#(i listen to the hush sound but idk the members that well)

[decaydanceredacted]

shame that there hasn't been one confession (at least in recent times) about chris faller from the hush sound because oh my god. dear lord. that's the most peggable man i've seen in my entire life.

like his long hair in more recent years and he's a bit beefier now...i'd let him manhandle me.

back in the day with that fast times bilvy ass haircut + that little cord necklance? i need to choke him a little bit.

i know nothing about the man other than the fact that i am insanely attracted to him.

.

[satrs]

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ; you find out about the class loner's fantasies about you, so you decide to give him the real deal.

ꜰᴇᴀᴛᴜʀɪɴɢ; Nerdy!Virgin!Choso x fem!reader

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ; 1.3k

Tags; NSFW CONTENT! MDNI! (College AU). Virginity loss(Choso). Nicknames(pretty boy). riding. overstim. praise kink.

ᥲ/ᥒ ꜝꜝ ✎ nerdy choso is just a desperate need atp. But idk how to feel abt this bc it's literally written by crazy lec LMAO.

ALL CHARACTERS ARE 18+!

"Mr. Kamo, are you alright?" the sound of his teacher snapped the young college student out of his daydreams, attention now back to the front of the class as his demeanor stiffened.

Some class members snickered at his reaction and others straight up ignored him like he wasn't even there. It's like always- he is an irrelevant member of society until he is of use to them. 'Kamo do you have this homework?' or 'Kamo I need help with this and that?' are the only times when people converse with him normally.

"Gosh, he's such a dork. Right Y/N?" The mention of your name made his ears perk up, slightly looking in your direction as your friend whispered to you. "Just leave him alone for Christ's sake. He didn't do anything abnormal. Daydreaming is completely common, especially for people like you."

But you? You were different. You're not exactly popular around the campus, but sure well-known. You were breathtakingly gorgeous but didn't make it your only personality trait. You- Y/N L/N are the only person that made him feel like he was a part of this college, not just some nerdy loner.

Your words caused the man to try to hide his chuckle but you still caught it, flashing him a cocky smile with a quick wink, startling him. You noticed his flustered expression, smiling to yourself before returning your attention to the teacher's teachings.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

„Are you free right now, Choso?“

His eyes shot up at the sound of your voice, halting his movements of packing his bag as his eyes turned wide at the mention of his first name. „M-me? Uhm, yeah, s-sure. What’s up?“

You chuckled at his nervous form, biting the inside of your cheek. „You know, I still got no partner for the biology project and I thought, maybe we could partner up?“

His head was about to explode and his heart was almost jumping out of his chest, quickly nodded his head in agreement, swinging his packed bag over his shoulder, anxiously holding onto it.

A smile spread across your face, clapping your hands together in excitement as you abruptly took his hand in yours, heading out of the almost empty classroom. „Let’s go to my dorm right now, yeah?“

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

He awkwardly sat on your bed, cheeks painted in a slight red tone whilst you sat next to him, already changed into a more comfortable hoodie, thighs visible as the hoodie revealed much more than Choso thought he could handle.

„So, I‘m more interested than school for you right now? That’s a surprise.“ Your teasing made him clear his throat, quickly averting his gaze to the textbook on his lap, opening it to the right page as he began to explain the steps the both of you would have to keep in mind, trying his best to ignore the feeling you ignited in him.

It was hard for him to focus when you sat so close to him, your bare thighs lightly brushing his legs, dick twitching in need.

And you on the other hand barely listened, gaze stuck to the erected length in his pants, the big imprint causing your thighs to press together in anticipation.

No longer able to hold your desires, you pulled the textbook from his grasp, earning a confused look from the young man. His perplexed expression was to die for as you climbed on top of his lap, hoodie riding up to showcase your panties, leaving little to no mind for the imagination.

You hushed his stuttering with a finger placed on top of his lips, grinning down at him as you sat right onto his hard cock, his whine causing you to hum in amusement.

„I’m no dummy, Choso. I see how you’re eyeing me in class.“ He tried to defend himself, face heating up in embarrassment, only to be silenced by you again, this time by the press of your lip against his, your tongue finding its way into his mouth, caging him into a hot and messy kiss.

He shamelessly moaned into your mouth, hand carefully resting on your hip as you began to move your hips against his, a pleased sigh escaping your lips as the fabric of his pants caught onto your sensitive bud.

You quickly broke the kiss, leaving his lips with a string of salvia still connecting the both of you as you made quick work to his pants, pulling his throbbing cock free. „So big.“

He hissed at the cold air hitting his sensitive tip, hips subconsciously bucking up into your touch as your fingers wrapped around him, sensually stroking his dick as pre cum leaking from his slit.

„Y/N, I‘ve never done t-this“ you hushed him up with a quick peak to his lips, caging your lower lip between your teeth as you slid your panties from your legs, alining his leaking tip to your aching hole.

„Don’t worry pretty boy, “your hips slowly slid down his cock, his head falling back onto your bed as a sinful moan escaped his lips, bracing himself on his elbows to see his cock disappear in your glistening pussy. „I‘ll take good care of you,“ you’re words got cut off by a soft moan from you as you felt his thick cock fill you up. „ make this a first time for you to remember.“

His fingers tangled in the sheets below him, teeth grinding as he desperately tried to hide his moans, failing to do so as your walls clenched around him, sucking him deeper with each grind of your hips.

He won't be able to hold it in any longer, he already felt his impending orgasm threatening to wash over his body, his thighs clenching underneath you. A grin played itself on your lips as you noticed his behavior change, your movements only speeding up, anticipating to watch Choso unravel underneath you. Which he did not long after, your praises filling his ears as his mind exploded at the wave of euphoria overcoming him, his hand flinging to his mouth, muffled whimpers escaping his palm.

Your breathing turned ragged, the rhythm of your hips growing sloppy as you leaned down his level, taking in the sight of his disheveled form. "You're doing so good, Choso. I'm close too." The pathetic whine that flew past his lips made you bite your lip in pleasure, the knot inside of you tightening at the feeling of his meaty length filling your guts, tip repeatedly hitting that particular gushy spot. You threw your head back in euphoria, supporting yourself with your hands on his chest as you felt his length twitch inside of you, warm cum dripping out of your hole.

"W-wait, I can't-" he cut himself off with a loud moan, hands flying to your hips in an attempt to stop you, the overstimulation getting to his head. It was too much, but he couldn't stop you because it felt so good having his long-time crush on riding him into oblivion, feeling his cum trickling down his balls and onto the sheets.

"Just a little more. Don't you want to feel me cum around you?" This made him frantically nod his head, pleading an approval, 'yes' coming from him in between grunts and wails. "Fuck" His sensitive cock twitched inside of you at your words, starry eyes shooting up your face, taking in your face twisted in pleasure, your fingers gripping his shirt as you came, your moans like angelic music to his ears.

You giggled as the both of you caught your breaths, his worn-out length slipping out of you, more of his seed dripping from your cunt. Your fingers sneaked to his face, brushing some of his hair out of his face as you admired his heated cheeks.

"Do you got a girlfriend, Choso?" His eyes widened at your words, a slightly embarrassed expression decorating his face. "N-no." Your eyes lit up at his answer, clapping your hands together in excitement. "So, tell me," you leaned down, breath tickling his nose as your eyes stared through his soul. "do you want to be my boyfriend?"

His perplexed face made you wholeheartedly laugh, expecting orbs to look at him. "I-I would love too but, don't we need to go on a date first?" You grinned down at him at the sound of his weak voice, placing a small peek at his temple.

"This is our first date, no?"

©︎𝐊-𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐒. all rights reserved. Do NOT plagiarize, copy, modify, republish, or translate my work in any way!

[mostlyoriginalmcyterstuff]

Headcanons I guess? I’m trying them out! Goat hybrid! reader with the Sleepy bois. Because goats “faint” when they get scared, I took that and RAN WITH IT.

Pronouns used for reader: They/them

Trigger warnings: One kind of swear word, fainting, panic,

Notes: I used the word “king” but FLIP IT! MAKE KING A GENDER NEUTRAL TERM!! THERES BEEN GIRL KINGS! So, men, women, non-binary people, gender fluid people, etc, CAN ALL BE KINGS! Y’all are all kings, take your crown 👑 👑 !!

•So you’re like a 5th member of the sleepy bois (5th is right, right? Idk, I suck at counting)

•You’re like their sibling, and being their sibling, chaos and accidents happen often.

•Tommy and Tubbo had been using balloons for something. While you were sitting on the couch on the other side of the room.

•Phil and Wilbur were on another couch, Wilbur telling Phil about his new plans for a song, as the two laid against each other.

•Techno was sitting next to you, reading Greek mythology to you quietly. You had been currently learning about Medusa when Tubbo called for you.

•”Heyyyyyy, (Y/n)? Could you come help us with this?” Tubbo asked, looking over at you.

•”Alrighty, What is it you need help with?” You said, standing up.

•”Well theres thi-“

•Suddenly, then was a really loud popping noise, startling everyone.

•”Tommy!” “Listen- It was an accident-“

•You has frozen up, causing Techno to raise an eyebrow at you.

•”(Y/n)? You oka-“

•Then, you fainted.

•The panic that everyone felt was huge. Techno quickly moved to catch you, his quick reflexes coming in handy.

•Phil and Wilbur quickly got up, rushing over to you as Techno laid you on the couch that you two were just sitting on

•”Are they okay??!” “I don’t know??? Why are you asking me, Tubbo?!”

•In the middle of everyone’s panic, you slowly started to open your eyes, causing Techno to hush everyone.

•”Shush. Their awake now.”

•”Are you alright, (Y/n)? Do you need water?” Phil asked, already fretting over you.

•”I’m fine guys, it’s just the goat hybrid in me.” You said, sitting up

•”Wha..oh. Goats fainting when startled?” Techno asked, the look of realization dawning on him.

•”Yup. I gotta deal with that”

•”Sounds fun.” He replied sarcastically

•”So you’re alright, not hurt, dehydrated, or anything?” Wilbur asked, concern still lingering in his gaze.

•”Yeah, I’m alright, don’t worry, Wil. Just got startled by the ballon popping.” You replied.

•”You really should have told us about your fainting earlier, (Y/n).” Phil scolded slightly.

•”I’m sorry, I just didn’t expect it to be too important.?” You nervously said.

•Phil sighed. But, you could tell he wasn’t angry.

•”Just please let us know these things ahead of time. You caused us all a big panic there, mate.” He ruffled your hair a bit, before smiling at you.

•”Alright DAD” You said, exaggerating the ‘dad’ part, intentionally.

•He laughed a bit, “Good, CHILD.” He copied a bit, mocking you jokingly.

•You laughed, before opening up your arms for a hug.. but before Phil could hug you, Tommy threw himself onto you, hugging you tightly.

•”oof!! Tommyyy!” You whined, huffing at him.

•Phil laughed again, “Stealing my hugs, mate? How dare!”

•”You dont deserve them! Tubbo and I do! Come on tubbo!”

•”Hell yeah!!!” Tubbo rushed over, pushing Tommy a bit to take your left side and hug you, causing you to laugh

•”I’m the king of cuddles and hugs, everyone.” You said between giggles

•”then give me hugs, Oh king of hugs.” Tommy demanded, hugging you tightly.

•”Oh, okay then. If you say so.” You said, squeezing him tightly for a moment.

•”I love you guys” You said, your ears twitching, and tail wagging a bit.

•”love ya too, man.” Techno replied.

[shrimpsicality]

🌷rad raddles!

Hi Tins! Sorry this took so long but I finally got something written!!

Lies and Lilacs is a spy/royalty/magic AU (again, trust me, it makes sense) in which Raddles, a shapeshifter and rebel sympathiser, sneaks her way into the palace gardens through the guise of a little cat and listens in on the council meetings.

This snippet is pretty short because I honestly don't write spy/rebel AUs so idk what to write.

A small cat pads her way around a prickly bush, violet eyes trained on the delicately arched window hanging above the garden.

She has a dark purple pelt, so dark it gleams black as she scrambles up a twisting vine. Her claws shred the lilac flowers under them as she climbs and lands lightly on the windowsill.

Her name is Raddles, and she isn't always a cat.

In the cobblestone streets past the iron wrought gates of the palace, to the rebels and unhappy folk tired of being battered down by the king's men, Raddles is a sharp-eyed merchant, agile and dexterous in guarding her secrets and friends.

In the dim light of her workshop, down in the basement where the words themselves hang hushed in the heavy air, Raddles gathers information like plucking fruit from a tree, spinning secrets from breath-thin silk and unspooling them into her friends' waiting hands.

The king's council shuffle their papers and gather their inks, chairs eagerly pushed back as they await their dismissal.

"Well," Says the thin, cold voice of the king's advisor, lounging in his seat like it was a throne. There's a world of boredom in his voice, but an underlying thrum of anxiety. "If that's all?"

Raddles creeps nearer, pushing her nose against the glass. Oh dear. She missed their discussion.

"Not quite!" A lord practically shouts, rising to his feet. He looks around at the unimpressed scowls on his fellow council members and falters. "What about– you know, the… rebels…"

Raddles perks up. Never mind, she was just in time.

"The rebels?" The advisor stands as well, glaring at the unfortunate lord. "What rebels?"

In the brief silence that follows, screams and the sounds of clashing pitchforks from beyond the gates prove him wrong.

The duke next to the advisor stands, nervously adjusting his collar, and clears his throat. "Agreed, there are no rebels in this kingdom."

A murmur sweeps through the room; after three painstakingly long months combating the citizens' uprising, why would the advisor choose to ignore it now?

Raddles isn't sure, but this is still important information.

"Alright," The advisor claps his hands together. "That settles it. No rebels in this kingdom. Now, scram!"

[mister-supernova]

This Isn’t Goodbye

Pairing: Hope Mikaelson x Reader

No one expected today to escalate the way it did. The Salvatore School had its fair share of chaos this entire year, and having a group of grown adults barge onto school grounds with guns and bark orders while treating supernatural kids like the scum of the Earth surprisingly wasn’t the worst thing that was going to happen to you today. 

Without the ability to access your powers, none of the students could defend themselves and there was no one else around to protect any of you. The members of the triad were ruthless and especially dangerous with their Malivore mud bullets that could poison any student who crossed the line. 

Unfortunately, you and Josie bit the end of one of those bullets. It wasn’t even supposed to hit you, but a shard managed to bounce off the floor and dig into your leg. 

At first, you didn’t know you were hit until you could feel your energy escaping you with every minute that passed. You thought that maybe you were just dehydrated, then you looked down and noticed the blood seeping through your jeans--your blood. 

Part of you didn’t know how you were able to stay on your feet while you, Hope, Lizzie, and Jo were forced to go into the werewolf holding cells in the basement. Lizzie was tending to Josie on one side of the cell on a cot while you and Hope were sat up against the wall on the other side of the room. 

“You’re going to be okay, Y/n. I swear. Once we find a way to figure out what’s blocking our magic, we’ll get that out of you as quickly as possible.” Hope says, her voice wavering ever so slightly. It made you smile, hearing the big, brave, tribrid worry for you. 

When you first met Hope, you weren’t sure that she had any interest in you once so ever. She was the mysterious, martyr-complex heroine trying to find her purpose in the world. She never let herself get too close to anyone because of her fear of losing them. 

Like MG, you were Dr. Saltzman’s student assistant when it came to taming the out of control werewolves of the school, so you saw Hope more often than the other students did. It was probably two years ago--about a year after meeting Hope--that you guys spoke more than three words to each other. 

You made yourself comfortable around Hope fairly quickly after becoming friends. She would never say that you two became friends so fast, but you believe otherwise. 

Unlike the many other students who tried befriending Hope and ended up backing down on her due to the fact that she was very stubborn, you never gave up on her.

Instead, you continued to be your usual goofball self around her. You’d tell her one terrible joke every day and even though she acted like she loathed it, she always looked forward to hearing them.  

Sometimes you would catch her sitting alone at one of the tables in the library either reading for one of your classes or studying for an exam. You’d pull up a chair and sit right beside her, nearly talking her ear off for half an hour while she pretended not to listen when really she was taking in every detail. You knew this because you’d notice her smile softly from behind her book. 

The two of you grew close, but you never expected yourself to develop feelings for Hope that were deeper than friendship. You believe they started when she let herself really smile and laugh at your dumb jokes. Something about the way her eyes crinkled when she was really happy made your heart grow three sizes. 

You’ve made it a point throughout your friendship to tease Hope anytime you saw her show concern for you and your friends.

“Is this the Hope Mikaelson worrying about someone?” Your voice was already starting to sound groggy and you could feel the poison spreading up your body at a painfully slow pace, “You sure you weren’t shot, too?” You ask, feeling her head with the back of your hand which she quickly removes with her own, “You’re cute when you’re worried, Mikaelson.” 

“I can’t believe you're making a joke of this right now.” She tells you, not letting go of your hand. 

“Sorry. Would you prefer that I act out the excruciating pain this Malivore bullet is making me feel, instead? I could also make a list of every body part that feels like it’s on fire if you have the time.” The serious look in her eyes only made you smile more. You never let your sense of humor falter, even in your possible last moments. 

“Why do you always do that?” Hope wonders with a half-hearted chuckle as she shakes her head at you.

“Do what? Be unbelievably hilarious even though I’m on my way to my impending doom?” You hush your voice as low as possible so that Lizzie and Josie couldn’t hear you from the other side of the cell. As much as you enjoyed making a joke of this situation, you weren’t sure the twins would feel the same way.

“You just smile and act like everything is okay. Like you aren’t in any pain.” 

You in fact were in the worst pain of your life, but the last thing you were going to do was let her see that. The infection of the bullet had made its way to your lower back at this point and it felt worse than any other sort of pain you’d ever felt prior to this moment. 

Seriously, you’d rather shift into your werewolf form for the rest of the day than feel this bullet destroying you from the inside out. 

“Well, maybe--let’s say this situation goes sour and we can’t figure out how to get the evil mud out of my body--I don’t want you to see me in absolute agony and I don’t want that to be the last thing you remember about me.” 

Hope squeezes your hand, not even wanting to imagine how you must be feeling right now. 

You squeeze hers back, “But I know with you here, I’ll be okay no matter what happens.” 

Tears began to fill the bottom of her eyelids, making the usual spark in her blue eyes--that you also started to fall for--go dull. Seeing her on the verge of crying caused your smile to fade. 

She had lost so many people she cared about because of her and she didn’t want you to be the next. The thought of that hadn’t crossed your mind until now. 

“Hope, it’s going to be okay.” You tell her with the most assurance you could. You knew that the chances of you surviving this weren’t certain, but the last thing you wanted to see was Hope cry. The sight of that would be more painful than the bullet.  

She nods silently before leaning her forehead against your shoulder and squeezing your hand with all the strength she could muster. You squeezed back, assuring her that you still had a good amount of your own strength left. 

Then you pressed a kiss to the top of Hope’s head, “I’m not going anywhere,” you whisper into her hair, “There isn’t anyone else I want listening to my stupid rants and laughing at my dumb jokes. Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone else would.”

A small chuckle manages to escape the tribrid and when she looks back up at you, you can’t tell if she thinks you're the biggest idiot in the world or the greatest person to exist. You decided to go with the second one judging by the faint smile she was giving you. 

