#[ and also - i hope you reach a point where you feel safe and comfortable about being bisexual ]

[imagines--galore]

||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-Three

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: Hello loves! Sorry its taken me so long but I haven't been feeling the best lately but I'm slowly getting back on track and hopefully whatever bad juju I've been cursed with is now dissipating. Also slight mention of a dislocated shoulder and it being put back in place, so I hope you don't get too squeamish! Anyway! Back to the story! And get ready for a LONG ASS chapter!

Though she had finally removed her bandages from around her abdomen for good, Orora still had the area covered with the sash she had put together. Mostly to hide the hole at the side of her shirt where the fabric had been cut by Zuko to tend to her wound, but also because, well, the remaining sight wasn't exactly that pretty.

Not that she had anything against scars. She had plenty. It was the looks of pity she wanted to avoid whenever she was around her friends. Though mostly, she didn't want Zuko to see it.

The idiot would go ahead and feel guilty about what had happened, even though it hadn't been his fault.

So it was best to keep it hidden.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"You should go back Orora. We'll both be fine!" Sokka spoke up from where he stood next to her, watching as Zuko prepared the balloon for launch. Glad to have a distraction, the Waterbender didn't even spare her brother a glance as she secured her gloves around her forearms.

"I find that a little hard to believe Sokka." She said. A look of offense creasing his features, he turned to Orora. "What? You don't trust us!?" He demanded, his tone high and accusing at the same time.

Sighing the girl shook her head. "Oh no, I trust the both of you." She paused before continuing. "It's just you and Zuko tend to rub each other the wrong way. And sure its hilarious to see you two get on one another's nerves, I would prefer you didn't do it on such a high stake mission." Her admission had Sokka blinking in surprise. Yes, he did tend to tease and make fun of Zuko, but mostly because he was so uptight about everything. Well everything except Orora.

There was also the fact that Sokka still hadn't figured out how to act around Zuko. They'd been enemies for such a long time that sometimes, when he would see Zuko walking around camp, doing chores, or even just sitting and having dinner, it would throw him off a little. These were all such normal tasks and if there was one word he would never have used to describe Zuko, it would be normal.

Honestly, there was nothing normal about their situation.

Clearing her throat, Orora bit her lower lip. "So my aim on this mission is to make sure you two don't argue to the point of getting caught, getting in trouble, or worse."

Worse was bad.

Worse was very bad.

Katara would kill him if he got into worse.

Seeing the genuine worry in her blue eyes, Sokka sighed, before reaching out and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. "You don't have to worry, Sis." He reassured her with a soft smile. "I promise my main focus will be the mission, and not making fun of Zuko and his grumpy expressions."

Though she offered Sokka a smile in return, she couldn't help but ignore the tightness in her stomach at his words. Hopefully he wouldn't become too focused and ignore every sign of danger that came their way.

She would just have to be super vigilant to make sure her boys stayed safe.

"I also don't trust either of you from making needlessly dangerous plans, trying to overdo everything and getting into unnecessary trouble."

Sokka looked utterly aghast at such a deceleration. Orora grinned. "I mean you were about to go off to a highly secured prison surrounded by water without a waterbender, which kind of proves the point I made just now." Playfully patting him on the head, she shouldered her water pouch and walked off to join Zuko in the balloon.

Leaving Sokka to follow after her, grumbling under his breath.

                                            ————————–

Leaning back against the metal railing of the war balloon, Orora allowed her fingers to flit through the clouds as they passed by. She'd almost forgotten how calming it was to travel by air. Or rather traveling by an Air Bison. Dragging her eyes away from the open blue sky, she shifted her attention to her two traveling companions.

Two rather awkward and wary looking companions.

It was strange to see how stiff the two boys were being around one another. If it weren't so painfully awkward, she would be laughing till she cried. But Orora kept her mouth shut and lips pressed in a thin line.

Throwing his hand out, Zuko sent a burst of fire into the tank to keep the hot air moving upwards and into the balloon. As he closed the metal door, she saw the both of them glance at one another before looking away.

Spirit, this was ridiculous.

Over Zuko's head, she caught Sokka's eye and mouthed at him to say something.

Sokka looked panicked for a moment, his head swiveling from one side to the other, as if he were looking for an interesting topic.

As if it would fall out of the sky.

"Pretty clouds." He finally stated, prompting Zuko to glanced around as well, missing the way Orora smacked her forehead and let out a silent groan of frustration.

"Yeah." The Prince responded, nodding in agreement. "Fluffy."

Another beat of silence, one where Sokka avoided any eye contact with his frustrated sister. Zuko, meanwhile, glanced in her direction with a helpless look on his face. Knowing this was so new to him and that he was way out of his depth here, Orora gave him an encouraging smile and gestured for him to continue.

Normally she would jump in now and act as the medium between the two boys, but not this time. They had to learn to get along on their own.

Just then Sokka began to whistle, prompting a slightly panicked Zuko, to turn to him. "What?"

Sokka stopped whistling. "What? Oh, I didn't say anything." He stated, a little defensively.

Maybe it would be better if she just threw herself off the war balloon and avoid this awkwardness altogether. She did the next best thing though, and that was closing her eyes.

"You know," She heard Sokka say. "A friend of mine actually designed these war balloons."

Zuko hummed in interest. "No kidding." She opened her eyes to see him opening the metal hatch once more.

"Yep, a balloon.....but for war." Sokka continued, looking a little dismal that someone had taken something as innocent as a balloon and turned it into a weapon of war.

Zuko blasted more fire into the tank, prompting the balloon to rise higher. "If there's one thing my dad's good at, it's war." His tone was dark as was his expression as he turned his eyes downcast. A surge of protectiveness raced through her, yet Orora stayed quiet.

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, it seems to run in the family." He was referring to Zuko's ancestors, though the Firebender wasn't about to agree with him.

"Hey, hold on." He said, the defensiveness in his tone evident as he turned to face Sokka. "Not everyone in my family is like that."

Holding up his hands, Sokka nodded. "I know, I know, you've changed." He said, his voice placating. To which Zuko shook his head.

"I meant my uncle." He said, the mention of him prompting both him and Orora to feel the wise old man's absence even more so then ever before. "He was more of a father to me. And I really let him down." She'd told herself she wouldn't interfere in the conversation, but that didn't stop Orora from reaching out, taking Zuko's hand in her own and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Zuko closed his eyes briefly at the contact, drawing comfort from her presence.

Sokka crossed his arms over his chest, a contemplating frown on his forehead. "I think your uncle would be proud of you." He said after a moment of silence. Zuko turned to look at him, a little surprised at the words of encouragement that followed. "Leaving your home to come help us? That's hard."

Glancing briefly at his soulmate, who was pretending she wasn't actively listening in on the conversation, Zuko felt the corner of his mouth lift in a small smile. "It wasn't that hard." He said, his voice soft, his hand sliding out of Orora's grip, only to take it again, this time with their fingers intertwined.

She was standing on his other side, which allowed Zuko's form to hide their little touches of affection from Sokka.

Sokka, frowned. "Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?" He asked, finding it hard to believe that Zuko didn't have anyone who cared for him in his own home.

"Well," He trailed off, glancing at Orora out of the corner of his eyes before he continued. "I did have a friend." He admitted. "Mai."

The water tribe boy frowned, though there was a smile on his face. "That gloomy girl who sighs a lot?" He asked, to which Orora glanced at him from over Zuko's shoulder. "Wait, you've met her?" She asked, genuine interest coloring her tone. Sokka nodded. "Yeah! She was one of the girls who attacked us with Azula."

Orora blinked, raising an eyebrow in Zuko's direction who was smiling sheepishly. "Way to go making friends with people who have a vendetta against your current friends Zuko." Her tone was heavy with sarcasm, as was the look she gave him.

"Well none of my relationships have ever been easy, so I guess the same could be said about my friendships." He responded with a laugh. Finally letting go of her hand, which neither of them had noticed they were still clasping, he sent a burst of flame into the metal box.

"Everyone in the Fire Nation thought we were dating, but I was only helping cover for her while she visited her Soulmate. And before I left, I made sure to cut all ties with her. In the eyes of my Nation I was effectively betraying them and I couldn't drag her into the mess I was leaving behind." He briefly wandered how Mai was doing. It had been days since he had thought of her.

Hopefully she was happy with her Soulmate, just as he was with his own.

Orora, however, was a little fixated on a minor detail. "So, the entire Fire Nation thinks you two were dating?" She asked, a sting of jealousy coursing through her body as she crossed her arms over her chest. Zuko shot a slightly panicked look in Sokka's direction, who mirrored his expression. "It was all just pretend." He quickly said, hoping to amend the situation. "She even encouraged me to go out and find you again."

Orora, however, continued to give him a skeptical look.

Thinking that perhaps his intervention would help, Sokka opened his mouth and said the first thing that popped into his mind. "My girlfriend turned into the moon." He blurted out.

The news were more then a little surprising to say the least, and it had Zuko turning to look at Sokka with a shocked expression. He glanced towards the sky, as if he would be able to see an actual girl walking among the clouds. Turning his head back towards Sokka, he gave him a sympathetic look.

"That's rough, buddy."

Not exactly an appropriate answer, but then again, what did you say to someone who's girlfriend became the moon?!

Though as the two boys continued to talk, Orora figured it was better then anything.

At least they were past the awkward stage.

Somewhat.

                                            ————————–

She fell asleep while the boys talked, and only woke up when the sun was setting, accompanied by the sound of someone snoring. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and picking her head up from where she had placed it on the side of the war balloon, Orora was a little surprised to find a blanket covering her. One glance in Sokka's direction told her that he was fast asleep. Zuko, however, was still awake and tending to the fire inside the metal box.

He turned his head in her direction, smiling slightly as he watched her run a hand through her slightly ruffled hair. "Perfect timing. We'll be there in an hour or so." He said, reaching down for the pack of food they had brought. She'd slept through the meager lunch he and Sokka had shared.

Taking the bread, Orora bit into it, realizing just then how hungry she was. Though the gnawing in her stomach was nothing compared to the strange heaviness she felt in her chest. Averting her gaze from Zuko, she continued to nibble on her lunch, hoping he wouldn't broach the subject she was sure was bothering her.

"You know, nothing happened between Mai and me."

Sometimes she cursed just how well Zuko knew her by now to know exactly what was bothering her. She heard him close the small metal door and leave his post to come and stand next to her, the both of them gazing out at the orange and yellow hues the setting sun cast all across the sky.

Taking her silence as the invitation he needed to explain himself further, he continued. "I mean she was insistent at first, but then she saw me talking to you or rather, talking to your illusion that only I could see and hear. She confronted me about it, and I had to tell her everything." His head turned slightly so he could look at her as she stood beside him, her gaze unwavering as she stared straight ahead. "And she admitted to finding her own Soulmate, and we-"

"Zuko, you don't have to explain yourself to me." Her voice finally came, low and soft as she began to break pieces of the bread and dropping them to the ground. "She's your friend and you helped one another out because that is what friends are supposed to do."

Sensing her hesitation, Zuko reached out to gently lay a hand on top of her forearm. "Then whats on your mind?" He asked, his voice gentle, as he tried to coax her to unburden her mind. Closing her eyes, and throwing the last bit of bread into the wind, the girl allowed her head to fall forward, drawing comfort from his strong, warm presence.

"Its just," She sighed, before raising her head and continued. "Your entire Nation accepted the fact that you were dating Mai, even though you weren't. And I just can't help but think what their reaction will be when they find out that your Soulmate is not only from the Water Tribe, but also a Waterbender. I doubt either of those two things will work in my favor." She had wanted to pause there and give him the chance to speak, but the flood gates had opened, and all the worries and thoughts she had kept hidden began pouring out.

"You're a traitor to your Nation already, would having me as your Soulmate win you any support if we ask for it? And I've read how rigid the Fire Sages can be when it comes to the Royal Family, and I don't want to cause any more rifts between your people more then there already is. Then there's also the fact that ever since we've gotten back together we haven't even kissed yet, which has been making me think that maybe you're treating me a little more cautiously because of what happened, because if you are then know that I have forgiven you and that you don't need to prove yourself to me anymore an-"

The rest of her words were cut off with a gentle yet firm hand covering her mouth. Orora turned her head to glare at him, but found Zuko shaking his head at her. He stepped forward so that they were almost chest to chest.

"Orora." He said her name in a manner that had her heart skipping a beat. "I don't care what my Nation or people think about you being my Soulmate." His admittance had a flare of surprise running through her body, though it was more pleasant then she had expected it to be. "There was a time when I would've thought the exact same things and just gotten angry and frustrated at the entire situation, but I've learned not to do that anymore." The hand over her mouth slowly slid up to press against her cheek, cradling her head. Orora, in turn, nuzzled against his warm touch, sighing softly, her eyes never looking way from his. "I spent so long trying to deny what fate had already decided for me when it came to my heart, and I don't want to do that anymore. I just want us to be together." He stated, his expression just as honest as his voice as he gazed at her.

"And as for not kissing you." A blush stole across her cheeks at that part. She'd been hoping he wouldn't focus on that. Zuko simply shrugged with a smile. "If you want me to kiss you then fine I will, but I was kind of waiting for a special moment to do that."

Orora blinked at him. "What kind of special moment?" She asked, her words coming out a little breathless as she found her hand lifting to trace the scar that marred his face.

He shrugged, keeping his eyes on her, despite the urge to close them just so he could savor her gentle touch. "I have no idea." He admitted, prompting her to let out a small laugh, before stepping forward to wrap her arms around him. He returned the embrace, closing his eyes and feeling that warmth in his chest spread throughout his body.

There was a small stretch of silence, broken only when Sokka would let out a particularly loud snore.

"You know," Zuko said softly. "Its weird that I'm the one telling you not to worry when, just a couple of months ago, you were the one doing it for me."

Orora rolled her eyes at him as she pulled back from the embrace. "What? Only you're allowed to freak out in this relationship and not me?"

"Well you are the more rational and emotionally mature one out of both of us."

"I'm overall more mature then you Zuko."

"We're the same age, Orora."

"And yet, I've never tried to get myself killed during a lightning storm."

"......."

"That's what I thought."

                                            ————————–

True to what Zuko said, it was nearly an hour later, when night had fallen, that the prison came into sight. It was rather an impressive construction. Built in the center of a volcano, a gondola the only way in and out of the massive building that apparently housed every single dangerous individual in the Fire Nation.

Or rather those who had been deemed dangerous. Sokka had woken up at Zuko's exclaimation, and all three of them were watching as they neared their destination.

"There's plenty of steam to keep us covered." Zuko said as he assessed the surrounding steam rising from the boiling water. "As long as we're quiet, we should be able to navigate through it without being caught." No sooner had he said the words when the balloon began to loose altitude.

Frantic, Zuko began to blast even more fire into the tank. "We're going down! The balloon's not working anymore!" As a last resort, he blasted fire up into the balloon itself.

Orora's eyes darted towards the island that was getting closer and closer, as well as the boiling water as they began to drop at an alarming rate. "The air outside is just as hot as the air inside so we can't fly!" Sokka exclaimed, quickly realizing the scientific reason behind the balloon's failure.

The balloon began to sway from side to side, prompting all of them to grab the sides and hold on. "So what are we supposed to do?" Zuko asked, the panic clear in his voice.

"I don't know! Crash-landing?" Sokka responded. Orora quickly stood, raising her arms to create a sheet of ice over which the balloon could glide over. But the faster she tried to freeze the water, the faster it melted.

"Argh, its no use! The water is too hot. I'm gonna need to freeze the a big patch of ice, and I can't risk anyone seeing that even with the mist." She said, frustrated at being unable to help. Just then the balloon skidded along the boiling water, forcing Orora to hold on to the side railing for dear life. The balloon floated along the lake enough to reach the island atop which the prison stood, and tipped over, ejecting the three of them onto the rocky shore.

They sat up, groaning and rubbing whatever sore spot the tumble had caused them. Zuko was the first to look to the now destroyed balloon. "How are we gonna get off the island if the balloon won't work?" He asked, standing up before reaching out and pulling Orora to her feet as well.

"We'll figure something out!" Sokka stated, a hint of resignation in his voice as he did. "I suspected it might be a one-way ticket." Orora's mouth fell open in surprise, an emotion Zuko mirrored as he said. "You knew this would happen and you wanted to come anyway?"

"Sokka, are you insane?" Orora shrieked in a low voice. Truthfully she wanted to scream at him, but that meant drawing unwanted attention. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Sokka ignored them both as he walked towards the balloon and began to gather up the broken parts. "My dad might be here! I had to come and see!" Orora pursed her lips, making a mental note to talk to Katara about whether or not Sokka had been dropped on his head too many times as a baby.

"Uncle always said I never thought things through. But this," He threw his arms out in frustration. "This is just crazy!"

The resident waterbender nodded. "I agree. Sokka you should've thought this all through. This recklessness could get you hurt, captured or killed."

Shooting both of them a glare, Sokka paused in his work. "Hey, I never wanted either of you to come along in the first place! And for the record, I always think things through! But my plans haven't exactly worked, so this time, I'm playing it by ear. So there." With that he kicked whatever was left of the war balloon into the boiling water and watched as it disappeared under the steaming surface.

Zuko stepped forward, a little alarmed at the rather mild mannered water tribe boy's show of aggression. "What are you doing?"

Sokka shrugged, walking towards the prison as it loomed over them through the dark and fog. "It doesn't work anyway, and we don't want anyone to find it."

Behind him, both Zuko and Orora glanced at one another, uncertain and yet determined at the same time. The girl quickly reached out the catch her brother by the shoulder. "Sokka, just try not to overdo it. I don't want you getting hurt." She said, hoping he would start thinking with his head rather then let his emotions rule his every judgement. "I hope you know what you're doing." Zuko stated as he followed after Sokka. "There's no turning back now."

                                            ————————–

Finding a way in wasn't that hard to do. A pipe that was clearly used to pump water into the prison was their way in. The metal grate that covered it was quickly sliced to pieces by Orora. A task that didn't take her too much time since years of water damage had rusted the metal rods already. Bending the water out of the way and keeping a firm control on the pressure of it, she lead the way in, with Zuko holding up a small flame in his hand to guide the way, while with his other, her did his best to bring down the temperature of the water to a more tolerable level.

Luckily they entered the water storage room, with the water cascading into a large metal tank.

"How do you suppose we sneak around the prison?" Orora asked as they climbed out of the water tank, completely dry thanks to her creating a small ice platform to slide down from. Sokka looked around the room, assessing it to the best of his ability.

"Since this is the water storage room, I'm willing to bet the room where they keep spare guard uniforms is nearby too." He glanced in Zuko's direction, who gave a quick nod. "I'll go out and see. Even if someone sees me they might not raise the alarm since I'm dressed in Fire Nation clothes."

With that, he quickly exited the room, sparing Orora only a brief glance of reassurance as he did.

The time he was gone, the girl paced the floor, chewing on her lower lip, hoping he wouldn't get caught. Sokka looked around the room, spying a small unused cupboard he figured they could store their stuff there once they wore the uniforms.

The sound of the door opening had both teenagers dropping into defensive positions, only to heave a sigh of relief to see that it was only Zuko with a large sack over his shoulder. "I was only able to find the men's uniforms." He said, setting the sack on the floor and pulling the items out. Sokka shook his head.

"Its fine. Its best if we stay together even while we share sleeping places. Plus Orora can disguise her voice can't you?" He said, looking to where Orora was collecting the pieces of her uniform, a helmet tucked under her arm.

She nodded. "I won't speak unless I'm spoken to." With that the girl walked away to change behind one of the coolers that were placed throughout the room. A few minutes later, all three of them emerged from the room, disguised and barely recognizable with the helmets covering their faces.

"Lets take the rest of the night to explore the prison. Get a bit of layout." Sokka suggested, to which the other two nodded. As the boys moved to walk away, Orora suddenly stopped them with a hand around their wrists. "Wait! We have to decide on some sort of signal." She whispered, prompting Sokka to raise the visor of his helmet and look at her curiously. "Why would we need that?"

Orora scowled at him. "Use your brain Sokka. Everyone will be dressed the same with their faces covered. How would you like to walk up to someone who you thought was either Zuko or me and blab about everything?"

A beat of silence.

"Can't believe we didn't think of that." Zuko said, sounding a little admonished that such a minor yet major detail was about to slip past them. Sokka pouted briefly. "I don't blab Orora, but you're right. We should come up with a code word. Something neutral." He hummed under his breath, tapping a finger against his chin as he did.

Orora rolled her eyes at his attempt to put so much thought into something so simple. "I think there's a full moon tonight." She said, adjusting the braces of her armor. "Its easy to remember and if we drop it in a conversation, it can just be taken as an observation."

The Fire Prince nodded. "We'll meet back here in two hours."

                                            ————————–

"Well the only thing I learned about this place is that its near unbreakable." Orora whispered to Zuko as they both walked into the Mess Hall and picked up their trays. He hummed in agreement. "Except for where we got in from." He reminded her, to which she shrugged. "Only if you're a waterbender. And I haven't seen any waterbender prisoners. Though I doubt they would keep them so close to a water source." She mused to herself as she picked up a bowl of soup and placed it on her tray.

It was only the two of them at the moment, since Sokka had been ordered to take one of the prisoners to the Cooler. Whatever that was.

They'd spent their time scouring the entirety of the prison and so far hadn't seen any water tribe prisoners. Then again, they hadn't talked to the guards yet.

Orora glanced over her shoulder at the various guards as they ate, drank, chatted and laughed while on their break. It was a little strange to see such normal faces under the helmets, but then maybe that was the reason they were forced to wear them as part of their uniform. To make them appear terrifying to the prisoners. "We need to get information about the prisoners here without raising suspicion." She whispered to Zuko who was loading his own tray with food.

Of course neither of them had removed their helmet.

"We can always just ask directly." He stated, looking around at the guards as well.

Orora made a face, her forehead creasing in worry. "Won't that be too obvious?" She asked, nervous that they would get caught instantly. Zuko, feeling a little in his element with so many Fire Nation people around him, shrugged. "Lets find out."

She realized a second too late what he was about to do. "No! Don-" But he was already turning away and walking towards a nearby table, asking his questions as he did. Orora stayed where she was, gathered her food, and quickly made her way towards an empty table. Not even ten minutes later Zuko joined her.

"That was reckless." She whispered, lifting her bowl of soup to her mouth and taking a big gulp of the warm broth.

"I got the information we needed so, it worked didn't it?" He responded with a slight grin as he finished up with his own food.

Orora pursed her lip and slammed her elbow into his side. Zuko nearly choked on the gulp of water he had just taken. He coughed harshly, clutching his ribs as he did. "That is not the point." She growled, picking up her now empty tray of food. "Come on, lets go find Sokka before he does something reckless like you."

"Yes, ma'am." He coughed.

                                            ————————–

Returning to the platform, Zuko approached the lone guard standing there, Orora a few paces behind him.

"Hey there, fellow guard, how goes it?" He asked, prompting Orora to clench her hand to stop herself from reaching out and punching her idiot Soulmate for not using the code phrase. Then again, her brother wasn't the brightest either, since he lifted the visor of his helmet and exclaimed loudly. "Zuko?"

"Spirit! Its like you two want to get caught." Orora hissed, glancing around to make sure no one was listening to them. Thankfully the platform was empty.

The two boys did wince at their mistakes, but quickly shook it off, eager to share what they had found. Or rather hadn't found. "Listen, I asked around the lounge." Zuko said, shaking his head. "There are no Water Tribe prisoners." He, too, lifted the visor of his helmet. "I'm afraid your father's not here."

Orora felt her stomach churn at the realization that they had failed their mission. Or rather, the mission had been a failure from the start. "What? Are you sure?" Sokka asked, not wanting to believe they had come all this way for nothing. "Did you double-check?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Zuko nodded, as Orora lifted her visor as well, a sympathetic look on her soft features as she approached Sokka. "We both asked around Sokka. I'm afraid he isn't here."

But Sokka was done listening. He banged his fists against the metal wall, growling in frustration. Orora quickly reached out to stop him from hurting himself by grabbing his wrists.

Zuko stood with his own eyes shining with sympathy for the clearly anguished boy. "I'm really sorry, Sokka."

He was trembling, she could feel it from where she clutched his wrists. "So we came all this way for nothing?" He asked, eyes closed in frustration. "I failed.......again." His shoulders drooped, as Orora quickly wrapped him in a comforting hug, hoping to reassure him somehow.

"We'll find him Sokka. Even if we have to break into every Fire Nation prison." She promised, conviction running through her veins as she thought of the kind, brave man who had taken her under his protection. In the few weeks when they had traveled after escaping Ba Sing Se, Hakoda had shown her how a real father acted. And though she had been envious of Sokka and Katara, she couldn't help but thank the Spirits that at least she had caught a glimpse of what true fatherhood was. Something that Hakoda had extended to her when he had claimed her to be Sokka and Katara's sister.

Her brother's breath slowly calmed, and he pulled back from the embrace, giving her a small smile of gratitude.

Holding his chin, Zuko hummed under his breath. "What would Uncle say?" He mused to himself, hoping a few words of wisdom would ease Sokka's frustration and worries. He glanced up to the sky where the clouds lazily passed by. "Sometimes, clouds have two sides." He said, walking towards the railing. "A dark and light." The two Water Tribe siblings glanced at one another, utterly confused at what Zuko was saying. "And a silver lining in between. It's like a silver sandwich!"

Orora clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud at what her Soulmate was saying. Meanwhile, Sokka had moved to stand by the railing as well, looking down at the prisoners as they milled about in the yard below.

"So.......when life seems hard......take a bite out of the silver sandwich!"

She could feel her ribs cracking from holding back her giggles. Sokka, however, had completely lost interest in both his companions as his eyes caught sight of a very familiar figure in the yard. He gripped the railings excitedly, his whole face lighting up as he did.

"Maybe we haven't failed after all!" He exclaimed, his excitement prompting Orora to forget her own mirth and stare at him inc confusion.

Zuko grinned. "That's the spirit!" He encouraged, folding his arms. "I can't believe that worked. I didn't even know what I was saying." He muttered to himself.

"No, what you said made no sense at all." Sokka stated, quickly shattering whatever notion had been forming in Zuko's head that maybe he could go around sharing his wisdom with the rest of the world. His mouth dropped open. "He's right. If I knew it wouldn't attract attention, I would've been laughing my head off." Orora added, which only made Zuko grumble under his breath, a little miffed that the both of them would think that.

Pointing excitedly in the direction of a lone girl sitting in the yard, Sokka nearly fell over the side of the railing. "It's Suki!" He cheered, barely noticing as Orora grabbed the back of his shirt to keep him from tipping over. Though his reveal had her own eyes widening.

"Suki?! You mean your soulmate Suki!?" She asked, turning her own excited gaze in the direction he was pointing. Sokka nodded. "Yes!"

Ice blue eyes blinked. "But then why didn't you feel your string tug?" The girl asked, a little confused. Though that confusion turned to sheer frustration with her brother's response.

"I did. I just thought it was malfunctioning or something."

Without missing a beat, Orora reached out to completely remove his helmet, and slap the back of his head. Hard.

Zuko couldn't help but let out the bark of laughter at Sokka's reaction. Orora was seething because how in the world was she saddled with two complete idiots?!

"Soulmate strings do not malfunction you dodo!" She hissed.

But her frustration was short-lived, as they began to form the next steps of their plan that now included breaking out Suki.

                                            ————————–

Of course, all their plans went down the drain and up in smoke the moment Zuko was thrown in prison.

"Oh this is bad! This is really bad! What if someone recognizes him and tells the Fire Lord where he is?"

Both Orora and Sokka were in the water storage room, with the latter watching his sister pace the length of the room as she ranted and panicked over the minor hitch they were currently facing.

"What if he gets into a fight and gets hurt? You know how his temper can be. What if someone inside the prison recognizes who he is and the prisoners turn on him? He won't be able to fight all of them off." Sokka glanced over the edge of the water tank he was leaning against. Sure enough the water within was churning and roiling, responding to Orora's emotions.

