#( hope the setting is okay! i was gonna have it be lu's home at first but idk if that's too jarring with dani kinda breaking in LKJASDF )

[apaise]

for the first few centuries of her existence, dani could not imagine a happier life for herself. she felt blessed to be a muse, to not only inspire great pieces of music, but to also witness its effect ripple throughout the world. she would help one person and they would help hundreds, thousands, teaching others they weren’t alone on this earth and that their collective feelings were heard. there was simply no purer joy. 

but as the years passed . . . the world changed. no matter how much heart dani poured into her work, trying to uplift artists and ensure their music was felt by those who needed it most . . . they would be buried in the rabble, eclipsed by those only who only sought fame. the human creation of the celebrity meant that dani had to search all the harder, seeking those who loved music above adoration. prominence poisoned people too, their dreams shifting from wanting to create something of meaning to merely wanting to establish a name for themselves. 

it became weary work, with dani sometimes wishing she was a muse of wealth instead. if she had gold flowing from her fingertips, she could give her starving musicians the time to create without having to spend their lives at jobs they loathed just to put food on the table. she never spoke of her dispiritedness, however, always putting on a smile when lily spoke of helping some young lawyer with her first debate or when ally spoke of forging a match between some florist and tattoo artist. 

her aulos was only another source of dread. while drake's mask would inspire humorous tales to delight a city, or hyejin’s compass would guide an explorer to unknown lands . . . dani’s aulos was passed around without any desire for use, kept as a strange ornament to ogle at. she abandoned the idea of discovering a new companion with her emblem, struggling in vain to find musicians on her own. 

it isn’t until the 21st century that dani finally feels that spark again -- not simply for her aulos being found, but . . . someone actually trying to play it. she follows that glimmer till it takes her to a corner of a park, far away from the joggers and dog-walkers. although the burble of the brook muffles the music some, dani could recognize her aulos from an ocean away, the plash of water actually complimenting the low octaves of the reeds. 

the artist wields it with surprising skill, weaving the notes in tune as if they were following some lyric or poetry. for a moment, dani feels transported to the days of old, back to the theater of dionysus where she first saw a performance with her aulos. yet the music here is much less predictable, experimental as its owner explores its possibilities with every breath. dani is enchanted as she listens, wondering if this awed haze is what it’s like for mortals to meet gods.

when she finally sees the artist properly, dani’s only further stunned. she knows this human, or rather -- immortal. luisa. dani had helped her eons ago in the 1300s when she’d been holed up in her room, fiddling with her instrument late into the night. additionally, for her sisters who had sought robin’s help with obtaining immortality for their loved ones . . . luisa had set an important precedent. robin decisions to grant her eternal life had opened a door to others having the same, and as a results, the sisters were rather grateful to this human who had once convinced death. dani knew a little of her talent in music as well -- lu’s fame was rather prominent on earth -- but she had never predicted their paths would cross like this. yet for the first time in a long while, dani feels excited. 

❝ it’s been three hundred years since i’ve heard anyone play that so beautifully, ❞ she approaches at last with a smile, truly captivated.

❝ you’re wonderfully talented. your fans are very lucky to follow someone with such passion, ❞ dani proclaims warmly, imagining it must be comforting to follow an artist like luisa with such love for music itself. her smile turns a little playful afterwards, beginning her introductions. ❝ though robin and nari did always mention you’re special. ❞ the latter, much more cryptically,  dani had learned to decipher the dream queen’s nonchalance after knowing her for centuries ( and diana’s help with interpreting ).

[captainwaffles]

Below this is a first chapter projected I did for a creative writing class of an idea I have been thinking a lot about.

Deep, rich, earth mushes below my fingers. I move to the next spot digging small holes as I go. My mom follows behind me humming a familiar tune. Slowly we fill the field with pumpkin seeds. Mud covers my hands and overalls. I push myself off the ground and help my mom up, she flicks my floppy-brimmed hat.

“You look like a real farmer, Harley,” she says with a wink.

I stick my tongue at her and turn around. I always wanted to grow plants, we just never hung around long enough for me to really try.

“Let's go home,” my mom whispers.

I roll my eyes to myself. Home currently refers to a small shack at the edge of a shallow swampy lake. It will probably change in a few weeks. Home really is just with my parents.

The sun touches the tips of the pine trees, burning a brilliant hazy orange. We head toward the small wooded area that can barely qualify as a forest. We pass a few other nomads and their homes. Most are run-down cabins like ours- some unlucky individuals use tents made of molding nylon. Pine needles and gravel crunch under our feet softly. This place used to be a campground, before the war.

“Hey, Harley!” Announces Lu. She is the only other kid here; even then, she still staggers over me. Well, almost everyone does.

“Do you want to come over for games tonight?” She asks brightly. My mom nudges me gently.

“Sure, after dinner,” I mumble. Roaming around my whole life made making friends a wee difficult.

“Cool!” she shoves her dark off her face. “Have a good night ma’am,” Lu says waving to my mom.

The pine trees thin a bit as we reach the shack. The small wooden building has cracked windows and creaking floorboards. I push the heavy door open to my dad sprawled out on the floor.

Unlike my mom and I, he is tall and lanky, similar to Lu. He claims to have played basketball back in the day. But I did get my hair from him, a curly mop streaked with gray. I've never seen my dad with the brown hair he apparently used to have.

“How are the seeds?” His face lights up when he looks up from his work.

“Not bad, how the traps?” I walk over giving him a hug. My mom heads to the small, dry bathroom.

“Pretty good, gonna set them tomorrow if you wanna come.”

“Your buddies okay with it?”

My dad nods and picks up the trap.

“I'm gonna play games with Lu tonight,” I tell him as I step over his intricate work.

“Wonderful, I hope you too have a good time.” His smile turns a bit sad. “I’m glad you’re making friends sweety.”

I nod and crawl up the bunk to my bed. I lift up the crumpled pillow and slide out a slim rectangle. My parents call it an MP3 player, a piece of dated technology even when they were my age. I power it on, and the little square lights up. I slip on the cracked headphones over my head. The thin mattress shifts as I wiggle into the sheets. I click the play button, and music plays, tinny and quiet.

The music sweeps me away from here. To a time when things were okay, a time I never knew about. A time when I would know more people than my parents. A time when music wasn’t rare. I let myself dream for a few seconds. I could have my own little garden, my bed would be filled with thick heavy blankets, and music- lots of music.

“Harley?” My dad says after a while.

I slip my headphones off, “Yeah?” I sit up.

“Dinner.”

I tuck the MP3 under my pillow and leap out of the bed. My mom grabs my hand as we walk to the center of the camp. A massive fire roars in front of us. A smattering of thirty or so sullen people gather around. Lu springs over like a deer.

“They have fish tonight!” She grins cheekily. Fish are a bit rare, especially in this murky lake.

She grabs my grubby hand and drags me over to the crude counter set up. Cracked plates of grilled fish and crusty bread wait for us. I can’t wait for blackberries. We grab our share and plop down on a turned-over log. It's damp against my bare legs. The fish tastes more like smoke than fish; the bread reminds me of sawdust I ate as a kid by accident. My dad cook much better, but he is better at making traps.

The folks here were a bit weary of us at first, but once they saw how my dad could build traps they weren’t gonna look a gift squirrel in the mouth. We tend to move around just the three of us, but every now and then we join up with others at the edge of society. I like meeting new people, I just hate leaving them again.

Lu babbles about her sewing projects and her mom's stunning quilts. I’d miss Lu. It's just her and her mom. She used to have a bigger family, but she doesn’t wanna talk about it, so we don’t. She finishes the food quickly and I give her my other slice of bread. She takes it without question. In the firelight, her eyes dance like birds.

“Come on,” she says standing up. We pick our way over to clean off our plates in the big bin of soapy water.

“What games do you have in mind tonight?” I pull my hands out of the water quickly. They must have just had it over the fire. My parents always said I sometimes got lost in my own world.

“It’s called battleship! I found some paper we can make the board game on. You’ll love it!” She runs ahead of me to the small cabin she stays in.

She and her mom stay here year-round, for a long time she's told me. Maybe that's why I like their cabin, it's a real home. She pulls out paper and explains how to make a grid and how the game works. I’m just glad we aren’t playing another word game.

“B6,” I call, staring at my paper in concentration.

“Miss,” Lu giggles. “A2?” She cocks her eyebrow.

“Hit,” I shake my head and add a mark to my ‘battleship’. It's really just a little rectangle. “How are you good at this? E5.”

“Mind games,” she wiggles her eyebrows. “Miss.”

I groan and mark it down anyway. The shadows on the wall wiggle in the dimming candlelight. I should make my way back to the shack soon, but it's so comfortable here with the pictures on the walls and Lu’s company. Maybe just a bit longer.

“A3,” Lu shakes me out of my thoughts.

“Miss,” I say with a smirk.

“Cheater!” She smacks my hand playfully, and it's my turn to giggle. The sounds of shouting stop us. “What’s going on?” Her voice warbles a bit.

“I don’t know, probably just someone mad about a poker game.”

“GOVERNMENT! GET OUT!”

Definitely not a poker game.

We stare at each other for a second. This can’t be happening. The government isn’t fond of people living out here, especially without identification; which I definitely don’t have. Lu does though as she scrambles for the small safe to grab it.

“You gotta get out of here Harley!” Desperation seeps into her voice.

“We go together!” I hold out my hand for her. I can’t lose you.

A second later we shot out of the cabin. The gravel crunches crazily under our feet. Big beams of light illuminate the woods. Everyone scrambles around attempting to get away. In the corner of my eye, I see a giant car hurtling towards us.

“Faster!” Lu begs.

We weave through the trees, I’m not sure exactly where we are heading, but Lu seems to have a destination in mind. Panicked screams of people fill the air.

“My parents,” I nearly stop, but Lu drags me along.

“They’ll be fine, we just have to keep going! They can’t get us all,” she replies with a gasp.

“NO,” I drop her hand and veer off towards the cabin. No place would feel like home without them.

Lu is hot on my heels. I throw the door open to my dad grabbing our backpacks. He shoves my tattered bag at me. My mom's eyes are filled with terror.

“We gotta go!” Lu says again.

The four of us start running. Bodies run all around us. The backpack digs into my shoulder. My parents slow behind me and Lu.

“We’ll catch up!” My dad huffs as he grabs my mom. “Keep going!”

A sob racks in my throat as Lu drags me along. She doesn’t give me a choice this time. Soldiers shout orders behind us, and their sharp words bounce through the trees, not reaching my ears. Lu’s hand slips out of mine. Her body thuds against the ground.

“LU!”

“I’ll be okay Harley,” she waves her hand as she makes her way back up.

I pull her up and support a bit of her long body against mine. The pace is excruciatingly slow. The voices of the soldiers grow louder. My body aches, but I keep pushing forward.

“Leave me, Harley, I have papers.”

Lu pulls herself off of me. She gives me a hug before I can protest. She turns back to the camp and slowly hobbles.

“GO!” She screams.

I stand still for a second, soldiers so close their guns shimmer in the moonlight. My brain wills my feet to get me out of here. My heart shatters as I stumble around in the dark. By myself, away from the only home I ever knew.

[xjoonchildx]

greedy | myg x reader | epilogue: bases loaded

summary: being a loner has never bothered yoongi until now.  until you.

pairing: yoongi x reader

genre: mafia AU, pining, eventual smut

rating: 18+

word count: 1.3K

notes:  thank you endlessly for reading, reviewing and sharing this story. i’m so in love with this tough-but-secretly vulnerable yoongi and you’ll never know how happy it makes me that you guys love him, too. i hope you enjoy how the story ends. either way, i’d love to hear from you! please send me an ask here and tell me what you think.

Chapter 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | EPILOGUE

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

Fuck, it’s hot.

The forecaster called for a high of 91° today, but he must have missed that mark by at least a hundred degrees.  There is no breeze and absolutely no respite from the unforgiving sun here in the cheap seats.

The Lions batter connects with the ball -- finally -- and Yoongi winces as he watches it sail right over the foul line.

Beneath his sling his arm feels sticky, itchy. 

He’d love nothing more than to rip that sling off and go to town on his arm with his fingernails, but any moment now you’ll be back from the concession stand.  You’ll probably hold his hot dog hostage if you catch him.

So Yoongi tries to focus on the game, not the itch.  But the game sucks and Yoongi curses under his breath when the next Lions batter flies out on the first pitch.

Nine weeks ago, Yoongi never would have guessed that surgery would be the easy part. 

Going to sleep for a few hours and letting doctors cut into his skin and bone turned out to be a breeze compared to everything that’s come after.  The physical therapy has been grueling and painful.  Simple tasks like dressing and showering, even pouring a bowl of cereal have become a complete pain in the ass.  

He’s not sure he could have gotten through any of it were it not for you.

By now, he’s lost count of the ways you’ve taken care of him.  Lost count of the meals you’ve cooked for him, the loads of laundry you’ve done for him, the very, very creative ways you’ve come up with to make love to him.  He’s probably due for a new couch at this point. The damned thing started creaking last week.

So he’ll buy a new couch. 

He’ll buy a hundred new couches if it means you come home to him at night.

The days of arduous physical therapy are long forgotten when you shower and slip into bed beside him.  When you warm those forever-frigid feet against his under the covers and curl into his side.  When you wake up in the morning and make coffee and tell him wild stories about strange objects you’ve pulled from someone’s strange orifice the night before.

That’s how most nights go.  But not every night.

So it’s not enough.

It’s not enough because no matter how much Yoongi gets of you, it’s never enough.  He still wants more.

He walked to the drugstore before the drive to Daegu today.  He bought you a brand new toothbrush, one of those fancy electric ones with all the bells and whistles.  And he’s been waiting for the right time to tell you all afternoon, appreciating your pretty eyes and sunburnt cheeks.  

Waiting for the right time to tell you that he really wants you to stay.

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

“Wow, that line was brutal,” you mutter, and Yoongi looks up from beneath the rim of his snapback to find you balancing two hot dogs and a basket of fries in your hands.  You drop carefully into the seat beside him, grinning.  “I thought I was going to have to fight this kid for the last ketchup packets.”

Yoongi can’t help but grin back.  

The game sucks and the heat sucks and his arm sucks -- but you?  You definitely don’t suck. 

“Can’t get arrested for fighting kids at the concession stand, Doc,” he teases.  “The lockup here in Daegu is not exactly swanky and I can tell you that from experience.”

He reaches over with his one good arm to steal a french fry but you wrinkle your nose, pulling the basket away childishly.

“The hot dog is yours.  These are mine.”

“Wow,” Yoongi huffs.  “You’re gonna deny a one-armed man french fries?  That’s dirty.”

 “I’ve seen your bloodwork, Min,” you shrug.  “It’s time to back off the cholesterol.”

Yoongi chuckles, shaking his head.

“So how’s it going?

“Bears are still up by five,” he sighs.  “Can’t believe I waited my whole life to watch them play this shitty in person.”

“Poor thing,” you tease, cutting your dark, sparkling eyes at him.  You begrudgingly hold a french fry out to him; a greasy consolation prize.  “Okay, fine.  I’ll give you one.”

Yoongi leans into you, pretending to go for the fry but stealing a kiss instead.  

“Sneaky,” you breathe, lips soft against his.  “But I’ll allow it.”

“Nothing to allow,” Yoongi smirks, grabbing the fry out of your hand.  “I already got it.”

You smile, turning away to look out onto the field.  

The stadium is nearly empty by now, most of the hometown fans leaving after the 7th inning when it was clear this game was headed straight into the toilet.  A Bears batter hits a line drive that whizzes right past the Lions shortstop’s glove and Yoongi claps a hand over his face.

“Swear to God, they haven’t had a season this bad since I was nine years old.”

You tut and hand him another fry.

“Namjoon offered me a job,” you announce, eyes still on the field.

Yoongi freezes, mid-bite.  

He knew this was coming, of course.  Namjoon had taken him aside one afternoon and spelled out his plan to extend the offer.  Yoongi knowing all too well that the Gajog has never been in need of a full-time doctor.  The offer is a gift, an extension of family protection.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know,” you grumble, rolling your eyes.  “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Okay, fine,” Yoongi grins.  “What did he say?”

“He said he’d set me up with a clinic space,” you murmur, watching another Bears lineman crack a base hit.  “Unlimited supplies.  Nurses, if I need them.  And he said he’d pay me more every year than I think I’ve made altogether since leaving medical school.”

“So are you gonna take it?” Yoongi asks carefully.

You’re quiet for a moment, dark eyes serious before turning to him.

“No.”

He knew that was coming, too.  

“I’ve worked really hard for this,” you say softly.  “And I want what I’ve earned the right way.  This isn’t judgement on you or them, but it’s not for me.  You understand, right?”

“Of course,” Yoongi says and he means it. You press your lips to his cheek before resting your head on his shoulder.

Secretly, he breathes a little sigh of relief.

He likes that you’re his piece of peace separate and apart from family business.  He likes that you’re his oasis away from the ugliness and bullshit that come far too often in this line of work.  He likes that you’re not some hand-me-down from a mothballed church widow or an act of charity from Kim Namjoon.  

He’s earned this thing with you all on his own.

“Doc,” he whispers, planting a kiss in your hair.  “I need to tell you something.”

“Go for it,” you whisper back.

“I bought you a new toothbrush.  It’s super fancy.”

You pull away from him, feigning shock.  “How fancy are we talking here?”

“Like, two hundred settings.  Video calls.  Takes bitcoin.”

“Ooh, that does sound fancy,” you breathe, smiling.  “What’s the occasion?”

Yoongi takes your hand into his, laces his fingers into yours.  

“I want you to move in with me,” he murmurs.  “If that’s what you want.”

You go quiet on him again.  Only this time, your mouth quirks into a soft smile before you lean in to press it to his.  You kiss him slow and unhurried, lips tasting like peanut oil and salt, and in that moment Yoongi decides it’s his favorite flavor of you.

“So is that a yes?” Yoongi asks, grinning when you pull away.

“Yeah.  That’s a yes.”

You both turn your heads when what’s left of the crowd starts to boo.  The Bears have just loaded the bases, top of the ninth inning, no outs. 

“This game is terrible and it’s blazing hot,” Yoongi groans.  “We should go somewhere to cool off.  And celebrate.”

“Hmm,” you sigh happily.  “What do you have in mind?”

“If you’re up for a walk, I know a place nearby,” he murmurs, planting a kiss behind your ear.  “Great milkshakes.”

You smile.  

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

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST 💕💕💕

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[miyamiwu]

The Red-Eyed Murderer being from an Alternate Timeline + His Perverted “Crush” on Cheng Xiaoshi + Other Ramblings

This is gonna be a long stream of consciousness essay dump… but I really want to get this out of my mind, so you’re all just gonna have to suffer with my incoherent ramblings haha (Oh btw, this post is gonna have a lot of screenshots… like, a lot)

Okay, so I mainly watched the show with the Funimation subs because it flows more easily, but even though I chose it, I fucking hate how Funimation takes too much liberties with the translation.

Especially with this part in Episode 11:

I’m too lazy to get a screenshot for comparison, but in the Bilbili subs, the red-eyed guy said, “It really is you, the witness.”

---

Edit (July 17, 2023): Okay, now that I know a little Chinese, I'm not sure if the word "witness" was really mentioned. I'm able to catch the murderer saying _ _真的是你 (zhende shi ni | really is you), but I can't catch what the two characters they said before zhende/really. I'm bad at recognizing Chinese characters through audio. Will have to check the Chinese subs to be sure

---

The witness.

Why would he call Cheng Xiaoshi the witness? Witness of what?? And why would Funimation remove that!

Funimation removing that one small detail immediately makes the whole sentence confusing. To say “it really is you” the moment Xiaoshi appeared implied that Red Eyes had met Xiaoshi before when he was using his own appearance, and not in the body of someone else. The addition of “the witness” was a hint for us viewers, but Funimation took that away asdfghjkl

Anyways, fast forwards towards the end of episode 11, and we have this:

To the Red-Eyed person, Cheng Xiaoshi was someone he met maybe months ago. So that means he’s had enough time to brood over him and develop some kind of perverted attraction to him...

I seriously can’t be the only one who found these scenes disturbingly suggestive:

And then there’s this:

This guy is crazy. But at the same time I can’t help but think that he’s turned into a psycho because he feels alone and isolated for being an Agent. He probably doesn’t know that there are others out there like him, so when he meets Xiaoshi, someone who is so similar to him, he gets excited...

(I know it wasn’t revealed here to him yet that Shanshan was Xiaoshi, but I’m pretty sure he hoped she was.)

And yeah, this guy really wants a friend. And he’s dead-set on it being Xiaoshi... which then brings us back to this:

It really is Cheng Xiaoshi.

And he’s so damned happy about it.

