#...but it's a pretty clear reminder he's not locked up in a cage anymore so he'll take it

[pianokantzart]

Either that or Mario rolls around like crazy in his sleep and got sick and tired of waking up with a crick in his neck, but your idea is cuter.

[sweetchcolate]

ambivalence

fandom: sugar apple fairy tale word count: 2182

A/N: slight canon divergence from cour 2 episode 11: instead of trying to get rid of Anne, Rafael decides to lock her up until she makes him the quality sculpture he wants.

I wanted to explore his character a bit after seeing his reaction to Anne giving the other fairies beautiful sugar candy. I think he does want connections, wants to be accepted, but is too consumed by his hurt and anger at humans and fairies to ever open up or allow himself to be vulnerable.

Enjoy!

——–

The sight of that slip of a girl mingling with the warrior fairies, gifting them with such delicate silver sulgar sculptures, refused to leave his mind. They haunted him. They mocked him.

How dare they.

How dare she.

Rafael dragged the human back to her room and threw her inside, slamming the door behind them. The sharp sound, like that of a blow, echoed in the empty room, the walls shook, and her little makeshift workstation rattled.

“You will make me a worthy sugar sculpture,” he ordered, voice deadly flat and even despite the swell of impatiencehurtfrustration raging inside of him like a wild beast trying to claw its way out. He clenched a fist tight, the pain grounding him, relieving some of the tension. “And you will not leave this room until you do.”

The girl gaped at him, mouth opening and closing with no words coming out. She stood slowly, posture radiating hesitation and fear — good, he already had enough of Shall disrespecting him, he wouldn’t tolerate it from a human  — before nodding.

The clink of her tools and the howling wind outside were the only sound between them as the girl kneaded, dyed, and shaped silver sugar. At some point she’d sat down, her rhythm slowing as she chanced glances at him from the corner of her eyes.

She’d thought herself subtle, but Rafael had decades of experience with humans: he could read the change in their mood or train of thought from even the most minute of gestures, and it was clear the girl’s mind was not on sugar crafting anymore.

“Out with it,” he ground out, features contorting into a scowl. This was far from how he usually acted, but something inside him wouldn’t stop moving, restless, unbalanced, a sea battered by the storm, and he didn’t have the patience or energy to pretend otherwise.

The girl jumped, not having expected him to speak. She glanced at him, curled in on herself as if she were one wrong word away from incurring his wrath.

(She was).

“I was just wondering… why you wanted fief pieces…” she said in a small voice.

He sneered. “That is none of your business.”

“But it is!” she exclaimed, looking shocked for a second at her own outburst before schooling her features into something more determinate, defiant. She gripped the front of her dress, knuckles turning white. “I can’t… how do you expect me to make a good sugar sculpture if I don’t know why it’s so important to you!”

What nonsense. Only humans would care about such sentimental and trivial things.

“It doesn’t matter. Make me a beautiful piece: nothing more, nothing less.”

“It does matter!” the girl insisted and Rafael ground his teeth, holding himself back: he wouldn’t loose patience over this slip of a human. “Hugh made those fief pieces for Noah: they meant something to him, reminded him of someone precious to him. They had a purpose and that’s why they came out so pretty!

“But those fief pieces don’t mean anything to you, so of course I can’t make them like you want! They’ll lack something!”

“Are you done.”

The girl looked taken aback at the vehemence in his tone.

“Meaning? A purpose?” He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, looming over the girl and caging her between his body and the table. To her credit, she met him head on, mouth set in a firm line, hands clasped primly, a bead of cold sweat betraying her nervousness. He might have been impressed at her composure under other circumstances, but the lack of fight, the lack of an outlet for his pent-up feelings only made him angrier. “That’s absurd. That’s useless. I am the future fairy king, and if I require a beautiful sugar piece, then you will. make. it.”

They stared at each other in tense silence, barely breathing, the flames of the hearth flickering. It was a long while before the girl’s shoulders fell and she looked down, murmuring, “You really can’t give me anything to go by, huh?”

He did not deign her with an answer, merely straightening and watching as she started to knead silver sugar again.

Incompetent girl! How hard could it be to produce one good silver sugar sculpture, one as enticing as that viscount’s? How had she had managed to make such pretty pieces for those common fairies, yet struggled to make him one?

What did the others possess that he lacked?

No. That was a wrong way of thinking. He was the future fairy king, not some defective second-rate fairy! He would overthrow humanity, impose on them the same violence they subjected him his people to, and if the girl failed to understand his importance, his brilliance, then he had no need of her.

There were plenty of other silver sugar masters around.

Once she was gone, he’d be able to dedicate himself to winning Shall over. Without the girl around, Rafael was sure his brother would be more prone to hearing him out instead of favoring the little human, even if that process might take years. Then, Shall, their diamond sibling, and he would take the world back from mankind, a solid and undefeatable trifecta.

Until then, he’d carry the burden of their responsibility, their fate, alone.

The girl spoke up, interrupting his train of thought. “You said earlier… that you were to become fairy king, right?”

“And what of it?”

She kept on working, not even looking his way as she answered. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you hang around with the other fairies.”

Rafael scoffed, crossing his arms. As if someone of his standing would mingle with common warrior and worker fairies. “I am a unique existence.”