She'd been ranting for a good ten minutes now, or maybe more. With Orora, Sokka had learned that it was best that she had her emotions out of her system, since she would allow them to fester inside her.

Reaching out, he grabbed Orora by the arm as she walked by, pulling her to a stop and gripping her shoulders so that she was facing him. "Orora." He said, his voice firm and yet gentle at the same time. "Nothings gonna happen to Zuko. He'll be fine. He knows he has to keep his head down and he will."

Her eyes were still wide and panicked, so Sokka continued. "We're all gonna get out of here safe and in one piece. I already have a plan to cross the boiling lake so don't worry about that."

That caught Orora's attention.

"You do?" She asked, to which he nodded, finally letting go of her shoulders. "I do. Now go tell Suki and Zuko to meet us by the northern stairwell during cleaning hour. I have to do some scouting work for our escape."

Nodding, the panic and worry being replaced by a sense of determination, Orora quickly pulled on her helmet. "I'll meet you there too." She said. Sokka nodded and smiled. "We'll be fine Orora." He reassured her again, using the voice he reserved for both his sisters that he knew would calm them down.

This time the girl nodded, lifting the visor of her helmet briefly to flash him a smile before running off to do her task.

                                            ————————–

Her first stop was Suki's prison cell.

Quickly slipping into the room, she closed the door behind her and turned to the young girl sitting on top of the uncomfortable looking cot. "Sokka?" The girl whispered as she stood up. She couldn't be much older then her, Orora guessed as she quickly reached up to lift up her visor. "No, but I'm a friend of Sokka's. I'm-"

"Orora." The girl interrupted, prompting the Waterbender to frown in confusion. "Sokka mentioned he was here with you. Said I would recognize you by your hair." She gestured to the small white patch that was only just visible from being pressed against her forehead under the helmet. Orora couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Trust that idiot to give you a physical description where it won't do you any good." She grumbled to herself. Suki grinned. "I tried to tell him the same thing, but we kind of got interrupted by the fight outside."

The Water Tribe girl winced, remembering the skirmish that had resulted in Zuko's capture. "Oh yeah, that was my Soulmate covering Sokka's impromptu meeting with you so the both of you wouldn't get caught." She explained. Suki blinked. "Wait, Sokka said he was here with you and Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation." The girl's mouth fell open as she raised a finger to point at Orora.

"Does that mean he's your...." She trailed off, while Orora lifted her finger which had the now always glowing string tied around it and nodded. "Yup! He's my Soulmate." She let out a slightly derisive laugh. "Fate really has a sense of humor doesn't it?"

A moment of silence, where both girls simply stared at one another before Suki shrugged. "I guess you win in that department. I mean my Soulmate kissed the Moon Spirit herself, so really your Soulmate being the Prince of the Fire Nation shouldn't be too surprising." The other girl hummed. "I suppose. But hey, at least he's on our side now, so that's good."

A development she was thankful for every single day.

"Well he did burn down my village, so it'll take me some time to trust him again." The information had Orora wincing. "Yeah, I guess I should apologize on his part, but I'm sure he'll be sorry for his actions as well. He was a different person back then." Suki shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'll judge how much he's changed when I meet him." Orora nodded, before a small smile pulled at the corner of her lips.

"You know, its strange. I've never met you before but I feel like I can trust you with anything." Suki grinned. "I'm glad. Cuz that means I'm not the only one who feels the same way."

Orora laughed softly before holding her hand out for Suki to shake. "I'm Orora." She introduced herself, as Suki shook her hand. "And I'm Suki, its nice to meet you Orora."

The Waterbender all but beamed at the prospect of a new friend. Normally it took her a long time to trust someone and open up to them. She'd had months with Zuko before she had learned to trust him. Not to mention with Aang, Toph, Katara and Sokka, it had taken her time to get used to having them around and trusting them to keep her safe, just as she tried her best to keep them safe as well.

And here she was. Speaking so openly with a girl she had only just met.

Strange happenings really.

The sound of the bell ringing notified her of the change in shift. "Sokka said to meet by the northern stairs during cleaning hour. We'll catch you guys up with the rest of the plan there." Suki nodded, a determined gleam in her eyes. "Got it. I'll meet you there."

Sliding her visor back in place, Orora opened the door to the cell to step out. She paused at the threshold and glanced back.

"We'll get you out Suki. Don't worry." She reassured the other girl who smiled and nodded. "I know. Thanks Orora."

With one final smile, Orora locked the door behind her and walked off.

                                            ————————–

Her second stop was Zuko's prison cell. Easy to find. All she had to do was follow her string.

"You going for a new fashion statement?" She asked as she closed the door behind her. Zuko had been stripped off his guard uniform and given the standard prison clothes to wear. Her Soulmate gave her a deadpanned look. "At least it isn't brown or green." He retorted, recalling back to the time they were hiding in Ba Sing Se and he had to wear Earth Kingdom clothes.

He really hadn't liked those colors.

Orora rolled her eyes, an act that was visible to him since she had removed her helmet to allow her hair to breath a little. They were all out of place from being stuffed inside a helmet for so long. She looked oddly flyaway in her current state, and Zuko found she looked adorable.

Maybe it showed on his face, because Orora raised an eyebrow at him. "What?" She asked, knowing there was something on his mind. Zuko shrugged, the start of a smile on his lips. "Nothing. Just noticing how cute you are."

The effect of his words were instantaneous.

Pink flared across her tanned cheeks, and a gasp of surprise escaped her lips as she averted her gaze, suddenly feeling shy. It was ridiculous how Zuko had the ability to make her want to wring his shoulders and elbow him for being an idiot, to becoming shy and uncertain in a matter of seconds.

Trying to get back on track, she cleared her throat, the pink still evident on her cheeks. "Sokka says to meet by the northern staircase during cleaning hour. Suki will be there too so we can make the rest of our plan......there."

The last word was spoken in a slightly breathless whisper. To distract herself, Orora had begun to fiddle with her arm braces, and had not noticed Zuko walking towards her. Only when she looked up did she realize that he was standing before her, with barely an inch between them.

Her blue eyes widened in surprise, while a teasing spark glinted in his golden eyes. She gulped. "You know we really shouldn't be letting our guard down." The girl whispered, gaze darting to the closed door over her shoulder. Gentle fingers coaxed her to turn her head back in his direction. He smiled at her. "I timed the guard's rounds. We have half an hour before they make their rounds again. We're safe." Zuko reassured her, his thumb stroking along her chin.

"For now." She whispered, the last dregs of worry dissolving as she lost herself in his warm, familiar and loving golden gaze.

Not exactly the location to have a moment, but they neither of them were about to complain.

His head began to lean down, his intent obvious with the way he tilted it as he closed the distance between them. And Orora wanted to let him close that last few breath of distance between them.

She really did.

But her hand came up to gently press her fingers against his slightly parted mouth, stopping him. Zuko blinked at her, a little surprised. "You said you wanted our kiss to be special." She reminded him, to which he nodded. "What did you mean by that?"

The boy shrugged as Orora removed her fingers to allow him to talk. "Its just something silly." He admitted, not wanting to say his thoughts out loud. But the expectant expression she gave him had the Prince sighing as he reached up to toy with her silver hair. "Its just our entire journey as Soulmates has been full of unexpected and, at times, unbelievable, circumstances. I mean how many other people can say they met their Soulmate while saving their lives?"

She hummed. "True, but that's what makes us unique doesn't it?" Zuko chuckled at her response and nodded. "You're right it does. But since I came to the Air Temple I've been planning on going about things normally."

"Normally?" She repeated, a confused look on her face that had him shrugging and looking away from her, suddenly feeling uncertain and sheepish. "Yeah normal, like, going out on dates, just hanging out and acting like a normal couple and not with the weight of the entire world on our shoulders." He admitted. "Is that too much to ask?"

A small moment of silence followed his admittance. Orora smiled softly. "Zuko? Did you want our kiss to be after our first date or something?" Looking more then a little sheepish, as well as uncertain, the boy shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't be opposed to it." He admitted, and Orora felt her her heart turn to mush inside her.

"You know what." She said, the smile evident on her face as she looked up at him. "You're right. We do deserve a bit of normal in our lives. And when we have it, we'll go out on that date like normal teenagers do."

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Zuko asked, to which Orora shook her head. "Mind?! I would love that! And yeah kissing for the first time as a couple in prison sounds exciting and all, but we've had too many exciting moment in our lives and having a normal boring story to tell would be amazing."

Zuko grinned, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her cheek. And if he lingered there for much longer then was necessary, neither of them mentioned it. Or were bothered by it. "In that case, I promise, that when we get one moment of peace in our crazy lives, we'll go out on a date."

"I'll hold you to that."

                                            ————————–

The next part of Sokka's plan had gone off without a hitch.

Aside from a couple of hiccups.

One of them being Chit Sang, another prisoner, who wanted in on their escape plan when he overheard them talking about it.

Alright, no problem. Easily taken care of. And since he helped get Zuko thrown in the Cooler, that worked out well.

The second hiccup came in the form of Sokka being unable to retrieve Zuko from the cooler. He was pulled away for some guard duty. Luckily Orora had been standing next to him, and he had quickly told her where to find Zuko and let him out.

She was only ten minutes late to her destination, and opened up the Cooler, her heart hammering in her chest at the sight of Zuko crouching on the floor.

"I'm here to take you back to your cell." She stated in a deep fake voice for anyone around to overhear her. "If you've learned your lesson that is." She added, using the code-phrase she had insisted upon since they couldn't ask outright if the screws had been removed or not.

Once again Sokka had been about to overlook the minor detail. Which Orora had remedied quite quickly.

Orora watched as Zuko slowly raised his head from where he had it buried in his arms. A small burst of fire escaped as he exhaled, before looking up at her and smirking. "Yes I have."

He lowered his arms to reveal the bolts and screws he had removed. "Completely."

Trying her best to suppress her smile, the girl quickly leaned forward, lifting her visor as she whispered. "Sokka is getting Suki and Chit Sang out of their cells. They'll be waiting for us at the shore." Sokka had found a door that led to the shore. It had been hidden behind one of the boilers in the water storage room.

Zuko was about to step out of the Cooler when the sound of footsteps accompanied by voices had him halting. "Someone's coming." No sooner had he hissed the words when he was grabbing Orora by the wrist, and yanking her into the freezing Cooler and shutting the door.

The cold instantly reminded her of the temperature at the North Tribe. A shiver ran through her entire body, prompting Zuko to pull her against him, his warm body providing her with instant relief.

With bated breath they waited for the people outside to pass.

Only to learn a crucial piece of information as they did.

"War prisoners." Zuko whispered, recalling what the guard outside had said a few moments ago about the new prisoners arriving the next day. "It could be Sokka's father."

Orora nodded. "I know." Either they escape now and not investigate further. Or they forfeit and see whether the war prisoner was really Hakoda or not.

Zuko turned his head to look at Orora. "Well, what should we do? Are we going ahead with the plan or are we waiting another night?"

Shaking her head, the girl opened the door of the cooler and stepped out. "We have to tell Sokka. This is his mission. He gets to decide what our next step should be." She stated firmly, as she led him down the corridor towards their escape.

Though she had her doubts they would be escaping that night.

                                            ————————–

The moment Orora burst through the door and caught sight of Sokka, Suki and.....three other prisoners, not the problem right then, she blurted out what had been burning at the tip of her tongue the entire time she had Zuko had been sneaking their way through the prisoner.

"Sokka! New prisoners are coming in tomorrow. And there might be war prisoners in the batch." She panted out, having dragged Sokka away from the other four so they could speak without being interrupted. Barely drawing a breath she continued. "Hakoda might be..." She trailed off once she caught sight of Sokka's face. A plethora of emotions flickering in his eyes.

Zuko stepped forward. "You wanna go through with this?" He asked, knowing just how torn he must be feeling. "Or do you want to wait?"

Running a hand through his hair, Sokka pursed his lips. Uncertainty and hope swirled inside him, drawing a cloud of confusion around his brain. "I don't know!" He whispered, more to himself then the two of them. He glanced up to where Suki was looking in his direction, the curiosity evident on her face. "Is it right for me to risk Suki's freedom, all of our freedom on the slim chance that my dad is gonna show up?" He turned to look at Zuko and Orora, almost as if he were silently begging them to make the decision for him.

"It's your call, Sokka." Zuko said, his tone soft as he reached out to place a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "Are you sure you wanna go? You're the one who said you wanted to redeem yourself. Redeem your honor. Rescuing your dad is your chance."

Normally, Orora would've recommended putting everyone's safety over honor, but she knew that Sokka needed to do this. Needed to get his confidence back and start thinking with his head straight on his shoulders once again. Too many rash decisions had been made up till now, all based on emotions.

What was one more?

"Your dad?" Suki's soft voice cut through the tense silence as she finally approached the trio. Orora nodded. "He might be transferred here tomorrow. But we don't know for certain" She explained.

Turning to Zuko, Sokka sighed in a resigned manner. "If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess." He glanced away, looking dejected and hopeless. "Maybe sometimes it's just better to call it quits before you fail." His shoulders drooped and for the first time, Orora saw the look of defeat cross her brother's features and settle into his very being.

And she didn't like it one bit.

Her Soulmate seemed to think the same, since he shook his head. "No, it's not." A determined look in his eyes had Orora stepping back towards Suki, giving the two boy the space they needed to talk. "Look Sokka, you're going to fail a lot before things work out."

Sokka scowled. "That supposed to make me feel better?" He asked in a slightly miffed voice before he began to walk away. But Zuko was persistent as he followed after the Water Tribe boy. "Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again-"

"Seriously, not helping."

Reaching out, Zuko pulled Sokka to a stop with a hand on his shoulder. "You have to try every time." His eyes flickered in Orora's direction, prompting the girl to stand up straight, tilting her head curiously. "You can't quit or stop trying because you're afraid you might fail."

Silence followed Zuko's words.

Sokka stared at the scarred Prince, a little surprised at how much what he had said made sense.

Chit Sang, who had been standing by the cooler boat, and was growing impatient, called out. "Hey, if you two are done cuddling, can we get a move on?"

His entire demeanor changing, Sokka turned to the giant man. "No. I'm staying. You guys go." He turned to Suki and grasped her hand. "You've been here long enough."

Orora knew the answer before Suki even gave it. "I'm not leaving without you, Sokka." The Kyoshi Warrior stated firmly, prompting Orora to step forward and make her decision known as well. "I think I can say for both Zuko and myself that we're not leaving." She glanced in Zuko's direction, who nodded in agreement. "I'm staying, too."

That was all the confirmation the other three needed. The boat was pushed off and the three escaped convicts disappeared into the mist.

The four teenagers stood on the bank of the shore. "We gave up our only chance of escaping." Sokka said, sounding just a bit unsure. "I hope we haven't just made a huge mistake."

                                            ————————–

It would seem the Spirits had decided to side with them for the mission.

Chit Sang and his friends were caught rather quickly, and were hauled away into solitary confinement.

But the real winning point?

Was when Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe stepped off the gondola and reaffirmed Sokka's faith in himself. Orora couldn't help but smile at his relief. Glancing in Suki and Zuko's direction, who were mirroring the relief the son was feeling at seeing his father, she nudged Sokka forward.

"You go talk to your dad." She said. "I'll get these two back in their cells. Meet me back here in an hour and we can start making the new plan."

With a nod Sokka ran off to locate his Father's cell.

                                            ————————–

Gently knocking on Suki's door nearly two hours later, Orora slipped inside, locking the door behind her as she did. "Sokka met with his dad, and they've come up with a plan." She whispered softly as the two girls leaned their heads forward. "He's gone to tell Zuko, but I wanted to talk to you about a minor detail before he decides to execute the plan."

Suki frowned slightly. "What detail?" She asked, prompting Orora to purse her lips briefly before speaking. "Hakoda suggests that we take the Warden as our prisoner."

A surprised look was all Suki responded with, before she raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh, and how does that plan go?" She asked to which Orora let out a groan of frustration. "That's just it. That is all they've come up with. Honestly, sometimes I think its just pure luck that Sokka has survived this long in life with the way he plans things and forgets the minor details."

Suppressing a smile at Orora's obvious frustration, Suki shrugged. "Well, its a good thing he has us to help him out." She leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest as she did. "What do you propose we do?" She asked, to which the other girl grinned.

"I have a few suggestions." The excited glint in Orora's blue eyes had Suki mirroring her grin as the both of them began to iron out the finer details of their own plan.

                                            ————————–

No sooner had Sokka explained the plan when Zuko found himself being escorted away by a couple of guards. Or rather being dragged away, since he wasn't about to let them take him without a fight.

"What are you doing?" He demanded to know, his voice echoing in the otherwise empty corridor. "Where are you taking me?" Of course the guards offered no response. Instead they opened a door and three him inside a bare room where the only item was a wooden chair in the middle. "I didn't do anything wrong!" He called out as the guards disappeared, leaving the door open.

"Come on, Zuko." A familiar voice cut through the darkness. His head whipped towards the corner of the room where a very familiar figure stood half-concealed in the shadows. "We all know that's a lie." She stepped forward, the anger that was evident in her voice, flashing in her eyes as she glared at him.

He felt his mouth fall open in shock. She was the last person he had expected to see here. "Mai! How did you know I was here?" He asked, his mind racing, wandering if his sister was here as well. The three of them did tend to travel in a pack.

"Because I know you so well." Mai responded. While any other time, Zuko would've picked up on the heavy sarcasm that laced her words, this time his brain was a little slow to catch up.

"But, how-?"

Loosing patience, Mai simply snapped. "The warden's my uncle, you idiot." A beat of silence, before Zuko facepalmed. He should've remembered that little detail. Orora would have his head if she knew he'd forgotten such a crucial piece of information.

Pulling out a scroll, Mai held it out in front of her former friend. "The truth is, I guess I don't know you. All I get is a letter?" She demanded. Angry wasn't the appropriate word to describe what she was feeling in that moment. Enraged came in pretty close. But there was also, hurt and the feeling of being betrayed. "You could have at least looked me in the eye before ending our friendship."

Guilt gnawed at his stomach. Unable to meet her gaze, he dropped his head in his hands. "I didn't mean to-" He said, his voice muffled, but was cut off as. "You didn't mean to?" She demanded to know, before unrolling the scroll and reading his words to her in a slightly mocking tone.

"Dear Mai, I'm sorry that you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving."

The urgency within him to find Orora and the others rose tenfold. He had to get out of here if he wanted to make it in time for their breakout. "Stop!" He said, standing up. "This isn't about you." His voice was firm as he continued. "This is about the Fire Nation!"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Mai rolled her eyes. "Thanks Zuko, that makes me feel all better." She hissed, throwing the letter at him. Taking a step towards her, he changed tactics, his tone imploring as he spoke. "Mai, I never wanted to hurt you. But I have to do this to save my country." The last few words had a tinge of desperation in them. Something that Mai picked up on, causing her to purse her lips.

And yet her anger remained. "Save it? You're betraying your country!" She said, her voice getting louder with each word. "I told you to go after your soulmate Zuko. I didn't say you could go and betray your entire Nation."

Zuko's own voice raised in retaliation. "That's not how I see it." Mai only scowled at him. "I've traveled the world Mai, and I've seen the devastation and destruction the Fire Nation has caused since the war began." Memories of all that he had seen but never noticed before rose to the forefront of his mind.

"We have been fed nothing but lies since we were born. The Fire Nation isn't interested in sharing its glory with the rest of the world. Its only looking to destroy it and take what it can give." He paused to draw breath. "Mai, I've seen families torn apart because of the Fire Nation. Mothers, father, children, sisters, brothers, Soulmates. No person has been shown mercy by our people. My great-grandfather wiped out an entire Nation, Mai. Aang is the last of his kind in the world." Mai's face began to loose some of the rigidity and anger as she gaped at him. "Children are starving and their parents can't do anything about it. Our people are being forced to serve the army. They're just as effected as the rest of the world. And I have to stop it." He declared, standing up straight, tall and proud.

"Its my destiny to restore the Fire Nation's honor and help Aang. I was so blinded by my own problems that I never looked beyond that. Uncle and Orora helped me see. They opened my eyes to what I was blind to and I'm not going to turn my back on those I can help."

His eyes were fixed on Mai as he added. "And if doing the right thing labels me as a betrayer then fine. I've lived with several titles, whats one more added to the roster."

Silence.

Which was quickly broken by the arrival of a guard, claiming to have been sent to protect Mai since there was a riot happening. The information prompted Zuko to act and he quickly made his escape using the guard to knock Mai down.

He locked the door behind him, glancing back to see Mai glaring at him through the slot at the top of the door.

"I stand by my beliefs Mai." He stated. "And I won't apologize for it."

With that he ran off.

                                            ————————–

One would think that starting a prison riot would commence with a punch being thrown.

But in this prison, that was not the case.

All it took was for Chit Sang, who they had to add into their group as well since he didn't give them away, was picking up another prisoner, holding the squirming man above his head and yelling out two words.

"Hey! Riot!"

A beat of silence.

And then all hell broke loose. Prisoners started to punch, kick, scream, claw, bite and do all manners of bodily harm. The Firebenders began to use their bending as well. All around them was chaos.

Exactly how they had planned.

But even better.

Hakoda looked shocked at the sudden turn of events. "Impressive." He praised, a little reluctantly.

Just then the panting figure of Orora ran over. She'd gotten rid of her helmet and was wearing her water bending gloves. "Hey guys! Have you guys seen Zuko?" She panted out. Pausing, she briefly turned to Hakoda and smiled brilliantly. "Its great to see you Chief." She said, sounding genuine and relieved at seeing him safe. The older man smiled. "And you Orora."

Another brief smile before her attention turned to Sokka.

"Where is Zuko?" She asked again, though barely had the words left her mouth when she felt her string tug. The boy in question, somersaulted over a prisoner, slamming them to the ground, and landing flawlessly in front of their little group.

"You called M'lady." He said with a teasing smile, making Orora roll her eyes at him before she moved to stand beside Suki as Sokka stepped forward.

"Zuko! Good, we're all here. Now all we need to do is grab the warden, and get to the gondolas!" The Water Tribe boy stated excitedly. The Prince nodded. "Right, and how do we do that?" Sokka's shoulders dropped and a sheepish expression overcame his features as he rubbed a hand behind his head. "I'm not sure." He admitted, prompting Zuko to groan and facepalm.

"I thought you thought this through!" He yelled out in frustration, which had Sokka responded at the same level of volume. "I thought you told me it's okay not to think everything through!" Zuko growled in frustration. "Maybe not everything, but this is kind of important!" He rubbed his forehead, his mind racing, trying to come up with a solution to their new problem.

Just then, Chit Sang spoke up.

"Hey, uh, fellas. I think your girlfriends are taking care of it."

Both boys jumped up and peeked out from behind the wall they were taking refuge.

And sure enough there was Suki and Orora.

With the former hoping on the heads of the rioters, using her momentum to push her forward. Never once did she loose balance, or miss her target. And even if she did, she found a small pillar of ice boosting her whenever she would run out of heads.

Orora, meanwhile, had decided to take on a more direct approach. The moment she had stepped out from behind the wall, she'd waved her arms and tiny drops of frozen water had emerged from her person. She'd spent the entire time in prison with the greatest weapon concealed in her uniform. And now, she was using it to the best of her abilities.

Which was saying something since she was only a few steps from becoming a true Master.

She was sliding along the ground, a sheet of ice creating a path for her through the crowd. Anyone who stepped on the ice slipped. And anyone who stepped in her way, retreated when several sharp ice daggers would be thrown in their general direction.

She was only a few paces behind Suki and as the Kyoshi Warrior began to scale the wall, Orora threw her hands out, creating ice-holds that would help the girl boost herself up faster then her already hurried pace. Creating a whirlpool of water around her, Orora quickly rose to the top, using the same whirlpool to create a wave that swept away any remaining firebenders that Suki hadn't already taken out. They went over the edge of the tower.

Suki, meanwhile, swept her leg out, defeating the final guard who was protecting the Warden and grabbed the man-in-question, grinning in triumph as she did.

"You wouldn't dare." The man growled, though he did look intimidated with the two girls looming over him. One who had defeated his high trained guards with just her bare hands, and the other who'd only used her abilities at the bare minimum when it came to the actual fighting.

Suki grinned, tying his hands together and using his headband as a gag. "Sorry warden. You're my prisoner now." She slammed the warden against the wall. "Impressive." Orora said as she quickly threw her leg out to waterbend a few straggling guards who were trying to sneak up on them. "You're not so bad yourself." Suki said, grinning from ear to ear. Shrugging, Orora gave a modest smile. "I try." She said, before the two girls giggled.

Spying the rest of their group approaching, Suki called out. "We've got the warden! Now let's get out of here!" The four males paused to catch their breath, funny since none of them had done the actual fighting.

"Those are some girls." Hakoda said, once he'd caught some of his breath.

Sokka and Zuko, both still trying to catch their breath, looked proud and a little love-struck at the same time.

"Tell me about it."

                                            ————————–

Getting to the gondolas was a bit of a challenge.

Luckily, they had two highly trained warriors, one seasoned warrior, two formidable benders, and a criminal who had probably done shady stuff in the past to have landed at such a high-security prison.

"We're almost there!" Suki called, even as they were stopped by two guards who launched twin fire blasts at them. Zuko quickly shoved Sokka out of the way and blocked the fire. Another two tried attacking from behind, only to be thrown aside by one of Orora's water whips.

As more guards approached, Zuko called out. "Back off! We've got the warden!" His words had the desired effect. Every single one of them stopped dead in their tracks and dropped their stances. "Let's go!" Zuko urged, grabbing Orora's wrist and pulling her beside him, her with twin ice daggers clutched in her hands, gleaming threateningly, while he never dropped his defensive stance, ready to attack should anyone make a move.

But no one did.

Reaching the gondola, Suki quickly opened the door. "Everyone in!" She called, which had Zuko quickly pushing Orora in the direction of the gondola. "Get on!" He called to her, racing towards the lever which would start the machinery. As everyone piled in, Zuko began to kick the lever several times.

"Zuko!" Orora called out in alarm as the gondola began to move. Several guards tried to move in on him, but a few threatening ice daggers being embedded where their feet were had them stepping back.

The lever broke, and Zuko raced towards the edge of the platform before leaping off and towards the gondola. Orora threw her arm out, ready to catch him, with Sokka right beside her.

But what she hadn't factored in was the momentum behind Zuko's jump, as well as his weight when gravity caught hold of him. He did grab her arm, while also grabbing Sokka's, but Orora's arm took the brunt of his weight.

And was pulled clean out of it's socket.

A scream of sheer pain sounded from her lips. And she would've dropped Zuko if Sokka hadn't gotten a hold of him as well. Stumbling backwards, Orora dropped to the floor, clutching her shoulder, whimpering as she saw her arm bent at such a strange angle.

"Agni! Orora! Are you alright?" The moment she had scream, Zuko's heart had plummeted in his stomach. And seeing her on the floor, with Suki and Hakoda already hovering over her, he crouched in front of her. "Spirits! I'm so sorry!" He said in a low voice, guilt racing through him. Orora shook her head frantically, breathing raggedly through the pain.

"Not your fault." She whimpered, as Hakoda inspected her injury with a critical eye. "We need to put the arm back in place." He said, gently but firmly, grasping Orora's arm. "Brace her." He advised Zuko and Suki, who both grabbed her by her uninjured shoulder to keep her in place.

"Hold on Orora. This will feel better soon." Hakoda said reassuringly. The girl simply nodded, panting as her entire body tensed. "On three." He warned.

Though he didn't bother counting.

The shoulder popped back into place, and Orora's entire body jerked as she roared from the pain. Or rather her body tried to jerk but both Suki and Zuko kept her in place. The relief was instant, but now a consistent throbbing seemed to run through her entire arm. "I'll be alright." She whispered softly. Suki stepped back, as did Hakoda. Zuko, however, cradled Orora's face, brushing her hair back as he did.

"What was that? Why'd you stay behind?" Sokka demanded, not liking that Orora had gotten hurt because of what Zuko did. "I had to make sure they didn't stop the gondola." The scarred Prince responded, barely looking up from Orora who was now breathing a little normally as she began to calm down.