However, to the Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang that we’re following in the story, this Red-Eyed person is totally new. They know next to nothing about him and just think of him as a psychopathic murderer (which he definitely is btw. No sob story is gonna change that)

And just seeing the consequences of how they of different past timelines are now meeting on one present timeline really drives home the fact that Cheng Xiaoshi really messed up with that one text he sent as Emma. (I love you Xiaoshi, but sometimes you just really have to listen to Lu Guang 😭. If he says no, then please don’t do anything.)

Cheng Xiaoshi inadvertently letting Emma die was bad enough, and him going into the photo alone during the crime scene was even worse. But you know what definitely hit the nail on the head even more?

This:

Xiaoshi alerted Lu Min with his scream, driving things more out of control. I believe it was at this partiular point that the timeline started splitting. In the original past where Emma died, perhaps she had simply died from being choked in the car. But because of Xiaoshi, we get this:

And then the car crashed.... Lu Min was trapped inside, while Emma was able to get out and walk on the bridge. Lu Min ended paralyzed in the hospital at the time of Emma’s actual death, earning him a perfect alibi. And remember when his alibi was revealed in the show?

It was right after Cheng Xiaoshi got out of the picture

When I first saw the shock on Lu Guang’s face here and followed by that surveillance footage bit, aside from being confused and demanding answers, I didn’t think much of it. But after rewatching this scene again, I noticed how the show particularly emphasized Lu Guang’s shock and Emma being on the bridge by playing that creepy start of the ending song before fading everything into black.

Lu Guang can see the future of a photo within 12 hours after it was taken. I figured that what he originally saw was Emma dying for sure in the car. But now, the future has changed again, and Lu Guang knows that things are gonna go bad

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

And I’m gonna end this here for now. I still have a lot to say, but it’s almost 1am here and I’m hungry asdfghjkl

Might post a part 2 to continue this

[emmyhem]

good stupid (l.r.h)

a/n: hi again! this is a short and sweet luke x student fem!reader imagine, and my first time posting smut,, i’m planning on posting some angsty stuff pretty soon sooo i wanted to have something pretty fluffy up but as i wrote it became clear to me that smut would fit well. so with all that being said, i hope you enjoy - emmy <33 (p.s, requests are still open but i am working on quite a few already and they take me slightly longer to write than my own pieces because i want to be sure i’m doing them justice. but all requests are extremely appreciated as well as any feedback on my writing. and i’m always up to chat, if you ever have something on your mind, no matter how random :)) 

pairing: luke hemmings x student fem!reader 

summary: an innocent but important secret sparks a competitiveness between you and your boyfriend, but it may end in both of your favor. 

warnings: smut, oral sex (female receiving), cursing, but mainly just fluffy romantic sex 

word count: 2.2k

Luke’s head was in your lap as you read from your textbook intently. Your eyebrows were tugged together and your lips pouted in concentration. 

“You’re pretty.” he hummed, a sweet grin on his face. 

You glanced down, scrunching your nose in fondness. 

“You too.” you responded, poking his cheek.

“Stop, I’m blushing.” he joked, hiding his face behind his hands.

You laughed before turning your attention back to your studies, but Luke’s eyes remained glued to you only breaking contact occasionally to blink. You could feel his eyes on you, making it extremely hard to focus.

“Luke.” you scolded. 

“What?” he whined. 

“You gotta stop staring. I'm trying to study bub.”

“No can do, lovie. M’studying too.” he protested. 

“And what are you studying?” you questioned. 

“You.” he said matter of factly. “Happens to be my favorite subject.” 

You pressed your lips together tightly to avoid smiling like an idiot. The two months you’d spent with Luke had been the best of your life, for the first time you felt like things were just right. It was as if you had been made for him and you kept finding yourself having to actively avoid blurting out the big L word. It was like it was always at the tip of your tongue threatening release, any time he would compliment you, or hug you tighter than normal, and it was especially hard when he kept looking at you like you hung the stars in the sky. 

So caught up in your lovestruck haze, you hadn’t noticed that you had sat your book down next to you on the couch and were staring off into space.

Luke sat up and pulled you to his chest.

“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” he poked, pressing a swift kiss to the top of your hairline. 

“Just thinking.” you mumbled into his shoulder. 

“Bout what? You gotta tell me I’m trying for an A in y/n studies.” 

You laughed while shaking your head. 

“I’m thinking about saying something stupid.” you said timidly, pulling out of Luke’s embrace to look him in the eyes. 

“Good stupid or bad stupid?” 

“M’not quite sure.” you answered, moving back into Luke’s arms. 

His eyes flashed with mischief as he leaned away from you.

“I’ll give you a kiss if ya tell me.” 

“I can get one of those whenever I want.” you replied, chasing his lips with your own. 

“Nah, I think I’ll hold out for a while, can’t have you keeping secrets.” 

You laughed, knowing how needy your boyfriend could get, “We’ll see how long that lasts.” 

“Heyyy,” he drawled out. “No laughing, baby I’m serious. You won’t be getting any action till you spill.” 

You just pretended to zip your lips shut and throw away the key in response before continuing your work.  He would give in within the hour, you were sure of it. 

This has been the longest 3 days of your life. You had no idea when kissing Luke had become such a big part of your everyday routine but it was becoming abundantly clear to you that it was. 

Like this morning, when your alarm woke you up for class and you rolled over to kiss him without even thinking about it. You were centimeters away from making contact before a smile broke on Luke’s face and he rolled over to mumble, 

“No kisses for you.” before closing his eyes once again. 

Or when you dropped off lunch for the guys at the studio, you had been expecting at least a peck to express his gratitude for your favor, but all you got was a quick kiss on the back of your hand and a sly, 

“Thank you, baby.” 

Tonight you were determined, and  there was no way in hell you would be the one to give in. You were cooking when he got home, freshly showered and wearing only one of  his favorite shirts. Luke heard you before he saw you, humming to ABBA from the kitchen, he chuckled to himself  before turning the corner. 

“Hi baby.” you greeted, spinning on your heel while you sucked a bit of pasta sauce off your finger. 

Luke groaned at the sight of you before sauntering over and wrapping his arms around your waist as you stirred your cooking pasta. 

“You are making this extremely hard for me.” he hissed in your ear. Emphasis on the hard as he pressed himself against your back. 

You squeezed your thighs together at the feeling but held your composure as you spun to face him. 

“I dunno what you're talking about, Lu.” 

“Tell me your secret and we can go upstairs.” he whined, tugging you away from the stove.

“And let my dinner get cold?” you teased, waving a disapproving  finger. 

As you finished cooking Luke sat at the table, his eyes following your every move. 

“Food’s ready.” you announced as you pulled two plates from the cabinet. 

When no response came you looked in his direction. He nodded and beckoned you forward with the curl of two fingers. You took a seat on his lap and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“What’s a matter, baby? Aren’t you hungry?” you cooed in his ear. 

Luke clenched his jaw and ran a finger along your thigh, “I’m begging you to fess up. You’re looking way too pretty not to kiss and I don’t like to give in.” 

“Me neither” you countered, your forehead pressed against his. 

“Baby,” he whined. 

“You really wanna know?” you said, your feet carrying you back to the counter as you got an unexpected surge of confidence. 

“You have no idea.” he sighed from behind you. “Please put us both out of our misery, hm?” 

“I love you.” you admitted, holding your breath as you stared at the marble countertop in front of you. 

You could hear Luke stand up and felt his breath on the back of your neck within a second. 

“That’s my secret.” you continued.

His hands ran down your sides before settling firmly on your hips, which he used as leverage to spin you in his direction. You kept your eyes to the floor once facing him but he was quick to change that, using his thumb and pointer to tilt your chin up. You looked up through your lashes to meet his eyes. 

“And I love you more.” he returned. And there he went again with that look, as if you were his favorite thing in the entire universe. 

You let out a sigh of relief, one that was cut short by Luke’s lips moving urgently against your own. You both seemed to melt into each other as his tongue worked its way into your mouth. He was quick to pick you up and set you on the counter, this way he wouldn’t strain his neck to kiss you. The kiss was breathy, needy, and exactly what your body had been craving for the past three torturous days. 

“We are never ever doing that again.” he spoke into your mouth between kisses. 

“Mhm.” you agreed as his hands groped at your thighs, pushing his shirt that you had on up in the process. 

“Wrap your legs around me.” he instructed as you pulled away to breath. 

“Lu, dinner.” you protested. 

“I know, lovie. Later, I promise but right now m’hungry for something else and I can’t wait any longer.” 

“Okay,” you agreed breathlessly, wrapping your legs around him tightly as he carried you into the bedroom. 

Once in the bedroom he laid you out on the bed muttering out broken praises as he kissed down your neck. 

“Hardest three days of my life.” he admitted as his hands slid under your shirt. 

His palms were warm and rough on your skin and the only response you could muster was a soft whimper.  

Once he found his way to your nipples you were a moaning mess beneath him. 

“Off” you sighed, sitting up a bit so he could remove the shirt, leaving you completely bare. 

He ran a finger down your stomach as he spoke, “So pretty for me, angel.” 

You shuddered at his words feeling more needy by the second. 

“Lu, please.” 

“Feeling eager, baby? Me too. But I just wanna enjoy the girl I love for a bit.” he continued, as he settled between your legs. 

Your heart skipped a beat at the word love, and you couldn’t help the dopey smile that appeared on your face. 

He began peppering light kisses on your thighs each one slightly closer to where you needed him most. You started to squirm impatiently causing him to pull away and hover over your face, 

“I love you.” he declared. 

“I love you too.” you affirmed, straining your neck leaning to kiss him. Once you pulled away he grinned before returning to his previous position. 

He wasted no more time before attaching his lips to your clit, working it furiously under his tongue. 

Your head immediately threw back in pleasure, and if it weren’t for Luke’s hands holding you down you were sure your hips would’ve bucked up. 

You were whimpering relentlessly as he hummed in content against you. 

“Taste’s so good, baby. Missed this so much.” 

You only mewled in response, feeling your first orgasm begin to creep up on you already. 

“Lu,” you moaned, your hands finding his hair and tugging lightly causing him to grunt. “M’close.” 

“Yea? Doing so good, wanna come for me, love?” he questioned, adding a finger as he continued the assault on your clit. 

“Y-yes” you stuttered out, your breath catching in your throat as you reached your climax. You shook under Luke’s hold as he worked you through your orgasm. 

As you recovered he nipped at your neck and left a trail of kisses up your jaw before finally reaching your lips. You kissed him sloppily still feeling hazy from the pleasure. 

“Gonna let me take you?” he cooed, continuing to pepper kisses all over your face. 

“Please.” you nodded. 

“Okay, baby. Lemme grab something.” he said before carrying himself over to his nightstand to retrieve a condom. 

Once he rolled the condom on and made his way back to you he rubbed his thumb on your hip as he lined himself up with your entrance. 

“Ready?” 

“Yea, Lu. Need you” you mewled. 

He began to press into you slowly, letting your body adjust to the stretch as he inched in. Once he was completely in, you clenched in pleasure at the sensation of being so completely full. This caused Luke to grunt loudly, 

“Fuck, so good for me, angel” he praised. “Lemme know when I can move. Okay, baby?”

You nodded quickly as you took your bottom lip in between your teeth. 

“Move, please.” you begged, desperate for friction. 

He started with slow thrusts, they were passionate and so filling you felt like you might actually burst. His thumb found your clit and began rubbing slow circles as he continued. 

“F-faster,” you stumbled over your words, the pleasure overwhelming you. “I need faster.” 

Luke was happy to comply, picking up the pace with each thrust. As he pounded into you harder he pressed further, his head nudging at your g-spot causing you to squeal, your fingers gripping at the sheets. 

“Is that the spot?” he questioned hitting it repeatedly, causing your brain to essentially go numb. The only active thought being, Luke. 

You physically couldn’t gather the strength or power to speak so instead you just nodded, your entire body falling slack as your second orgasm approached. 

“Gonna come for me again, baby? Show me how good I’m making you feel?” 

As if you weren’t already feeling enough, Luke chose this moment to attach his lips to your neck again sucking harshly at the spot he knew made you weak. 

“Fuck, baby.” he groaned, breaking away. “Can feel you clenching around me. Cum for me y/n, I know you can do it. C’mon gimme one more, wanna come with you.” 

You came undone around him as he hit your most sensitive spot over and over again. He followed immediately after, your name falling from his lips repeatedly during his release. 

So completely fucked out, you didn’t even notice when he pulled out, and tied off the condom before throwing it away and flopping down next to you on the bed. 

“How are you doing, my love.” he asked sweetly while pulling you to his chest.

You nodded into him and mumbled, “m’good, really good.” 

“I love you so much.” he spoke into your forehead before pressing a wet kiss on it. “How ‘bout I get ya all cleaned up and then warm us up some dinner to eat in bed?” he questioned, eyes studying your face. 

“Will you shower with me?” you asked timidly. 

“Well, I wasn’t planning on doing it alone.” he teased, lifting you up. 

As he sat on the edge of the tub, you on his lap, letting the shower run over his hand to ensure the water temperature was just right for you, you buried your face into his neck. 

“M’so glad I told you my secret.” 

“Me too.” he laughed. “Though, that whole no kissing thing was stupid.” 

“Good stupid.” you countered.

[caramelcal]

heartbreak girl

Word Count: 2.7k

a/n: ik i have requests to write (i am writing them don’t worry !) but i got super inspired when i was listening to my bbys 5sos

the luke hemmings / luke patterson comparison videos ive seen are my favourites, love it when two fandoms collide lollll

disclaimer: i do not condone plagiarism on my work at all, this has not been posted on any other platforms, or on tumblr anywhere else but my account (rosemoonmist) if you see anyone plagiarizing mine (or anyone else’s work for that matter) please inform the rightful author ! thank you lovelies x 

masterlist

You call me up It's like a broken record Saying that your heart hurts That you'll never get over him getting over you And you end up crying And I end up lying 'Cause I'm just a sucker for anything that you do

You couldn’t stop playing the video. Ever since it was sent you from a random number, you couldn’t stop crying. The video was barely ten seconds long, but it was ten seconds that broke your heart. There your boyfriend was, clear as day, kissing a girl that wasn’t you.

It isn’t long before you heard the front door open and slam behind someone, reminding you of who you told to come over. Luke, your best friend since you guys met in the sandpit at six years old. When he accidentally pushed you in, so you kicked him in the nuts. You guys had been inseparable ever since.

Luke was your best friend, and you were his. You guys had been through everything together. When he first learned guitar, when you did gymnastics, when he joined a band, when you guys first went to high school, and now, your first heartbreak.

“y/n?” He calls from downstairs, looking around the dark room. He had learned from a young age to just come into your house without knocking, your house was his second home after all.

Of course, you do have a few female friends that you could have called but none of them knew you as well as Luke did and you knew Luke would be there with you through everything. He would understand. He would comfort you better than any girl ever could. You walked down the stairs, trying to keep your sobs in but once you caught eyes with Luke, the tears started to fall.

“Luke,” You let out, looking at the boy barely keeping yourself together.

“y/n/n, what’s wrong?” Luke questions, eyes wracking over your defeated posture before looking up at your puffy red eyes. It was clear you had been crying, but why?

“He- he-,” You cut yourself short, letting back a choked sob as you land at the bottom of the stairs, Luke walking closer to you, his face looking at you with concern, “Luke he was with another girl, he cheated-”

Mind wracking back over the video, you broke down into tears, falling into Luke’s now open arms. Suddenly, once you're in the arms of your best friend all of your walls come crashing down and you start to cry louder, letting out every emotion you felt that night. The sadness, betrayal, and overall heartbreak.

Luke holds the back of your head soothingly as you cry into his chest, playing softly with the hair on your head. By this point, he is supporting all of your weight but he doesn’t mind as he lifts you over to the couch, allowing you to continue crying in a more comfortable position than the awkward standing position you were in moments before.

Whilst Luke was sad hearing you cry, he was overcome with anger.  The fact that the scum would cheat, on you of all people. You were amazing, perfect even, so why would someone ever give away the chance of being with you? He knew he wouldn’t. Luke knew how much you loved and cared for the boy, Jack, and to see him cheat on you, he couldn’t help but be furious.

If he was being honest, the thing he wanted more than anything right now was to hook him right in the face. Punch him right where he stood, busting open his face so that no other girl would ever want to kiss him again. It’s what he deserves. Luke knew he was probably being a bit overprotective, but that didn’t matter to him, what mattered was that you were okay right now.

The last thing you needed in your state of fragility was Luke leaving you by yourself to set into the dickhead. Oh no, that could be done another time when you weren’t crying. What you truly needed right now was his comfort, so that’s what he gave you. He held you close, not even saying anything but hugging you closely, silently reminding you that he was here for you and always would be as you softly lulled into a sleep.

And when then phone call finally ends You say "Thanks for being a friend" And I'm going in circles again and again

I dedicate this song to you The one who never sees the truth That I can take away you hurt Heartbreak girl Hold you tight straight through the daylight I'm right here, when you gonna realise That I'm your cure? Heartbreak girl

Walking down the hall, Luke’s eyes catch onto you. Even though he’s been with you all weekend, comforting you after the video you saw on Friday, just looking at you is a sad reminder of how you are doing. A frown has fallen onto your face whilst you look over at something. Following your gaze, Luke finds him, Jack, with his arm wrapped around the girl in the video.

He wants to punch that stupid smirk off Jack’s face, then they’ll see who’s truly laughing. When Luke’s eyes drift back over to you, he feels his stomach dropping slightly. The look in your gaze makes you look broken, eyes conveying a sense of vulnerability that Luke didn’t think was possible. Maybe it’s just because Luke knows you better and knows how to read you better than everyone else, but he notices all of the changes in you. He sees how your eyes lacked the sparkle they usually had, your usual smile not present, even your outfit seemed a little dull. Nonetheless, you’re still gorgeous, Luke thinks so, but you look different; less lively.

All of this heartbreak just because of a stupid boy. One stupid hard-headed jock that doesn’t know how to truly value the important things in his life. The stupid jock that didn’t know how much you were truly worth.

Luke knows he could treat you so much better if you just gave him the chance to. If you looked his way instead of Jack’s. He would hold you close and never let you go, let you know just how much you meant to him and those truly important around you. He would watch you like the only person in the world because you were the only one that mattered. 

He doesn’t even realize he was staring at you until he hears a cough sound from behind him as Reggie puts an arm over his shoulder, smirking, “You’re staring, pal.”

Luke, who’s eyes briefly glanced over towards Reggie when the bassist spoke, glanced back at you quickly, sighing lightly in relief when he realizes you didn’t notice him staring at you. He shrugs half-heartedly, not noticing the knowing look that Reggie gives him as he speaks, “I can’t, Reg. I’m not supposed to like her like this, she’s my best friend.”

“Best friend or not, I see the way you look at her, everyone does but her,” Reggie says before patting his friend on the back.

“She still likes him Reg, and I’ve known her since we were six. She’s been in so many relationships yet she fell for the stupid jock,” Luke says, shaking his head as his fists clench at his sides. He doesn’t realize but his face contorts into anger, making Reggie smirk, “she deserves so much better. She deserves someone who’s going to appreciate her. Someone who will show her how much she means to them-”

“Someone like you?” Reggie asks, making Luke glance at him with an annoyed expression, huffing. Reggie shrugs his shoulders, “Just saying man if anyone knows y/n it’s you. You just gotta be there for her and she’ll realize how much you mean to her. I mean, everyone thinks you guys are meant for each other, soon she’ll see that too.”

I bite my tongue But I wanna scream out You could be with me now But I end up telling you what you wanna hear But you're not ready And it's so frustrating He treats you so bad and I'm so good to you, it's not fair

And when the phone call finally ends You say "I'll call you tomorrow at 10" And I'm stuck in the friendzone again and again

Luke is frustrated. It has been two weeks since his conversation with Reggie, and the hope Reggie had given him for pursuing a relationship was surely fizzling out. Reggie was wrong, that’s what Luke thought anyway. Not only had you not realized how much Luke was bending his back for you, going out of his way to comfort you, being there for you 24/7, you had been so utterly stupid. Jack had given you the most insincere apology known to man, and you were meeting up with him for a date.

It had been forty-seven minutes since you had left, not that Luke was counting or anything and he still hadn’t heard a word from you. No text, no call, nothing. Jack was probably taking up all of your attention with his boring jock stories or his lame jokes. He probably didn’t even compliment you when you arrived and that was practically criminal.

You had been all dressed up when you left, not that Jack would have even noticed, but Luke did. He noticed the way the outfit you wore looked perfect on you, complimenting everything about you and most importantly, how confident you felt in it. You deserved more than a boy that wouldn’t even tell you that you were pretty, Luke knew that, he just wished you did too. 

He paces around his room, feet aggressively hitting the ground. He wanted to punch something, to let out all of the anger and frustration that was itching, begging to be released. Yet, his anger was cut short when he heard his phone start to ring.

“Hello?”

“Lu?” Your voice sounded through his phone, ringing in his ears.