She stopped to look at him, brows slanted, mouth downturned, and eyes filled with a glint he couldn’t name. That wasn’t the expression of fear or respect that a future fairy king deserved, and he hated it, hated how it seemed to see through him.

“But they’re your people, aren’t they? If you’re going to lead them, shouldn’t you be with them? Learn about them?”

“Do you see your king meddling with his kind?” he retorted, sharpness on his tongue, the storm inside of him picking up in intensity once more. “I need not conform to your human standards.”

“Why keep their wings then? Lusul told me you’d fight for their freedom, but you’re the one enslaving them!”

“A human like you has no say in fairy business!” he yelled, the earlier impatiencehurtfrustration rearing its head back. It was one thing to have Shall question his reasoning and uncover his true feelings, but he would not allow this human girl to add to the injury. “As fairy king, I will rule over all fairies. I will command them, and they will follow whether they like it or not.”

“That’s just being a tyrant!”

“And what of it.” Stifled feelings were leaking out of him like steam. “Fairies and humans, they’re all the same. Self-centered worms, ready to sell you out at the slightest inconvenience. They rip out your wing, your heart, as one would pluck a flower and then use it to torture you for their own twisted pleasure!”

“That’s—”

“Untrue? Not all of them?” A dark laugh left him before he could hold it back, a bitter acid sound. “I’ve been on this earth longer than you will ever be, human girl. I’ve seen it all.”

His outburst had its intended effect: it got both the girl and the storm that had been raging inside of him, plaguing him since his talk with Shall, to keep quiet. Restless energy now spent, the strong waves of anger and frustration left way for an ache, a heaviness he had rarely experienced.

He felt drained.

“Finish your work,” Rafael said, voice flat, empty. Only he knew how close it came to cracking.

When he was sure the girl was focused on her task, he allowed himself to lean against the wall. His limbs were heavy as lead and he allowed gravity to drag him to the hard ground, head lolling back. He closed his eyes and sighed, a breathless exhale swallowed by the winter air.

Images he’d ignored in his anger and indignation flashed behind his eyelids: the girl speaking with the warrior fairies, a smile on their faces and laughter in their voice; Shall standing in front of her to protect her; Mythril Lid Pod squabbling with Shall; Noah clinging to the girl—

Again. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Why was he thinking of this again? Why did these images refuse to leave him?

He was above such menial things, wasn’t he? He had no desire for relationships, not after humans had enslaved him and fairies shunned him. All he needed was Shall and his diamond sibling, precious stone fairies handpicked by the late king himself to keep him company.

That’s the crux of the issue, isn’t it, he thought to himself.

He needed them.

Needed someone.

But force was the only language he spoke, the only reliable method he’d found to keep people by his side, as humans had taught him. He kept Shall through blackmail and manipulation, held onto the diamond fairy’s stone waiting for the day of their birth, and owned the common fairies’ wings.

All for the sake of becoming fairy king, as foreordained by Riselva. All for the sake of control, never to be under someone’s thumb again.

And if he failed, he would have nothing.

“It’s done.”

He managed to crack an eye open despite his fatigue to glance at the silver sugar master.

“What is.”

“The sculpture you wanted me to make. It’s done.” She gestured towards the piece on the table.

Ah, right. That was how this whole mess had started, wasn’t it? Those common fairies had been worthy beautiful pieces and the girl’s kindness, while he was afforded none. Funny, how the same thought that had enraged and hurt him so now left him indifferent.

He came to stand by her, eyeing the result of her work. He first took note of the piece’s gentle glow, like that of snowflakes glittering in the sunlight, the silver sugar so clear it was almost see-through. It reminded him of the purest of ice.

It was also the best piece she’d made for him.

She’d depicted two individuals wearing a flower crown and sitting next to each other, close enough to balance the book they were reading between their thighs. In such proximity, their arms touched, hair mixing, and the relaxed line of their shoulders as well as the gentle smile on their faces spoke of intimacy and serenity.

He spun the sculpture around, only to find two long thin fairy wings protruding from one of the characters’ back.

He closed his eyes, breathing out through his nose. He didn’t have any energy left in him to be mad, to scream, to laugh his indignation. Instead, he asked “What did you depict?” and waited for the girl to explain herself.

She took a moment to answer, as if sensing that her next words needed to be carefully chosen. “A fairy and a human,” she replied at last, steady, firm, but also gentle. There was none of the fear or misery he was used to hearing from her, nor any of the reverence the other fairies addressed him with. “Spending time together. I wanted to portray a peaceful moment between them.”

“This isn’t a fief piece.”

“You asked for a worthy sugar sculpture. I think this… is the best I can come up with in this situation, knowing what little I do about you.”

This slip of a girl… she was so vexing. She knew nothing, and yet she knew too much at the same time. How had she made something that catered to her — oh, he knew she cared for those common fairies, for Shall. He knew she believed in human-fairy harmony — but to him as well?

Was he that transparent? That was the only way to explain how two different people from two different species had read his heart twice in the same day with such accuracy.

He couldn’t stand it.

Such vulnerability was terrifying.

“It will do,” he told her, sucking in a breath to even his voice. “Leave.”

