on his waist, "are you having fun with y/n?"

the cold wash of nerves surprised you as you waited for her to answer. "yes!" you breathed a sigh of relief, "she showed me pictures of her kitten! daddy won't let me get a kitten!" mingyu raised an eyebrow at you but you pretended to be busy on your laptop.

after mingyu left, heejin went back to colouring, only raising her head to complain she was hungry every now and then. wonwoo's meeting was supposed to have finished five minutes ago, so you told her he was coming to stop her complaining.

when he finally did turn up his hair was dishevelled from raking his hand through it and his tie was loosened around his neck. heejin jumped from you lap and ran up to him, hugging her arms around the bottom of his leg. "hi, princess, you ready for ice cream?" he asked as he picked her up.

"can y/n come?" your eyes widened at her question and you could feel your cheeks heat up. wonwoo seemed just as surprised, giving her what you thought was a warning look. his eyes softened when she whined his name. "daddy, please?"

his eyebrows were raised to you in question and you stumbled over a response, unsure what you were supposed to say. "i wouldn't want to intrude–"

"nonsense, she's normally shy around strangers, so she must really like you." your cheeks blazed further at the thinly veiled compliment and you nodded.

heejin was distracted on the walk to the ice cream store, watching the people pass by, and you took the opportunity to ask what you had been burning to the whole day. "i didn't know you had kids," you started, thinking on how best to bring up the topic.

luckily you didn't have to explicitly ask. "i don't tell many people, i guess. her mother left as soon as she was born, it's always just been the two of us." nodding in understanding, you hated the way your heart felt that little bit lighter knowing he was still single. the worker asking for your orders saved you from thinking of an appropriate response.

finding a seat was easy as the shop was quite empty for lunchtime. wonwoo had insisted on paying for your ice cream, claiming it was repaying you for looking over heejin, even though you told him again and again you had enjoyed it. heejin was too focused on her ice cream to pay attention to either of you.

"so, uh," wonwoo started and you didn't fail to notice the slight pinking of his cheeks. "do you have anyone special at home?" his words were awkward, and he watched you try not to laugh.

"no, it's kinda difficult to meet people with such long hours."

he nodded in understanding, trying to calm his heartbeat, hating how he felt like a teenager about to ask out his crush. the ice cream on your spoon slipped back into the pot as you swirled it around, waiting with bated breath for his next words.

"did you want to maybe, go for dinner sometime?"

"i'd love that."

a/n: i haven’t written for seventeen since like september so this was really fun! and it made me miss them :(

[kaiparker-avengerssmut]

CURSED: CHAPTER NINE

"Don't listen to a word I say"

Kai Parker x OC!Mack Grace

Series synopsis: "We're both cursed, in a way."

We all know the story of Kai Parker, but he once lived in a very different life. Do you ever wonder what that life looked like?

Chapter summary: Mack tells Kai what she is

Warnings: smut

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

His lips were sloppy on hers, the connection never breaking as Mack shrugged his jacket off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Kai's shirt was to come off next, joining their discarded clothes in a pile. Mack's knees hit the back of the bed, sending her body tumbling into the sheets and soon joined by Kai's.

His hands were everywhere and nowhere, exploring her body as if they hadn't just fucked in his car. They both froze at the sound of bang from downstairs.

"What was that?" Mack asked, frightened.

"Nothing. Probably just the wind." Kai dismissed, leaning down to leave kisses all over her neck. Another bang.

"Kai." Mack scolded, pushing him off her and sitting up. Bang bang bang. She looked to Kai, who held a finger up to his lips and slowly climbed off the bed, throwing her his shirt which Mack was quick to put on. He crept to the door, but not before quietly pulling something out of his dresser drawer. The small stone confused Mack, even more so when it began to glow orange in his hand and his face contorted with pleasure. He opened his eyes again, discarding the stone.

Kai wandered down the hall, the stairs letting off creaks as he walked down them. The shadow in the kitchen was illuminated by the pale moon light, outlined in silver. It raised a hand, walking forward so it's face was in the light.

"Malachai. I was hoping to find you." A deep, almost familiar voice spoke. "You're father - our leader - still chooses to let you live, an abomination. Someone like you should have never been born, let alone allowed a life." Kai's hand was raised too now. "Phasmatos Morsinus Pyrox Allum Phasmatos Morsinus Pyrox Allum Phasmatos Morsinus Pyrox Allum" the figure began to chant.

Kai doubled over, clutching his head in pain and screaming loudly.

"If Joshua won't kill you, I will." His voice was menacing, Kai was on so much pain he couldn't muster the words for a simple 'ves matas'

Then the pain stopped. Kai slowly looked up from where he was hunched down on the floor. What he saw shocked him, Mack was wrestling with the witch, trying to get him away from Kai. But she was overpowered, and the witch soon had her slammed against the wall with a hand around her neck. She kicks and scratched but he didn't let up. Kai raised his hand, anger seeping into his expression.

"Motus." The witch flew back and one of the cupboards, causing a loud crash when some pans fell from the shelf above. Mack's head smacked against the wall as she fell, her vision soon fleeting and the last thing she remembered were the shouts of Kai and the stranger.

...

Confused. That's how Mack felt when she woke up. Confused at why she was in a bed. Confused as to whose bed and whose room. Confused about what happened. But worst of all, confused about what the fuck Kai did. Mack's attention was captured by the door handle slowly turning, revealing a sympathetic looking Kai holding a damp washcloth when it opened.

He slowly walked to the bed, sitting on the edge carefully. The pieces were suddenly together in her mind and Mack began to remember what happened.

The attack. The strange man chanting. Kai crumpled on the floor screaming. Being shoved against the wall. The man flying off Mack without being touched. Smacking her head on the stone. Mack sat up, sitting against the headboard and looking at Kai, who was yet to say a word. Before he could, Mack spoke up.

"How did he do that? How did you do that?" The look in her eyes was frantic, confused, and it only made Kai pity her more. He was dragging an innocent girl into his life. His crazy, fucked up life. He let out a sigh, raising the damp cloth to her fore head and started to clean the blood away. Mack clinched as it made contact with the wound lining her temple, but let him continue.

"I'm a witch. So was he." Kai blurted, not really expecting her to believe him. But she did.

"So it was magic?" Mack pressed, almost unfazed at the fact witches were real. Being told she was a werewolf yet to trigger some painful curse one hundred percent trumped finding out her best friend was a witch. Kai nodded, not looking the girl in the eye and instead focusing on her wound. "And Jo?"

"Yes. My whole family are." Kai confirmed. Mack slowly nodded, processing the information. Then a new question dawned on her as her mind wandered to what she has heard from the top on the stairs.

"That man, the witch, he called you an abomination, he said that your dad should have killed you. W-why?" Kai let out another sigh, lowering his hand and looking at his lap, unable to meet her eyes.

"I'm different. I don't have my own magic, I can only absorb it - siphon it - from others." He looked up at Mack, relief spilling over him when he realised her eyes weren't full of disgust or fear like everyone else's always are.

"So the rock?"

"Had magic in it. It's my emergency supply that I convinced Jo to give me."

"Why did you have to convince her?" Mack was genuinely curious. It didn't seem like a bad thing.

"M-my dad, he thinks that siphons are wrong, unnatural. He doesn't like my siphoning, let alone from my siblings. They get in trouble too if they give me magic." He confessed, looking back at his lap again. Mack frowned, cupping his face in her hands and bringing his head up so she could look in his eyes.

"Your not an abomination. Not to me." Mack whispered, rubbing her thumbs soothingly over his cheekbones. Kai closed his eyes, letting out a prolonged sigh before curling his fingers around her wrists before pulling her hand away from his face. He dropped them into her lap, standing from the bed and walking into his bathroom and discarding the cloth into the sink. He walked back into the room, looking at Mack with tears forming in his eyes now.

"Tell that to my dad." He said, turning around and pulling his shirt over his head. Mack gasped, shocked at how she hadn't noticed the criss-cross of scars littering his back, some paler than others, some smaller and some bigger. Some looked newer, some looked older. She stood tentatively, her hand hovering over his back before she brushed her fingers over the raised skin, tracing the lines. Kai's eyes clenched shut as he tried to hold back tears, before he turned back around to tower over Mack.

"Why aren't you scared of me?" The question sloped from his lips in a low voice, one that could only be described as menacing to anyone else. But not Mack. She shook her head, looking down to their feet before looking back up again.

"I have secrets too, you know." She laughed, resting her hands on his chest. Kai's hands slipped to her waist, pulling Mack closer to him and resting his forehead against hers.

"Really? The innocent nerd has a deep, dark secret that's as bad as being a witch? Do tell." Kai smile was back, but it was small and genuine, not his usual cocky smirk. Mack's lips dropped slightly, closing her yes she took a deep breath before opening them again and looking straight into Kai's.

"I-I'm a werewolf." She stuttered, moving to walk away when Kai didn't immediately respond. He tugged her back to him, tightening his grip on her hips. When he started laughing she felt embarrassed, pink flushing her cheeks. Mack couldn't look at him, avoiding his eyes until Kai grabbed her chin, tilting her head to look at him.

"I'm sorry. I just- those are real?" Kai asked, bewildered. He knew there were probably other things than witches, but he never guessed it was werewolves lurking out there. Mack nodded, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"I haven't triggered it yet, so I don't have to turn. But I will. One day."

"When?"

"When I kill someone." She whispered.

"You make that sound like it's going to be inevitable." Kai's brown knitted together. Mack sighed.

"I get angry easily. It's like when someone annoys me, my body wants me to kill them."

"You never seemed the angry type." Kai confessed.

"There's a reason I have no friends. A reason I don't talk. The less people I interact with, the smaller chance I have at getting angry enough to do something stupid."

Kai nudged Mack's nose with his, brushing his lips over hers as his lips flicked between them and her eyes.

"I guess we're both cursed, in a way." He breathed, before kissing her with a passion she had never felt before. His hands slipped down, cupping her ass and lifting Mack. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, gasping as he squeezed her ass. Kai took the opportunity to snake his tongue into her mouth, running it over her teeth and finally settling with languid strokes over hers.

Kai moaned into the kiss when Mack tugged at his hair. He backed them to the bed, dropping Mack into the covers and climbing over her. His kisses turned to her neck, trailing down her body until he reached the neckline of her shirt. Mack sat up to pull the fabric over her head, before Kai continued kissing down her body. Her breasts, naval, just below her belly button until he reached the place she needed him most.

He hooked his fingers into her panties, dragging the lace down Mack's legs and throwing them to the floor. Mack pulled him up for another kiss, her hands desperately pushing his jeans and boxers down his legs far enough for him to kick them off. He lined himself up with her entrance and pushed in, both of them letting out a moan.

"So fucking tight." Kai moaned, starting to thrust into Mack at a fast pace. She clutched his biceps, digging her nails into his skin. He welcomed this sting, thrusting even faster. The hand not supporting him trailed down to Mack's clit, rubbing rough figure of eights and trying to push her over the edge.

Kai felt her walls tightening around him and dipped his head down to suck at her neck, leaving a purple spot near her collar bone and one in the spot behind her ear that makes her gasp and squeal. Mack came screaming his name, and Kai quickened his pace still, chasing his own release.

"Kenz, fucking hell." Kai groaned, burying himself inside her to the hilt and collapsing on top of her. Mack's fingers ran through his hair, their breathing heavy and a thin layer of sweat coating them. After coming down from their highs, Kai rolled off of Mack onto the bed next to her, a grin on his face. He looked to the side, to see Mack starring at him with dropping eye lids and a lazy smile. Kai pulled her into his chest, Mack's head leaning on her shoulder and her leg needing over his waist. He played with her hair while she slowly drifted off, the heat from Kai's body giving her comfort.

[tamakiamajikistentacles]

Good Girls Bad Guys {Dabi}

“So,” his whiskey smooth voice began, “why do good girls like bad guys?”

She sneered at him, shoulders tensing in anger. “Wouldn’t know, I’m a grown ass woman, not a little girl.”

“I mean, I’ve had this question for a really long time,” he continued as if she had never spoken, long fingers rotating a now-empty shot glass slowly as he examined it. Then his gaze shifted to look at her out of the corner of his eye, his head cocked slightly. “Shit, just look at me.”

The shot glass was set on the table with a dull thud as he stood up to face her. Even with the dark maroon patches of burned flesh and golden staples and piercings holding him together, he was handsome. She was stubborn, not a liar.

Quick as a flash he had crossed the room and was in her face, his tall figure bent down to rest his hands on the arms of her chair. He regarded her for a moment before lifting one hand to allow a blue flame to dance in his palm.

“I've been a bad boy and it's plain to see,” he grinned, staples pulling his skin taut. “So why do good girls fall in love with me?”

“Good or bad I don’t know a bitch stupid enough to fall in love with you. But if there are so many “good girls” falling at your feet, why aren’t you asking one of them?”

Dabi closed his hand into a fist to extinguish the flame before placing it back on the arm of the chair.

“I am asking one of them, doll,” he said with a dangerous smirk. “Sure, you can try and deny it because you've got pep in your step and you live your life with no regret, but let me tell you something I’ve noticed, little Miss Hero. A few somethings actually.”

He straightened, his grip releasing from the chair to allow his left hand to come up and cup her jaw. Beneath the rough pads of his fingers he could feel her grit her teeth, but she didn’t make a move to pull away; so much bark, so little bite.

Carefully, he stepped to her left and started to circle the chair she sat in at a tortuously slow pace, his hand dragging lightly across her face, cresting at her chin only to fall back down the slope of her jaw once again. This time, though, he lifted all but two fingers as he traced down the side of her neck, feeling the quickening pulse below soft skin as he stopped walking to stand behind her.

“I’ve noticed those little moments where the desperation clouds over those pretty eyes of yours when I’m around. I notice every time you squeeze your thighs together when I talk too—you like my voice that much, baby doll?”

She glared at where the shot glass sat.

“Oh c’mon, don’t I get points for observational skills?” he asked, leaning down to allow her to feel the breaths from his words on her neck. “My favorite thing I’ve noticed, though, I’ve gotta tell you about that one.”