“Y/n?” Luke said in confusion, eyes glancing up at the time, “Aren’t you supposed to be on your date?”

You hesitate to answer, a complete silence hanging in the air until your light sniffles sound through the phone, “He didn’t show, Lu. M-My mom dropped me off, I don’t have my car. Can you come pick me up?”

“I’ll be there in 10, stay there y/n/n.”

Luke ran out of the house.

I dedicate this song to you The one who never sees the truth That I can take away you hurt Heartbreak girl Hold you tight straight through the daylight I'm right here, when you gonna realise That I'm your cure? Heartbreak girl

I know someday it's gonna happen And you'll finally forget the day you met him Sometimes I'm so close to confession I gotta get it through your head That you belong with me instead

Luke couldn’t help but smile at you, hazel eyes meeting your e/c eyes as he strung his guitar expertly. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for you to be at band practices, actually, you were at a large amount of them. It was normal for you to watch the band, well that’s what you said you were doing, but you were only really looking at Luke.

You didn’t play any musical instruments properly, but you could play a little guitar from what Luke had taught you. You remembered his teaching you, arms wrapped around you, hands guiding your fingers onto the different frets, playing different cords. He didn’t give up when you messed up, and instead, he smiles and shows you again, your back flushed against his chest.

It was no secret that you always enjoyed watching their band practice and perform, but it was different this time because they had gotten you to stop thinking about Jack. This was the first day that you didn’t feel miserable and instead felt happy in their presence. It was the first day that your gleaming smile returned, one that all members of the band had missed.

Soon enough, they were finished, congratulating each other on how well they played with large smiles.

“We’re gonna sound great at the rally!” Reggie says, flipping his bass down to his side so he didn’t have to hold it as he gave Luke a high five before turning to Alex, all of them breathing heavily with huge smiles.

“Of course, we’re still finishing with the other song, right?” Alex asked, eyes looking over at Luke for approval. He nodded his head, making you look at them in confusion.

“What other song?”

Luke glanced over to you, walking closer before kneeling beside you, guitar still in his hand, smirking “Can’t tell you, it’s a surprise.”

You groaned lightly, flinging your head back before giving the boy your puppy eyes, “Please? I won’t tell.”

He laughed lightly, shaking his head at you. Over the years, he had often been the victim to your puppy eyes, and whilst he often found them irresistible, he knew he couldn’t tell you this secret. He playfully slapped you on the arm, “Get those puppy eyes away, they’re not gonna work today.”

“Fine,” you grumbled, standing up before you stood up alongside Luke, who slung an arm over your shoulder. You guys shared a look, almost communicating through your eyes, something that you guys had gotten freakishly good at since you were kids.

“So, who wants to go grab a smoothie?” Luke said, turning his attention towards the rest of the band as you jumped on his back, ready to leave practice for smoothies.

I dedicate this song to you The one who never sees the truth That I can take away you hurt Heartbreak girl Hold you tight straight through the daylight I'm right here, when you gonna realise That I'm your cure Heartbreak girl

Soon enough, the rally at school came and the students surround the stage that the band was playing on. You stood at the back, proudly watching them as they played. Their most recent song blasts through the halls, exciting the students more than you had seen for the previous people on stage, even Dirty Candy. Sweat drips off of them, lights blazing down on them with intensity.

Eyes looking at Luke, you see him jump around when he sings and it brings a smile to your face. You knew this was their surprise song, the song that they were ending with because it was an unfamiliar tune, but one that Luke was pouring every feeling into as he sang the lyrics.

Suddenly, he’s no longer playing his guitar and it’s hanging on the strap by his side, mic detached from the stand and he’s making his way off of the stage and running through the crowd. You’re astonished, not only because Luke is running off stage, but that it somehow isn’t affecting his vocals.

Everyone seems to knowingly make a path for him to run through, almost as if they know where he is going to. Your eyes stay on him as he comes through the crowd, slowing down to a walk as he begins to sing again,

“I dedicate this song to you The one who never sees the truth That I can take away you hurt Heartbreak girl

Hold you tight straight through the daylight I'm right here, when you gonna realise That I'm your cure? Heartbreak girl.”

His eyes meet yours when he is standing barely feet away from you. His hair is messed up, dripping with sweat but you barely notice. When he stops singing, he lifts the mic away from his face and holds it down away from both of your faces so that it can’t pick up what you’re saying.

People start to talk between themselves, all of them staring at you and Luke standing barely a foot apart, eyes gazing into one another but you don’t notice because you’re too busy looking at Luke. You’re speechless, heart racing faster than you thought humanly possible, with lips slightly apart before he whispers to you, “This is for you, my heartbreak girl.”

Then, his free hand makes its way up and cups your cheek, and his lips connect with yours.

[michals]

May I request some Luther & the showgirls working for Jack, as they seem to get along well. Though it seems like you already got quite a few requests, so feel perfectly free to ignore this. Hope the muse will become a bit more cooperative <3.

Thanks for your patience with this, sorry took a little longer than expected! Put a little bit of asexual Luther in here, hope that's okay. Also this is Gordo and this is Valentina.

-

Luther’s dinner is interrupted when a newspaper appears in front of his face.

“Look at this Lulu!” Patsy chirps over his shoulder as she holds it, “First woman in space! Can you believe it?”

“Not even long after the men,” Sandra says, leaning on the bar next to him, proud smirk on her face.

Luther takes the paper, acts like he’s surprised, like he didn’t already know. “Wow, look at that!” he says.

He’d learned about Valentina Tereshkova when he was just a kid, hell he’d been able to list all the Mercury Seven by the time he was four. He’d been upset, actually, that he’d been dropped at the tail end of December 1962 and had missed almost all their flights. At the very least he’d seen Gordo go up, the first to stay up for a whole day. Despite how he got here Luther’ll remember that as one of his favorite days of his life.

“A woman,” Marvin the bartender mutters as he sweeps up behind the counter, “and a Russian at that!” He scoffs and shakes his head.

Luther bites back a smile, Marvin’s gonna be real disappointed by a whole lot of things if he lives a lot longer.

“Hush, you,” Patsy says, shaking her hands at him, “you gotta start being more modern, like Luther.” He rolls his eyes and keeps sweeping.

“Nice to have some forward thinking men ‘round here,” Sandra says, leaning over the bar to grab a bottle of brandy. She was the one who’d given Luther a tour of the place, had teased him when he’d looked away as they passed the changing room.

She pours herself a glass, tips the bottle Luther’s way. He nods and lets her top off the glass at his elbow. He says, “Thank you.” They love how polite he is.

The girls all like him, or seem to at least. Luther’s never been anywhere that…well, anywhere, ever, especially where he’s around actual people. He acts how he’s sure he’s supposed to act and so far it’s working. This is still new, even months later; he wonders often if the day’s gonna come when he slips up and reveals a whole lot about himself they won't understand.

But he does like them, that's true. “How’s Bobby?” He asks.

“That lout!” Sandra says, rolling her eyes, holding up her left hand. “The day I get a ring on this finger is the day the saints come marching just for me.” She and Luther take a drink together.

Autumn bustles through the door then, gives a cheerful hello as she comes up to the bar, setting down a Tupperware container.

“Tell me those are lemon bars,” Patsy says, peering over them with a grin.

“Ma made ‘em this afternoon,” Autumn says, cracking open the lid to give her a peek. She points a finger at Luther, “And you’re gonna take some this time mister, none of that ‘no sugar’ nonsense.”

Luther gives an apologetic smile, “I have a fight tomorrow.” He’s always had a strict diet, his whole life, to keep in fighting shape. Sugar was a luxury saved for mom’s birthday cakes. He’s found it’s not all that different- training for dad’s missions or Jack’s matches. It’s alright though, he’s used to it, even if the lemon bars are tempting.

“Again, so soon?” Autumn’s expression turns concerned, “This hasn’t even healed yet!”

She reaches out towards him, to the cut that sits over his right eyebrow still sporting three stitches, but doesn’t actually touch. The girls are sweet, used to being flirty with patrons, but they’d learned within the first week that Luther was strange about physical touch. They’ve all been careful about it ever since, an unspoken agreement between him and them. He’s embarrassed by it, he tells himself it’s a stupid hang up to have, but it’s a relief and he’s thankful to them for it.

“It’s really not that bad,” he assures her. He heals fast, he can’t tell them why though. “I just won’t get hit there again.” He already knows he won’t, but he can’t tell them that either.

“Jack!” Autumn calls, looking over Luther’s shoulder and he turns to see Jack arriving, starting across the room to his office. He doesn’t look up from the papers in his hands.

“Yeah? What now?”

Sandra twists in her seat, “You gotta give Luther a break! You’re gonna ruin that pretty face!”

Luther ducks his head, tries not to blush. The only times he’s been called ‘pretty’ or ‘handsome’ was in some magazines when he got older. He doesn’t think of himself that way, especially now.

“Pretty face isn’t what keeps the lights on girls, it’s the muscles,” Jack says.

That’s always why Luther’s been useful.

Jack stops outside his office door, “Those lemon bars? Save a few for me.”

“Of course Jack,” Autumn says with a smile. The girls like Jack, he’s easy to work for.

Music comes on as Marvin puts a record on, a signal for the girls to start getting ready. Patsy whines that she wants to listen to Elvis Presley and Sandra says of course she does. Patsy gives Marvin doll eyes and he relents and the song switches, ‘There’s Always Me’ filling the bar with Elvis’s smooth voice. Luther likes it enough but some days he misses Cyndi Lauper fiercely.

“Promise?” Autumn says, still behind the counter, looking at Luther with a soft expression, “That you won’t get hit there again? It’s gonna leave a nasty scar.”

Luther gives his best reassuring look, “Promise.” He can’t tell her it’s all planned, every punch and kick. Luther spent 24 years of his life training to fight much worse people than some thugs in an dirt floor ring in a shack, every hit he takes is on purpose. Jack’s the only one who knows something’s a little off about Luther and he says he has to bleed a little, can’t make it look too easy.

Luther sees it as a requirement, a small sacrifice. He’s got a room and a job and free meals, and he knows he’s gonna win the fight anyway. What else is he supposed to do? He was dropped in the middle of nowhere, decades out of time, and dad…well, he won’t help. He tries not to think about how dad spoke to him that day, about the look on his face.

Autumn smiles like she’ll believe him for now, then takes the Tupperware with her off to the backroom to change. Luther finishes his dinner and drink alone at the bar until the first patrons show up, rubbing their hands together in excitement, eyes on the stage even as they order drinks. Luther starts his rounds.

It’s an easy job, he just mills around, warns the guys who get too loud, shoves out anyone who gets too rowdy or handsy. There’s strict rules on how exactly the men interact with the women and Luther makes sure everyone knows it. And he always makes sure Jack’s happy.

Luther’s not really interested in all the skin on display, he never has been. It’s another item he’s added to the list of ways he doesn’t quite fit; he’s supposed to like this kind of thing isn’t he? All “red blooded American men” like it, that’s what Jack says. Luther just nods, says, “yeah, of course”; something’s always told Luther it’s just not for him..

“You’re not a slobbering goon like the rest of the guys in this place,” Patsy had told him once after he’d thrown out some guy who got too bold, “You’re a real gentleman.” But he doesn’t understand how he couldn’t be, not with them, and that’s not even because of the other thing.

The night goes well enough, he only has to talk down a group of sailors who get too noisy but they get an eyeful of him and simmer down. Autumn makes her rounds, comes up to him at one point.

“Can I ask a favor Lu?”

“Always.”

“Well April borrowed my car yesterday and left it with a flat, didn’t bother to tell me-”

“Oh April,” Luther says, shaking his head. He’s used to these kinds of stories about her sister.

“I know right? That girl, I swear. Anyway, I was wondering if you’d walk me home tonight?”

“Of course,” Luther says, “I’ll check with Jack, make sure he doesn’t have anything for me at close.”

She beams at him, “Thanks Lu, you’re the best.”

He has to check with Jack because he’s got to put Jack first, it’s just part of the deal. He doesn’t have anything to do with parts of Jack’s business, parts that he doesn’t look into or think about too much. There’s an irony there about being a former superhero working for…whatever Jack is, but he has to run errands, sometimes even at 2 a.m. But tonight he’s free, Jack waves him off saying, “Yeah yeah, make sure my girls get home safe.”

Autumn’s waiting by the door in her street clothes when Luther finishes with Jack. Marvin locks the door behind them as they step out onto the quiet street.

Autumn gives a sly look as she opens up the Tupperware container, now half empty. “Come on now, you’re gonna make my ma real sad if you don’t at least try one.”

Luther purses his lip against a smile, sighs. “A bite.”

Autumn’s nearly giddy as he breaks off a piece, pops it in his mouth. She watches him expectantly. “Your mom’s an amazing baker,” he says and she grins proudly.

It is amazing, reminds Luther of a lemon cake mom had made when they turned 14.

The night is quiet and warm, the only place still open is the 24 hour diner down the road. Autumn says she likes their pancakes but other than that they don’t talk much. Luther finds it’s kind of nice that they don’t have to.

Her place isn’t far and he stays to watch her unlock the door and go in, she gives a wave as he stands at the gate.

It’s a longer walk back to his place from here but he doesn’t mind it. He never just walked around his neighborhood, back when he lived at the Academy. He wonders how different it might all be if he did. He tells himself it’s not a thought worth wondering though, he’s here, there’s no changing it, all he can do is make the best of it, but he’s got a few people who make it easier. He looks towards the sky, thinks about Valentina passing overhead.

[sickficsforthesoul]

Here is a second prompt!

Epileptic Suga having a seizure for the first time in front of the first years, maybe in a tougher situation to handle like a bus ride 👀

:)

-Lu

This one took me a little while, but it's done now, so enjoy! As mentioned in a prior post, this fic is part of the Setter Health Conditions (SHC) universe, so it might be referenced in other fics taking place in the universe. (Fun fact, this fic was originally titled "Into the Sugaverse" before I edited the title to be less cryptic.)

That One Bus Trip

Epileptic Suga with caretaker Daichi

Word count: 3447 words

Daichi was stressed. That wasn’t a new thing, though. With three siblings and two very busy parents, Daichi’s life was near-constant chaos. Though right now, the current cause of Daichi’s stress was sitting right next to him. Suga was curled up against Daichi on the bus seat. They were driving home from a weekend training camp in Tokyo. It was only early evening, but Suga looked quite sleepy leaning against Daichi’s arm.

“Are you okay, Suga?” Daichi asked quietly. They were seated near the back of the bus to keep an eye on everyone. The first years sat in the row in front of Daichi and Suga, and Daichi didn’t want to broadcast Suga’s private business to them (or anyone else on the bus, for that matter).

“Yeah,” Suga groaned as he shifted against Daichi’s arm. “Just feeling kind of off, ya know?”

Daichi’s eyes widened in alarm. “What kind of “off,” Suga? Like off off?”

“Off off,” Suga agreed, pressing the side of his face into Daichi’s club jacket.

“Do you want me to get someone?” Daichi muttered urgently.

This wasn’t good. Feeling off off was how Suga liked to refer to having an aura, and an aura meant a seizure was coming soon. And to make matters worse, they were on a bus, hours away from home. If Suga had a seizure now, it would be chaos. Everyone would panic because only Daich, Asahi, and Mr. Takeda knew about Suga’s epilepsy (Daichi wasn’t sure if Coach Ukai knew, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Suga never mentioned his condition. Suga was very shy about sharing his epilepsy with others. It had taken Daichi and Asahi cornering a first year Suga in the locker room after a particularly long practice to get Suga to tell them anything, and they were some of Suga’s closest friends.)

“No,” Suga murmured. “I have my medication. I’ll take it, so hopefully, things won’t get too bad.”

Suga leaned forward and rummaged through the bag at his feet, producing a medicine bottle seconds later. Daichi grabbed a water bottle from his own bag and presented it to Suga, who took it gratefully. Suga shook out one pill from the bottle and swallowed it down with a gulp of water. He handed the bottle back to Daichi and bent down to his bag again.

Daichi turned to his bag to distract himself from all the possible futures flashing through his mind. Even though Suga had taken his medication, that didn’t guarantee nothing would happen. Similar to migraine prevention medication, Suga’s medicine only worked some of the time. Daichi was praying to every deity in existence that it would work this time because he hated Suga seizing in any circumstance, but especially on a bus with their loud, emotional teammates. Suga didn’t seem too panicked on the surface, but Daichi was keenly aware of the setter’s clenched hands and furrowed brow. Suga was worried too, but he was far too prideful to ever tell anyone directly.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Daichi ordered, voice low to keep their conversation discreet.

“Okay,” Suga yawned, “I think I’m gonna take a nap. This medicine always makes me drowsy.”

“Alright,” Daichi nodded slightly. “Just try to stay calm. Getting worked up will only make everything worse.”

“I know, Daichi,” Suga huffed good-naturedly. “I’ve been dealing with this for years. I think I know how to take care of myself.”

Daich chuckled and patted Suga’s head with his free hand. “I know, I know. But I’m still worried, you know. I’m your best friend and your captain. I think I have the right to worry about you sometimes.”

“You’re such a dad, Daichi,” Suga snickered mischievously. “Dad... Daichi… Oh! Dadchi! From now on, I’m gonna call you Dadchi.”

Daichi sighed wearily. “How can you be so responsible one minute and then so childish the next?”

“It’s a gift,” Suga smiled goofily. Then a yawn escaped his mouth, and he blinked slowly.

“Take a nap, Suga,” Daichi said, slipping off his jacket to drape over the setter. “You’re tired, and it’ll make you feel better.”

Suga hummed in agreement, leaning against Daichi’s side and snuggling under the jacket. He sighed contently and closed his eyes. Within minutes, Suga was sleeping comfortably against Daichi’s shoulder. Daichi smiled at the sight, silently resigning himself to being Suga’s pillow for the rest of the bus ride. They still had over three hours left until they reached Karasuno High School, so Daichi was hoping Suga would be able to take a good, long nap until they arrived.

With Suga sleeping soundly, Daichi could finally relax. He gazed out the window at the setting sun, admiring the beautiful colors as the sun disappeared from the sky. Suga’s body was warm, Daichi noticed. Not feverish, but warm enough to keep Daichi’s body pleasantly warm as well. The bus was also fairly quiet. Most of their teammates were either reading or playing video games (even Kageyama was attempting to work a DS after Hinata’s incessant nagging). After two days of grueling training, Daichi’s body was begging for a break, and between the warmth and quiet murmurings of his teammates, Daichi felt himself nodding off too. His head drooped against Suga’s, and Daichi was asleep almost instantly.

X

When Daichi awoke, he noticed light flashing through the very dark bus. Lifting his head drowsily, Daichi quickly found the light source. Someone (probably Tanaka or Noya) had brought a portable DVD player onto the bus, and everyone (minus Suga, Daichi, and Asahi, who had donned an eyemask and fell asleep sometime after Daichi had) was gathered around it watching a movie of some sort.

Daichi yawned and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick text to Ennoshita asking about what movie they were watching. Ennoshita replied with the title (“Into the Spider-Verse,” apparently) along with what he’d missed so far. The movie was only a third of the way done, so Daichi hadn’t missed too much. Suga was still sleeping soundly, so Daichi didn’t dare move. He couldn’t see the movie, but that was fine so long as Suga was asleep and calm.

Suga continued to sleep for another half hour at least while Daichi ignored the DVD player in favor of looking at his phone. During that time, Ennoshita texted frequent updates on the movie, summarizing the plot, characters, and visuals with stunning clarity. Daichi would occasionally see some bright flashes of light, but he was too focused on his phone to register the problem the lights might pose. Daichi was snickering at the reveal of Doctor Octavius when Suga stirred next to him.

“You’re up, huh?” Daichi murmured to a drowsy Suga.

“Yeah…” Suga yawned, eyes still shut.

“Are you feeling better?” Daichi asked gently.

“A little, yeah,” Suga hummed, shifting to a sitting position and cracking open his eyes.

“That’s good, at least,” Daichi smiled, reaching over to grab his jacket from Suga’s lap.

“I guess,” Suga sighed, his brown eyes still half-lidded with exhaustion. “What’s going on?”

“We’re watching a movie. Into the Spider-Verse, apparently.” Daichi lifted his phone to show Suga the screen. “Ennoshita’s been keeping me updated. He’s actually pretty good at it too.”

Suga grabbed the phone and scrolled to the beginning of Ennoshita’s recent texts. He took a moment to read before handing the phone back to Daichi. “You’re right. He is pretty good. Is the movie still on?”

“Yes,” Daichi nodded, “The DVD player’s in the aisle. We can watch it if we move over a little.”

“Let’s watch it,” Suga replied. “It’s not like we have anything better to do right now.”

“Okay,” Daichi agreed easily, sliding over into the aisle to watch the movie. Suga moved too, taking Daichi’s now-vacant seat.