The girl hesitated, casting a glance between him and the sugar sculpture, before running out. Alone, the fire in the hearth slowly dying behind him, he spent long quiet moments staring at the sugar piece, taking in its glow, the sheerness of the fairy’s wings or the tenderness in the characters’ smiles.

He considered many scenarios: breaking off one of the wings, consuming only the human figure, breaking the sculpture into a thousand pieces. Each idea flashed briefly in his mind, just as quickly cast aside. It wouldn’t do to damage a sculpture of such quality for petty reasons — no, he would keep it and draw on it when he needed to.

Rafael took the sugar piece back to his chambers.

He locked it out of sight.

[plus-size-reader]

Curfew

Randy Meeks x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 3065 words

Warnings: none

Summary: The reader struggling when the curfew is put into place, but Randy has an idea that could make it a little better.

—————————————————————————————————

You were bored.

Woodsboro wasn’t a super happening place to begin with but now that the curfew was in place, it was even worse.

There was nothing to do, and with the additional stress that these recent murders had put on everyone, you were about to blow. The boys could see it, Tatum and Sidney could see it, and most important, Randy could see it.

It was only a matter of time before you absolutely lost it.

Your parents were taking this whole thing extra hard and basically had you on complete lockdown outside of attending school. They couldn’t imagine going through what Casey and Steve’s parents were going through right now, and they were scared.

Which was fair enough.

Everyone was scared right now, but you didn’t understand how putting you under house arrest was going to keep you any safer than you would be anywhere else. Casey was killed at home, after all?

If anything, you would be much safer in a group setting than you would be locked up in your house alone. Still, your parents had made themselves very clear where this topic was concerned. You were absolutely forbidden from attending Stu’s party, or any other party until the curfew was lifted.

It just made everything that much worse.

Parties, especially Stu’s parties, were one of the only things you were looking forward to as of late. Knowing that you couldn’t go to them was really starting to wear on you, and you were understandably let down by the whole thing.

...but it wasn’t just that.

Getting together with a big group of people, your age and ready to party, was an escape for you. With so much uncertainty going on and everything falling apart at the seams, you needed that normalcy to feel human again.

Not that you could really complain about that to anyone who could actually do something about it.

You knew that there was a very real danger out there and the only way to really be safe would be to stay inside your home where no one could get you but you just felt like your folks were taking it a little too seriously.

If everyone else was going to be out anyway, what different was it going to make, really? If anything, it made you a bigger target because you were one of the only people stuck in your house while everybody else was together.

To you, the logic was sound but to them, it was little more than a pathetic excuse to get out of the town’s mandated curfew.  

Which it kind of was, but you couldn’t help but feel like they were being unreasonable. You were a smart, responsible young woman and you weren’t going to take any stupid, unnecessary risks. You just wanted to maintain some level of normal life.

You were tired of being stuck at home like a rat in a cage, never allowed to go out and do anything. It was a stark contrast to how you normally were, with a thriving social life and active party presence.

It was almost as if you were dead too, not to be dramatic.

This was just hard on you, and they weren’t making it any easier. You had to rely on your friends, now more than ever, and they were basically cutting off any contact you had with them to lunch at school and quick phone conversations.

No one would have just taken that and been happy with it. Certainly not within your tight knit group of friends.

You sighed, fiddling with your pen as you tried to remember all the things you needed to get done when you got home. You knew well enough to know that if you didn’t write it down now, you would never remember it all.

With everything else on your mind, school seemed like the least of your worries.

You were so enthralled, in fact, tapping your pen away on the table that you didn’t even notice at first when Randy came up and sat down beside you, taking note of how unhappy you were about everything going on right now.

He couldn’t blame you.

The male at your side was perfectly aware of how excited you had been for the parties the recent nice weather was bound to bring, and equally as aware of how bummed you were that your parents had put a kibosh on the latest shindig before it even had a chance to begin.

“You okay?” he hummed, startling you just a bit when you looked up to see him already sitting at your side, but the racing in your chest calmed down just as quick. No one really knew who was responsible for all these terrible murders but you knew in your heart it wasn’t Randy.

You had known him all your life and even if he was a little strange, he was the sweetest guy in Woodsboro. He wasn’t some natural born killer or a sociopath on a killing spree.

“Honestly, if I have to think about this anymore, my brain might explode” you allowed, leaning slightly into his side to take some of the pressure off your aching, tight muscles as you kept focus on your schedule.

All this stress had to be bad for your body.

Tatum seemed to think so, at least, warning you that if you didn’t learn to decompress somehow you were going to go prematurely grey and get crows feet under your eyes. While you weren’t sure how much you trusted her endless cosmo knowledge, you certainly didn’t feel the greatest.

This was all just a lot for one person to juggle.

Randy could see that much.

He had been watching you all day, moping around that you wouldn’t be allowed to go to Stu’s party and worrying about a huge midterm you had to take for your english class that would physically make or break your grade.

You were spreading yourself way too thin. Luckily, he had an idea of just how he could help you feel a little bit better without breaking your parents' rules.

He just wasn’t so sure you’d go for it once you found out just what he had in mind.