He licked a stripe up her neck and chuckled when she jolted with a surprised gasp.

“How you look when you’re wet, when I know you’re soaked just for me… now that is something I cannot ever forget. I think about it and you know, I just wanna kiss your lips.”

His hand on her neck dipped lower to hook into her costume’s neckline resting at her collarbone, and she could feel him leaning farther over her as the heat radiating from his body grew steadily hotter.

“The ones between your hips, of course,” he said huskily, reveling in the shudder that went through her. “Bet everything I have you’d taste real good too, huh? If I cashed in all my chips on you then baby I'd be rich, wouldn’t I?”

The fingers hooked into her costume tugged it down her arm to expose her shoulder and lips gently pressed against the skin there, the contrasting textures feeling foreign.

“So come on, doll,” he murmured, lips never leaving her.

She swallowed audibly, the heat from his body and the situation she was in causing a bead of sweat to fall from her hair down to the fabric of her top.

“You’re so nervous,” he said as he straightened, the only contact left being his fingers still in the neckline of her costume. “Not sure why when I’m here making the advances. You need me to be a little more desperate, is that it? You want me on my knees pleading for a taste of you? That hero complex means you gotta be the one to save me from a painfully hard cock?”

“If it hurts so much go jerk off,” she replied with a scoff.

He huffed out a laugh. “Don’t act like you would pass up the chance to jerk me off yourself, doll. I’ll get you to admit it too, it’s just a matter of time. You wanna hear me beg, I just know it, but maybe in person is what’s got you so flustered. You kids these days do everything over text so that could work on you, huh?”

His hand moved up from her top to grip the back of her neck, the pressure light but the unspoken threat clear.

“Need me to blow up your phone?” he asked. “I could get you goin’ like that. ’Sexy, please text me, I’m ready for you!’”

Her cheeks heated and her lips curled back into a snarl.

“’So come on, I’m waiting, I’m begging, baby doll!’” he continued. “’So please, oh please, get here soon!’”

“Shut up!” she shouted, his mocking words cut off by the outburst. “Shut the fuck up, Dabi!”

The pout she just knew he was sporting was evident in his voice. “Don’t be so mean, doll. You’re supposed to be the good girl in all of this, remember? I may be the bad guy here but I promise, I can take care of you real good.”

His thumbs came to rest on the side of her jaw then slowly slid down to meet her collarbones, sweeping out along them to expose both shoulders by tugging down the sleeves of her costume. The movement made the swell of her chest much more prominent than it had been, and Dabi wasted no time in brushing his fingertips just barely low enough for it to feel sensual.

“Oh doll, what lovely curves,” he practically purred. “You gotta understand that I may be a villain but when I do someone I don’t pull punches, I do my job well. See, baby doll, I get off by getting you off first.”

She couldn’t help the hitch in her breathing.

“Oh ho ho, you like the sound of that, huh? What, you the type who always has to finish herself off after some three-pump chump sidekick has his way with you? That ain’t how I like to play, sweetheart.”

“You make that sound like a threat,” she muttered.

He chuckled in her ear, his hands still moving across her chest. “No, doll, the threat is this: I don’t actually have to be generous if you’re going to be a bitch about me wanting you. I’m a villain, I have no obligation to get you off. A half-hearted ‘sorry if this is quick, baby girl’ and I can do whatever I want to you, pro hero or not.”

One hand left her chest and slid down her side to grab the plush skin hidden by the seat of her pants, and he loved the surprised squeal she let out.

“Could make you take it in the ass, even. Bet you’ve never done that before. Or maybe I just face fuck you until you’re crying; I think that’d be fun, seeing the cute little hero on her knees for me all eager to suck my dick even though I could fuck your throat ‘til you bleed.”

“Like I’d give you the fucking chance!” she hissed, pitching her body forward. She didn’t get far, held back by the quirk-cancelling cuffs around her wrists woven through the slats on the back of the chair.

With a click of his tongue he stepped around her chair to crouch down in front of her, his expression unimpressed. Despite being the one looking up he still carried his confident attitude, not minding one bit that she could knee him in the chest and crack a rib at any given moment; he knew she wouldn’t dare.

“Doll, you need to start acting like the good girl we both know you are.”

She glared down at him silently.

“That look isn’t helping your case.”

His hands came up to rest on her knees and she could feel the heat radiating off them through the material of her costume pants. Slowly, he began moving them up her thighs, his fingers fanning out causing his thumbs to brush along her inner thighs. He arced his movements to shift to her outer thighs as he circled his hands back to her knees, surprising her.

“I’m going to give you one chance to prove that you deserve my nice side,” he said lowly. “It’ll be easy if you cooperate.”

She nodded once, stiffly, in understanding.

“So why do good girls like bad guys, doll? I wanna kn—no,” he cut himself off, amending, “I need to know.”

It all came down to that for him: good and bad, black and white, hero and villain. Did he just want to know about the matchup of opposites, was that it? It wasn’t that simple if he did.

“I gotta know.”

His insistence was ridiculous and she hated it, hated how those turquoise eyes held both danger and amusement as he asked her this question again and again.

“C’mon, doll.”

Being stubborn was one of her most defining traits and she knew the people in her life both loved and loathed it about her, just like she did the persistent grin on his stapled face.

“Tell me.”

Dabi stared with the challenge for her to speak in his eyes. She had a choice to make and the options weren’t plentiful but she knew, she knew what she was going to choose, had known it since she’d opened her eyes after being cuffed to the damn chair and seeing the black spikes above pale and dark, mutilated skin.

“There’s a lot of reasons,” she admitted softly. “Some… some girls like the danger. It can be like facing a fear almost or getting the best adrenaline rush money can’t buy. The unknown, the unpredictability, is, uh, alluring, I guess.”

He cocked his head to the side, intrigued.

“Others like the idea of the bad guy who’s only good for them. They know he’s bad and they don’t want to change that exactly, but they want to see a heart of gold underneath it. Crack the armor and see the vulnerability hidden inside.”

For a moment he regarded her, hands stilling the pattern he’d been following and a calculating look on his face. She didn’t feel threatened by the look; just as he knew she wouldn’t hurt him, she knew that despite his lewd threats he wouldn’t harm her either.

Seemingly finding the conclusion he wanted, he nodded once to himself, sure, and stood up to his full height in front of her. One hand raised to cup her jaw with a light grip, so careful that if she hadn’t seen him move she may have doubted he was touching her at all.

“And which of those categories do you fall into, baby doll?” he asked softly.

“Does it really matter?” she replied, curiosity overtaking the potential for snark.

His thumb brushed across her lower lip. “Guess it doesn’t in the long run. You and I both know which of those things I can deliver on and which ones I really, truly can’t.”

It was silent as they held one another’s gaze, an understanding met without any more words spoken aloud. What more could really be said on the subject anyway?

She moved first, turning her head just slightly so his thumb was once again against her lips and took it into her mouth, her tongue running up the pad of his finger slowly. Her eye contact didn’t waiver which allowed her to see his pupils dilate at the action, the turquoise she had grown so accustomed to nearly consumed by blackness. Fitting, she supposed.

He pulled his hand back from her mouth, watching as she formed a pout.

“As much as I’d love to feel what that smart little mouth of yours can do, you were a very good girl for answering my question. That means you deserve my nice side—but the question is, do you want it?”

She nodded, earning a shake of his head and another click of his tongue.

“Words, baby doll.”

“Yes, I want your nice side, Dabi.”

His lips curled into a smirk. “I like this side of you.”

Before she could even begin to think of a potential comeback, his lips were on her neck with those mismatched textures and then his teeth were biting and scraping, a mark already sure to be forming. Her pulse was racing as he licked and sucked at the bitten skin and she wanted to run her hands through the black hair that tickled her cheek, the twitching of her hands making the cuffs clink quietly. At the sound he pulled back, his top lip noticeably pinker as he slid his tongue along it.

“I’ll think about uncuffing you after,” he said as he sank down to his knees, his warm hands going to her hips and fisting the fabric of her pants. Yanking her costume pants and, by virtue of his grip, her underwear down, he used enough force that they slid down her thighs without her having to lift her hips. Once completely free of her boots he set them aside and placed his hands back on her knees, his eyes focused directly between her legs.

She felt self-conscious under his intense gaze, her thighs starting to drift closed in embarrassment before his grip on her knees tightened and spread her legs farther apart to the point where her outer thighs were flush against the structured arms of the chair.

“Don’t you ever fuckin’ hide from me,” he said lowly, eyes now trained on her face. “My interest doesn’t disappear once the clothes come off.”

Once again she couldn’t think of a response before he moved again, this time pulling her forward so that she sat lower in the chair and her legs spread wider. It wasn’t the most comfortable position with her hands still cuffed but the press of his lips on her inner thigh had that thought flying out of her mind.

His teeth scraped against the delicate skin, much gentler with his biting than he had been with her neck, but still determined to leave a mark. This one could be lighter, he had decided, because no one else should be seeing it, deterred by the red and purple monster he had left below her jaw. When he was through, he shot a glance up to her face and what he saw made him glad that he did.

Looking down at him with dazed doe eyes he could see the flush on her cheeks that crept down her neck and dusted her chest. As much as he enjoyed that view, he had a goal in mind that he was more than ready to reach.

His eyes fell closed as he moved forward, his tongue licking a wide stripe between her legs. The small gasp and shudder he received from the action spurred him on to do more and he sealed his lips around her clit with a hard suck.

“Dabi,” she breathed out, the warmth of his staples and piercings against her skin and the feel of his mouth on her were making her lightheaded. She slumped down further, as far as was manageable, just to get closer.

He felt her shift and wanted to smirk but held back. Instead he concentrated on using his tongue to spell out every name he had ever gone by: his given name, his family name, every nickname, alias, and pseudonym.

When her whimpers and whines went to a higher pitch he slid his hand up her thigh to press two fingers into her, pausing for only a second before curling them and setting a fast pace.

“Fuck, Dabi, please!” she moaned with a buck of her hips.

If the tightness of his pants hadn’t been enough incentive to finish this first act, the pleading tone of her voice cemented it, and he continued to work his fingers and his tongue in tandem to give her that last shove over the edge. Within a moment, he felt her grow tighter around his fingers and her body shake, small noises escaping her lips as she struggled to keep her eyes open. He slowed down gradually, letting her ride that pleasure for as long as possible.

When he felt her start to squirm and try to move her hips back he pulled his fingers from her and sat back to look up at her, sure she could see the wetness lingering on his lips.

“Dabi,” she said, voice cracking as she blinked to refocus her vision.

“Told you I could be nice,” he chuckled, his tone husky. “But now that I’ve been generous, I’d like to get what I want.”

She straightened in the chair as he stood, her eyes never leaving his face.

“Will you uncuff me now? I…” she trailed off in embarrassment, “I want to touch you.”

He licked his lips, still able to taste her. “You have been a very good girl for me, so I think I can trust that you’ll keep behaving.” He leaned forward and hooked his chin on her shoulder to see the cuffs and reached around to trigger the release mechanism. Before he pulled back to let them fall, he warned lowly, “Try something and I’ll burn you alive.”

The danger sparked something in her just as she’d revealed to him earlier, and she had no idea if he said it as a serious threat or as just one more thing to turn her on. A large part of her didn’t care as long as he kept touching her in all the right places.

As the handcuffs fell to the floor loudly she surged up to kiss him, her left hand going to the base of his neck and the other fisting in his hair. She could taste herself with the faintest hint of the alcohol he’d drunk earlier on his tongue as she parted her lips for him, and the firm press of his body against hers had desire pooling low in her stomach. The feel of his pants on her bare lower half wasn’t enough and her hands fell to the large belt looped around his waist, tugging lightly. She wanted more.

“Condom,” she breathed between kisses, his hands on her hips tightening their grip.

He pulled back slightly with a scoff. “I’m not gonna give you the fuckin’ clap, baby doll.”

“S’only half the reason,” she said. “Jus’ get a condom, it’ll take two seconds.”

“Don’t have one,” he grunted. “I’ll just—”

She shook her head. “No, no we can’t. We aren’t doing this without a condom.”

“Fuck, doll, c’mon,” he groaned, his forehead falling to her shoulder as she slowed her work on his belt.

“Dabi you’re not fucking me without a condom,” she repeated, pulling his head back up by his hair. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not getting off.”

Any annoyance he had with her tugging him up by his hair disappeared at those words and the constricting feeling of his pants became even worse.

Her fingers undid his belt and unwound it from too-thin hips before dipping one hand beneath his loosened waistband. She moved further still past the elastic of his underwear, smirk pulling at her lips as he let out a low groan at the feel of her hand wrapping around him.

“As much as you loved my tongue on you and I don’t get the same courtesy?” he breathed as she began to slowly move her hand.

She used her grip on his hair to pull him forward into another bruising kiss, gradually stroking him faster and running her thumb along his tip.

His hands pushed up her shirt and beneath her bra, the warmth of the staples on his wrists pressing into her as his even warmer hands cupped her breasts and kneaded them roughly. Her own groans were muffled by his mouth on hers, the low rumble in his chest vibrating against her.

Small rolls of his hips into her hand let her know he was close, and she pulled back from their kiss to look at him, his usually half-lidded eyes clouded over with lust.

“Wanna finish on your chest,” he panted, his fingers digging into her skin even harder making her cry out softly. He bunched her shirt and bra up to her collarbones, exposing her completely. “Get on your knees.”

She sank to her knees without argument as she continued stroking him, only a few pumps of her hand needed before he let out a long, low groan. Several ropes of his cum covered from her chest to her navel, and she wasn’t even surprised at the higher temperature.

“Fuck, doll,” he sighed, helping her stand up so he could get a better look at his masterpiece across her skin. “Good girls like you look best just like this.”

With a laugh she moved to clean herself off, but he stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. At her questioning look he smirked and pulled her bra and shirt back down over her chest, situating them to lay just as they should.

“Dabi!” she scolded, indignant but smiling nonetheless.

“Now if you had just used your mouth this wouldn’t have been a problem,” he teased as he tucked himself back into his pants and retrieved his belt.