It wasn’t until a few seconds passed that you realized how close her face was to yours. Her nose could practically touch yours if you were to slightly rotate your head to the right. 

Super hearing or not, you were sure that everyone in the cell could hear how fast your heart was beating right now and it wasn’t because of the Malivore bullet. 

You glanced down at her lips for less than a second and that was all you needed to do to know that you really wanted to kiss Hope Mikaelson. It wasn’t like you haven’t wanted to in the past, but in this moment you thought that this could be your last chance.

“Hope, I-”

The moment vanished at the sound of a familiar vampire running towards your cell--MG. Josie remained on the bed while you, Lizzie and Hope talked with him from behind the bars that he had now unlocked. 

After being caught up on how his mother is an agent working for Triad and that there’s a terrifying bloody skull sculpture in the school tunnels that’s blocking off the witches’ magic, you looked over at Hope. 

“Looks like that’s your cue,” she looks at you and Josie, who is looking a lot paler than earlier, “The school needs you and so does Landon. Go be a hero, Mikaelson.” 

Hope gives you one last awed smile before taking a confident step towards you and gently pulling your neck down to meet her lips with yours. To catch yourself from falling forward in surprise, your hands find her waist and you let out a content sigh. 

For a moment, the pain from the Malivore bullet was long forgotten and all you had to focus on was the beautiful woman in front of you. You couldn’t care less that Lizzie, Josie, and MG were witnessing your first kiss with the tribrid. In your mind, they weren’t even there. For all you knew, it was just you and Hope in the world.

The kiss didn’t last nearly as long as you wanted it to, but given that some of you were in a life or death situation, you thought maybe it was for the best. When Hope pulled away, she leaned her forehead against yours while her fingers still traced along the back of your neck. 

“Now, you really better come back.” You say breathlessly, feeling another smile grow on your face. 

“You better be here when I do,” she whispers with a hint of seriousness in her voice. 

“Will I get another one of those if I am?” 

She smiles, taking a small step away from you, “We’ll see.”

~

this is my first time posting an imagine like this, so i hope you guys like it ;) i’m making this a little mini series (idk how many parts yet) but part 2 will be coming very soon! 

[notveryglittery]

mice on venus (1.1)

summary: gee, those forest ravines really pop out at you, huh? wc: 2k / ships: romantic royality, qpr prinxiety, romantic analogical. warnings: falling off a cliff, injuries, janus is a lil rough around the edges but sometimes u gotta be when living in a dangerous blocky world... author’s note: i couldn’t sleep last night... bc brain was making this... and also @thoriffix​ makes nice minecraft art... so yeah, minecraft sanders sides au? i have no clue what i’m doing besides having fun :) not too much knowledge of the game is needed; you can look at it as a basic adventure au. enjoy!

mice on venus (1.1) (you are here) | far (1.2) title inspo: (spotify link) (youtube link) idk if this will go on ao3 but here’s a spot for editing 

— — —

Patton’s voice tears from his throat in a raw and terrified shout. "Roman!" He screams, hands outstretched uselessly, as Roman tips backwards over the edge of a ravine, and disappears.

Logan is there, barely a second later. He rifles through his bag, finds what he needs, and throws it with all the force he can muster. Gravity won't let it hit the ground before Roman does, but it will help when it arrives nonetheless. He hurries to stand, turn, and face —

"What happened?!" Virgil asks breathlessly, daggers drawn and at the ready.

"Roman fell into a ravine," Logan answers with so little tact that Patton would scold him for it if he were paying enough attention to overhear. The color in Virgil's face drains. "I threw a Splash Potion of Healing after him," Logan reassures without pausing, "but we need to get down there."

"I knew I should've stayed home," drawls their final party member, sounding awfully bored despite the situation.

Patron does hear this and he rounds on Janus with fire in his eyes. "How could you be so cruel?! Roman might be dead!"

Janus raises an eyebrow. "Were you not listening just now? Our local brewer lobbed a potion. Roman's seen worse. He'll be fine."

Patton's lower lip trembles but it's hard to tell whether he wants to cry or to berate. Maybe both. He looks for Virgil, only to find him at the ravine's edge with a bucket. Water is flowing from where it's been poured, creating a safe passage for them to traverse down in once safe.

Roman, meanwhile, is falling.

His only warning had been the horror dawning on Patton's face and even then, it came after his foot met air instead of solid ground like he expected. For some inane reason, his first thought as he went plummeting was "who put this ravine in the middle of a forest?" Next, it was panic and "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH—"

With the wind stinging his face and his blood roaring in his ears, Roman knows he has mere seconds to figure out how to make this suck less. He struggles to right himself until he's facing the ground that is rushing up to meet him. He pulls his shield from where it is strapped to his back and thanks Jeb that he'd had the foresight, as their fighter, to give himself something sturdier. The rickety thing the others use wouldn't have done much for him here but the curved, solid iron plate he tucks himself into should absorb most of the impact.

That doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt like hell. He can barely cry out with how his breath is knocked out of him. Pain shoots up his ankles and legs, lighting every nerve along the way. He tilts over, gritting his teeth and trying to see beyond the stars that swim through his vision. He isn't safe… There could… Mobs…

Glass shatters next to him and he flinches from it. Please not a witch, please not a witch, please not a witch —

As opposed to the nauseous kick of poison or the heavy weight of slowness, however, warmth of healing washes over him. In his shock, he'd forgotten anyone had been with him but of course, Logan would have been right behind Patton, with his emergency potions. Relief floods over everything else. He isn't alone. He has help.

"— an idiot!" is the first thing Roman hears when he comes to. He opens his eyes to see Virgil pacing beside him, flailing his arms, and apparently mid-rant. It's probably Logan at his feet, wrapping his ankle in a splint. Ah… the pain from it being jostled must've woken him… He's glad he doesn't remember it.

"Honey," Patton's voice whimpers, close to him, choked and scared and none of that will do —

"C'mere," Roman croaks, reaching for his beloved. Patton catches Roman's hand and holds it almost too tightly. Roman isn't sure which one of them is shaking. He brings Patton's hand to his lips and kisses his knuckles. "I'm okay, sweetness. Don't cry. Please. You know a smile will help me recover better than anything."

"That's not true," Logan pipes up, deadpan.

Patton gives him a tremulous smile anyway.

"Learn to watch—" Virgil stops. Freezes. Looks up. "Oh. Great." He's rifling through his supplies before the others even have time to ask him what's wrong.

The sudden realization of dimming light answers them well enough, though. Janus wastes no time in beginning to help Virgil, moving with him to the ravine's wall to back their makeshift base against. Sunset brings with it monsters and they certainly aren’t in the best place to handle that.

"You need to sleep before you get back on your feet," Logan tells Roman as he packs away his med kit. "No adventures for at least three days."

Roman gasps, as if Logan has just told him his birthday is canceled.

"Logan's right, dear," Patton intervenes, pulling one of Roman's arms over and around his shoulder. He helps him stand slowly, making sure Roman favors weight on his less injured ankle. "It's okay, I'm gonna stay with you! It'll go by so quick, you won't even know it happened."

Roman wants to complain further but he’s lightheaded from his now-vertical position. With practiced ease, Virgil and Janus have a lean-to set up to keep them safe from the nights terrors. Unfortunately, there’s only enough materials for two beds. Fortunately, they sleep in shifts anyway. It takes some coaxing to convince Roman that he doesn’t need to stay awake for one but once his head is on the pillow and Patton is combing a hand through his hair, he’s out.

Logan sits up for the first two hours. Forty minutes in, Janus leaves to explore the ravine. The others know better than to even try stopping him. He returns, laden with coal and iron ore.

“Roman’s shield is gonna need repairing,” Janus says matter-of-factly as he takes over for the next watch.

Logan groans. “I suppose, at least, the painting will keep him busy while he’s grounded.”

“He’ll last…” Janus pauses, considering. “I give him no more than a day and a half.”

“If he wants to sustain his injuries, sure.”

“Bet you he’ll try stealing an Instant Health potion.”

“Not if he knows what’s best for him,” Logan snaps.

Janus smiles with too many teeth which isn’t to say he has too many teeth, just that normally his smiles are close-lipped. Logan scowls before ducking into their small shelter to try and get some rest.

The next two hours pass without trouble. Virgil takes his turn. The howling screech of an enderman startles Logan awake but just as quick, Virgil is peeking in on the party and waving the concern away with an ender pearl clutched in his fist.

“Didn’t wanna pass up the opportunity,” he whispers, before returning to his post.

Patton sets up for the last watch. Virgil makes Logan take the free bed, which doesn’t take much convincing seeing as he’s half-asleep already. Roman begins to toss and turn so Virgil sits on the ground beside him, reaches up, and holds his hand.

“Sap,” Janus says from the corner where he’s been making torches.

“Have you slept at all?” Virgil asks instead of taking the bait.

When Janus doesn’t answer, Virgil frowns. “How long has it been?”

Another round of silence.

“J, what the fuck? We don’t need phantoms on top of everything else!” Virgil raises his voice without meaning to. Logan stirs at the sound of it; he’s always been a light sleeper.

“Hush,” Janus hisses. They wait a few moments more until Logan has settled. “I will when we get back home. I’ve got at least one more safe night.”

Virgil’s glare sharpens but he doesn’t push any further. Janus goes back to his crafting but Virgil notices now how slowly he works. Instead of staring and letting his concern build, Virgil leans back and shuts his eyes, focusing on Roman’s warm hand in his.

Sunrise means a quick breakfast of bread and crisp apples. They share amongst themselves before Logan and Patton take down the lean-to. Janus returns to the top of the ravine, making sure to dispatch any mobs lurking in the shade of the trees. Virgil remembers the leads Patton had brought with him, for if they had come across any horses, and suggests tying Roman to one of them, just in case things go wrong on the swim up the waterfall.

Roman, ever full of bravado, insists he would be just fine on his own. Looks of concern and frustration come from his boyfriend and queerplatonic partner, respectively, and he quickly gives in without much fuss. Janus joins them again and offers to build a ladder back up, especially since there’s no short supply of wood; Logan disagrees, worried that it would take too long and they’d be caught out once more at nighttime.

Eventually, they do all get up and out of the ravine. Roman’s splint needs redoing now that it’s wet and heavy but afterwards, they are on their way home. He relies heavily on Patton and Virgil to help him, careful to not put too much weight on his injured foot; he hates needing so much help, but he supposes it’s mostly alright, what with Patton keeping him entertained with stories and Virgil teasing him about dumb little mistakes made in the past.

Slow going as as they are, they make it just as the sun is beginning to set. The lanterns are lit at the village they had set up nearby roughly a year ago and their neighbors are gathered at the bell for gossip and trade. Patton wants to swing by to say hello and offer some cake but Roman is really struggling beside him now.

“Oh, sweetpea, you must be so tired,” Patton murmurs, shifting so that he can take more pressure off of Roman. “I’m gonna get you the best dinner… And hot cocoa, too, how’s that sound?”

“We haven’t got a steady supply of cocoa beans yet,” Roman says without much conviction.

“I’ll cocoa bean anyone that tries to stop me,” Patton insists.

Virgil stifles a laugh behind his hand and pretends he didn’t hear the thinly veiled threat disguised as a pun. He makes a note to kick their search for a jungle into first gear and wonders if Janus would be up for a trip to the west. It is the least explored direction and their terribly empty maps remind them every day. In the meantime, he’ll help Patton to get Roman comfortable and settled. He makes sure Janus goes to bed that night, keeping him company until he’s well and truly deep in sleep.

After one last sweep of the perimeter, Virgil retires to his and Logan’s room. Logan is waiting up for him, reading by candlelight. Virgil changes into his night clothes and slides in under the covers. Logan is warm and, with a fond eye roll, compliant as Virgil tugs at his sleeve until he eventually puts his book away. Logan lays on his back with Virgil splayed half-across his chest; the sensation has always put Logan at ease, having his partner’s presence so physical and grounding and there.

“Will Roman be okay?” Virgil asks in a voice so small that Logan almost doesn’t hear him.

“Like Janus said, Roman has been through worse.” Logan hesitates but not long enough for either of them to actually start thinking about it. “As long as he is careful, which I’m sure Patton will help him be, he’ll recover in no time.”

The tension flows out of Virgil in one slow exhale. “Thanks, L.” He shuffles deeper into the blankets and Logan’s embrace. “Love you.”

“And I you,” Logan responds with a hum, pressing a kiss to the top of Virgil’s head.

[peaches-writes]

party night

prompt 2: “But it looks like it’s enjoying itself!”

member: minho / lee know wc: 1.9k genre: fluff, bakeneko au, neighbor au, the crackiest fic you’ll ever read in a while warning: explicit language note: finally it’s done it took a while and it’s not even good it’s so trippy sldjflskdf but i’ve been slumped with work rawr + idk i didnt do my research im so sorry this was quick bc i still hav hw lskdfjsldjk

“Swswswswsws...” You hiss continuously as you point your flashlight into the darkness of the forestry ahead, turning your head to your neighbor after. “Ji, what’s your pet’s name again? It might respond if we called it by its name, you know. It’s been five minutes since we’ve been looking for it.”  

“P-Pet? I don’t—”Jisung briefly stops walking and squints his eyes at you, accidentally pointing his own phone’s flashlight to your face when you turn around to face him at immediately noticing his pause. You hold your free hand up to your face in instinctive response to his accidental action, wincing in pain of the bright light to which Jisung guiltily heaves a sigh at. That was close! “A-Ah, I mean!—L-Lee Know! His...yeah, the cat’s name is Lee Know!”      

You furrow your eyebrows and bring your hand down once Jisung apologizes and points his flashlight elsewhere, a confused frown settling on your lips. “Lee Know? You named him?” 

“Y-Yeah?” He raises his own eyebrows curiously, jogging up the remaining distance to you when you beckon for him to continue walking deeper into the forest with you. It’s time like these when the eco-friendly agenda our village has going on is such a hassle, Jisung groans internally to himself, Minho could be anywhere in this forest...that idiot. “Why’d you ask?” 

You shrug, flinching when a distant rustling faintly goes through your ears. When you point your flashlight towards its direction, however, you only see, much to your disappointment, a raccoon scurrying away. “It’s just—and don’t get offended!—Lee Know sounds a bit of a choice for a cat’s name.” You explain sheepishly, looking away in case he does get offended. “I actually thought Minho named him...given his generally weird tendencies. Maybe he got tired of naming pets cutely like Soonie, Doongie, and Dori or something so I thought, you know...”

Jisung snickers under his breath as you explain, frantically shaking his head and waving his hands when you surprisingly hear and ask him about it. Tell that to him when you see him, he so badly wants to tell you but he opts to quietly continue looking for his roommate instead, mirroring you and pointing his flashlight towards every inch of the path. 

“It’s that ridiculous, huh?” He jokes, to which your eyes widen at. When he peers over your shoulder and notices this, he immediately lets out a hearty laugh. “Don’t worry, it’s cool. I think it’s ridiculous for a cat too.” 

Your shoulders unintentionally relax at this and you muster up a laugh as well. “It sounds like a stage name.” 

“It’s swag, apparently.” 

After five more minutes of walking (and not much progress in finding clues as to where the cat went but misleading footprints of foxes and more raccoons), you stop right under the warning sign your village’s Homeowners Association, placed right before the forest’s restricted area. “Nothing.” You turn around on your surroundings twice before concluding against the stillness of the night and the distant cricketing, facing Jisung again with a disappointed expression. “We can’t go beyond the subdivision limits, Ji. I’m so sorry.” 

Jisung glances between you and the angry ‘No Trespassing’ sign in thought, biting his lip down as he ponders on what to do next. It’s either he risks having you see more than one supernatural creature tonight and drag you with him past village limits or he pretends to go back to the village with you then run all the way back to the other side of the forest and continue looking for his escaped roommate. Then why did I ask Y/N to help me look for Minho in the first place? Jisung asks himself as he scratches his head in the hopes that his last functioning braincell could make a quick decision. 

“Ji?” You elbow him gently when he takes too long to think. Only then does he notice that you’ve already taken a step back from the village limits, body twisted and facing the path back. “Let’s go back, maybe it’s better looking for Lee Know in the morning.” 

“A-Ah, but—” Jisung raises his free hand, as if reaching out to you and tugging you back. Before he could finish his thought, however, he sees a brilliant white light reflect back in your eyes and when he turns around, his eyes widen at colorful lanterns approaching from the trees. “Oh, shit...” 

“What the fuck is that?” You ask in a whisper, instinctively going back to Jisung’s side in fear. When the lanterns draw nearer, you start making out figures of raccoons, foxes, rabbits, and cats dancing on their hind legs. “What the hell?” 

Jisung slaps a hand up to his forehead and purses his lips, gritting his teeth hardly in frustration. Too late, he thinks to himself as he turns to you, eyes wide and mouth agape in bewilderment. “Y/N, listen to me—” 

But again, he’s cut off by a certain orange and white cat catching your attention, waving at you with its paws. “Hi, Y/N!” Minho waves at you casually in his cat form, his smile peeking out of the rainbow towel on his head. “We’re doing a conga line around the forest if you want to join!” 

“I...” You freeze, leaning back in confusion. “T-That’s...Lee Know?” 

“Um...” Jisung turns to you, meeting your unreadable expression. You look simultaneously shocked, horrified, and curious but with a small smile threatening to slip into your features. “I can explain!” 

“He sounds like—” 

“My roommate, Minho. Yeah, um...” Jisung scratches the nape of his neck again, instinctively stepping in front of your view to block the sight of dancing forest animals. “Listen, it’s not what it looks like! Minho, he’s...” 

“Jisung—I mean, wilder things have happened in college—” 

“Yeah but—” Jisung stops halfway, staring back at you as if you’ve grown a second head. “You’re not—you’re not freaked out?” 

“So you are admitting that your roommate is half-cat?” 

“He’s a bakeneko...” 

“Bakeneko, sure, okay.” You repeat, rolling your eyes. “As I was saying, you dragged me out here at 2 AM to look for ‘your cat,’ knowing there’s a slight risk of me finding out who the cat actually is, then you react like this when it does happen? I’m surprised, of course, but you really should’ve thought about that.” 

A part of Jisung heaves a sigh of relief but another part of him panics even further which is only amplified with the music growing louder behind him as more animals pass by. “Yeah, well, I did thought about that but I really needed help looking for Minho because he left without a note and I didn’t expect that he’d be out here partying tonight!” 

This time, it’s you slapping a hand to your face. “Jesus Christ, and here I thought you guys were at least sharing one braincell.” You sigh, to which Jisung immediately protests at. You ignore, him, however, and gesture for the growing line of dancing animals. “So, should we stop him? But, then, it looks like it’s enjoying itself! “But it looks like it’s enjoying itself!—I mean, Minho! Minho looks like he’s enjoying himself.” 

Jisung opens his mouth to speak but, for the second time tonight, he’s accidentally cut off again by Minho, this time by said roommate suddenly materializing on his shoulders. “Are here to pick me up?” Minho asks him, the way his normal human voice comes out of his cat form momentarily surprising you from the corner of his eyes and catching his attention. “Oh, hi, Y/N! Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to see me like this! Ya, Han Jisung, why did you bring Y/N along?” 