“I was thinking, maybe you’d wanna come over to my place later? I have tonight off so we could watch a movie or something?” he offered, trying not to come across as painfully awkward as he felt. Randy was your friend, and usually could talk to you no problem but what he was proposing was different.

The two of you had never really hung out, just the two of you, before.

You nodded, not even looking up from your notebook as you scribbled something down in black ink, likely a reminder to do your calculus homework based on the way your brow knit together as you formed the letters.

You were preoccupied, too in your head to really consider what was going on but he certainly wasn’t.

Randy was aware of every little movement you made, from the way your nose scrunched up as you concentrated on making sure all the due dates and assignments were right on your calendar to the way your shoulder rested gently against his side.

“Who else did you invite? You know Tatum always complains about the movies you pick” you reminded, thinking over all the times the six of you had tried to watch movies together in the past. She got bored of psychological thrillers and grossed out at the gorey slashers.

She was much more of a Meg Ryan fan herself, constantly pulling for the cheesy romance flicks that made you want to ralph. You couldn’t put it past her to make Randy grab a couple of sappy videos too, just in case.

If she was going to be involved in movie night, you were sure you’d have to shoot down a few of those crappy comedies before you could watch anything worthwhile.

Randy sighed lightly, doing his best to keep you from noticing as he thought about what his next move was. Clearly, you’d missed the point of what he was asking entirely, not that he could blame you.

He had never really been good at asking out pretty girls, especially not ones he;d known since he was in elementary school, so this was new for him as well. He just sort of hoped that you would catch his drift early so he wouldn’t have to clarify out loud.

The last thing he wanted to do was put you on the spot and make you uncomfortable.

“Oh, I was actually hoping it could just be the two of us. I know it's no Stu Macher party but it could be fun” he shrugged, this time almost wishing a giant hole would open up from under him so that he didn’t have to have this conversation.

He wanted you to say yes, of course, more than anything but he just wasn’t sure if it was going to happen and if it wasn’t, he wanted to know early on.

At least then he could have some dignity in this whole thing.

You stopped writing for a second, letting the meaning of his words sink in as you sat there, your left leg bouncing up and down to try and keep up with the racing of your thoughts. It had been going nonstop since you sat down, but now, it was just resting against his.

Was Randy hitting on you?

Randy Meeks, your childhood best friend who had never once made a move on you aside from calling you pretty in your winter formal dress in middle school?

It didn't seem likely, but it was also hard to misinterpret his words. That was about as cut and dry as a date invite could be, and if it had been coming from anyone else, Tatum and Sid would have surely confirmed it for you if you asked.

Not that you could ask either of them right now.

“You wanna watch a movie tonight? Just you and me, at your house?” you clarified, setting your notebook down beside you without a second thought in favor of looking him in the eye.

He was uncertain for a second, trying to read any cues of how you were feeling about that from your own expression but found nothing there, so he nodded.

“Like a date?” you hummed, the words barely leaving your lips as you spoke them, feeling silly at having to clarify at all but you couldn’t help it. If he wasn’t meaning it in that way and you took it like that, you risked making an even bigger ass of yourself.

...but if he did, you needed to know that too.

There was a light blush on his freckled face as he considered his options before he nodded again, giving you all the information you needed. Randy was definitely hitting on you, now all you had to do was decide if you wanted to.

A movie could be fun.

You and Randy had watched a hundred movies together before, with you sometimes staying after hours at the video store while he closed to just see the ending of Frankenstein's bride that you loved so much.

Usually, there were more people there, Tatum and Stu at the very least, with Billy and Sid joining in when they saw fit, but it couldn’t be so different to just be the two of you.

You loved spending time with him, so doing so under the context of it being a date couldn’t possibly change that up so much. This was just Randy after all, it wasn’t like he was some guy you’d only just met or some creep Tatum thought it was okay to set you up with.

...and you were sure that your parents would agree to it.

Spending a few hours at Randy’s house was vastly different than going to some house party and out of all your friends, you knew that they trusted him the most. If he said you were there, they would believe him which would cut down on the third degree.

There really were no downsides.

Besides, if you were going to go out with any of your friends, it would be him, even if Billy or Stu did happen to be single. You and Randy just had a lot more in common and you knew that he would never put you in any danger.

You trusted him, and you liked him.

If he liked you too, it only made sense that you had a movie night together, just the two of you.

~

Getting your parents to agree to letting you spend a few hours at Randy’s house wasn’t as easy a sell as you thought it would be but by the time he came to pick you up, he managed to convince them that it would all be fine.

He wasn’t going to let anything happen to you, and in all honesty, they believed it.

Randy had never given them any reason not to trust him and at the end of the day, they came to the conclusion that you did have a little bit of a point. Knowing that you were somewhere with someone else made them feel a little bit better than if you were home alone.

It brought some amount of comfort to know that Randy would be there with you. Besides, your mother was just so thrilled that he’d finally asked you out on a date that you were sure she would have agreed to anything.

That was how you got here in the first place, walking down the familiar aisles of the video store with Randy as you searched for something to watch. Between the two of you, you had basically seen all the good horror films that they had available.

Not that knowing that was stopping either of you from picking up title after title, looking them over incredulously as you searched for the perfect thing.