She shook her head in disbelief and scooped up her costume pants and underwear, shimmying them over her boots and up her legs to settle them on her hips once again.

When she turned back to him, she opened her mouth to speak but a loud knock on the door beyond his shoulder startled her into silence.

“Yo Dabi, if you’re done entertaining we got a meeting to go to!” came through the door, followed by a nastier, “We got shit to do if you’re done fuckin’!”

A chuckle from Dabi preceded his answer. “I’ll be out in a minute, save me a fuckin’ seat, asshole.”

Two affirmatives were called back, one distinctly more vulgar than the other.

“Shame we didn’t get to the main event today,” he said casually. “Next time I’ll bring the rubber, doll. Promise.”

Next time. She was only a little disappointed in herself at the thought of being excited for that prospect.

“When will I—” She was cut off by another press of his lips against hers, the words on her tongue stolen by his as she parted her lips.

After a moment he smirked as he pulled away to step back. “Don’t worry, doll, I’ll find you.”

A cold chill went up her spine and suddenly she wasn’t in the room with Dabi anymore but on a deserted sidewalk painted purple and pink from the twilight hour. The shops across the street were closed but she recognized the specials board in the window of one of the restaurants, the sign for a nearby train station letting her know where she was—certainly not with the dark-haired villain, certainly not in her district.

She sighed, pulling her wrists to her chest to rotate them and work out the lingering soreness from the time she was in the handcuffs.

Accidently bumping one of her costume’s bracers, static crackled and her name was called out. Inwardly she groaned, not ready to have this conversation at all.

“Yes, I’m here. I’m okay,” she said. “Check my tracking from at the very least the last hour and a half and we should have a solid location of where the lieutenants are conducting business. Cross reference with the info we have from Hawks and I think we have a shot at that raid starting sooner rather than later.”

“Coordinates are listed for us and we’re checking against Hawks’ intel now. Do you need transportation from your current location?”

“No, I’m close enough to Nighteye’s agency that I can get some civilian clothes and head home. Bubble Girl and I go way back so she’ll help me out. My report will be done by midday tomorrow.”

“Excellent work as always.”

“Thanks,” she muttered, moving to adjust the top of her costume before pausing. “Oh, hey, remember the DNA that Tsukauchi wished he had? Let him know I’ve got some for him.”

[fallinnflower]

lucky one(s)

jackson x reader (soulmate!au)

a/n: omg what’s this? me finally filling a request?

Your soulmate’s name is Jackson. 

He speaks at least five languages fluently, has a body you thought could only exist in magazines, and is simultaneously the most and least intimidating person you’ve ever known. 

You’ve only met him in your dreams, but that’s how everybody does. 

Most people start dreaming of their soulmate around the time puberty hits. Early dreams tend to get interrupted fairly often, usually cutting soulmate meetings short — over time they find some regularity, but that could mean months or years of faulty connections. Some people like to construe that the quickness with which a bond stabilizes serves as a forewarning to the stability of the relationship in the long run. If that’s true, and you’re not sure you believe it is, then you and Jackson must have one of the most stable soulmate bonds in the world. 

Jackson is a stable person, to be sure — he’s been your rock since you met, always ready to provide whatever you need the moment you enter your shared dreamscape — but as for yourself, you’re less sure. 

The thing about Jackson is that he’s so wonderful you can’t imagine him being anything but a dream. 

You and Jackson don’t live in the same place. 

The bond doesn’t keep you from sharing personal information, perhaps because human inhibition is enough to keep most people from blurting out a street address and most pre-teens can’t just buy a plane ticket to their soulmate. If anything the bond being the way it is pushes the meeting date further out for most people, as it’s so convenient. 

You and Jackson have always spoken about meeting, the abstract when forever a topic of conversation. He’s ambitious, hyperactive and optimistic while never overstepping your boundaries, but it’s his patience that always makes you feel the most guilty. Jackson is the ever-present Sun at the center of your universe, waiting for you to orbit close enough to him to satiate his thirst for more. 

He’s eager as ever tonight when you approach him, practically vibrating in his seat. 

“So?” He asks, dark eyes blown wide in anticipation. You bite down in your lip to try and keep yourself from giving away the news so soon — you have to admit it’s a little fun to keep Jackson in suspense at times like these. 

“Well...” you start, tugging at the sleeves of your sweater as though you’re nervous. Jackson leans off his chosen seat towards you, craning his neck, and you can’t hold your smile back any longer. 

“I got in! I’ll be going to Korea next semester—” Before you can continue, your breath is knocked out of you by the force that is Jackson, sweeping you off your feet and into his arms. 

“I knew it!” He says, spinning you excitedly. You think he’s even more pumped than you were when you read the email mere hours ago. He sets you down but his hands stay on you, reaching up to cup your face in his hands. His dark eyes are curved like his smile, and for a moment as his thumbs brush gently along your cheekbones you think he just might kiss you—

Instead, he draws you into his arms again, clutching tightly at you. 

“I knew you could do it. They’d be stupid not to accept you.” You giggle against his chest, nuzzling your face into his shirt. 

“Thanks.” You allow yourself to bask in his presence, memorizing as you do almost every night his scent and the shape of his body as it fits against yours. You’re so focused on this that if it weren’t for the rumble in his chest, you may not have noticed he was speaking again. 

“You know what that means, right?” He asks, lowly. You furrow your brows but remain in his arms, content. 

“What?” You ask. Jackson gently cards his fingers through your hair, his cheek pressed to the top of your head. 

“We’ll both be in Korea,” he states, simply. Suddenly, you feel choked up again for an entirely different reason. Jackson’s body makes it too warm, too hard to breathe, and you wrench yourself out of his grasp until the only connection is his hands on your shoulders, gazed locked. His gaze is too intense to hold, and so you look away, fidgeting nervously. 

“Jackson...”

“I know it’s scary, Y/N, but—”

“I don’t know,” you interrupt, still unable to look up at him. He gives your shoulders a squeeze, imploring, and you press your trembling lips into a thin line. 

“What are you afraid of?” He asks. When you don’t reply, he lowers his voice and his body, coaxing you, making it easy like he always does. 

“Talk to me, Y/N.” There’s an unspoken please hanging in the air, and you can’t hold the tears back any longer. You squeeze your eyes shut tightly, and the moment you feel Jackson’s fingers brush against your cheeks you open them again — this time to the ceiling of your bedroom. You turn your face into your pillow, trying in vain to stop the tears. 

“I’m afraid,” you breathe shakily, sheets rustling as you curl in on yourself. “I’m afraid of disappointing you.”

Who’s to say when you orbit closer that Jackson’s light it won’t simply illuminate your flaws and leave you burned?

Only the silence follows in reply. 

You put off going to sleep for the next few days, stalling the inevitable meetings with Jackson. He’s not pushy, never pushy, but you can’t bear to see the look in his eyes. Jackson wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s not the type to say it, but you know you’ve let him down, and it breaks your heart even as you think it’s the best way. 

You always dreamt of meeting your soulmate when you were your best self. Even if Jackson is meant to see you through everything, you want to be what he deserves, someone as shining as he is seemingly without even trying. 

You should apologize. You think about it all the time, but the words get lodged in your throat so that all that escapes your lips are pleasantries and trivial bits of conversation, parading yourself around the elephant in the room like a carousel horse. 

Most nights he just stares at you intently, letting you blather on about whatever you want. Sometimes you wonder what he sees in you, who and what you look like to him. Jackson is a beacon of light for you, a soft place to land and a sturdy supporter — and what are you? Especially now that you’ve shown him your weakness, you wonder what he thinks, wonder if he’s not pressing the issue because seeing your childishness has changed his perspective so drastically he no longer wants to meet you. 

Things are so easy in your dreams. You can be any type of yourself you want to. He doesn’t have to see you at your lowest if you don’t want him to, you don’t have to be totally honest — and have you been? 

You’ve been lying by omission. For all the years you’ve known him you’ve tried to prove yourself capable, independent, worthy of his love, and yet the moment that you should have taken initiative you backed down in an instant. A shrinking violet beneath the sun’s warm, welcoming rays. 

You wake up every morning more exhausted than the last, more disgusted with yourself each time. The words to explain yourself won’t come, because even as you know Jackson to be open and loving and wonderful you can’t help but fear the repercussions of saying “I’m afraid I won’t be what you want me to be. What you deserve.”

So you stick to your silence and Jackson does the same, falling further and further out of sync with one another until some nights are spent purely in silence. 

“My flight is tomorrow.”

“Be safe,” he says. All the lines of his body speak to his desire, and his eyes especially implore you in the same way a child’s might. And yet he remains respectful of you as ever, even to his own detriment. You swallow thickly, nodding. 

“I will.” The silence is heavy. You think you might just be crushed under the weight of it, buried alive in your sleep. 

“Do you—” Jackson cuts himself off, shaking his head. He looks back at you with a sad attempt at a smile. “Never mind. Just, enjoy yourself, okay?”

“Thank you.”

You go to Korea. You rush to settle yourself in at Yonsei, to learn the ropes so that you don’t get swept away by the tides of classes, and yet you’re never as prepared as you want to be. 

It’s only his back that you see and you know that it’s him. You’re not ready, you tell yourself, and yet you can’t bring yourself to walk away. Instead, you stand dumbly on the edge of the sidewalk as the sun rises above the horizon, lingering near the door of the cafe you were about to enter. 

You will yourself to run. You will him to turn to you. 

He’s walking amongst friends, most of whom you’ve probably heard of over the years of spending every night with Jackson. He turns his head to look at one of them and you catch him in profile, the slope of his nose and the curve of his cheekbones, the smile lines at the corners of his eyes you know all too well. He’s more beautiful in person, somehow, and you feel tears springing to your eyes, your heart swelling so you think it will burst and then the shell of you will float away on the wind. You can taste his name on your tongue but can’t seem to open your mouth. 

And then he looks back. 

Someone bumped into him, and it’s as his eyes leave their face after assuring them everything is alright that his eyes catch on yours. 

You swear, the world stops. 

Suddenly he’s pushing back through the crowd towards you, his expression unreadable, and you begin to worry about your hair and your clothes and the stupid look on your face—

Jackson comes to a stop right in front of you, not touching but certainly close enough to. You feel frozen, soaking him all in desperately and trying to get some kind of grip on reality. 

“Fuck,” he breathes. Your heart sinks, gaze dropping as your knees go weak; you were right to be worried—

“Oh my god, you’re here. You’re really here.” You whip your head back up and see that his own eyes are brimming with tears, in contrast to the broad smile on his face. If you’d thought you were emotional before, oh no. 

“Don’t cry,” he implores gently, reaching towards you with trembling hands before hesitating, and that’s all it takes for you to step forward and wrap your arms around him. You can hear his heart pounding just as fast as yours where you press your ear. 

“I’m sorry,” you hiccup, muffled by his shirt. His arms quickly tighten around you, and you can feel him shaking his head. 

“What for?” He asks, laughing. 

“For being stupid,” you reply. Jackson pulls away, wiping at your tears and only making you cry even harder as his tenderness. He looks so happy to see you that you can’t seem to do anything but cry at the emotional high of it. 

“It’s okay,” he says. “It’s okay. You’re not stupid, you shouldn’t talk about yourself or your feelings that way.” You shake your head, sniffling loudly. 

“I just— I thought— I don’t know, I thought you wouldn’t like me in real life—”

“I’d love you no matter what, Y/N,” he reassures you, tilting your face up to look at him. “But I understand. I was scared, too.”

“You were?” Jackson nods, laughing. 

“Of course.” You take in every inch of his face as he gently tucks some errant strands of your hair behind your ears. The dark brown of his irises seem to be aglow with fondness, and although you think your heart should be skipping beats instead you find yourself enveloped in a calm like you’ve never known — although you still feel giddy as you gaze up at him. 

“I’m so lucky,” he murmurs, as though his thoughts are your own, his eyes finally making their way back up from tracing the contours of your face to meet your own. 

“Can I kiss you?” You can’t keep yourself from smiling, your response coming out on an excited breath as you’re already leaning in to meet him halfway,

“Absolutely.” 

As his lips press softly against your own, bodies molding together, you can’t help but think that you’re the lucky one. (And maybe people are onto something with that whole stability of soulmate bonds thing.) 

[bruh-haikyuu]

A/N: It’s finally my birthday month and I am, once again, filling up the Konoha agenda. Today I offer you Konoha propaganda... Tomorrow? Konoha propaganda.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (Coming Soon!)

ensemble. | konoha akinori

part 2 - poco a poco.

word count: 8618

warnings: MC’s brothers have a heavy... sister-complex; overworking

(n.) little by little

‘Help’ wasn’t an unfamiliar word for you. Helping other people with their homework (to none of their avails), helping your bandmates with lifting the appliances, etcetera, etcetera. Do as much as you can, was what your parents told you as a child, and that was what you did, regardless of who asked.

Therefore, it certainly piqued your interest that Suzuki Ume, captain of the school’s marching band, and the two managers of the Boys’ Volleyball Club had crept their way into the Light Music Club room to ask you for a favor.

“Ooh, a cheering song’s certainly a new genre,” you piped up. “I used to try and convince my club members to switch to another style, but they’re too quick to reject me, y’know? PARANOIA as an idol group wouldn’t be so bad~”

The thought of the ever-stoic Mizushima Reo wearing a frilly idol costume had the Marching Band Club captain stifling a snort. “It would definitely be a sight...”

“I think we can all agree that when it comes to composing music and lyrics, you’re our first choice,” Kaori piped up. “If we can get the message across, then it would be a solid form of motivation for the team—or Bokuto at least, especially with the qualifying tournaments coming up.”

“Plus, Konoha would love it if you made a song for him, no?” Yukie followed, her languid gaze trailing up to your smiling face.

You’d nearly forgotten that Akinori belonged with the Volleyball Club. You were third-years now, both in the last moments of your high school youth. The teachers had started counselling for future prospects, your classmates had started worrying whether or not their current marks would bring them far in life, and as a whole, the third-years have begun to panic. You didn’t mind though—as long as you had your rock-hard conviction and your pragmatic boyfriend, you felt like you could do anything you wanted.