“Because you just left the house without telling me where you’re going, dumbass! How would I know if you weren’t suddenly kidnapped or something!” Jisung complains in response, flicking Minho’s forehead. “And get off my shoulder, fatass, you’re so heavy. Have you been eating spirits food again?” 

You clear your throat awkwardly, waving at the two boys before they could engage in a full-on argument. “Yeah, I’m still here, guys?” 

Minho and Jisung glance back at you then to each other, as if in contemplation. You raise an eyebrow nervously at this. 

“Hyung, is it okay that Y/N saw you?” Jisung asks Minho in a hushed whisper. 

“Do I really look fat tonight?” Minho frowns, to which Jisung groans at. 

“Dude, come on, I’m asking you a matter of your security and you ask me if you’re looking fat.” 

“Because Y/N saw me!” 

Jisung sighs. “Fine, then, yes you do...you look like a really really fat cat tonight.” He answers reluctantly, to which Minho pouts even deeper at. “It must be those brownies that other cat, Felix, is always baking at these parties.” 

Minho then immediately hops off of Jisung, walking over to you and encircling your ankles once. “Alright, then, I guess, Y/N, you should see me like this on another time, when I’m looking cuter! You’ll have to forget everything you saw tonight, okay? I can’t have my crush seeing me as a fat cat!” 

“W-What?” You try stepping away from Minho’s circling movements but before you could even get a foot out, you already start feeling lightheaded until your vision’s fully clouded in nothing but white. 

“See you tomorrow, Y/N!” Minho’s voice echoes in your ears before you. 

- 

Jisung is waiting for you by the fences separating your houses the next day, a seemingly rehearsed smile on his face. From what you can hazily remember of last night (which is oddly few, you’ve noticed), you last saw him banging his head against the pillars of his host family’s front porch at dinner time because the Internet connection at his place won’t let him pass his homework. 

“Good morning, Ji?” You greet him as you water the plants in your front garden, unintentionally coming off as questioning. “You look...happy. Did you get to pass that homework of yours?” 

The boy nods happily as he organizes the recyclables he’s supposed to take out. “Yep, passed it on time.” 

You nod, opening your mouth to speak only to be interrupted by an orange and white cat emerging from your garden’s potted sunflowers. “Oh, hi!” You greet the cat, instinctively crouching down to scratch its ears to which he purrs positively to. You don’t catch it but Jisung heaves a sigh of relief when you don’t seem to recognize Minho or have any recollection of last night. “And who are you supposed to be, hm? You’re so adorable!” 

From the corner of your eyes, Jisung frowns at Minho before shaking his head and answering you, “O-Oh, that’s—Lee Know, the new house cat! My host family brought him in just—just last night.” 

“Just last night?” You ask, briefly looking up at Jisung and catching his frown turning into a sheepish smile. You try catching his reaction to your question but the cat brings a paw up to your hand and regains your attention again. “Didn’t they come home at like 4 PM yesterday, though? I even greeted Mr. and Mrs. Lee and I don’t remember seeing them with this cat.”     

Shit, Jisung curses himself, glaring at Minho again who only sticks his tongue out discreetly at him, I was doing so well! “W-Well, Mr. Lee went out at around 9 PM, I think, when you were already inside, then he came back with the cat. It’s a stray, basically.” 

You nod at this, smiling at the cat again. “Aren’t you too cute to be a stray cat, though?” You coo, making Minho smile and nuzzle his whiskers more into your hands. “And you remind me a lot of Ji’s roommate, Minho, too. Have you met him? He’s a bit of a weirdo but he’s...cute too, I guess.” 

Minho so badly wants to open his mouth and protest halfway when you called him a weirdo but he puts up the facade anyway and goes around you once again. He’ll have to bring it up to you next time, when he’s human. 

“Look, Ji, he likes me!” You point out excitedly to which Jisung only musters up a small smile. You then pet the cat’s head once more before standing up to continue watering your plants. “Speaking of, Minho’s okay with this? And Soonie, Doongie, Dori?” 

“Yep.” Jisung reluctantly nods, kicking Minho gently with his foot when he comes back to his side of the fence. “Very much so.” 

on a night much like tonight (drabble game) 

@skzwriternet 

[whynoteswhispered]

Tales of a Loved Ninja (pt 1)

Idk; I’ve been in such a Jiraiya mood recently that this was bound to happen. 

(Very fluffy, uhhh idk)

word count: 4,930 (oops)

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The warm sun beamed on to your skin as you walked down the path to Icharuku. You couldn’t help but emptily smile at each person you came by; waving and speaking to most as they passed by.

Minato didn’t allow you much time for lunch, so grabbing ramen to go was the most reasonable way to go – plus you had a phone call to make before lunch was over.

“(y/n) Sensei.” You felt a hand tap the back of your shoulder. Swiftly turning around, you looked down to see Kakashi. Every time you saw him you couldn’t help but feel proud; you had watched him grow into an incredible shinobi – and though against your wishes, he made a great ANBU member as well.

“Hey, Kashi!” You patted the top of his head - watching the small amount of cheek above his mask turn red.

“Can I eat ramen with you today?” He reached up to the counter grabbing his to-go bowl of ramen, and then swiftly turned back to you.

You heard your name called as well so you quickly grabbed your container, looking over at the clock to see how much longer you had on lunch.

Fifteen minutes. It took at least five minutes to walk back to the academy which then only gave you ten minutes on the phone; if he answers.

“Sensei?” Kakashi was waving his hands in front of your face, you finally snapped back to reality and smiled at him, “So?” he questioned.

“You know I have to make a phone call; you can hang out in my classroom while I make that call if you would like.” You turned around and started the trek back to the academy, you could hear Kakashi’s feet trek quietly behind you.

“He isn’t worth your worry.” You kept your eyes forward – this wasn’t the first time he’s tried to start an argument over him.

“Kashi, don’t you think it’s wildly inappropriate for you to meddle into my personal life?” Sadly, you knew the answer to this – he cared about you as if the two of you were family.

“Don’t you think it’s wildly inappropriate to be throwing yourself at someone who is nearly double your age.” His voice was annoyed; making fun of you with each word that came out of his mouth.

Was it wildly inappropriate? You didn’t think so. Sure there was a large age difference, but meeting Jiraiya was one of the best things that had happened to you.

“How has ANBU been?” You switched the subject, knowing that there was no winning the conversation about Jiriaya “Are you still having nightmares?”

“Shh,” He hushed you; you could hear the embarrassment in his voice. “ANBU has been fine; yes, the nightmares still happen.” His voice was defeated. He sounded as though he was an old man who had lost everything, instead he was just fifteen and had lost everything.

“Kashi,” you turned around meeting his glance, you could tell he was uncomfortable. “I can talk to Minato about letting you out. You have to take care of yourself too.”

He shook his head, “I’m fine (y/n) Sensei.”

“You haven’t been acting fine.” You turned back towards the academy, “Guy came and spoke to me the other day – Kashi, he’s worried about you. He says you’re reading books about honorable death, that you won’t speak to any of them, and that you just aren’t acting like yourself.”

You had been worried about him for a few years now, but he never let you talk to him about his problems. He always acted like everything was fine; but you could see the subtle differences: the bags under his eyes, the way he would throw himself in front of danger regardless of circumstances, you’ve caught him crying to himself several times. He didn’t tell you about the nightmares until you went to check on him one day and walked in on him washing his hands and sobbing over the sink; saying Rin’s name repeatedly, staring at his hands as if he was witnessing that moment happening on repeat. After that, Kakashi opened up to you a bit – and you checked on him more often, buying him groceries and occasionally bringing him dinner to ensure he was eating.

When Minato told you he was going to suggest ANBU to Kakashi you begged Minato to listen to your concerns, but as his Sensei he thought what he was doing was the best way for Kakashi to deal with the death of his teammates. The following months after he joined you watched him break down further and further; he is a mere shell of the person he was just a few years prior.

“I could be doing better.” Kakashi’s words shocked you, but you kept your eyes forward knowing that looking back at him would likely embarrass him. “I just, I can’t shake it (y/n) Sensei. Every time I close my eyes I see Rin’s face looking back at me in shock? Anger? I could never understand the emotion she gave me and it haunts me in every passing moment. I deserve it though, I killed her. I couldn’t keep my promise to Obito – I couldn’t keep her safe.”

Everything in you wanted you to turn around and hug him; to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. “Kashi, it wasn’t your fault. No one blames you for that incident. Not even Obito would see it as your fault.”

You could hear him start to sniffle, but you were certain he was holding back tears – regardless of how broken he was, he was still one of the strongest shinobi you had been around

“I, I know.” He stumbled over his words, letting out a large exhale once he finished speaking.

You opened the door into the academy, letting Kakashi walk in front of you.

As soon as he got in front of you, you placed your hand atop his head, rustling his hair.

“You can always talk to me; my door is always open – you know that.” You patted his head as the two of you began to ascend the stairs. “And if you don’t want to talk to that’s fine as well – but just know you aren’t alone, okay?”

Kakashi stopped outside of your door, turning around to meet your eyes; through his mask, you could see a small smile coming across his face. “Thank you (y/n) Sensei.”

“Mhm.” You nodded, unlocking the door so he could immediately run in to sit on the beanbag beside your desk.

Looking over at the clock you realized that you only had about five minutes left of lunch to call Jiriaya and eat. You couldn’t help but look over at Kakashi and wonder if he would be okay for those five minutes. Even though he gave you a hard time, you knew he enjoyed seeing you happy. He was like a younger brother to you, and he looked to you as an older sister.

“Do you mind?” You pointed towards your closet; which is where the phone was kept, “He hasn’t answered in the last few days – so I at least want to attempt to check on him.” You gave him a slight smile – waiting for him to inevitably roll his eyes at you.

“Go ahead.” And as you started walking towards the closet you watched him roll his eyes at you just slightly; you couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

The closet was small but you had found comfort in its existence when you started to call Jiraiya during lunch. He would forever be considered a Legendary Sannin of the Leaf, but he was rarely ever in the village itself. Most people speculated what he was up to; but you knew the truth – that he was constantly watching and keeping track of Orichumaru’s movements and writing. He also tended to drink a bit too much when he was out, but you couldn’t blame him considering all he puts on himself.

You grabbed the phone and began dialing the only number you had memorized. Placing the phone up to your ear, you took a deep breath in – fully expecting him to not answer once again. And though you knew he was safe, it was hard not to worry about him when you never got to see him.

You listened to the phone ring. Once, twice, three times; you were almost certain that he was probably once again too busy to answer. Then you heard the click of the phone.

“Jiraiya?” You questioned.

“Hey (y/n).” You immediately felt a smile come across your face; you hadn’t heard his voice in several weeks – you only told Kakashi a few days so that he wouldn’t worry for you.

“Where are you? Are you okay??” You couldn’t help but immediately overload him with questions. The feeling of tears beginning to form in the corners of your eyes made you immediately wipe them away, knowing if Kakashi heard you crying he would only think the worse.

“I’m fine, but hmmm where am I? That’s a good question, isn’t it? Want to take a guess?” His tone was playful; oh how you had missed his voice.

“Are you in the Sand village?” You knew you had no option but to play the game with him or he wouldn’t tell you.

“Think closer.” His voice was giddier this time.

Closer? “Are you in the Land of Fire?” You didn’t want to be hopeful, but you couldn’t help but hope that he would be swinging through for a visit.

“I’m in the office.”

“The office?” Your mind began to run at max speed. Did he mean the Hokage office?

“Mhm, the office.” You could hear him let out a light chuckle.

Without thinking you immediately hung up the phone, nearly dropping it from excitement. As you opened the door, Kakashi’s eyes immediately turned to you; curiosity filling his eyes.

“He’s back?” He questioned as you placed your ramen on the desk.

Turning to answer him, you couldn’t help but let a huge smile spread across your face. “Yes, he’s with Minato.”

“And you’re going? Isn’t lunch almost over?” he went back to eating his ramen; he knew your answer before he even asked it.

“I don’t have a class after lunch and I’ll be back before the next class; you can hang out in here if you want.” You started to turn towards the door but stopped yourself, “Will you be okay? I can stay if I need to?” You loved Jiraiya and had no idea how long he would be in the village, but Kakashi needed someone to be there for him and you couldn’t take that away from him.

You immediately felt your heart warm as you watched a smile spread across his face, his eyes never leaving his bowl of ramen. “I wouldn’t stop you from seeing him; even if I don’t like him. But if you aren’t back by the time your class gets here I’m going to make them go to the training grounds.”

“Okay Kashi, you can torture my students if I’m not back in time.” You let out a laugh as you started to make your way out the door. “You’re sure you’re okay?” you couldn’t help but question him again.

“You better get going before I change my mind.” He threw his hand in the air, gesturing for you to leave.

As soon as you stepped out of the classroom, your pace quickened tremendously. You couldn’t help but nearly run out of the academy.

It had been nearly a year since Jiraiya had been in the village; and you had only been talking to him for a few weeks at that point. You had met him at a bar after the Chunin exams; he hit on you instantly. But you weren’t interested – at least not interested in what he was interested in. Both of you drank quite a few drinks, and he attempted to invite you back to his place but you couldn’t help but laugh in his face. You’ll never forget his face when you did that; he looked shocked as if he had never been turned down in his life. Before leaving the bar you gave him your phone number and told him to call you the next morning if he was still interested. To your surprise, he called you shortly after you woke up the next morning. The most shocking part was that the phone call wasn’t awkward – it felt as though you were talking to a friend you had had your entire life. You both laughed and told jokes, he talked about Orichumaru and you talked about the death of your parents; it was like talking to someone who understood everything even if they hadn’t been through it. He listened when you talked, and you hadn’t had someone listen to you in what had felt like years. The two of you stayed talking on the phone for hours, it was dark outside before the two of you decided it was time to hang up but before that Jiraiya initiated setting up a date to Icharuku.

You couldn’t help but feel your smile growing bigger with each passing step towards the Hokage building.

You had never been to Icharuku before Jiraiya took you; ramen just wasn’t something you ever thought about when looking for restaurants to eat at – plus your parents weren’t the biggest ramen fans so it wasn’t something you were used to eating.

As soon as you got to Icharuku, Jiraiya was waiting outside the curtain for you. As soon as his eyes met yours, his face filled with a smile. The two of you went in and ordered ramen; you let him pick out what you were going to eat since you had no clue what to order – and it did not disappoint. The two of you drank and ate ramen as you talked just as you did the day prior on the phone; this time with more emotion. The booth filled with the noise of the two of you laughing for hours. He walked you home that night; he never tried to do anything funny – he stopped outside your apartment door and kissed the top of your head. As soon as you unlocked your door he began to descend back down the stairwell.

You opened the door and began to sprint up the stairs to get to the Hokage office. Several visitors gave you awkward glances as you passed by them with a huge smile spread across your face.

There were two ANBU members stationed outside of the office, but they didn’t even give you a second glance as you walked up to the door. Without much thought, you pushed the doors open without even knocking. As soon as the doors creaked open, your eyes met Jiraiya’s and you couldn’t help but move quickly. You could feel Minato watching you, but not an ounce of you cared. You opened your arms and threw yourself around him as soon as he got in touching distance.

In a blur, the two of you fell backward onto the ground – Jiraiya immediately holding you tightly to ensure you wouldn’t get hurt.

You both busted out laughing; you could even hear Minato let out a chuckle.

“I’m sorry.” You said softly as you pushed your head deep into his shoulders; his arms pulling you tightly against him.

“You know, Minato and I could’ve been talking about information that you didn’t need to hear.” You could hear the teasing tone in his voice.

You pushed yourself up so that you could look at him, his hand immediately moving up to your face to push the hair away from your eyes. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.” You hadn’t thought much when coming in, your only thought was seeing Jiraiya.

“You know you’re kind of cute when you miss me.” His arms wrapped around you again, pulling you tight against him once again.

Before he left, the two of you held each other for hours in bed; talking about how you were going to stay in contact, you listened to his worries for the missions he was out to complete, he listened to your worries about him going out on missions by himself. Though the two of you mostly just stayed silent – enjoying each other’s presence while you could. When you dozed off in his arms, you woke up to him having already left. A note rested upon the pillow where his head was laid up hours prior.

You could feel the tears well up against your eyes; you hadn’t realized how much you had needed this hug.

“Jiraiya.” Minato’s soft voice echoed through the room.

Jiraiya laughed as he picked you up off of him; placing you back on to the ground as he stood up to address Minato.

“Sorry Minato.” Jiraiya smiled at him. “Am I good to leave?”

You began to stand up and Minato laughed, “Get out of here you two; what has it been a little over a year?” you shook your head. “Go.” He gestured towards the door and Jiraiya immediately grabbed your hand in his, nearly tugging you behind him.

“You’re still coming over later though, right? I’ve already told Kushina the two of you would be there for dinner.” You looked back at Minato who was smiling ear-to-ear at the two of you.

“We will be there.” Jiraiya never turned around, instead he kept tugging you forward out the door; Minato waved at you as made your way through the door.

You managed to find your pace in his, and instead of being tugged behind him, you were happily walking in stride with him. His large hand completely wrapped around yours; his thumb rubbing small circles on the back of your hand as the two of you walked down the stairs.

“I missed hearing your voice.” As you made your way to the bottom of the stairs he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you in towards him. The people around you watched the two of you; it wasn’t as if people didn’t know who Jiraiya was – he was a hero of the village, and people knew who you were because you were a teacher at the academy; most though weren’t aware of your relationship.

You could feel the judgment through most people’s eyes; it was to be expected. Jiraiya had himself sold around the village as a pervert and you were sure most people were likely imagining that you were just his next prey. But honestly, he had never made those types of advances towards you – you set up boundaries and he respected them. He would occasionally make a dirty joke, but it was nothing more than a way to make you laugh.

“You were the one who wasn’t answering the phone.” You gripped his hand tighter. Those few weeks without hearing from him were rough; you could only imagine the terrible things that could’ve possibly happened to him – but you kept your hopes up, thinking if something had happened to him that the village would eventually find out.

He pulled your hand into the air, spinning you in a circle and pulling you into a hug. “I’m sorry.” His hands moved from yours and he placed them gently against your face, pulling you towards him.

You could feel your heart rate accelerate as he guided your face to his; his lips opened slightly and you couldn’t help but smile as your lips crashed onto his.

Before he left you hadn’t even kissed him yet; your relationship wasn’t much of a physical one. He was used to one-night stands and he didn’t want your relationship to be the same as the others.

His cologne lingered on you; the smell of oak and musk; as he slowly released his hands from your face, letting his lips fall off of yours. As you met his eyes you could see a smile spread across his face.

“I’ve wanted to do that for quite some time now.” He pulled you back under his arm, your face turning red with embarrassment as you notice the several onlookers the two of you had.

“How long are you here for?” You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him; the rush of euphoria that you experienced from your lips meeting his vanished and was replaced with panic – this could be his only day in the village.

“I’m back for a while.” He looks over at you, wiping the singular tear that you weren’t able to keep held in, “Minato needs me here for some things, so don’t worry about me leaving quite yet.”

The two of you continued walking hand-in-hand until you got to the riverfront. Jiraiya took his time stretching and then sat beside you on the grass; watching the currents in the water.