Initially, Randy was just going to pick something up on the way to get you but decided that this would probably be more up your alley first. The video store was only open for a short time today due to the curfew but that was more than enough time for him to find exactly what he wanted.

After all, there wasn’t a title in the store that Randy didn’t know by heart. In fact, he had likely put them each right where they were, in each of their respective spots on the shelf. That was literally all he did all day when he did work.

“What about this one?” you suggested, holding up a pretty well loved copy of night of the living dead happily for his approval. It was a classic, one that you had each seen a dozen times, but because of that, it was quick to go into the basket.

Then, after scanning the few horror aisles one more time, Randy settled on what he always settled on and plucked a copy of Prom Night off the shelf.

At this point, you were sure he’d rented that specific video nineteen times by now but didn’t bother to point that out. You knew that it was one of his favorite movies of all time and if that was what he wanted to watch tonight, you weren’t going to argue.

All you really wanted to do was spend the night relaxing with your best friend, on what was technically also your first date. It was a little bit of pressure, more so than you were used to, but nothing that you couldn’t handle.

At the end of the day, you loved Randy and this was just something else you could do together.

“Alright, are you ready to go? I’ve got plenty of good snacks at the house for us to munch on too” he promised, fully aware of just how you liked your movie nights to go down. That was something else the two of you had in common.

You were very particular about your movies, especially horror movies.

It was something he could appreciate, along with your sense of humor and heart of gold. All in all, when Randy actually stopped to think about it, he wasn’t sure why he’d waited so long to ask you to do this in the first place.

This was going to be awesome.

~

Randy’s house was nice, of course, well put together every single time you had been there but you couldn't really focus too much on that.

Instead, you occupied yourself putting the tapes into the player while Randy made popcorn in the kitchen. It was kind of strange for a few moments, as you sat waiting for him to get back, looking around the living room under such new circumstances.

You have been here a hundred times before.

You had sat in this exact spot plenty of times but tonight, it was so different. You had only ever been here before as a friend, normally with all your other friends there to keep you company even when someone had to leave the room but not anymore.

Right now, you were waiting here as a girl on a date, a date with a guy you’d known your entire life.

It was just so strange how quickly everything had changed. Just this morning, you and Randy were little more than friends, and now, you couldn’t quite be sure what you were. Not that you had too much time to consider that before he was back.

“I bring gifts,” Randy grinned, plopping down beside you on the couch, swamping the coffee table with bags of chips and assorted boxes of candy before handing you the big bowl of popcorn. Clearly when he promised snacks, he wasn’t kidding.

You watched him do a onceover of the spread he’d provided before he ultimately decided that it was going to be fine.

“Perfect, just what we needed” you smiled, relaxing even further into the couch next to him, getting ready to start whatever it was that was going on between the two of you. It was new, uncharted territory for the both of you but it wasn’t looking too bad.

A copy of Prom Night and some popcorn with Randy was perhaps the only thing that could make this whole curfew thing worthwhile.

[yourtamaki]

all yours

kirishima x f!reader

word count: 2.4k 

warnings: size kink, unprotected sex, oral sex (f receiving), spitting, one ass smack, one bite from shark boy, creampie, slight breeding kink, slight dumbification

being a hero meant you were constantly in the public eye

there was no escaping it when the missions you were assigned were directly tied to your public approval

more people liking you meant bigger, flashier missions

and if they didn’t, well…

at least there was never a shortage of paperwork to be done

you’ve been doing well though! raising through the hero ranks faster than your agency anticipated 

faster than you anticipated 

it was great! it was everything you’d worked your whole life for

it…it was exhausting 

not only did you have a sudden influx of missions to complete as your agency tried to capitalize on the exponential growth

you had also been instructed to have near daily interviews

smiling for the camera was fine until your cheeks started hurting from the strain

it was no wonder that by the third straight month of the endless pattern of gruelling missions followed by repetitive interviews you were physically and mentally drained 

your boyfriend did his best to make sure you were taking care of yourself, cooking you lunches and texting you throughout the day to check up on you though there was only so much a fellow pro hero could do with his own busy schedule to attend to

kirishima knew exactly what you were going through and his heart broke whenever he could catch a glimpse of you before you passed out in bed

so when it all came to a head one day, he was more than ready to catch you 

just open the door. you were stood frozen in front of the door of your apartment, keys in hand. that’s all you had to do. twist the knob, open the door and he’d be right there. your eiji. he would take one look at you and know exactly what to do to make you feel better. love and comfort were a few steps away and yet you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. 

the day had beaten you down more than you thought possible. everytime you blinked you could see the flash of bulbs, hear the shouts of reporters or was that the screams from your rescue today? it was all starting to blend together. you were an open wound, pulsating and bleeding vulnerability. how could you let your boyfriend see you like this? weak and broken and barely holding it together. it wasn’t just embarrassing. it was shameful. eiji had been living this life longer then you had, had risen to heights you could only dream of and he did it with ease. meanwhile, a few months had left you a shell of yourself. 

you didn’t know a hero could be this pathetic.

just as you were about to turn and take a walk to clear your head, the door swung open. eiji’s head was tilted to the side, his long crimson hair falling over his shoulder loose from its usual ponytail. you couldn’t bring yourself to look in his eyes, afraid of what you’d find. you let your gaze drift upwards, focusing on the small scar above his eye. what if he was disappointed? red riot deserved a partner as strong as him and you did not fit the bill. not anymore. 