“Ah, I almost forgot that you and Konoha-kun were an item,” Ume said, her eyes twinkling. “So, how’s it? Have you two kissed yet?”

Faking a pout, you crossed your arms in mock offense, “Very scandalous, Umecchi. My virgin lips aren’t ready to be taken away yet, you know...”

“Kidding, kidding~ so, Y/N-san, would you like to do the honors of composing the Fukurodani Volleyball Club anthem for us?”

“No thank you!” you chirped, smiling earnestly.

The faces of your three guests fell.

Seeing their distressed expressions, you laughed, “I was just messing with you~ You guys are too serious. Sure, I’ll make the song. It’ll be fun, right?”

Kaori cleared her throat, reaching into her pocket to hand you a scrap of folded paper. “R-right... Anyway, here’s some ideas we collected to get you started. I’ve also written our numbers at the bottom, if you have any questions.”

“Though something tells me you already have them,” the droopy-eyed manager grinned.

Chuckling, your eyes flitted through the daintily-written notes and doodles scrawled all over the paper, “Yep. These notes are good. I’ll report back to you when I finish my final draft.”

“That’ll be great,” Ume sighed in relief. “But don’t work yourself restless, alright? Mizushima-san told me you’re those types of people who don’t stop until they get it done. We’re all third-years now, so we’ll be happy to lend a hand.”

“Of course,” was the answer you said to them, because it was the right answer. The moral answer. Instead of the more worrying: It’s fine, I might pass out from working too hard, but at least I’ll finish the job.

As the three “left the song in your care”, you escorted them back to the third-year hallways while replaying their entire conversation with you in your head. Oh, they were certainly a curious trio, walking into the lion’s den naked. But from all the curious things they’ve told you, one resounded loudly in your memory.

“Have you two kissed yet?”

Somberly laughing to yourself, you thought that, ah, that might be trouble.

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

Akinori’s ears were threatening to fall off their places from the two-hour long lecture about the Tokugawa shogunate. Whose grand idea was it anyway to put Japanese History as last period? He was ready to melt into a weary puddle right on the school’s entrance, but you, on the other hand, seemed even more chipper than usual.

“Geez, what’s up with all the extra energy? You’re like Bokuto...” he groaned. “Didn’t you have Modern Literature as your last subject?”

“Yep, but I’m not allowed to get tired now!” you laughed, exuberantly slapping his back to get him out of his slump. “We’ve got no club activities today, right? Let’s go to that new cafe in Shinjuku, just to get your energy back~”

“Mm... parfait would be nice. But why are you so particularly tireless now?”

“Ooh, I’ve got a new job to do,” you said while grinning impishly. “The marching band and the Volleyball Club asked me this morning.”

Smiling sympathetically, Akinori ruffled your hair. A force of habit. “Bokuto didn’t ask you to do anything weird, right?”

You shook your head, as you paused to stop in the middle of the courtyard to look at him properly. “Your managers asked me. Yuki-chan and Kaorin. They want me to make a cheering song for you for the qualifying tournaments.”

“Whoa, seriously?” he exclaimed, exhaustion replaced with that of wonder. “That’s really cool, Y/N-chan! I can’t wait to see what you’re going to write.”

The blonde’s hand fell from the crown of your head to the slope of your shoulder, the comfort from his palm spreading into your chest. Under the light of the afternoon sun, Akinori seemed much warmer in person. You wondered if you could do that thing Ume was pestering you about earlier. Leaning towards him, a million thoughts whizzed in your head, but you paid them no attention, because as soon as your eyes fluttered close—

HONK! HONK!

“Y/N-chaaaan!”

Lips falling flat, your features darkened. “No way... No way. No way. What the hell is he doing here?”

“Y/N-chan! It’s meee! I’ve come to pick you up~” the man waving by the taxi persistently yelled from you at the gates of the school, attracting the whispers and giggles of passing students.

Concern scrawled all over his face, your boyfriend turned to you, “Y/N-chan... W-who is that?”

“It’s that crazy person again...”

“Crazy person?!”

Grabbing his hand, you tried to ignore the shameless calls from the grown taxi driver who was simply too relentless. “Never mind that. Aki-chan, you can run, right? Let’s run right now. Don’t turn back, okay?”

And without warning, you dragged your boyfriend around a sharp corner, your legs pedaling as much as your glutes could handle. Akinori wished you’d stop and explain everything to him, but if you seemed to be so desperate as to avoid this certain taxi driver, then you probably had a good reason for it.

As much as he’d hoped he didn’t, curiosity overtook the boy and he did the one simple thing, you’d pleaded him not to do. Akinori turned back, and was met with a pair of sinister eyes that swam with murderous intent.

“Y/N-chan, he’s chasing us! Why is he chasing us?! And why is he so fast?!” he cried, the impending fear of the incoming taxi driver feeding adrenaline into his legs.

“This guy was a yankii* in high school. An A-grade delinquent. If he’s fast, then we just have to run faster!”

Did things always have to go so unexpectedly with you? Why couldn’t the two of you just sit down and make plans for the day, like a normal couple? Akinori figured you were lacking of “normal”, but to be chased by a former delinquent through a sidewalk was straight up terrifying—he didn’t even get to decide on what sort of will he was going to write!

“Y/N-chaaan! It’s me, Wataru-nii-chan!” your pursuer wailed from behind you. “Don’t you recognize me?! Is it the mullet?”

Wataru-nii-chan?! Konoha repeated in his mind.

Growling, you roared back at the man. “Go home, Aniki*! I can go back on my own, so stop chasing us before someone calls the police!”

Oh god, Akinori definitely didn’t expect his first encounter with one of your three older brothers to be like this. So much for a good first impression... But it was moderately your fault that you tended to avoid the subject whenever it was brought up. The only thing he’d ever recalled from your descriptions of them was that “they’re all annoying” and that they had all moved out from Tokyo to live elsewhere.

“Not until you let me drive you home!” your brother stubbornly shot back.

You were getting tired now. Running around in circles through the school district. If this race was a way to prove that you had graduated from the mere role of the “baby sister”, then so be it.

Though if it had been any other brother of yours chasing you down the streets, you would’ve been luckier. But this was Wataru for god’s sake. The second child. The idiot whose impulse transcended logic in every way possible—and the worst person to challenge to a foot race.

“Fine!” you groaned, nearly stumbling over your feet as your boyfriend pulled you from your fatigue. Hands slipping on the curve of your knees, you glared at your brother from the low angle. “I’ll go home with you this once. Then you’ll stop coming to my school.”

Ruffling your hair, he grinned, “I knew you’ll come through for your big bro.”

“...Whatever, let’s just go,” you muttered, shying away from the older man’s touch. Looking back at your visibly concerned yet confused boyfriend, you gave him a shrug and weakly waved goodbye as you trailed behind Wataru to his taxi.

Damn, that was way too scary, Akinori breathed. His stomach rumbling, he wondered if he still should stop by that cafe you’d talked about earlier. Probably not.

Resting your chin on the sill of the taxi window, you sighed loudly, enough to catch the attention of your brother on the rearview mirror. Wataru smiled brightly, driving you away from the landscape of Fukurodani Academy.

“Was that your boyfriend with you? That ‘Aki-chan’ Mom and Dad keeps talking about?”

“Bingo,” you retorted plainly, hoping that he’d stop trying to make small talk.

“By the way, I heard there’s a new cafe that just opened up in Shinjuku,” Wataru said, the mention somewhat a déjà vu. “You want to stop by and grab some parfaits?”

Frowning at your own reflection on the glass, you grumbled, “It’s fine. I’m not hungry.”

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

What the hell is this, you cursed.

Like they just coincidentally planned to ruin your day, all three of your older brothers—who had mentioned to you that they were going to spend their break at their workplaces—were sitting jovially at your family dining table, as if none of this was a shock.

“Isn’t it a lovely surprise, Y/N?” your mother beamed, scooping a larger spoonful of rice onto your oldest brother’s bowl. “They didn’t even tell us they were coming to visit!”

Of course not, you scowled. If there was one thing you and your brothers had in common was that it was the annoying habit of doing things unexpectedly and expecting the second party to live with it. You wondered if this was what Akinori had felt the day you approached him.

“Y/N-chan’s gotten so big. I wonder if she can still fit on my lap like she used to,” Kensuke, the oldest, cooed, gazing at you with glassy eyes. “You want to sit on Ken-nii-chan’s lap, Y/N-chan? I’ll feed you too if you’d like~”

“No thank you,” you growled through gritted teeth and broccoli.

The third brother Masao chuckled while ruffling your hair endearingly, “Now, now, Y/N-chan. Of course Kensuke’s going to point out that you’ve grown bigger, he’s a pediatrician after all. If you don’t want to be fed by him, how about Masa-nii-chan, eh?”

Pushing your quarter-empty meal to the center of the table, you turned your face away from the college senior’s nostalgic “beef stew airplane”. “I think I’ve lost my appetite.”

“You usually eat things up like it’s nothing. Are you ill? A rebellious phase?” Kensuke muttered, leaning back on his chair to closely observe your darkening mood. “No, it’s something more... Could it be—is it your boyfriend?”

“Or that band of yours, maybe? I can’t believe you’re still in it, you know you can’t get very far with music, right?” Masao sneered, gulping down his glass of water. “All of your friends remind me a lot of Wataru when he was still a high school hooligan.”

Showing no signs of appreciation for the comment, your second brother winked at you from across the table. “Speaking of your boyfriend, I met him today when I picked you up, didn’t I?”

The mention of your ‘infamous’ boyfriend turned the heads of the entire dinner table—you weren’t so sure why your parents looked so surprised as well, you supposed it was just genetics.

“Really? What was he like? I can definitely tell he’s one of those skinny ones.”

“You bet. I was more curious about his hair though...”

“Is it dyed or is it a natural shade?”

“It was too dark to tell, maybe when I encounter him again, I’ll take a small snip of his hair to show everyone~”

Kensuke, who in your memory didn’t fare well with news of any boy approaching a 1-metre radius of you, darkly smiled behind the shade of his spectacles. He hadn’t said anything in response to Wataru’s report, and that itself terrified you to bits.

“Ooh, you’re still with him, Y/N-chan?” at his sappy call of your name, your stomach tightened. The table fell silent at the mercy of the oldest child. “That’s new. You usually get bored of something or someone after a few months or so... Are you sure it’s not much of a burden for you? You’re a third-year too, after all... You shouldn’t take relationships for granted~”

If Wataru was a knuckleheaded ogre and Masao was a devious fox, then Kensuke was definitely the demon to rule them all. It was in their nature, whether they realized it or not; they always made you seem pathetic so that they could take the chance to dote and care for you like they wished for.

“Dinner was delicious,” you blurted out, standing up from your chair abruptly that the tableware shook and clattered. “I’m going to my room.”

Watching you slam the bedroom door, Kensuke shouted after you, “Ehh... You’re not going to tell us about you and your boyfriend? We’re curious!”

You let your brothers’ voices fade out into white noise as you collapsed face-down onto your bed. You hoped that this visit wasn’t going to last long, otherwise, you’d be pulling out every hair from your head until you went bald.

Unfolding the scrap of notes your three patrons had previously collected for you, a weak smile cracked through your face. Don’t mind them, Y/N-chan, you thought as you got up to place your beloved guitar on your lap. Let’s get to work.

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

Akinori swore your face was so sour, he tasted lemons in his mouth.

You looked like you didn’t sleep for days. You, who had always brimmed with energy, were quietly cursing your brothers as you ate lunch. Added to your rather beautiful profile, you looked like an phantom waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting victim.

“So, how was your consultation with Yamanouchi-sensei about your future plans?” he cleared his throat, hoping that he could slowly pick away the frosty wall between you.

You only frowned deeper—so deep that your eyebrows were almost parallel. “Future plans... Do I have to decide everything now? My life is only this wonderful because I don’t plan anything. I could be busking in the streets with Reo, Iori-kun and MugiMugi ten years from now and I’d be perfectly fine.”

Akinori laughed. That ‘plan’ definitely smelled very strongly of you.

“What about you?” you nudged his elbow with the side of your chopsticks. “What do you want to be doing in the future, Aki-chan?”

“Hmm... I’ll definitely go to college—otherwise my mom’s brains will leak out of her ears if I don’t. After that, I’m considering setting up a business on my own, maybe in Meguro where it’s a bit cheaper than Ginza or Roppongi. It’d be nice to be your own boss, don’t you think?”

You smiled weakly and nodded. How annoying. Just as you were liberated from your isolation just a year ago, you felt like you were already seeping back into loneliness once more. Everyone had a plan after high school.

Akinori was going to be an ambitious conglomerate with the number one business in Meguro. Gorilla-faced gentle Reo was finally going to set up that ramen shop he’d been dreaming of. Iori, a rebel to mankind and jaywalking laws, was going to “hell with everything” and enter a prestigious art school. And young Tsumugi... well, whatever a sales operator was, you wished him all the best as a good senpai would do.

And thus, you were stuck again. As the prodigy L/N Y/N who could do everything... but could never decide on anything.

“It’s my brothers’ fault I was so sleepy when I filled in that form. They were disturbing my peace of mind and so I got scolded by Yamanouchi-sensei for it,” you reasoned.

“Is that why you look so tired?”

“No, that’s not it,” you sighed, replacing the lid on your emptied bento. “I spent all night finishing up most of the cheering song’s melody.”

Akinori nearly choked on his strawberry milk. “That much already?! Y/N-chan, the tournament isn’t until a week away! Geez, think about yourself more, won’t you? What would you do if you fell sick and collapsed?”

Getting up to pat away the dust resting on your skirt, you gave your boyfriend a cheeky smile. “Then you’ll just have to take care of me until I get better.”

“Ah... You’ll only ask me to do weird stuff. Why can’t your brother do it? Isn’t he a doctor?”

You curtly gave him an unappreciative pout, masking your obvious mirth. “C’mon~ I’m your girlfriend. You’re going to need a punishment for saying that, Aki-chan. Come now, don’t cover up your sides, I’m going to have to tickle you good—!”