“I can’t stay out here for long, I have to get back to my class- “

He cut you off before you were even able to finish your thought, “Don’t worry about your class – Minato got it covered for you.” He laid back onto the grass, stretching his arms behind you and staring up at the clouds moving through the sky.

“Sorry again for interrupting in the office earlier; I just, I wasn’t thinking.” You shook your head in frustration at yourself when you heard Jiraiya chuckle behind you. His large hands wrapping around your waist and pulling you down to lie beside him.

“(y/n), Minato knew as soon as I answered your phone call that our conversation was over; really, he knew as soon as your lunch break started that our conversation was as good as over.” You couldn’t help but laugh with him.

“Wait,” it finally hit you that Minato knew of your relationship – “did you tell Minato?”

Jiraiya cocked his head slightly to look at you, his face calm. “Well, I knew you would be calling me; and considering I was there on official orders I felt it was best to let him know. I wouldn’t worry about him though, he’s just happy to see me happy.” His hand found yours, his fingers interlacing with yours. “Should it be a secret that we are together?” he seemed to be slightly upset at the idea of this.

“I, I just haven’t told anyone.” You pondered this thought for a moment, “Well, expect for Kakashi.”

“White Fang’s kid?” Jiraiya perched himself up a bit; curiosity was written across his face.

“Mhm,” You smiled as you let your gaze leave him and you returned to looking at the clouds. “I’ve watched over him since he died; he’s like a brother to me. He eats in my classroom nearly every day so he’s known since the beginning.” Laughing, you couldn’t help but continue, “He doesn’t like you much though, especially with your reputation.” Jiraiya knew you were only joking; though he did have quite a reputation in the village.

“Ahh, I see.” You could hear him lie back on the grass, “How is he after the incident with Rin?”

You were taken aback by this question. He was rarely in the village, and though that incident was quite horrific you didn’t imagine that he had heard about it. “He, uh –” You tried to think of a way to answer this question without completely disrespecting Kakashi, “He’s as good as you could be after losing one teammate and accidentally killing the other.”

“So, not too good?”

“No, not so great at all.” You pondered if you should drop the conversation, but you had at least one more thing you wanted to bring up, “Minato put him in ANBU after Rin.”

“Yeah, I recall him telling me about that.” You could tell by the tone of his voice that he must have also disagreed with that decision.

“It’s made him worse; they call him ‘Cold-Blooded Kakashi,’ he won’t talk to anyone, well except me – but I have to force it out of him most of the time. But, he won’t leave ANBU.” You could only hope that Kakashi was okay; you had left him in your classroom – but hopefully, he had left and gone on home. Maybe Kushina would have leftovers you could take him.

“I can’t do anything about what Minato does, even if I was his Sensei, he won’t listen to me – especially when it comes to his team. He’s gone through the same losses as Kakashi; he didn’t take any of those events easily. I’m sure he imagines himself in Kakashi’s position, and for him maybe ANBU sounded like the best healing mechanism.” He paused for a moment, “I’m sorry I can’t help him (y/n).”

You shook your head, “It’s fine; I didn’t expect you to able to, but I had to at least try.” His hand tightened around yours.

“I could talk to him though; I won’t tell him I know anything – “

You cut him off before he could even go any further with that thought, “No, you can’t do that. He would immediately know I told you something. He’s incredibly smart; I would go as far as to say that he’s the best shinobi the Leaf has ever had.”

That piqued his interest, he sat up beside you, watching your face. “The best shinobi of the Leaf, huh?”

“Maybe I’m biased, but I’m almost certain Minato would agree.”

Jiraiya laughed, shaking his head in agreement. “I would say I know for certain he agrees.”

The two of you stay by the riverfront for hours; talking about the past year as if you hadn’t talked on the phone for a good majority of it. He told you that he finished his book; Tales of a Gutsy Ninja. He didn’t have a copy on him, but he promised he would give one to you. You told him about your class this year. You had told him about Shisui Uchiha; the most promising student you had. He was years above his class; he would likely be allowed to graduate early if he kept at the pace he was going. You both couldn’t help but get lost in conversation with each other. He continued, telling you about what it was like training Minato, he brought up the three kids he taught from Amegakure; Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko. He talked about them frequently, even during your phone calls. He couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing and if they were still alive; surviving the war-stricken land. Jiraiya talked about them as if they were his children; it made you upset that he wouldn’t go visit them.

“When need to get going,” he stood up beside you, offering his hand to aid in helping you up. He lifted you from the ground with ease. “Kushina will get upset if we are late.” He patted down his legs to remove the dirt that was spread across them; you did the same to yourself.

“Are you sure it’s okay if I go?” you reached out for his hand; you didn’t want to be a burden on Minato and Kushina.

“Trust me (y/n), if you didn’t show up Kushina would not be pleasant to deal with – plus, she’s excited to have another woman to share the evening with since it’s normally just myself.” He grabbed onto your hand.

You shook your head, still nervous at the idea.

The two of you walked as the sky began to turn orange and the sun began to make its descent for the evening. The air was brisk, but Jiraiya kept his arm wrapped around your shoulders; laughing and making jokes through the entire walk.

As you arrived at the walk path to their door, you could feel your heart rate quicken; but as if he could tell, he wrapped his hand tightly around yours, squeezing it with comfort.

This was the first time the two of you were going out as a couple – at least a known couple; your first outing had to of course be at the Hokage’s residence.

“It’ll be fun.” Jiraiya pulled you along with him, stopping at the door, he turned to you and kissed the top of your head.  

His knuckles hit the door with several loud strikes and you could hear Kushina yell at Minato to go answer the door; within seconds you could hear the door being unlocked. Minato immediately glanced over at you, as if to ensure that you had indeed come with Jiraiya; a smile spread across his face.

“Hi!” he opened the door up for the door of you, “Come on in!” he exclaimed.

You took a deep breath; hand still wrapped tightly in Jiraiya’s. The two of you followed in-behind Minato, who seemed happier than normal – which was saying something considering how bubbly his personality was.

As soon as you made it into their living area, you could hear Kushina moving around in the kitchen.

“I’ll be there in a moment!” She exclaimed as you heard the sounds of dishes being tossed about.

Jiraiya had let go of your hand to walk over to Minato; the two of them deep in conversation. Both of them with smiles spread across their faces; Minato occasionally blushing. You could only begin to imagine the things that Jiraiya could be saying to him.

“Oh!” you looked up to see Jiraiya staring at the doorway; your eyes naturally following his.

“Oh!” You couldn’t help but let out a sound a surprise.

Kushina was standing in the doorway; her belly round with child and her face bright with joy.

[chaoticowlpost]

Okay since we both love Harry Potter and captive prince what about a ficlet where drarry try to learn about historical gay figures (cause it’s pride) and they learn the story of Lamen and they fall in love with it (cause let’s face it the story shares similarities with drarry) and then maybe Harry gifts Draco a golden cuff bracelet or a sapphire earring or something like that to show him his love.. idk I just think it would be cute to see these two fandoms collide!! Xx

oKAY SO I HAD TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THIS bc like everything I thought of is gonna end up really long; it’s inevitable. ALSO I ended up changing details of Captive Prince so it would fit (even if u don’t actually see all the details) (but the idea of the story stays the same) and omg there’s so much world building I thought of that weren’t included but I hope you like it kdsjjhfgbfdg

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

“I found one! It’s perfect!”

Harry looked up from the book he was scanning and turned to face his boyfriend, who was waving a book excitedly in the air. They were partners for 5th Year History of Magic, because they were dating, so it was only natural, and had to create a paper on historical figures.

And, to their mutual agreement, they wanted to find gay historical figures that made an impact on history because they felt like there weren’t enough that were well known. That, and because they were sick of seeing the erasure of gay relationships in the past and they wanted to present something that was indisputable. 

“Can I see?” Harry asked, making his way over to where Draco sat himself on the library floor. The book, much to Harry’s relief, seemed reasonably long. Reasonably, meaning long enough to provide them with enough information but not too long that it would want to make Harry smash his head against it. 

“It’s set in the 1700s, when monarchies were still a thing for both Greece and France,” Draco explained, pointing at the lines in the book where it was stated. “Apparently, their two kingdoms disliked each other quite a lot”

“Dislike seems to be an understatement,” Harry snorted his eyes scanning the page. 

“Not the point,” Draco waved him off, eyes still gleaming wildly with excitement, making Harry smile fondly. “Look! So both monarchs were, evidently, wizards, and there was some plot to overthrow Damianos - a crowned prince - by his brother.”

“His brother?” Harry frowned. “That’s awful.”

“It makes sense for their time, I suppose,” Draco shrugged, giving him a sidelong glance. “He ended up being sent to the Kingdom of Vere as a slave to their crowned prince.”

“And he didn’t just ask for help because….?” Harry asked.

“Because they hate each other,” Draco reiterated patiently. “He thought he’d get killed faster by revealing who he was.”

“Just how badly do they hate each other for them to kill him on sight?” 

Draco paused for a second to scan the book before looking back at him. “So, he killed the real Crowned Prince of Vere, his older brother, and apparently they were very close.”

“I.. I see, then,” Harry sighed, finding himself more and more invested in their story. “And you’re telling me that they become lovers?”

“It sounds quite unlikely,” Draco nodded in agreement. “But that’s what happened, as it were. Here, it’s written in the text that they were what brought peace back between the two countries.”

“Huh,” Harry said, both somewhat stumped and impressed. “Alright, this story will work, I suppose.”

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

“I would like to speak on behalf of Draco Malfoy.”

There was a collective gasp from scattered members of the audience after seeing Harry Potter practically force his way into the courtroom. Ron and Hermione, ever the good friends they are, were standing behind him as well.

The judge looked at a loss for how to proceed, considering that he wasn’t officially listed as a witness for the case, and practically stared at the man who was now considered a war hero. Clearly, the judge was fighting an internal battle on whether or not he could waive those rules in this case.

However, Harry didn’t even notice. No, his eyes bore heavily into Draco Malfoy’s own eyes, dulled and exhausted but still staring back at him before looking back down. He looked unsure of himself, and unsure of why Harry was standing in the room, demanding to be allowed to defend him. It was understandable, considering everything he’s been through.

Everything Harry had just discovered.

“We will make a consideration for you to speak on behalf of Draco Malfoy,” Kingsley’s voice boomed through the near-silent room. Harry shot the newly appointed Minister a gratuitous expression with a wordless thanks and took a seat, waiting for the witness before him to finish her statement.

“Draco Malfoy bears the mark of a Death Eater, that much is confirmed,” were the first words out of Harry’s mouth. It was evident from many of the faces that they were starting to doubt whether he was really there to defend Draco, his former lover.

“But does that make him a real Death Eater?” he asked. Louder whispers erupted from the audience, loud enough that the judge had to call for silence in the room. “What I mean by that is: Did he uphold their values? Did he partake in their violent raids and contribute to the torture of countless victims?”

Dubious glances were exchanged, because they’ve all heard the previous witness statements. He was present, yes, but Harry knew for a fact that they never said he actually cast spells that hurt them.

“Draco Malfoy is a good man.” At this, Draco’s head snapped up to look at him, disbelief and shock written all over his expression. “I know the man I dated before 6th year, before you started distancing yourself from everyone and disappearing.”

At this point, he wasn’t even talking to the audience anymore. He was talking to Draco, who looked at him with the uncertainty that made Harry’s heart ache, because he doesn’t believe him. 

“From what we’ve heard from the previous statements, he was present - yes - but he never actually cast the spells that hurt them,” Harry pointed out, this time talking to the crowd. “He wouldn’t. He can’t.”

“What makes you say that, Mr. Potter?” the judge asked him.

“He couldn’t cast a killing curse on Albus Dumbledore,” he said. More shock from everyone listening, including his own best friends. “He didn’t, I was there when Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts.”

That ruled off one of his accusations, but Harry knew that there was still more convincing to be done. 

“He told me that his au- Bellatrix tried teaching him to cast a Crucio over the summer before our 6th year, but it would never work,” Harry added, remembering the detailed letter that made him want to wretch.

It was during their 6th year that they broke up; after Draco had been avoiding him constantly and sneaking around. Harry knew there was something wrong, especially since he knew his Aunt was hiding in the Manor, but he didn’t know that Draco was already on a mission then.

“He only became a Death Eater to protect himself and his mother,” Harry said, watching as Draco’s eyes grew wider. “If a person, more so a minor, is coerced through violence, and possibly death, can you blame him for taking the mark? Especially when his father was a part of the people that threatened him?”

Clearly, some people were beginning to think about the situation more. There were some casting odd glances at Draco, who dutifully kept his eyes on Harry. 

“And what of his presence at all the attacks?” the judge asked him. “Maybe he didn’t cast the spells, but as a witness who allowed this behavior to occur, there are still repercussions.”

“Might I also be allowed to add, in defense to Draco Malfoy?”

Luna’s airy voice floated through the hall, making Harry jump slightly from surprise at her silent entrance. He let out a small sigh of relief upon realizing that she had finally arrived, just like she said she would.

“You may,” Kingsley said before the judge could even speak, possibly to repeat the same words he spoke to Harry when he first barged in.

The judge asked if Harry was ready to step off, to which he nodded and made room for Luna to pass.

“Draco was very kind to the people they tortured.” Despite the light tone she used, her face was slightly more grave and gloomy compared to what it normally was when they were back in school. Either way, she radiated the same, kind energy she always did.

“Whenever he had the chance, he would take care of those who got hurt,” she said. “I should know; I was kept prisoner in the Malfoy Manor.”

That wasn’t a public secret, but the knowledge that Draco Malfoy had taken care of them must be a surprise. It certainly was when Harry found out.

“Can you confirm that, to your knowledge, he has never caused harm to another person throughout your captivity?”

“Yes,” she replied almost immediately. The judge seemed to consider this for a moment before directing his attention to the Wizengamot. Harry, however, was already distracted, looking towards Draco, who was no longer meeting his eyes. 

There were a few more questions asked, but Harry had already zoned them out. He just wanted Draco to look at him, to comfort Draco so that he knew that he would be taken care of, and that everything was going to turn out alright.

“-that Draco Lucius Malfoy will be subjected to probation for 2 years and the payment of reparation fees.”

Harry practically jumped out of his seat once the jury was dismissed, running straight to Draco, who was patiently waiting as the spells around his wrists were undone.

“Draco,” he said softly. He didn’t even wait for a response before wrapping his arms around the blond, who felt concerningly thinner in his arms. 

“I’m sorry,” Draco breathed out shakily. “I know- I didn’t-”

“Shh,” Harry hushed, running his hand soothingly over Draco’s back. “I know. I understand, and I’m sorry too.”

“Why are you sorry?” Draco asked incredulously, pulling away from the embrace. 

“I’m sorry for letting you go so easily,” Harry said honestly. 

“I’m sorry for pushing you away,” was Draco’s response.

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

“I missed you,” Draco whispered into Harry’s chest. They were seated on his bed in Grimmauld Place, just 2 months after the trial. Even though they’ve been inseparable all that time, Draco still said those words often.

“I missed our conversations.”

Those words made Harry’s heart hurt, reminding him of the pain that he felt when they broke up before.

“You have me now,” Harry said in the same, whispered tone. 

“It was hard,” Draco added after a few beats of silence. “Not knowing whether you were okay.”

“I know,” Harry said, the sound of his heartbeat beginning to thunder in his ears. “I’ve been doing some research.”

“That’s new,” Draco teased, looking up at him from where he laid his head on Harry’s chest.

“Prat,” Harry rolled his eyes fondly. “I mean - and you don’t have to do this, I completely understand, - but, well, there’s this spell…”

“Yes, Harry?” Draco urged, clearly becoming impatient.

“It’s not a bonding spell! Well, kinda. It’s like, a spell that lets us know how the other is doing. Health-wise!” Harry rambled, sounding less and less appealing with every word.

Draco chuckled softly, his shoulders shaking against Harry’s body.

“It sounds… nice,” he said eventually, giving the idea some thought.

“Yeah?” Harry asked. “Because I’m not really done researching it so there’s still a lot to be learned- if that’s alright? I know it’s probably not the most-”

“Harry,” Draco said softly, a small smile on his lips. “I’d love to try it out. We can do the research together.”

“Brilliant!” Harry exclaimed, probably a bit too enthusiastically. Draco was smiling, though, so it was okay. “But I should probably warn you that it leaves gold markings on your wrist - that’s how we monitor each other - so if you don’t want anyone to see it, then I get it and we don’t have to-”

“Harry,” he repeated, looking more and more amused every second. “It’s alright with me.”

“Okay,” Harry said, letting out a small breath of relief. Then they sat quietly, simply enjoying each other’s presence.

“Do you remember those Kings we did research on back in 5th Year?” Draco asked.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded slowly, unsure as to why he was suddenly bringing their old project back up. “Why?”

“Oh, nothing,” Draco singsonged. “It’s just, you seem to have taken quite some notes from them recently.”

Events from the past few months flashed through his head before he broke into a wide grin.

“I hadn’t realized,” he laughed. “Does this make you my captive prince?”

“No longer captive, love,” Draco laughed, the term of endearment making Harry feel giddy inside. 

“Besides the point,” Harry waved off. Even the spell they were planning to cast was oddly reminiscent of the story. 

“Well, I did rather enjoy your grand entrance during my trail, I suppose,” Draco hummed. 

“I did too.”

“Idiot,” Draco laughed fondly, hitting him lightly before pulling himself closer to Harry.

“I love you,” he whispered softly, only for Harry to hear despite the fact that they were alone in their room.

“I love you too.”

-————————————————-

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JDDKFGK I WISH I COULD GO DEEPER INTO THE WORLD BUILDING BECAUSE THERE’S SO MUHC BUt i didn’t so kdbfhdf Thanks for reading <3

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Seventeen(VocalUnit) Accidentally Confessing To You

Hi hi! I just found your blog and absolutely love your writing :,) I guess it was perfect timing too since you’re accepting requests! I was wondering if you could (and it’s totally fine if not!!) do a reaction for SVT’s Vocal Unit (any 3 members is fine!) where you overhear them “confess” their crush on you to another member? I’m such a sucker for it 😩 I hope you have a great day!!! ❤️

Y/N will be a different person in each of the pieces, and maybe you'll see why, idk. The POV's are a little scattered, but you get it. I guess you gotta read all of it for it to make sense, in a way??

word count: 2706 summary: you overheard them confessing their feelings for you

Woozi (Lee Jihoon) 

It had been a long day, and you found yourself struggling to keep your eyes open as the meeting you had to attend was coming to and end. You would usually just drag yourself home to your single dorm after a day like this, order some take-out, and watch reruns of your favorite shows. But you still had one task left on your to-do-list. Luckily, it was actually something you looked forward to. You were meeting Jihoon in his studio to go over the last song on your album that he helped produce. There was a few details he wasn't too happy with, so a but of tweaking was necessary.

"And unless there are any questions, you're free to leave." The head of the meeting spoke, no one raising their hand to ask. You jumped out of your seat and made your way down the hallway to the wardrobes where you had your things.