“i’m home.” you willed your voice to not shake as you crossed the threshold into your home. 

“baby.” 

“did you eat yet? i’ve been craving pizza from the place down the street we should put in an order.”

“babe.” 

“or did you already cook? you’re right no point in spending money if we don’t have to.” 

“y/n.” large hands held fast to your shoulders, spinning you around until you were face to face with eiji and being forced to stare into the eyes of the love of your life. “please. talk to me.” 

a beat of silence as you bunched the front of his shirt in your fists, vision blurring from unspilled tears. then, “‘m so tired, eiji.” 

he wrapped his arms around you and you told him everything. what your agency had demanded of you, the unending stress, the poisonous thoughts that ate away at you everyday. eiji held you together through it all, clinging so hard you could feel his body shake as you spoke.

“we’re gonna talk to your agency tomorrow. they’re pushing their best hero too hard and we’ll tell them to cut the publicity. the people already love you, you don’t have to put up with this.” 

“you’ll come with me?” you sniffed. eiji pulled back enough to cup your cheeks, lifting your head up until your watery eyes met his. 

“of course i will.” he said, wiping your tears with his thumb. “we’re in this together, you don’t have to go through this alone.” 

you leaned into his touch, covering his hand with yours and marveling at the size difference. it never failed to fluster you how much bigger eiji was then you. your definition of safety started and ended with these hands, with the man they belonged to who had loyalty etched into his bones. 

he held you like you were something worth protecting. 

“i don’t deserve you.” you said, kissing his rough palm.

“don’t say that. don’t ever say that.” he leaned down until your foreheads pressed together and whispered, “do you know how much you mean to me?” 

“i know.” 

“let me remind you anyway.” with that he surged forward, closing the ever shortening distance between you as his mouth closed over yours. 

every kiss with eiji was full of passion, even the chaste goodbyes you shared before heading to work but this one blew them away. he kissed you like he was trying to stitch together all your broken pieces. he kissed you as though he wouldn’t mind if this moment lasted an eternity. he kissed you and he kissed you and he kissed you. 

and with everything you had left to give, you kissed him back. 

when you broke apart, you had to bite back a moan at the sight before you. eiji looked sinful, red hair falling into his face, lips swollen and eyes locked on yours, dark and half lidded. 

“we don’t… we don’t have to… you just got home you’re tired.” he said. 

“eiji.” you whined, wrapping your arms around his neck to whisper in his ear. “i need you.” 

the world blurred as he lifted you up, legs locking around him on instinct as he carried you to the bedroom. a moment later you were dropped onto the soft mattress, feeling it dip as eiji settled over you. a familiar shyness tinged lust set in as he hovered above you. he was just so big. he was caging you in without even trying, he was that much larger than you. your breath hitched as he bent close to kiss your neck, looking anywhere but at him, something that didn’t escape his notice. 

“where’d you go, pretty girl? eyes on me.” his voice left no room for disobedience and you complied, keeping your eyes on him as he asked. “there you are. tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.” 

“i like… being under you.”

eiji smirked, sharp teeth on full display. “yeah? what do you like about it? use your words for me, baby.” 

you could tell how much he was enjoying making you squirm. he knew, of course, the effect he had on you. this was far from the first time your size difference came up in the bedroom but he loved making you say it nonetheless. 

“i like that you’re bigger, eiji. you make me feel so safe.” your voice cracked at the honest. 

he kissed the corner of your mouth. “always. i’ll die before i let you get hurt, understand me?” 

he waits until you nod before snaking his hands under your shirt, removing it in one move. open mouth kisses trails down your neck to the valley between your tits. as much as you loved the foreplay he usually dished out, you were far too needy right now. you grabbed a fistful of his hair, guiding him lower down. 

“baby, please.” 

“so impatient.” he teased. he grabbed hold of your pants and panties, tugging them off before settling between your legs, one thrown over each of his broad shoulders. 

“oh love you’re soaked. who got you this wet?” you let out a small whine of embarrassment, hoping he’d get the message and let you off the hook. a sharp sting on your inner thigh had you trying to close your legs around his head but his grip was too strong to do so. he bit you. eiji must’ve been as riled up as you were, he was always so mindful of his sharp teeth. “i asked you a question, didn’t i?” 

“you! you did ‘s all for you eiji!”

“good girl.” he rewarded you by licking a broad stroke through your folds, ending with a flick on your clit that sent pleasure shooting through you. he pressed two fingers inside you with little struggle, scissoring you open to prep you for his cock. you desperately wanted to rock against his face but with one arm pinning your hips down, you could do nothing but take what he gave you. 

you were close — so close and eiji, who knew your body better than you did, could feel it by the fluttering of your walls, the arch in your back. it was under his heavy gaze you came undone, thighs shaking as he rode you through your high. if you thought he looked sinful before, now he was downright pornographic, the evidence of your orgasm glistening on his face. he licked the remnants of your arousal of his fingers and grinned. 

he pulled away long enough to remove his clothing while you took the time to unclasp your bra and admire the view that was your boyfriend stripping. he caught your blatant stare and winked as he pulled down his briefs, hard cock springing free. 