Sokka blinked. "Huh. Way to think ahead." He praised, making Orora laugh softly as she patted Zuko's hand where it rested against her cheek, signalling to him that she was fine.

"We're on our way!" Suki said, sounding a little in disbelief as she stared at the other side of the platform as it neared. She'd been locked up for so long she didn't think she'd get free.

And now it was so close.

"Wait!" Hakoda called out from where he was standing in front of the window. "Who's that?" He asked, his question prompting Sokka, Suki and Zuko to race to the window, with the latter helping Orora to sit on one of the chairs along the wall.

"That's a problem." Zuko said, pursing his lips. "It's my sister and her friend." His words has Orora looking up from where she had water pressed to her shoulder, about to begin her Healing Session. "Azula?" She exclaimed softly, moving to stand but falling back down as pain radiated up and down her arm. "You stay where you are Orora." Hakoda said, resting a comforting hand on her uninjured shoulder.

"Yeah, cuz this is a rematch I've been waiting for." Suki said, her eyes narrowing in determination as she glared at the two girls on the platform.

Zuko flexed his fingers, feeling them burn hot as fire rose to the tips. "Me too." He added, before moving to the window to climb out to the roof.

"Be careful you three." He heard Orora called out to them.

The Waterbender, meanwhile, turned her attention back to her shoulder. The water on her hand glowed as she slowly began to heal herself. "Chief Hakoda, I'm gonna need you to make a sling for me." She said as the gondola began to sway from side to side and there were thumps and sounds from above.

Clearly the fight had begun.

She reached into the bag Sokka had brought and pulled out a piece of cloth she had cut especially for an injury like the one she had. Once she'd healed herself as best as she could, and the throbbing had dropped to a dull pain, Hakoda quickly had her arm in a sling, tying it behind her neck.

With Chit Sang looking up to the ceiling where the fighting was happening, none of them realized the Warden had wriggled free of the gag around his mouth and was shouting through the window for the lines to be cut.

Wasting no time Orora threw her arm out, slamming a block of ice around the Warden's mouth and effectively shutting him up.

But the damage was done.

"They're cutting the line." Zuko said as the three fighters slid back inside. Orora stood up, feeling a little better after her Healing Session.

Hakoda glanced around in worry. "I hope this thing floats." He muttered. "Maybe I can freeze some of the water underneath?" Orora suggested, stepping towards the window and glancing down at the boiling water below. "Zuko can't you bring the temperature down a little?" She asked to which he shook his head. "Even if I bring the temperature down at one spot, the heat will quickly come back." He said. Orora frowned, trying to come up with another solution when something caught her eye.

"Who's that? And why is she stopping the guards from cutting the lines?" She called out, which had everyone rushing towards the windows and peering towards the platform.

Zuko's eyes widened in shock. "It's Mai!" He whispered, sounding just as surprised as he looked. Whatever she was doing, it worked. The lines weren't cut. Azula and her friend had left the gondola long ago.

They reached their destination, the gondola rocking to and fro as it hit the platform. Everyone rushed out, with Zuko helping Orora make her way down the side of the volcano.

"Sorry Warden! Your record is officially broken." Hakoda called to the struggling captured man as a goodbye.

Climbing over the rim of the volcano, Zuko helped Orora sit down on a small boulder. "Wait here." He said, his gaze flickering around as if he were looking for something.

"Well, we made it out. Now what?" Suki said, looking around a little lost. Sokka noticed Zuko's strange behavior and stepped forward. "Zuko, what are you doing?" He asked, as Zuko came to a sudden stop.

"My sister was on that island." Sokka made a face. "Yeah, and she's probably right behind us, so let's not stop!" He urged, grabbing the other boy's arm and pulling at it to get him to start walking.

The Prince shook his head. "What I mean is she must have come here somehow." He walked up to a large hill and saw what he was looking for. "There!" He called out, pointing towards the airship.

"That's our way out of here!"

Suki helped Orora up before their small group began to make their way to commandeer the airship.

                                            ————————–

Mai stood atop the platform, detained by two guards with Azula and Ty Lee before her. The latter looked terrified and concerned as she glanced between her two friends. Azula, meanwhile, had her signature poker face, devoid of all emotion. Though Mai knew her friend good enough to know what was going on beneath the surface.

"Leave us alone." Azula commanded. The guards gave the Princess a bow before exiting. Mai stood her ground, the defiance evident in her very body language as she stood before her friend.

Well, former friend.

"I never expected this from you." Azula said, the disbelief evident in her tone. Ty Lee's eyes began to water as tears rose to the surface, her entire body trembling as she waited for what was to come.

With her hands behind her back, and her forehead creased in a frown, Azula continued. "The thing I don't understand is 'Why?'. Why would you do it? You know the consequences." She added, wandering if perhaps she hadn't made those clear during the years they had known one another.

Mai scoffed. "I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do." She said, her voice taking on a rather mocking tone when she said the next two words. "You miscalculated."

What Zuko had spoken to her about, had shattered whatever denial had been left within her.

"I value my friendship with Zuko more than I fear or value my so-called friendship with you."

Whatever intrigue had plagued Azula went up in smoke as her face contorted to one of absolute rage. "No, you miscalculated! You should have feared me more!" The Fire Nation Princess angled her fingers, ready to strike her friend with lightening. Mai readied herself, gripping one of her knives between her knuckles, ready to attack.

But before either of them could move, someone else moved first.

A few quick jabs, and Azula found herself falling to the floor in a helpless heap. Ty lee stood by, a little shocked at what she had done. Mai too was staring at her friend.

With no time to loose, Ty Lee quick ran to Mai and shook her out of her stupor. "Come one! Let's get out of here!" They're barely taken a few steps when they were surrounded by guards.

"You're both fools!" Azula hissed from where she was being helped by two guards.

"What shall we do with them, princess?" One of the guards asked, keeping a firm hold on their prisoners. They may be children, but the guards were now aware just how deadly these youngsters were when it came to the skill set they were experts in.

They'd already had a breakout. They weren't about to loose anymore prisoners today.

"Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again!" Azula spat out, sheer anger and disgust behind her words as she glared at her former friends.

"And let them rot!"

                                            ————————–

It was nightfall, by the time the airship reached the Air Temple. Sokka, Zuko and Orora stepped off the platform, looking more then a little pleased with themselves, with the latter two holding hands and smiling brightly.

Katara was the first to step forward. "What are you doing in this thing?" She asked, looking up at the construction in awe. "What happened to the war balloon? And what happened to Orora's arm?" The girl added. Despite the minor squabble that was still ongoing between the two girls, it didn't stop Katara from showing her concern for her sister.

"Its alright, Katara. Nothing too bad." Orora was quick to reassure the younger girl.

Letting out a sheepish chuckle, Zuko shrugged. "The balloon kind of got destroyed." He explained, sharing a look with Sokka who shrugged his shoulders in a What can you do? way.

Aang chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sounds like a crazy fishing trip." Toph stepped up next to Orora, sensing her heartbeat. Once she was sure it was normal, she turned her attention to more important matters. "Did you at least get some good meat?" She asked.

"I did." Sokka proclaimed proudly. "The best meat of all. The meat of friendship and fatherhood." He looked way too proud for someone who had been trying to come up with something clever to say for the past few hours. But that didn't matter, as Suki, Hakoda and Chit Sang all exited the airship. Suki, Hakoda, and Chit Sang exit.

Though Chit Sang tried to introduce himself, his words were drowned out by Katara who called out for her Father and raced up to embrace him. Hakoda returned the hug just as fiercely and lovingly as it was given. "How are you here?" Katara asked, her voice high with both joy and disbelief as she grinned at her brother. "What is going on? Where did you go?"

"We kind of went to a Fire Nation prison." Her brother responded with a grin. Orora smiled as she watched Hakoda pull his son into the embrace. Tears burned behind her eyes, which she quickly blinked away as she moved to rest her head on his shoulder. Beside her, Zuko was smiling as well, their hands still twined together as he leaned his head down slightly to rest his head atop her own.

Of course, Toph had to go and ruin the moment by saying:

"Seriously? You guys didn't find any meat?"

                                            ————————–

Tag List - @wavesofchaos​ @violet-potter​ @rennysketch​ @emma-andrea1 @lovesammikinzz @fuzzyfestcat @msrawog @notsaelty @lust-for-pan @aces-tattooartist @jinxxangel13 @lotr-got @bitterspoons @realrintaro @gatorgirl151 @inutheangel @heartfully10 @lucaaahhh @juniper-july19 @anuttellaa @gfksz @bussyvussy @punksnotdeadbutiam @ablofftoneverland-blog-blog @slut-for-menn @vyliie @army-moa75 @juwhls @aqlodun @lovelybaka @glowyruby @niktwazny303

[despairforme]

2 awkward moods from reading this blog: 1) Nnoitra, you are disgusting 2) closeted bisexuals solidarity ///Toby you&ur writing are great <5

❝ I hate 'ta break it 'ta ya, but most guys are like me. Maybe some pretend 'ta be nice, but it's just so they can get some pussy. ❞ That would be his reply to being called ' disgusting ' ( it was not something new to him ). He supposed people were used to guys censoring themselves, to at least seem like they were decent. Nnoitra was not about that. He didn't like being fake. Like HELL he was going to change who he was just to make others comfortable. If people couldn't deal with him? It was their fucking problem.

--- As for being closeted. That was a different matter. That was not about faking something, but rather just keeping something private. If he didn't do that, then people would perceive him in a different way. They'd see him as something he was not. So, by keeping this part of him hidden, he actually gave people a MORE authentic view of him. That's how he saw it anyway. Sometimes, it was frustrating. A lot of the times, he wished the world was different, so that he didn't have to be closeted. And SOMETIMES, he even wished someone would understand what it was like. Maybe he didn't want to talk to someone about it, but yeah - having some solidarity would be nice.

[lymtw]

Toji invites you over with a simple text of:

You busy tonight, doll?

To which you respond with:

I don't think so... Not that I know of. Why?

He laughs through his nose when he reads your message. Even the way you text him has your timidness imbued into it. It's precious.

Come spend the night at my place. You told me you're off tomorrow, right?

I am, but are you sure? Driving home is not a problem for me. I can hang out and go home after.

You're staying. I wanna try something with you and it requires you to stay the night. You can't go home.

Oh okay! I'll be there in 10.

Drive safe.

Toji likes that you're very precise about the time you'll be arriving somewhere, and if you're ever late when it comes to spending time with him, you apologize profusely, nonstop. You won't stop blubbering about why you're late and how sorry you are for making him wait, even after Toji's expressed that he's more than understanding. He's the king of showing up late to plans, so he can't be a hypocrite and scold you when you don't do it often at all.

You're so sorry, though, and you don't shut up about it until he makes you shut up with a kiss. You're helpless, and you can't for the life of you figure out where to put your hands when you're so focused on the grip he had on your waist to pull you up against him.

He releases your lips, cracking a grin at the look of wonder on your face. He can't deny the pride that swells in his chest at his ability to disarm you and prevent you from having a total meltdown over a three minute delay.

Toji has gotten so much better at handling situations like these with you. It's only fair for him to gain satisfaction out of making you feel better. After all, you are a first for him. You're emotionally fragile, you're a nervous wreck, and your voice competes with the wind just to be heard. Toji doesn't set aside the fact that you're also beautiful, warmhearted, and you try for him. He sees your attempts to be affectionate. You'll slowly reach your hand out to hold his and then bail the second he catches you. He ends up having to interlock his fingers with yours because your embarrassment doesn't allow you to try again. He still appreciates that you leave your comfort zone for him and allow him to guide you towards new experiences.

"Stop with the guilty feelings, ma. We have all night and all day tomorrow. What's a couple minutes to ensure you get to me in one piece?" He says, comforting your droopy self. You look like a sad, abandoned puppy, now sporting rosy cheeks from his surprising gesture.

"Okay," you say, feeling a little more at ease. "What did you have in mind for tonight?"

"Follow me," he says, leading you through his living room to his kitchen. He pulls out a stool for you and points at it. "Sit." You want to laugh at the way he says it like he's teaching commands to a dog, but you know he doesn't mean it that way, so you obediently sit down like one anyway.

"Have you eaten anything?" He asks, silently hoping you have because he doesn't have anything to make you dinner. He would have to order in or pick something up.

"I ate a couple hours ago. Still pretty full," you respond, watching him reach up for something in his cabinets. There's now a tall glass bottle with a red label and matching cap sitting on the counter.

"How 'bout it?" He says, a large hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle. "We could go to the couch and watch a movie or something."

He's never seen you under the influence of anything, but based on your reaction, maybe he'll get a show tonight. He's always wanted to know what you would be like if you were more extroverted and outspoken. There's nothing wrong with the way you are, but if things keep going the way they're going between you and Toji, he's bound to meet your chatty alter ego at some point in the future. What better way to have this experience than in a secure place with someone who can handle their alcohol and take care of you if it turns out that you can't.

"Okay, sure." You giggle, excitedly.

You're a lightweight. Even the fruitiest, sweetest alcoholic beverage will quickly take a toll on you while you're sipping on it. Wine is a step up, so you'll have to try your best to keep it together for the sake of not looking sloppy in front of Toji.

Toji brings down two glasses, and pours out the deep red liquid into them. One for you, one for him. He hands the glass to you, and nods at your quiet "thank you".

Toji watches as you immediately take a sip. He sees the way your nose scrunches at what you consider to be a funny taste, but the second you put the glass down, you smile like nothing. You don't like it at all. You hate the bitterness, and the fact that it's made with fermented grapes lives in the back of your head.

"How is it?" He asks, holding back a chuckle. You're too sweet for your own good, pretending to enjoy this for him.

"I like it," you say, pressing your lips together.

"Yeah? I think it's kinda gross. Guess I was expecting more from a fancy ass bottle, but brands are gonna brand, huh?"

You giggle, almost involuntarily. You're one gulp in, and already you're starting to feel the effects.

One of your worst habits includes chugging drinks that don't taste good, just so you can get them over with. You even do this when your drink is messed up at coffee shop. You're too nice to ask the barista to remake it, so you suck it up and drink the incorrect beverage solely for the caffeine you hope it has in it. This time is no different. You hate the taste of alcohol. You don't do plain shots, you can't stand hard ciders, and wine is no exception, but you're doing this for Toji. He cracked open the bottle to share with you, so you're going to drink every ounce of the liquid in the glass, whether you like the taste or not.

You bring the glass to your lips again, taking a much larger sip. The glass is a little less than halfway now, and your eyelids are starting to feel a little heavy. Not in a sleepy manner, but you can't seem to hold your eyes open as wide anymore.

You exhale through your nose, shut your eyes, and then blink them back open to take note of your altered state.

"That was a lot. How are you feeling?" Toji asks, noticing a shift in your demeanor. You seem a little more sluggish now. You turn your attention to him, your eyes rolling when they turn to meet his.

"I'm good, how are you?" You ask, like it was the start of a conversation rather than an ongoing one. Your eyes almost shut completely when you smile at him.

"You're tipsy already, aren't you?" He asks, with a grin on his face.

"Pshh, what? No, i'm not," you say, contradicting yourself with a giggle. "Answer the question, baby. How are you?"

"Fine," he responds, lingering on the pet name. You've got loose lips, now. In any other circumstance, you would address him by his name. Most of the time Toji is the one giving you pet names, for the sake of flustering you. He loves the way you look at him when he calls you doll or sweetheart, somewhat shocked every time the words leave his mouth.

"Yeah? That's good." You pick up the glass one more time, sighing before you mutter, "'scuse me. Gotta finish this."

With that last sip, the glass was now empty. Even Toji thinks you drank that too fast, but he still has the courtesy to ask you if you want more.

"Mhm, I'll have a little bit more. Just a tiny bit." Toji pours as much as he did the first time, chuckling when you nod in approval of the quantity. "That's perfect. Absolutely, perfect. You're a genius, my love." You flash him a smile before starting on the next glass.

Toji was considering having another glass, but that was before you called him "my love" in a tone so warm that he felt like he just had a bowl of hot soup that was now settling in his stomach. That was before you smiled at him in such a free spirited manner. It was too late for him to see you in this state while completely sober, but he sure as hell wouldn't be adding anymore alcohol to his system. He can't miss something like this, so instead he leans forward on the counter, and intently watches your every move.

"I got something on my face?" You ask, dragging your sleeves all over your face. You examine your sleeves and they're clean. "You liar. You're looking at me like that for nothing." You squint at him, a slight scrunch in your nose to define your defensiveness.

Toji laughs, his focus now on the small pinch in your brows. "Don't go picking fights over nothing. It's not a crime to look at my pretty baby."

Your faux tough exterior immediately crumbles, the irked expression on your face dropping to the ground, at the sugary words he uses on you. Your face feels very warm, and now there's an indefinite blush on it. You can't stop smiling at the look on Toji's face. He's so focused that he's gone speechless, and you eventually break into a laughing fit because of it.

"Hey... i'm usually the quiet one. Why aren't you talking, pretty boy? Need me to shut up?"

The pet name has Toji glancing at your glass, noticing that it was full for less than five minutes. This was new— you being flirtatious towards him. He didn't have any complaints about it whatsoever.

Once again, the quantity of the wine in your glass was below the halfway mark. "Nah, baby. Talk to me. You must really like the wine, huh?"

"Mmm..." you lean forward towards him, with your elbow on the counter and your chin in your palm. "What makes you say that?"

He actually snickers this time, earning a sly grin from you. "You're chugging it like it's water. It's either you love it or it tastes like ass and you're dying to spit it out."

You pick up the glass again, one last time. "Let's find out if I like it," you say as if you're not on your second serving. You let the liquid hit your tongue, and you are instantly repulsed by the flavor. The glass is tilted all the way up, signaling that you've finished two cups of wine in less than fifteen minutes. Your cheeks are filled with the drink, blown up like a puffer fish, which makes Toji smile softly with anticipation for your reaction. Your tongue stays on the roof of your mouth, keeping the wine in your cheeks separate, to give you a break for a few seconds. You release the bubbles of your cheeks and your mouth is flooded with the bittersweet liquid. You swallow the burgundy mouthful and smile with your lips pressed together once it's all gone. The mouth drying effect of wine is your least favorite thing about it.

"So?" Toji prompts.

"It's-" you gag, clasping a hand over your mouth with wide, slightly teary eyes.

Toji's chest and shoulders shake as he contains his laughter, his lips pressed together tightly to stifle the smile threatening to show itself, but his eyes tell you everything.

"Wooo, sorry about that," you say, chuckling through the embarrassment. "It's good," you repeat, still muffled by your palm.

"Yeah? Want more?" Toji asks, holding up the bottle with a teasing grin on his face.

You almost gag again but manage to control yourself. "No, thank you. Any more and I'll doze off, and we both know that's not what i'm here for." There was a hint of sultriness in your tone, something Toji was not sufficiently familiar with. It was a completely welcome shift from your normally tentative way of speaking to him.

"I know why you're here, but I wanna know what you think you're here for."

You stand from your stool and lean more of your body onto the counter. Your hand reaches for his, and for the first time, you don't pull back before making contact with his skin. "To love on you, of course," you say, with those pretty rosy cheeks. Your eyes remained glossy and your nose was still red from trying not to bring the wine back up earlier, but Toji thought you looked so cute.

"Is that right?" His thumb brushes over your knuckles, feeling the softness against his rough fingertip.

"Let's go watch that movie you were talking about and you'll see what I mean."

Toji was loving this. Your confidence, your lack of holding back anything you had to say, it was truly baffling how you could be someone else entirely with just a couple glasses of wine.

You keep his hand in yours, and as if it were your house, you say, "come on," and drag him along to the living room.

This time you say "sit" and point at the couch. This time he's the obedient dog and does as you say, sitting on the exact cushion you were pointing at with a smirk on his face. He moves the couch pillow aside to make room for you, but you had another seat in mind. You take two steps towards him before slowly dropping yourself into his lap, straddling him.

"I see you're finally taking your seat on the throne, hm?" He grins, resting his hands on your waist. This is the closest Toji's been allowed to watch you giggle without you burying your face into his neck and it's a trip. He can see the details of the creases around your eyes and the lift in your cheeks as you smile. He feels fuzzy, and he didn't even finish his glass of wine, so he knows it's not that.

"Stop making me laugh and pick a movie, will you? I'm here for that, too."

He picks up the remote for the TV and turns it on. "How are you gonna watch the movie while facing me?"

"Actually,.. can I tell you a secret, baby?" You ask, wrapping your arms around his neck. Your fingers play with the hair that reaches towards the nape of his neck, combing through it gently.

"What's that, princess?" Toji asks, vert eyes flitting between your eyes and that sweet smile of yours.

"I don't wanna watch a movie. I... wanna look at you... and that's it." Your nails gently scratch the back of his head, eliciting a tingly sensation that makes chills run down his spine.

"That's cool, too," Toji says, turning the TV off again, not caring that it was on for less than a minute before you changed your mind. He sighs, adjusting his position beneath you. Your thighs are secured around his hips, your knees touching the backrest of the couch.

"You're so handsome, my baby. God, look at those eyes," you whisper in awe, before giggling and bringing your hands to his face. You trace the bags under his eyes with your thumbs while admiring the haunting shade of green that scopes on you. Toji's hand comes up to loosely wrap around your wrist. He's not there to stop you, he just wants to move along with you as you observe his face.

"I know I don't say this to you enough, but I find you..." you sigh, blinking slowly, "enchanting..." You lean in and kiss the left corner of his lips—his right, and feel the smooth, tattered skin beneath your warm lips. "and I love you," you mumble into the cicatrix. "So fucking much, baby. And i'm sorry that you'll never know exactly how much because you aren't me." You're looking at him with so much adoration and touching him with a delicacy that can't be put into words. It's a deadly combination, one that has Toji in a chokehold and forces him to soften up even more for you.

He tightens the hold he has on your waist, pulling you closer until your stomach is pressed to his, as a result. You being so affectionate towards him is making him feel really good, and you have no idea because you're too focused on appreciating him. He's subconsciously leaning into your touch, his softened gaze meeting your lovestruck one.

"Fuck. I love you, too, princess," he murmurs, squeezing your wrist in his hand. He pulls your hand down to his chest. "Want you to aim for my lips, this time."

"Okay," you say, smiling before closing the distance between your lips and Toji's. He can still taste the remnants of the wine you inhaled minutes ago, but it tastes much better and a lot sweeter on you. Toji can hear your high pitched little hums as you kiss him, happiness pouring into your kisses. You're trying so hard not to laugh in his face, and trying is the best you can do, right now. You never were good at hiding your smile from Toji. He can't see it, but he can feel the way your lips widen, and he's occasionally kissing your teeth when your sluggishness keeps you from matching his pace. With little pants leaving you, you drag your lips away.

He sighs, frustrated by the loss of your softness against him. "Baby..." he groans, the sound almost whine-like to your ears. He wants more, so much more of you, and you're ignoring him. You're too busy kissing his chin, and his cheeks, and the tip of his nose.

You drag your other hand down to his chest and keep your hands splayed out on it as you let your lips trail his jaw, lightly sucking on the skin. Toji can't help but think about how this version of you will be gone in the morning. You won't be as outwardly affectionate, you'll go back to second guessing every move you make with him and shrinking every time he steals kisses from you, instead of confidently kissing him back like you did a minute ago.

You make your way down his neck, pressing kiss after kiss on him before you move towards his ear. "I love you, Toji," you whisper, kissing the shell of his ear after. "Love you, love you, love you soooo much," you barrage, before throwing him off with a bite to his earlobe. You giggle like a menace into his ear, the warmth of your breath luring goosebumps out onto his skin.

He chuckles, repeatedly squeezing the soft skin of your waist between his hands. "Yeah? Tell me again," he murmurs snaking his hands beneath the back of your shirt. Your skin is very warm, and there's nothing to blame but Toji and that shitty wine for making your body react this way.

With uninterrupted hands, you course your fingers through his hair and lean in to bite him again, this time on his neck. Toji chuckles at how you instantly rush to soothe him with your tongue and a warm kiss, even when you inflicted zero pain on him.

"I love you, Toji," you repeat into the wet indentations you left behind. "My love... my handsome man... I cherish you, you know?"

Toji is practically purring at all the affection you're showering him with. The slurring of your words is blocked out and they remain clear as day to him. He manages to hum a deep little "mhm" to your last statement.

"It's just so hard to talk to you sometimes. You... you're so intimidating, sometimes. I don't expect you to understand..." you divert your gaze to his shoulder, not able to look him in the eyes as vulnerability takes sudden control of your emotions. "It seems like I don't appreciate you sometimes—all the time, but I do, Toji. I do appreciate you, and I can't ever say I love you enough to show it. Words aren't always enough."

Toji catches the waver in your voice and his eyes dart to yours. You're tearing up, and you're trying to still your quivering lips by pressing them together.

"Shit," Toji mutters under his breath. You have the saddest expression he's ever seen and it's messing with his heart. He pulls his hands out of your shirt so that he can swiftly pull you into his warm embrace. "Hey," he coos. You're shaking against him, holding your breath to avoid sobbing. Your lungs burn, but you'd rather feel that than make a scene of your tears. "Don't be sad, mama. What's with the tears, hm?" he murmurs. He can feel your tears dampening his shoulder, but the fact that you haven't made a sound is concerning. "Breathe or you'll die," he says, only half joking. He rubs a soothing palm against your back, his other arm around your waist.

You let out what sounds like a mixture between a choked laugh and a sob, slowly but surely regulating your breathing. You don't even feel like saying anything anymore because you know your voice will give way to even more pity.

"You're more than enough for me," Toji says, his chin resting on your head. "I know how you feel, you know how I feel. We're complete." He can feel the way you scrunch his shirt up into your fists. As if he would go anywhere without you. "I get you and you're stuck with me. Got it?" You silently nod against his shoulder in response. "Sit up and let me look at you."

You really don't want him to see you this way. Your eyes feel swollen and you don't feel presentable.

"I can't..." you say, barely audible. You release his shirt and let your hands go limp behind him.

"Why not?"

"I'm not pretty right now. Don't look at me."

"I'm gonna look at you," he challenges with a teasing grin.

"Toji, don't look at me."

"Too late, it's happening. Plan's already in motion," he says, sliding his arms onto your shoulders.

"Toji, don't-" He effortlessly pushes you off his shoulder and gives you a once over. You look defeated and you're unable to look him in the eyes, but at least he can see you now.

"Don't know what you were so worried about. You look the same but more blush-y." You finally give him your slightly reddened eyes, a soft smile appearing on your face. You look like your sober self. "Yeah, you look the same."

"Are you lying?" You ask, still not regaining the full strength of your voice yet.

"I wouldn't tell you if I was, but no, i'm not lying. You're so pretty." Toji wiped away tears that were stuck beneath your eyes, and you giggled. He washed away your sadness within a couple minutes. Toji always did this for you in exchange for your love and affection. He lifted your spirits when you didn't feel deserving of him, and with time, he got much better at recognizing the signs that came with this ridiculous idea you planted in your head.

"You're done loving on me? Already?" He asks in playful disbelief.

"You're not done with me? Do you actually want more?" You ask, hesitantly.

"Don't want more, I need more," he corrects, returning his hands to their rightful place on your waist. "Get all up on me, princess."

You giggle, leaning closer towards him to peck a kiss onto his cheek.

"Mhm, like that," he says, contently, when you pick up the pace and start smothering him. "Yeah, baby, there you go." His forearms go beneath your shirt, encircling around your bare waist and pulling you close to him like before. "Who's getting spoiled like me?" He says through a grin. You're holding back laughs as he continues to praise you for your affection.

"S-Stop," you say through a wheeze, not able to contain the sound any longer when you looked at him.

"What are you laughing at, huh?" He chases you this time, pressing his nose into your cheek before planting a light kiss into your jaw.

"You're so unserious," you say, turning your head as he keeps going with the kisses.

"Mmm... I'm serious about you," he says, feeling the vibration of your laughter against his grin. "So serious."