Though you were laughing, you were a mess. More than usual, Akinori thought. It was disturbing enough that his first impression of your older siblings was nightmarish at best, but he wondered if your coping methods could’ve been more... amiable. What would he do if you really fell sick and collapsed? Would your brothers even let him visit especially with their overbearing sense of vigilance?

From your little grumbling, it really did seem like they didn’t like him. Or, really, the concept of him. As much as Akinori appreciated your solace, it would be troublesome if they’d thought he was trying to influence you to despising your family. Some sort of soap opera this is.

At least you were smiling now. He thought. And that was all that mattered in that moment, because he knew things were about to go awry one way or another.

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

“Y/N-san... I think my ears just ascended to second heaven.”

In the expanse of the Marching Band Club room, Suzuki Ume had her hands clasped together, a content expression resting idly on her face. And it really did look like she’d died happy.

“Right~?” you grinned, setting down Lennon-chan next to the blackboard. “The melody really gets you pumped up, doesn’t it? Especially when it’ll be played by all the trumpets and percussions... I think even I’ll start feeling the adrenaline.”

Brandishing the handwritten sheet music in her hands, Ume smiled at you endearingly. “This song is perfect, Y/N-san. And I’m sure your lyrics will only make it better. If I may propose...”

Repeating the word she’d trailed off, you felt an even bigger smile cracking through the slits of your pearly teeth.

“It would be great if you were there to lead the song for us. That is, only if you agree! I’ve already discussed it with the PTA and the principal and they’re all on board with the idea.”

The room grew still, and the captain spoke again.

“I’m sure Konoha-kun will be excited if you were there cheering for him on... maybe you’ll finally get one of those romantic after-game kisses with him~”

Ume never recalled a moment where you ever blushed. But to see Fukurodani’s infamous “alien” genius so flustered—red from head to toe—was a victory no one could ever seldom. Who could blame you? When thoughts of your untouched lips being swept away by your guileful boyfriend in an enclosed space, so close yet so far from prying eyes were buzzing in your head... Geez, now you really wanted a kiss.

“I’ll lead the song for you—b-but not because I want my boyfriend to do... that!” you quickly reasoned, the red on your face turning darker. “Aki-chan gets all sweaty after a game and being kissed in that condition is gross! Public displays of affection are also pervy, aren’t they? R-right?”

Hoho, Ume giggled. So the Iron Maiden is this type of tsundere~

“Umecchi. That amused look on your face, please erase it.”

It took Suzuki Ume her entire fist in her mouth to pacify her approaching laughter. But eventually, she’d jovially apologized for teasing you, alleviating the pout resting on your face. Reviewing her ideas for the lyrics once more, you drew the conclusion that a) you were still going to have to examine the Volleyball Club first-hand for inspiration and b) writing lyrics for a cheering song was going to be harder than you’d expected. You, who had been used to your own hostile verses in PARANOIA’s songs, were going to have to be forced to avoid the usual... “dirty scums” business.

You were beginning to regret taking the offer, but quickly waved away the thought, thinking that you were starting to sound like your boyfriend. Exiting the Marching Band club room, you pondered on a proper time to visit the Volleyball Club for research. They had today off. Tomorrow, maybe? No, Akinori would complain that you were working too hard—

“Ow!” you yelped, rubbing your forehead from the sudden impact from the wall—Wait, you squinted. There was never a wall here.

And when a pair of arms wrapped around you as a constrictor so eager to devour, all answers were revealed. “Y/N-chaaan! It’s so nice to see you! Aaah, Masa-nii-chan was starting to wonder where you were, you know? Kyuu~”

Scuffling against the third brother’s vice-like embrace, you hissed. “Aniki, let go! You’ll damage my guitar! What are you doing here?! Who in hell would let you in?”

Gently setting you down, Masao watched you with a reprimanding look on his face, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“How cruel of you to say, Y/N-chan. I’m only here to check on my alma mater...” he sulked, focus zeroing in on the piece of paper in your hand. “What’s that? Can I see?”

Before you could express your dissent, Masao had already lunged behind you, snatching the paper into his hands. Reaching for the large wall with your dwarfen arms, you let out a shrill wheeze as his eyes started to skim over the paper and his expression dropped to a million feet.

“Give it back, Aniki!”

“You’re still doing this music thing? Geez, did you even listen to what I said during that one dinner?” he scoffed, turning his back to you to further deride your struggle. “‘You won’t get very far with music’. I bet these scrubs aren’t even paying you.”

Taking up all the strength in your legs, you craned against Masao as much as possible and retrieved the sheet with a disapproving crackle. “I’m not capitalistic like you. And yes, I am still doing this ‘music thing’, but no matter how far I’ll go...”

You paused, drinking in the grave look on your brother’s face.

“I’ll always have people to support me, Aniki.”

At the spur of the moment, like your ancestors were trying to curse you for speaking of the devil, a familiar call of your name had the both of you turning your heads. A mop of blonde and a pair of simple dark eyes that did not match the scene that was playing out before him.

What was Akinori doing here? Why would he call for you seeing that this obnoxious adult was here?! Run away, you begged with your gaze, but the fear that rooted your boyfriend was unrelentingly profuse. No! Don’t succumb!

“Ah! Y/N-chan’s brother!” he bowed, an angle so sharp he almost snapped a muscle. “It’s nice to finally meet you... S-sir.”

“Sir?” Masao drawled, the question pumping acid into the atmosphere. “I’m not even that old yet.”

Despite being younger than the first brother he’d encountered, there was no doubt that this one was more terrifying than the last. At least to your boyfriend he was. Masao, more attractive-looking than Wataru, had a carbon copy of your steely gaze. “He’s a fox! A wily fox who’ll get you to assume things without meaning to!” you’d told him a few days prior, annoyance burning in your tone.

As Masao opened his mouth to speak again, Akinori could only gulp. “You’re much taller than I expected. You’re a regular in the volleyball club, right, Aki-chan?”

“R-right,” he responded. God, now he knew why his term of endearment only sounded right when it came from you.

Circling your boyfriend like a famished vulture, Masao studied him from the tips of his hair to the toes of his shoes.  “So stiff~ I would’ve mistaken you for my little sister’s guitar if you weren’t so...” he smiled warmly at the boy, then hissed.

“... Alive.”

Akinori suddenly realized what you meant by him being such a “fox demon”—he supposed you were just trying to remind him of a folk tale that time, you said yourself that whatever you said shouldn’t be taken too much to the heart. Gulping at the imposing brute of the man, your boyfriend made a mental note to listen closely to your fanciful ramblings the next time he wanted to stay “alive”. For good riddance.

Laughing raucously at his expression, Masao slapped his shoulders, worthy of the ossan* at the nearby ramen shop. “I was just messing with you! Geez, you don’t have to take me so seriously~ You’re just like Y/N-chan but less cuter! Damn, exactly the type of guy Kensuke-nii would love and hate at the same time! Hey, tell me, have you two kissed yet? I can tell that my little Y/N-chan would enjoy that kind of stuff. She is the hopeless romantic after all~”

“K-kiss?!”

At the mention of the accursed ‘activity’, you decided that it was time to finally interfere. Fitting yourself in between your paralysed boyfriend and your brother, you spread out your arms in a sign of mock annoyance. Eyes blazing as bright as your face, you begged Masao one last time.

“That’s enough getting to know each other, right, Aniki?” you said, urging him away from the stricken third year. “If you’re really here to look around the school, then you should hurry and go already. I’ll take you to the staircase, come on.”

Casually lounging an arm over your shoulders, your brother bent down towards your ear, “He’s not so bad. I like him.”

You rolled your eyes. “If you’re saying that just to win me over—”

“Geez, would you stop getting all wary with me? I’m not.” Masao muttered. The mischievous glint in his eyes disappeared just as gravity replaced it. “Your Aki-chan seems like a good kid. Not my type, just so you know. But if you care about him that much as to protect the guy from both me and Wataru, then he’s really something, huh? I’m still not in favor of your entire music future ordeal, but if that Konoha guy is your ‘support’, then I’ll rest easy knowing he’s got your back.”

There was another one of those uncomfortable pauses you hated again. Your brothers never lied; it was one of those characteristics that made your family prone to bluntness over everything else. Nevertheless, there was a sense of lightness in your chest after hearing your brother’s approval. You supposed that even if Masao was the slyest sibling known to man, he was indefinitely more tolerable than... Creepy Siscon Kensuke or Stubborn Belittling Wataru.

“Are you going to tell Kensuke and Wataru about this?”

Eyeing your concern, Masao tilted his head. “I won’t. Promise.”

“Thanks,” you smiled, nodding at your brother from atop the staircase, “... Masa-nii-chan.”

The face Masao was enough for you to scrunch up in disgust and regret whatever you just said. “H-Haa... Y-you finally called me Masa-nii-chan again... I’m so happy. So, so happy. W-will you give me a hug, Y/N-chan?”

“No way. Calling you that again was embarrassing enough, Aniki.”

“Not Aniki! Call me Masa-nii-chan! Once more!”

Shaking your head petulantly, you laughed at your brother’s woes leaving him to continue with a tour of his alma mater (unaccompanied by the hug he so desired). You returned to your lingering boyfriend with ease in your heart and found him just as stricken as you had left him.

“He’s gone now, you don’t have to look so tense,” you poked at his rigid expression.

“Your other brother he mentioned...” Akinori bit his lip. “Would he really hate me?”

You let out a breath.

“I can’t say he won’t, but Masao also said he’d love you, right? Don’t worry about it,” you grinned, looping your arm around his to drag him through the third year hallways. “When he’s being serious, you can trust that guy with his words.”

“Even the ones about how you’d enjoy being kissed?”

The spring freezing in your step, you stared at your boyfriend incredulously. Dawning on Akinori’s face was a look of absolute triumph and illuminated by the shadows of the midday sun, it was like you were at an impasse. It was near unheard of, that this was the same boy who’d you manhandled last year to get his feelings straight! And now, he was using that subliminal charm of his—the one you’d developed—in addition to that godforsaken attractive smirk to ensnare you.

What’s up with that, you thought. A mix of sheer arousal, fear and pride pooling in your hammering heart. I created a monster.

“... Except for those words,” you gritted, trying to keep your footing steady with the way Akinori was leaning closer to your body.

He chuckled lowly. “Eeh, we haven’t even kissed yet. Do you actually have experience in this sort of thing?”

You turned to the large windows lining the walls, hoping that you’d play off your deepening blush. “Of course not. And don’t say it like you have any either! If I’d dated someone who’s already had their first kiss... that would be weird on my side.”

Ruffling your hair while laughing heartily, Akinori let his eyes trail towards the outline of your face. You were beautiful, that was obvious. But in a private moment just like this, just you and him, you always seemed like you were glowing. Your curious eyes—overflowing with mischief and mysteries that he swore to uncover with time. Your cheeks, warm against his fingers and always dusted with a faint red whenever he was around. And your lips. Untouched, unkissed. A plump pair he’d only dreamed of wrapping his own around.

Tracing the pads of his fingers on the contours of your lips, charting etches of himself upon it, Akinori wondered what it would feel like. To kiss you. Would you truly enjoy it, like your brother had said?

“Aki-chan...?” your voice. So delicate and seductive; his name came out of your mouth like amber honey dripping on his hand. It was funny, to be so in love with you. Even after moments where he’d regretted he hadn’t.

It didn’t occur to him how his face was already gravitating towards you. Maybe you weren’t just an alien, maybe L/N Y/N was an entire extraterrestrial planet with a pulling force of its own.

And Konoha Akinori would be the first man to set foot on it.

“W-Whoa! Sorry ‘bout that! Am I interrupting something private, Taichou*?”

Setting foot, Akinori thought of registering himself into a mental ward for thinking of such an uncharacteristic analogy. Watching you wave giddily at the prowler who just happened to be your bandmate Iori, he sighed. I just got hit by an entire meteoroid.

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

You considered buying yourself a good-luck charm from the nearby shrine. The feeling of being overwhelmed... was something you could never get used to. It was rare for you to feel so swamped, taking into account how you prided yourself over being able to get things done at lightning speed. But the song, college entrance exams, your brothers, your band and... that interrupted chance of a kiss. Everything simply took its chance to slip itself into your head all at once.

And it didn’t help at all that Kensuke had found out about your lazily answered Future Plans form that you had stupidly left lying around on your bedroom desk... under that? The lyrics to the cheering song.

“If you’re going to take your future so lightly, then you’re better off not going to that volleyball match,” he’d said to you coolly, a reflection of your seething face bouncing off his glasses. “Is this why you’ve been up all night on your guitar?”

“It was my choice,” you’d told him repeatedly.

“What uncharacteristic choices!” Kensuke had gasped mockingly, crossing his arms. “I’m simply worried about my cute little sister. What if those choices lead you to your doom? Your future, your band... that boyfriend of yours.”

He had paused to ruffle your hair, in which you’d barely managed to duck away from.

“Why don’t you just give all that up and let your big brothers take care of you, okay, Y/N-chan?”

Of course, you had only scoffed in reply and pretended like you didn’t hear him, but you weren’t going to show Kensuke that his words were actually bothering you, were you?

At the current hour, your brothers didn’t matter. As long as you finished the lyrics, everything would be fine. It’ll be fine, you said to yourself. Your long week of juggling through school, visiting the gym for lyrical inspiration, appointments with teachers, your club, clients and boyfriend, all while avoiding your brothers’ nosy interventions had begun. And there was no more back-pedaling on anything.

On the bright side, the marching band was progressing amicably with practicing the melody with you. You decided that Ume, still inquisitive about the passage of your relationship, wasn’t their captain for nothing. Hence, it would only be fair that you also gave your all during your practices—whether or not you finally felt weary in any parts of your body didn’t matter.

And ultimately, the utmost crescendo of the entire week had finally dawned you. You finished. You finished the lyrics! The song! Just about 3 days before the tournament and you had excitedly jotted down the final lines of the cheer. It was flawless in your mind and you comically considered switching over PARANOIA’s theme into something more flamboyant.