They settled down to watch the movie without much trouble. The occasional bright flash made Suga wince and turn away for a moment, but the instances were infrequent, so Daichi didn’t think much of them. Suga seemed to be enjoying the movie too. He laughed at the jokes and fawned over the action sequences. Daichi wasn’t surprised. He’d known about Suga’s nerdy side for a while now.

To be fair, Daichi was also enjoying the movie. The soundtrack and animation were very well done, and Daichi was always a sucker for action movies. Perhaps that was why Daichi forgot about the danger the movie could pose to Suga. Daichi was so absorbed in the movie that he failed to notice Suga’s furrowed brows and rapidly paling face. The final straw for Suga’s fragile health was the collider scene. The frantic, aggressive flashes of light sent Suga’s body headfirst into an epileptic episode.

At first, Daichi thought Suga was just shivering. Small trembles wracked Suga’s frame, but when the trembles grew stronger and more sporadic, Daichi became concerned. Turning away from the DVD player, he squinted through the dark at his best friend, and what Daichi saw was horrible. Suga’s body spasmed erratically while Suga’s eyes were blown wide with panic and distress. Tears slipped down Suga’s cheeks as a soft whine escaped his mouth. Suga’s eyes settled on Daichi, silently begging for help.

Daichi was panicking, but Suga needed him, so he had to focus. Daichi quickly wrapped his jacket around Suga’s head and neck, creating a cushion to protect the vulnerable areas during Suga’s thrashing. Then he carefully scooted Suga’s body farther into the seat, so he wouldn’t fall off and hit something against the bus floor. With Suga in a secure position, there was nothing left to do now but time the seizure and wait for it to end. Daichi hated this part the most because he was powerless to help his best friend.

Their teammates slowly started to notice that something was wrong. Suga’s breathing was irregular and audible over the movie to the people sitting near Daichi and Suga. Ennoshita sent him a text a minute later to make sure everything was okay. Daich responded with a cryptic text that told Ennoshita something was wrong but didn’t specify what. Naturally, Ennoshita sent more texts, each becoming more and more worried, though he thankfully had the sense to keep his inquiries in texts instead of voicing them aloud.

Suga’s trembles finally slowed, and Daichi checked the clock on his phone. The seizure had lasted for just over two minutes. While not ideal, the seizure was still under five minutes. Seizures lasting longer than five minutes tended to be the most dangerous ones, so at least Suga avoided that.

Now that the seizure was over, Daichi needed to get Suga help. So Daichi got to his feet and walked down the bus aisle. Most of his teammates grumbled in annoyance, but Daichi caught the worried gazes of Ennoshita and his seatmate Kinoshita. He gave them a small smile, hoping to convey that things were getting better, but the duo still looked worried. Daichi continued on his trek and finally reached the front of the bus. Thankfully, Coach Ukai was driving while Mr. Takeda was helping Coach Ukai navigate from the front bus seat.

“Mr. Takeda?” Daichi leaned towards the club advisor, keeping his voice low.

“Daichi?!” Mr. Takeda yelped in surprise, but he quickly fell silent once he saw Daichi’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Suga had an… episode,” Daichi whispered to the club advisor.

“An episode?” Mr. Takeda blinked in confusion. “What kind of episo- Oh!” Mr. Takeda lowered his voice out of courtesy to Suga and his privacy. “Suga had an epileptic episode?”

“Yeah,” Daichi sighed tiredly. “His seizure lasted for a little more than two minutes. He’s resting now, but we should take him to a hospital to get checked out.”

“Of course!” Mr. Takeda nearly shouted again. “I’ll let Coach know right away! Do you need any help with Suga?”

“I don’t think so,” Daichi shook his head. “I just might need help getting him off the bus when we get to the hospital.”

“Alright. I’ll find the nearest hospital and tell Coach to get us there as soon as possible. Can you keep Suga comfortable until we arrive?” Mr. Takeda asked.

“I’ll take good care of him,” Daichi replied firmly.

“I’m sure you will,” Mr. Takeda agreed before he moved to the driver’s seat to let Coach Ukai know about the change of plans.

Daichi returned to his seat swiftly, anxious from leaving Suga alone for so long. Suga was still lying across their seats, but he was conscious and relatively alert because he turned his head when Daichi got back to their seats. Daichi sat in the aisle to keep an eye on Suga, rubbing the setter’s ankle soothingly. Daichi and Suga stayed like that until the bus pulled into a hospital parking lot.

Cries of confusion and irritation broke out until Mr. Takeda silenced them with an uncharacteristically stern stare. “Move out of the aisles, everyone. The paramedics need to use them.”

Everyone obeyed immediately, but looks of confusion were etched on most of their teammates’ faces. Two paramedics boarded their bus, with Mr. Takeda directing them back to Suga and Daichi’s seats. Daichi moved out of their way, helping them pull Suga into the larger paramedic’s arms. Suga remained limp in the paramedic’s hold, though his eyes darted over to Daichi as the paramedics carried him away. Daichi waved reassuringly, and Suga flashed him a brief smile before his eyes fell shut. That caused the paramedics to panic and rush off the bus. Daichi watched them place Suga on a waiting stretcher from the bus window, and then his best friend disappears into the large white building with the paramedics.

X

They weren’t allowed to see Suga for the next few hours. Their teammates’ confusion had morphed into shock and despair once they realized that something was wrong with Suga. The first and second years badgered Daichi and Asahi relentlessly until they finally caved, informing the team of Suga’s epilepsy. Daichi also explained why Suga was currently in the hospital, and Tanaka looked guiltier by the second. Daichi reached out a hand and rubbed the spiker’s shoulder, explaining that it wasn’t Tanaka’s fault. He didn’t know about Suga’s epilepsy until a few minutes ago, so there was no way for him to know how dangerous the movie would be for his vice-captain to watch. Tanaka still moped in his hospital chair until they were finally allowed to see Suga.

It was very early morning when a nurse approached their group with information about Suga. She pulled Mr. Takeda and Coach Ukai away for a few minutes to inform them of Suga’s condition. With Suga’s parents out of the country for work, they were acting as Suga’s legal guardians while he was in the hospital. Daichi waited with the team until the two adults returned to their group.

“Suga will be fine, everyone,” Mr. Takeda smiled exhaustedly. The events of the night had taken a visible toll on him. “He was just dehydrated and exhausted. He’s on an IV right now to get some fluids and nutrients into his system, but he’ll be okay after getting some rest.”

“He’ll be released soon,” Coach Ukai continued gruffly. “They’re just waiting until his IV is done. We should be out of here in an hour or so.”

“Can we see him?!” Nishinoya and Hinata asked eagerly.

“Yes,” Mr. Takeda laughed at their antics, “but you have to be quiet, ok? Suga might be asleep, and we shouldn’t wake him if he is.”

“Yes sir!” The duo nodded before dashing down the hallway.

“Wait!” Mr. Takeda let out a panicked cry. “You don’t even know Suga’s room number!”

Mr. Takeda chased after the two, and soon the entire team was running down the hospital hallway to Suga’s room. Mr. Takeda directed them to take two flights of stairs and a long corridor to reach Suga’s room. Unsurprisingly, Hinata and Nishinoya were the first to the door, with Kageyama and Tanaka not far behind. Mr. Takeda caught up with them, forcing them to wait until everyone had gathered to open the door. Daichi pushed his way to the front of the group, citing his captain status. Suga was his best friend, and he was going invoke his captain rights if it let him see Suga faster.

Mr. Takeda opened the door, and the Karasuno VBC filed into the room silently. Daichi stared at Suga as he entered. Suga was awake and sitting up in his bed. He looked exhausted, but his face had color, and he looked much better than he had hours ago. Suga watched them all carefully, offering them a wave. The IV in his elbow bounced in time with Suga’s wave. Once everyone was settled into the room, Suga gave them a warm Suga-Smile™.

“Hey, guys,” Suga said with exhausted but genuine enthusiasm. “What’s up?”

“SUGA!!!!” Hinata, Nishinoya, and Tanaka yelled, launching themselves at Suga.

They piled themselves on top of a shocked Suga, but he was quick to pull the trio into a warm hug.

“You scared us, Suga,” Daichi said quietly as he sat on the side of Suga’s bed.

“Sorry. I should have told someone earlier,” Suga sighed, snuggling into the cuddlepile on his lap.

“It’s not your fault, Suga,” Asahi hummed from the other side of Suga’s bed. “You can’t control your epilepsy.”

“I guess so… But I still feel bad for scaring you guys like that,” Suga confessed, eyes full of guilt.

“It’s okay, Suga,” Hinata chirped from the cuddle pile. “We’re just glad that you’re okay!”

“Thanks, Hinata,” Suga laughed into the blocker’s red hair.

“Hinata’s right,” Ennoshita chimed in. “I just wished you’d told us about your epilepsy earlier.”

“I know I should have, and I’m really sorry.” Suga bowed his head in apology. “I just hate talking about it. Daichi and Asahi basically had to kidnap me to get me to tell them about it.”

“Is that true, Daichi?” Nishinoya asked excitedly.

“I guess so…” Daichi laughed awkwardly. “In our defense, Suga was very stubborn. That was the only way we got Suga to talk to us instead of changing the topic.”

“Was I really that bad?” Suga cocked his head to the side.

“You were,” Asahi nodded solemnly. “I didn’t think we’d ever get you to tell us anything.”

“You’re always so negative, Asahi.” Suga poked the ace’s arm lightly. “It’s that negativity goatee, I swear.”

“My goatee has nothing to do with it!” Asahi whined sadly.

Suga giggled lightly at his friends, and Suga’s laugh was always infectious. The cuddle pile trio was giggling too, and then Daichi and Asahi joined in as well. Soon, the entire team was laughing, even Mr. Takeda and Coach Ukai. The previous events were long and stressful, so now everyone was finally relaxing a little.

The team chatted amongst themselves quietly until a nurse entered the room to check Suga’s IV. She declared that it was done and swiftly removed the needle from Suga’s elbow before the setter could even process what was happening. The nurse left the room for a moment and returned with a wheelchair for Suga to sit in. Hinata, Nishinoya, and Tanaka clambered off Suga’s lap, so Daichi and Asahi could help Suga into the wheelchair. They wheeled Suga out to the bus and got him situated on a bus seat near the front, so the adults could keep an eye on him. Daichi also sat beside Suga to help him if need be.

Everyone boarded the bus, and they were on their way back to Miyagi. Suga leaned his head on Daichi’s shoulder, eyes heavy with sleep.

“Daichi,” he yawned heavily. “Thanks for everything today.”

Daichi smiled tiredly at his best friend. “Sure. I’m always here for you. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I do,” Suga hummed happily. “I’m glad you’re such a good friend.”

“Thanks, Suga.” Daichi yawned as well. “You’re a pretty good friend too.”

“You’re still better,” Suga teased lightly before a big yawn escaped his mouth.

“And you’re still exhausted. Get some rest. I’ll wake you up when we get back,” Daichi said softly.

“Thanks, Daichi,” Suga murmured as his eyes slipped shut.

“Any time, Suga,” Daichi whispered as he felt his eyes grow heavier by the second. He leaned his head on top of Suga’s. The adults would wake them when they got to the school, Daichi reasoned before his eyes shut completely. Karasuno’s captain was asleep in a matter of seconds, taking a well-deserved nap after the chaos of the past few hours. The bus wouldn’t arrive for a few hours, and Daichi was content to nap with his best friend as the bus rolled on through the night.

[fandomscombine]

Heartbroken Wingwoman

BG: You were hoping that your best friend, Cedric to ask you to the Yule Ball. Instead you were roped into helping him ask Cho out. It broke your heart, but at least this way while helping him out you could pretend that he was doing all the sweet things to you. On the other side of the picture, Harry was too heartbroken upon learning that Cho is going out with Cedric. 

Angst. Cedric Diggory x Reader, Harry Potter x Reader (Platonic) [Or maybe more, if anyone is interested for a part 2]

WC:1383

a/n: We weren’t given names of Cedric’s friends so let’s pretend that one of them is called Lucas okay? Good!

I wanted to get all the angst fics out of the way before I post fluff pieces for the holidays.

Plus it is my first Cedric fic so feedback is really appreciated.

>>>MASTERLIST<<<

>>JOIN MY WRITING CHALLENGE!<<

~

Seeing him pursue another girl hurt.

Let alone helping him pursue said girl.

That’s right you are helping your best friend ask out one of the most popular girls in Hogwarts, Cho Chang.

You didn’t want to be in this situation. (Who in their right mind would?) But if it means spending more time with him, you would again and again.

Cause who would fall for their childhood best friend who already have pictures and memories of each other in their diapers. (Oh right you would!) Sure, this situation you got yourself isn’t ideal. You had seriously thought it was you Cedric was referring to, but alas it was not.

At least in this way, when coming up with romantic ideas to woo Cho, you would pretend that he was doing them to you.

You were once again silently scolding yourself for going through this agreement. Sighing, you leaned back against the tree truck, pleading for the voice inside your head to shut up.

Peace and quiet only lasted for a moment. A thump had cut through your relaxation and the next think you knew, a weight could be felt in your lap.

Opening your eyes, ready to unleash your irritation on whoever disturbed you. ‘WHO THE FUCK DARES-‘ Oh boy, here we go again. The very problem you were trying to forget was now laying  face up, directing his brilliant award-winning smile at you- everything seem to melt away, you could spend forever just having him stare back at you lovingly and that wouldn’t be even enough. Stupid Cedric Diggory and his ability to make you forget about everything.

Cedric was saying something, but whatever that may be, sounds like cotton. If was as if the rest of the world is in a distorted underwater chamber when you were gazing into his eyes ‘shesaidyes,y/n! Cho-‘

And just like that with one word, the spell is broken. You were cut off your dreamlike state, sent back into the painful reality.

‘hmmm? Sorry what?’

‘I said.’ Cedric rolled his eyes. But even your inattentiveness, did not put him off his cheery mood. In fact, Cedric was more than happy to say the words out loud again. ‘Cho said yes!! She’s gonna be my date to the Yule ball!’

‘That’s… great ced…. really great..’ You tried to mask your pain. Unfortunately, the deliver was no great and you’ve only manged to pull yourself together to give a crooked smile.

‘Wait there’s more!! We’re officially together!’ Fortunately, Cedric was too busy being head over heels for Cho, had failed to notice your odd reactions.

‘Seriously y/n you’re a life saver!’ Cedric kissed your cheek. ‘With all this love advice, I can’t believe how in the whole are you still single?!’ He was baffled by this conundrum. ‘You sure you don’t fancy anyone?’

‘Oh believe me he doesn’t see me that way.’

‘Well his lost then, to not see such a wonderful beautiful woman.’

How this boy ruins you, without realising that his efforts to cheer you up is bringing up down.

‘Oh and by the way, how you got someone to take you to the dance?’

‘No why?’ You run your fingers through the grass, praying that he would get the hint that a date to the yule ball is the last thing on your mind.

‘Perhaps I could set you up with someone, you know as to pay you back for all you’ve down for me.’ Cedric adjusted his seating so that now you were shoulder to shoulder. ‘I bet by now you’re tired to be pretending to be interested in me just so I could practice asking Cho out! Oh I know I’ll ask Lu—'

Immediately your hand covers his mouth. ‘NO!!! No!!! I would rather go alone or with a group of friends

Taking your hand away he asks ‘What why? Why what’s wrong with Lucas?’

You sighed. ‘He’s a really sweet guy Ced, but he’s just not my type—A FACT I told me like a billion times already, yet he still tries.’ Poking at his shoulder to further drive the point home.

Arms up in surrender, Cedric concedes. ‘This guy you like, must really got your heart then does he?’

‘Yeahh..’ Gosh how this by be the kindest and caring human being ever yet fails to see that he is hurting his best friend. ‘Anyway, I have to go…I’m gonna be late for Divination!’ Gathering your things, you ran as fast as you can before tears fall from your face.

Leaving behind a boy not only an oblivious state but also in a confused one mumbling to himself. ‘But you don’t take Divination.’

In your haste to escape what would have been embarrassing scene with Cedric, you hadn’t released that you were headed towards some in maximum velocity.

Coincidentally, that said person also had their mind elsewhere and hadn’t been looking at where they were going.

Resulting in both of you to fall over.

‘Owww!’ You clutch your forehead, already feeling a bump forming. Though as you left go, you were surprised to see your palm bloody. ‘fuc--’

‘OH MY GOSH Y/N!!!’ The string of swear words about to leave your mouth was cut off by the one and only Harry Potter. ‘I AM SO SORRY!!!! HERE LET ME FIX IT…’

Dropping his broom aside, he directed his wand at you. ‘Episkey’ You could feel the healing spell doing its work, the warm sensation no doubt be the cut on your head closing.

‘There you go! Good as new!’ Harry exclaimed, wiping away the blood off your forehead. He noticed your tear stains, but he thought that it was caused by the collision and bit by having your heartbroken. Nevertheless, he tried to lighten the mood by joking. ‘No need to worry about a scar.’

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Did this boy really make a reference to himself?

Harry held out his hand to pull you up. ‘Thanks... for the patch up, though it is your fault. You did hit me with your broom.’

‘Yeah sorry about that….again.’

‘Why do you even have your broom with you? Isn’t Quidditch cancelled this year because of the Triwizard Tournament?’

‘well yea, but I thought I take it out for a ride to clear my head.’ He replied truthfully.

‘The tasks getting you in a snag then?’ You gotta hand it to him to still be working on figuring out what the second task is even Cedric had stopped. Everyone’s focused on the topic of dates or so you thought.

‘Dates actually.’

‘Dates?’

‘Yea… Don’t make fun of me but I haven’t gotten a date yet. Well you see I did went and asked Cho but turns out she’s going with-‘

‘Cedric.’

‘-Cedric yea.. How’d you know?’

Seeing that he had confessed about being rejected by Cho, you thought it was only fair to tell him your truth too.

‘I kinda was hoping he’d asked me really, but what ended up happening was me helping him ask her out.’

‘wow…..that’s gotta hurt y/n…..sorry!! That was insentive.’

‘Nah it’s fine, I’m getting used to rejection anyway.’

As you rounded the corner, out of his sight. Harry had came up with a brilliant idea.

‘Y/n! Y/n wait up!’

When he reached you, he through caution in the wind- what more can he lose? This close to the yule ball, almost everyone is paired up. Harry would rather go with someone he knew and was comfortable with, then some stranger just to satisfy the requirement of each champion needing a date.

‘I just had an idea, you don’t have to agree but since every champion requires a date.’

Your brows arch at the statement.

‘yes I know, it’s compulsory. I swear.  But I just thought being that both the people we wanted to go with are each other’s dates, I was wondering that maybe…why don’t we go together…. To the yule ball…Be each other’s dates to the yule ball?’

‘hmmmmm.’ You weighed out his proposition. ‘yea..yea! Why should we let a good party go to waste just because of them?!?’

‘Brilliant!’ Harry was smiling, Proud that for once in the past 3 weeks, he didn’t choke while asking a girl out. ‘I’ll pick you up at 7pm outside the y/h/h common room.’

~

 If the reception for this is well, I might do a part 2. tbh currenty I have 3 possibe endings, but still can’t choose wish. so comment which you’d like to see!

Can be with multiple ending.

1.       You/cedric, Cho/harry

2.       You/harry, Cho/cedric

3.       Cho/cedric. More Angst, remains platonic, you/harry both heartbroken.

Taglist [All/General]: @gruffle1​

[queenof-literature]

Goron

Hi all! This is the forth story in my Wild’s Story Hour series, which was originally requests that were sent in, and soon turned into its own series! I’ve been writing this on and off for a few months now, so I’m so happy to post it.

A little note: My Tumblr has been very wonky lately. I’m not sure about y’all, but every time I search for recent in the Linked Universe tag I get spammed with completely random tags not even related to the point where I can’t even see LU content. This is the only tag that’s like this for me. So please know that I’m not ignoring anyone, it’s just been quite laggy and slow for me to get notifications as well.

AO3 Link

Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy!

"Thanks for dinner Wild!" Hyrule exclaimed before digging in. Wild heard similar sentiments as he passed out mushroom and veggie rice balls, with some fruit crepes on the side. An odd combination, but that’s apparently what happened when you traveled with a group of eight others. In Twilight’s Hyrule they had found a relatively safe and secluded place for the evening before the sun had begun to set, so Wild took the extra time to put more effort into dinner. The others used to tell him that he didn't need to put so much effort into dinner, they were fine with rations and quick meals over a fire. However after they learned that cooking was what Wild would consider a passion, they allowed themselves to be fed without complaint. If Wild enjoyed it, who were they to stop him. The delicious food was certainly a bonus.

After thanking Wild the group settled around the fire, relaxing into the evening lull Wild had begun to find comforting long ago. He was never expected to talk, he could just sit in peace and listen. And if he chose to talk, which was becoming more frequent as time went on, the others always listened. 