It was kind of an important meeting so you had decided to wear a pair of fancy dress pants, but as soon as you did you remembered why you never wore them. They were the most uncomfortable pants on the planet. Luckily, you always kept a change of clothes in your bag, so you pulled out a pair of leggings and a shirt you had stolen from one of the boys when you had been to their dorm. As you were bestfriends with the boys of SEVENTEEN, it wasn't a problem.

You slipped on your sneakers and slung your bag over your shoulder, and you were on your way. Jihoon's studio was on the other side of the building, meaning you had to pass through the cafeteria. You bumped into Seokmin and Mingyu and stopped to chat.

"Hey, girl! What's up?" Seokmin asked as you stopped by the table they were sitting at. You greeted them and told them your destination. "You should probably bring by some coffee to cheer him up, him and Wonwoo have been struggling with a track since last night, and I don't think either of them have slept since." Mingyu suggested, and you nodded, thanking him for the tip. You chatted some more before you realized you had to get going, to not make Jihoon wait too long.

You grabbed a coffee cup-holder and poured two cups, one for each of them. You then continued to the studio. You didn't care to knock and just entered, like you always did. You quietly closed the door behind you in case they were in the middle of a session, but stopped when you hear your name being mentioned in conversation.

Jihoon's studio was built so it was a square, but the entrance was its own little room added almost. You stood there and listened as they spoke. They were sitting by the mixing table, so they couldn't see you, and you couldn't see them.

"I don't know, dude. She makes me feel all giddy inside, and it's weird. She- she just.. Y/N, she is just so great." The voice of Jihoon was in distress about this, and you felt your jaw drop. If this was what you thought it was-

"Bro, you sound like you're falling pretty hard for this one." Wonwoo added in his deep vocals, a low chuckle coming from him. "Head over heels." Jihoon added. You couldn't contain yourself anymore and stepped out from behind the wall. They were sitting with their backs to you, but they could still see your reflection in the glass that separated the booth from the studio-area.

"You're what?" You asked in disbelief.

DK (Lee Seokmin) 

"Mingyu! Wanna join me in the cafeteria and get some food?" Seokmin asked as they packed their bags. They had just been at a costume fitting from their next stage-presence. Mingyu quickly agreed and zipped up his bag as well as throwing a hoodie over his bare torso. They walked the few floors down and sat down at a table, a few people sitting nearby, but nothing too bad. Everyone in the building knew to respect each other as most of them were fellow idols.

They picked up their food and got to talking, mostly about their latest comeback, and their thoughts on their own effort. Suddenly Seokmin spotted his own shirt wandering through the cafeteria and instantly recognized the female. "Hey girl! What's up?" He asked the girl passing through. She was an idol in the same company, so they had been friends for quite some time.

"I'm on my way to see Jihoon. I just got out of this horrible meeting, it was dragging on forever! I saw Seungcheol though, that was fun." She spoke, dropping down in a squat and resting her head on the edge of the table.

"You should probably bring by some coffee to cheer him up, him and Wonwoo have been struggling with a track since last night, and I don't think either of them have slept since." Mingyu pointed out, Seokmin nodding along. They spoke for a while longer before she had to leave.

"So she is seeing Jihoon, huh? I wonder when he is going to confess his undying love for her." Seokmin chuckled as he moved a noodle across his plate. Mingyu took a bite of his food before nodding, raising a napkin to his face.

"Speaking of confessing, when are you going to confess to Y/N?" He asked, catching Seokmin off guard. He had been into you since the day you first met. He had been captivated by your whole essence, so much that the very same day he had forgotten both the lyrics to the song they were recording, and the choreography.

"I'm never going to tell her, okay? She had no benefit of knowing that I am hopelessly in love with her. It will only make things weird between us." Little did Seokmin know that you were the person sitting right behind him. You had put your hood up as you were hiding from one of your managers, intentionally not greeting the two boys as they walked past you earlier, cause you managers knew you would probably be seen with one of the boys.

"You're what?" Mingyu spoke, he knew Seokmin had feelings for you, but he never knew they were so strong to the point where he would say he was in love with you. You had tried to ignore them, but the way you heart pounded against the cage of your chest left you no choice. You turned around so you were facing Mingyu's back, Seokmin looking down at his food.

"You're what?" You breathed, but it being loud enough to where Seokmin looked up faster than lightning, locking eyes with you.

Jeonghan (Yoon Junghan) 

You had never been this tired, maybe ever. You sat on the floor of the SEVENTEEN dorm, your head falling every now and then, but then shooting right back up as you fell asleep. You had been in the studio with Wonwoo and Jihoon all night, and now you were hanging out with Jeonghan in their dorm, something he had invited you to the day prior, you never anticipating you would be this tired.

"Are you okay?" Jeonghan asked as he looked over at you. You had been doing what you always did when you hung out, listening to music and talking smack. He did notice you had been quite out of it today, but he decided not to comment on it, not until now that is.

"I was up all night with at the studio." You confessed, Jeonghans face instantly melting into one of understanding. He asked if you wanted to take a nap, to which you said no- you wanted to be awake with him.

"You weirdo, we can hang out when you wake up, okay? Now lay down." He instructed. You eventually nodded and laid down on their beyond comfortable couch. You were positioned so you were facing the back-rest of the couch, not wanting people to look at you while you slept. After a few seconds, you felt a soft and warm blanket being placed over you and tucked in at your sides. You smiled at the gesture, your eyes still closed. Not long after, you drifted off to sleep.

Jeonghan laid down on the floor next to the couch and scrolled through his phone. He laid like that for about an hour before the door slammed open, and then shut. "Hey, Jeongh-" Seungcheol started, but he was soon cut off by the mentioned as he hushed him. Jeonghan then violently pointed to your sleeping body. Seungcheol quietly apologized and looked over at you, seeing your breathing was still steady and deep, he assumed it didn't wake you. Jeonghan did the same, you had been pretty tired after all, so you would probably be able to sleep through a storm.

"What's up?" Jeonghan asked as he and Seungcheol sat down on the middle of the floor, so they weren't right next to you anymore. "Hansol sent me this absolute treasure-chest of a video." He chuckled, handing Jeonghan an earbud and they then watched the video. In summary, it was Joshua sitting in a car, talking on the phone in a panicked manner, while Seungkwan sat in the backseat freaking out about something incomprehensible.

They chuckled, and then sparked a conversation, it starting when Jeonghan found himself looking at your sleeping self. You looked so peaceful and small.

"Still whipped for her?" Seungcheol asked, Jeonghan not moving his eyes as he answered. "Crazy about her. I'm genuinely infatuated with her whole self, I don't know what to do, man." He confessed. He had been in love with you for the past few months, and he had no idea what to do. He tried to make it go away, but he couldn't. You were his best friend, and seeing you, hanging out with you, talking with you every single day, didn't help whatsoever.

Jeonghan finally turned to Seungcheol who was looking at him. "Is it just a crush, you think?" He asked. A valid question, but Jeonghan shook his head no. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with her." He spoke softly, Seungcheols eyebrows almost jumping off his face as he raised them. "You what?"

A new voice soon spoke, one that made the two boys flip their head towards the source. You. "You're in love with me?" You asked.

Seungkwan (Boo Seungkwan)

The car ride was calm. Seungkwan, Hansol and Joshua had been out and getting some things for the dorm, one of their managers being ever so kind and offering to drive them. Seungkwan had been texting his bandmate Soonyoung, going back and forth about some weird thing they had both experienced on stage.

hosh: Right?! I ate shit falling off the stage where we performed last week!!

kwan: I did too, exactly same place as you, but why tf didn't anyone else fall? we all walked there at one point, did we not???

hosh: i have no idea, but i'm lucky Y/N was there to ice my elbow after, she is such a sweetheart.

kwan: tell me about it.. i'm this close to injuring myself on purpose so she can take care of me..

Seungkwan looked out the window for a second after responding. Just the mention of your name made his stomach explode in butterflies, and he had no idea how he time and time again kept so calm when he was actually around you.

hosh: yeah, i had forgotten about your little crush, sorry- how's that going by the way?

kwan: i think it's more than a little crush bro..

Seungkwan didn't like to admit it, not to himself, nor anyone else, but he was moonstruck when it came to you. He just couldn't get enough. It was something about the way you spoke to him, or to anyone in general. How you were so kind and respectful, and the way you carried yourself, and how you looked at him- he could go on for days.

hosh: what do you mean?

Seungkwan let his fingers float over the keyboard of his phone before he quickly typed the sentence he up until now had refused to admit to himself.

kwan: i'm in love with Y/N

Just saying it to his good friend via text was hard to do. You were out of his league and he knew it, that's why he didn't bother doing anything with it- it wasn't like his feelings would be reciprocated.

hosh: code RED

hosh: fucken coDE BLACK

hosh: CODE SHIT

Seungkwan was confused as the messages from Soonyoung came pouring in. He re-read his own message, and that's when he saw it.

Read by hosh, Y/N

His eyes then flew up to the top of his screen.

groupchat

hosh + 1 more

Soonyoung's picture had been at the front, so he hadn't realized he had sent it in the groupchat with you three.

You on the other hand was sitting on the floor of the dorm kitchen, your hand clasped over your mouth as it had dropped open. Seungkwan was in love with you, and he had accidentally told you via text in a groupchat.

Y/N: you're in love with me?

Joshua (Hong Jisoo) 

"Seungkwan, calm down! What's going on?" Hansol spoke as soon as it looked like Seungkwan was having a seizure in the backseat. He was freaking out over some text he sent. After a few minutes Joshua and Hansol gave up on calming him down, so Hansol just whipped out his phone to record him.

"I accidentally told her I like her!" Was the first thing Seungkwan said that could be understood as actual words. Hansol then stopped the recording, typing away on his phone, but while still talking to Joshua.

"Speaking of telling a girl you like them; ever going to tell Y/N you're in love with her?" Hansol asked. Joshua's breath hitched as his friend spoke. Was never an acceptable answer? He almost told you last month, but as he was about to spit out the words, your manager had come into the room. After that he swore off ever telling you- even though you were his dream girl. You were funny, and charming, kind and respectful, and you had a way of carrying yourself that he just couldn't fathom was real.

"As much as I want to, and boy do I want to- I'm never gonna tell her. She is so out of my league, and we both know that. She is so wow, and I'm so.. well, not that." Joshua spoke all while Seungkwan was still freaking out, and Hansol finished up typing. He sent the video before he looked up at his friend who had just dished his feelings out on a platter for him to enjoy.

Joshua felt his phone go off in a notification, pulling it out of his coat to see what it was, he felt his heart drop.

PHONE CALL

Y/N

6:37

You had been on the call for almost seven minutes. You sat on the chair of your dorm kitchen, having spoken to a fellow idol for a while before you decided to call you best friend and ask him about something you were discussing that you knew Joshua would know the answer to.

Before you knew it, you heard Seungkwan scream about some gibberish in the background, the audio a bit messed up. After Joshua dropped his phone in some salt-water a few weeks ago, it had been messing up every now and then- sometimes it would just accept the incoming call without notifying. You were about to hang up and try again when you heard your name.

"..; ever going to tell Y/N you're in love with her?" The familiar voice of Hansol spoke, catching you off guard. He was in love with you? Joshua was in love with you.

After a few more minutes, it seemed he finally realized his phone was active, cause after some scratching of the audio and a gasp, you heard Joshua's voice clearly.

"Y/N?" He spoke softly.

"You're in love with me?"

Hope you like it! Feel free to request more x

-bentley

[wolfantlersinspace]

Rhythm

So I had to be bullied into posting this (and the other two fics I'm going to post in a bit) because otherwise, my procrastinating ass would've sat on these for eternity. I hope it's decent, lol. (Oh my god they got rid of the horizontal line oh no idk how to add the keep reading in html.)

Prompt: At nights there were drums in the distance. Not the martial roll of marching, nor yet a threatening note of savage hate. Just drums, many miles away, throbbing rhythm for native dances or exorcising, perhaps, the forest-night demons. - Happy Ending by Mack Reynolds & Fredric Brown

This was also inspired by some trashy, problematic romance novel from the 80s or 90s.

Beta'ed by Raven. As usual, any remaining mistakes are my own. Please tell me if I'm missing any tags.

Harry Potter, Tom Riddle, Tom Riddle Sr. | Genre what Genre | 1179 words

And then, drum beats.

Like peals of thunder, the drums sounded. Like the hoofbeats of a thousand horses or a tribe of celebratory savages. Harry woke to darkness, as he had for the past week.

Harry went to the window, warm feet chilling on the icy wood floor. He brushed away the long mosquito net, peering out as far as he could in the weak moonlight. In the grove, a place everyone had told him to stay away from, was a warm glow and a cloud of smoke. He pushed the window up to see further out, and as he leaned against the sill he marvelled at how loud they sounded, as if they were just outside.

According to Mrs Weasley, it was preparation for one of the festivals the native peoples threw. Sacred times, she called it, all hush-hush in the alcove by the stairs. She didn't elaborate much beyond that, and he didn't want to insult her by enquiring too far into her culture.

He sat for a while, listening to the rhythmic thumps of the drums, dozing slightly on the window seat. He leaned against the sill until light filled the sky once more, and he watched as the Weasley children ran across the grass and back into the servants quarters, barefoot and cheerful.

He found he could empathise with them easily. There was little joy to be found on the island, and hostilities everywhere he turned. Perhaps he could come to understand the music, in time.

—

The house was large, full of tasteful antiques and busts of family members long passed. Mr Riddle didn't seem to care much about it and instead cared more for profile and money. Mr Riddle hated cooperation and wouldn't even talk to Harry. He was given no leads, no one talked to him, and he hadn't even seen a photo of the man he was looking for.

Hunting down the man's estranged son seemed like a lost cause.

Harry nervously broached the topic of the drums at breakfast, once all the servants had left the room.

"Mr Riddle, sir, what is the festival the natives are preparing for?"

A vicious scowl twisted his features, filled with a hatred Harry had never seen before. "I don't care to know," he said. "Don't ask me of them again."

Conversation was often neglected at meals, and it was once again — easily discarded as if it were worth nothing more than the faintest passing interest. Harry ate his eggs out of politeness rather than hunger; his appetite ruined by Mr Riddle's anger.

His curiosity lingered though.

—

Harry slept the next night undisturbed by the drums, though thoughts of them lingered, like dust particles in the air.

—

Sweat coated his skin, and his body felt stiff. The smell of smoke and lavender overwhelmed his nose and tickled his throat like a cough which never came, and his mouth tasted bitter like he'd sucked on a lemon.

He blinked his eyes open, wincing at the painfully bright firelight. He went to rub at them as he yawned but stopped short when he realised he couldn't. Ropes, which hadn't been tight enough to notice earlier, rubbed against his wrists.

Fear spread through him, but he controlled it as quickly as it came. He knew fear as well as the back of his hand. He clenched his fists, evening his breathing out again. There was a throbbing in his head, a headache made worse by his lack of glasses and the flickering of fire in front of him.

And then, drum beats.

Thump, thump, thump, in time with the ache in his skull.

A hand cupped his cheek with more force than necessary, tilting his head up. It was impossible to see anything against the light of the fire, but he could make out a face after his glasses were carefully slid onto his face.

"Harry Potter," the person said, voice careful and hardly accented like the other natives he'd heard. "The latest addition at the Riddle House."

"What of it?" He found it hard to talk past the dryness of his mouth. The fingernails in his cheek pressed deeper, and Harry bit his other cheek to distract from the pain.

"That man," the figure said, dropping from his tall stance to a quick crouch, finally letting Harry see some of his face. It was enough, however, to make him gasp. "That man is scum."

He looked remarkably like Mr Riddle, but his eyes were dark, far darker than Mr Riddle's pale blue. His face was younger too, free of the frown lines plaguing his employer. The most stand out feature though, was the jagged scar running down his face, thick and raised enough to cast a slight shadow.

A woman came up to them then, preventing more dialogue from what could only be Mr Riddle's son. Her hair was wild, her smile deranged, and Harry thought she could be scary if he wasn't scared enough already. She whispered something in another language, perhaps French, and the man addressed everyone in the same tongue.

Harry could admire the way he commanded the people, the way they all froze the moment he opened his mouth. He couldn't see any faces from his unfortunate position close to the fire, but he could assume the Weasleys were there. In fact, from the vague outlines he could see, he guessed there were close to a hundred people in total; he hadn't thought there were that many on the whole island.

He finished his speech and kneeled in front of Harry again, a gentle smile on his face.

"It's unfortunate, but supporting that man means only one thing for you." He stood up once more, and a couple of people pulled Harry up to his feet.

They pulled him closer to the fire and his stomach sunk as he realised what was going to happen.

A sacrifice.

This was why Mrs Weasley hadn't told him more. Because her people were going to sacrifice him on their bonfire, perhaps consume his cooked flesh, and he would bet Mr Riddle's son was the one who chose him. No wonder Mr Riddle had been virtually useless during the investigation.

The drumming started again.

"Wait!" They stopped and Harry slumped between them. Perhaps he had been drugged; he was unnaturally lethargic. He found his footing under the man's intense stare, and said, "I don't support him, or whatever you mean by that. I’m unhirable on the Mainland, but he—he offered me a job here. He doesn’t like me—"

“Quiet.” The man looked at him for a few seconds, scanning his face with his eyes, and then there was the most curious sensation inside his head. Mr Riddle's son frowned, much more delicately than his father, like he didn’t do it often, and said, "He's telling the truth."

His relief was short-lived, however, when two things happened at once.

"We'll keep him, bring out the other one. We must feast."

A man holding a large stick appeared out of the sea of people, the weapon swinging towards Harry's head.

And black.

A little addition, just in case: I don't condone, endorse or support racism and I don't view native peoples as tribal savages. Thanks for reading! (:

[hmmdotjpg]

Wolfman!!!! For the character thing

Ah yes the Himbo™

1. Favorite thing about them

Repeating what I said for Queenie here but his appearance! I really like his suit and mustache tbh, and especially the eyebrows

2. Least favorite thing about them

The fact that he doesnt have pants and that this design choice carried over to Rolfe. Wolfman please put some pants on, you’re scaring the children.

3. Favorite line

“...But now let’s put the lights on Mini, her song will tear your heart aplenty, she’ll tell you all about her fella, so take it Mini Mozzarella!” Idk I just like how that line sounds

4. brOTP

Mentioning Mini for the second time here but I think hes well acquainted with Mini. Theyre bros and they have matching “im with stupid” shirts 

5. OTP

Ok listen both Starrwolfie and Weenie are good...but Starrwolfie was first in my heart. I’m sorry cyd ive let you down

6. nOTP

Once again I dont really have one! WP5 is Bi/Pan culture and I dont think he’d go poorly with anyone. Maybe him with any rae member doesnt sit w me

7. Random headcanon

He’s Rolfe’s dad! And he wasnt that bad of a father and Rolfe looks up to him a lot.

8. Unpopular opinion

Wolfman looks much better with eyebrows. He looked bad without them. This is my hottest and worst take

9. Song I associate with them

Sweet Tangerine by The Hush Sound!

10. Favorite picture of them

This one!

Look at this man. Allknowing.