“see something you like?” he said crawling back over you to kiss you, the taste of you still fresh on his tongue. you could feel his dick pressed against your thigh and you grinded against it, earning a delicious groan that spilled into your mouth. “fuck can you ride me baby please? wanna see you fuck yourself on my cock.” 

when you nodded, he wrapped one arm beneath you and rolled, flipping you both over so you were straddling him. gripping his shoulders, you lined yourself up with him, slowly sinking down around his girth. eiji’s cock, like the rest of him, was stupid large and the stretch was always there when he entered you. but you relished the feeling all the more, a sense of pride bursting inside you when he managed to bottom out. 

you closed your eyes for a moment until the uncomfortable burn dissipated and you were left feeling full, complete with him buried in you. when you opened up your eyes once more, eiji was looking up at you with the softest expression, one you’re familiar with but that made your face warm nonetheless. he looked at you with nothing but love and awe, the corner of his lips quirked in a small smile. 

you held out your hands and eiji laced his fingers with yours, helping you balance as you began to bounce. 

“there you go.” eiji grunted. “take what you need, i’m all yours.” 

“all mine?” you clenched at the thought and he threw his head back at the feeling. 

“all yours this cock belongs to you, pretty girl.” 

the need to mark him as yours bubbled to the surface and you leaned in close, so close you were sharing air, panting into each other’s mouths. 

“eiji.” you moaned, cut off when he bucked up suddenly. “f-fuck eiji i wanna spit in your mouth.” 

he opened up without hesitation, tongue lolling out and waiting to receive you. you let the fluid trickle out, watching with fascination as it mixed with eiji’s. he swallowed and showed you his empty mouth.

“dirty girl, so fucking lewd you drive me crazy.” you were grinding your hips against his now, nearly crying from the friction against your clit. 

“‘m gonna cum ‘m gonna cum.” you whined, powering through when your thighs began to shake from exhaustion. eiji placed his hands on your hips, guiding them back and forth. 

“cum for me baby cum all over your cock.” his words were your undoing, tipping you over the edge as your orgasm washed over you. though you felt boneless after your high, you continued to rock against him. 

“wanna feel you fill me up.” you said. “eiji please fuck me full of your cum.” 

eiji knew everything about you but you knew him just as well, knew what words would stoke the fire in him and make him lose himself to the feeling of your tight cunt wrapped around him. and sure enough, he shifted to anchor his feet to the bed, wrapping his arms around you until your tits were pressed against him. he began to fuck up into you hard and fast, the wet smack so loud it made you hide your face in the crook of his neck. 

“i got you baby i’m gonna pump you so full of cum you’ll be leaking. that's what you want, huh? wanna walk around with my cum dripping down your leg?” 

you could only moan in response, the quick pace turning your brain to mush and eiji seemed to sense it. 

“did i fuck you dumb, pretty baby?” a smack landed in your ass and you yelped. “answer me.” 

“i want your cum want it so bad, please eiji please.” 

“that wasn’t hard. good girls get what they ask for.” he bucked up once, twice, three times, liquid heat spilling deep inside you. you shuddered at the feeling of his softening cock slipping out of your, a mixture of both your cum dripping onto eiji. 

for a moment you were both quiet, basking in the warmth of each other’s presence. he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “‘m gonna get us cleaned up, love.” 

“in a minute i just wanna stay like this for a little bit. is that ok?” 

“anything you want.” together you lay, eiji tracing shapes on your bare back, an eternal gratefulness for the man beneath you washing away all the negativity of the months prior. you knew as long as eiji was on your side, you would always be okay. 

[stressedoutcanary]

Hold On - Jason Todd x Batgirl!Reader [PART 3]

What this includes: Violence, a combo of angst and fluff, and just to be on the safe side I’d say language.

Word count: 3.1k

A/N😋: I am so glad it’s finally finished, now it won’t be sitting in my drafts staring at me all day. Also forgive me for any mistakes, half of it is written at 3 AM

Part 1 , Part 2

•°•°•°•°

“This is it”, you breathed out, stopping your bike near a bush making sure that place was obscure enough. You placed the helmet on the handle and hopped off the bike. After taking a few steps forward and scouting the area, you clicked your comms back on.

“O care to give me the layout of what I am getting myself into, ‘cause we all know the last time didn’t go so well”

“Nightwing said you might call me for backup and now I owe him 20 uggh! Anyways onto the problem at hand, I’m picking up a few heat signatures from the basement area and the schematics of the building indicate a vent on the other side which might help you get in.”

“Is there anything else I should know?”

There was no reply on the other end and you assumed she was looking into it. To your bad luck, it was far from it. You heard an all too familiar grunt and mentally cursed yourself for forgetting that it was an open line.

“(Y/N), I thought I made myself clear”, Bruce’s modulated voice came through which low-key made you want to strangle him with your bare hands.

“Oh come on B! Didn’t Alfred teach you that listening in on other people’s conversations is bad manners”

“We are 10 minutes out you will not be going in till we get there”

‘Like Hell I won’t’

“Hello? B? Your voice is breaking up. I can’t hear you! there is some interference in the signal. Batman?”