But after the… incident when Wild sang Kass' song, no one had asked him to tell anymore stories. After the first night of 'Wild's Story Hour' as Hyrule called it, Wind would often jump on his back and ask questions about his Hyrule. If Wind was anything, he was curious. That trait seemed to be amped up since Wild's Hyrule also had Rito and Koroks. Now though, Wind bit his tongue and kept quiet.

Wild didn't want to admit that he missed it.

He never thought he would miss talking, especially telling an entire story over a campfire. Talking used to feel like giving pieces of himself away, and if he gave too much he would be empty. Now he felt relieved every time he talked about his adventure. Wild loved seeing his brothers’ reactions to his tales, and the more he talked the more weight was lifted off him. That must have been what Warriors was talking about when he said that sometimes it helped to talk to others.

Wild missed it, but he didn't want to bring it up. It was embarrassing, and he didn't want the others to feel forced to listen to him. He was trying to get rid of that mentality but it was hard.

Wind felt guilty too, Wild could tell. Wild wasn't sure the little pirate had ever seen Wild so far gone in panic and anger. He hated that any of them saw him like that, let alone Wind. It wasn't the little pirate's fault, he didn't know that bringing it up would cause Wild's panic, not even Wild himself knew. It hadn't affected their friendship, but Wild didn't want Wind to feel uncomfortable around him at all. 

Before he could cucco out, Wild signed for Wind to sit with him when he could. Wind smiled and nodded, quickly finishing his conversation with Four before making his way over.

"Yes, Wild?" Wind asked eagerly, but Wild could still see the apprehension under the surface.

"Are you okay?" Wild asked, skipping the small talk he wasn't good at. 

"Of course! Why?" Wild resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Getting Wind, or any of the Links, to admit something was wrong was like pulling teeth. Although, Wild guessed he didn't have much room to talk…

"You've seemed upset lately. Did I do something?" Wild once again got straight to the point. If Wild did anything to upset the younger, he wanted to fix it. And he wanted to fix it now.

"What? Of course not, Wild! I'm sorry I made you think that. It's just… I feel bad I guess.” Wind sighed out, his shoulders slumping out of his fake eagerness. Wild winced slightly, knowing what Wind was talking about. Wild had one of his… attacks, in front of everyone. It started innocently enough, with Wind being curious about a song. It ended with Wild yelling and sobbing about his failures a century ago. 

“That wasn’t your fault.” Wild stated firmly. “You didn’t know what was going to happen. No one did, not even me.” Wild trailed off slightly at the last part. Wind’s face had perked up slightly, but he didn’t look completely convinced. 

“Wind.” Wild said gently, getting the younger’s attention. “I wouldn’t have sung if I didn’t want to.” Wild paused before admitting the next part, slightly embarrassed. “I like talking about my adventure. It feels nice.” Wild felt his ears turn red, but Wind didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he looked happier than he had in days.

“So… everything is okay? Do you forgive me?” Wind asked hopefully.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” Wild reassured. “Of course everything is okay.” 

“Can I…” Wind trailed off from his question, but Wild knew what was going to be asked, and he simply nodded and smirked, opening his arms slightly. Wild caught a flash of Wind’s face, a large beaming grim, before a body launched into his arms from across the log, squeezing the life out of him. Wild squeezed just as hard back, thankful that the matter was behind them. Wild could feel eyes on them, and turned to meet the mirthful gazes of his companions. Wild simply glared at them, warning them not to say anything. This was between him and Wind. But the other Links were simply thankful everything was all right. 

“Hey Wild?” Wind’s muffled voice rose from Wild’s chest.

“Hm?” Wild hummed, biting back a smile.

“Do you ever wanna tell another story for us? It’s okay if you say no.” Wind asked into Wild’s tunic. Wind used to bite back on his hugs and physical touches, afraid it would be seen as childish. But after it became more common around camp, and after the other Links understood that Wind simply came from a home where hugs were a common display of affection, Wind didn't feel the need to hide it anymore.

“Yeah, anytime.” Wild smiled.

“Now?” Wind questioned hesitantly.

“Sure.” Wild confirmed, searching through good memories of his adventure. Like an arrow, Wind launched off Wild’s chest, and Wild shoved down his disappointment at the loss of warmth.

“Guys! Shush!” Wind yelled, a hush falling over the camp besides a few grumbles about being interrupted. “Wild’s gonna tell a story!” He shouted in excitement, ignoring Wild’s shocked face. By now, Wind really meant right now.

“Did you inform Wild of this?” Legend asked, smirking at Wild’s shocked face.

“Of course! I asked him!” Wind scolded, turning back around and sitting on his and Wild’s shared log, ignoring Legend rolling his eyes. Wild saw Twilight shoot a look over the fire, silently asking if this was truly alright. Wild gave him a reassuring look and a nod. The camp was once again quiet as they all looked to Wild in interest.

“Uhh. What should I talk about?” Wild questioned awkwardly. It was always so awkward at the start.

“You always ask that, talk about whatever you want.” Legend crossed his arms, and lowered himself to the ground, back against the log.

“There’s two divine beasts left. You can talk about one of those?” Hyrule spoke up beside Legend. 

“Okay, Gorons?” Wild suggested. The Gorons were a fun people to be around, and if Wild was honest, he wasn’t ready to touch on the subject on the Zora quite yet. That was too close to Mipha. Mipha wasn’t necessarily a secret, but it was a topic he was still sore about.

“Gorons sound fun. Don’t we all have Gorons in our Hyrule?” Four questioned, receiving nods and noises of confirmation. 

“Didn’t Twilight wrestle them?” Sky questioned, receiving blank looks from the others.

“I’m sorry Twilight what?” Warriors’ shocked expression almost sent Wild into a fit of laughter. He couldn’t blame the man though, Wild was just as surprised when Twilight told him about his adventure with the Gorons. 

“And you didn’t tell me?” Wind’s cried in betrayal. 

“Uhh, I needed my iron boots to do it.” Twilight tried to soothe the outbreak of awe.

“That doesn’t matter with Gorons. Those make you heavier, even someone with above-average strength couldn’t beat a Goron with iron boots.” Four smirked from beside Sky, who was watching the chaos he caused unfold. 

“I told y’all I learned how to wrestle in my village!” Twilight shouted with no heat. 

“You didn’t tell us you wrestled a Goron!” Wind yelled back. 

“He also burned a building down.” Time spoke up, biting back a smile at Twilight’s betrayed expression.

“I told you that in confidence!” Twilight yelled. 

“Wait and you give me shit for lighting things on fire?” Wild cried out. Now this was the first he had heard of that. 

“You do it for fun!” Twilight tried to defend himself through the uproarious laughter. 

“Why did you do it then?” Wild questioned. 

“That’s not important!” Twilight huffed. 

“Maybe we should call you Wild.” Legend joked.

“Hey don’t you dare-” Twilight began before being interrupted by Four.

“As entertaining as this is, I think Wild was going to tell a story.” He reminded.

“Yeah! Wild talk about the Gorons!” Wind ceased glaring at Twilight in favor of looking at Wild. 

“Okay, okay.” Wild said after he was done laughing. “Well you guys know my Death Mountain is really hot with all the lava.”

“Understatement.” Warriors mumbled.

“So I had to pick up some elixirs from Foothill stables and drink them on the way up." Wild started, relaxing into his story as he went.

“Don’t your elixirs only last a couple of hours?” Hyrule titled his head.

“Yeah, why?” Wild questioned. 

“That looks like a long and rocky road. What, did you just run through the whole domain?” Hyrule joked, pausing when he saw Wild bite his lip. “Wild!” Hyrule yelled in realization.

"What? I didn't have any other choice! I had plenty of elixirs!" Wild defended.

“What if you ran out?” Four chided with a snort.

“Then I’d teleport away.” Wild shot back.

“Don’t extreme temperatures affect your slate sometimes?” Warriors smirked. 

“I… would deal with that when I got there.” Wild huffed at the laughter that came from the others.

“Yeah a lot of your plans involve that.” Legend mumbled.

“Anyway.” Wild interrupted before the conversation could lead to discussing his battle tactics. “I kept running up the path and there were a lot of fire monsters like moblins, and keese and chuchus-” Wild continued.

“Don’t the chuchus in your Hyrule explode?” Hyrule asked once again, eyes shining in excitement. 

“Yeah! If I throw bombs at them then I can make a huge explosion! Especially the big ones.” Wild confirmed with a grin.

“No, you two are not having a competition of who can make a bigger explosion when we get to Wild’s Hyrule again.” Time already knew where this would lead. It was best to nip it in the bud now.

“Awe.” Wild and Hyrule groaned. 

“We never get to do anything.” Wild mumbled with a pout.

“You were saying?” Time lifted an eyebrow. Wild huffed once more before continuing his story. 

“Right. It was a long walk and of course I wasn’t going to risk taking a horse. There were a lot of cliffs along the path and since I didn’t have much time I took the straight path. Then I accidently ran into a Talus!” Wild grinned at the rest of the group’s groans. They had some run-ins with the larger monsters in Wild’s Hyrule, and while they all had tough enemies, Wild’s had some of the largest monsters that were considered relatively common.

“Volcanos have molten rock, how did you miss it?” Warriors joked.

“It was molten rock!” Wild defended. “It blended in perfectly.”

“Wait wait wait.” Four waved his hands. “Your Taluses are also made of magma and volcanic rock?”

“Yep.” Wild confirmed, laughing slightly at the various looks of surprise the Links always held when they learned of new monsters their own Hyrules didn’t have. The other heroes had been near Eldin, but not quite near Goron City enough to see an Igneo Talus. Hopefully they were never dropped off near Death Mountain. Wild didn’t really want to wake up on fire.

“Are there ice and electric ones too.” Legend groaned.

“Ice ones.” Wild answered. “Those ones are really hard to see.”

“Ugh, remind me to watch my step.” Legend rolled his eyes.

“Will do.” Wild deadpanned. “Luckily I had some ice arrows so it was okay. Eventually I made it to the Southern Mine. That’s where the Goron mine for ore!" Wild explained. "I even met another Hylian there! He had some of the Flamebreaker Armor that you get in Goron City.” Wild had shown the group his Flamebreaker Armor before, and some had even tried it on, including Four.

“Oh? Did you seduce this Hylian for clothes as well?” Warriors raised an eyebrow.

“No I did not!” Wild crossed his arms, glaring at the rest of the now laughing heroes. “I’ll never live that down will I?”

“Nope.” Warriors and Legend smirked at Wild’s glare. 

“I asked if I could buy it, since he was heading down anyway.” Wild spoke over the chuckling Links. “He said he would give it to me if I caught him 10 fireproof lizards so he could make elixirs. I saw a bunch of lizards while running up so I caught enough.” The rest of the group nodded, they too had to do some… irregular things for important items.

“How do you catch that many lizards that fast?” Wind tilted his head. “Aren’t they quick?”

“Oh yeah. If you’re not careful they’ll scurry away and bury themselves in the mountain side or under rock. I had to crouch and hop around.” Wind laughed at the image of Wild moving around like that. 

This was nice.

“Is Goron City far away from the Southern Mine?” Sky asked.

“It’s not too far, but after I got a part of the armor and started approaching the city, Vah Rudania, Daruk’s divine beast, was circling Death Mountain and started launching giant fireballs so I had to dodge them and sprint up to the city.”

“Giant fireballs? Why would the beast attack you?” Hyrule asked. 

“Well I’m not sure if Rudania meant to do it since it was circling the volcano, but Rudania was terrorizing Goron City like Medoh was terrorizing the Rito, so I think it was because of the Calamity.” Wild hummed in thought.

“They were infected with… malice, right?” Four questioned, remembering Wild’s pictures of the large pool of intimidating… something. It was apparently a manifestation of the Calamity, and Wild had said it burned whenever he touched it, especially with the Master Sword in hand. Four remembered even the pool looked evil. Pure black roots took hold of whatever was around it, mixed in with deep shades of reds and purples. Wild also told him there was an odd sound it made that set him on edge.

“As far as I know.” Wild nodded, thinking back to the pools of malice in all the Divine Beasts. “Back 100 years ago,” The group perked up in both excitement and worry. It was rare Wild talked about 100 years ago. Both because he couldn’t remember it, and because it had pained him for so long. “The other champions rushed to their Divine Beasts. The plan was I would protect Zelda, and return to defeat Ganon after the Divine Beasts weakened them. Zelda wanted to come with me, since she still believed there was a chance to awaken her power. She always pushed herself so hard…” Wild trailed off for a moment, staring into the fire. Twilight almost began to rise, believing Wild to have slipped into another memory, but Wild shook himself out of it quickly. “Help never came. The Divine Beasts were taken over by malice, and while they piloted themselves the champions were killed by Blights that Ganon had created to directly match their strength and exploit it. And well… you all know how the story ends.” There was a heavy silence, no one knowing what to say, including Wild. Wind scooted over on the log and leaned against Wild gently, showing his silent support. Wild smiled down at him, then at the others around the fire.

“It’s okay.” Wild told them. “Let’s just keep talking about the Gorons?” He proposed.

“Cub…” Time started, not quite knowing how to get his message across. “Talk about whatever you want to. Anytime.” Time finished, hoping Wild knew what he meant, and judging by the smile he did. 

“Thanks, Old Man.” Wild said earnestly, thankful for the comfortable warmth at his side.

“Well um…” Wild began, thinking about where he left off. He appreciated that everyone waited to let him think, and didn’t interrupt him. “I finally made it to the city. Since it’s made from the materials they have up there it’s made up of a lot of rock and metals, but it’s still great to look at! They work hard on their signs outside their shops and the children always roll across the bridges over lava. There’s also a whole bunch of statues carved into the mountains.” Wild made large gestures solely with his left arm, since his right was still held captive by Wind. 

Time leaned his chin into his hand. It was always interesting to hear about the boys’ Hyrules from their perspectives. Some Hyrules like Wild’s had very little to no government, and Time enjoyed hearing how different civilizations had gotten by. 

“I got to meet with their leader, um, the ‘Boss’ of the Gorons. His name is Bludo. He’s really grumpy, and he has a bad back. He told me that him and someone named Yunobo would use cannons to scare off Rudania-”

“You have cannons too?” Wind looked up, always excited to hear how similar his and Wild’s Hyrules could be.

“Mhm!” Wild nodded. “Do you all not?”

“I had air cannons mostly.” Four spoke up, among some murmurs of confirmation among half the Links. It seems Time, Warriors, and Hyrule didn’t have cannons in their Hyrules.

“Since his back was bad I had to go find Yunobo, who disappeared after running an errand for Bludo to get medicine for his back.” Wild continued after briefly explaining how cannons work. “I just had to follow the path up to the Abandoned North Mine. Since Rudania started terrorizing them and monsters infested they stopped using that one as much. There was a Goron watching the area and he told me to not touch the Boss’ cannons.”

“And let me guess you touched the cannons right away didn’t you?” Sky asked, clearly amused.

“Yes I did. There was one right behind him.” Twilight let out a snort, quickly trying to muffle his laughter at Wild’s playful glare. Time too, was greatly amused by Wild’s antics, although his mind wandered a bit. All of these names for the Divine Beast’s names always sounded so familiar. Was it possible Wild too was a part of Time’s hero line? His Hyrule was far larger than the others, though. He wouldn’t be surprised if Wild was in a timeline of his own. Or perhaps somehow the land had changed and Wild was just far, far into the future. Time shook his head slightly and tried to tune back in. He really needed to stop trying to understand how complex time and time travel was.

“The cannons are so fun up there! I could roll my round bombs into them, and they had enough power to blow up a whole monster camp.” As Wild rambled on about all the ways he could use his bombs around Death Mountain, including cannons and carts, his eyes practically sparkled.

“I finally found Yunobo.” Wild got back on track with his story. “He was trapped in a cave-in and I got to use the cannons to get him out. When I went to check on him, he had some sort of orange shield surrounding him, and he was really timid.” Twilight mused on that for a moment. That sounded like how Wild described one of his champion powers.

“I had to run back to Bludo after that, and he told me about Daruk. I looked up at the stature of him and I finally remembered him, at least a little bit.” Wild had a small smile on his face.

“What was he like?” Hyrule questioned. 

“He was really kind, as far as I could tell. He joked around with me a lot and he didn’t even care that I never answered. He said he would protect Hyrule to his death.” Wild’s smile turned bittersweet. “I think he always forgot I wasn’t a Goron, or he didn’t care, he would smack my back hard enough to send me flying.” Wild chuckled lightly. 

He seemed to be fond of Daruk 100 years ago. Daruk appeared to understand how much pressure was crushing down on Wild, yet he never showed pity or disdain. He even teased him about it. Wild could remember a faint feeling of excitement when being told he would be seeing Daruk’s progress, so he assumed the Link of 100 years ago enjoyed his time among the Gorons, no matter how short it was. 

“Awe yes I remember that well. I distinctly remember running away screaming when the Gorons wanted to thank me for helping them.” The camp cackled at the image of a younger Time running away and screaming.

“Bludo asked me to find Yunobo again, since his back was still hurting him.”

“Good to know everyone in every Hyrule is so needy.” The veteren scoffed.

“Turns out that Yunobo works with Bludo because of his powers he got from Daruk, the forcefield I was talking about. Yunobo hops in a giant cannon along Death Mountain, and Bludo launches him at Rudania.” Wild explained.

“That… sounds dangerous.” Sky laughed a little.

“Yeah… but Daruk’s shield is indestructible! Only problem was the guardian sentries surrounding the mountain.” 

“The what?” Wind raised his head from Wild’s shoulder to look at the older boy.

“Rudania sent them to guard the area once we finally arrived at the base of Death Mountain.” Wind nodded and plopped his head back onto Wild’s shoulder, no one daring to tease either of them, even in good fun. “If they caught me with their lights, they would send magma bombs right onto the path!”

“And how do you know that? Did you get caught?” Warriors asked, slightly surprised Wild would get caught. He could be quite sneaky when he wanted to be.

“Well I was curious…”

“Wild!” Warriors pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I ran back to the base after I tested it and Yunobo had his shield!” Wild defended against the groans and muffled laughs. “Besides I was about to launch someone out of a cannon I wanted to know what we were up against. I avoided the sentries the rest of the time, and I had to whistle for Yunobo to stop and go, and there were some Moblins on the way up.” The rest of the group could imagine that climbing Death Mountain, especially one as large as Wild, while avoiding sentries, fighting monsters, and whistling for someone to stop and go would be tedious. 

“Everytime I fired Yunobo from the cannon Rudania fled further around the volcano, and we made it all the way to the top!”

“Did you set off anymore sentries?” Twilight questioned.

“No!” Wild frowned. “I’m not completely reckless you know!” Wild stated, not appreciating the silence that followed his statement. “I’ll have you know I made it all the way to the top!”

“And how did you get into Vah Rudania?” Time raised an eyebrow.

“I…” Wild started boldly, before realizing exactly how he got into the Divine Beast.

“You what.” Twilight narrowed his eyes.

“I… jumped.” Wild shrugged the shoulder Wind wasn’t resting his head on. “Once I got into-”

“You jumped where.” Time smirked. That bastard, he knew something was up and he was gonna sic Twilight on him! Wild would find a way to  get revenge later.

“Vah Rudania was in the middle of Death Mountain so I used my paraglider-” Wild once again tried to brush this portion of the story off.

“You jumped into the middle of an active volcano?” Four cackled, the first one to understand what Wild was saying and showing an odd lack of restraint.

“Wild.” Twilight chided in ‘that voice’.

“Don’t ‘Wild’ me you lit a building on fire!” Wild defended.

“See Time! This is why I didn’t want you to tell them!”

“How did you know your paraglider wouldn’t burn up?” Warriors lips quivered under the strain of covering a grin.

“I would deal with that when I got there!” Wild claimed once again, trying not to focus on the slight flaws in his argument.

“How? How would you deal with that?” Legend threw his hands up at his friend’s stupidity.

“I don't know Legend. I never got there so I never had to deal with it, since it turned out fine.”

“What happened next?” Hyrule asked, covering for Wild and moving the conversation forward. Wild held back a fond smirk, he’d have to thank Hyrule later.

“Glad you asked, Hyrule!” Wild ignored any other questions. “I heard Daruk’s voice telling me I had to go find the terminal as usual, but this time inside the Divine Beast was pitch black.” The group had finally stopped asking questions and started listening to the story with interest.

“I had to get rid of pools of malice by shooting the eyes, and I had to light some areas up. Once I reached the terminal there were some places that opened up so it was lit up again.”

“Did this one rotate like the other Divine Beasts?” Legend asked from his place against his log. 