[cowboy-canoodler]

I won’t wait around forever (Arthur Morgan x Reader one shot)

 @thrivingamongthetrees said:Okay so I have a mighty thirst 👀 for some hurt/comfort. Maybe reader is trying to tell Arthur something or find time to spend with him but he keeps brushing her off cause hes focused on some other stuff. When he finally comes around shes sharing a tent with one of the girls, wont look or speak to him and her horse keep trying to nip at him cause he made her cry. Idk why this is my mood today, feel free to disregard 💚💚💚💚

(Bruh I’ll write anything for you, ilu)

(I’m still learning other gang members and Arthur too, this is my practice lmao)

“Well what do ya mean he won’t listen? How many times do I gotta tell him something won’t work before it gets into his goddamn head?” you could hear Arthur arguing with Hosea as they rode into a camp, the tension coming with them, they had planned a caravan robbery earlier in the day but it had obviously not gone well.

You were stood there grooming the horses trying to drown out the arguing, you had gotten pretty good at it since Dutch, Hosea, and Arthur seemed to have competitions regarding who could argue the longest about the shit that had gone wrong. The shouting got louder as Arthur drew closer, the horses visibly in discomfort with the sounds, you grabbed your horses reins and soothed her with hushes and strokes along her nose.

“Shh girl, you’re alright, it’s only Arthur and his big mouth” you whispered to her, a slight sound of disapproval, but a smirk resting on your lips. Arthur and Hosea were now next to you, still arguing.

“Arthur get a grip, It was one wrong robbery, it happens” Hosea dismounted his Silver Dollar and tied the reins to the pole, just over the side of your horse. Arthur however was behind you, very close, and very very angry.

“Naw I’m sick of getting the wrong information” Arthur mocked Hosea in the last of his retort and dismounted his horse catching you with the full extent of his body, this shoved you directly into your horse and she reared her head making you bite down on your jaw.

“Jesus Christ Arthur! Will you look where you’re going!” you shouted to him clutching your jaw

“You wanna shut your mouth.” He hissed back making you retreat a few steps, tears welling up in your eyes, you looked way from him and faced your horse once again, you didn’t want him to see you so weak.

“Arthur! That’s quite enough!” Hosea snapped at him, Arthur shouted and threw his hands in the air storming off away form camp.

Hosea walked towards you and placed a hand on your shoulder, “I’m so sorry (Y/N) are you alright?” Hosea had always been nice to you, he always showed you compassion, and quickly became a father figure in your life.

“I’m fine thank you Hosea, Arthur can just be a dolt headed brute sometimes, a lovable dolt headed brute though” You replied, your voice catching in your throat.

“With that I can agree, I’m sure he’ll apologise to you, if he doesn’t” Hosea pulled you around to face him, “make him” You nodded in reply and Hosea made his way into camp, towards Dutch’s tent.

A few hours had passed by and the gang were around the campfire, your jaw wasn’t hurting as much and you hadn’t seen Arthur since he came back. Javier and Sean were singing a song and you and Abigail were hanging out in your tent.

“He just hit me with his body and told me to shut up” You complained to Abigail, picking at the grass on the floor.

“Well the robbery hadn’t gone well, but he still should have said sorry”

“I know right? When i see him next he’s going to apologise to me” Just as you were saying that you saw Arthur walk back into camp, a dead Elk on his shoulder. “Speak of the devil, I’ll see you in a while Abigail” You stood up and stormed your way over to Arthur who was talking to Pearson about his latest kill.

“We’re still gonna need more Arthur” 

“Well get your own damn meat then, I’m doing the best I can!”

Sounded like Arthur was still in a bad mood from earlier, but you were going to get an apology from him. “Arthur?” you said sternly, he turned at met your gaze “What?”

“Well?” you placed your hands on your hips.

“Well What?” Arthur folded his arms and raised his voice slightly, alerting some of the people in camp.

“You owe me an apology for your behaviour earlier” 

“My behaviour?” Arthur stepped closer to you, his nature was dangerous and unstable, the slightest wrong move and he would explode.

“You hurt me, then when I brought it to your attention you told me to shut my mouth. You owe me an apology” Arthur wasn’t an easy person to argue with, he was stubborn and hard to budge. You always thought he’d be open about things with you, and he’d never take his anger out on you but recently he hadn’t been giving you the attention he used to, and you were sick of it.

“Arthur Morgan you come over here with me right now.” You stormed off towards the hoses, you didn’t want the other camp members listening in, privacy was a rare commodity in camp. Arthur followed suit, a scowl still plastered to his face.

You both stood by your horse, and a thick silence filled the air.

“So you’re not going to apologise for hurting me and shouting at me then?” you stood there with your arms folded.

“I didn’t hurt ya” Arthur stepped forward reaching his hand to your shoulder and your horse reared towards him giving him a bite, “Ah!” Arthur pulled his hand back and stared daggers at your horse. “you need to tame that damn horse”

“She attacked you because you hurt me earlier” you said sternly, “What is going on with you? You’ve done nothing but take your damn anger out on me and I’m sick of it!” you shouted at him and this made his face fall, it wasn’t often you raised your voice to him like this, he took it very seriously.

“I-” Arthur stumbled over his words, “I have haven’t I?” sorrow filled his eyes as he stepped towards you, “(Y/N) I am so sorry I didn’t mean it, with everything that’s been happening I just... Please forgive me” Arthur took your hands in his and raised them up to his lips, kissing them gently.

“Arthur” you stepped towards him and placed on your hands on his cheek, “I know you ain’t had someone to rely on in a while, but you can rely on me okay? I forgive you, and so does (Horse Name)” A smile graced your lips and Arthur took you into a warm embrace, Hosea was right after all.

[bisexualstokes-archive]

Atrophy (6/7)

Chapter (6/7): Lucky Rating: Teen+ (For: Language, Graphics Depictions of Violence) Summary: An old friend returns, to wake Nick from a terrible nightmare. Chapter Notes:  @letswaitforme, @deltajackdalton,@impossiblepluto,@mutatedsilverunicorn,@12percentplan,@telltaleclerk…idk, who else wants to be tagged in updates of this fic?? lemme know ;)

Previous Chapter | Read on ao3

“Let’s begin at the beginning, Greg. How did you find the house?”

Overexposed lighting, overly clean surfaces, beeps and shouts and screams. He would hate it--he once confided to his friend, that he hated hospitals.

“Greg?”

The poor guy, probably terrified enough as it is. Second time being in the hospital within months.

“Greg, are you listening to me?”

The buzzing and bustling, the hovering, the constant pokes and prods and questions. It almost made him claustrophobic.

“Greg!”

A hand on his shoulder firmly pressed the fabric of Greg’s shirt. Not as firm as Nick’s grasp was, but enough to summon Greg Sanders back into his body. His fingers fumbled on the edges of his shirt, screams and cries reverberated in his head.

“Where did you go? Sara said you and her were in the garage, examining Nick’s car--”

“Car, right. Yeah, we, uh, we were processing Nick’s car. Nothing out of the ordinary, but we noticed his kit wasn’t there, nor any evidence from the scene. There was security cam footage from across the street that showed a woman exit Nick’s vehicle--well, presumably--and draw some cash from an ATM, then she got a cab and vanished. We had nothing, for a while, though I’m sure you know that. Then, somebody called my phone with a voice modulator, told me they had a lead but would only meet me in private--”

“Don’t tell me--”

“I was gonna call for backup, it’s just--”

“I expect something like this out of Nick, but you, Greg? Who knows what could have happened--”

“I found him, didn’t I?” Greg snapped. A look of shock blossomed on Catherine’s face. Greg’s face fell, this sudden outburst was out of character for him, but it was hard to shake off the rage towards the psycho that reduced Nick to the man he found in the closet. It was hard to shake off the shock, that something like this could happen to somebody so close to him. It was hard to think that Nick has been through so much in the last eleven years, that somehow he’s found the strength to hold on, when everything and everyone is telling them that he shouldn’t be alive.

Their attention moved from each other to the man on the other side of the glass, lying in a hospital bed, unconscious. Sara was sitting next to him, held his hand. Catherine sniffled, then walked into the room, Greg followed behind.

Greg stood at the foot of the bed, as Catherine pulled up a stool on the other side of the bed. Nick looked peaceful in his restful state, but Greg could still hear the man’s screams and sobs ring out in his mind, as his body was moved onto a stretcher.

“It’s okay, Nick, they’re taking you to the hospital,” Greg had told him, after making the mistake of taking his hand away from Nick’s. A connection, one that Greg would never fully understand Nick’s need for, severed.

“No! No hospital! Mmm fine...Need to...find...Greg…”

“I’m here, man, I’m right here.”

“He’s buh-buried...need to...dig him up...Mahaha--arshhhhhhh too…”

A sedative, Nick had screamed so loudly as the needle was pushed into his skin. Greg wondered if Nick had been shot with one of the darts found on the bed. As they brought Nick out of the house, Greg could only think about collecting a tox sample, to see what he had been drugged with, to cause a reaction to the sedative so violent he had nearly punched the poor paramedic.

“Ray processing the scene?” Sara asked in a hushed voice, not that Nick would be able to hear them anyway.

“No, I got someone from swing--Ronnie Lake,” Catherine replied, her eyes on Nick.

“Good. Ronnie’s good.” Sara gulped down something, a light layer of tears glimmered in her eyes. Greg wanted to move to her, offer some comfort, but found his hands glued to the end of the hospital bed.

It was different, when Nick had gotten shot. They were all worried, sure, but when they found out he was awake, conscious, demanding pizza and cracking jokes, they knew that he was at least somewhat okay--they hadn’t heard about the details of the shooting right away, all they cared about was Nick, and even when they did, Nick had just jumped right back into work, seemed okay, seemed like his normal self. Maybe that’s why Greg had neglected Nick’s state of mind at the funeral explosion, elected to just help Nick get dressed into a spare change of clothes, get cleaned up, instead of goading him back to the hospital as Catherine had commanded.

Maybe it was selfish, to take that for granted, to not pay more attention, because what if Nick was indulging in the same reckless behavior that had nearly gotten him killed after Warrick was? He could have been triggered by the loss of another member of law enforcement--even if Officer Clark wasn’t part of their team, per se, Nick wore his heart on his sleeve, the guilt complex was apparent. What if he had walked headfirst into this situation? It was hard to tell if the signs of struggle in the bedroom were from the original crime scene, or from any sort of struggle Nick would have put up. They would have to wait for him to wake up to find out what really happened.

“Willows? Catherine Willows?”

A doctor entered the room, nudged Greg aside to pick up Nick’s chart.

“We’ve already contacted Gil Grissom, the other emergency contact, but were told that you were here on site. I see you found the place all right.”

An attempt to lighten the mood, put a smile on their sullen faces. He must have good news, else, he’s trying to ease the pain of his news.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t our first rodeo,” Catherine told him. Nick would have laughed at that.

“Well, you’ll be happy to hear that Nick’s going to be just fine. He’ll be sore for a few days, has a broken hand, and will be sporting a new scar on his chest, but it could have been much worse. After decontamination, there’s also no side-effects apparent from the tetrodotoxin, either. Most patients survive that, if they didn’t, uh,” The doctor coughed. Greg noticed how young he was, how green. “Succumb to the more harmful effects.”

“Tetrodotoxin, the paralyzing agent?” Sara asked in a hoarse voice. “Was he…?”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to talk to him to find out, but with the high dosage he was given, it’s a miracle he’s even still here. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t have been fully lucid. In fact, I’m shocked he’s not in a coma, most patients usually fall into one, if they survive.”

Greg’s heart had stopped at the mere idea of Nick being fully aware of what was happening to him--with the nonsense he seemed to speak at the house, he hoped that perhaps it was some sort of fever dream, hallucination.

And then, he remembered the phone call.

“Doctor…” he cleared his throat, didn’t even want to consider the possibility, but the question had to be raised. “Was there any signs of...of seh…”

His voice cracked, trailed off before he could even finish the word. Catherine had removed her gaze from Nick to look at Greg with a widened gaze, a realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

“No.” The doctor responded, quickly, shortly. He didn’t seem too fond of the idea, either. “No, there weren’t in our examinations.”

The young doctor also cleared his throat, looked back to the chart.

“He’ll be staying overnight for observation, given a prescription for some painkillers, but he should be able to go home in no time.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Catherine muttered, her eyes falling back onto Nick.

The doctor left the room, and Greg resumed his watch over Nick, who still seemed to be asleep.

“So...Grissom’s his emergency contact?” Greg asked with a small chuckle, breaking the silence. He became aware of the fact that Nick wouldn’t quite like being under the watch of so many eyes, removed his gaze to stare at the floor.

Sara chuckled back. A smile cracked on Catherine’s face.

“Yeah, guess so. Said he was gonna change it, after the restaurant shooting. Guess he didn’t think he’d need to, so soon.”

The resumed their shared silence, waiting. Waiting for Nick to flutter his eyes open, demand a pizza or a beer. Waiting for some sign that even though the doctor said he’d be able to go home soon, that truly, he would be able to go home soon. Waiting for an indication that he would be okay, he’d be back to normal. Waiting for Nick Stokes, the mountain of strength that he is, to wake from his slumber.

They would be waiting for a while.

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

Lucky. If he had a nickel for every time he heard the phrase “he’s lucky to be alive,” he would be able to retire from the Las Vegas Crime Lab by now.

He was lucky that Grissom came and saved him from that terrified woman with a gun.

He was lucky that the glass just barely missed his neck, that the fall from the window didn’t injure him any more. He was lucky that Brass and his squad showed up when they did, lest Nick witness his house from becoming any more of a horrific crime scene.

He was lucky that he was given a fan. Funnily enough, he was even lucky that he shot the damn light, that the ants came pouring into the box, because if they didn’t, he would still be six feet under. He was lucky that Hodges just happened to call right before the lid was opened. He was lucky that Grissom’s plan worked, and that he was above ground.

He was lucky that he was only shot in the shoulder, though one bullet was dangerously close to his heart.

He was lucky that he had stood his ground where he did, that the van’s door didn’t hit him as an explosion sent shock waves through the air.

But luck isn’t what Nick would use to describe the outcome of his survival against Veronica. She never intended for him to die, not really. He was her favorite toy, after all. She wasn’t going to give him up that easily.

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

The sound of a cane woke Greg up from a standing slumber, two canes, two Doctors, accompanied by a third person that made Greg think he hadn’t woken up, and that he was still dreaming about a screaming man chained in a closet, who was oddly silent, though physically struggling.

“Ran into a friend downstairs,” Ray announced as he, Grissom and Doc Robbins all entered the room.

“Gil?” Sara asked, hopping up from her seat, though she didn’t let go of Nick’s hand. Grissom walked over, embraced his wife, planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Got the first flight that I could, but I can’t stay long. How is he?”

“Not...entirely sure, he hasn’t woken up yet,” Catherine said, walking over to plant her hand on Grissom’s shoulder. “I’m...gonna go call his parents.”

Grissom nodded, looked to Nick. He placed his hand on Sara’s on Nick’s. A feeling fluttered up Greg’s chest, hope. Grissom was here, so Nick would definitely be okay.

“Any idea who…?”

“No. House was registered to a ‘Gertrude Ortollins,’ we’ve got an APB on her now. Hey, Gil, good to see you,” Brass replied, entering the room.

“Jim,” Grissom acknowledged, shaking Brass’ hand with his free one.

“How’d it go with Marsh’s family?”

“About as well as it did with Clark’s. How’s Nicky?” Brass asked, wiping his face with his hand.

“Still sleeping.”

An exasperated sigh, laden with worry.

“Sanders, you--you were at the house, what did you see, what happened?”

All eyes on Greg, and he felt a bead of sweat on his forehead. The details were, in fact, hazy, but he told them what he remembered anyway.

“Went to the house, found a bedroom, Nick was in the closet, and he was, uhm...heavily drugged--paralyzed, I guess--Something knocked me out, and when I woke up, there were darts on a bed and Nick was half-free. He kept saying ‘dig him up,’ and I-I thought maybe he was talking about…But he wasn’t and now we’re here.”

“No sign of the person who knocked you out? Male or female?”

Brass grabbed Greg by the shoulders, shook him a little, drilled him into the ground with questions. He pulled a picture out from his pocket, a crime scene photo.

“Do you recognize this? See it anywhere in the house?”

It was a picture of a body, dressed up in Nick’s vest, surrounded by evidence tags, markers, his kit, his gun. The man’s eyes were wide open, glazed over. A word, written in marker--”STOKES” with the “O” acting as a bulls-eye, a dart lodged right in the center.

“Take it easy, Jim, we’re all a bit worked up--”

“Zip it, Langston!” Brass snapped. Grissom and Sara tore away from Nick, sensed that the detective had reached a boiling point.

“Ray, let’s go get some coffee,” Doc Robbins muttered, nudging Ray out of the room.

The dust in the air settled, once Brass heaved another heavy sigh.

“I should...I should go apologize,” he muttered, and left the room. He left the picture on the floor, Greg picked it up and put it back on the bed.

Greg, Sara and Grissom were all left in isolation and silence, a trio that had not worked together for years, and yet, it felt like nothing had changed at all. A feeling of togetherness, in their silence, as they continued their watch over Nick Stokes, a man they all loved in different ways.

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

Birds. Birds were flying above him, chattering away, not a care in the world. No particular destination, just the air beneath their wings, a light feeling in their chests. Circling the air...or, were they circling him?

His body, sprawled on the ground, a bird who fell from the sky. He felt small, so small in comparison to the winged creatures above him, to the large shovel that was balancing his broken body.

“Aw, you poor thing.” A voice cooed at him. A giant woman loomed above him, looked down on him. “I’m gonna keep you.”

The shovel propelled his body into the air, he was unable to move his limbs, fell haphazardly into the woman’s hand like a rag doll. She poked and prodded at him, stuck a needle into him. And then another. And another. Perhaps his body was somewhere else, feeling the pain she was inflicting on him. This body was nothing, just a lifeless toy.

“You’re mine,” the woman kept whispering to him, petting his chest with a single finger, applying particular pressure to his scars. All clothing was gone--he felt so naked, so embarrassed.

She brought him into a house, the wallpapers were continuous streams of crime scene tape. The house was silent, except for the shuttering click of a camera. Camera flashes were the only source of light.

“Oops!”

His body rolled out of her hand, onto the ledge of a staircase. With the tip of her foot, she nudged his body forward, and he tumbled down a seemingly endless amount of stairs. He couldn’t feel the pain, as his limbs flailed around, as his head finally came to an impact with a clear, glass surface. The bottom of the stairs landed him into a box, a glass coffin...no, not into, above. He landed on top of the body of Officer Marsh.

The sound of a phone ringing, a voice picking up. His voice, talking to Greg.

“Hey, man, sorry, I can’t make it to breakfast.”

“What? Why? What the hell is wrong with you, Nick? Then again, I figured as much, you’re such a shitty friend. Don’t even know why I even said yes when you asked me.”

He wanted to scream, tell Greg about the man in the box beneath him. To warn him, not to go looking for Nick.

“You know, first you send Officer Clark to the back in that restaurant, and now you sent Marsh down a flight of stairs? Down to the ground, buried alive? Do you even remember what that felt like, Nick? How it felt to be struggling for air, struggling against six walls, just inches from your body, unable to move? He’ll die by asphyxiation, alright, but it’ll be post burial. Unlike you. You always survive, when the people that should...don’t.”