Just as a storm had come, the gods had blessed you with a stroke of good fortune. Your week had finally turned around for the better. The rehearsals, the feeling of a pick between your fingers, the swelling intimacy between you and Akinori. Your future even seemed clearer in your head. The tournament was only two days away and you felt like steel. Nothing could stop you. Nothing—

“39 degrees.”

“H-huh...?”

“You’re sick, Y/N-chan,” Kensuke sighed taking a seat on the stool next to your bed, the thermometer between his fingers flashing the two digits you never once fathomed to unite. “Mom and Dad have called your school and told them you won’t be attending class today.”

Nothing, but a 39-degree fever that made your legs buckle every step you took.

“I can’t be sick!” you suddenly cried out, only to be thrown aback by your own string of coughs. You rasped again, your legs weakly reaching out to the floor, looking for your slippers. “T-The tournament is tomorrow and I have to be there to lead the supporters—!”

As your toes kissed the surface of the hardwood, your knees caved away, crumpling and collapsing you forwards into the anticipating embrace of your three brothers. Cringing, you couldn’t help but to melt away into their warmth. You were cold. So, so cold. And all you wanted to do was wither away.

“Oi, oi! Think about your health first,” Wataru scolded, easing you back down against your plush pillows. “39 degrees won’t just go away like that, y’know? Worst-case scenario is that you won’t feel better until Sunday.”

Bundling your blankets over your shivering form, Masao nodded. “Wataru’s right. We’re sorry, Y/N-chan, but I don’t think you can go to the tourney tomorrow with your current condition.”

With a gentle stroke of his fingers on your sweat-slicked hair, Kensuke was already putting you into a trance that made your eyelids go heavy. “It’s cold, isn’t it? You poor, poor thing... It’ll be alright, Y/N-chan. Doctor Ken-nii-chan is going to take proper care of you~”

And those were the least reassuring words you’d ever heard in your life before you yielded to slumber.

“Y-Y/N-chan, are you alright?!” your boyfriend’s voice blared through your phone. It was already evening, and you didn’t catch how many hours you’d been out like a light until you stirred awake to the ringing of your cell phone. “I didn’t see you all day so I asked Tsuyoshi-san and he said you were down with a fever! Should I visit and bring you some food? W-what do you want? Some miso soup or chicken stock?”

“No, it’s fine,” you wheezed out softly. “You don’t have to come.”

“W-why not?” Akinori murmured, the torment in his voice seeping through your speakers. “You said yourself that if you ever collapsed and fell sick, I’ll be there to take care of you, right? I want to take care of you now, even if you make me do weird things. So, please—”

“Akinori.” You sternly hissed. What were you going to tell him? That he couldn’t come because your iron-willed brother slash doctor was guarding your door like a dog? You didn’t even want to know what Kensuke would do to your boyfriend if he came over. “Don’t. Come. I don’t want you to catch my fever. The match is tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“If you love me, don’t visit. Thanks for the concern,” you said flatly and quickly hung up before he could say anything else to pull at your heartstrings. God, you really felt like a loser. Maybe your brothers weren’t so wrong about the ‘weak little sister’ business...

A knock on the door, and the devil had answered to your thoughts. “Hello~? I’m coming in, Y/N-chan. Are you awake? I’ve got your medicine.”

Heat flooding your brain, you were already frustrated enough about the entire ordeal, and your brother’s face was the last thing you wanted to see right now. Turning around to face the wall, you buried yourself into your blankets as the sound of an opening door and a tray being set down filled the room.

“I know you’re awake,” though you couldn’t see him, you were sure Kensuke was grinning playfully behind you. “Turn around so Ken-nii-chan can give you your medicine.”

“I can do it myself, Aniki,” you grumbled from within your cocoon of warmth.

“Not with those shaky hands you’re not,” he said as-a-matter-of-factly. Growling lowly, you shifted beneath the sheets and locked gazes with your smiling brother. Eyeing his every movement as he poured the dark syrup onto a spoon (because who knows what kind of shady things he might put into it!), you rustled.

“Why are you doing this?”

Replacing the cap onto the bottle, the eldest brother’s face broke into a grin. “Because I’m both your brother and a pediatrician. So isn’t it my responsibility to do this sort of stuff? Ah, open wide~”

You quickly enveloped your mouth around the spoon, downing its contents. Your face scrunched repulsively at the artificial tang. Sour. “I suppose it’s your responsibility to make my life a living hell too?”

“That’s a good girl, Y/N-chan. Sorry it’s lemon,” he said, setting down the spoon on your bedside table before turning to you again. “I just want what’s best for you. My little Y/N-chan is different from those other good-for-nothing kids, right? It’s a big world out there and we don’t want you to suffer.”

“Would you stop treating me like a child?” you scowled, hot air spewing out from your nose. “What’s up with you three and doing that? I can function perfectly fine on my own. I’m a third year in high school. It’s so annoying that I could almost hate you. And this is all because you never want to listen to me!”

As the both of you immersed in the deadly silence, you took the time to ogle at your brother’s contorted expression.

Kensuke leaned back on his chair, eyes widened with surprise. “’L-listen’... Y/N-chan, of course we want to listen to you. I-is that not what we’ve been doing the whole time?”

“Listening isn’t the same thing as assuming what I want, Aniki. All you guys do is pile up expectations about the fantasy Y/N living inside your head, and it’s been on my mind the entire week,” you murmured, face growing redder. Though that was just the fever. You were sure of it. “I can’t be the little Y/N-chan I used to be. She’s gone. I’m me now, and the choices I make are the results of my own changes. The choices about what I do, love—”

You took one good, satisfying look at Kensuke’s face, before continuing your sermon. “—and my future. No matter how stupid it looks to you.”

“Oh, Y/N-chan...” he sobbed, striking you dumb top to bottom. Kensuke was crying. Your brother was crying, but what for? Did he catch your fever? God, being sick really did a number on people.

“We didn’t—I didn’t mean to make you feel that way! I was just scared. It was so scary to see you grow up so fast into an adult... then what next? You’ll forget us. You even said you hated me! O-oh God, I’m turning into an overbearing person... I want to commit seppuku*, I’m so sorry...”

Seppuku—Wait, this was your brother you’re talking about here. And with his degree of regret and brashness... he just might do it. How dramatic, you thought, a chuckle threatening to escape your throat.

“Geez, don’t commit seppuku, Aniki,” you sat up on your bed, handing him the pack of tissues next to your pillow. “I said I could almost hate you. But I can’t possibly do that—you’re my brother, right? Even though you three drive me crazy, to fully despise the people who care for you... That’s unfair, isn’t it? Come on, Doctor, don’t cry in front of your patients~”

Blowing his nose loudly into a tissue, he sniffed. “You must really like this guy, huh?”

You made a noise between confusion and shock.

“The old Y/N-chan wouldn’t go so far for anything if it didn’t really interest you... I was worried that he was taking advantage of you or something, to the point where you worked yourself sick. But I couldn’t help but to overhear your phone call from outside and I was relieved that it wasn’t the case.”

You leaned your head on your knees and sighed. “Of course not. Aki-chan is sweet and caring and he knows exactly how to come up with the perfect responses to my weird antics. He used to take advantage of me, and I used to take advantage of him. But that was a long time ago. He made me realize that I didn’t have to understand everything before I felt happy about anything.”

“Does he make you happy?”

“Very. Aki-chan, my band, making this song for the tournament... it all makes me happy, and nothing could be better.”

The air was thick, and Kensuke took it as his cue to leave. Giving you one last smile at the doorframe after he’d flicked the lights off, you felt relief dulling your muscles.

“If you get better by tomorrow, I-I’ll try to figure out a way to get you to that gymnasium,” he said. A promise you knew he was bound to keep. “Your boyfriend is a good person, and I��d hate for him to go through such a grueling match without your support.”

“Ken-nii-chan?” God, it was embarrassing for you to say it, but you were thankful that you were clouded with darkness. “Thanks for listening.”

“G-get some rest, Y/N-chan. Good night.” A shut of a door and muffled crying through the walls.

Good night. You said to yourself and the comforts of your empty room.

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

“Has anyone seen Y/N-san?” Suzuke Ume, frantic captain of the Marching Band, scurried through the throngs of students, parents and teachers.

“I don’t think she got on one of the PTA buses either,” Yukie craned her neck upwards to get a better view of the audience. “Did she forget about it?”

“No way! This is Y/N-san we’re talking about. The day she forgets is the day the world collapses in on itself,” Ume gritted. “Gosh, I have to get the marching band ready and everything...”

Down below, on the polished hardwood court, the boys of the Fukurodani Volleyball Club were raving on their own as usual.

“Hey, what’s Suzuki-chan freaking out about? You think everything’s okay?” Komi whispered to the unstirring wing spiker. “Yo, Konoha, you good, man?”

Akinori said nothing. The world seemed so quiet, not even Bokuto’s early-morning racket could shake him out of it. The gymnasium held out like an empty shell to him. Was the world always so silent whenever you weren’t around? What a desolate world he lived in before you.

Lumping a sinewy arm over his shoulder, Bokuto pointed out. “Where’s Y/N-chan? She’s not coming? I heard she was going to lead the crowd.”

“She’s sick,” he finally mouthed, shrugging Bokuto off his back. “She didn’t come to school either yesterday. I’m just worried about her, ‘s all.”

At his words, Komi frantically leapt towards him. “Sick?! The Great Deity is sick? Did you visit her yesterday? How is she?”

“Y/N-chan... didn’t let me visit,” Akinori sighed. “I don’t know if I ticked her off or if she’s finally gotten bored of me... but she told me not to come even if I really really wanted to.”

As the sentence left his mouth, a shrill whistle resounded in the gymnasium, bouncing off the walls in a warning manner. That was that. The tournament you so hoped to attend the entire week, gone in a matter of seconds.

“Waaaait! Sorry I’m late!”

Like seagulls flocking to breadcrumbs, the entirety of the gym turned its head to the northwest entrance. Where a girl donned in a lopsided Fukurodani uniform and a guitar case strapped to her back looked like she just ran a marathon to get here.

Akinori’s face flushed away of its color, but he couldn’t help but to smile. Elegantly poised Ume nearly dropped her baton, and the entire crowd had their jaws scattered all over the floor.

“Let’s get this party started, shall we?”

Coach Yamiji on the sidelines snickered behind his wrinkled hands. This is going to be one interesting cheer.

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

There was a small corner in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, hidden to the eyes, where janitors and staff alike sparsely came by. A little close to the bathrooms, but not too bad considering there was a fragrant lavender air freshener nocked there. And at this hour, it was the perfect time for—I don’t know—perhaps a curious couple to bask themselves in an after-game moment?

Cradling your face in his hands, Akinori scrutinized the little features on your skin, his breath heavy with concern. “Are you still sick? You’re a bit warm.”

Pushing his hands away, you tapped his chest lightly. “How romantic, Aki-chan. You drag your girlfriend away to a private space only to interrogate her. I’m fine, you know~”

“Your cheeks are completely red, you can’t fool me.” He returned his hands on your cheeks, squishing them together. You looked like strawberry mochi. Cute.

“T-That’s for an entirely different reason!” you cried out, averting your gaze. Your fingers curled around your quaint chrysanthemum necklace out of instinct. “I’m really fine. My brother, the doctor, drove me here with Wataru’s taxi. And we both know he wouldn’t be the type of person to let me out of the house if I wasn’t well. And guess what? I think my brothers have finally come to accept you~!”

Sighing, he rested his forehead on your shoulder, hiding his face in your neck. “You’re troublesome, L/N Y/N. You’re lucky the cheering song was so good that we won those first few matches by a landslide. Otherwise, I would be fully scolding you right now.”

“Hehehe~ Congrats for the win.” Tilting your head against his, you let out a soft hum. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Aki-chan. What should I do for you to forgive me?”

Raising his neck to level to yours, Akinori propped his temple up against yours and spoke to you in a husky tone that made you feel feverish again.

“No one’s going to interrupt us, right?”

“Eh? I don’t think so, but what’re you doing so close—”

“Good.”

And with a soft clink of your matching necklaces bumping against each other in the vacant halls, Akinori had stolen your breath away like a phantom thief to a tower’s princess.

Warm, was the first thing he thought of at first contact. Maybe it was the residue of your night-long fight against a high fever. He might fall sick soon, but that wasn’t something to think about during a first kiss. The space between you was nearly spectral and Akinori’s beating heart was faint against your chest. It was fast, expectedly so. As his hands drifted to shyly wrap itself around the tendrils of your stray hairs, you sneakily nibbled his lower lip, erupting the bubbles of laughter from his throat.

“You smell like sweat,” you poked at his jersey, your cheeks burning up. “Don’t just do that without giving me a warning first.”

Tucking a lock of hair behind your ear, Akinori eyed your slightly parted lips, a dash of his saliva molten upon it, “It’s payback for all the nuisances you’ve caused. So take responsibility, Y/N-chan.”

‘Responsibility’. The word seemed so foreign to you, but perhaps being liable wasn’t going to be such a bad thing—even if you were just freely riding the wave. Letting out a raucous laugh, you threw yourself against Akinori, taking as much responsibility as needed. Twice, thrice, and so on.

Bit by bit, the tailwinds of fate pointed north, and the right path for you never seemed clearer.

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

Glossary:

yankii - delinquent

aniki - ‘older brother’, but really slang-y (usually seen in pop culture yakuza scenes)

ossan - middle-aged man (an ‘uncle’ of sorts)

taichou - commander/leader

seppuku - japanese ritual of slitting the belly

[mikkomacko]

In The Shadows 2

Part 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/n wishes she was more outspoken. As much as she'd love to be able to say whatever she's think or feeling, she can't. She's always been more of an observer rather than a contributor. That's why her and Jess get along so well. It's never really bothered her before, at least not to the point of tears, but as Jess smiles and motions to the girls-sorority girls-behind her, y/n really thinks she can cry.

"This is my way in Y/n!" Jess quietly squeals, throwing her purse over her shoulder. "We can read together any other time, yeah? But it's not always that Tina Walt invites you to go shopping with her, right?"