Your cheeks feel incredibly hot from how much you've been smiling. In this little drunken haze, things are so good. You're so happy, you're so affectionate, and you talk so much. This isn't like you at all, but it's not hurting anyone, especially not Toji. There was one minor slip, but you moved past it so quickly like the words never left your head to begin with. You're just so simple... so easy to take care of.

Toji notices the way your eyes are starting to lid with tiredness, and while he would love for you to doze off in his arms right then and there, you'd probably prefer waking up in a bed.

"Let's go to bed, yeah?" He suggests.

"What? No! I just got here... We can still talk, and kiss and- I'm not even tired."

Toji grins at the way you fight him on this, and he has half a mind to indulge you when you look so adorable, but he has to stand his ground. He's right.

"But, you are. You can't even hold your eyes open, anymore."

You feel sad again because the rest of the night would be going to waste if you both go to sleep early. You're there to spend time with Toji, and yet you feel like it's your fault your time is being cut short. You're thinking you shouldn't have drank the wine so quickly, if at all.

"Listen, doll," Toji says. He doesn't like the sadness that resurfaces on your pretty face. He doesn't think you should look that way because of him. "We're just gonna go lay in bed. We don't have to go to sleep. We can stay up as long as you want. Light on or light off, whatever you wanna do, let's just move it to the room."

You sigh, still not completely convinced that the night isn't over, but Toji managed to persuade you. "Will you carry me, please? My legs feel like jelly."

"Of course. What kind of person would I be if I let you stumble into the room on your own?"

You sigh, wrapping your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist, your face buried into the crook of his neck. "You'd still be my favorite person, but i'd be a little upset..."

Toji stands from the couch, humming in response to your quiet mumbles.

"...but not really upset. Just a little bummed. Not for too long, though, 'cause I love you, but I would expect an apology from you if I fell down," you draw out.

Toji cracks at your little ramblings. It's a ten second walk from the couch to the bedroom, and the whole time you were working through a hypothetical conflict.

"Yeah? You'd want me to say sorry?" He asks, setting you down on the bed.

"Mhm, and then I wouldn't be upset or bummed anymore," you mutter to yourself as you roll onto your back.

"That's fair. Want the light on or off?"

"Off," you blurt. "Let's tell scary stories," you trill, enthusiastically. You pull the blanket over your lower body until it reaches just below your chest.

Toji makes his way to the bed after turning off the light. He takes his shirt off, and out of habit lets it fall to the floor. "We're not telling scary stories this late at night," he says, joining you beneath the blanket.

"But, they're funny," you say, turning to face him. "I don't get scared, either."

"Depends on who's telling the story. I'm sure as hell not gonna feed you a nightmare, doll."

"Boo," you say, lowly. "Whatever, i'm over it already," you mutter, rolling your eyes.

Toji watches you grow more and more tired as you throw random, nonsensical topics at him. You're taking longer to respond by the minute, and you're dozing off while humming in thought. You shake awake each time it happens and try to keep the conversation going, but Toji just shushes you and tells you to go back to sleep.

"I can see the moon through the window," you mumble, looking past him.

"I know, shh..." he hushes you, again.

"There's only like... one star," you whisper, in awe.

"Baby, come here," Toji says, like he's about to lecture you about the rules of sleep, but really he's just thinking that if his body heat doesn't put you down, he's gonna have to stay up with you until you fall asleep on your own.

You scoot closer towards Toji, tucking your arms into your chest when he reaches out to pull you into him the rest of the way. His body exudes so much warmth, you feel like you don't need the blanket at all.

There was nothing left for you to say when you couldn't see or feel anything but him. It was as if you were gone the second he enveloped you in his arms. You were small to the brink of nonexistence, no longer there to tell him what your surroundings were, or to ask him thoughtless, silly questions. You were no longer there to fight off the sleep he only seemed to bring closer towards you. Feeling his warm skin against you made you change your mind about this invisible fiend that was pulling your eyelids down. You now welcomed the calls to rest from your steady heartbeats.

Your silence gave him the answer he needed, but for good measure, he poked at you with a whisper of, "Ma?" and waited a few seconds for your response. Nothing. He sighed and coiled around you tighter. Thoughts of the night ran through his head. Your soft, yet, occasionally bruising kisses and the imprints of your teeth on his skin, your unapologetic laughter, your certainty in using the pet names that claimed him as yours. He was weak for the amount of times you openly told him you loved him. It was a psychedelic dream, to say the least. One he hoped would continue once he followed you into slumber.

You woke up hours later, completely smothered by your bear of a man. All you could do was stare up at the ceiling, while you waited for Toji to wake up because he was literally breathing down your neck. His arm rested over your chest, his legs were tangled with yours, and his face was right beside your face. You weren't feeling the effects of the wine anymore, and luckily, you didn't have a headache or any signs of a hangover. You were back, which meant...

"What are you staring at?" A deep, raspy voice jolts you out of your thoughts.

You look at the handsome face next to you, and as if your heart can hear and see, it wakes up. "Nothing. Just woke up," you lie.

"Mm... you were staring hard at the roof. I thought it came to life or something," Toji chuckles. You smile, briefly, before looking at the ceiling again.

Toji releases you and flips onto his back, wanting to know what's so fascinating about the space you're looking at. "What are you thinking?" He asks, when he discovers nothing but blank space.

You take your time, not wanting to stumble over your words. Your heart skips a beat when he turns his head to look at you. In the time it takes for you to respond, you both could have gone back to sleep again.

"A penny for your thoughts?" he finally says, following the idiom with a question. "Did I even use that correctly?"

You can't help but laugh, nodding your head to answer his question. "I'm thinking about last night. Sorry if I said anything stupid."

Toji turns his body towards you again, thinking the only thing that's stupid is that he's still staring at the roof instead of staring at you. "You didn't. You were calm, from what I got to see, at least."

"So... boring."

"Not boring," he instantly catches. "You were perfect. You didn't have me running around chasing you, you weren't a brat—it couldn't have gone better, ma." He purposely missed something in his less than brief recount of the night to you. He can think back to the emotions that seeped through your little daze, and your insecurity about outwardly showing him love, all he wants, but there's no way in hell he's bringing that up to you, now. "You ramble a lot," he adds, a soft smile emerging on his face.

You can feel your cheeks warming up. "Oh god," you groan in embarrassment. "That's not- Sorry, that sounds... not so fun. Annoying of me, actually."

"Stop, it was cute," he assures, adding more fury to the blush creeping on your face. "Then you wouldn't go to sleep 'cause you kept seeing stuff outside the window."

You wanted to drown yourself in the blanket. Shame and embarrassment were winning their battle against you, as always.

"That was also cute," he says, watching the way your lips twitch as you bite back a smile. "You know my favorite part, though?" He says, grinning as he leans towards your ear.

"N-No, what?" You ask, trying so hard not to giggle.

"When you kissed me and told me you loved me," he murmurs into your ear like it's a dirty secret.

You snicker, the short sound of amusement evolving into laughter within seconds. You throw the blanket over your face and partially over Toji's face. The sight of your veiled body shaking with laughter lured out a couple chuckles of his own.

"That's funny?" He asks, pulling the blanket down, allowing you to see the sly grin he's sporting.

"A little bit," you respond, smiling— a remainder of your laughter.

"Silly girl. Come here," he says, dragging you back into his arms. "There's no reason you should be awake at six in the morning on your day off. Let's go back to sleep," he murmurs into the crown of your head. "We can go out for breakfast, later."

"Okay," you mumble, eyes shut already as you embrace the natural warmth of his body.

"One more thing," he murmurs. You don't raise your gaze, but your ears are open and you're listening closely. "Tell me you love me."

You didn't expect that, but you weren't going to deny him of such a simple thing. The words were easy to recite because you meant them with every fiber of your being. "I love you, Toji," you comply, immediately.

He sighs, contently, almost like hearing those words revitalized him. "Love you, too, mama."

That went out to every version of you.

[obsessiveloveistheonlylove]

Hey, I've read your last yandere Bruce, neglected fam reader and it gave me an idea. What if instead of the reader wasting all that money or luxury, she saved most of it in a closed account and when Bruce bought the apartment she made him sign it in her name as a plan to when the right time comes or if she needs to, she will sell the apartment and use all the money she saved to leave to start over in another country. Imagine Bruce finding out when she reaches the point where she put her apartment for sale, or better, actually selling it to a friend or someone they know and actually leaving.

Yan!batfam with neglected!sister reader leaving the state/country

Anon your mind is fucking golden! I also thought of the reader having the apartment signed in her name just because Bruce wanted her to feel comfortable but I love the layers this adds.

Hopefully these couple of hcs are good enough while I work on pt 2. Also if anyone else has any questions about any other scenarios or certain characters feel free to send them in I'll try to respond whenever I have time and I write for any gender reader.

Word count ; 1073

Unedited

___

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ bruce is not happy with this turn of events at all. He wasn't expecting nor did he sense that this was going to happen, you didn't post about it or even reference moving on any of your social media apps which he lovingly stalks watches over to make sure you are content with your life and also because he likes seeing you happy and enjoying all the things he got you. And it hurts him a little that you didn't even say something to him … he knows you don't owe him that, not when your relationship is still in a fragile state but he's trying.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ he only figures out after someone in the fam(most likely dick) broke in dropped by your apartment and likely scared one of your friends shitless.. obviously both parties are shocked but your friend more so as they don't know who the hell just broke into their house, dick is shocked when this random person claims that he's trespassing in their home. After that awkward situation dick immediately reports back to Bruce about this over the comms and with some digging from Tim they're able to find out that you had sold the house and the exact date that you had, approximately a month ago. That sends off alarm bells for the entire batfam, where are you now?! It takes an hour or so of searching to find out exactly where you moved and when they do they can't decide what to do with the information.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚Alfred is the voice of reason in this family, he discourages the batboys from immediately doing everything in their power to bring you home, he advocated for you to live wherever you choose and says that it's your life and that the family cannot choose for you. Alfred loves you dearly you are basically his child he views you the way he views Bruce. He may be a yandere but he's a selfless one he truly only has your best interest in mind. His words are like a slap of reality for some of the Batfam mainly Tim, Steph and Jason all three of then become a lot more hesitant to go through with their plans to bring you home on the other hand dick, bruce, and damian are adamant that you aren't safe unless they can be nearby.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Nobody can come to a decision the night they find out and so they decide to sleep on it until they can come to an agreement the manor will be tense for a week or two at most before they spring into action, they will all eventually cave to their selfish needs even if some feel guilty for doing it. Alfred will sigh disappointedly but ultimately allow them to go through with their plans he only hopes you can forgive him for not doing more

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ you on the other hand will be left unaware to all that's going down you'd gotten a new phone and lived in a whole new state maybe even country! They couldn't bother you here. You were happier than you have been for a long time. Even if you missed your old friends you still tried to keep in touch over the phone.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ as for why you did this? It's likely the other batboys' faults, Bruce is annoying but he's not nearly as demanding of your time as the others, namely dick. Dick is insanely clingy once you're on his radar and he becomes aware of how much his neglect affected you mentally. The guilt for him was all consuming when he found out how much he hurt you and that he neglected you for quite literally no reason, you just didn't matter to him at the time. the thought now makes him sick, of course you matter, what the hell was his problem!! Dick would have constantly broke your boundaries by hugging and touching and cuddling you he feels like he needs to make it up to you by being a good big brother, even if that's not what you need anymore after all it's far too late you're already an adult but he refuses to see it that way you're still his baby sister. He inserts himself into your life constantly and even if he'll pay for things he'll only do so under the circumstances that the money be spent ‘together’ like sure he'll take you to that fancy restaurant but it's going to be made into a sister-brother bonding moment, like yeah he'll let you use his card to go shopping but only if he's going with you. Even if you don't use him for money he will still find ways to insert himself into your life. He's overwhelmingly intense and his behavior mixed with the other overbearing members in the batfam plus the added overwhelming feelings of having people who ignored you all your life suddenly want your time and attention is probably why you felt like you had to leave.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ you won't be gone for more than a month or two before your dragged back to Gotham and back to your family, only this time you've got a metaphorical collar around your neck as now you're likely brought back to the manor always under surveillance and on the off chance you're still allowed to own your own apartment again just know it will be heavily bugged along with your phone courtesy of Tim even if he feels bad about invading your privacy he knows they need to see your texts to make sure you're not planning to leave Gotham again. Oh and now the bat members will each take turn patrolling your house and following you from the shadows to make sure you're safe.

___

All in all I'd say you'll have your fun for a little while but ultimately you'll just drive them deeper in their obsession and they will likely kidnap and bring you home.

[lilacs-stars]

moon + tides

this is part 1, read part 2 here! pairing: james hook x fem!reader (requested) SUMMARY: you, ariel's daughter, find yourself in a strange relationship with the one and only infamous pirate captain, who's absolutely obsessed with you GENRE: yandere, a bit of angst, some comforting fluff here and there, especially at the end CW: a few mentions of violence, someone walking a plank, mentions of drowning, some suggestive material, nothing too graphic though WC: 4.2k

A/N: this req was really fun to write! I might have gotten a bit carried away, heh...this part includes the backstory of how you two got together and the first part of the req, and the second part will include the rest of it. hope you guys enjoy reading this cause I definitely put some hard work into it lol. also please give me feedback and suggestions, I'd really like to know your thoughts!

If you could go back, would you change what happened?

This is something that you often ask yourself. 

You think about that fateful day frequently. It was the summer before your first year at Merlin Academy. You had finally convinced your parents, the famed mermaid Ariel and her Prince Eric, to let you go for a swim unsupervised. Being half-mermaid, half-human allowed you to transform back and forth at will. And although life on land was pretty good, your heart always ached to go back to the sea, to feel the cold, salty water as it engulfs you. To race along the reefs, tail swishing back and forth, allowing you to reach speeds far past what your human form can do. To leisurely swim amongst the many species of fish and plants that created the world of the ocean. To go back home.

Your parents had already gone over the rules with you hundreds of time, to the point where you could recite each one of them word for word: “Don’t go past the boundaries,” “Don’t approach any animals you don’t know,” “Don’t go so deep where you can’t see any light,” “Come out at the first sign of bad weather,” and, most importantly, “Do not, under any circumstances, interact with any humans.”

Your mother may be renowned for rescuing a stranger from the unrelenting grasps of the sea—if she hadn’t, you wouldn’t even be here right now—but that was a very rare case. Far more often than not, mermaid interactions with humans out on the waters ended up in the mermaid being tortured, held hostage, or even killed.

You knew the rules by heart, and yet, maybe it was because of your young age, you still broke them. You weren’t really aware of your actions in the moment; one second, you were swimming alongside a pod of dolphins, racing against the currents. The next, you heard loud voices and realized that almost directly above you, yet still a good few dozen meters away, was some sort of ship.

You had ducked down next to a big sponge, peering up apprehensively. It was at that moment you realized that you were far outside of the boundaries set for you by your parents. You should have turned back, should have swam back home, but there was something about the ship, something that intrigued you so much it forced you to stay in place.

A few moments passed, and seeing as there was no commotion, you let your curiosity get the better of you. After all, that ship shouldn’t even have been out there. Slowly, you crept closer and closer to the surface, making sure to remain in the shadows. The noises were becoming clearer; you could make out people’s voices now. But they still weren’t sharp enough for you to understand what they were saying.

Finally, you took the risk and poked your head out of the water near the rear of the ship. The sight before you elicited a sharp gasp, and made you wish you had just gone back when you still had the chance. 

Extended from the side of the ship was a long, wooden plank. Standing on one side of it (the safe end), was a man, gagged, blindfolded, and bound. He looked to be no older than forty, with a scraggly beard and ripped clothes.

A pirate.

Another figure emerged, walking to the edge of the deck. Your reflexes caused you to duck down quickly, so only your eyes were barely above the water. This figure was much younger, with dark brown hair parted neatly and angular features twisted into a wicked smile. He donned a maroon blazer that covered a white shirt with an upturned collar. Something in his left hand shined brilliantly under the sun’s bright rays.

The younger figure laughed, but not in the way one would laugh at a funny joke. He unsheathed a cutlass from his side, using it to poke the back of the man on the plank. 

“You see, Mr. Jones? This is what happens when you cross the most feared pirate captain in all the lands!” the young figure roared as he yanked off the older man’s blindfold, revealing to him his fate. The fear and panic that spread across the man’s face has been forever etched into your mind, even to this day.

You heard the man beg and plea for mercy, watched as every move he made caused the plank to sway even more violently. The pirate captain simply laughed, his crew along with him. Finally, when you suppose he tired of hearing the man grovel, you watched in terror as the captain gave the man a good kick in the back, finally sending him over the edge.

Suddenly, it was like the world was spinning in slow motion. The man plummeting off the wooden platform, falling, falling, falling. His screams muffled by the cloth around his mouth. Then, all too soon, he made contact with the water with a loud splash. 

He sank quickly, devoured by the ocean’s waters within the blink of an eye. Your young, distraught face watched as a few bubbles rose to the surface. Then nothing. All that remained of the man’s existence, all there was to give proof that he had ever even been there, were a few ripples in the water.

That was it.

You were frozen in shock. How–what–why? Your brain could barely string together a comprehensive sentence. All you were sure of was the feeling inside you. You couldn’t quite put it into words, could barely even understand it. But it made your tail ache to move, made you feel as if you simply couldn’t stay in one place any longer.

You dove beneath the surface, frantically swimming towards the direction where you saw the man go under. You kept looking around, searching, but to no avail. You decided to dive deeper, swimming lower and lower until the water around you was near pitch-black. You were growing more and more panicked by the second, because every second you wasted was another second the man grew closer to death.

Finally, you caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of your eye. Hope flaring, you darted towards it, the figure becoming clearer the closer you got.

It was him.

You reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt to prevent him from sinking farther. His eyes were shut and he wasn’t breathing, but you could still hear a heartbeat. There was still time left.

Wrapping your arms around him, you started the difficult journey back to land. Thankfully, you knew of a small island not too far from here. Swimming with the added weight of a fully grown man was incredibly difficult, especially for a young mermaid, but you persisted. After all, this was his life on the line.

You swam as hard as fast as you could, and thankfully, by some blessing from the heavens, found a warm water current going the direction you were. You let it carry you, the rushing stream multiplying your efforts. Finally, after what seemed like hours but must have only been a couple of minutes, you reached the island.

Letting the wave wash you up on shore, you settled the man down on the soft sand the first chance you got. You rolled him to his front, which was quite the endeavor itself. His heartbeat had grown more shallow, but it was still there. There was still hope.

Using the skills your mother had taught you, you started to nurse the man back to health using your melodic voice. Ever since you were young, she had explained to you the gift bestowed upon mermaids, the power of healing through song. She taught you to sing before you could walk, and it was the one thing that you were sure you could do right.

As you sang your strange and melodious tune, it finally occurred to you that you were breaking the most sacred of rules. Not only were you interacting with a stranger, you were coaxing him back to life. Like mother, like daughter, you thought. I suppose healing strangers who were drowning at sea runs in my blood.

The only caveat to your healing powers is that it takes quite some time to have its full effects. You don’t know how long you sat on the beach, but it had been quite some time. You probably would have been there for much longer had it not been for the boom voice that sounded behind you, waking you from your trance of song.

“Well, I’ll be. If it isn’t a mermaid.”

You practically jumped out of your fins as you turned around, startled beyond words. There, towering above you, was the evil pirate captain you saw earlier. He was even younger than you had previously thought. In fact, he couldn’t be much older than you. You wondered for a fleeting moment how a kid like that could command an entire ship full of grown—and scary-looking—men, but decided you have bigger matters at hand to worry about.

A few members of his crew lurked behind the captain, and you could see a small lifeboat docked to the ground near the coastline. Further beyond that, his ship swayed in the ocean waves, dark against the bright horizon.

You followed the pirate’s gaze down to your tail, which was still out. You silently cursed yourself for forgetting to transform back into your human form, being too distracted by saving the man to pay attention to your own safety.

You wanted to yell at the cruel pirate for trying to kill this man. No matter who he was, what he had done, he didn’t deserve to die. At least not like that. But the words got caught in your throat, so while a war raged inside your mind, you were completely quiet on the outside, simply staring up at the man with wide doe eyes.

“You have a lovely voice,” the man said, with a tone that you wouldn’t quite imagine a killer using. He must have overheard me sing earlier, you thought to yourself. “Tell me, little mermaid, who taught you to sing?”

“M-my mother,” you replied weakly, your voice far more meager and small than you wanted it to be. You were still staring up at him, afraid of what he’d do to you.

“Your mother? Well, that’s quite interesting.” The captain raised his left hand to scratch at his chin, which is when you realized that it wasn’t a hand at all. Instead of a hand was a curved metal hook, with a sharp point gleaming at the end. So that must be the shiny thing I saw earlier, you thought.

“Oh, where are my manners?” laughed the pirate abruptly. “My name is Captain James Hook, leader of the Jolly Roger. And you are?”

You blinked, almost forgetting your own name. If it were a less tense moment than this, you would have laughed at the fact that his name is rather befitting for him. “Y/N,” you respond.

“Y/N…Now, where have I heard that name before?” He tapped his chin with his hook again.

“Sir, that’s the name of Princess Ariel’s daughter,” one of the big, meaty pirates behind him answered in a gruff voice.

“That’s right!” Hook exclaimed. “You’re the mermaid’s daughter. You know, rumor has it you’ll be joining me at Merlin’s Academy in the fall, is that right?”

For some reason, your voice seemed to not work anymore, so you settled for nodding. Join him? you pondered. You didn’t know that he was also a student at the school you were planning to attend.

Hook started pacing along the beach, arms crossed with his hooked hand extended, deep in thought. You watched him, fear growing by the second. A sly smirk spread across his face, which only served to fuel the flames of your worry. 

“You know, you directly defied my command by saving that man,” he started. Slowly. Deliberately. Choosing every word precisely and carefully, like a shark circling its prey. “Do you even know why I made him walk the plank?” You shook your head no, the panic in you reaching record heights.

“That man”—he vaguely gestures towards the unconscious body laying on the beach with his hook—“stole an entire week’s worth of rations from my ship. An entire week’s worth of food and rum for an entire crew. Had he gotten away with it, we likely would have starved to death out at sea. Does he seem so innocent now, little mermaid? So worth saving?”

Again, you shook your head no. Although you agreed he definitely wasn’t an innocent man, you still didn’t see making him walk the plank a justifiable punishment. Despite your thoughts, you kept your mouth shut. Angering the captain further was not going to do you any good.

“Now, if anyone else had done something like this, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut their head right off,” Hook said menacingly, and with a swish, unsheathed his sword once again. You flinched—hard—and scrambled to back away from him. 

Hook took note of this, and, sheathing his sword, crouched down to get on the same level as you. “But don’t worry, little mermaid. I won’t hurt you. You see, you’ve piqued my interest. Plus, it would do me no favors to have a little girl’s blood on my hands.”

You let out a breath you hadn’t even realized you were holding. So he’s not going to kill me, right?

“But, alas, you can’t leave unpunished, now, can you?” he added. Your eyes grew impossibly wider, your entire body shaking in fear. This was it. He was going to kill you, or do something equally worse.

“I demand”—you already felt a tear slip down your cheek—“that you write to me for the remainder of the summer.”

Wait, what?

“W-write?” you asked in disbelief. “As in…”

“Letters,” Hook finished for you. “Write me letters. I’ll give you the mailing address of the Jolly Roger. Write me everyday, and I’ll promise I’ll write you back whenever we dock. How does that sound?”

“O-okay,” you reply, still taken aback by the peculiar, and far more lenient than you’d expected, request. That was all you had to do? Write letters? As punishment for saving the life of someone he’d ordered to die? You must be dreaming.

“Oh, and,” Hook said, voice lowered as he leaned in close to you, until he was just a hair’s breadth away from your ear. You could feel his warm breath on your skin, his alluring scent of salty winds and something richer, deeper, filling your lungs. “I look forward to seeing you in the fall. Don’t forget me, my little mermaid.”

With that, he stood up, smoothing out the lines on his pants. “You wouldn’t happen to need a ride back home, would you, love?”

You shook your head no, too terrified of him changing his mind to spend another moment in his presence. You glanced back at the man lying behind you, still unconscious. “W-what about him? What will you do with him?” you managed to choke out, somehow finding your voice again.

Hook pondered this for a long minute, before finally answering, “He can live.” You let out a shaky breath. “But only because of you, little mermaid. And only this time. You go against my wishes again, and trust me, your punishment will be far more severe.”

And with that, he went back to his ship and sailed away.

You still muse about that day, thinking how different things would have been if you had changed just one little thing.

You kept your promise of writing him letters, too afraid to know what would happen when you had to inevitably face him in the fall to break it. At first, they started out simple. Ordinary recounts of your day, your favorite things, what you liked to do. As the weeks passed, you started writing more personal letters. How you felt about certain things or certain people, including your parents. You never spoke a word of that fateful day to them, knowing that you’d be grounded for life and forbidden from swimming ever again if they caught even a whiff of the danger you had put yourself in. 

Hook kept his promise, too. He wrote you back, although it was far less frequent than your letters. Even though he kept his responses short and concise, you always ended up hearing his voice in your head as you read his notes. You soon found yourself checking your mailbox daily, even getting to know the mailman rather well. The rush of dopamine you got every time you opened it to find a letter awaiting you was unmatched; you would always run upstairs to your room, lock the door, and pour over the note. Reading every line, every word over and over again, committing them to memory. 

You don’t know why you enjoyed these little letters so much. Maybe it was the thrill of having a secret that no one else knew of, or the absence of your usual loneliness every time you were reminded that somewhere out there, across the seas, was someone awaiting your letters, reading them, and writing back to you. Whatever it was, your heart started to form an emotional attachment to him without you even realizing it. 

Unbeknownst to you, that had been his exact plan all along.

It’s safe to say that once you started school at Merlin Academy, Hook’s—or James’s, as he insisted on you calling him—grip on you only grew. Things started out pretty normal: light conversations in class and stolen looks exchanged across the hall, mostly initiated by him. After the first few weeks passed, things between you two only grew. Secret meetings during lunch hours, rendezvous after school, and small gifts exchanged between the two of you. From there, it became brushing your hands together whenever you passed by each other, soft pecks on the cheek or forehead where there were prying eyes, and more passionate kisses when the two of you finally found time to be alone.

Truth be told, you don’t really know what you two are now. Normally, you would consider two people that partake in such actions to be courting, and you kind of assume you are. But James has never said anything about a relationship to you, and in all honesty, you’re too afraid to ask him. You feel terribly confused at his intentions towards you; on the one hand, he approaches you every day without fail, even if you try to ignore him or when your schedules don’t match up. Somehow, he always finds a way. On the other hand, he never asked you to be his lover, never even vaguely mentioned anything of the sorts. So, you decided, with a heavy heart, to not be too confident and consider yourself his partner. And unfortunately, that meant that he wasn’t yours, either.

Really, you never meant to grow so involved with the bastard pirate that threatened to kill you on the beach that day. But for some strange reason, instead of treating you coldly like he did everyone else, especially the other hero kids, he was softer with you. Considerate, even. You had half-expected him to want nothing to do with you after your first few interactions, but he kept seeking you out. You often opened your locker to a note inside, or entered your dorm to find a letter slipped beneath the door.

Today was one of those days. You had gotten a note telling you to wait for him in your usual place in the evening, after classes. So here you are, waiting, staring at the water fountain in the courtyard. You’ve always been transfixed by the way the water spurts out the center and splashes all around. It seems that whenever you’re alone with your thoughts, they always end up back to that fateful day you met James, and everything that’s happened since.

“Wait for me long, my little mermaid?” a deep voice whispers in your ear from behind. You jump only a little, far more used to James sneaking up on you now than you used to be. For some reason, it seems he loves to startle you by wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you in close from behind, or speaking softly in your ear.

You twirl around, a delighted expression on your face, although you try to mask it with a feigned annoyance. “And if I say I did?”