“Yeah I could control it with my slate like the other ones. There were all kinds of puzzles like the last beast, like this one where I had to light my arrow with blue flame and shoot it through a hole in the door, then-”

The rest of the Links listened intently  as Wild went into the intricate details of the different puzzles within the beast. They were always interested to hear both about the Sheikah technology of Wild’s world, and how he had to use what was available to him to solve them. As much as they teased Wild for being stupid and reckless, he really was intelligent, espeically when it came to logic and puzzles. Twilight remembered how some markets in his Hyrule had little puzzles made of wood,each one requiring moving certain pieces to unlock different parts. Twilight had never been particularly interested in them, but he wondered if Wild would be, if Twilight found one complicated enough. He’d have to get away from the group and find one whenever they ended up near one of his markets. Perhaps even Four and Sky would be interested in getting their hands on them and taking them apart.

“-and I finally got to the last terminal and unlocked it.” Wild continued, barely pausing to breathe. The group wasn’t sure if he was aware of how much he was talking, or how rapidly, but they didn’t dare interrupt. “Fireblight Ganon manifested, and had the power to throw huge fireballs. But he had to suck in everything around to create them. So I threw my bombs into his mouth and blew them up. Other than that, I just had to get up close.” Wild described the fight in an almost casual sense, even though it seemed these blights were pieces of Ganon himself. It seemed some blights were far easier than others. 

“When Daruk appeared, I still only had one memory of him, but he seemed as kind as he had been in my memory.” Wild had a small smile. “After freeing the beast I got teleported back to Goron City, and Vah Rudania took its position against the Calamity alongside, at the time, the Zora domain’s beast.” Wild explained. “Bludo thanked me, even though he hadn’t really understood what I did. I said goodbye to Yunobo, and, uh, that was that.” Wild ended his story as awkward as always, wincing at his own words. His throat, still unused to talking so much for such a long amount of time, felt as though he had swallowed sand.

“Thanks for the story, Wild!” Wild looked down at the sailor, something shining in the younger’s eyes he couldn’t quite place. 

“Yeah! I always like hearing about how your guys’ kingdoms compare to mine.” Sky smiled, kindly shuffling and reaching over, handing Wild his water pouch. How he knew Wild needed it, or when he even got a hold of it, Wild would never know. Wild nodded in thanks and began sipping at the water, resisting the urge to chug it all in one gulp, as everyone’s voices blended slightly, creating a warm atmosphere.

The group continued to discuss different topics, going off on different tangents relating to Gorons and their Hyrules, all of which Wild was perfectly content to just listen, occasionally answering questions directed at him.

With the warm weight against his shoulder, and the comfortable but lively chatter surrounding him, Wild allowed himself to just exist within the moment, feeling himself relax further.

“Hey Wild?” Wild felt the head against his shoulder stir, and Wild looked down to meet a fellow set of blue eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for the story.” A relaxed but genuine smile reached Wind’s expressive face.