Y/n's lip tries to wobble, so she quickly forces a smile. "Of course, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Jess practically leaps into the air, leaving her copy of The Great Gatsby on the bench as she throws an arm around y/n's shoulder. "You're the best! I'll see you later!"

She's gone before y/n can even say bye, skipping over to the group of girls she so desperately wants to be a part of. Y/n takes Jess' book in her hands, staring at the cover blankly. She's not really sure what to do. In the all the years they've been friends, Jess has never missed out on important things like book club. She's never picked anyone else over y/n. And it stings. Really badly.

She's taking deep, slow breaths, as she stands up from the bench and slips her backpack on when the best possible person stops her.

"Hey peanut, whatcha doing?"

Harry comes up behind her, and she quickly blinks away her tears before turning to look at him. "Just heading home." She says, awkwardly shifting the books in her hands. Harry glances down at them, eyebrows pinching together when he sees she's carrying two copies.

"What about ya book group?"

"Book club," she corrects softly, "and uh, Jess had to go." Y/n nudges her head in the direction her best friend took off in. She looks over, seeing the girls still walking across the courtyard towards the sorority houses.

"With Tina?" Harry asks, incredulously. "She chose Tina over the great adventures of..." he leans in closer, taking a peak at the book cover, "Gatsby? No taste in that one, I swear."

Despite the heaviness in her stomach, y/n giggles, reaching up to rub her eye because a little drop of water is trying to sneak out. Harry grins proudly, running a hand through his hair before returning it to the pocket of his Green Bay hoodie. Y/n looks over him, an endeared smile taking over her lips when her eyes move from his skinny jeans to the brown boots on his feet. She remembers when the only shoes he owned were either TOMS or low-top Converse.

"Who needs to read it when you've seen the movie, right?" Y/n jokes quietly, even though the words are like salt in a wound. Her and Jess watched the movie once, and Jess loved it so much it was her idea to read the book.

"I've never seen nor read it." Harry admits, shrugging. "S'it a good read?"

Y/n nods, moving her hands when he reaches for the top one. She watches him inspect the cover and then turn it over to read the back, eyes squinting a bit as he focuses. She wonders if he does that in concentration or maybe he has a hard time seeing the little letters.

"I'll read it with ya." He finally says, tucking the little book into his hoodie pocket. "Have ya already started it?"

Eyes wide, she shakes her head. "N-no today was the first uh-you really want to read it?"

Harry chuckles at her surprise. "Believe it or not, I do read peanut." Y/n smiles sheepishly. Of course she knows he reads, she just wasn't expecting him to want to read with her.

"Come on, book group at my house. I've got pizza rolls!"

Before she even think about what she's doing, y/n is walking by his side towards the frat house, grateful for Harry. If she hadn't bumped into him just now, she would've spent the walk home holding back tears, and the rest of the day trying to read through blearily eyes.

~

The frat house isn't so bad to be at when there's not a raging crowd of college students and alcohol on every available surface. It's actually fairly quiet, the occasional sound of Niall yelling reaching theirs ears, but for the most part, it's perfect for reading.

With the backyard empty, the only sound is the shuddering of leaves when a breeze comes through, and the shuffling when her or Harry turn a page of their books. They didn't decide on when to stop reading, and y/n's glad because she thinks she can stay here all day. Harry had brought out a large hammock from the camping supplies, tying the ropes between the posts on the porch, and they'd squished together. At first they had lied opposite ways, but after Harry shoved his sock clad toes into her neck for the sixth time they moved.

Harry had to stretch his arms out behind her head because it was too annoying that his elbow kept bumping hers. Now she just has to help him turn pages since he's only got one free hand. Y/n is nearing the end of chapter four when Harry sets his book down on his chest, breathing out a soft sigh. He doesn't speak, so she quickly finishes up the chapter before closing her book as well. She turns her head to look at him, eyes falling over the slope of his nose and the dip between his lips. After a moment, he finally speaks.

"Remember when we used to have sleepovers all the time?"

It's not what she was expecting to hear after reading The Great Gatsby, but she smiles fondly.

"Of course I do. We had them at least once a week."

Harry hums, eyes locked on the sky above. She wonders what he's thinking about, what made him recall the numerous sleepovers they had.

"Think that's what I missed most when I moved here." He said quietly, as if he's not exactly sure about the statement. "Sleeping on the living room floor. Always had to put ya between Jess and me 'cuz we would kick the fuck outta each other."

Y/n giggles, eyes fluttering shut. She can still see the glow of the tv in the room, and Harry sprawled out in a sleeping bag that was always bigger and fluffier than hers or Jess'. She remembers that he liked to tuck his face into his pillow or the top cover, burrowing until all that was visible was the mess of curls on his head. He always slept the complete opposite of Jess, who always slept on her back, hands on her tummy as if she were a recently petrified mummy.

It's funny that they would kick each other, because she only remembers being a squirmer when he sleeps. Maybe Jess only moved if he moved; a kick for a kick type of thing.

"Never kicked me," she finally says.

"Didn't need to kick ya," Harry replies, "you weren't the one sleeping like a bloody corpse."

She laughs at that, and it makes Harry chuckle too. "God, she's terrifying sometimes," he whispers, a secret between the two of them, "I used to think she didn't have a soul."

It's petty and dramatic of her, but y/n can't help but mumble, "I'm starting to think the same thing."

As soon as it leaves her lips she wants to take it back, even if her chest feels lighter for saying it. Her eyes snap open, alarmed and ready to take it back. Until she's met with Harry's soft gaze, eyes beckoning her to say whatever's on her mind.

"Oh," he simply says in a quiet breath.

"It's just, the past few weeks she's been so obsessed with Tina and her sorority, it's like I don't even exist anymore." It feels good to say, and Harry's still looking at her warmly, so she continues.

"I mean, I knew college was gonna kinda split us. Of course she's going to have different friends, we have different majors, but like....it seems like she got so many so fast and I'm still in the same place."

"And what place is that?" Harry asks, curious and genuine.

"Watching. I'm always watching. I'm watching her become the captain of the volleyball team, and the top lawyer on the mock trial team, and valedictorian, and now I'm watching her become the poster college girl while I'm sat on the bench with two copies of The Great Gatsby." She knows she sounds pathetic, but it's the truth.

"And me," Harry adds sincerely, "you've got me on that bench waiting for one of those copies."

Her heart beats in her throat at his words, and she thinks she might cry again, so she just shuts her eyes and wiggles closer to him until her nose is in his ribs. Harry's arm moves to cradle her head, fingers rubbing over her shoulder soothingly.

"Know m'her brother, and I know what it's like to be left in her shadow," Harry whispers, another secret for just them, "grew up in her bloody shadow. If you get lonely there, you can always come find me."

She moves her arm to hug him, smiling at how soft his hoodie feels under her palm, and she squeezes him in thanks. "It'll be us, then, just sat on a bench, huh?"

"Having book group of course."

"Book club."

"S'what I said peanut."

~

The next few weeks bring lots of changes to y/n's life. Jess officially decides she wants to pledge Tina's sorority, which y/n is kind of hurt about because they can't live together if Jess is living at a sorority house, but she refuses to be an unsupportive friend. She can live in the shadow, she reminds herself, because Harry will be there too. So she wishes Jess luck, and tries not to act too. annoyed when Jess leaves her during studying hours to go with some girls from the sorority, or when she stops having root beer floats with her because "these girls are all size ones." Y/n really doesn't want to ruin her best friend's dreams, even if they make her rude and a little shallow, so she ends up spending root beer floats night by herself. She can handle some alone time if it means Jess succeeds. After all, she was always alone before Jess showed up.

The final straw comes on a Saturday. It's grocery day, and the four girls all agreed last week that they'd take Jess' car to the store around 12 to buy food. That however, is not the case when y/n walks out to the kitchen, fully ready to go only to find a note on the fridge from Jess.

Had to drive the girls to the east side. Be home later! -Jx

Y/n can't help but scoff, fists clenching in anger. She snatches the note off the fridge, crumpling it and tossing it in the trash. Tia pokes her head into the kitchen, and if she notices how angry y/n is, she doesn't say.

"Jo and I are going out since Jess got busy. See ya later!"

She's once again on the verge of tears as she stomps back into her room, grabbing her phone and unlocking it. Her finger hovers over Jess' contact, ready to scream at her for ruining their plans, but she can't press it. Instead, she finds the contact belonging to Harry.

Hey Har, you busy?

His reply is almost instant.

No ma'am! What's up?

She can't help but smile, wiping at the few tears on her cheeks.

The shadows feeling lonely.

She wonders what he was up to, because he replies just as fast as the first text.

I'll get my hammock ready peanut :)

~

The clouds hang low, deep dark puffs in the sky that let y/n know it'll probably rain soon. Well, that and the smell of the rain. A sharp gust of wind blows in her face, making her eyes water and teeth chatter. She tightens the strings of her hoodie, looking down at the sidewalk to keep the wind out of her face.

"Hey peanut!" Her head snaps up at the sound of his voice, finding Harry steadily walking towards her

"What are you doing Har?" She asks, sighing in relief when they get close enough for his body to block the wind. He shrugs, looking around sheepishly.

"Didn't want ya walking alone."

She can't help but blush, digging her chin into her hoodie to keep him from seeing her undoubtedly red cheeks. "I mean, m'almost there already."

Warmth pools in her stomach when he shrugs again. She knows it's not right of her to be looking at her best friend's brother so fondly, as if he were the sun breaking through the clouds, but she can't help it. She spent so many of her teenage years blaming her attraction to Harry on teenage hormones, simply because she knows how Jess is. She never wanted to hurt Jess or risk losing her by admitting that she likes Harry, but the more Jess pulls away from her, the more she's starting to realize that maybe she shouldn't be guilty about her feelings.

"Well let's go before it starts raining!" She laughs, playfully shoving Harry in the direction he came. He chuckles too, nodding his head a couple times, and she huddles by his side as they walk. With his elbow bumping hers, she can't remember why she even texted Harry in the first place, but she's glad she did.

~

"Do you think I'm being a baby?"

Harry drops his spoonful of Spanish rice back into his bowl, head tilting like a curious puppy as he looks over at y/n.

"No, I don't think you are." He says sincerely, and maybe he's saying it just to validate her, bit either way it's nice. "If ya had plans for today and everyone dropped them, it's not on you peanut."

She nods, looking back towards the living room TV, though she doesn't focus on it. She lets his words sink in, repeating to herself that she's entitled to her emotions and that the girls are being bad roommates.

"I guess, just sucks that we're all gonna starve for the next week because Jess took her car."

She smiles pitifully, taking another bite of her rice. Harry sets his on the coffee table, swallowing the bite in his mouth and turning towards her. "Could take mine."

Y/n can't help but laugh, cupping a hand over her mouth and turning her head so he can't see the food in her mouth. "Harry, I'm terrible at driving." She says after swallowing her bite. He rolls his eyes at her because obviously he knew that.

"I meant with me driving, you muppet."

His teasing tone makes her blush, and she sets her bowl on the table too just so she has something to do other than looking into his pretty eyes.

"Y-yeah okay. If you don't mind."

Harry lightly shoves her shoulder, eyebrows raised. He doesn't even have to speak for her to know what he's saying. 'Do you really think I mind peanut?'

"Then let's go!" She says, jumping up from the couch. She digs her shoes out from under the coffee table, slipping them on while Harry takes their dishes to the kitchen and grabs his keys.

She waits for him at the door while he gets his shoes and hoodie on, and they squeeze through the doorway of the frat house out into the drizzling sky.

Harry's car is parked across the street, an old Ford that belonged to his grandma. She had given it to him for his 17th birthday, and while it was old and leaked oil, a car's a car. Y/n hurries into the car so she doesn't get to wet in the rain, and sitting in the passenger sheet switches something in her. She remembers riding to school in this car, munching on toast in the backseat or downing a yogurt smoothie. Harry had put a little trash bag in the backseat for her because she was always eating in the car.

The car roars to life, and y/n turns on her seat warmer while Harry gets settled in. "Haven't been in this car in awhile." She says.

Harry hums. "You get to ride in the Queen Bee's carriage."

She knows he's trying to joke, but the underlying tone is obviously a little bitter. Y/n frowns, remembering when Jess turned 18 and Anne presented her with a brand new Toyota Camry. Harry was so mad that night he didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the night, and he didn't join them on their first drive around the block. He even refused to ride in it.

"M'not buying their groceries," y/n suddenly decides, "just mine. And I'm keeping my snacks in my room. If they want theirs, they can go get it."

She's not looking at Harry, but he still smiles his usual pursed lipped smile. "Good," he says with earnest, and her shoulders feel lighter.

~

It may be stupid for y/n to be so bothered by it, but she's unable to stop thinking about Jess abandoning their book club, and then not even remembering the book. It'd be one thing to ask for the book back and her read it on her own, but she hasn't even asked y/n for it. It's been weeks and Jess is always on her phone, doing homework in her room, or out with Tina. She can't help but think she's being stupid and dramatic, and while that adds to her annoyance, it also pushes her to do something she doesn't normally do.

"It's only a couple hours, and we'd really love it you'd come with."

She's sat in the campus cafe with Zoe, the two of them sharing a basket of fries and getting ahead on homework. The soccer team has an away game this weekend, travelling about 2 1/2 hours east to play one of the school's biggest rivals. Harry had mentioned it quite a few times at book club, reminding her he might get behind this weekend but telling her to not slow down for him.

She thought it was just a team trip, until she met up with Zoe. Apparently the team reserved two buses, one for them and one for students to go cheer them on. Zoe has already reserved herself a seat for two, but the girl that was originally going with her had to back out last minute, leaving the seat open. And for some reason, she thinks y/n is the best filler.

"But wouldn't it be weird?" She murmurs, nibbling on a fry, "I mean, pretty much just the girlfriends are going and I'm just Harry's sister's best friend."

The mention of Jess makes her stomach twist, so she quickly pushes the thought away. Zoe rolls her eyes, smiling at y/n endearingly.