“Well then, I’d have to find a way to make it up to you then, wouldn’t I, darling?” he purrs, using his hook to spin you around in his arms so you’re face-to-face. His lips make his way to yours, pulling you in for a slow, sensual kiss. You wrap your arms around his neck, bringing his head closer to yours, not able to get enough of his touch. 

The feeling of his skin against yours ignites something in you, and you find your mouth opening to give him more access as a soft whimper escapes your lips. One hand reaches into his hair, tugging at it gently from the base of his head, while the other one trails down the front of his shirt.

James leans into you even further, your bodies flush against each other now, as he deepens the kiss. You find yourself leaning against the edge of the water fountain, the cool sprinkles providing a welcomed contrast to your heating-up bodies.

Once you’ve completely lost your breath, you pull away just slightly, a love-drunk smile on your face. “You had a request for me?” you whisper, panting, eyes full of adoration for the man you were interlocked with. 

James breaks into a grin. A genuine one, not one of the smirks he flashes to uphold his patented suave demeanor. “Ah, yes, how could I forget, my love?”

He pulls further away to give you two enough room to breathe, yet keeping his good hand on the small of your back. “I was reminded today that it's been quite some time since I’ve heard your voice, my little mermaid.”

You give a little smile, deciding to mess with him a bit. “Whatever do you mean? You hear my voice every day. I mean, you’re even hearing it right now.”

James cocks his head to the side and raises a single eyebrow, clearly aware of your antics. “Your other voice, love.”

You giggle. “Fine, all right. Only for you,” you say, giving him a peck on the nose. 

You sit down on the ledge of the fountain, turning back to stare at the water again. Although it has been a long time since you stretched your tail and went for a swim, simply seeing the rushing water soothes you. It isn’t quite like being immersed in it, but it still gives you some semblance of comfort. 

You reach into the pool at the bottom, letting the cool water rush along your fingertips as you inhale a deep breath. Through your mermaid abilities, your voice twists into an otherworldly song, filling the space with a mellifluous sound. 

James takes a place on the ledge next to you, reaching into the water to hold your submerged hand. You don’t really feel it, too transfixed on the rushing waves. You don’t see the way James gazes at you, like you’re his entire world. The softness, the tenderness in his eyes, which he reserves for you only. He looks at you not as if you’re his sun, something too bright to ever stare directly at, something violent and explosive and harmful, but as if you’re his moon. 

As if you’re the figure he watches every night before he closes his eyes, and the one he wishes to see again when he wakes up. As if you’re the only thing he notices every time the darkness envelops him, your presence never falling off the pedestal he places it on in his mind. Never losing its worth. He looks at you, your soft glow and mesmerizing shimmer, as if you’re the only thing filling up the night sky. The stars and constellations pale in comparison to you, especially on your best nights, when you shine so magnificently. 

You are the moon, and he is the tide of the ocean, constantly being pulled in by you. Never being able to escape the grasp you have on him, the grasp you are so blissfully unaware of. He stares at you in awe and wonder, bathing in your gorgeous light, so close yet always so far away. Sitting all alone against the dark backdrop of the evening sky, waiting for him to come back to you. And without reason, you always disappear. Always leaving him wanting more, waiting till the moment he can bathe in your presence again. 

As you sing, the tide gets pulled in by the gravity of the moon. Your lyrical voice bounces off the stone walls, surrounding you both, just as the moonlight surrounds the waves on that mystical night. 

But the moonlight is only a reflection of the sun’s glow, is it not? When daylight comes, the moon will pull away from the waves, its absence in the sky all but forgotten in the sun’s presence. And as dawn breaks, so too will the pull between the moon and ocean. 

on to part 2! ->

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[rumplereids]

hii!! i’ve read some of your docs and they are just awesome !!

i wanted to ask you if you could write a fic (paring Spencer x fem!Reader) about the BAU chasing the unsub and they manage to catch him, tough he did fire some shots that didn’t hurt anyone except reader but reader doesn’t realise it until she starts to feel dizzy and feels her shirt wet only to find a gun wound on her side, spencer is really worried etc etc.. you know an hurt/comfort !! :3

sorry for my bad english 😞😞

take your time !! :33

tags: spencer reid x fem!reader. hurt/comfort. reader gets shot. blood. reader using sexual jokes as a coping mechanism. a/n: unedited! set around season 12, bcos i just rewatched the s11 finale lol. i also took some creative liberties but i hope u still like this :) masterlist. requests are open !

There’s something Spencer always did before the team goes out to take down an unsub.

First, in the car, in the calm before a probable storm, he would take two fingers into the collar of your bulletproof vest. He’d tug on the back, checking the tightness of the straps while confined in the SUV’s backseat. And then, the same hand would run down your back. A comforting gesture that grounds him more than he’d admit. And lastly, he’d take your hand in his. Squeeze it three times in a silent ‘I love you’. He’ll wait for you to squeeze back, and your eyes would meet for a second, words unneeded as your gaze tells each other to take care.

It’s a routine done even before you officially got together. Tonight was different.

You were on the way back to the station after re-interviewing a witness with Rossi. You’re sat on the passenger seat, notepad in hand, attempting to arrange your thoughts on the case. A ringtone coming from the car speaker distracts you from your musings. Rossi reaches over to accept the call.

“Yeah, Hotch?”

“We found him. Garcia sent the location to your cells. You’re 20 minutes away from the address, but do not engage. Keep your distance and wait for the rest of us.” Hotch drops the call after you reply with an “On it, boss.” You flip a switch on the console, turning on the sirens.

“I still hate how loud these things are,” you make a passing comment.

Rossi spares you a glance, a bemused look in his eyes, “I haven’t gotten used to it either.”

You turn to reach for your vest behind the passenger seat. After putting it on, you triple check the straps. And then, you unholster your standard issue pistol, thumb on the catch, before you check your mag.

Rossi’s turning the corner while you holster your gun, reaching over, you turn off the siren. Based on the profile, this unsub will not hesitate to draw guns if met with law enforcement. Best not give him a heads up. A few blocks ahead, you see the bright neon sign of the motel the unsub is hiding in. Rossi shifts the SUV into a slow crawl. He stops a block away, a safe distance that still gave you a good vantage point of the motel. You keep a lookout, Rossi putting on his vest while your eyes pass over each entrance, exit, and window on the two-storey building. You notice movement on the first floor. A shadow behind a curtain on the second floor.

You’re starting to get antsy when the rest of the team, and the local cops arrive. You quickly open your door, walking toward where Hotch, Tara, and Spencer were huddled by the trunk of a precinct car.

“Are you attempting to negotiate?” Rossi asks from your side. Spencer’s eyes meet yours from where he’s hunched over a map. Embedding the floorplan into his mind. You watch his eyes rake over your body twice. Eyes running to each strap on your vest. Your heart warms at the gesture.

“He has hostages,” Hotch’s voice breaks your eye contact with Spencer. The sheriff walks toward your team, a megaphone in hand. Hotch thanks the sheriff, turns on the speaker, and begins to call out for the unsub.

“Bryan Masen! FBI! Come out with your hands above your head!”

You see the shadow shift on the second floor. And then, a loud bang. Bryan Masen has an assault rifle, shooting out of the windows of the motel lobby, while a second unsub shoots their own rifle from the second floor. In all the chaos of gunshots and screams, your mind rotates through three things; Is Spencer okay? A partner wasn’t in the profile. My ribs hurt. Is Spencer okay? A partner wasn’t in the profile. My ribs hurt. Where’s Spenc—

The following silence was deafening.

And then, a group of uniforms led by Hotch and JJ move in on the motel. You begin to stand, intending to join the second group of uniforms with Luke and Rossi. Subconsciously, your hand presses against your side. It’s warm. And wet. You take one step forward. Hear Spencer call out your name. And then, it all turns black.

Spencer’s hands won’t stop shaking. He stares at it. The red on his palms. It’s drying, and all he can do is stare blankly at it. His knee jerks. It won’t stop. He feels a hand on his shoulder. Heavy. Comforting. Unwanted. He hears Luke ask him if he needed anything. He can’t hear his own reply. Hunched over his bloodied hands, he sees the boots peeking between his fingers. Black. Leather. Heeled. JJ tries to get him to wash his hands. He feels hands guide him to a sink. That same hand on his shoulder leaving when smaller hands take his in their own. The water is cold between his fingers. The hand scrubbing his knuckles is warm. He can’t afford to look away. Can’t risk his eyes closing for more than a blink. He needed to be distracted by something. Knowing that if mind was preoccupied by any other menial thing, he won’t be forced to see your body falling onto the sandy ground. Over and over. The scream in his throat. The thud. The frantic hands. Red, red, red. Pale lips and eyes closed. Over and over.

He has half a mind to stop JJ from cleaning his hands. But then, the faucet turns off. Paper towels are pressed into his hands, and JJ guides him back to where the rest of the team are waiting. Their silence tells him that there hasn’t been anything new. He falls into a chair. Numbers. Statistics. That can help him focus on something else.

The number of GSWs treated per biennium increased from 1,349 in 1996-1997 to 1,484 in 2014-2015, with a 59% increase occurring from 2010-2011 to 2014-2015. Overall mortality was 14.6%—

An unfamiliar name calls out your name.

He stands before anyone else can react. Like a wolf descending on a prey, he begins a barrage of questions; “Where is she? Is she okay? Is she ali—”

“She alive and well. The shrapnel missed any major arteries, and we were able to take every fragment out. Major bruising around her ribs. She’s currently sedated, but you can come and see her.”

Spencer bites back an attempt to snap, wanting to raise his voice and demand that they bring him to her already. But he doubts you’d let him get away with such a behavior. And so he silently follows after the doctor, fists pressed against his sides, thumb popping a knuckle.

When he enters your room, it’s dimly lit. But he can see your face, and the bruise on your cheek from when you fell unconscious. His eyes take you in, every inch of you. The hair pulled behind your ears. The medical gown covering pallor skin. The tube connected to the crook of your elbow. He reaches a hand out, smoothing your hair, before taking a deep breath in. He remembers your comment about the smell of hospitals.

“I’ll stay with her,” he mumbles. Two fingers pushing down the collar of your hospital gown. You don’t like it when your clothes bunch up around your neck. His fingers subconsciously move to trace the side of your throat. Moving to feel the beat of your pulse beneath his fingertips.

“I’ll bring your bags back in an hour,” he nods once to acknowledge JJ’s words.

“Thank you,” he coughs away the lump in his throat. You’re alive. You’ll be awake in a few hours. You can go home by the end of the week. He forces himself to feel optimistic.

“Get some rest if you can, Reid,” Hotch speaks from where he’s standing nearest to the door.

He nods, opting not to say anything. Unable to make promises.

Your eyes are heavy when you come to. You can feel the crust on your lids. The cool of the AC against your cheek. Slowly, you open your eyes. There’s a painting of a grassy field on the wall in front of you. You turn your head. Spencer has his socked feet up on the armchair. Curling into himself to fit better. He has his focus on your copy of Pride and Prejudice. You can tell it’s yours by the sticky tabs peeking between the pages.

“Spence?” your voice is throaty and hoarse. Struggling to crawl out. He still hears it, anyway.

“Oh, baby,” he drops your book on the chair, moving to sit by your side. His forehead presses against yours, his hands cup your jaw. Spencer presses a kiss on the apple of your cheek.

“You scared me,” he confesses with a whisper.

“I’m okay now,” you bring a hand into his hair. He moves his kisses down to your jaw.

“I was so afraid of losing you.”

You take his kisses as he freely gives them. He hides his face into your neck, kissing where it meets your shoulder. You move your hand down to scratch where his hair ends before his nape. “You could never get rid of me,” you say with a small smile. He presses a kiss where your neck meets your ear.

Right hand on your cheek, left hand going down to grip the flesh below your scapula. Slender thumb and finger pinching the softness behind your armpit. He breathes in the scent of you. Your hand starts to massage the muscle where his neck and shoulder meet. You know that he feels heavy there whenever he gets stressed out. You want to crack a joke at how tense he is, but keep it in and choose to give him comfort instead.

“I love you,” his lips whisper against your skin.

You sigh, the sound making him look up to meet your eyes.

“I was so scared too,” it was your turn to confess.

“You’re okay. We’re both okay,” he moves his hands to take yours into his. You squeeze his hands thrice.

“I asked Hotch to give me time off while you’re on medical leave.”

“You did?”

He squeezes your hand back. Three times like you both always have, and always will.

“I also had to call your family,”

He watches you grimace, “How did they take it?” He gives you a slight wince of a smile.

You let out a sigh, “I’ll call them in a bit.”

“Your mom is taking a flight to Washington,” he informs you.

“That sucks. We won’t have the house to ourselves for at least a month.”

He raises a brow at you, “Why would it matter? You’re not allowed any strenuous activity for three.”

You give Spencer a little pout, chastised that he easily called you out, “That’s just mean.”

He gives you a withering look, “Behave.” He gives you one more kiss on the cheek, moving to stand from your bed. He has to tell the team you’re awake. Taking your phone from the end table, he begins to draft a text.

“I still have my hands, you know.”

He turns to you, caught off guard. Disbelief painting his features.

“You did not just say that,” he says.

You stick a tongue out.

“Stop it. You’re injured,” he says with a slight reprimand.

“So? That didn’t stop us when your knee got shot.”

His mouth falls open, “I can’t believe you.”

“Three months is just a recommendation. You would know.”

You grin at the blush that takes over his face.

taglist: @i-live-in-spite @khxna please feel free to send an ask to be added to my general taglist!

[gay-dorito-dust]

Hiiii. I hope you are well. I would like to request Cregan Stark x female!reader where reader is sleeping in her chambers and has a nightmare and walks the halls late at night going to Cregan’s chambers for comfort but is also hesitant because the two haven’t really spent time together since they were put into an arranged marriage. She stands in front of his bedroom door while trying to decide if she should knock or not but before she could Cregan opens the door after hearing movement. He spends the night trying to make her feel safe. Thank you 😊

I’m rusty and out of practice after not writing for hotd for so long but I hope this makes up for it 🦦🐿️

You couldn’t go back to sleep, the nightmare had awoken you so suddenly and violently that the idea of falling back to sleep disturbed you greatly, so instead you took to walking the foreign halls of your new home in Winterfell.

In truth it took some time for you to get accustomed to the change in climate, that and the change from your old rather relaxed and light attire to thick furs and multiple layers to keep warm, but you were reassured by your parents that you’d sooner or later come to love the endless landscapes of snow with your arrange marriage to Lord Cregan Stark.

Now Cregan Stark had been nothing but considerate and generous towards you, a honourable man amongst immature little boys as your father would put it, and his words have never been more true as house Stark was well known for their loyalty and their dedication to their duty. However it was due to Cregan’s commitment to his duty that left you with little to no time to get to know the man who had already garnered quite the reputation for himself. You did not blame the man for doing so, it was admirable to see a man do whatever it took to protect his home compared to those who dared called themselves men back home; the very same ‘men’ who’d abandon their wives and children for a silver of something…younger and more beautiful.

And yet you found yourself coming out of a self induced daze and stood outside of Cregan’s own personal chambers, almost as if your body had stopped it’s ceaseless wandering and brought you to the one person who could bring you comfort on its own accord, but yet you failed to find the strength to even lift a hand to knock on the heavy door as new thoughts of whether you’d be interrupting or annoying him with your presence; This was the only time where you wished you spent more time getting to know Cregan as you didn’t know the type of man he’d be when you needed him for moments such as these, moments where you’d be frightened and out of your mind with increasing worry, even over the smallest of things.

Would you be a burden to him? Too much for him? Would your actions tonight alone would bring about the end of the arrangement? All these answers so much more ran rampant within your head as you began to second guess whether or not this was your smartest of decisions, going and seeking comfort from a man you knew far too little about on a personal level over something as simple as a nightmare, you’ve contemplated this for quite a while to the point you felt stupid and childish that you didn’t notice the noise you had made already brought Cregan out of his slumber.

‘Are you alright m’lady?’ Cregan asks upon noticing how conflicted you looked as you shifted your weight on your feet and fiddling with your hands.

‘My lord,’ you gasped, ‘what’s you doing up at such time as this?’

Cregan tilted his head. ‘Well I heard shuffling outside my door and I came to see what it was, only to find you in deep thought.’ He then reached out to grasp your hand in his securely as his eyes softened. ‘Is there something the matter? Something wrong?’ He then asks in a whisper. ‘Anything I can do to help my betrothed rest easier?’

You tried to smile as authentically as you could in hopes of dissuading Cregan from going out of his way for you and let out a laugh. ‘There’s no need, I just…needed some air and familiarise my new home.’ You told him but it was obvious that he wasn’t buying it as Cregan looked down the hallway before pulling you into his chambers and closing the door behind him. ‘Now that there is no possibility for anyone to intrude, would you like to tell me what’s bothering you m’lady?’

‘I-‘ you tried to speak but found yourself falling short of an easily believable answer, especially not when his eyes seemingly read you like an open book.

‘There is no need to keep up appearances, not with me,’ Cregan says as he gently guides you to a nearby chair, still holding your hand, as though deep down he knew that you needed to be in some form of constant contact with him to bring yourself back to reality. ‘Now tell me what’s gotten you so distraught?’ He knew something was wrong but didn’t know how to handle the situation without you telling him what it was that was disturbing you. Now Cregan understood that you might not be on that level of comfortability with him just yet to open up about your innermost thoughts and feelings, he can just hope that him being here with you was proof enough to show that he deeply cared for your well-being, and that with time you’ll come to him freely and without fear that he’d cast you and your heart aside.

You didn’t say anything at first, still having your concerns on how he’d react once you tell him, but the other side of your mind was telling you to take this an an opportunity to make up for the lack of time to get to know each other, so you opened your mouth and the words that you’ve been trying to put a stop poured out seamlessly. ‘I had a nightmare and I thought that a walk would help but it seems as though at the thought of you, my feet brought me to your chambers on their own accord.’

Cregan smiled softly as he squeezed your hand, running his thumb across it. ‘Is that so m’ lady? You thought of me in your moment of need?’

‘Of course,’ you tell him, finally squeezing his hand back, feeling yourself growing more confident and secure within his presence, ‘It was as though deep down I knew you’d never scoff at my worries, and instead bring me comfort as though it were instinct, but my mind tried to trick me into believing that you wouldn’t and I would’ve believed them had you not answer the door when you did.’ You admitted and felt a weight come off of your shoulders, allowing you to fully relax within Cregan’s presence that felt akin to the comforting weight of furs being draped over your shoulders, comforting, warm and grounding.

‘And I never would scoff at your worries because your worries are my worries m’lady.’ Cregan tells you as he knelt before you, resting his free hand against your cheek, watching as you melted into his touch, sighing in content. ‘Now tell me how I can be of help to you be rid of this pain?’ He then asks softly as though speaking any louder would somehow offend you.

‘Pardon me if this seems too forward my lord but,’ you paused to take in Cregan’s handsome features before looking down at your intertwined hands, this was the union that your parents wanted for you and now that you were here with him, you didn’t want to leave for your lonely chambers, ‘would you allow for me to stay here for the night, held in your arms until the nightmare is a memory long forgotten.’ You finished, looking into his eyes as they gleamed with happiness and love.

‘Only if you are comfortable with that m’lady.’ Cregan said and you couldn’t help but chuckle as his thoughtfulness towards you, the same thoughtfulness that suggested sleeping in separate rooms until you felt comfortable enough to share a room with him.

‘Of course I do,’ you tell him with a real genuine smile, leaning forward to rest your forehead against his as you squeezed his hand, ‘I wouldn’t have suggest it if I didn’t.’ You added and without hesitation Cregan brought you into his strong arms as he carried you off towards his bed, laying you down gently as he join you before pull in you back into his arms again, softly guiding your head into resting against his chest.

Cregan turned out to be a lot warmer than you had originally expected but you couldn’t help but snuggle further against him, making him smile and press a featherlight kiss to your head as he tightened his hold on you. ‘I promise to keep your nightmares at bay as you deserve only the sweetest and kindest of dreams to greet you at the end of every day.’ He promises to you as he pressed another kiss to your head, making you smile widely as you couldn’t help but feel as though you were already living within a dream with how impossibly perfect Cregan was.

‘I feel as though I am in one already my lord.’ You tell him sleepily.

‘Then I shall try my best to make you keep thinking that m’lady.’ Cregan replied as you soon feel asleep against the man who had quickly claimed your heart.

[moonydustx]

response to this request @i0fty I loved your request (I have a thing for writing hurt/comfort and angst). I really hope you like it. I wrote it as f!reader, but I can adjust it if I want

warnings: F!Reader is attacked, mention of celestial dragons, Law and she have feelings for each other and it's obvious, Law saves F!Reader

one piece masterlist

----

As soon as you set foot on that island, you knew there was something strange, something that sent a chill down your spine. It would be a short break to stock up on some emergency supplies and head towards the next island, which was larger and would have more interesting information for your crew.

Even so, some crewmates and your captain, Law, disembarked next to you.

"So, do you need a lot of things?" Law tried to make conversation, seeing you take a small map out of your pocket and point to something he could barely understand.

"I needed some lemongrass herbs. I saw they sell them here, but they are expensive, however, given the climate of this island I think I can find some in this green area." You explained, seeing him nod and hand you a few more berris.

"Don't go far, it might not be safe. If you can find something to buy, buy it" he insisted, seeing you look around, apparently suspicious. "What it was?"

"Do you feel something strange in the air?" you asked and saw him repeat your gesture of checking the surrounding environment.

"Some residents seem a little scared." Shachi who had also disembarked scored.

"It could be our imagination, as well as some confusion that happened. Which would be a great attraction for the marine." Law explained as you walked behind him. "Be careful and don't get into any kind of trouble."

"Yes captain." even in uncoordinated unison, you responded together.

"And you, what are you going to explore?" you asked Law as the others scattered. "Not that there's much to do."

"Do you remember that old book about spirit hunters that you mentioned? I saw that there might be a copy around here."

"Bullshit! Are you going to buy it?" Law laughed lightly, almost imperceptibly when he saw your excitement.

"Just don't tell Bepo, he'll say I have favoritism in the crew." the captain pointed out. "If you finish early, meet me at the bookstore. It should be easy to find, I don't think there are many around here."

The promise of meeting him later made you excited. Your relationship with the captain was something different from your relationship with others - you shared games, reading and conversations until late at night. Sometimes, it was as if the two of you were in a little world of your own.

You even tried to use the money provided by Law but, in addition to being insufficient, the little shop had strange looks from all sides. The feeling on that island was of being spied on with every step taken, with every interaction.

Moving away from the small shopping center and without even entering the small forest that almost annexes the city, you found some bushes that you needed. It was simple to harvest them and tie them in a way to transport them without losing any leaves.

Before you could stand up and continue your journey to the bookstore, you felt something against your neck, but you were able to dodge it and roll to the other side. Finally standing up, she could see two men staring at you.

"I'm sorry, lady, but we have orders to take you." one of them warned and you bent down to reach the knife you had used to harvest, unfortunately not fast enough to feel something burn in your hand.

"What the fuck… You know what? I'm going to kill you" you left things aside and went out to fight them.

Even using everything you knew about fighting, trying to use all the blows that came to your mind, you still ended up getting hit more times, some of the blows you barely understood where they were coming from.

"What do you want with me?!" you shouted once again, being ignored.

The metallic taste on your lips indicated that the attack you suffered had been much stronger than you expected. Both the desire to fight and the fear itself caused your adrenaline to skyrocket, leaving you alert to any movement from the two men.

"You should save your efforts." one of them emphasized, the handcuffs on his hands made an annoying noise as they clashed together. "They will need you at full strength."

"And it's not like you're going to win alone." the other completed, stretching out the whip and hitting your arm squarely.

The sensation was something like an unexpected burn, but it wouldn't stop you from fighting, from returning to where you really belonged. Standing up, you advanced towards the shorter man, landing a few punches, enough for him to stagger a little and give you space to escape.

At least that's what you thought until you felt someone pull you back and the click of the handcuffs awakened your despair. No, you couldn't let yourself get carried away like that. How would your friends be? Would they ever see you serving as a doormat for one of those damned celestials?

"This is an aggressive one, just like they asked for." the man pressed his body to yours, in order to speak in your ear. "The guys up there, the big celestial dragons will like a piece like you. They'll hunt you, they'll hurt you and I'll get rich."

No matter how much you struggled, his grip grew even stronger against your body, while the other man got closer to try to cover your face. Perhaps desperation had prevented you from noticing some things around you, awareness hit you completely when the aggressive grip around your body became a gentle, almost protective touch. His voice hit you before your own perception.

"It's ok, I'm here now." Law let his hands run down your arms and he advanced towards the other man.

In another situation, Law would have fun tearing those bodies into pieces and watching them try to reorganize themselves. But this time it was different.

They had messed with one of his crew members, an intelligent aspiring doctor, who would know how to use any and all plants to her advantage, who was great at playing chess and had read a good part of Sora's stories - even if the last ones were by his invitation. She was the girl who laughed at anything while dying of shyness when someone pointed out an adjective to her. She was the girl he dreamed of getting some attention, but her scared eyes indicated that those bastards had hurt her and he couldn't let that go.

The first man - who Law hadn't changed places to reach you - soon fell to the ground, clearly unconscious.

"Where's the other one?" your voice was exasperated, as your eyes tried to hunt the other guy through some trees.

"Shachi and Penguin already took care of him." Law pointed out while looking for keys to the handcuff.

"W-we need ... W-we need to check!" the way your voice sounded urgent alerted Law, forcing him to get closer to you. "He can get help, they have whips and…"

"Hey!" He tried to call you, not having much success. When his hands found your face, Law saw you flinch. "Look at me, Shachi and Penguin already took care of this… Look at me!" he pulled your face back, seeing you want to dodge.

"But… T-they had whips... and handcuffs and they were going to t-take me to the c-celestial dragons." the words stumbled as they left your lips.

"They won't, I would never let them." Law insisted, seeing you nod, even though he knew the words wouldn't truly reach you.

"Let's go back to Polar Tang, what do you think?" he suggested and saw you nod practically in slow motion and remain silent.

As quickly as Law had transported you back to the submarine, the thoughts were faster than you could express.

It was difficult to process some things, you still had a hard time accepting that there were people who felt so superior to others that they chose random people to be hunted. You had heard of it, but you always thought of it as something far away from you, that it was just a scary story that would stay far away.

But there you were, feeling your wounds being cleaned by careful hands, extremely contrary to what you had felt just now.

"Please…" Law's voice came out almost like a sigh. "I need you to say something."

"What do you need?" Your eyes watched as Law left the tweezers with the cotton on the small tray next to him.

"You're too immersed in your own mind and I can tell you that's not a good thing." he explained and saw you rambling again, it was clear that something was wrong. "Please don't think just talk to me."

"I thought everything was lost, you know?" you began, feeling your eyes sting with tears. "I've never felt so scared."

"I told you, I would never let that happen." Law didn't hesitate as he ran his hand over your face, brushing away some tears that insisted on coming out. "And I promise this won't happen again."

"You're the captain, you have more things to worry about." a weak, almost inaudible laugh came out of you. "Do I really matter that much?"

"Much more than you think." he pointed out and saw you smile shyly. "I was in the bookstore and I started hearing some comments about missing people. They all had some kind of similarity to you… I know they are in different ways, but I felt scared like I haven't felt in a long time."

"What does that mean?"

"That I'm going to finish stitching up those wounds, I'm going to make you something to eat and after that, you won't be out of my sight anymore." he explained.

Even though you felt a slight discomfort in the wounds on your arm, you allowed your face to lean against his chest, your arms to wrap around him in a simple hug. His face lowered itself to the top of your head and a "I promise to always be here" was whispered in your embrace.

[roseblog-rog]

I Guess I Do Belong in the Woman’s Room.

It’s always a scary endeavor: going into a public restroom as a trans person. There’s always that fear of being outed or shunned or screamed at or punished or SOMETHING. So many risks, all for pissing. But I digress, I have no time to worry due to how badly I have to go.

I enter the woman’s room to find a group of five girls doing makeup in the long mirror which spans the whole bathroom, lined with sinks and soap dispensers. The floor is white with recently cleaned tiles, the gray stalls packed together on the opposite side. The walls are a soft shade of pink that almost feels…comforting. Inviting.