“No, Wind. Thank you.”

~~~ 

Very minor spoiler for Age of Calamity: The fact that BOTW/AOC Link canonically eats rocks is beautiful to me.

Wild loves puzzles, change my mind.

I like to write Wild how I play video games in general, which is just screwing around and seeing what happens.

I’m sorry if I get anything wrong about other Hyrules. I’ve played a good amount of the Zelda games but it’s been a long time since not a lot of them are on consoles I have :(

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

When the Weight Comes Down - 4

Warnings: non-consent sex (series); nothing for this chapter

This is dark! (biker) Steve and explicit. 18+ only.

Series Synopsis: Your father’s a drunk, your mother a recluse, and you’re just another small town girl in Birch.

Sister series to Smalltown Bringdown

Note: Hope you’re having as much fun with this as I am. Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Chapter Four: Twist My Arm

Culled and wooed, bitten, chewed It won't hurt if you don't move

💀💀💀💀

Your mother was awake when you got home but didn’t acknowledge you as she rinsed out your father’s empty beer cans and tossed them in the bin. Your father on the other hand snored in his recliner as the television continued to blare. You said nothing as you retreated to your room.

You set your alarm early and laid down in your old tee with the pink teddy bear on the front. You slept in spurts, jolting awake as your dream returned to the bar. With you trapped in the dim place and cornered by dark shadows. Your little digital clock roused you for good and you tiptoed to the bathroom.

You showered, dressed in a pair of jeans and a blouse with little frills along the neckline and sleeves beneath a sheer grey cardigan. You grabbed your boxy purse and shoved your wallet inside along with the pile of bills from the kitchen counter. Your mother was awake too but still silent as she ate a bowl of yogurt and granola. You left her like that.

The bank was mostly empty when you arrived. You went to the teller and paid a portion of each bill. You’d have to wait until your next check to cover the rest. Another call to the hydro company and hopes that you’d have hot water for the last half of the month.

You stopped at the diner for breakfast. You didn’t have the stomach for more than eggs and toast.Or the pockets. You had a tea and left a tip you’d regret. You were back on the street just after ten but had little desire to return home. Yet, staying in town was a prospect you weren’t fond of either.

You crossed the street and waved at Babs through the window as you passed the bakery. She smiled and looked back to her customer. You continued onto Lloyd’s and dipped inside. The man, Lu, you’d heard the girl call him, you were sure, sat at his counter with small glasses at the end of his nose and a book open.

“You again?” He remarked as he looked up. 

“Hi,” You said softly. 

He smiled and you quickly scurried between the aisles. You stopped before a shelf of notepads bound in leather. You weren’t sure what you were looking for; anything to keep your mind off of yourself; your family; Steve.

You couldn’t afford the large journal with its thick cover or the glass pens with the swirled handles. You opened a how-to guide on calligraphy and tried to calculate what you would be paid and what you owed. It might be a fun hobby. 

You went to the counter and hesitated. The old man didn’t look up from his book but you didn’t know if he heard you as when you stepped closer, he flinched.

“Miss?” He blinked at you and marked his page.

“Do you… offer credit?” You asked shyly.

“You got any old books? I’ll exchange credits for anything you got.” He said. “As long as it’s intact.”

“Oh, really?’ You smiled. “Okay, thank you.”

“Your welcome,” He said warmly.

“Sorry, I don’t… I can’t buy anything today but I’ll be back,” You offered.

“No problem,” He assured you and picked his book back up. “You have a good day.”

You left and thought of the box of books beneath your bed. That old copy of Moby Dick you never finished could go and the harlequin romances you’d hoarded from the thrift shop. You hadn’t touched those since high school and now you hid them in shame.

Your mind floated away as your feet headed towards your house. The rumble of engines sounded from across the street but your mind was eons away. You were only brought back to earth by the sharp rev of a motor right beside you. You glanced to the curb, the tire pressed to it, and then its owner.

“Hey,” Steve revved again and drew up his bike parallel to the pavement. “You didn’t forget about our ride, did you?”

“It’s not noon,” You looked at your watch. 

“Close enough.” He said. “We can go now.”

You peered up and down the sidewalk. Those who had been walking behind you had crossed to avoid the biker before you as others stood outside shop doors and watched nervously. You shrugged and shoved your hands in your jean pockets.

“I should go home first,” You said. “Tell my ma--”

“You don’t need to go all that way.” He turned off his bike and reached into his jacket. He pulled out his phone. “Give her a call and we’ll head out.”

You stared at his phone and chewed your bottom lip. You took it carefully and stared at the numbers on the screen. You dialed slowly and brought it up to your ear. You prayed she didn’t answer. Please be busy, please be busy.

“Hello?” Your mother’s voice chimed from the other end. You greeted her and told her it was you. “Why are you calling me?”

“I just wanted you to know I won’t be home for a while,” You looked at Steve. Better she didn’t know why though she’d figure it out soon enough. “I just didn’t want you worrying.”

“Okay,” She said tritely. “Bye.”

She hung up so sharply you were stunned as the line went dead. She was still mad at you. You handed Steve his phone back. You had hoped at least you could have told him she needed you home to help her with something but you hadn’t been on the call long enough for it to be a convincing lie.

“Did mommy say you could go?” He teased. You blanched and kicked your toe into the pavement.

“I’m not a child,” You whispered.

“Huh?” He said. “Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”

“I said,” You swallowed as you looked up. “I’m not a child.”

“I know,” He reached back and unbuckled the saddle bag. “Then act like it, doll.”

He flipped the leather flap up and nodded over his shoulder as he adjusted his perch on the bike. You grabbed the helmet and tried to recall how he had done up the strap the day before. You figured it out after a few tried but he grabbed your arm before you could climb on.

“If you’re gonna be my girl, you gotta start using your words,” He said. “But use them wisely, yeah?”

“I… I’m not your girl,” You struggled with him.

He chuckled and his hand flew up to your chin. He squeezed your jaw as he made you look at him.

“You know who I am? What this badge means?” He tapped his jacket with his other hand. “What I say, goes.”

You grabbed his wrist as you trembled.

“I don’t want to go,” You struggled with him. “Please.”

“If I have to get off this bike…” He warned. “You think anyone is gonna stop me?”

You gulped and thought back to the girl from the bookstore. She was braver than you and yet she hadn’t stopped Bucky last night. She had abided his errant hands and stolen kisses. You remembered her words. ‘Good luck’.

“Doll, I haven’t mistreated you, have I?” He let go. “I’ve been nice, so why don’t you get on and let’s head out.”

You nodded and he tilted his head. You cleared your throat and gave your ascent. He smirked and you grabbed his shoulder to hoist yourself over the small seat on the back of the bike. He reached back and pushed your knees against him. You wrapped your arms around him quickly and he turned the keys.

“You ever been to the city?” He asked as he rolled the bike out into the street. You clung tighter to him as the engine ripped through Birch and announced your departure.

💀

Your father had taken you to the city once as a child. You remembered it as gargantuan buildings and flashing lights. A beacon compared to Birch and its grim streets. The windy ride had left your cheeks numb and your thin cardigan did little to protect you. Steve pulled into an underground lot, the type you’d only ever seen on TV and he parked between two shining cars.

You got off and handed him your helmet. He hung both on the handle bar. He turned to you as you backed away but he caught you and drew you back.

“I didn’t get a kiss,” He pulled you close. He bent and you turned your head so he only kissed your cheek.

“I… Steve…”

“It’s okay to be nervous,” He raised his hand to cradle your face and make you look at him. “I’ll show you what to do.”

He pressed his lips to yours and you closed your eyes. His lips moved against yours and he poked you with his tongue until you opened your mouth. He hugged you tighter as he kissed you deeper and you weren’t sure what else to do but stand there. He parted gently.

“Just do what I do,” He purred and kissed you again. You tried to mimic him as best you could and he hummed before he drew away. “Mmm, like that.”

You were stunned. Shaking. He seemed pleased by it and turned you as he wrapped his arm around you. He led you through the lot, around the cars, and up a set of concrete steps. You found yourself in a large mall; you’d never been to one of those before.

“Oh,” You looked around at the shop windows. “Oh.”

Your purse felt even lighter and held back a cringe. You let him guide you as you shuffled over the tiled floor. He stopped you by a cushioned bench and faced you.

“Why don’t you have a look around?” He said. “I’ve got something to deal with but I’ll find you.”

Your eyes rounded and you frowned at the glowing monikers and glaring sale signs.

“I don’t-- I’ll get lost,” You said.

“It’s fine, you won’t,” He assured you. “Just stay inside. There are maps if you need them. A directory just around the corner.”

“Okay,” You knew there was no arguing with him. “Will you be long?”

“Shouldn’t be,” He rubbed your arm. “You’ll be okay, doll.”

He kissed you again, lighter this time. He reluctantly left you and when he disappeared around the corner you dared to look around. Other shoppers passed by without regard, as if you were invisible. You were used to that.

After a lot of hesitation, you found your way into a clothing shop and glanced around at the hangers. You checked a tag on a shirt you liked and gasped. You peeked over at the employee who had offered to help you but she seemed uninterested now. You quickly left and followed the smell of cinnamon to the food court.

You sat at a table hidden behind a fake fern and placed your purse on it. You pulled out your wallet and counted what was left in your wallet. You doubted you could afford a soda here. You packed it back up and dropped the bag on your lap as you leaned your elbow on the table. You read the little news bumper running across a screen mounted beside a Chinese food outlet.

You watched the clock in the corner; half an hour dragged by. You were surprised as Steve sat across from you and you perked up from your daze. He had a small white bag that he slid over to you. You stared at him over it.

“Go on,” He said.

“You didn’t have to--”

“Just open it.” He ordered.

You pursed your lips and looked inside the bag. You lifted the small box out of it. You carefully slid the lid off and a phone, much like his own, sat inside.

“It’s already set up,” He said. “It’s all yours.”

“I…” You blinked at the screen. “I can’t… afford--”

“I’ll take care of you,” He crossed his arms over the table. “Doll, I know you’re smart. You understand. I want to take care of you. Like your ma and pa never did. Don’t you want someone?”

You lowered your eyes and picked at the loose stitches that held the handle of your purse in place. You shrugged and your leg jiggled under the table. 

“There’s a case, too,” He said. “But if you want a different one, we can look around.”

You stared at your old blouse, your faded jeans, the small bleach stain by the knee. You felt completely out of place. A matchstick girl.

“I can’t--”

“I know what it is. You been taking care of them so long you can’t even think of someone doing the same for you.” He said. “You don’t gotta take care of them forever, doll.”

“I do though,” You countered as you looked up. “If I don’t--”

“They don’t know what they got,” Steve urged. “You’re too good to them.”

“You don’t know,” You frowned. “You can’t.”

“Are you that worried about them?” He asked. “You know, if you left, they’d find their way. They’re adults, like you, right?”

“No, no, my ma, she can’t leave the house and my pa…” You clamped your lips shut, embarrassed. “I don’t wanna talk about them anymore.”

“Well, I just think you should be as good to yourself as you are to them.” He said. “But I’ll be happy if you just let me be good to you.”

You chewed your lip and looked down at the phone. You’d never had anything like it before. You never had anyone to call anyway. You carefully reached into the bag and pulled out the other slender box; a phone case with a daisy on it, like the dress you’d worn the night before. You glanced up at Steve and he raised a brow.

“It’s up to you, doll,” He lowered his voice as he leaned over the table. “How good I am to you.”

[devilatmydoor]

this christmas I l.r.h

a/n; the first installment of my ficmas event! this idea was totally and completely self indulgent but i thought it was a cute idea! it features one of my favorite tropes of all time!  enjoy! 

summary; You attend Michael and Crystal’s annual christmas party with your secret santa gift in hand. You receive an unexpected and priceless gift from your secret santa. 

pairing; luke/reader // word count;  1,905  masterlist / ficmas masterlist 

warnings; drinking/alcohol & fluff 

You cut the engine of your car as you reached Michael’s neighborhood, you looked at the bag in your passengers seat nervously as you grabbed it and got out of your car. You knew if you arrived any later to Crystal and Michael’s party someone would call you, most likely Luke or Ashton wondering when you’d show. You knew they wouldn’t start Secret Santa until you arrived but no telling what else would ensue as the party went on.

You locked your car and walked on the sidewalk , as you reached Michael’s place when you heard Christmas music playing. You walked up to the door and slowly opened it and by no surprise the first people you saw were Michael and Calum in the kitchen drinking the spiked eggnog you never thought you’d hear the end of. Ashton made eye contact with you and waved, you walked over to him as his dimples were on full display, “You're finally here! We were ready to send a search party for you!” He teased with a smile

"I'm hardly an hour late, where should I put my secret Santa gift?" You asked looking around for your secret Santa recipient.

"Oh right here," Ashton instructed as pointed to the table filled with gifts.

You set your gift down before Ashton led you into the kitchen as Calum and Michael refilled their cups with more eggnog, "Did you spike the drink?"

"Yeah Mike, I brought a bottle and spiked it when no one was looking." Calum shook his head as he saw you and smiled, "Eggnog?"

"I'll pass, thank you." You smile looking over the array of drink selections in front of you.

"Awh no eggnog?" You heard a familiar voice as his hand rested on the small of your back; your body tensed as your eyes met his ocean blues.

"I don't like eggnog, sue me." You shrugged as you giggled at Michael and Calum trying to figure out who spiked the drink.

His hand still on your back as he looked for something to drink, "Michael where is the tequila?"

You giggled at his desperation for his favorite drink, "Luke, I think you'll have to drink something else."

He says in frustration, the smile across his face makes it obvious he's just teasing. "But!"

All you could think about was his perfect butt. The bubble butt you found yourself staring at when he wasn't looking.

"You can't always get what you want Luke, how about peppermint schnapps?" You asked as you grabbed a cup and filled it halfway.

"Peppermint Schnapps? Love, have you ever seen me drink anything like it?" He asked as his eyes scanned the table.

"Try mine, see if you like it." You smiled handing him the cup to drink out of.

He took a sip and you looked to see his reaction, "Not so bad little one, I'll try it."

Little one, one of his pet names for you. Ever since you met he'd call you that.

"For the last time I am not little! Your just a giant and compared to you everything is small."

"Not everything," He winked as he poured a cup of schnapps.

You playfully hit his arm, "Luke!"

He chuckled as he walked with you towards an open spot on the couch. You sat next to him as you sipped your drink, he leaned toward you so only you'd hear him "Okay time to spill, who did you have?"

You giggled at his antics, you leaned closer to him to whisper, "Luke its Secret Santa for a reason!"

"Love, I'm dying to know who you have! You've been so secretive ever since we drew names." He looked around the room and then back at you.

"That's the whole point you dork! Be patient like everyone else." You teased getting off the couch as Crystal motioned you over.

"Where are you going?" He asked as his eyes never left you.

"Crystal is motioning me over, I'll be right back!" You giggled with your drinking hand as you walked towards her.

"You two are something else, I've been trying to get your attention for 5 minutes!" Crystal expressed. 

"Sorry, he's been hounding me about who I have for Secret Santa."

"Still? Him and Michael are the same! He kept bothering me!"

"Why am I not surprised? I'm gonna bring some cookies over, he's stuck drinking Peppermint Schnapps."  You joked playfully as you grabbed a plate and filled it with cookies.

"He'll never let Michael live down not buying any tequila."  She giggled as you walked toward Luke who was on his phone, you sat down and he put his phone away.

"Ouh cookies!" He smiled as he grabbed one and began eating it. You grabbed one of the iced cookies and took a bite.

"I thought you could use a snack." You smiled as you ate your cookie.

"Thank you love," He flashed his smile as you ate your cookie, "Oh you've got some. Uh-"

"I've got what?" You asked confused as he licked his thumb and swiped the pad of his thumb on the edges of your mouth.

"Icing darlin, you had some icing on your mouth." He winked as he finished his cookie and reached for another.

"Thank you, when do you think Cal and Michael will stop playing chess?" You giggled looking over at them in their own world as Ashton strummed the guitar while Kay Kay and Crystal talked.

"If one of us doesn't step in soon I reckon we'll be here past 1am with those two playing." He smiled sitting closer to you, "Now’s the time to tell me darlin, I won't tell anyone I promise.'

"Oh my god Luke!" You turned your head realizing how close his face was in proximity to yours. His pink lips agonizingly close to yours.

"Love, I'm just messing with you. When do you go home for the holidays?"

Your mind went completely blank, you suddenly couldn't remember if your family was coming to L.A or if you were going to them. Your eyes locked on his, "I'm not sure I'll be right back."  You shook your head before standing up straight and giving Ashton a knowing look. You made a run for the bathroom to take some deep breaths. You leaned against the door as you closed your eyes trying to calm down. You heard a knock at the door causing you to jump . Your eyes open as Ashton says your name.  “Yes?”

“We’re about to open presents!” He informs as you open the door to meet him.

Finally.

“Oh thank god, let’s go before they start without us.”

Ashton giggled as you walked with him towards the living room where everyone was waiting,  Matt Pauling had finally showed up which explained the wait. You sat next to the free space on the edge of the couch next to Crystal.

Ashton decided to open his first; everyone laughing at Calum’s facial expression which easily gave him away. He went next opening his gift as Crystal looked at you and then at Michael giving her tell away. Luke’s eyes met yours as you could feel your cheeks flush.

Ashton decided to switch things up as he handed Luke his gift, “Here ya go mate, you’ve been anxious all night.”

“Thanks Ash.” He smiled as he opened the gift, your heart rate increasing as you watched him open the gift from you. He looked at you, already knowing it was from you.

“Thank you love, I knew you had me.” He giggled as his cheeks turned a familiar shade of pink.

“Is that why you wouldn’t stop bothering me?” You teased as Ashton gave you your gift; you removed the tissue paper as you could cry from the contents. Everything in the bag were all of your favorite things you didn’t think anyone would pay attention to. Your favorite brand of lip balm, type of socks you loved and snacks always craved down to a gift card to your favorite store. It meant everything to you that someone paid that attention to what you loved so much.  Narrowing down who was left, Michael looked at Luke followed by you looking at him and you knew from the smile he was giving you that he gave you all of your favorites.

“Thank you Lu.” Was all you could get out as Crystal opened her gift from Matt before Michael opened his gift from Kay Kay.

Crystal leaned in, “You two had each other, no one else had each other.” She looked at Luke, “It’s almost as if-”

“Crystal don’t start with your fate nonsense.” You teased playfully shaking your head.

Michael joined in, “Crystal has a point.”

“Oh not you too, both of you need to stop watching Romcoms.”

As much as you wanted to deny that it was a coincidence, part of you wondered if it was.

Luke got off the couch and walked up to you and bent down so he was eye level with you, “Did you like your gift?”

You nodded as you smiled holding the bag in your arms, “I love it Luke, thank you.”

“Of course darlin, come with me.” He said with a smile as you followed him into the bathroom as the party continued on.

“Wanna help me put on the choker you got me?” He asked softly as he handed it to you.

“You wanna wear it?”

He nodded as you stepped closer to him as you looped his choker around his neck, his soft skin against yours as you nervously clasped the hook while Luke intently watched you.

Your eyes locked with his as you stepped backwards as your back met the door behind you. The tension between you thick as you cleared your throat hoping it would help the dryness. “Lu?”

“Yes?” He said as he ran his fingers through his curls.

“I know the timing of what I’m about to say isn’t perfect  but I can’t take it anymore.” You started as he tilted his head as he listened to the words spewing from your lips.

“I just- Uh.”

“Hey, talk to me what’s going on are you okay?” He asked, concerned as he stepped closer to you, “You know you can tell me anything.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

“Okay, I’m not saying this to ruin our relationship, that is the last thing I want. I’ve loved you from the moment we met and I know it’s the oldest story in the history of books,” You rambled, “But I do.”

“Is it safe to assume you're not talking about loving me as a friend but more?” You nodded as he took a deep breath, “It is the oldest story in the history of books but did you ever think  I felt the same?”

“I did but-”

“But what? I do. I always have, always will.”

You stepped closer to him as you cupped your face in his hands, “Say the words Luke.”

“I love you.”

Relieved the pad of your thumb touched his lips as he softly kissed your thumb, “I love you.”

“Oh just kiss me already will you?” He winked as he leaned forward to kiss you, his lips softer than you imagine.

You giggled as he continuously pecked your lips as your hands rested on the nape of his neck, “I had no idea the night would end like this.”

“Who said anything about it ending?”

taglist - @twilightmomentswithyou​ @lilacsos​ @suchalonelysunflower​ @calumrose​ @softlrh @clemmings @clemmings @esbisos @burstintocolor @redrattlers @himbocalum @sanrioluke @blackbutterfliescal @honeybunchcalum @sublimehood @talkfastromance4​ @redrattlers​ @lukeysdimples​ @myloverboyash​ @sublimehood​ @littledrummeraussie​ @flowers-on-the-graves​   @calumthomcs​​ @feliznavidaddycal​​ @calswildflower​​ @haikucal​​ @ukulelecal​​ @highscal​​ @sexgodashton​  @currentlyupcalsass​​​ @clemmings​​ @notinthesameguey​​ @calmlftv​​ @castaway-cashton​​ @mashlums​​ @cthwldflwr​​ @boytoynamedcalum​​  @wastelandcth​ @spicycal​ @tpwkatsumu 

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Gilded Cage {1}

Lu Xin Lee x OFC Phoenix Argent AU

Warning: Cursing, Blood, Violence, Plot

Words: 1.9k

Summary: Phoenix has been different her entire life. Not just because her father is rich and she has a lovely big house. Phoenix has a secret about her--a secret that can either make her very powerful or very dead. Because of this secret, she’s lived her life in a gilded cage. When she breaks free, that action creates a dangerous and destructive chain of events that soon have Phoenix wondering if she was better off in this cage. That is until a man who moves and kills like the devil but looks like an angel steps in, showing her that sometimes we have to claim our freedom, no matter the consequences.

Note: Surprise!!!!! Okay, we have some Lu Xin Lee from Wu Assassins action. I’m not in love with the cover, so it may change if this continues. Please tell me what you guys think. Should I continue? 

As always, thank you so much for reading! 

If you enjoyed this please, LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!!! ❤️❤️

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

“Shit, shit, shit, shit!”

 You picked up the speed that you ran. You had no idea where you were going, but you knew one thing—you had to keep going no matter what. Glancing behind you, the coast was clear, but just because it was clear didn’t mean you were home free. You’d grown up differently than everyone else. There were some things that were ingrained in you, some things that you used even to this day.

 A loud clatter snapped you out of your thoughts and brought your head to spin on a swivel to look behind you. Still empty. When you looked back in front of you, two black SUVs were pulling up. They were trying to box you in. Looking around you, you tried to come up with a plan, a way out. There was an alley on your left, and it was the alley you were going to take. Changing your direction, you ran into the alley. Using your quick thinking, you pushed one of the dumpsters to the entryway of the alley, hoping it would slow them down. You knew it wouldn’t stop them.

 When you were halfway down the alley, you heard them trying to push the dumpster aside. They argued loudly over who should do what until you heard the screeching sound of it moving.

 “Fuck!”

 That was when you picked up the speed. You were exhausted. You’d been running for the last eight blocks. Damn San Francisco for having endless hills. The downward slopes weren’t bad, but uphill was a bitch. Once you reached the end of the alley, you turned right to find a brick wall.

 “Shit!”

 Turning around, you were met with another brick wall. Trapped. Panic set in and with it your fears. You couldn’t let them catch you. It would not end well. Spinning around, you tried to come up with a plan--anything that would help you see another day. You were surrounded by brick. You had nowhere to go.

 “You can’t run anymore, Y/N!”

 They were getting closer, and you were a fucking sitting duck. If they caught you, you knew how it would end. They’d bring you to him.

 “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Think Y/N, think!”

 Your panic was increasing as their voices drew near. That was when you looked up and saw a fire escape ladder.

 “Ha.”

 You backed up and ran to the wall and used it as leverage to bounce off of it to leap into the air and grab the bottom bar of the ladder. You’d almost missed it. Now you were stuck dangling with barely anything else to give. Upper body strength was always your weakness.

 “Get up, get up!”

 Finding the hidden strength inside of you, you gave it everything you got and pulled yourself up. It was excruciating and took way longer than it should have. Once you could pull yourself up enough to get your foot on the bar, you hugged the cold rusty metal and gasped for air.

 “I should have paid closer attention,” you whispered to yourself.

 You wanted to stop. You were too tired to keep going, but you had to. The alternative was too dangerous. Placing one foot over the other again and again, you climbed the rusted ladder until you got to the first landing. That was when they rounded into the dead-end. You laid on your back as flat as you could get and held your breath so as not to make a peep. You could hear them looking around below you, questioning where you went.

 Several minutes passed with them scratching their heads and blaming each other.

 “I told you we should have shot her and have been done with it.”

 “Shut up. He wants her alive. She’s no good dead.”

 I bet he wants me alive, you thought. Why would he want anything else?

 “Let’s double back; that was her hotel. She’ll probably go back there.”

Slowly they trickled out of the alley, but you didn’t move until you were certain their cars had pulled off. Almost fifteen minutes later, you peeped out onto the sidewalk and surveyed the street. There was no sign of them. Turning onto the sidewalk, you flipped your hood onto your head and quickly walked on. You couldn’t go back to your hotel. That meant you had to find somewhere to lay low tonight so you could get out of town at first light.

An hour later, you found yourself sitting inside an Asian restaurant enjoying a meal you were overdue to have. The flavors melded well together, and if it was possible, the restaurant's décor seemed to fit the food you were eating. You loved the wooden elements of the partitions that divided the tables, and even the bamboo plants were strewn around. The feel of the restaurant was classy yet comfortable. You felt like this could have been a place where you would have spent a lot of your time.

 An uproar of laughter caught your attention. Looking back, you saw a group of people laughing together. They looked close like they’d been friends for a long time. The beautiful woman with long brown hair slapped one of the guys upside their head, which had the rest of them laughing at his misfortune before teasing him in another language. Was it Thai? Mandarin maybe?

 “If things had been different,” you whispered to yourself before finishing the sake in front of you. It was your third one.

 With you not being able to use your credit cards because they were easily traceable, you were now down to a few thousand dollars. If you had another day like today, you knew that reserve would dwindle quickly. Groaning, you rubbed the back of your neck, trying to figure out your next move. This city wasn’t familiar to you. You’d only planned on finding Ari so he could help you out of your little problem. Unfortunately, Ari was out of town, and it meant you were now stranded. Either you wait for him to come back, or you made a way for yourself. You hadn’t expected that they’d find you. You’d been so careful.

 “Everyone, we’ll be closing in fifteen minutes. Thank you for your service, and I hope you come again.”

 That was your queue. You took out a fifty and placed it on the table, and gathered your things ready to go. Before you walked out the front door, you bounced someone.

 “Excuse me,” he rushed out. You didn’t bother responding; instead, you nodded and walked outside.

 They would look for you at the high-end establishments, you had to turn to seedy, and you were not looking forward to it.

 Luckily you found an in-between option. While it was no Ritz Carlton, it was suitable enough. Before you could duck inside, your eye caught sight of someone that looked like they worked for him. Instead of walking through the doors, you stopped on the steps. Trying not to draw attention to yourself, you looked around and saw three more of them just idly standing by.

 “Shit,” you whispered. It didn’t look as if they’d seen you just yet. As inconspicuously as possible, you turned around and sauntered down the street you’d just come from.

 “Hey! Y/N!”

 “Shit!” You picked up running down the street, knowing that they were chasing you. This time you didn't have that much of a lead. You looked back to see they were close enough that if you stumbled, they’d catch you.

 When you turned, large, rough hands grabbed you, lifted you into the air, and dropped you to the concrete. The action took the breath right out of your lungs and filled you with pain. You laid there in a groaning heap writhing in pain.

 “Jesus Dro, are you insane? She’s a girl!”

 “She’s not running anymore, is she?”

 “He doesn’t want her hurt. Are you gonna explain this?”

 Pulling yourself together, you rolled onto your knees and tried to get up.

 “Stop running, Y/N. Just come back with us.”

 “Ne—ver!”

 “You’re so stubborn. He’ll never stop searching for you.”

 You knew it was true.

 “You’re his property.”

 Feeling a burst of defiance, you gritted your teeth in preparation for what you knew would come, then flung your head back and connected with his nose. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but the satisfaction made it worth it even though your head was now pounding, and your vision was slightly blurry.

 “I’m not his property!”

 The men around laughed out, and you thought it was enough of an opportunity for you to get away. Somehow you made it a full block before you were surrounded yet again. You stood in the middle, panting, in pain, and annoyed.

 “Just let me go! Tell him when you found me someone killed me. He’ll believe it,” you suggested.

 “Even then, he’ll hunt for your dead body and make everyone pay for it. I like my chances better bringing you back to him.”

 “Please, I have money. My father has a lot of money. I can pay you. Name a price.”

 The men laughed, signaling that they had no intention of taking you up on that offer.

 “Y/N, your money is no good, and you know why. Just accept it.”

 Before you could speak again, gunshots rained down all around you and pierced the bodies of the men that were around you. Screaming, you held your head and prayed that you made it out of this.

 “They will come for you. You won’t be able to stop them.”

 The words echoed in your memory, and your stomach fell. Was this was what he meant?