"You're so cute," she laughs, "it's obvious you and Harry are really close, and I know you're mad at Jess. Maybe you need to step away for a bit and clear your head."

"I guess that makes sense."

"And other's go too. Greg's best friend and sister is going." Zoe offers as reassurance.

"What if Jess is upset that I didn't invite her?"

Zoe shrugs, sighing. "You care too much about people who don't deserve it. If she asks, tell her I invited you because we're actually friends."

Maybe she wants to get back Jess or maybe it's the excitement of having another friend. Either way y/n doesn't put anymore thought into it before nodding. "Okay."

~

Harry checked over the clothes laid out on his bed, double checking that he's got everything he needs for his game. Cleats, socks, shinguards, compression shorts, shorts, jersey, extra deodorant, cologne.... everything.

He starts to nearly pack it in his bag, jumping when his bedroom door is suddenly thrown open, so much force behind it it smacks into the wall.

"What the fuck?" Harry asks, brow furrowing as Niall strolls into his room and sits at his desk.

"Talked to Zoe." He says, lips quirking up teasingly. Harry knows he's got something else to add, so he just nods.

"She found someone to be her seat buddy," Harry hums, not really listening as he continues to pack. "and that someone happens to be y/n."

His neck snaps up so harshly he's surprised a crack didn't resound throughout the room. "Y/n?" He asks, blushing when his voice cracks.

Niall smirks. "Your little peanut? Yeah. Guess they've been hanging out when we're at practice."

Harry swallows thickly, heart racing. He feels kinda stupid for being so flustered that y/n is going to his game. She's gone to all three of the past home games they've had, always wearing his shirt and carrying her sign for him. But she's going out of her way for him. She's willing to take a bus ride with a bunch of college kids for him. And she's making new friends! Friends that care about her, that encourage her to be a better person. Not friends that use her to make themselves look better.

"D-do you know what bus they're on?"

Niall shrugs, but his shit-eating grin let's Harry know that Niall knows exactly what bus they're going on. "Niall come on! Please"

He chuckles at Harry's urgency, folding his hands in his lap like as if conducting important business.

"Told Zoe I'd grab an extra seat on our bus for them." He says it nonchalantly, but Harry's heart flutters with interest. "Figured I could sit with my girl and you could sit with yours."

Niall calling y/n his girl definitely has him grinning, and his stomach erupts with giddiness, but he shakes his head. "She's not my girl," he says mournfully.

"Not yet, but she will be."

Harry huffs, falling dramatically onto his bed. Harry's been waiting his whole life (at least it feels like his whole life) for the opportunity to tell y/n how he feels. He had planned too when they were in high school, longing to spend his formative years with the girl he knows would've made them memorable, but he couldn't. Not with Jess and y/n so codependent on each other. Because Jess will definitely rip his head off if they end up together, and he couldn't do that in a time when they need each other.

"Ya think so?" He asks pathetically.

Niall's nod is firm and encouraging. "Of course. Everyone can see it, Zoe thought you lot we're already dating at the tailgate and that was before you gave her your shirt."

Harry perks up, head tilting like a hopeful puppy. "Really?"

"Yeah, just watching you too talk and look at each other is enough proof. There's something good there, and now's your chance to go for it."

Harry's eyes flicker over to the shelf of pictures. He finds the black Halloween frame right away, smiling at the photo. It was taken in middle school, the age when kids stop dressing up at school for Halloween, but somehow Jess, y/n, and him all did. Of course his and Jess' costumes were subtle; him being a professional soccer player and Jess bring Cher from Clueless. But y/n had shown up as Mr. Peanut, throwing away her hat and glasses when she'd been stared at. Harry had found her sulking outside, and immediately told her that he really liked peanuts, and from then on out, she was to be known as his peanut.

"What about my sister?" He mururms, lips falling in defeat when his eyes lock on her in the photo.

Niall sighs deeply, rising up from the chair and shrugging. "You know her best Harry. Would she be able to get over you dating her best friend?"

He's right. Harry does know Jess. He knows she's strong and confident and determined. And he also knows she's close-minded, selfish, and bratty. A weight settles in his stomach, and he wishes he could lie about Jess, but he can't.

"No," he whispers sadly, "no she wouldn't be okay with me dating her best friend. And she really wouldn't be okay with me being in love with her best friend either."

Best friend, his brain repeats. Some best friend she is. As if he'd been struck lightning, Harry bolts up from his bed, grabbing his jacket and throwing it over his head.

"What? What's wrong?" Niall asks worriedly.

Harry tugs his shoes on. "I've gotta find a way to tell y/n I love her."

[kosmosguk]

[Yandere Mafia BTS Reaction to You Being in Love with Their Rival]

[A/N: Got the day off tomorrow, so I worked HAM to get this done after so long. I interpreted this as Yandere bts mafia’s s/o being in love with their rival but if that’s not what you meant, message me and I’ll try to adjust this piece! Thank you <3]

Seokjin:

Seokjin is livid, the kind of livid where he’s shaking and he can't breathe or think properly because everything in his mind is painted an awful shade of red.  And even though he can barely see what’s in the photos with how blurry they are, he can see you, clear as day, smiling that special smile that’s reserved for only him where your eyes turn gooey and your lips curl up prettily. But instead of smiling at him, like you should be, you’re smiling at the leader of the rival mafia, your cheeks rosy in delight. You look lovesick with your arm entwined around his arms, even though Seokjin is convinced that you shouldn’t be looking like that, not when his enemy is just going to use you up like his other playthings before tossing you away. Seokjin almost wants to throw up at the disgusting sight. He wants to throw and break and hurt something, but he knows that he has to focus. Without focus, there’s no way he’s going to be able to torture and destroy his enemy for even daring to breathe near you, for trying to corrupt your beautiful, pure soul. He’s willing to pay anything, to give up anything to make his rival grovel and beg at his feet before he kills him like the animal he is. Killing his rival and making you watch that horrible man die is just his first punishment for you for even daring to look at another man. He has many, many other punishments reserved for you. After all, betraying him has consequences. And Seokjin, as you should have known by now, is nothing but a man who lives up to his threats.

Yoongi:

Yoongi’s your silent protector, someone who’s meant to watch and protect you from the dirty world. That’s why he can tell something is different with you. There’s a moony look in your eyes, the same kind he has whenever he looks at you, although his look is just a bit more intense. You’re always texting someone, smiling cutely as you giggle and type, shyly nibbling on your bottom lip that has Yoongi reeling in an intense simmering jealousy that he forces himself to swallow. And then you disappear in the middle of the night. Yoongi always checks up on you when you fall asleep after all; you can't hide anything from him. The next night, he follows you and sees you playfully wrap your arms around that sick son of a bitch. And no one’s around either, an act meant to preserve that bitch’s reputation. It’s an opportunity, one that Yoongi refuses to give up. He finds himself walking closer, slipping his gun from his waistband before aiming it point-blank and firing it straight into that bastard's head. It’s too easy; Yoongi can’t believe the same bastard who’s been taunting him for so long was so easy to kill. He sees you crying as he continues approaching, and you don’t even move when he scoops you into his arms and lovingly holds you, a warm action coming from a cold man. He knows that you don’t understand why he did that, why he has to protect you. The dead man before you two was a bad, evil man who would hurt you if Yoongi hadn’t done something. But Yoongi would never realize that maybe, just maybe he should have been protecting you from himself.

Namjoon:

Namjoon is deceptively calm. He simply nods his head at the information when his associate informs him of it before very cooly saying that he’d like to start an alliance with the rival group. But on one term, the leader would have to show up himself. The idea is presented professionally, cordially, and Namjoon does nothing less but acts absolutely charismatic. He even shows up at their main dwelling, no guards by his side, and practically nearly risks his life for his plan, acting like he was there for the sole intention of peace, a concept not well-known in the dangerous world he has sunk himself in. It’s almost a dare as he waits, calmly composed, for them to shoot him, fully aware that the vans he had posted nearby would straight up eliminate the whole building and everyone in it if they dared. The leader, a peace-loving imbecile, foolishly gives in, wanting nothing more than to quell the deaths that had been raging between the two groups. And nothing bad seems to happen at first. They both sign a document. They both shake hands. And they both raise a glass of wine from the very same bottle, ready to toast the alliance. And as the leader takes his first sip of the drink, the color ominously crimson underneath the dim glow of the room’s light, all is calm. And then it isn’t. The leader, that son of a bitch, chokes slightly on air, his hand flying to his throat. He turns purple, his words garbled, before paling. As the guards rush forward and are shot by the men Namjoon had carefully posted away from the naked eye, the leader’s head thuds on the table. Namjoon doesn’t even care that he has an absolute war on his hands, not when he’s eliminated his true obstacle. 

Hoseok:

Hoseok is loving, so loving that it almost covers up his title of being the leader of one of the most powerful mafia groups. But there are some moments where you can tell that this man, the very man who taught you how to dance to the flow of the music and covered your eyes during more gruesome movie scenes while laughing lightly, is just like every other powerful leader: a selfish, cold-blooded killer. You just never thought you’d have to experience it firsthand. You’re coming home after an outing with your new beau, running on the light-footed euphoric high of love when you notice Hoseok sitting on your sofa, his lips curled in a disgruntled slope instead of the wide curved smile he usually wore. You can barely greet him before he cuts you off, demanding to know where you’ve been. You fib, something that was more of a white lie than anything, because Hoseok is protective and, well, a part of you feels guilty for hiding the fact that you’ve been seeing his worst enemy who you’re convinced really isn’t that bad. Hoseok’s eyes flash, their bright depths darkened, and in a flash of a movement, he’s up, his face red as he accuses you of betraying him, calling you a whore for lowering yourself to the level of that scum. You’re thrown off at this sudden change in Hoseok, your sweet smiling Hoseok, but more than anything, you’re furious that he’s acting like such an asshole when it’s none of his business. Before you can do anything more than scream, Hoseok is lunging for you, and you hurry back, falling down and knocking yourself out when your head collides on the edge of the coffee table. You shouldn’t be all too surprised when you wake up chained in a different place next to your sweet, loving Hoseok who smells just a bit, although his cologne covers it, like blood.

Jimin:

Jimin's almost in tears at your betrayal, at the news he just received that shouldn't be true. You’re lovers, intertwined by the fate of destiny that Jimin had been cruelly deprived of before he met you. You loved him, with the ways you always treated him so sweetly and smiled up at him with such affection. He feels like his heart's breaking, like he can't breathe or even function anymore at the sight of you kissing the man who made his life hell. And when Jimin feels betrayed and hurt, he becomes desperate. And desperation leads people to do dangerous, horrific things. His desperation leads to his belief that you must be angry at him; he must not be giving you enough gifts and maybe you were angry because he was late to a meet up with you or maybe you had gotten a hair cut that he hadn’t noticed. That’s why you found another man, as retaliation for Jimin not being a good enough boyfriend. This is just a bad patch in your relationship, one that Jimin’s going to fix. And he knows just how he’s going to fix it. You trust Jimin enough to leave your phone with him when you're running an errand, and even though Jimin feels like every fiber of his being is breaking, he knows it wasn't your fault that you were manipulated. He would fix this, just for you. So you wouldn't mind if he pretended to be you, texting a meetup location with his enemy, teasingly implying that you had a special present for him and wanted him to be alone. And you wouldn’t mind if when your lover came, captured by Jimin’s men for Jimin to deal with later. After all, if Jimin cried and begged and held onto you hard enough, you'd eventually forgive him. In fact, you might even thank him.

Taehyung:

Taehyung knows every detail about you. He knows when you’ve started to meet someone else. He’s furious, but he knows just exactly how to work the situation. Taehyung’s emotional, but he’s also manipulative, knowing which of your insecurities to prey on for the result he wants. He hires someone to find more risky photos of your new lover, images of the man with his past lovers scandalously pressed to him, and send them to you, threats scrawled on them about how your lover was just using you like he did with other girls, how you were just a pretty thing to adorn his side before he got sick of you and threw you away. It’s almost easy from then on. His men catch sight of a ruckus near your place and report back news of you screaming at your lover, slapping his face when he tries to get close to you and shoving the photos Taehyung had sent into his chest. When you storm out of your apartment, Taehyung’s prepared, sending more men to carefully knock you out when you head into an area without any cameras and people and drag you away. And when you wake up, eyes fierce as you hiss out that your lover is going to do whatever it takes to save you and that Taehyung was pathetic for kidnapping someone he didn’t even know, Taehyung plays his cards carefully, setting a picture of your lover with another woman by his side--the woman was really just his subordinate--before your bound form and talking about how he really doubts that when your lover has already found another body to warm up his bed. He shouldn’t find this much pleasure in seeing how you absolutely shatter at the sight, relishing in how your tears drip down your cheeks, but this will teach you how he’s the only one meant for you.

Jungkook:

As the youngest to rise into the position as leader of such a powerful group, Jungkook is notorious in the mafia world for his sheer brutal power and warlike demeanor. He excels in everything he does, from small things such as precisely shooting a gun blind to big things such as gaining the trust of not only nearly every single member in his group but the alliance of other powerful groups. You were his escort to events, beautiful and put together as you turned a blind ear to the risky, sometimes horrific deals that were being placed on the table. Jungkook thinks highly of you, despite how you’re really only doing the job in exchange for the large sum of cash you could use to pay off your college loans. And somehow along the way, he had fallen for your quick wit humor, the way you so cordially interacted with very dangerous men with an air of aloofness. So to see you next to the side of the only man in his group that didn’t fully trust Jungkook and had openly protested Jungkook’s rise to power, the son of a bitch who Jungkook hated with a burning passion casually tugging you close by your waist, left the young man feeling something he hadn’t felt in years: heartbroken. He’s spurred to find a way to absolutely destroy the man, establishing a discreet plan where the man would go missing like another rival group had kidnapped him and show up dead, killed in the same exact manner that the rival group was infamous for. And when you hear the news and become absolutely devastated, seeking comfort, you'll be back where you belong: at Jungkook's side. And if you refuse to comply, Jungkook is absolutely not above using a more brutal threat to convince you otherwise.