Though no other people aside from the group appear to be in here, I move quick. I swiftly and quietly do my business and exit the stall to wash my hands, moving to the opposide side away from the group of girls, who are now giggling and applying their different colored lipstick. They’re all really fucking pretty, and I feel a warm blush creep up onto my face. I pray their laughter has nothing to do with me. That hope is short lived, however, as one of them—the one with red lips—speaks in a deep airy voice once I finish washing my hands.

“Hey girl, your fly is still open.”

Shit. Well that’s embarrassing. I nod and quickly fiddle with my zipper. I must’ve forgotten to zip it up after buttoning my pants with how much I was rushing to leave. Hopefully they didn’t notice my—

The one with pink lips speaks now, her voice being much higher and softer. “I’m sorry…but is that a bulge?”

Fuck. Now all five girls are glancing down at the bulge in my jeans. It looks so much more obvious in this new light. My face goes completely red.

“No! No. I uh…uhm…” I struggle to formulate an excuse, voice on the verge of cracking with how high and feminine I’m trying to make it combined with the tears starting to form my eyes. My worst fears were being realized, and the most embarrassing part is my gock begins twitching from all the attention.

Red chuckes and speaks again. “Hey, don’t worry girl. In case you haven’t noticed you’re not the only one packing here.”

The blunt response startles me, but with the invitation to look I now notice that all five of them also have bulges, though theirs are much harder than mine, which makes me shiver from…something.

“We didn’t mean to startle you.” Purple speaks in a rough, bright voice, elbowing Pink, who looks down in shame. “We were just, well,” she glances back down at my crotch and smirks “curious.”

“Yeah, sorry for the scary question. We get how it can be in public restrooms.” Pink looks incredibly guilty.

“Haha…yeah, sorry. I didn’t mean to get so startled.” My voice settles in it’s natural state, which is still fairly feminine, though deep enough to warrant ‘suspicion’. The blush slowly fades from my face, the tears subside and my breath levels. I’m safe.

“Though I have to ask…why were you so afraid? You belong in here just like anyone else.” Blue pipes in with her quiet and monotone voice, raising an eyebrow at me.

I itch to leave, but something about the group is so comforting and intriguing that I endulge their curiosity. “Well…not really. I mean, I’m at a point in my transition where I’m much more feminine……” I trail off.

“But..?” Purple prompts.

“But I’m still so tall and lanky, my voice is deep, my stubble is annoyingly apparent…I guess I don’t feel pretty enough to be in here comfortably.”

The last member of the group, Orange, walks forward towards me at this response, clearly checking me out. I fidget in place as she gets closer. She’s taller than me, just an inch or two, but still noticeable as I slightly tilt my head up to look at her face. She’s beautiful. Her voice is so silky smooth it brings my blush right back onto my face.

“I think you’re pretty.”

I look down at the ground, my blush reaching embarrassing levels of red. I blush way too easily. “Thank you, uh, I think you’re pretty too.” I notice just how much my voice wobbles, whether it be from embarrassment or being so flustered.

Orange lifts her right hand up to my chin, using her pointer finger to gently lift my face back up to meet her gaze. I twitch again, ugh. “I mean it, how could you think you aren’t pretty enough to be here?”

She turns my body to face the mirror, and I really look at myself: my red and freckled face, my long blonde hair, my wide hips, my bulked up arms, my boobs…everything. Orange stands right behind me, softly smiling as she moves her hands down my waist. It feels so fucking good, I’ve always been so sensitive to touch…but…

“W..wait! I barely know you.” I stutter out as I move away from her. My hardening gock betrays my sentiment, but I ignore it.

Orange’s gaze softens. “That’s okay…forgive me for being so forward.” She glances down. “Though it seems like someone wants more.”

My face feels so hot I think I might just die. I can barely even get any words out, just mindless stutters. The only word I manage to speak before my mind completely blanks is “Please.”

Orange’s gaze darkens with a smirk. “Girls! Let’s help her realize just how pretty she is.”

The five of them now crowd around me, moving me so I once again face the mirror. I’m shaking, my now fully erect gock starting to drip as Red lifts my shirt off of me. Pink goes to undo my jean button and zipper while Black pulls them down. Blue undoes my bra while Orange once again begins feeling up my now exposed body. Despite the circumstances it feels so…freeing. So beautiful and—oh FUCK.

Red begins to kiss just above my right breast, leaving a very obvious lipstick mark. The five of them grin so simultaneously it’s almost terrifying. Almost. They all begin feeling me up while kissing me with their multicolored lips. I’m moaning and whimpering so much at this point that one of them exclaims “Looks like someone’s a noisemaker. She’s adorable!” However, my mind is so fuzzy and warm at this point that I can’t even tell who says it.

They’re pressed so closely against my shaking frame that it’s impossible for me to fall to my knees despite my wobbling. I can feel their hot bodies against mine, hear their heavy breathing as we all start to sweat. My skin begins to be covered with red and pink and purple and blue and orange. Little reminders of this wonderful group.

Soon enough one of them pulls my panties down and immediately makes an excited noise at my hard, dripping gock. “Holy shit! You’re gorgeous!” I then feel the now familiar sensation of a mouth being closed around it, a tongue starting to feel around it, and this earns several loud moans. The kisses from the other four girls get rougher and more sensual: sucking and biting and licking all over my quivering frame.

I feel bliss, seeing my naked body being marked and used and sucked by all these women, and I start to feel so beautiful. I notice the clear markings and lip stains…but I also notice my soft skin and nice curves and all the little things I don’t usually stop to look at. I notice how pretty and shiny my gock is, as each girl takes turns sucking on it.

I feel everything. There’s so much stimulus that I start shaking harder and moaning even more. I can barely hold myself up, but one of them is clutching me tightly by the hips to keep me from falling. “I want you to say how pretty you are.” Of course. Who am I to deny her?

“I’m pretty.” I barely get the words out.

“Again. Say it like you mean it.”

I feel myself teetering on the edge of an orgasm, a rare sensation for me with how far my transition is. I’m now completely coated in multicolored lips and bite marks and hickeys and various fluids. It’s…well, it’s pretty.

“I’m pretty!” I shout it this time, staring myself down in the mirror.

“One more time, you’re doing so good.”

“I’m pretty! I’m so fucking pretty!” I lock eyes with myself as I cum into whoever’s mouth is sucking me. I’m breathing so heavily I’m almost afraid for my safety…but these women are here for me. I’m okay.

They help me sit down and crowd closely around me, the scent of our sweat and their makeup becoming much more apparent. It’s all so wonderful and safe and relaxing that my eyes start to shut as they coddle me and play with my hair.

“It’s okay baby, you can rest.”