 When the gunshots stopped, and all was quiet, you slowly lifted your head. All around you, the bodies laid lifeless and oozing blood. None of them were alive. Before you could get up, you saw four figures coming toward you. Terror and exhaustion are what kept you in place to watch them approach you.

 “You have two options. Ascend or die.”

 You’d heard those words before. You knew full well what was meant by them. You didn’t want to do either. You wanted to live your life, the way you chose—for you. Your father knew it. The years of drilling into you your destiny and chosen path, he thought you’d accepted it. You hadn’t.

 “Choose.”

 You stood on shaky legs and held your head high. While he hadn’t drilled into you acceptance for this said destiny, he had drilled into you stubbornness, strength, and resilience you often relied on.

 “No.”

 The one in front of you wore a ski mask in black with a white sun symbol on the forehead. All you saw were their eyes.

 “She did say you were stubborn.”

 They lifted the gun, pointed it at you, and in seconds everything went in slow motion. You heard the gun go off, but once it did, you were grabbed, hoisted into the air, and moved. Before you knew it, you were on the ground watching one man fight off the four assassins. He moved effortlessly, smoothly, and with absolute control and skill. You couldn’t take your eyes off of the way he moved.

He made it look so easy. He punched, kicked, and overpowered each of them, gliding around like he had wheels for feet. He didn’t even use any guns to defend himself. All he used were his hands. After a few minutes, each of them laid on the ground like the others. You watched him bend down, take up one of the guns, and dig it behind him in the waistband of his pants. Then he turned to you. You weren’t afraid, but you shrunk back. Your vision was quickly getting blurrier with each passing moment. Each second that passed, your body felt heavier and heavier until you dropped onto the ground.

  The last thing you saw was Italian leather shoes approaching you. It was all black after that. 

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

Permanent Tags:

@chaneajoyyy​ @dangerouslovefanfic​ @munteanhorewrites​@sonjashuterbugjohnson​ @caramara3​ @literaturefeen​ @maxcullen​ @night-of-the-living-shred​ @youremysuperstar​ @i-just-like-fanfics​

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating: G

Summary: XY tries to steal Luka's non-existent gym badges.  Instead, they both end up making a new friend.  (For @luxyweek day 3: Pokemon)

Word Count: 2071

XXX

Luka woke up to a stranger rummaging in his bag.

He should’ve known better than to fall asleep in the Pokémon Center, especially in a city as big as Lumiose.  Exhaustion after a late concert was no excuse to be careless.  Even if crime was rarer after the takedown of Team Flare, there were still unorganized thieves around.

Like this idiot who thought Luka was an easy target.

“C’mon, he’s gotta have at least one…” The idiot was mumbling.

Without opening his eyes, Luka slowly moved his hand to his pocket.  He pulled out the one pokéball he had on him.

“Who the heck carries so many metronome items…?” 

While the thief was distracted, Luka pressed the button on his pokéball.  One click, and his Loudred burst free.

“GWAHHHH!!!”  She boomed, and the thief jumped back with a shriek.

“Wh-h-hey!” he stammered.  Luka finally got a good look at him.  Tall blonde hair, tacky outfit—was this some remixed Team Flare grunt after all?  He was wearing purple rather than red, though.

“That’s an, uh, nice dude you got there.”  He eyed Luka’s Loudred dubiously.

“Symphony is a girl.”  He scratched her behind the ear, and she made a low rumble.

“Uh.  Nice babe then.”

Luka snorted.  Why had this thief bothered to stick around?  He thought he’d have run off by now.  Luka really hoped he wasn’t going to have to battle.  Symphony had worked hard enough tonight.

“Why were you looking through my bag?”

“Pshaw, I wasn’t doing that.  Besides, you don’t have anything useful.”

Wow.  This guy really was an idiot.  The Team Flare grunts were never too smart, either.  Just a bunch of kids who got mixed up with the wrong crowd.

Well, Luka was no trainer like the ones who’d busted them up last year.  But maybe he could keep one kid from following down that road.

“What do you count as useful?”  Luka asked.  “Money?  Items?  Pokémon?”

“Maybe Pokémon would be useful, if they’d stop being haters and listen to me.”  The guy crossed his arms and pouted.

“...So you’re not a trainer?”  Luka glanced around the Pokémon Center.  Everyone else was very determined to mind their own business.  Not that Luka needed their help to deal with a guy who couldn’t even use his own Pokémon, but still.  Someone could’ve tried.

“I’m going to be a trainer.  Just as soon as I steal a badge and get this Zorro dude to listen to me.”

Luka raised an eyebrow.  “Zorro dude?”

“Yeah.  Dark type?  Sick red ponytail?  Likes to copy me and make me look stupid?”

He sat up straighter.  “You have a Zoroark?”

That Pokémon was rare enough to border on legendary.  They didn’t even live in the Kalos region.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”  The guy looked at Luka like he was stupid.

“How did you catch a Zoroark if it won’t even listen to you?”

“Dad gave ‘im to me.  He wants me to get famous here, but it’s harder to fake battles than I thought.”  He sighed dramatically and sunk to the seat next to Luka.

Clearly the ‘get famous’ plan wasn’t working.  Luka had no idea who he was.  At least he was pretty sure he wasn’t a Team Flare grunt, though.

“And you’re telling me this… after trying to rob me… why…?”

“Cause you asked.”

Luka blinked.  “Touché.”

He gave Symphony one last pat, then returned her to her pokéball.

“Traded Pokémon won’t listen to you without badges,” he told the would-be thief.  “And I don’t have any of those, if that’s what you were looking for.”

“Really?  But you look—”  The guy gestured to all of him.  “Y’know.  Cool.  Tough.”

“Thanks? I guess?  I’m just a musician, though.”  He patted his guitar next to him.  It was pretty telling that this guy hadn’t tried to steal that.  “I only battle if I have to.”

“Huh.  Well that’s pretty cool too, I guess.”  The guy shrugged.  “I did Pokémon Contests in Hoenn for a while.  Before I got banned for using holograms.”

Luka raised an eyebrow.  “Any other international crimes you want to confess to?”

“Crashed my boat into a herd of Luvdisc in Alola.  But that was an accident.  How was I supposed to know they were endangered?”

“I was being sarcastic, man.”  Luka shook his head.  “Nevermind.  Come on.”

He stood and hoisted his guitar over his shoulder.

“Huh?  Where are we going?”  The guy trotted after him.

“To catch you a Pokémon.  Before you get yourself kicked out of another country.”

XXX

The stranger’s name was XY.  It stood for Xavier-Yves.  It didn’t sound like an Unovan name, but that was still the least weird thing about the guy.  Maybe that was just a pseudonym.  He probably needed one after all of his criminal acts, accidental or not.

“Alright, XY.”  Luka stood knee-deep in the grass of Route 4.  “You’re going to be borrowing Symphony for this.  Borrowing.  If you run off with her, she’ll suplex you into the ground.”

XY eyed the Loudred next to him.  Sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Got it, Mr. Couffaine.”

“Just Luka is fine.”  He sighed.  This was such a weird way to be spending the night after a concert, but it was still better than going home.

“Got it, Mr. Luka.”

Close enough.

“Alright, now follow me into the grass.”

“I can’t do that!  That’s where the Pokémon are!”

Luka rolled his eyes.  “That’s the point.  You’re going to catch one.”

“I thought you were going to catch me one.  Because you’re cool and sexy like that.”

“Flattery’s not getting you out of this.”  Luka grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the grass, Symphony following behind them.

XY squealed again.  “But what if they eat me!”

“We’re on Route 4, dude.  The biggest Pokémon out here is a Skitty.”

“...Those things eat meat, right?”

“No.”  Even if they did, they would probably know better than to eat XY.  They didn’t know where he’d been.

“If I die, you’re paying for my funeral,” XY grumbled, even though he’d already gone off on four tangents about how rich his dad was.  Luka didn’t even bother responding.

Suddenly XY screamed again.  A few Fletching flew out of the red flower patch.  At this rate, they’d never catch anything.

“What is it this ti—oh.”  Luka blinked down at the tiny Pokémon clinging to XY’s ankle.  “It’s just a Flabébé.”

The little girl seemed to have mistaken XY’s socks for a flower.  She was shuddering, cowering against the fabric even as XY tried to shake her off.

“Dude, cut it out.”  Luka gripped him by the shoulders.  “This is perfect.  She already likes you.”

“Y-you think so?”  XY set his foot back on the ground.  The Flabébé tentatively looked up.

“You might not even need Symphony to weaken her.  Here.”  Luka took out a pokéball, but hesitated to hand it over.  “Are you going to take good care of her if I give you this?”

“What gives, man?”  XY snatched the ball.  “You were gonna teach me about catching Pokémon, not about, like, parenting stuff.”

Luka hadn’t thought this through enough before seeing the little Flabébé.  He couldn’t in good conscience condemn her to a life with XY without knowing that he would treat her right.

“Are you staying in Lumiose?  I live at the edge of the city.  I could come check on her.  Just to make sure she’s not giving you too much trouble.”

“I didn’t know you were gonna want joint custody.”  XY smirked.  “But sure, whatever.  Can’t complain if you want to do half my work for me.”

He knelt down and tapped the Flabébé on her head.

“You are just a little thing, aren’t you?”  He let out a nasal laugh.  “How do you feel about me being your new dad?”

“Please don’t say it like that.”  Luka groaned.

The Flabébé fluttered into XY’s palm and nudged the pokéball.  Wow.  She must really have no standards.

“Sorry.  Me and Lu are gonna be your new dads.”  XY grinned.

“Aaaand that’s even worse.”

The Flabébé looked at Luka.  He looked at her.  She looked at him.  He looked at her.

“...I’m not being your other dad.”

Symphony blasted out a honk of laughter.  He glared at her.

“Don’t make me put you back in the pokéball.”

She just smiled innocently.

“Okay, okay.  Shut up.  We’re doing this.”  XY took a deep breath and pressed the button on the pokéball with his thumb.  It split open, sucking the Flabébé into its light.

The ball glowed red while rocking back and forth.  Once.  Twice.  Three times.

Then it went still.

“I—I did it?”  XY stared at the ball in his palm.  Luka swore there was wonder in his eyes.

Hopefully this hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.

“You did it.”  Luka clapped him on the shoulder.  “Why don’t you let her out now?  She should get used to you before you take her home.”

After fumbling for a moment, XY popped the ball open.  The Flabébé flashed back out and hovered in the air.  She quickly zipped down and plucked a red flower, hugging it close.

“Aww, our first date and she’s already giving me flowers.”  XY laughed.

“It’s not for you.  Flabébé has to keep one close for protection.”

“Ah. Like a comfort blanket.”  XY nodded sagely.  “That’s okay!  I’ll pick my own flower.  Then we can match!”

He snatched up another red bloom, then tucked it behind his ear.

Luka was surprised to find himself smiling.  Who would’ve thought XY could actually be cute?  When he wasn’t trying to steal Luka’s non-existent gym badges, anyway.

“Are you going to name her?”  He asked to keep his thoughts away from that tangent.

“Huh?  Oh.  Uh… hmm.”  XY’s brow furrowed.  He stared at the Flabébé, who had fluttered back into his palm.  “You can’t tell me your name, can you?”

She let out a tiny squeak.  

“Hmm.  Yeah.  I feel that.”  He nodded.  “How about Cheeto?”

“Cheeto?”  Luka burst before he could think better of it.  Who named their Pokémon Cheeto?  

“Yeah, ‘cause she’s got that yellow dust all over her.”  XY rubbed a tiny bit of it off with his fingertip.  Flabébé almost seemed to purr.

“You mean… pollen?”

XY raised an eyebrow.  “Ew, gross.  What kind of name is Pollen?  Sounds like Pole-men.  And she’s a girl.”

Luka wanted to smack his forehead.  Symphony gave him a sympathetic pat.

“Well.  Have fun with Cheeto, I guess.”  He sighed.  “I’m going to go get some sleep.  You’ve got my Holo Caster number.”

“Wait!”  XY jogged after him, cradling Cheeto close to his chest.  “I didn’t get to say—thanks, man.”

Luka looked back over his shoulder, surprised.  “No problem.  This is better than stealing gym badges, right?”

“A lot better.”  He looked down at his new Pokémon fondly.  “Uh, sorry about that, by the way.  I—I’m gonna make it up to you.”

“Yeah?”  He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah!  I’m gonna—take you to the hotel I’m staying at!  So you don’t look homeless!”  XY grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him back towards the city.

“I literally told you I live in town…?”

“Then why were you sleeping in the Pokémon Center like a hobo?”  XY smirked.  Symphony laughed where she was lumbering after them.

You’ve turned my own Pokémon against me.  Luka scowled.

“Didn’t feel like dealing with my mom,” he said under his breath.  

It was stupid, running away just because he’d finally found out about his dad.  His whole band was here. Including his sister.  Lumiose was a big city, but he couldn’t play guitar for Kitty Section and dodge his parents at the same time.

“Perfect!  There’s no moms allowed in my hotel room!”  XY beamed.

If staying out was stupid, then even considering XY’s offer was downright moronic.  XY had tried to rob him just hours ago.

But the dude was rich.  Luka didn’t have anything else he could want.  And whatever hotel room they ended up in was bound to have a more comfortable couch than the Pokémon Center’s.

“...Alright,” he finally agreed.

XY’s holler of joy could probably be heard in the next route over.

“Sweet!  Bro co-parenting slumber party, here we come!”

Luka let Symphony laugh at him.  He deserved it for ending up in such a ridiculous situation.

But somehow, he felt better anyway.

[fandomsilhouette]

fan the flames and face the fire (all these sparks make me a liar)

Some glass is crystal clear, with all the world behind it to behold. This glass sends color ricocheting off the walls, brings light where there was none and makes the world look brighter, more valuable than it was before. It makes the world look worth exploring, worth loving. Worth being vulnerable for. 

They’re both glass. Just glass, right? 

Felix was used to the feeling of eyes on his skin like judgement, like insects or shame crawling up his spine. It was easy to ignore; years of practice made shedding stares like shedding a coat after stepping indoors. 

Hanging out with Marinette made his nerves tingle, every curious glance like a spark waiting to set him alight. He itched, squirmed under the attention, didn’t know how she could bear it so poignantly. It took him two months to ask. By the time she responded, head tilted cutely, bangs falling into her eyes, he wished he’d never even thought of the question. 

“What stares?” 

She didn’t even notice! Marinette had spent her whole life existing in a circle everyone wished they could be a part of, for good or for evil, curious and conniving and hopeful and horrible and everything in between, and she had no idea. Being in the middle of a hurricane that he had spent five years caught in the winds of was surreal. It was like floating on the same clouds that had left him drenched and drowned for so long. 

Marinette handed out pieces of herself so casually, as if this information wasn’t unbelievably precious, as if they were scraps of paper like notes dropped onto his desk instead of gifts of gold he hoarded like a dragon, as if  Felix didn’t desperately want to make up for the last five years of distance. I like to sew, she mentioned, I want to be a fashion designer. Do you want to see my sketches? Baking is stress relief for me, she explained when her parents dropped off the mini cinnamon buns she’d made in the shape of little cats. I don’t like to bring them to school myself though because I’m either confident or clumsy, and I haven’t figured out how to choose yet. She brought him notes when he was sick, because catching up when Chloe got me wrongfully suspended was so hard, and even when it was overturned the teachers didn’t offer much time for recovery. She was astonishingly good at science and never learned how to subtract; she liked to quilt and cross stitch but she knew how to bind her own books too, because reading on the screen gave her a headache. 

Felix learned all of these things like they didn’t matter, like the way that she hummed off key under her breath and the way that she swung her arms in time to his footsteps when they walked together wasn’t important, wasn’t as essential to Felix’s life as his own breath, his own heart. 

Felix grew up without friends. By choice, by necessity, by whatever he chose to label it: but now he was here, and he wanted everything. This being friends thing was so… was so intense, with the way his heart pounded in his chest and his words disappeared with one glance of her playful blue eyes. Felix had never felt so flustered in his life, like he was always a step behind her, like every time he managed to catch up she disarmed and sent him reeling long enough to race forward again. 

Felix had spent so long learning how to be a good boy, a mature boy. A young adult confident in his skin. Being around Marinette meant learning how to be messy, wild and spiraling out of his body, taking up space and throwing words against a wall to see what sticks. 

Marinette made him feel like it was okay to do that. 

Marinette made him feel like he was good when he did. 

It’ll be the first year they’ll take the bus to camp together, really together, the way they should’ve at age seven. Felix is bouncing in his seat, clenching his fists over air when he can’t find anything to grab, to hold onto or tear at. He’s clutching at the windowsill waiting for her signature ponytail to bounce into sight. 

She does, and his pulse races. Her tank top stretches over her shoulders, rides up against her stomach, and Felix nearly topples out of his seat. She’s here!!

Immediately, two campers rush to grab her wrists, already pulling at her. Felix remembers them from last year, so scared to be away from home for the first time, and it looks like they remember her well. Another child is crying quietly, and Marinette makes her way over, kneels until she’s at their level. 

“Hey there, little bird!” She tugs at their t-shirt, hanging loosely off of their shoulder. A cartoon bird is ironed onto the pocket, and Marinette pokes at it gently. The child hiccups a laugh through tears, and Marinette scoops them up into the air. “Gonna fly away from me, little bird?” They laugh and kick until Marinette pulls them into her chest, where they bury their face into her neck. 

“No!! I’m gonna stay here with you!!!” Suddenly shy, they peek up at her. “If… if that’s okay?” 

“Well gosh! I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” When Marinette winks, Felix sees their shoulders relax, draining of tension. They snuggle into her, and he knows she’ll be spending the bus ride in the back with the youngest campers. Something like disappointment and pride curls up in his stomach, a cat making its home by the hearth. 

Marinette waves at him as she passes and another camper, nine years old and too hyper for their own good, throws themselves at Felix. He catches them, and grins at Marinette. His smile is crooked and the child is already yanking Felix’s shirt out of place. 

She takes a picture, and Felix grins harder. 

Being at camp as the eldest campers is a wildly new experience. Nino has taken over the guitar laying haphazardly by the fire pit, and there are always camp songs drifting across the fields now. His wrist is decorated with friendship bracelets from all the kids he sings with. Felix and Marinette have matching ones and Nino likes to tease Felix about them being the only pop of color on his otherwise grey palette. Being friends with Nino is new and thrilling too, inside jokes and playful ribbing that makes Felix grin. Marinette has admitted she likes watching the two of them interact, and Felix makes an effort to do it more often just for that. He spends time with Nino even when she’s not there, though, and it’s nice to have another friend, no matter how much it doesn’t feel the same as being friends with Marinette. 

Camp looks the same and different now. There are so many people they already know, who are still finding all the best spots in the forest to hide in, the best trees to climb to see all the way out to the waterfalls just ahead of camp, the best foods from the great hall and the best ways to roast marshmallows over a campfire to get that perfect char, that melted inside. 

Every now and then, Marinette smirks at a particularly perfect marshmallow and then glances at Felix. He refuses to ask until almost six weeks later, she adds a little shimmy of her shoulders and an eyebrow wiggle, and then he folds like a bad hand at poker. 

“Okay, fine, what is it?!”

“...they’re like youuu!” She does it again, and this time her shimmy leans her into his space. Felix holds himself still and hopes the light of the fire covers his blush. 

“How?!” 

“Grumpy on the outside and melted in the middle!!” Her voice is sing-songing and Felix refuses to acknowledge exactly how melty being around her makes him feel. 

“...you’re just as melty, okay.” His voice is gruff and he’s worried as soon as he says it that she doesn’t want his friendship in that same consuming kind of way, that she’ll laugh and prove him wrong. Instead, she stays quiet for a long moment that sends Felix into a whole new kind of panic and then responds, almost too quiet to be heard over the crackling of the fire. 

“...I really am.” 

Felix is suddenly overwhelmed with the way that she says it, like there are so many levels to what she’s saying that he can’t possibly burrow through them all. 

“I-- Marinette, I’m so lu-- lucky to be your friend. I know that I could’ve had yo-- uh, could’ve been your friend years ago, and it’s my fau-- my fault, but I have you now and I’m… lucky, thank you.” 

“...I’ve never heard you stutter like that.” 

Shame flushes through his body. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so-- I’m sorry, Marinette, I’ll stop.”

“I kind of like it.” She isn’t looking at him. Her voice cuts through to his heart anyways. It pulls at him, yanks his response out of him before he has a chance to grab it back, pull it into himself and tear it apart. 

“Why?!” 

“I like it when you fall apart like that. I feel like… I feel like I get to know you more than the polished perfect boy you used to pretend to be, like I get to see the way you think as it happens. It makes me feel trusted, and I just… I really value that, Felix. I know how special it is.” She watches the campfire spit flames at her marshmallow and turns it idly, following the glittering trail of sparks across the skyline, then peeks at him between her bangs. 

“I know how special you are. I’m pretty lucky, too.” 

[sugarbutterbroadway]

When Davey Smiles

Golden rays of sunlight trickled in through the blinds pouring over Jack’s face. He scrunched his nose up and pulled the blankets over his face. He had already started shifting an hour prior but he had hope that he could slip back into the clutches of sleep. Now it was just pathetic how he was clinging onto the traces of drowsiness. He spent five more minutes with his eyes screwed shut before opening them. The sky was awake so he was awake or whatever the hell it was Anna said. He groaned and sat up a little, rubbing his eyes. If it was anyone else he would have left to not disturb them, but when Davey finally fell asleep, he slept like a rock. Jack chuckled, he could probably do an entire cirque du soleil act and Davey would only groan and roll over.

Man did he love his husband. He was so happy he got to say that, his husband. They had tied the knot a few months ago and he still got all giddy every time he said it. Davey was his husband, his sweet and handsome husband who was currently drooling on his pillow.

“Ew”Jack whispered, pulling a face. He was more disgusted that he thought Davey was still darling with spit pooling out of his mouth. He wasn’t exactly a quiet sleeper, he pulled faces and groaned and snored and sometimes even talked if Jack was lucky. It was mostly lesson plans and history facts so that got old fast. It wasn’t any better this morning, every so often he would groan and every single time it gave Jack a mini heart attack. You’d think he’d be used to it at this point but the kids he grew up with all slept like the dead, unless something was wrong. He worried his lip between his teeth and peeked over at Davey. He promised himself he would stop doing this years ago because it was creepy but he couldn’t help it. He watched his face and looked for any tells that he was having a nightmare. Davey didn’t have them often, but when he did they were always horrible. Furrowed brows,squirming and more often than not he cried. Jack had only seen them a few times but they always broke his heart, the way Davey shot up not knowing where he was, it was like watching a frightened child. So he watched and waited, looking for even the slightest tell. A few minutes had passed and he could finally stop holding his breath, Davey was fine. Of course he was, but Jack could never be too sure. He wanted to slap himself, it was too early to be freaking out over something that hasn’t even happened.

He needed to get out of bed. He was growing restless and it was only a matter of time before he kicked Davey from all his fidgeting and ended up with a 7am scolding. He shuddered, a tired Davey’s scoldings were not to be taken lightly. He slid out from underneath the blankets and nearly jumped back into bed the second his feet hit the floor. 

“Jesus christ!”he exhaled, it was freezing. He waddled over to the closet and pulled out a pair of sweats and a hoodie, and if they just so happened to be Davey’s, that was his business. The first order of business was to get some coffee in his system—decafe of course. The last time he had caffeinated coffee he was an anxious wreck the whole day. He shook his head, that was not a good day for anyone. He slid his feet into his bedroom slippers and padded out of the room. The minute he walked into the living room he heard the jingling of a collar.

“There’s my baby”he cooed, dropping to his haunches. Luna happily trotted over and placed her head on his knees. He of course took this as the cue to pick her up baby style and walk into the kitchen.

“You’re getting so big, Lu”He sighed, maneuvering her to one arm. “You’re not our little baby anymore. You think you have the right to turn one and get so big, huh?”he picked up a peppermint k cup and placed it in the keurig, god did he love wedding presents. “What’s next? You gonna move out and go to college? Gonna leave me and daddy?” he paused. Then quickly muffled a cackle with his elbow. “You’re literally our first baby, how does it feel?”

Luna squirmed in his arms and whined. 

“Fine”He huffed, lowering her to the floor. She quickly jumped from his arms and padded back into the living room. 

“I get no love from this girl”He grumbled, once his coffee was done brewing he put in an unnecessary amount of creamer that would send Davey reeling and sat in the living room. If Jack was going to drink coffee he wanted it sweet or not at all, it annoyed Davey to high heaven. He smirked, but it quickly fell into a pout. It was early,he was bored and it was a sin to call anyone before 10am. He pulled his knees up to his chest and tried to enjoy the silence, it wasn’t something he got much of these days. But he didn’t really care for silence, he liked their house loud and chaotic. Not the ethereal hallmark masterpiece it currently was. Their house. That was insane, they owned a house. Well—they owned the mortgage and the bonus was getting to live there.

It was a project to begin with, it was practically begging to be taken off the market and both of them fresh out of college jumped at the opportunity. With help from Medda with the cost and many many breakdowns, it’s finally a place they can call home. He loved their house, their home. He loved it when Davey made breakfast in the morning, it was always without a doubt in his underwear no matter the weather. He loved when Davey sang while folding laundry or showering or even putting his shoes on. He was just a sucker for Davey singing, he rarely did it and when he does it’s always cut far too short because he’s embarrassed. Davey may not like his voice but Jack could listen to it all day long.

He was just a sucker for Davey, especially his smile. The way his eyes shone and his grin reached his ears, man it could make an angel weep. Maybe Jack had spent too much time with him but he knew each one of Davey’s smiles and he loved most of them. The way his lips quirked up into a lopsided grin when he was explaining a lesson planned out for his students. The way he smiled first thing in the morning when his eyes had lost their haziness and focused on Jack. The way he managed to smile even in the worst of times with tears streaming down his face because I’ll be okay Jack, I promise there’s nothing to worry about. And Jack’s favorite, the way he smiled at babies. His eyes would soften and he would grin and coo at any newborn in the vicinity, it gave Jack a deadly case of baby fever. They had spent time with Davey’s family this past holiday season and Jack could hardly bear it with all the new babies around, let alone them and Davey.

“Oh my god a baby.” Jack barely had time to question before Davey was pulling him in the direction of a cousin he definitely hadn’t met. The two embraced briefly before Davey had focused on the baby in her arms.

“Her name is Anika”

He let out a little gasp“Anika”he repeated, his eyes sparkling. 

Before Jack knew it Davey was coaxing his cousin to go have fun and enjoy the gathering which left them both on baby duty. Jack was excited himself but he couldn’t help but get a kick out of Davey acting like a complete idiot. He had basically taken over as a stand-in parent with a burp cloth over his shoulder,her diaper bag and a pacifier as they lounged on the couch.

“Ani ani ani ani!”He cooed, tickling her chin, the grin never leaving his face. 

Jack grinned himself, that was the happiest he had ever seen Davey, wedding and other milestones aside. He had taken a million pictures and didn’t stop smiling even after they left. He may have gotten a little eggnog drunk but he just remembers Davey repeating the name Anika over and over to himself in the car. It was a beautiful name but it left Jack thinking. Was Davey trying to drop hints? Did Davey want a baby? His eyes widened.

Did Davey want a baby with him?

He shook his head and set his unfinished cup on the coffee table. It was too early to think about babies, it was only 7:30am and he was only 24, there was plenty of time to think about babies later. Besides, he already had one child to look after, three if you count Charlie and Race. he sighed happily, where was Luna anyways?

He heard a scream from the bedroom and a loud thud. He winced, found her. He sprung off the couch, and jogged into the bedroom. Well Davey was awake. Luna was laid comfortably on his side of the bed while he sprawled on the floor staring at the ceiling with vacant eyes. Jack could barely stifle his laughter as he put on a stern face.

“Luna Anne Kelly-Jacobs”He scolded, “Did you push your poor father off the bed?”

“It’s too early for this,”Davey said in disbelief. “The chaos usually doesn’t start until noon”

“Look at what you did”He continued, “You sent the poor man into shock!”

Luna didn’t even bother to pick her head up, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Kids these days man”

“Jack”Davey said, shifting his eyes towards the green eyed man. “Please...shut up”

“Good morning to you too, handsome”He said, he extended his arm and Davey reached up to grab it. With one pull Davey was in his arms, swaying gently.

“Morning”Davey yawned, and leaned in to place a kiss on Jack’s forehead. He missed by a long shot and got the top of his ear, but it was the thought that counted.

“You’re a zombie this mornin”He teased. Davey sighed and wrapped his arms around Jack, burying his face in the crook of his neck.

“My students are idiots,”Davey whimpered. Jack faltered for a second.

“Isn’t that kinda mean?”He chuckled.

“No no, they’re incredibly smart”Davey mumbled, “But oh my god they’re idiots”

“Ah, gotcha”He said, “What’d they say this time?”

“One of-”Davey cut himself off with a groan. “One of them looked me in my eye and told me that Amelia Earhart had big dick energy”

Jack quickly turned his head to the side and howled. If any of their neighbors were sleeping they weren’t now because he was dying.

“It’s not funny!”Davey whined burying his face in Jack’s shoulder.

“You’re right, it’s not funny”He said, attempting to compose himself “it’s fucking hilarious!”

“Jack-”

“But did they lie?”He asked, wiping his eyes. 

“No-”

“Raise their grade”He said, “I fucking love that kid”

Davey picked his head up and looked Jack square in the eye, “I couldn’t raise his grade if I wanted to, he’s top of the class”

And Jack was back in hysterics. “That makes it even better!”

That made Davey laugh a bit and he finally pulled away from the embrace shaking his head.

“You are a terrible influence”

“Tell this kid i’m his biggest fan”He pleaded, “Please, I’ll get on my knees and beg”

“I sure would like to see that”Davey laughed, then his face immediately dropped when Jack smirked. “No I didn’t mean it like-”

“Oh really?”He teased, “You wanna see me on my knees beggi-”

“I can’t hear you over the sound of me not hearing you”Davey said, walking out of the room. And he was smiling. Jack followed behind him with a laugh. He loved mornings like this,he loved the days those mornings turned into. For once Jack Kelly finally loved his life.

Bonus

“Will you make us breakfast?”Jack said.

Davey rolled his eyes. “You just want to look at my butt”

“So?”

“At least buy me dinner first”

“We’re married!”Jack exclaimed, “What more do you want from me!”

“I want you to love me for more than my juicy dumptruck!”

“And you wonder where your students pick this shit up from!”