Click. Flash. His body rose up, dangled by something tight around his wrists.

“You’ve been a very bad doll,” the woman whispered to him. “It’s time for your punishment.”

He was carried to a dollhouse, an exact scale model of the house he was currently in--if he had a heart, it would have stopped, the miniature killer was back, was going to go after Sara again, or worse, maybe everyone again.

But this woman wasn’t Natalie Davis, this was Veronica...a woman with no last name. Nothing to set her apart, nothing to identify her as anything other than Nick’s “owner.” He might as well get used to calling her that.

Discordant music was playing, some stupid song he would hate for the rest of his life, mixed with a song he once sang to himself, during an extended period of torture, to keep his sanity. A futile effort, now, his sanity flew away with the rest of the birds.

She split the house apart effortlessly, located in the bedroom, there was a closet, with an attachment for the chain that she was holding him by. She attached his body to it, closed the door, then closed the house. A large eye peeked into the window, watched him, for minutes...for hours...for days? Maybe even years. The eye left, a camera lens took its place.

Then, it began to rain.

Tiny birds flew like darts against the window, he could just barely see corpses smash against the window and slide down.

And then, one big corpse hit against the window, dead center. Bulls-eye. It wasn’t a bird, it was Greg Sanders.

“Another broken toy, ready to be buried.”

He wanted to scream, he didn’t care what happened to him, his life was meaningless, he served no purpose other than to please Veronica, none of that really mattered, so long as Greg was safe.

“Dig him up!” he cried out, pleading, the puppet finally had a voice.

“Nicky?”

“DIG HIM UP!” at the top of his lungs, all energy expelled from his body, but a shock brought him back to life, as he opened his eyes and saw Gil Grissom sitting next to him.

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

Nick had woken up unceremoniously, his eyes had fluttered open, just as Greg thought they would. They all encouraged a charming smile to spread onto his face by showing them their own, it worked, his eyes lit up and his lips spread apart, curving slightly upward.

“Greg,” he croaked. “Sorry I...missed breakfast.”

“It’s okay, call it a rain check.”

He groaned, twisted his body a little.

“What...What happened? How long have I been out?" he added, after seeing Grissom next to him.

Greg’s mouth gaped open in shock, he had not expected those words, out of someone who seemed to be in a conscious state of mind at the scene of the crime.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Sara asked.

“I...I was at a crime scene? I turned around, and...woke up here,”

Greg held up the picture.

“You don’t know anything about this?”

Nick stared at the picture for a moment, a puzzled expression on his face, his brows furrowed down, a glimmer of something shone in his eyes.

“Nuh...No.”

Grissom had been staring intently at Nick the whole time, his head cocked to one side. 

“Greg, Sara...could you give us a minute?”

Maybe this is all a bit overwhelming…

Greg and Sara nodded, left the room in a mutual agreement that Grissom would get the answers. A mostly impartial third party, who hadn’t been there, for the past two years.

Greg was hopeful again, that maybe Nick was just hazy from the sedation, that Grissom would be able to talk to him, get at least some of the story while it was still fresh in Nick’s head. They gave the pair their privacy, Grissom had closed the blinds after they had left the room. Catherine rejoined them, Sara filled her in on what happened. Catherine knocked on the door, but didn’t enter.

Grissom came out, almost an hour later, with reddened eyes, immediately embraced Sara.

“Well? What did he say?” Catherine asked, peering into the room through the crack in the door.

Grissom looked up at her, a solemn expression on his face, as he held onto Sara’s hand.

“He doesn’t remember anything.”

[fmdluna]

[bobby caldwell vc] i bet you’ve wondered where i’ve been!! hi my kings, queens, and in-betweens!! i’m so super excited to be here and present to you my kid, miss moon micha, who is also known as luna of wish!! if you don’t know me, my name is jada, and this is my second go at bringing this mess of a muse to the famed-verse!! i’m back with tons of refreshed inspiration, happiness, and love to give to you all!! so i’m super excited to establish some new connections as well as revive new ones!! i’ve missed this roleplay dearly and am happy to be back, so if you’d like to plot with me please like this and i’d be more than happy to start something up with our characters!! i’ve got discord if youd like it, but ngl i’m the worst at getting back to you. and here’s her plots, profiles, and bio if you’d like!! you know how all that goes, trivia under the cut as well!!

as a preface this whole thing will be v casual because i cba

seoul born & bred, an only child, established in 1998!!

so basically her mother comes from a pretty small town but her father’s from seoul so she started getting that coin!! 

anyways she was raised real uppity, fancy house private schools & all that. but she also lived kind of like a mixed family because her dad was borderline obsessed with western culture so he was always like speak english!! eat american food!! listen to american music!! and she would always be taken on trips to paris france usa and shit but she really didn’t care she just wanted to be at home tbh

her mom is the opposite, always urging her to know her culture & cooking her homemade food and belting all her ballads w/micha. it was a lot less forceful which is part of the reason she prefers her mom and also why she doesn’t have that much of an urge to learn english or travel to other countries & all that

anyways life went on as normal until around middle school where she discovered kpop!! this was made canon last time but i wanted to revisit it!! it sounds stupid but was v influential because it a.) made her a knight stan lol and it b.) showed her the potential of becoming an idol as a career c.) opened her up to the kpop genre!! 

you may think i’m joking but the only music she was ever exposed to was her parent’s taste so it definitely was a change for her

anyways that phase was just spent being a real cringy stan but anyways proceed

 things seem to be okay until money seems to be the only topic of her parent’s conversations - how they’ll get it, how much was lost, all that. her dad’s not making as much as he once was but is still spending like he is, her mom thinks they should downgrade in favor of affordability. the result?? messy messy divorce micha is put in the middle of. 

[tw in brackets: substance abuse & verbal abuse!! i’ll make this quick just in case people are uncomfy with strong mentions of these things!! but basically within the stress her dad found himself caught up in drugs and alcohol and it was just a mess. while he was still his normal charismatic self to others, behind closed doors he got really harsh and used really degrading speech towards them over the span of like....a year.] triggering content ends here!

so - how does this relate to micha?? this is a big reason she’s so “justice for all!! women deserve rights!! we’re powerful!!” because she saw & endured all the shit that her dad put them through and also saw how they got out of it. so now she really feels like being strong and powerful is the only way to compensate for those years that she felt weak.

but!! sad times over. anyways, after dealing with all that her mom and her decided that they’d had enough and moved to their own apartment and her mother filed for divorce. there life was a lot simpler but it was happier, because her father wasn’t in the picture. this is also why micha prefers the simplistic life and hates people who are materialistic now!!

anyways - wrapping this up because it’s 10 and i really need to post my intro lmao.

discovered her love for music!! her and her mom used to sing all the time and she loved it and was like huh maybe i should actually do this music stuff

then!! she joined dimensions for a year as a trainee, hated it, and left. thought she was done with being an idol, then got scouted by bc!! was super super excited, joined & then was a trainee for three years until her debut!!

that whole time she was mad because she felt like she was just being bounced around although she was working hard. a big big reason she’s unsatisfied with being in wish is because she thinks it wasn’t really fitting for her and they just kind of plopped her in there because they didn’t know where else to put her

but now we’re here!! she’s....very Extra. deems herself (and kind of is tbh) one of the least favorite members of wish, more in terms of the company than anything. because she’s very outspoken and speaks against issues when she sees them!!

the reason she’s like this is that she had behaved for all of training & like 2 years into wish’s career but when she realized that wasn’t getting her anywhere and her other member’s started getting opportunities and she didn’t she started acting out (because throwing tantrums makes things better!!)

she just wants a solo and it’s not happening rip

but the thing is she’s such an angel on stage and makes the money she’s supposed to for them so i mean she’s walking on thin ice but she’s not doing enough to get herself fired you know what i mean

as for her around wish, she’s a bit of a grandma?? always telling wish to hush & sit down somewhere, but also can’t be bothered to actually be their mom and take care of them lmao.

as for her public image, she’s known to be a cutesy-badass type?? because she’s real cute visually but like when her little rap parts get on the powerful woman pops out

which is fine,,, but being cute is exhausting and she’s tired and wants girl crush!!

also loves all women everywhere that’s very important

uHhh i don’t know what else to say i’ll add more later but!! she does like doing asmr videos and watching them so if you want muses to share recs!! she’s your girl!!

idk what i’m doing or what else to say but yes i’ll rant all about her in ims if you want she’s a mess ok

[ratretro]

All Work; No Play - NaLu Fanfiction

Title: All Work; No Play

Pairing: NaLu

Commission: Spy AU

Rating: M;

Word Count: 6,595

None of these characters are owned by me, they are all owned by the wonderful Hiro Mashima!

A/N:

I’m extra garbage but I try here’s another commission!! Idk guys but me following my own deadlines is like my dog actually listening to me. Its never gonna happen. This is for the wonderful @random-rave and I appreciate the help he’s given me with my writing AND for commissioning me! There’s some softcore smut in here that i forgot to mark. it’s near the end though but just a heads up lmao

            The champagne was bitter on her tongue, and she even felt a slight burn as it slid down her throat. Truly, this had to be the worst champagne she'd ever had. This was supposed to be some elegant ball, but everything about this party was lacking. The decorations of silver lights strewn through the ballroom and across the ceiling.

            All in all it felt like her high school prom but with cheap alcohol. Well, come to think of it, it was actually just a copy of her prom. Honestly, this shouldn’t matter to her, and her focus should be elsewhere. It should be on him.

            Lucy watched blue hair move smoothly through the crowd, and her gaze could easily burn holes through his skull. Unfortunately, this mission was already going to be a difficult win if a certain white-haired woman had anything to say about it. She'd already seen two of Fairy Tail’s infamous best members in the room and the night was still young. Cana was situated behind the bar clearly absorbed in the glass she was drying. That wasn't an ideal sign. It was likely that the target had already been drugged. She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

            Mirajane passed by her once more to offer a glass of champagne as hers nearly came to a finish and for the fourth time that night, Lucy rejected her offer. She was going to start looking suspicious if she didn't find another glass soon, even though she didn’t want to.

            A hand rested on her shoulder, and though she could have dodged it, she opted not to. Appearances were everything at a party like this, and if she shied away from every person who approached her then it wouldn't look good. Besides, this was one hand she wouldn't mind on her body.

            She shivered under the touch of warmth as it seeped through the skin of her shoulder.

            "They let men like you in here? Oh, how the standards have fallen." She mused though this man was one of the best field agents in Fairy Tail. He often chose brute force over smarts, but that didn't mean he couldn't pull off a role.

            "Men like me?" He moved in close to her, heat radiating off his body. A tingle ran down her spine, but she ignored it. Once more, she was the picture of innocence. Though, he knew better than that. Through their many run-ins, he had learned quite quickly of the threat that was Lucy Heartfilia.

            She could play any part necessary for the mission. Though, that wasn't a surprise. She'd spent her entire life acting as the perfect daughter and heir to the Heartfilia Konzern. This was before its utter demise; at her hands no less. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

            "Well?" he was pressed against her back now, though it wasn't enough to turn any heads. To the naked eye, he was just some man trying to hit on her. But to her? He was trying to shake her up. Make her lose her composure. She wouldn't fold.

            "You're such a flirt." She teased, pushing her hips into his. Natsu held fast to his position, though he was definitely starting to feel the pressure.

            "I'm the flirt? Pot meet kettle." His hand brushed her shoulder; gentle like a feather. He loved when she got like this. Her attitude was the entire reason he liked her, and while he didn't focus on looks – much – it wasn't like she left anything to be desired. Especially tonight. He'd been avoiding looking at her in hopes that he’d be able to keep his cool. The blonde averted her gaze, and he knew that she felt the same.

            "Oh, and he's a tease." Gloved fingers caressed his cheek, running over the scar that was left behind after a brutal showdown that both of their agencies had been involved in. She'd been scared then. Scared he'd die. Lucy pushed the thoughts from her mind as quickly as they came. Still, with her back against his chest like this it was easier to survey her surroundings. Plus, with Natsu behind her, it would take a daring man to approach her for a dance. Two birds; one stone.

            The distinct sound of a soft piano began to play in the background. It was merely a testing type of playing. Her eyes flitted across the ballroom in search of the man she’d previously had her eyes on. Fuck. He had already disappeared through the crowd and was nowhere in sight. Had Mirajane already gotten to him?

            Natsu stared at her as the piano flowed softly in the background, and then there was an abrupt switch to the tune. The pinkette couldn't place the song, not right away. He was stimulated, and there was no way he could try to focus on what damn song was playing. Though, he should have been. He almost missed the familiar tune. He released a soft sigh that brushed the back of her ear gently. A shudder rippled through her body at just the mere feeling of his breath brushing her skin.

            Lucy, however, was still of mostly sound mind – though maybe not sound body – and she caught the piece immediately. Db Minor, B, and then E flowed together for the start of a song she'd learned to play by heart. Consider it her ‘emo phase' if she'd ever had one. Her first sign of rebellion. She almost laughed bitterly at the thought. Still, ‘Moonlight Sonata' of all pieces? It was a song that should be played at a funeral, not a charity ball.

            "Care for a dance?" he was close. Too close. Yet, somehow, she wanted him closer.

            "It would be easier to keep an eye on you." Her voice a soft hush as she turned around to run her hands up his chest.

            "So, you're watching me?" His signature smirk planted right on his stupid face. Lucy wanted to punch him.

            "I can't enjoy the view?" she teased, as her hand slipped into his with ease, and a light caress was felt on her hip.

            "Can I?" there was that smirk playing on his lips. He pressed her closer to his body, their faces barely an inch apart. She was smirking now. Natsu Dragneel felt like he'd just played with fire and was about to get burned. But boy, he hoped he would.

            His fingertips made small circles on her bare back as they danced in a smooth motion to the sound of ‘Moonlight Sonata' which was truly a song meant for funerals, in Natsu's opinion. Still, his body never forgot the steps she'd taught him, and it was easy to synchronize, even all these years later.

            He'd met Lucy in High School in the music room, playing this very song. They'd split off for a year when high school had ended, and the next time he saw her was when he walked in to see Lucy mid-kill. He'd had a mixture of feelings then, just as he did now. Though, while Natsu was considered a spy, he was curious on what she was considered. Did spies normally kill? Fairy Tail didn’t.

            Still, their reconnection seemed to be fate because after that they ran into each other – literally – more often than not. Sometimes it felt like a setup.

            "You remember?" her voice was a whisper just above the music so as not to disturb the others around them.

            "As if I could forget." Their lips were barely touching now, and he was certain that he'd blow both of their covers if this song didn't end soon. He needed it to end soon.

            His hand skimmed lower, running past her hip and enjoying the feeling of her thighs. Her dress was the best he’d seen of her wardrobe thus far. It was tight against her skin, and her cleavage was cupped perfectly making him think it must have been tailored. This had been a dress made specifically for seduction. And, damn he was jealous of the man she would use this on. Although, he had to give her props, at least it wasn't a little black dress.

            It had a lace design on the torso, and the fabric flowed down to her ankles. Then again, it wasn't surprising considering he was dealing with the previous Heartfilia heiress. Still, she'd made one fatal flaw: the slits in the dress that ran all the way up her thighs. He licked his lips and gave the bare skin a soft squeeze, digging his fingertips into her flesh.

            She felt lucky that the lights had been dimmed while the song was playing; as though setting the mood. They were coming up on the spin which would, theoretically, make it impossible for him to continue exploring her body. But, she'd forgotten who she was with. Instead of spinning her away from him in a twirl, he just did a light turn without breaking their bodies apart. Surprisingly enough, the two managed to continue, because other than the change in the spin the rest of the dance remained the same.

            Lucy's stomach churned as they came up on the last stretch of the piece (even though it was just the first movement) and she came to terms with the fact that she and Natsu would part for the evening. They slowed to a stop as the music ended.

            "Unfortunately, I'd like to stick around, but I have a date." Her breath caressed his ear causing him to grunt softly while she moved from his body with a soft brush of her hips. Natsu watched as her entire being left him unbelievably frustrated. In more ways than one. A date? He clicked his tongue.

            As for Lucy? She was absolutely running away. Her cheeks were flushed a dark red, as she was swept by a wave of nostalgia.

              "If you two are done we have a mission to get back to." Gray's voice was gravelly through the earpiece, and he even added a retching noise at the end.

            "Shut up, Gray." He hissed. The pinkette had already gotten the bastard anyway. As it turns out, Gajeel could be pretty useful sometimes. The ring he wore held a hidden needle with a specific drug coating its tip. This made everything a million times easier, which also meant Natsu was in no rush to chase after the host of this party, besides he had the best view in the house from his corner.

            "I'm telling you to just grab him and go already." Natsu registered the words Gray was saying, but he had no intention of stopping the scene in front of him.

            "I think I'll wait a bit." Jade eyes focused in on the woman who now held his full attention, watching the swish of her hips. Of course, she was all he could see, and he had no fucks to give about their mission with her in the room. He licked his lips ever so slightly to wet the dry skin.

            "You fuck. I know you're not lusting after Lucy again." Oh, but he was. Gray knew that very well, and boy he was not feeling it. Not with this mission hanging over his head. The one who would face the heat for the failure would be Gray; not the pinkette. Somehow, the raven-haired handler knew that this mission would go down in flames with Natsu as their lead.

            "You know I am." At least he was honest.

            "Gramps should have put me in the field. But no, I'm stuck in the van hearing you two being disgusting." He made a fair point. It was almost like gramps knew she would be here, but that was impossible. He'd never risk a job like that.

            "As if Juvia would let you go to a ball with other women." He muttered into the earpiece serving as a communication device.

            "Did you at least get to the target already?" Gray opted to ignore the comment. It was untrue but he didn't have time to argue that his girlfriend wasn't a jealous monster.

            "Needle in the ring. I almost stabbed myself with it, but I bet Gajeel did that on purpose."

                          "Lucy, you should try that strawberry cake!" the redhead's voice came in loud and clear as she attempted to coerce the blonde towards the deserts table.

            "Weren't we here for work?" Lucy was harsh, as usual, in the face of Erza's sweets addiction. She refused to get distracted on this mission. Everything was riding on the information this man could provide.

            "Were we? Don't think I didn't catch you and Natsu just now." Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly from the blatant callout. Lucy had a habit of losing her impulse control when he was nearby. She opted for silence.

            "Oh? Just going to ignore me?" Absolutely. Her eyes scanned the crowd until she caught sight of the mess of dark blue hair just a few feet away.

            She was able to confirm his identity from the tattoo above his right eyebrow. This was definitely Bora, and upon giving him the once over she was cringing. He didn't look like the type to be at this party either, so she'd have to apologize to Natsu later.

            "Target spotted." She muttered into the earpiece designed to appear as an earring, effectively shushing Erza. She heard the clacking of a keyboard in the background and instinctively knew that Levy must be working her magic to check on her location from the cams. They'd provide her back up. A flash of soft pink caught her eye, and she received a wink and peace sign from Meredy. Yup, bases covered. It was time to move in.

            "Hopefully, Fairy Tail hasn't hit him yet. Mirajane is dangerous with a cocktail in hand." Speaking of cocktails, Lucy wanted to try one as it passed by on a tray. She shelved the drink into her mind for a later time.