The last thought running through my mind is how pretty I am before I fade out of consciousness.

~~~

MY FIRST TIME WRITING SMUT WOAG!!! Because this is such a momentous occasion and I am so awesome, @xenasaur @lilithtransrights enjoy my cool lil thing.

[notjustjavierpena]

4AM (Drabble)

Series Masterpost | Main Masterpost | Support a disabled creator

A/N: A little peek into Hubby’s mind. I’m working on a longer piece but here’s a taste for the starving.

Summary: Javier reflects on fatherhood while comforting his son.

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader (no y/n)

Tags: Domestic, Javier loves his family, Javi POV, life with a tiny baby!!

Word count: 1.5k

4AM

It’s like clockwork when Lucas’ cries start echoing through the hallway in the early hours. Four in the morning and no sooner or later. You could set an alarm to wake you up at this point but each time there’s the slightest hope that it’s going to be at five the next time. 

You wake first. A moment later, you hear Javier wake up beside you with a sharp intake of air. He rubs his eyes with his thumb and index finger, “Whose turn is it?”

“It’s four a.m. He’s probably hungry,” you say with a groan and try desperately not to let your eyes close for too long, “Jesus, I’m tired.”

Lucas sounds desperate with how he sobs, hiccupping unhappily at not feeling either of you close yet. You feel bad for not having left your bed already, reaching for the covers to throw them to the side. Javier looks like he is just about to turn onto his other side but he sits up instead, “Let me. You just go back to sleep, baby. I’ll heat a bottle or bring him here if he’s hungry.”

He swings his legs out over the side of the bed, his movements slow with the kind of sleepiness that only comes from not waking up by oneself but rather being woken up by something or someone. 

“Javi,” you try to protest. 

“I mean it. Go back to sleep,” he stands up with a small noise, shuffling out of the room and down the hallway to avoid more protests from you. He works so much and you stay here with his infant son all day; it’s the least he can do. Plus, he wants to get all the quality time with his baby boy that he can, even when he’s miserable from sleep deprivation.

He stops and takes a deep breath right before pushing the door to Lucas’ nursery fully open. There’s a soft glow from the night light by the bed, a lamp shaped like a half-moon that shines a golden yellow over the crib to soothe. 

“Hola, mi amor (hello, my love),” he says when he leans over the side of the crib to look down at his wailing son. Lucas’ hair is dark and tousled much like his own, his eyes are big and brown but right now, his face is also tear-streaked and red from exhaustion to the point where it tugs at Javier’s heartstrings. He shushes gently as he scoops his infant into his hands with practiced ease, holding underneath his arms and supporting his head with his fingers. He bounces gently when he has Lucas cradled against his bare chest. In his head, Javier goes through his usual checklist to make the crying stop but he finds that his son is neither hungry, gassy, or in need of a diaper change. He tuts softly and paces the room to make him settle. 

“Did you have a nightmare?” He asks when the wails subside and turn into soft whimpering instead. The tiny hands on his chest curl up and as the sobbing stops, Lucas seems to find comfort in the familiar scent and warmth of his father. Javier kisses the top of his head, speaking gently while still bouncing carefully, “Don’t worry, I get those too sometimes but your mamá is right there with me when I do just like I am here with you. You’re always safe with us.”

Javier is floored each time he manages to soothe his baby boy. It’s a reminder that he is doing a great job despite all the doubts he had during your pregnancy, the introspection, and the constant fear that your softness hadn’t changed him enough after Colombia to be a good father. 

It seems so long ago since he was living an adrenaline-fuelled and cruel life miles away from the quiet suburban life he now leads in Texas. Sometimes, he even feels like everything that happened in Colombia are experiences that belong to a whole different person. This is even if there are still nights when he wakes up in a cold sweat, his whole body aching, feeling claustrophobic, and his poor old heart racing with memories of the things he's seen and done.

The hope of everything that he has with you had always existed beneath the layer of women and booze but Lucas is the true reason for letting go of his past. He doesn’t think he has ever felt so much fulfillment in anything until he held the tiny little boy against his chest for the first time and a nurse told him that he was a natural. He sobbed when you had gone to sleep, leaving him alone with your shared creation and he just couldn’t take his eyes off him. He doesn’t think he ever thought that his heart was capable of feeling so much unconditional love for anything. He still marvels at how his chest aches every time he looks into his son’s eyes.

Lucas has drifted off to sleep in his arms by now, breaths having slowed down and eyes having fluttered closed. Javier paces around the room for a few more minutes just to make sure, and then he walks back to the bassinet and gently lays the baby down on his back. 

However, as soon as Lucas loses the warmth of his father’s embrace, his eyes shoot open and the crying restarts. He writhes and hiccups and kicks the blanket off. 

Javier sighs softly but there’s a smile on his face as he does it. He picks him up once again and the routine starts over, “So that’s what you needed, huh? No llores. Estoy aquí. No voy a ningún lado (Don’t cry. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere)."

He is so tired as he promises this, eyelids burning from exhaustion when knows he doesn’t have to be up for another three hours and they could be spent on sleeping. It doesn’t reflect what he wants though because sleep is nothing compared to hearing those cries ebb out until they stop altogether. He feels triumphant each time. 

He walks to the corner of the room where an old and slightly weathered rocking chair stands. It used to be in his father’s home, more specifically on the back porch, but he received it as a gift after his pop found out he was going to be a grandfather. 

He slowly lowers himself into it. The gentle motion back and forth has Lucas falling asleep once again. Javier can feel his chest rise and fall in time with his son’s and it’s so soothing that he allows himself to relax. He closes his eyes, becomes aware of their synchronized heartbeats, and then passes out with the little bundle on top of him. 

In your bedroom, you wake up an hour later to pee only to find that Javier still hasn’t returned after getting up. You concentrate on listening for your baby’s cries but there is nothing to be heard. After going to the bathroom, your feet take you down the hall and into the nursery just in case Javier needs you to take over rocking your son for a while. 

You find them both fast asleep and it is a relief that there’s no distress after all. It makes you smile to see them like this, looking so alike despite the age difference between them. Tiptoeing across the floor to gently place a hand on Javier’s shoulder, you wake up your husband with the intention of not disturbing your son. He stirs at your touch and looks up at you with tired but content eyes. 

“Looks like you both fell asleep,” you whisper to him gently. Absent-mindedly, you stroke your hand up and down Lucas’ back. 

“I didn’t mean to,” Javier blinks sleepily, reaching up with one hand to rub his eye, “Seems like he didn’t need anything.” 

“Are you kidding me? That’s not true,” you cut him off with a shake of your head and a soft laugh, “He needed you.”

There’s a pause. Javier almost looks like he might drift off again. You carefully lift Lucas from his arms, “Let’s get you back to bed. Both of you.”

You lay Lucas back in his bassinet, rubbing his belly with the palm of your hand before tucking the blankets around him snugly. He stirs but only briefly and then settles back into a peaceful slumber, his tiny fingers curling around the edge of his covers.

Behind you, Javier has gotten up from his seat. You turn to him and wrap your arms around him, holding him close as you both stand there in the soft glow of the nursery. It goes on for a minute or so, none of you saying anything. 

Together, you quietly leave the room. In bed, Javier holds you protectively in his embrace during the last few hours he has with you. He leans to kiss your lips tenderly, “Te quiero tanto, baby (I love you so much, baby).”

“Y yo a ti (I love you too),” you reply and earn him squeezing you even tighter, “Para siempre (forever).”

Being a first-time parent is hard, you know this, but it’s not as hard when four a.m. I love yous are involved.

.

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If you would like to follow my writing then go follow @notjustjavierpena-fics and turn on notifications 💖❤️

[chosok-amo]

Hello! I saw that your requests are open! I was going to ask, of course, if you are comfortable writing a fic about Inumaki Toge x Reader. I can imagine Inumaki being everyone's vent box, and sometimes he would want to vent too, and he confides in Reader via letters. Bonus points if you add some skinship. I have this scene in my head where Inumake and Reader are cuddling on the couch, and Reader is reading the letter out loud and comforting Inumake with his troubles and insecurities!

It's completely alright if you don't want to write this, but if you do, thank you in advance!🫶🏻

VENT BOX. INUMAKI TOGE

idk if I write this well enough and filled your expectations, but I hope you like it.

as a student at jujutsu high, toge inumaki stands out for his exceptional abilities and unique challenges. gifted with the powerful cursed speech technique, he can command anyone to follow his instructions simply by speaking. this ability makes him a formidable sorcerer, capable of turning the tide of battle with a single word. however, the power comes with a significant burden; he must be extremely careful with his words to avoid accidentally harming his friends or himself. that explains why he talks using onigiri ingredient words.

his nonabilities are also the reason why he became a natural vent box for his friends because of the lack of communication. no one would fear him to blabber his mouth and all the secrets would be buried deep down, creating a space where others feel safe to express themselves without interruption, and without being judged.

toge’s inability to engage in regular conversation means that secrets and personal stories shared with him are secure. his friends know that their words are safe with him and that he won't accidentally reveal their confidences. this creates a trustworthy space where they can unload their burdens without fear of gossip or judgment.

toge is indeed a reliable friend who truly listens without judgment. his ability to keep secrets is admired by many. however, this does not mean that he has no problems of his own. as a jujutsu sorcerer, he often faces dangerous missions. he is also burdened by the responsibility of controlling his powerful cursed speech technique. and despite his kind nature, he longs for the chance to communicate normally with his loved ones.

one sunny afternoon, you walked down the dormitory hall with a spring in your step, eager to see your beloved boyfriend, toge inumaki. the sunlight streaming through the windows bathed the hallway in a warm, golden glow, mirroring the warmth you felt in your heart.

you reached toge’s door and knocked gently, anticipating bubbling inside you. within moments, the door creaked open, and there he stood, his familiar, gentle smile greeting you. his eyes lit up at the sight of you, and he stepped aside to let you in. “salmon,” he greeted warmly, his way of saying hello.

“hey baby,” you stepped inside as you wrapped your hands around his neck, kissing his lips softly for a second. as you leaned up to kiss him, he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer. the feel of your body against his and the taste of your lips on his sent a jolt of electricity through him. he returned the kiss gently but with a hint of passion.

he reluctantly broke the kiss and looked down at you with a soft smile on his face before he leaned down and placed his chin on your shoulder, nuzzling his face against your neck affectionately. he inhaled your scent deeply, his body relaxing against yours. his embrace was warm and comforting, as if he was trying to savor every moment of being close to you. his breath tickled your skin as he whispered against your ear, “Ikura..”

you let out a soft chuckle, your eyes twinkling with affection as you gently cupped toge's face, turning it so he was looking directly at you. “oh, my love, were you missing me that much?” you teased, your voice laced with playful warmth.

a light blush crept up his cheeks as he realized you had caught him. he tried to feign indifference, arching an eyebrow and rolling his eyes, a classic ‘it’s not what it looks like’ gesture. but his eyes betrayed him, sparkling with a mix of embarrassment and fondness. e muttered under his breath, speaking softly so you could still hear him.

“tuna mayo...”

“maybe a little bit…”

you could feel the sincerity in his simple reply, and it made your heart swell with love. “i missed you too baby, more than you can imagine,” you continued, your fingers brushing lightly against his cheek. “gojo sent you to do too many missions with yuta, it's kinda annoying how you spend more time with him than you were with me,” you pretend to sulk.

he let out an amused scoff at your pretend sulk— chuckled at your feigned jealousy, his eyes glinting with amusement. he stepped closer to you, his arms encircling your waist as he gently pulled you against his chest, sandwiching you between his body and the wooden door. his thumb tracing small circles on your hip. the corner of his lip tugged up into a sly smirk. he leaned in a little closer and spoke in a hushed tone as if sharing a secret.

“takana...“

“jealous, are we?”

with one hand wrapped around his neck and the other playing with the zipper of his mask, you tried to avoid his gaze.

you shrug, “I mean, It's obvious, isn't it?”

he chuckled, enjoying the game of feigned jealousy you were playing. he gently lifted your chin with his finger, forcing you to meet his gaze. his eyes glittered with a mix of affection and teasing.

“Ikura?”

“are you seriously jealous of Yuta?”

you chuckle and wave your hand dismissively. “nah, not really,” you say with a playful grin, taking his hand and gently leading him towards his bed. “but seriously, sweetheart, if that brush-looking gojo keeps dragging you along on missions with him, I might be,” you tease, your voice light.

he smirked and allowed you to lead him to the bed, knowing you were only teasing. he sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling you down to sit in his lap. his hands grip your thighs, a warm and familiar gesture— thumb rubbing gentle circles on your skin.

he leaned his head back against the wall, the smile never leaving his face. he feigned a serious tone as he spoke, but there was still a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“okaka...”

“I’ll tell Gojo to stop sending me on missions with Yuta.”

again, wrapping your arm around his neck, you move closer to his face, smile never fading. “yeah? would you do that for me?” you whisper, lips nearly brushing his, the warmth of your breath fanning across his face. you eyes flickered from toge's captivating purple gaze to his soft pink lips before returning to his eyes.

he lets out a soft exhale, his eyes fluttering at the feeling of your breath against his face. his grip on your thighs tightens slightly, his body responding to your closeness. he looks up at you with a mixture of affection and desire in his gaze. his lips quirked into a small smirk as if inviting you to come closer. he whispered back, his voice low and husky.

“takana...”

“anything for you, baby.”

you smirked, saying, “that's what I wanted to hear,“ before closing the distance and pressing your lips to his in a tender kiss that soon became heated. his hands slid up your body, fingers gripping your hips as he pulled you even closer to him. he groaned softly as his tongue intertwined with yours, the kiss growing more intense and passionate.

he rolled you beneath him, pinning you down onto the bed as he continued to kiss you deeply. his body pressed flush against yours, his hands roaming over your body with a mixture of gentleness and possessiveness. he broke the kiss for a moment, his breath ragged and his eyes dark with desire as he whispered against your lips.

“Ikura.. ”

“god, you’re driving me crazy.”

and let's just say you spend two hours in his dorm room getting fucked by him.

two hours later, the air is thick with the scent of sweat and desire. you lay tangled in the sheets, still trying to catch your breath. toge is lying beside you, a satisfied smile on his face. one arm is wrapped loosely around your waist, his body warm against yours, still slightly glistening with a thin layer of sweat.

he leans in, nuzzling his face against your neck, his lips brushing softly against your skin. he whispers softly, his voice filled with fondness and content.

“mentaiko...”

“that was incredible…”

“hm? I'm afraid I can't walk tomorrow.”

he chuckled at your comment, his chest rumbling with laughter. he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer to his chest and nuzzling his face into your hair. his hand gently running up and down your spines in a comforting gesture. he knows he went a bit too rough but he also knows that you enjoyed it as much as he did.

he smiled mischievously, his eyes glinting with a mix of affection and playfulness. he whispered in your ear, his voice low and husky— filled with a mix of pride and playful satisfaction.

“Okaka…”

“good.”

his hands gently keep stroking your back, his touch soft and caring. he whispers again, his voice a little bit cheeky this time.

“mentaiko..”

“Guess I’ll have to carry you around tomorrow then.”

playfully you hit his chest before hugging his waist, “so you want everyone in school to know that you just fuck me so hard that I can't walk?” he winces slightly at your playful hit, but his smile only grows wider at your words. wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close against his chest as he chuckled, trying to play it cool but secretly loving your teasing.

he leans down, nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck, his breath warm against your skin. He murmured softly in your ear,

“tuna...”

“maybe..”

you rolled your eyes before patting his biceps slightly, “come on babe, go clean yourself, I'll make us dinner.” you get up from the bed and pull toge's t-shirts that lying around his floor.

he watches as you get up and put on his shirt. he can't help but admire the way you look in his clothes, his eyes roaming over your body appreciatively. he grins at your commanding tone, amused by your bossiness. He stands up and stretches, his muscles flexing as he moves. but he doesn't go to clean himself immediately.

instead, he walks over to you and envelops you in a hug from behind, his arms encircling your waist. he lays his chin on your shoulder, nuzzling his face against your neck. his voice low— murmuring dirty words in your ear. you gasp after hearing the words before playfully hitting his arm, this time slightly hard, “toge!” he laughed before running to the bathroom.

he laughed heartily as he dodged your playful hits and dashes toward the bathroom, amused by your reaction. he closed the door behind him, still chuckling. a few moments passed, dinner was ready and you called out for your boyfriend from the kitchen. you put some plates on the dinner table the moment he came into the kitchen, his hair still damp from the shower, wearing nothing but a fresh pair of boxers.

“come sit, babe,” you smiling.

toge grins back at you as he takes a seat at the table, watching you arrange the food on the plates with a warm expression in his eyes. he can’t help but appreciate the domesticity of the moment, finding comfort and contentment in the simple act of sharing a meal together. he leans back in his chair, his eyes lazily roaming over your figure as you finish up preparations. he reaches for your hip, gently pulling you closer between his legs.

“takana…”

“Come sit on my lap.”

both of you are spending dinner in comfort, bodies pressed against each other as if the two hours of fucking nonstop wasn't enough to let go of longing. “yuta was here earlier, right? is he venting about maki to you again, babe?” you ask toge, throwing a glance to your behind for a moment to look at him as he plays on his phone.

toge takes his eyes off his phone for a moment, raising an eyebrow at your question. he smirks slightly at the mention of yuta venting about maki to him. It’s a common occurrence, and he's gotten used to yuta's pining for their fiery classmate.

he nods in confirmation to your question, his arms casually encircling your waist as he responds.

“Ikura..”

“yeah, it's the usual. yuta and maki are having their usual love-hate thing going on again.”

rolling your eyes in annoyance, “ugh, that stupid womanizer, I told him not to do that to you—” you put down your fork to invest your attention fully to toge. hands on his naked chest, “baby, you know you don't have to do that every time, right? you're not anyone's vent box, and sometimes it is overwhelmed.”

you know how toge wouldn't mind being everyone's vent box, all he had to do was just listen and throw some one-word answers. but your boyfriend can be a little bit people-pleaser— don't have the heart to say no when he himself feels overwhelmed, insecure, or anything.

toge leans back a little in his chair, enjoying the feeling of your hands on his chest. a small wrinkle forms on his forehead at your words. he knows deep down that what you’re saying is true but he just can’t say no, especially to people that he’s close with. he sighs and averts his gaze, avoiding eye contact. he's torn between his own discomfort and the desire to be there for his friends.

“okaka...”

“I know... but it's just how I am.”

“i know that, I know you don't mind listening to them, but it is not your job to always be there for them, you can't. you wanna be there for everyone but who's gonna be there for you?” you stroking his collarbone softly.

toge leans into your touch, enjoying the simple comfort of your fingers running over his collarbone. he looks up at you with a mixture of love and vulnerability in his eyes. he stays silent for a moment, processing your words. It's rare for him to be the focus of concern, as he's usually the one taking care of others. he lets out a soft sigh, his head dropping forward to rest on your shoulder.

“Okaka…”

“You’re right. I just don’t know how to say no.”

you stay silent for a moment, eyes focusing on your finger on his collarbone. “how about..” toge pulls his head away from your shoulder to look at you— eyebrows arise. “how about you write me a letter? write to me about how you feel, your thoughts, your insecurity, anything.” finally you meet his purple gaze, “i'll be your vent box.”

toge's eyes widen slightly at your suggestion, surprise and a hint of vulnerability shining in them. the thought of expressing his true feelings and thoughts, especially his insecurities, is a bit daunting to him. he's so used to keeping it all to himself, fearing he’ll be a burden to others.

but as he looks into your eyes, he knows he can trust you, that you’ll listen without judgment, and that you truly want to be there for him like he is for everyone else. he takes a moment to process your words, his mind already contemplating the idea. It would be a new and unusual experience for him to bear his own thoughts and feelings, instead of always being on the receiving end. he leans back slightly, his expression a mix of shyness and intrigue. he quietly nods, a small, reluctant smile on his face.

“Tuna…”

“okay, I’ll try it..”

“cool! come on, let's try it now!”

you get up from his lap and pull him to the couch. you push him to sit on the couch while you go to his desk for a second and back to him with a paper and pen before sitting next to him. “here babe, write anything you want. I'm not gonna peek until you are finished and ready for me to read, we will read it together, okay?”

you smiled at him with one hand cupping his cheek to pull him closer, giving his lips a peck. “i'll stay in your bed and you can take your time, I'll be waiting.” toge takes a moment to process your words, his heart fluttering at the supportive gesture from you. he nods, feeling a bit relieved as you reassure him that you won’t peek until he’s ready.

as you kiss his lips gently, he feels a wave of gratitude wash over him. he nuzzles his head into your hand for a moment, savoring the closeness. he watches as you get up from the couch and make your way to his bed, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the paper in front of him.

the wait stretched on, each minute feeling like an eternity. but finally, toge appeared in the doorway, the letter clutched tightly in his hand. his expression was a mixture of nervousness and anticipation as he stepped into the room and approached the bed. he could feel the weight of your eyes on him as he slowly made his way over to you.

“Ikura,” he murmured softly.

you smiled softly at him before standing up and bringing him back to the couch. he sits himself first before his hands reach out to you, inviting you to sit between his legs as he leans against the end of the couch. his toned arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer to his naked chest.

you take the opportunity to settle into the embrace of his strong thighs, his muscled arm enclosing you in a tight but gentle hold around your waist. his chest, bare and warm against your back, serves as a firm and comforting anchor for you. you can feel his heartbeat, steady and reassuring, thumping against your spine.

you look back at him, still smiling softly, “you ready baby? want me to read it out loud?” you ask, wanting him to be comfortable first before you read his letter.

toge nods slightly in response to your question, his expression a mix of nervousness and hope. te clutches the paper tighter in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the firm grip. the weight of his insecurity and vulnerability is evident in his tense muscles, his body language betraying the anxiousness within him.

he swallows hard, his throat bobbing with the gesture. he looks up at you, his gaze searching your eyes for reassurance. his response is a quiet whisper.

“Ikura..”

you take a deep breath and start reading the contents of his letter. as you read his thoughts and feelings, you can feel the rawness and honesty in his words. his writing is sincere and unfiltered, his sentences reflecting his inner struggles and insecurities.

your heart aches for him as you read aloud his fears of not being enough, of disappointing others, of not being able to say no. It's clear that he has been carrying these burdens alone, bottling them up inside with a mask of nonchalance.

Dear [Your Name]

I’ve been wanting to share my thoughts with you for a while now, but it’s not easy for me to talk about these things out loud. Writing them down seems to be the best way.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure. Sometimes, I worry that I’m not good enough or strong enough. Compared to Yuuta and everyone else, I feel like I fall short. I know I have this powerful ability, but it comes with so many restrictions. I can't even have a normal conversation without risking someone’s safety.

I fear that I’m disappointing those who count on me. The expectations weigh heavily on me, and I struggle with the idea that I might let everyone down. It’s hard for me to say no when people ask for my help, even when I’m overwhelmed. I just want to be reliable, someone people can depend on.

But sometimes, it feels like I’m wearing a mask of calm and confidence, hiding how I truly feel inside. The truth is, I’m scared of failing and of not being able to meet everyone’s expectations. I’ve been bottling up these feelings for so long, and it’s exhausting.

I’m sharing this with you because I trust you more than anyone else. You’ve always been there for me, understanding me in ways no one else can. Your support means the world to me, and I wanted you to know what’s been weighing on my heart.

Thank you for listening, even if it’s through these written words.

With all my love,

Toge

as you finish reading, your eyes meet toge’s. his vulnerability and sincerity are laid bare, and you can see the weight he’s been carrying alone. you reach out, take his hand in yours, and hold it tightly, offering him your unwavering support and understanding.

toge looks up at you, his eyes locked onto yours. there’s a mix of relief and vulnerability swimming in his gaze, his expression a reflection of the raw emotions he’s just poured out on the paper. he feels exposed, stripped bare before you, but at the same time, relieved to have finally shared the thoughts and insecurities he’s been carrying alone.

when you take his hand in yours, he tightens his grip on you, his fingers interlocking with yours as if holding on for dear life.

“baby...”

you rub your hand on his chest to his neck before back to his chest. “i'm so sorry you have to go through that alone, and I'm not there enough for you, baby.” you lock your eyes with his purple gaze.

toge’s eyes soften as you rub your hand along his chest and up to his neck. he can feel the love and care in your gesture. your words, expressing your regret and empathy, resonate deep within him, touching a part of his soul that he thought was untouchable.

he shakes his head gently, a silent protest against your apologies. the depth of his love for you is evident in his gaze as his eyes lock with yours. he speaks quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“.. Mentaiko”

you rest your back against the pillow, to take a good look at your boyfriend. you hold his one hand and bring it to your lips, kiss the back of his hand. “i promise I'll always be there for you. right now, I'm your vent box. I'll be your vent box, doesn't matter how many letters you write, I'll read it and keep it for myself.”

*toge’s expression softens further as you bring his hand to your lips, the touch of your lips against his skin sending a shiver down his spine. your promise to be there for him, to be his “vent box,” resonates deep within him, and a wave of relief washes over him. he looks at you, his eyes misty with unshed tears, grateful for your unconditional love and support. he nods slightly, his hand holding onto yours tighter. he speaks quietly, his voice filled with vulnerability and raw emotion.

“.. Takana.”

“i love you, baby.”

you smiled at him, “i love you too baby,” you returned the feelings. your right hand touched the nape of his neck before pulling him closer to plant a kiss on his lips. toge’s breath hitches as you touch the nape of his neck and pull him closer, igniting a spark of desire and affection within him.

when your lips meet his in a gentle kiss, he melts into the embrace, his body pressing against yours. His hand releases yours, and his arm wraps around your waist, holding you tightly against him. he returns the kiss, his lips moving against yours with a mix of tenderness and passion. he can feel his earlier vulnerability and insecurity slowly disappearing as he loses himself in the intimate moment between you both.

[ctheathy]

Hello, I hope you have a nice day! , I would like to request a headcanons of yandere nine x reader being kidnapped by doctor eggman

Yandere Nine w/ Darling who got kidnapped by Robotnik

Nine x Reader

Yandere Headcanons

Short Concept

Author's note: You, my dear reader, are all out for the drama and I'm here for it~!

Nine/Reader [Romantic Tendencies]

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

Possessiveness • Nine is so traumatized omfg- • Eventual PTSD • Age regression • Overprotective behaviour • Poor mental state • Paranoia • Emotional dependency • Trust Issues • Insomnia • Violence

Pfft. If Nine wasn't already considered severely unhinged before, he most certainly will be right now. Oh how much terror the fox would feel in the pits of his stomach, the horror in his eyes, the helplessness in his heart. He most certainly would have never allowed this to even remotely come forward if he were the one to be in your presence. But... he wasn't. The whole team would have felt this immense sense of hesitance and dread to even tell him about it, having noticed his attachment and emotional bond towards you... and when the words slip from Sonic's mouth, not ready to test the nine-tailed foxes’ impatience, he cracks. And not just any regular burst of anger, he has a complete mental breakdown.

Nine will be nothing less than a ball of angst and fright at this point, something which he desperately tried to cover up with an infuriated facade, despite his evident worries from your abduction. But none of that would matter in the end, because he'd behave completely berserk one way or another. He doesn't dare rest or waste time for that matter until he can hold you in his arms again. Likely as soon as they reach The Chaos Council to try and bring you back... Nine would not hold himself back, still taken over by his violent meltdown. Instead of trying to avoid the Council's eyes and enemies that are in the way, maintaining a low profile as he'd say, he releases all of that pent up malice.

Though he'd leave many of the his robotic opponents onto the grounds ...torn to scraps by the fierce abilities of his mechanical tails, Nine would be surprisingly merciful to any living mobian for the sake of getting answers on where you're being held hostage. Because remember; although venting out some of his frustrations during the fight was equal to his hostility towards those who just so happened to be in his way, this mission is not and never will be about assassinating every enemy he comes across for the sake of just hurting them. It's all just to release you from The Chaos Council's grasp, take you back to his workshop where you rightfully belong ...bring you back to him. An objective and promise he will never allow himself to forget ever again after seeing your frightened face and body.

Even after he does get you back to the team, and he will no matter the costs or sacrifices he has to offer. But although you're back home, safe.... His paranoia will continue to linger and remain at its highest. Though the wounds you obtained through your abduction will eventually heal, his trauma of your kidnapping won't for a very long time. The side affects seemingly starts off small through your perspective, and you probably wouldn't even know how much it deep down affected him. Especially as the amber fox just seems to want to stick closeby you, seeking for comforting reassurance and some guidance to get himself back on the right track, which you more than understand and accept with open arms.

But what if I told you that he just got much, ...much more insane and delusional than you may think after you got taken away like that. It was like a newborn kitten being taken away from its mother right after birth, one whom he'd desperately cry out to and crawl after. To Nine, it wasn't just the idea of losing that happiness of having somebody to care about, but this also re-activated his defense mechanism to his past trauma.

Kill or be killed.

Nine's whole mentality practically returns to that of his younger self, almost similar to an age regression... You'd probably also notice the changes in demeanor, how he's practically almost behaving like a juvenile again. Decisions are made more so out of instinct rather than rational, logical thoughts. Which, to you, is something completely foreign and out of character for Nine.

His overprotective impulses would kick in at full force and he'd be quicker to lash out, along with his pessimistic mentality and stress being multiplied in the process, which is something his already poor mental state is absolutely not emotionally capable of handling. Even with you just not being in his eyesight can leave Nine with severe anxiety. His emotions are quicker to flow over, resulting in either anger outbursts or crying... And he practically treats you as if you were actively dying from a disease, constantly thinking of and mentioning the “what ifs”.

There would be many restless nights where he wakes up in the middle of the night, teary-eyed after a dream vision or isn't even capable of drifting off into a slumber at all. The simple thought of you ending up hurt and scarred while he wasn't there to protect you keeps his nerves excessive and senses on constant high alert. Even just the consideration in itself can leave him in a condition of hysteria for the next half hour, unable to calm himself down. These sudden exchanges of panic making you realise just how inconsistent it is, as Nine was usually known as collected, self-assured... in control of the situation. Something you'd consider the other side of the coin of how he was operating at this very moment. A complete and sudden reverse swap in his very identity.

Making you pray... that this was a crutch you could hopefully help him grow out of

[trippinsorrows]

with me + part three

authors note: hi! its me again. i had some free time and most of this chapter was completed, sans gaps and editing, so i figured why not?

thank you everyone for all of the kind words, like im still so floored just how many people like the random shit that comes from my head!!!

also, some tags don't seem to work for some reason, like when i type it, the hyperlink doesn't appear so super sorry to those impacted by that!!!

warnings: angsttttt, language, suggestive content

song inspo: with me by destiny’s child

word count: 4.2k

taglist: @pixiedust4000 @southerngirl41 @yolobloggers @msbigredmachine @wonderingfashion

You were sixteen years old the first time you drank alcohol. Truly, a result of peer pressure. Alcohol never seemed as amazing as your friends tried to preach it to be, not with the amount of hair you’d held back while your friends retched their entire days consumption in toilet bowls. 

Just didn’t seem all that appealing.

And then it was homecoming, and your school won the game, qualifying them for state. The whole town was in celebration, but no one was as lit as the football team. And, of course, dating the quarterback at the time and as cheer captain, your presence was damn near a requirement. High school politics and all.

So, you, Amir, and your closest friends spent the night house hopping, partying at one place for a little while before moving on to the next. And at some point, at some stop, you’d been convinced to try a beer. Honestly, it was disgusting as fuck, but a small part of you didn’t want to be the one prude of your group, so you downed it. And then another. Followed by another. Which preceded one more. 

And by the end of the night, you truly were white girl wasted.

You thank God that you had good friends at the time who made sure you made it home safely, because you absolutely did black out. Amir did too, hence him not being the one responsible for your care.

When you woke up that morning, the first thing you did was dart to the bathroom where you emptied your guts. The second? Panic. You were terrified of your mother finding out that not only had you engaged in underage drinking, literally violating the damn law, but you’d gotten so wasted that you blacked out. It was incredibly stupid and highly dangerous. Your chest tightened and stomach coiled at how she would react if and when she realized what you’d done.

That was the most scared and nervous you’ve ever been in your entire life.

Well, up until now.

Because all you can focus, think, and obsess about is the fact that Joe will be in your state, in your town, in your damn apartment in a matter of hours. He’d text you in the middle of the night a screenshot of his flight information indicating an arrival time much earlier than you were hoping for. 

Dread swept over as you sent him a message asking if he would stay at the same hotel he usually used when visiting, not that it got much use. He typically stayed with you during his visits. But, you offered to meet him there instead, feeling more comfortable if you were out of this setting, not in your apartment that had some type of reminder of Callie in damn near every room.

It took longer than you liked for him to respond, and his answer only served to increase your anxiety and trigger some anger.

No. I’m coming to you.

That was it, no explanation to your follow up texts which you know he read cause bastard had his read receipts on. Just radio silence.

That pissed you off even more, because why the hell was he ignoring you? Wasn’t he about to come talk to you about something anyway?

Oh.

Your stomach tightens. Not knowing what the hell he wants is driving you insane. You know why you reached out to him, but why did he seem so keen on speaking to you? It’d been nearly five years, what could have happened to trigger this sudden desire to reconnect?

And why the hell did he respond so quickly to your initial message? Truthfully, you expected no response whatever, convinced that he’d probably changed numbers after his massive increase in fame. Or, for him to at least hit you with the ‘who is this’? But, he didn’t, he called you and immediately knew who you were.

A tiny gasp leaves your mouth. That must have meant he still had your number saved, the same way you still have his in your contact list.

You….you don’t know what to make of that, don’t know what to make of it at all.

“Mommy, why am I spending the night with Aunt Mariah?”

Callie’s soft voice temporarily eases you from your panic, granted it also makes you aware of how she’s clearly unhappy about this. You know why too. Sundays are always your ‘special days,’ where you spend the entire day together doing the most random of things from baking, to playing game, to random dance parties that sometimes result in neighbors politely asking you to keep the noise down. It’s a tradition, and this is the first time since starting said tradition that it won’t be happening. 

Closing up her drawer where you were just digging for some pajamas for her, you move to sit next to her on her bed. Her head is down as she plays with the stuffed animal in her arms. “I’m sorry, baby. I know this is our day, but mommy just has some business she has to take care of.”

She keeps her head down, voice low. “Can’t you do it tomorrow?

Fuck. You hate disappointing her. “I wish, baby, but it can’t wait.” More like he won’t wait. You’re not sure what you would have proposed regarding a time to discuss, well, Callie, but it certainly wouldn’t have been the next damn day. “Hey, how about this? Why don’t you and I stay home tomorrow and have a special special day on Monday?”

At that, her head lifts, eyes sparkling with renewed excitement. “Really?”

“Yup. Mommy can take some time off, and you can miss a day of school. It won’t kill us.” You rarely ever take time off as it is, mostly because a teacher’s salary isn’t anything to write home about. You have to work your ass off to keep a roof over your and Callie’s head. But also….you’re not even sure what frame of mind you’re going to be in following this meeting with Joe, so better safe than sorry. “But only if we can watch The Lion King first.”

Clearly pleased with this compromise, she offers you her pink finger. “Deal!”

You two seal the deal with a pinky swear as you hold her into your side and sigh heavily. You wish that you two could stay like this forever. “I love you, Callie. Okay? Always remember that.”

________

“He’s what?”

You anxiously chew on the nasty ass protein bar Mariah offered you after you realized you’d barely had anything to eat today. It was a part of the latest dietary plan she was following, probably something she found from one of those weird ass dieting groups she was a member of on Facebook.

You loved Mariah, dearly, but as you two grew older, especially after having her baby boy, Micah, she’d become increasingly insecure about her body. Always the smaller, thinner, more athletic of the two, you knew that she struggled with how much weight she’d put on over the years, especially when her plan to drop the baby weight didn’t pan out. You're not sure she’s lost any of it, to be honest. 

It wasn’t even a massive weight gain, and truthfully, you thought curves suited her well. But, it didn’t matter what you thought. What mattered was how she felt, which wasn’t the best, despite your best efforts to build up her confidence.

“He’s coming into town,” you finally answer, debating if you should offer her the rest of this grass in bar form. Why the hell is it so damn grainy?

“Today? He’s coming into town today?” You nod. “I’m sorry, I must have missed a couple chapters.”

“More like volumes,” you murmurs, sourly. It’s a great opportunity for you to set aside the dirt bar and explain to her everything she’d missed, from Callie’s initial inquiry to your calling him, to him sending you an itinerary for a flight arriving in roughly three hours at this point.

“Holy shit,” she whispers, careful of her volume despite Micah and Callie being occupied in the living room watching Bluey. “What are you going to do? What are you going to say to him? This is….this is bad, girl.”

“You think I don’t know that?” You lay your head against her kitchen island and force yourself to take three, big, deep breaths. “I don’t think I can do this.” 

You hear her exhale. “Don’t say that.”

“I’m serious, Mo. I—” You lift your head and try your best not to cry. Tears won’t do anything to help the situation. “I don’t know what he wants, but it’s obvious he’s angry with me already, and I can’t imagine when I tell him about Callie that he’s gonna feel any better.”

“You think he’ll be upset?”

“Of course, he will.”

“No, not that. I mean, yeah definitely, about that. But, I mean, you know….that you kept her.” It takes a minute for you to process what she’s asking, and it’s a question you hadn’t thought about in some time.

You’d been so consumed about how upset he would probably be that you kept Callie hidden from him that you hadn’t considered the alternative. What if he was more upset she even existed in the first place?

The thought alone takes you to a dark place. Feelings of rejection and abandonment that you yourself experienced and probably haven’t fully processed. Feelings you swore with your life you’d always protect Callie from. 

And always will.

“Then he’ll continue to not be a part of her life.” Your voice is sound and resolute. Mariah also recognizes that all too familiar look of determination that fills your face. 

“But what will you tell her then?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.” A motto, a mantra, an oath. You’ve hit hard times before and always pulled through. This will be no different. Whatever's needed to keep your daughter from the trauma you experienced, you’ll do. No matter what.

Mariah knows better than to try to reason with you right now, not that there’s a ton of that needed. As a mother herself, she fully understands the intrinsic desire and borderline need to protect your child. She just also knows that you can be stubborn, and when you put your mind to something, nothing and no one can change it.

She just wonders how that’s going to bode over with whatever is about to go down.

You finish off the conversation with thanking her again for her last minute availability. You know you could have asked your mom as well, but she would have had questions, questions you don’t have the answers for nor the desire to explain just what’s happening.

Hell, you don’t even fully know what’s happening. 

As the time gets closer, you realize you need to get home and straighten up. Maybe vacuum or some shit. 

“Will you call me before I go to bed?”

“Of course, I will, mama.” You push back some of her hair, hating to see her sad again. She’s wearing that pout that you just realized is similar to Joe when he scowls. Shoving that from your head, you add, “and don’t forget about our big day tomorrow.”

That seems to win you a small smile, enough to make you feel less shitty about ditching her, even if it’s completely beyond your control. “It’s gonna be so much fun!”

“You bet your butt it is, kiddo!” You bring her in for another hug, holding her close and tight. “I love you, Callie Bear.”

“I love you too, mama.” 

Callie expressing her love for you is the soundtrack in your head as you drive home and even as you move around your apartment, dusting and vacuuming. You even clean the baseboard, something you’re sure you haven’t done since you first moved in when you were 22. 

You even make the controversial decision to leave up the photos of Callie or both you and Callie together in the living room and don’t really do much to move aside the indicators that a child lives here. Like her toy bucket near the TV or pink kiddy cups lined up near the kitchen sink. 

It doesn’t make much sense to you to hide these things when the sole reason you even reached out is to make him aware of why those things are there and who they belong to. You’ve stopped letting yourself try to figure out why he wants to speak to you or why he’s upset, realizing it was only making your anxiety ten times worse to the point where you felt like you were going to vomit.

Recognizing you have some time before he arrives, you decide to take a shower that’s much longer than necessary and will probably have you upset at yourself when you get your next water bill. 

But, it’s a nice distraction. Being fresh, clean, and moisturized is always a nice pick me up. Granted, you find it almost silly as you struggle to figure out what to wear. It’s Joe. Not Beyonce. Also, your outfit should be the last thing on your mind, as you eventually settle on a graphic shirt and some shorts. 

And realizing you have nothing else to do, you plop down on the sofa and wait. Wait for whatever the hell is about to happen once you open that door. Strangely enough, your anxiety seems to be settling. Granted, you wonder if that’s being replaced with denial, because you’re also starting to tell yourself that it won’t be that bad.

It may not be, but that’s not a good hill to die on. Preferred but not reliable. 

Needing another distraction, you scroll aimlessly through your Instagram, liking a few posts of friends, family, and former classmates from both high school and college. It’s interesting seeing how everyone ventured down different paths, some homemakers, some business execs, and of course the aspiring musicians aka unemployed. 

And then there was you, the small town teacher raising her secret love child of a WWE superstar in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. 

Your stomach twisting and turning tells you the anxiety is returning, but it doesn’t have as much time to heighten because the doorbell rings.

He’s here.

There’s this irritating yet quiet ringing in your ears and anchor on your chest, both of which make it harder to untangle your limbs and move off the sofa. It’s like watching yourself slowly make your way to the door, the tremble in your hand noticeable as you undo the lock and start to turn the knob. 

I love you too, mama.

Callie’s sweet, reassuring voice floods into your head providing the sweet relief needed to return from dissociation and snap back to reality. Eyes shutting, you take another deep breath and carefully swing the door open.

Truth be told, you weren’t quite sure what you expected to feel upon seeing Joe again, not sure what you should feel. This was a reunion, but only in name. Nothing about him being at your doorstep was warm and inviting. That much is obvious by his stoic, unreadable facial expression, which isn’t entirely out of character. Contrary and both similar to his current heel portrayal, Joe has always been more on the quiet side, not as easy to read. More open and warm once you get to know him.

You’d found that out firsthand.

Taking in his countenance, you can’t avoid observing the rest of him. He’s somehow even bigger than the last time you saw him in person, almost taking up your doorway, rippling muscles on full display in the plain, black fitted shirt he wears. His hair is pulled back as usual, clean line up, and beard fuller than you remembered him liking it. He’s aged, obviously, but well. Very well.

Heat rising to your cheeks, you step to the side, allowing him inside. You hate how you close your eyes as you inhale his scent.

He always did smell so damn good.

The physical distractions dissipate when he’s inside, the door locked, and it’s just the two of you. 

You notice almost immediately how he seems to be intent on keeping his back toward you, playing it off by taking in your apartment. Not that much, if anything, has changed. He can’t be that damn interested. 

It was painfully clear that Joe was already frustrated with you just by his texts, but his anger is even more palpable in person, borderline suffocating. 

Just what the hell did you do to upset him so much?

Clearing your throat and crossing your arms over, you decide that someone needs to say something because this silent shit is not working for you.

But then Joe angles his body, still not looking toward you but something else. And that’s when your anxiety starts up all over again.

You watch him, intently, as he walks over to the side table near the sofa, the one that has pictures on it. 

Pictures of Callie. 

He picks one up, and you’ve never been so still in your life. It’s torture, not seeing how he’s looking, unable to read his facials, clueless to what he must be thinking. He’s quiet for too long, so you decide to bite the bullet and say something. 

“I—”

“Is she mine?”

Waves. Heavy, plunging waves of emotions splash at you with a ferocity that nearly floors you. His question, so simple, isn’t what you expected to leave his mouth. It’s posed so quietly, lowly, emotion evident but not enough for you to know which one. Anger? Sadness? Confusion?

It stumps you, and for a second, you try to convince yourself that he doesn’t mean what you deep down know what he means. 

“What–what are you talking about?”

He curses quietly, and you hear him say your name before he asks again in a dangerously calm voice, “is she mine?”

You recognize this tone, the tone he takes when he’s trying his best to tame his temper, but there’s no guarantee that he can. And that in and of itself is not a good sign, Joe rarely ever gets mad. He’s irritatingly adept at maintaining his composure in all situations. 

Except this one.

You just want to take a nap, take a break from all of this. Everything seems to be happening so fast, too fast. It wasn’t even 24 hours ago that Callie first asked about her father, and now the man is standing in front of you asking you to confirm she is his daughter. You’re so confused about everything. How could he tell so easily? You always said and thought she favored him, but did she favor him enough for him to take one look at her and know she’s his daughter?

That doesn’t even seem possible nor plausible. 

You have so many questions, but there’s no need in delaying the inevitable.

Rip the Band-Aid off.

“Yes.” 

It’s at that moment he finally decides to turn around, and you can see the moment it happens, the moment the floodgate of emotions rush through him like a tsunami. He’s shocked. He’s confused. He’s angry.

“How did you find out?” Putting the pieces together is a slow progress, but one that’s progressing nonetheless. He clearly came here with that question prepared and ready to launch. He knew about Callie, knew when you texted him, knew when he decided to call. Knew before he even walked in and saw a picture of her.

He just needed you to confirm as such. 

That seems to be the wrong question, because anger is suddenly more prominent, both vocally and physically. “You’re seriously asking me how the fuck I found out I have a daughter?” Any attempt to control his anger is out the door, replaced with visceral emotions. “No, the real question is why the fuck you didn’t tell me I have a child?”

You’re not sure what it is, the emotionality of it all, the fact that you’re face to face with the man you’ve worked so hard over the years to get over, or even just the fact that he’s speaking to you this way. Maybe all of it. Regardless, you’re not about to just take it lying down. “First of all, watch your tone. You’re not going to talk to me any kind of way. Second of all, you are married, Joe. What was I supposed to do? Send you and your wife copies of the sonogram?”

“Don't put this on that,” he dismisses, swiftly and curtly. “Jadah has nothing to do with you telling me I'm a father. Don't you think I had a fucking right to know?”

“Of course you had a right.” He did. He does. You won’t deny him that, but it’s also not as cut and dry as he’s making it out to be. “But—”

“There’s no but, Y/N!” He cuts you off, and you have to take another deep breath. This time though, it’s not to lessen anxiety. It’s to calm your own anger that’s rising. Who the hell does he think he is to speak to you this way? Like you’re some damn child. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Are you going to actually listen to me, or are you just going to keep yelling? Cause I don’t respond to disrespect, Joe. You know this.”

He actually smiles, smiles at your words. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? I’m disrespecting you? You keep my child from me, and I’m disrespecting you?” He scoffs and looks up at the ceiling, probably to settle himself. “Did you know when you ended things between us?"

The surprising questions just keep on rolling. “What?”

“I swear to God.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. “Did you know you were pregnant when you told me to leave? Is that why you did it? So I wouldn’t find out?”

This time, you’re the one scoffing, trying to rationalize how he could even think to ask you this. “Seriously, Joe? I told you why I ended things.”

“Yeah, well, you’re clearly not the most honest fucking person, so I don’t even know what to believe anymore.” 

You hate the fact that his words don’t further anger you but instead sadden you. You see how he’s looking at you, with a level of disdain and disgust. It’s such an unfamiliar experience, an unwanted one. “So, I’m a liar now?” It should have come out much stronger, firmer, showing him that you’re not putting up with his bullshit. Instead, it’s a damn near whisper.

He looks at you like you’ve grown two heads, like he doesn’t get what you’re not getting about this. “What do you call what you did?”

Your head is starting to hurt. This is going exactly how you feared it would go. 

Bad.

It’s all becoming too much, your voice weighed down with the emotions of it all. You feel like you’re on the verge of tears, and you hate that. You won’t let him see you cry. “We’re not….we’re not getting anywhere here, Joe. I think—”

“You should get a lawyer.”

Your heart stops. “What?”

He runs both hands over his face, the heaviness of this conversation clearly weighing on him as well. “We need to figure out some type of custody arrangement, and I don’t think us handling it with each other is a good idea—”

“Custody?” The room is starting to blur again, items moving wayward and sideways. The ringing in your ears is also returning. “What—you—you want to take her from me?” You need to sit down, your legs feeling like they’re ready to give out at any moment. Take her. He wants to take her from you. Unable to control yourself, you snap, “she doesn’t even know you!”

He matches your tone and volume precisely, clearly unwilling to back down. “Exactly, I’m her father, and she doesn’t know me because of you!”

You can barely believe the words coming out his mouth, incapable of processing that he’s actually standing here threatening to take your child from you. This has gone from bad to worse in a matter of seconds. “So, you think taking her away from me is the way to get to know her?”

His volume levels down a bit, and you could have sworn you saw a glimpse of sympathy. “I don’t want to take her away from you, Y/N. I just can’t trust you to not keep her away from me.”

This is disastrous. You never could you have envisioned this conversation playing out the way it is. Desperate, you move over to him, needing him to see you, to hear you, really hear you. “You’re here now, aren’t you? Isn’t that enough?” 

His answer surprises you with its austerity. He’s so angry. “No, because it took almost five fucking years for you to call me in the first damn place.”

He moves away from you, obviously headed for the door. He has nothing else to say. Your head is throbbing, vision still murky, but you manage to rush past him, obstructing his leave. “Joe….wait.”

You’ve never felt so small, so desperate, so helpless in your life. It’s reminiscent of the last conversation you had with him five years prior, that same boulder on your chest, bigger now. Much bigger. 

“Please.” You’re not even trying to hold in the tears anymore. That’s not even important. Not in the slightest. This is your child.  “Please don’t take her away from me. She’s my baby, Joe. She—she’s never even been without me before.”

He looks at you, and you can see it now. Finally see it. Finally see past all of the hurtful threats, the dismissiveness, the refusal to hear you out. He’s not angry. He’s hurt. “And she’s never been with me.” He moves past you, but not before one last statement. “Maybe now you’ll know how I feel.”

________

just curious, ya'll think joe trippin? personally, i'm team callie cause both reader and joe are wrong in one way or another but im also biased so ignore me.

[tims-shi]

tags: itoshi!sister, baby itoshi is named kei, fluff, sae and rin as older brothers, some spoilers for the u20 match !!, this is v self indulgent tbh 😭 kinda ooc characters im sorry

first post !! also not proofread lols again this is p much self indulgent oml ending is rushed my mind went blank,, i tend to coddle my baby cousins A LOT and ive been missing them these days so it led to this 😧

“hey prodigy boy, a little lady’s looking for you.” aiku announced, entering the break room with a miniscule smirk on his face.

sae merely raised a brow, coldly saying, “send them away.” aiku laughed, waving his hand in the air, “i can’t do that. she seems very persistent. i feel like she’ll cry if she gets sent away.”

getting annoyed, sae dropped his bag. rolling his eyes as he stomped his way out of the room. he opened the door, prepared to tell the tepid creature to scram off, only to be met with air.

“are you fucking with me, you selfish captain?” sae muttered to himself, about to close the door. pausing halfway when he hears small mutters.

“nii, up.” looking down, sae sees his little sister, no older than three years, looking up at him with raised arms. “kei,” sae lets out a grunt as he picks her up. running his eyes through her figure once she’s nested in his arms. quirking a brow at the familiar looking blue pentagon brooch pinned at her jacket. 

“why are you alone? where’s mom?”, sae interrogated, fingers tucking her maroon locks behind her ear. “i’m with nanny. told her i’ll be back.” kei replied, fiddling with the string around her brother’s neck.

“okay, you’ve seen me. now go back to nanny.”

“no! wan’ see rin-nii, too.” kei whined, arms tightening around sae when he tried to put her down.  at the mention of the name, sae’s face scrunched up, reminded of the not-so-good relationship he has with his brother. “do you know your way? i can’t bring you there ‘cause my manager’s looking for me.” at that, kei nodded. placing her palms on his face and kissing his cheek before wriggling down his hold. “do you have your phone? i’ll text your nanny where you are. stay safe, alright?” sae crouched down, pinching her cheek.

“i will. bye-bye!” kei waved at him before dashing off to where her rin-nii could be.

—

kei’s lost. at first she was confident she’ll reach her rin-nii in record time, but after a few turns in this maze of a facility, kei’s starting to lose hope. tears brimming at her eyes, letting out sniffles.

—

with blue lock winning the match against japan’s u20, it’s safe to say the excitement hasn’t really died down. now done with showering and freshening up, the athletes are now on their way to the cafeteria, where a feast is waiting for them, as anri said. 

“that was a fun match! i’ve never played a match with so many talented players before! hell! i wasn’t even expecting we were gonna win!” bachira babbled excitedly. at his chatter, chigiri’s brows furrowed, “what do you mean you weren’t inspecting us to–”

“do you guys hear that?”, isagi hushed them. 

“...hear what?” reo asked. “it’s like someone’s crying” isagi answered, looking around for a person crying?

“is that a child?” nagi, who had been silent throughout the walk, pointed out the small figure not too far from them. bachira, ever the happy person, approached the crying child. “hi! are you okay? why is a little girl like you crying?” he asked, now on his knees in front of the child.

“can’t find my nii. ‘m lost.” kei muttered. feeling comfortable with the stranger before her, she went closer to him, hands now gripping his shirt.

“do you want us to help you find your brother?” this time, it was chigiri who asked. also crouched in front of her as he wiped her tear-stained face. “wan’ my nii.” the little girl uttered out, cries gone and was left sniffling. 

as bachira and chigiri were comforting the little girl, reo can’t help but feel familiar with the child. has he seen her before? he can’t really recall. looking over at isagi, it seems like he has the same thoughts as well.

“doesn’t she look like rin-chan? so cute!” bachira exclaimed, now holding kei in his arms, cooing at her cheeks. hearing her brother’s name, kei perked up. eyes twinkling at bachira, silently pleading to lead her to her brother. 

“oh? is he your nii?” when kei nodded, bachira turned to isagi and handed him the child. “isagi will bring you to your brother. right, isagi?” 

while panicking inside, isagi couldn’t help but sigh softly when kei looks at him expectantly. “i’ll take her to rin. save us some food.” isagi bid them goodbye. over his shoulders, kei waved at the group of boys left behind. 

—

“what’s your name?” isagi sparked up a conversation, the awkward silence getting to him. “kei and ‘m three!”

“what’s your name?” kei asked him, resting her head on his shoulders. “me? i’m isagi. i play soccer. do you play soccer, kei?” 

“no, can’t push the ball by myself.” kei pouted, recalling the times she tried to do the sport both her brothers love. “then you have to eat a lot so you get strong and kick the ball by yourself.” isagi told her, a palm resting on her back.

“we’re here. are you good by yourself?” isagi put her down. kei nodded at him, smiling at him in gratitude. “thank you, ‘sagi.” 

—

rin can’t help but be disappointed. at himself or at his brother? he’s not entirely sure. maybe he’s angry instead? he doesn’t know surely, too. sat alone in the break room with a towel over his head, rin curses inwardly as multiple thoughts run over his head. small pats on his knee made him look up. as teal eyes meet with another set of teal eyes, rin wasn’t expecting to see his little sister in here. let alone, by herself. “kei, are you alone?”, rin hushed out, picking her up and settling him on his lap, facing his body. 

“wan’ see rin-nii. miss rin-nii.” despite his cold demeanor, it’s no doubt that itoshi rin has a soft spot for his sister. always the sweet and loving child she is, unaware of the darkest sides of the world as she keeps lighting up every corner of their home and their hearts.

“rin-nii missed you too. have you eaten yet?” rin hummed, tugging kei closer and fixing a part of her hair that got messed up.

“i cooked my lunch! nanny helped me with the stove but i made my lunch by myself.” kei puffed up her chest, boasting about her blooming skills in the kitchen. “that so? should we go to the cafeteria? i think they have your favorite.”

“what we waiting for? let’s go! hurry!” with eyes gleaming at the sound of food, kei got off and started pulling her brother’s hand. “you wait here, i’ll just freshen up.” rin told her, arms under her arms as he sat her on the bench.

“rin-nii.” kei called out. “yeah?”

“can i sit with ‘sagi?” 

“WHAT?”

likes & reblogs are appreciated !

[sanhwaism]

bf!ateez and that one specific habit they do that highlights their love language

pairing ⟡ bf .ᐟ ot8 x gn .ᐟ reader

genre ⟡ established relationship, romance, fluff

author's note ⟡ haaaaapy valentine's day 💌☁️ not long ago i have reached 100 followers eeek ^_^ so so grateful for every single one of you!! take this as my gift for both this milestone and valentine's day <3 (the specific habit of theirs will be written in italics just so it can be easier to spot hehe)

k. hongjoong — quality time

ah yes, the busy and very hardworking captain :,)

he's aware of the time spent in his studio; composing and producing music are in his nature after all!

so he feels very thankful that you are understanding and always there for him to cheer him up or reassure him that he doesn't have to feel guilty even when he's pulling all nighters there

yet he still feels bad deep down

at the same time he can't abandon his work

so every chance he gets — and i mean EVERY — when he's not that overworked he makes sure to learn about what you're into so he can spend time with you in a way which you'd enjoy the most

whether it's a new game you're into, or a tv show or a book or

the moment you mention it ONCE???? be sure he's taking a mental note and paying the closest attention to it

because he acknowledges that it will be useful for later

no matter what it is, he'll try his best to pick up on it so you can have a great time together

"oh is this the new video game you started playing? guess what i actually got into it as well so we can play it together now!! :D!"

"oh i know you told me about this book you're reading so i bought a copy as well and i started it whenever i took breaks at work!! let's talk about it!! :D!"

sobs

he's genuinely so thoughtful

so yes, knowing how much time he spends away from you makes him want to learn more about your interests so the moment he has you back in his embrace, he will make sure to repay you in the sweetest way possible!

p. seonghwa — words of affirmation

the type of boyfriend that always makes sure you know how great you're doing and how proud he is of you :(

he wouldn't go a day without praising you

if he is away from you because of work, expect a very early morning message from him in which he wishes you a good day ahead, that you will do great no matter what and he hopes you get to eat some yummy food in the meantime

and then later that day more encouraging words to keep you motivated and to also remind you that he loves you dearly

sobbing again

he wants you to tell him every detail about your day so he can praise every single effort you're making out there, no matter how small or insignificant you think it is

he'd tell you that just thinking of you gives him enough energy to go throughout the day

and he'll try his best to comfort you with his magical healing words if there is something you're going through

one thing about seonghwa is that he will validate your feelings no matter what. and that makes you feel so safe and appreciated and so so loved :(((

he's just comfort personified

he feels like hot chocolate served with marshmallows on top in front of the fireplace

if he's home and there are no miles that distance him from you, every single affectionate word that comes out of his mouth sounds even more soft hearted if that's possible

because not only does he know how to pick the best words and when to use them, but also the tone of his voice is just so soft and soothing

and now that no screen separates you both, his praises feel even more meaningful

he'd gently smile while caressing your cheek and whisper that he missed you so much and now that the day is over, everything that you have accomplished makes him so proud <3

j. yunho — physical touch

oh my god

PLEASE listen to me

when i say that i keep seeing those specific cutest clips of yunho that altered my brain chemistry

i mean it

they altered it so badly to the point where my opinion on his love language changed

everything clicks in your head the moment you realize that yunho has been doing this gesture to you after you two got more comfortable with each other

you walk baside him while holding his hand?

all of the sudden you feel his large, soft hand on the top of your head

he looks at you all smiley while you talk to him?

the next second his hand is moving towards the crown of your head, cutely ruffling your hair

you're eating and paying attention to the food before your very eyes?

headpat.

another headpat.

cute little soft headpat

is it the height difference that just makes him unable to control his hand from such sweet gesture?

probably

most certainly, actually

he just can't help it :( one look at how cute you look and you don't even get the chance to finish your sentence be–

yup. headpat!!!!!

it's never enough for him, there are times where he feels the urge to just start speedily yet gently tap the top of your head countless times while your head just bops up and down

the way people do with their pets when the cuteness aggression hits (please tell me you know what i mean)

if you dont i gotchu i provide with visual representation here! (volume warning!!!! its loud!!)

he finds that HILARIOUS and so adorable at the same time

he'd just start giggling and you can't help but enjoy his laugh and playfulness

but if he doesn't stop you're gonna get dizzy a bit so he'll recieve a headpat in return!

... just a more aggressive one

call it a cute bonk ^_^

emotionally prepare yourself not to get TOO affected by his sudden puppy eyes because how dare you do such thing to him :<

apologize with a forehead smooch and he'll get all shy and so cutieful

k. yeosang — acts of service

your personal trainer angel fairy dreamy looking like boyfriend

fondly sighs

yeosang's love for you is so gentle and thoughtful

he's your safe haven

his best way to express his feelings is by making sure you're always taking care of yourself, especially reminding you daily to take your supplements and vitamins!!

one day while you were cuddling him on the couch, you expressed your desire to have a more balanced and healthy lifestyle because he inspires you to do so

that was the moment a big shiny lightbulb lit up above yeosang's head

because he had the perfect idea how to help!! :D

the next day you'd already have in your hands a cute storage vitamin box that he got for you where you can organize your vitamins by days so it can be easier for you :(

of course he has one as well

he is always the one that helps you buy them once you run out

and he'd try his best to do his research based on your preferences and what seems to work best for you

when you tell him how much of a big difference they've been making and how much more energetic you feel, his smile melts your heart

he gets all bashful and giggles to himself, waving his hand as if he doesn't consider that he has done a lot

(well i consider eating him in one bite)

after all, that's what a good boyfriend should do! no biggie!

but yeosang has no idea how much it means to you; for him to always check up in you, to be your daily reminder just in case you forget about the vitamins, to diligently help you achieve the healthy lifestyle you strive for

c. san — physical touch

everyone please act shocked

of course it's physical touch

i feel like i'd commit a crime if i didn't pick it

he's just a cute clingy cat :(

you figured out his love language quite fast, a little bit after you have made your relationship official and gave him your consent

he was shy at first

VERY shy

at first he could feel satisfied enough even with just your hand in his, or a timid hug

honestly he just wanted you near him!

but after some time when both of you got more comfortable with each other and after lots of showers with affection,

he started attacking your cheeks in the cutest way possible

every time he would have you near him, you'd see him suddenly leaning towards one side of you

next second you'd feel the softness of his cheek touching yours

and not only touch

but he would push himself even closer to you if that's possible, smushing your cheeks together while he's pouting

as if he wants to fuse both of your bodies into one because having you like that against him?? clearly isn't enough

also starts gently rubbing it against your own cheek, humming to himself because of how nice the feeling is while his eyes are closed in content

with time you got used to it and even started to like it and look forward to it

(every time i see clips of him doing that to other members i can't help but giggle)

he's just the cutest <3

no one cats the way san cats

s. mingi — quality time

the type of boyfriend that if he could, he would attach you to his hip like a lucky charm forever and ever

because you always bring him luck, inspiration and hope whenever he has you near him :(

he feels a bit lost in your absence, always looking for ways to hear from you one way or another

so a lot of times when you two would blissfully share each other's space, mingi would ask you to attend his dancing practice, so you can witness what impressive moves he came up with and what choreographies he has been working on ^^

he is truly sososososo talented

and you'd just watch him with your lips slightly parted, amazement written all over your face as your eyes would follow the way his flexible body moves like water, with such calculated and striking motions

or other times, when he'd willingly share his personal space with you in his studio where he worked on so many new instrumentals and demos that might be useful for the group's future releases or his solo projects

every minute he would turn his head towards you just so he could catch a glimpse of your face expression

and he would smile to himself as he'd gaze at the endearing way you enjoy the rhythm and overall vibe of the music

his eyes would start sparkling in the dim lighting as you praise his efforts and works

and the biggest, cutest smile would adorn his bare face

sobs mingi.. mingi!! ^__^ mingi :3 MINGI!!!!!!!!

from that moment on, he only grows more confident to have you partake in any type of project he's crafting

you soon realize that you're the only one that gets this treatment

that's how big of an effect you have on song mingi. and he loves you dearly. always share your feedback and space with him. pretty please with a cherry on top <3

he said that not me

j. wooyoung — BITING gift giving

sorry let me get serious

WOOYOUNG.

this man emanates love through every single pore so it was SO hard to pick only one love language

but it had to be done!

he's typically in his sugar baby era

but when it comes to you????????

i hope you're prepared to get spoiled ^^

his love for you is just too strong

but so is his credit card!

even before both of you confessed to each other, wooyoung had been giving you subtle hints that he was having a crush on you

and a lot of his hints were consisting mostly in him buying something for you

you eyed a cute plushie through the shop's window?

"waa, wooyoung, this plushie is so cute don't you think!!!!"

wooyoung thinks that he is buying it for you!!!!!

and you know what

he's getting two plushies actually, because they remind him of you and him

once he steps out of the shop, he hands the plushie to you with the cutest smile plastered on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes

"look, it's us," he exclaims as he brings his plushie close to the one in your hands and, to your utter surprise, makes them aggressively kiss.

(i just made myself SO devastated by writing that oh my god)

that was actually the day you two admitted having a crush on each other

from that day on, wooyoung's need to spoil you only grew

he'd want to match with you not only when it comes to a pair of plushies or ten, but clothes as well

not those that are SO visibly matching, instead more subtle ones that sort of compliment each other's looks and make you two match perfectly, like two puzzle pieces :,)

yes, wooyoung would be the one that would buy the clothes for you and surprise you with soooo many bags in front of your door, so excited for you to try on everything

he's whipped! can you blame him :(

you are his happiness and he wouldn't have it any other way, you deserve every single gift, end of discussion!!

c. jongho — acts of service

the acts of service king

i said what i said!!

also the king of americanos yup yup iktr!

speaking of americano coffee :>

in the beginning of your relationship with jongho, you'd often have dates at the prettiest, comfiest cafes in town

you'd both order your usual drink of choice, and whenever you'd get coffee, he would pay extra attention to what type of coffee is it so he can get a cup for you next time and impress you with it

not just coffee but shh this is about coffee shh

after some time, you took the relationship to the next level, moving in together;

and whenever jongho had to leave earlier than you for his schedule, the mornings would smell like the best freshly made coffee you had ever smelled

because your sweet and attentive boyfriend would try his best to copy the recipe of your favorite coffee drink

from scratch as well

grinding the best coffee beans he could find into grounds

using water heated between 195°F-205°F

aiming for a total brew time between 3-5 minutes

like this is serious for him.

because he NEEDS it to be perfect and he NEEDS to cutely brag about it and he NEEDS to make you feel very pleased!

"hey, y/n, would you like some coffee?"

"no, thank youuu, my boyfriend made me the best cup of coffee this morning !!"

he would also leave a lovely note next to the mug :(

what more could you ask for. seriously.

you're gonna have some people become jealous but hey! choi jongho THE choi jongho chose you <3 and you will always be the only one he would make coffee for, from scratch, at the first glow of the sunrise

you are the apple of his eye

the only apple he would never break in half

see what i did there :D

𓏲 ࣪₊♡ taglist: @yuyusuyu

{💌ྀི} masterlist.

[wreckingtickles]

Only Uke Are Ticklish?!

Sasaki and Miyano relax in the former's dorm room, cuddling and reading a manga together... until the manga gives Sasaki a devious idea.

Though I'd write for a series I actually like for once! It's not sexy, but I hope it's cute. Might also write something for Hirano and Kagiura at some point, I already know their top spots (Hirano's thighs being ticklish is canon if it's not a mistranslation).

Characters: switches Sasaki & Miyano (hey, that's the title of the series!"

Words: 1,789

“Hey Miya~”

“Mh?” asked the brunette, feeling Sasaki’s chest vibrate behind him but too engrossed with the manga he was holding up so the both of them could read it to do anything but hum interrogatively.

“Will you read it to me?”

He was lying on his bed with his back resting against the wall, his arms draped around Miyano’s shoulders. The younger boy was lying against him, sprawled between Sasaki’s legs with his nape resting on his boyfriend’s chest.

Sasaki had never felt so quietly content. The small frame in his arms on a lazy Sunday afternoon, the comfortable silence, partaking in the interest that had brought them together. If he wanted to, he could crane his neck a little and kiss the soft black hair. But why would he move at all, when that moment of stillness was perfect?

The only danger was drifting off, and Sasaki soon stopped resisting the sweet pull as he couldn’t imagine a better sleeping arrangement. But as he closed his eyes, he found himself wanting to hear Miyano’s voice, the loss of one sense requiring compensation from another.

“I’m, uh, not a great actor,” objected the brunette, though his dramatic skills were the least of his worries. That was BL they were reading! How was he supposed to read it out loud with a straight face?!

“Who knows more about BL than you? I just want to hear your voooice~”

“…”

“…”

“…Just hold on a little longer. We’re almost out of the woods. ‘I can feel his embrace tighten around my chest. I know every time the hooves hit the ground, his wound pulsates with unbearable pain. I can feel it through him.’ I’ll keep you safe.”

Sasaki hummed contentedly. As shy as Miyano could be at times, he never let that stifle his passion, and his enthusiasm was infectious. While his boyfriend – his boyfriend! – grew more and more confident with the dramatic reading, Sasaki let the corny words lull him to sleep, until…

“S-Stop it!”

The upperclassman resurfaced from the border of unconsciousness. That awkward line read felt exceptionally genuine.

“Please? Fine, just stop it! Oh, is someone ticklish?”

Miyano paused. Was he supposed to read speech balloons that were just laughter? “Sasaki?” he whispered tentatively. Had he dozed off?

And then he felt Sasaki’s fingers flutter against his sides. “Ah!” squeaked Miyano. “S-Sasaki! Dohon’t!”

“Mh, I think I will, Miya~” teased Sasaki, trapping the brunette against his body and happily carrying on with the tickling.

“Ah! S-Sasahaki stahap!” protested Miyano, squirming and trying to propel himself forward and out of his boyfriend’s reach, but the much stronger upperclassman easily pulled him back into his grasp without even needing to stop the tickling, using his legs to pin down the chucklebug’s.

The brunette wasn’t going anywhere. Which allowed Sasaki to slip his hands under his top to get at the bare skin underneath.

“Ha! C-Cohome ohon, d-dohon’t!”

Miyano grabbed at the tormenting hands, but there was nothing he could do to stop them, Sasaki was strong enough to easily slip through his grasp and latch onto his defenseless sides again.

The brunette was flabbergasted. Sasaki rarely made a show of overpowering him, except to pick him up when he was “too cute to walk.” But the physical disparity was being made painfully obvious, and as Miyano fought against the giggling fit that threatened to overtake him, a single thought burned in his mind.

He’s tickling me! Does that… make me the uke?!

Sasaki really didn’t know where that urge to see Miyano in hysterics had come from, but he was going to indulge it. The brunette was too serious for his own good! If anything, the upperclassman was a little disappointed that the reaction he was getting wasn’t more intense. So…

“Brace yourself, Miya~” he cooed as his hands began to roam everywhere under Miyano’s forest green top, hitting his ribs, even his armpits; but the only other spot that produced those adorable squeaking giggles was his belly, prompting Sasaki to spider the fingers of one hand over the soft skin while the other went on squeezing the brunette’s side. Don’t fix it if it’s not broken.

The happy giggles that spilled out of Miyano, a response he couldn’t avoid, only cemented his fate, as Sasaki had not got his fix of adorableness yet – the more he got, the more he wanted. So he got even bolder and lifted himself and Miyano to a sitting position before letting his weight drop on his partner, who’d managed to turn around, trapping him between the mattress and his own body.

Sasaki found himself staring at the brunette’s flushed face, and felt a rush of his own. He’s so cute.

Miyano could only look up, partially straddled by his boyfriend, watching enraptured as gravity pulled the dyed locks down toward him, as if they were channeling his gaze. Did he just… kabedon me? On a bed? Does that mean…

Sasaki’s arms at either side of him were impassable, but not forceful. He couldn’t look away from the upperclassman’s eyes, his lips, his neck, the undone button of his shirt…

Was it about to happen? It felt so sudden! But right… but scary? Exciting…

“S-Sasaki…” he stammered. “I…” He felt the long fingers peel up his shirt, exposing his waistband…

And then Sasaki gripped Miyano’s wrists right before blowing a massive raspberry on his stomach.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!” screeched the brunette, from shock as much as from ticklishness.

“That’s a cute sound, Miya,” teased Sasaki before blowing a second raspberry right in his bellybutton.

“EEEEeeeeEEEE!!! StaahaHAP!! IHIHIt’s soho embaharASSIHIHIhihng!!!”

“You’re even cuter when you laugh,” said Sasaki before going in for thirds, and fourths, and Miyano realized that he wasn’t going anywhere, not until his boyfriend took pity on him.

“EEEEhehehehehehahahAHAHAHAHahahahaha!!”

But he could feel it again. That sting. That inner provocation.

“HAHAHehehe!! IIIHIHI’mm!!! NohohoHOHOHOTTT!!”

The sweet-tasting lips vibrated into the soft skin of his belly again, unleashing another ticklish shock on his system, but Sasaki had gotten too complacent, having released one of Miyano’s arms to move his top out of the way…

“…thehehe UHUHUHUKEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” screamed the brunette right before jabbing his fingers into Sasaki’s wide-open armpit and wiggling them around for dear life.

Sasaki’s raspberry fizzled into a snort as he reflexively rolled away from the sensation, instantly freeing Miyano.

The two exchanged a surprised glance, the intensity of the upperclassman’s reaction taking both aback; and for once, the brunette’s smaller size gave him the edge as, propelled by sheer survival instinct and embarrassment, he threw himself at his boyfriend, savagely attacking the weak spot he’d found.

“M-Miya whahahahIHIHIHITTT!!”

Surprised by the turning tables, and not hating the weird way in which Miyano’s passionate nature had surfaced, Sasaki made the tactical mistake of lowering his arms, only succeeding at trapping them in his sensitive underarms, instead of pushing the shortcake off.

And Miyano capitalized, seizing Sasaki’s wrists and pushing as hard as he could to lift them over the upperclassman’s head. As luck would have it, the latter bucked just in time to send him tumbling forward, so Miyano found himself sitting on Sasaki’s forearms, and it was finally his turn to look down at his trapped boyfriend.

“Miya…” stuttered Sasaki, an uncertain request that he couldn’t articulate.

“ATTACK!” yelled the brunette before spidering his fingers in both wide-open armpits. He was never going to wrestle Sasaki into submission like that again, he had to make it count!

“MiyahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Sasaki wasn’t one to hold back his reactions, but as soon as the boisterous laughter spilled out of him, louder and jollier than Miyano’s, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop it.

“OHOHO WOHOHOHW!!! THAHAHAHAT REAHAHAHALLY TIHIHICKLEEHEEHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”

It was the brunette’s turn to gloat. “You’re more ticklish than I am, senpai,” he said as he picked up the pace, eliciting higher-pitched squawks from his boyfriend.

Sasaki wiggled like a worm on a hook, kicked at empty hair, his red-clad heels slamming on the mattress, but he just couldn’t escape! He wanted to tease the brunette, or just tell him how cute he looked all earnest like that, but that was if he’d been able to float out of his body, because the sensation was a lot harder to handle than he thought!

“OHOHOKAAHAHAHAHY!!! THAHAHAHT’S EHEHEHENOOOHOOOHUHHUGHH!!”

“I don’t think so,” retorted Miyano as he dipped into a pool of deviousness he didn’t think he had, before going for the kill: his fingers crawled up Sasaki’s short sleeves to get at the bare flesh underneath, the final piece of his payoff.

Sasaki snorted as the tickling got even worse, wiggling side to side pointlessly and bucking as the short fingernails wreaked havoc on his vulnerable underarms.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! MIIIYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHA!!!”

“You’re so cute when you laugh, senpai,” teased the brunette without slowing down the assault, even experimenting with digging in with his thumbs and massaging the hollows.

That also worked.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! OHOHOKAHAHAHT OHOHOKAAHAHHAYYY!!!”

Sasaki wasn’t used to being physically overpowered by Miyano, and in any other circumstances, he would have been into it; but he really just needed the tickling to stop.

“I think I’m almost done,” claimed the brunette as he went on alternating the two methods for a few more seconds, before finally, finally slowing to a stop. But his fingertips didn’t leave their position as Sasaki tried to steady his breathing.

“If I let you go, you’re not going to tickle me again, are you?”

The threat was obvious, and even though Sasaki’s mouth was already warped into a smile, the brunette recognized his impish grin in his tone. “Nohot today.”

Miyano pouted and curled his fingers, relishing in the alarm that registered on Sasaki’s features, but after a moment, he shifted to the side and allowed Sasaki to sit up.

“I don’t want you to hurt your arms or shoulders,” he mumbled.

“Much appreciated,” chuckled Sasaki, waving his elbows a bit as he tried to rub away the phantom tickles. “Did I take it too far?”

Miyano blushed. “No. You just… startled me, is all.”

“Yeah. Sorry,” said Sasaki. “I didn’t hate it, but it tickled a lot.”

He didn’t hate it? “I… see.”

“Wanna get back to the manga?”

“No funny business?”

“No funny business,” promised Sasaki. “Unless you ask.”

“Sa-!”

“Kidding, kidding. Come on.”

He resumed his original position, and Miyano glared at him for a moment, trying to divine his intent, before allowing himself to relax into his arms again.

“I’m not readying to you, though.”

“Oh, why?”

“You know what you did.”

Sasaki chuckled, and the brunette’s nervousness melted away as he felt the sound rumble into his boyfriend’s chest behind him.

“I do,” hummed Sasaki before draping his arms around Miyano once more and closing his eyes.