            "Hopefully." She mumbled, putting on what she considered to be her game face. A small smile could get a girl anywhere. Which part should she play: the drunk or the average heiress? How about Both?

            She stumbled forward with a small giggle, catching Bora's arm in the process. He was currently the head of a human trafficking ring, and needless to say, Crime Sorciere was not just going to sit by and watch.

            "Are you okay?" Bora's smile reached from ear to ear. Clearly, he saw her as prey, which was fine by Lucy. That made it easier.

            "I maaaay…" she gave another stumble and a sigh, "have had a bit too much to drink." She was starting to pepper in slurring now, waiting for a moment to draw him in.

            "Perhaps, you should have a seat?" she thought he'd never ask.

            "Maaaybe." She grabbed onto his arm, using it to hold herself upright. She couldn't walk perfectly as a drunk, so a few stumbles would need to be flowed into her normal gait.

            "Let me get you a glass of water." He made sure she was sitting in the chair before he walked off. She continued her act even with him gone, kicking her feet softly, and humming offkey while awaiting his return.

            Natsu continued to hold in his bouts of laughter from her performance. Lucy Heartfilia was a lot of things, but he'd always been in awe of her ability to switch seamlessly between characters. She called this one: the ditz. And upon watching her it was clear on why.

            Her feet stopped kicking, and she giggled as she swayed from side to side. She knew she was being watched on all fronts. Her target, the party guests, and even Natsu so she couldn't falter now; no matter how embarrassing it was. And truly it was embarrassing.

            Natsu, however, loved watching her work. It was like a perfectly set play, and almost always it ended in a masterpiece. It was unfortunate that he'd already struck, otherwise, she would have definitely won the prize before long.

            Though, he suspected they had the same goal: information on the human trafficking ring that Bora had spent years building. The cops had no evidence on him but needed him off the streets. That was how Fairy Tail had gotten involved in the first place. Which was certainly the same for Crime Sorciere. The two companies always had similar agendas. The two should have just merged by now, but Jellal and gramps often didn’t see eye-to-eye.

            The blunette returned, a glass of water in hand, before rubbing the blonde’s back as she drank. Natsu bristled, this was the part he didn't like. Watching her with another man was, for all intents and purposes, annoying. They weren't dating so he didn't have a hold on her, and a large part of her work was seduction.

            He knew that the two wouldn't stop doing what they do for a living just because they wanted to be together. Though, they did sometimes entertain the idea of being together, but it always stopped there. A meaningless thought. Recently the talks they had were becoming increasingly serious. This morning for instance, when he'd run into her while she was scouting the location.

                         Blonde. Her hair flowed free of its normal bun and ran aimlessly down her back. He hadn't realized how long her hair had gotten since they'd met two months ago. He wanted to touch it. And so he attempted to without thinking too much about it. He'd always been a little impulsive. Like now, for example.

            Her body moved, quick like a serpent, as she stood to face him. He had expected a harsh glare, or a solid kick to the chin, but instead received a soft smile. Ah, they were in public after all.

            "Natsu." His name on her lips was always refreshing.

            "Lucy." She loved it when he said her name. Maybe it was like getting back that little piece of innocence from high school. Before she became a raging bitch, destroyed her family's fortune, and ended up working for Crime Sorciere as a… spy? They never had informed her of her job title. Spy sounded just fine to her.

            "What brings you here?" she asked, knowing full well he'd either lie or avoid the question altogether.

            "Maybe I'm here for you." He teased, going for the latter of her expectations.

            "Oh?" his hand brushed down her arm, nearly distracting her from her task.

            "Sorry, Salamander. I'm not here for fun." She maneuvered past him, slinking towards an air duct near the ballroom. While he was unsure what it would be used for he could only imagine with Gajeel's girlfriend manning the reins for their tech utopia.

            However, it was rare she called him by his codename, but he never hated it when she did. Her title in the underworld was much scarier than his after all. Mistress of the Zodiac. It was a mouthful, and honestly what idiot was making up the titles for the black market anyway? He got a lizard, and she was the mistress. Rude on all accounts.

            "Oh? What does the mistress have planned today?" this time he received the glare. She really hated that name. Though, he quite liked it. It’s not like she could control what nickname she got anyways.

            When her mother passed away she'd left her the servitude of 12 high-level mercenaries known simply as the Zodiac. Upon climbing into the ranks of Crime Sorciere the 12 joined her for her missions. Fairy Tail had even lost one of their own to her. To be fair, they'd had no idea Loke was actually Leo, but he bid them adieu rather easily; the bastard.

            This had been way before Natsu had reunited with her. He'd always wondered what happened to her but was absolutely surprised to find out that they were in the same field of work.

            "Nothing." Short responses. Natsu had really done it now.

            He annoyed her sometimes. He was overly friendly, which wasn't entirely surprising given their history, but it also impeded her work.

            "Leave me be, Salamander." Her tone was harsher than she'd meant it to be, but hopefully, it'd be enough to drive him off, so she could slip a camera into the vent that led straight into the ballroom on the first floor.

            "Maybe." it was whispered into her ear now, causing a blush to crawl up her neck and dust her ears in pink.

            She whirled around to face him and get a better angle for moving him away. Instead, they were nose to nose. Now, he was red. Yeah sure, he'd started this game, but this was a hell of a way to end it.

            Lucy's eyes fluttered shut, and he did his damndest to hold himself together. It didn't work. His overworked hands brushed against her cheek before fingers laced in the hair at the nape of her neck. A slight tilt and his lips pressed to hers; soft and gentle. Even though he hadn't seen her in two months he was still just as pure with his kisses. For now. She knew better.

            They'd had their fair share of coalescing in dark rooms in the middle of a mission, and he could still get wild. He had been her first in high school. Junior year. Music room on the second floor. The pair had continued, and even started dating before they graduated. Unfortunately, she dropped all communication with everyone, even him, when she'd made the decision to destroy her family.

            She wasn't sure how it would end for her, and she didn't want to drag her friends down with her. Still, it had been her choice to have no contact with them for an entire year after the conclusion. She would have continued that trend had it not been for her run-in with Natsu. That had been an experience.

            "Are ya sure you're here for business?" his breath was hot against her skin, and against better judgment, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her. He wasn't surprised, just awkward. It was unusual for Lucy to make the moves at first, though she could get her fair share of kinky after getting further into it.

            "No." she answered, pressing her lips against his in a display of affection. It was nothing new for the two, and they spent a lot of moments lip-locked instead of doing their jobs. He grunted against her lips as they finally stopped for air.

            "Ya know, last time we were like this ya left me tied to a bed. Wanna continue where we left off?"

            "You might get lucky. Who knows, maybe this could be a permanent arrangement." His heart skipped a beat, immediately wondering if he could learn to love how she did her work. He didn't think he could, but it wasn't like he'd never used his looks to get his way with a client. Natsu never had to do anything unsightly with them, but it was a helpful tool.

            "Permanent?" he pressed, but she had already shut down and was moving away from him.

            "It could be." He continued, watching a slight change in her expression. One of hope, but also concern. Honestly, they should really talk outside of missions to hash this out. Personally, he'd like to see her more often than every two months.

            "It could. We should… talk about it." She pat her hand against his chest once before moving on to her next task, whatever that may be. He didn't follow her; he was too busy trying to control the heat creeping through his skin. He was blushing, and his heart was thumping wildly beneath his rib cage. That girl would be the death of him.

            It was easy to continue his surveillance, and he never did run into Lucy again after. He did, however, run into Yukino and Sting. Well, ran into was figurative. He'd seen them while mapping out the third floor in his head.

            He doubted the pair were on their honeymoon which caused him to click his tongue. If Sabertooth was involved this was about to get really annoying. All three major players in one building? Now, THAT was a disaster waiting to happen.

               The scum had drugged her water. Lucy came to this revelation quite quickly. It had been the smell first, and then the following haze. She pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to get her eyes to focus. It wasn't exactly working, but anything was better than nothing. It had been a while since a drug influenced her body, but she'd also stopped her training against toxins when she turned 18.

            It had mostly been her father that had overseen the ‘project' of sorts. Not that it had become a useless skill, but nights of fevers and body pains had scarred her memory. Perhaps, it was time to jump back in and get situated with the new chemicals that had surfaced in the last few years.

            Her blurred eyesight finally began focusing again, and it was then that she realized she'd been moved from her original seat in the ballroom to what looked like a corridor. First, and foremost, she had no idea where the fuck she was. Second, her motor skills were still shot, and it would be another few minutes before she could move properly again.

            Props to her though for not immediately knocking out. She could faintly hear voices talking from a distance. Both were familiar.

            "Sorry, she troubled ya so much. Took my eyes off her for a second, and she just wandered off." It was Natsu's voice, loud and clear. He'd come to her rescue, she realized. He must've seen Bora's attempt at kidnapping her and decided to intervene rather than let the man take her.

            "I didn't realize she was here with someone. I was intending to take her to the sickbay where I have a doctor waiting on staff." A flawless answer from the perfect scumbag.

            "She can seem that way, but she's here with me. We'll be seeing ya around." Footsteps approached her carefully, and for a moment she wasn't sure who was going to be moving her next.

            "Hello, sleeping beauty." The pinkette murmured into her ear as he hefted her up from her place on the floor. She vaguely remembered being left there while the two began to talk.

            "Thanks." It was slurred, and her body still wouldn't respond to her but being able to formulate words was a start.

            "Progress." He stated. She'd been in rough shape when he finally caught up to her, and scumbag millionaire. He hadn't realized that Bora had even gotten to her until he watched the man slip out of the room with her on his arm, stumbling as though she was actually drunk. She hadn't even been moving when he got there, and he was damn near ready to kill the man had he not seen the rise and fall of her chest.

            It had been a… process to get the target to hand over his blonde friend. Lover?? Friend. He struggled to hold her and use the key to open his hotel room. Luckily, he was on the first floor. Unluckily, Lucy's coworkers had either seen or heard the commotion and would be raiding the building if Lucy didn’t call them off first.

            "Let's get ya some water." Her mind finally cleared, and her body allowed minimal movement. At least she was finally coherent.

            "That was miscalculated." She muttered, and a bark of laughter came from the bathroom.

            "I'll say." Was the response she received. Short, sweet. He was pissed.

            "Sorry."

            "Do ya even know what you're apologizin' for?" his tone had taken a darker turn.

            "I worried you. And put myself in danger." He had to give her credit. She knew her failures, and she was willing to own up to them.

            "Damn right ya did. Idiot." Stern. It was rare that he was the one doing the scolding.

            "I overestimated myself." She admitted, adding toxin tolerance training to her list of things to do.

            "Who just takes a drug without even thinking about it." He was ranting now.

            "My body is trained against most poisons, toxins, basically anything that would threaten the heiress of a major company with dealings in the black market." Her words stopped him in his tracks. It was her wording that bothered him here. ‘Trained'. He'd heard stories in Fairy Tail where the children of tycoons were put through rigorous conditioning to force the body to become accustomed to foreign substances.

            His mind ran through several different moments during high school where his best friend had either spent the entire day in a cold sweat with labored breathing or she would just completely collapse. That was during freshman year alone. The ‘illnesses' continued well throughout the years up to the end of senior year, right before she disappeared off the face of the Earth.

            How long had she spent being tortured by her own father?

             "Lucy! Lucy!?" Erza's voice rang loud and clear in her comm.

            "Yes, Erza?" Natsu stopped all movement, though they likely knew he was there. Erza was scary, and he was not about to deal with that right now.

            "Are you okay?" She was relieved, Lucy realized. Well, of course, Erza would put her safety at top priority.

            "I'm fine. We can continue the mission as planned."

            "Are you sure? I can have Meredy take over from here. I doubt the master would mind." A true hero. Lucy thought about taking her up on that offer but opted against it. She'd made a blunder but it wasn't irreparable. Probably.

            "I've got it handled, it'll be fine, I promise." Her reassurance did nothing to ease the redhead's concern, but Erza gave her the leeway anyway. Though, she shouldn't have. For different reasons.

              "You're back up and running?" Jade peered into amber as he took stock of her entire being. Pupils were no longer dilated, breathing had normalized, vocal patterns were steady. She should probably wait just a bit more before doing strenuous activity, but she'd definitely gotten through the rough patch. Any other girl would be a sack of potatoes, and yet here she was, mostly fine.

            "Mostly," she grunted, and with a loud groaning noise, she moved to a standing position.

            "Hey, Natsu?" a pink eyebrow quirked, but his lips remained shut. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to speak. He was being uncharacteristically patient.

            "Thanks, again." He hated it. She was thanking him for saving her from her own idiocy. He'd prefer she just be careful.

            "Just don't be stupid next time." That was fair but getting into dangerous situations was a hazard of the job. Though, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to minimize the damage.

            "I won't." he seemed to relax at her confirmation, and it occurred to her that he'd probably been as worried as Erza. If not more so.

            "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Her voice was a hushed whisper but that wasn't his true concern. He knew she meant it, and to harp on it wasn't exactly in his character. She'd already said she wouldn't, so against his better judgement he'd trust her on that.

            "Should we get back to fighting over a man?" he asked her. He was relatively certain they had the same target and there was no way she hadn't caught on to his mission already.

            "I always did love a good catfight." She made a small purring noise while pawing at his back. Week's worth of flashbacks entered his mind from many a drunk night he'd spent trying to keep his distance from the blonde; lest she ask him to ‘make her purr'.

            "Sorry, Luce. I don't have time to make you purr right now." His favorite activity was teasing the blonde and getting her riled up. It made their competitions all the more fun.

            "Oh? And here I was hoping to tie you to another bed." A shiver ran up his spine as her implications registered in his mind.

            "Well, I can always make time for you." His voice had dropped an octave and Lucy flicked her tongue across her bottom lip. The thing about them was that they could switch on a dime from one topic to another. Before, they'd been having a serious discussion about her poor actions, and now? Well, she had a feeling this would be going in a completely different direction.

            Pale fingers gripped his button-up dress shirt. It was slightly firm under her touch, meaning it had an iron run across it to smooth out the wrinkles. She tugged, gently, and the pinkette complied as his body flowed with the movement and pressed against her.

            She'd be the death of him, he decided. Calloused fingers brushed her thighs for the second time that night, though this time he had both hands free to do as he pleased. She whimpered softly at the thought and even though it was barely audible he still caught it. Fingers dug into her milky flesh, and a growl filled the air.

            "Oi, Natsu! You'd better not be doing what I think you're doing! Not again!" it was true that he'd done this more than a few times with Gray on the comm, and he hoped the dark-haired male would just excuse himself from the line like he always did.

            "Lucy, can't this wait until after the mission?" this happened every time the two ran into each other. Erza grimaced as she figured that their operation was officially over. There wasn't a way to recover. In fact, the minute Bora drugged Lucy, and Natsu stepped in was the moment where the entire plan had fallen apart. Both, Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere had their covers blown.

            Well, Meredy and Mira could jump in to take over. Mira had rapport with Bora which gave them an in, but she’d already been seen speaking with Natsu on more than one occasion. Besides, these two had been the field agents for a reason, and replacing them on such short notice would really be a hassle.

 The redhead was pulled from her thoughts by the lewd sound of wet moaning, and a male's grunt. Her cheeks flared red, and a small squeak escaped her. Levy, however, was smirking at the amount of blackmail she was gathering.

            "N-Natsu!" she stuttered, and his hips bucked into hers while a large clattering noise signified her banging into the table the room had provided, “The mission!”

            "You alright?" he nipped at her neck, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. When she finally gave a confirmation, he continued, “Mira can handle it.”

            "But--" Her voice was cut off by a whimper as he worked the flesh between his teeth and began sucking gently on her pale skin. Leaving marks on her was a personal pleasure, and making them hard to cover was his specialty. He liked when she had them on display and he could watch the irritation of men around her.

            "Natsu! I swear to god don't you dare!" Gray slammed a fist against the panel of the communications station in rage as the noises persisted. The bastard was going to ignore him and fuck her right there! Even if he continued to listen to it. He pressed his hands together; whispering a silent prayer to the lords above. Maybe, he'd stop. Maybe the pinkette would just stop.

            "Natsu! Not there." Her breath hitched in her throat, followed by a low pitched ‘Ah!'. Gray cursed the day he had been assigned as Natsu's handler.

            What signified Natsu to Gray's disconnect was the ever so soft click! in his ear. Now, the real fun could begin.

            Lucy didn't know when it had happened, but Natsu's shirt and jacket were hanging loosely from his elbows and her freshly manicured nails were digging into his back. She was no longer pressed to the table but was now on top of it.

            His tongue trailed wet heat up her chest, but he was blockaded from her nipples by the torso of her dress. While her lower half was easily accessed, the bodice of her dress was firm and acted more as a corset. Needless to say, Natsu was becoming aggravated with every passing second.

            "How?" he growled, nipping into the soft flesh at the top of her breast.

            "What?" she was breathless as her leg wrapped around his hips to pull him closer.

            "How does this stupid thing come off?" she felt a soft caress in her inner thigh that drew a moan from her throat.

            "Zipper. The back." Short, to the point. Good, Natsu thought as his finger pushed her panties aside and he touched wet heat. Her hips bucked into his hand as though begging for him to slip anything inside of her. He didn't. He was a tease like that.

            He moved from the flesh between her legs to the zipper on her back as he ignored the aggravated whine she was giving him. The irritated one should be him, having to deal with this bullshit dress she'd chosen.

            It was then, at that moment, that the single most annoying thing he'd ever experienced finally happened. The building shook as a loud explosion went off in the distance. It sounded like it came from the kitchen. Yukino and Sting flashed through his mind, reminding him that it wasn't just Lucy he had been competing with. Flashy was the Sabertooth style after all.

            Instinctively, Natsu's grip around Lucy tightened, and she was pressed into his chest. The explosion would never come this far, but Natsu wouldn't chance a single injury to Lucy if he could prevent it.

            "You okay?" his tone reverting from gruff to serious in a matter of moments.

            "I'm fine." Lucy wore irritated like a fine gown; perfectly. She slipped from the table to the ground, thank the gods that her appearance hadn't changed much. Sure, the hickeys on her neck were swollen and fresh, but she'd appeared drunk to half the ballroom. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary if she showed up with the pinkette a little disheveled.

            The pair rushed from the room with Natsu still buttoning up his shirt. There was no time to lose, not now that someone had taken Bora. They didn't even need to confirm it, they were 100% certain the man was already long gone by the time they reached the large hole in the wall that led into the kitchen. Lucy cursed, kicking a large rock with her heel.

            Gray was going to be pissed. So would Erza.

            "Well, at least I'm not tied to a bed this time."

 Lucy's laugh echoed through the kitchen; softening the atmosphere.

            "You could be." She teased once more before slipping a piece of paper into his hands. She'd been wanting to give that to him all night, but of course, it had been particularly difficult to find the time to do so.

            He waited for her to slip off with Meredy before reading the note she'd provided him. It was simple. There wasn't even a single word on it. The only thing he had now was a string of 10 digits.

            A smirked quirked on the corners of his mouth. He wasn't the type to not call a girl after sex, after all. He tucked the note into his pocket and with a hum, he began a walk to his own personal beat down.