“Don’t- ” you clicked the comms off before he could finish his sentence and breathed a sigh of relief. ”Note to self after what you just did, avoid showing your face to anyone in the fam for at least a week.”

Snooping around, you came across the vent Babs told you about and you smirked to yourself, “Bless those idiots who decided to make an excess amount of vents throughout Gotham, plus no dumbass to shoot open the lock on any door, huh I’d say it’s going pretty good for me.”

After going through a very, very dusty vent, you silently dropped down to floor behind a goon and cleared your throat to draw his attention. As soon as he turned around, his jaw was met with your right hook, making him plummet to the ground. Grabbing him by the collar you inched closer to his face, which was yet again fully covered by a white mask.

“Alright no-face, tell me where Pyg is right now”, you made use of your deep modulated voice, making the man dart his eyes towards the far right corner of the room. You knew what that meant and without wasting any more time, you knocked him out and scurried over, finding a heavy door at the end. Somehow managing to push open the door, you were faced with a circular stairwell leading down.

“Well Oracle did say she got heat signatures down in the basement.”, you sighed and started taking calculated steps, making sure to check for any traps. ‘Why keep only one person to guard your supersecret creep-house? Either Lazlo is way too overconfident or way too crazy... Probably both.’, you thought, wheels turning in your head, hoping to make sense of the situation. As you went down, you could catch a faint sound of music. ‘Is that Opera?! Well at least it fits his M.O.’

The end of the stairwell opened into a large room. You hid behind one of wooden crates as your mind swiftly accessed the grim ambience; Pyg was sharpening his knife swaying along with opera music playing in the background but Jason was nowhere to be found. Your breath hitched and your blood ran cold, it felt as if the world around you was spinning.

‘What if... what if it’s too late’  Crouching down on the ground with your back to the crate your took in several deep breaths to calm your racing heart. You couldn’t think like that, not when you’re so close. You wiped the stray tear which escaped the tightness of your cowl and had trailed down your cheek. You tried to focus instead of jumping to conclusions.

You frowned upon noticing something odd on the wall in front of you, placing your palms on it, you gave it a slight push. To your surprise it paved way for an attached corridor which clearly didn’t come up in the schematics Oracle told you about. You slipped into the corridor, making sure that nobody saw you. Your feet froze for a slight second on the sight you were met with; cages like prison cells lined up in a row with people inside of them.

“The people who went missing”, you whispered to yourself, still reeling in the shock of it all. Upon hearing a familiar groan you sprinted across the pathway to the source, eyes scanning every inch of the person you found, the person you were here to rescue. You fumbled with the lock for a while, muttering curses under your breath until it clicked open. You dashed to his side and took a batarang out to cut the binds he was in.

“Jay if you die on me again, I swear I will kill you.”

“Been there, done that princess and honestly not a fan of it”, Jason croaked out, his reply came out weaker and voice barely above a whisper. It made your heart clench in a way it hasn’t in a long, long time. You lifted your head up, you gave him a soft smile, gently brushing off the matted hair on his forehead, 

“Jason I..”

‘Just tell him you love him you coward, It’s really not that hard’

“Jason I’m glad you’re okay”, you blurted out in way which was far from normal but he seemed way too tired to noticed. 

‘COWARD’

“How did you get free?”, he inquired, thankfully interrupting your internal yelling.

“I didn’t? I literally just walked in here to get you out.”

“But I thought-”, Jason looked utterly confused as he rubbed his wrists to ease the pain caused by the rope.

“Well long story short. You got captured. I was saved by Harley and Ivy, had a nice chat with them, and then I might have been responsible for Batman’s high blood pressure, and then I emotionally blackmailed Nightwing into giving me your location and then here I am”

“Wha...Yeah I will just pretend I totally understand whatever the hell you just said.”, Jason sighed, he tried to stand up but his feet wobbled and if it wasn’t for you catching him on time h would’ve staggered to the ground.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Mmhmm”, he hummed lightly leaning his weight on you. “Just a little dizzy, probably from the dehydration, It could also be because of the blood loss from the stab wound I got”

“The WHAT?!”, you looked at him like he was crazy.  

“Oh yeah I think I kinda forgot to tell you that the creepy dude tried to cut me open but my armor got in the way so he stabbed me instead and went away saying he had to sharpen his knife or something like that”, he started to slur and you knew you had to get him back to the cave as quickly as possible. You helped him get up on his feet, slinging one of his arms over your shoulders and wrapping one of your arms around his waist.

“Oh my God! Jay, you don’t just bring this sort of thing up in casual conversation!”, you shook your head and started taking small steps with him towards the way you came from. Suddenly a loud crash was heard followed by a couple of screams making the both of you share a nervous glance.

“What was that?”

“Only one way to find out”, you said as you walked through the door back into the large room. 

It was pure chaos, more like a free-for-all. Nightwing jogged up to you. 

“We did say we were 10 minutes out didn’t we?”, he gave you a bright smile and swung Jason’s free arm over his shoulder to help you support him better.

“Good, now since you are here, hold him”, you shifted Jason’s weight towards Dick.

“Hey-”

“Don’t even”, he glared daggers at his elder brother, “What are you even doing? I feel like a baby being passed around”

You ignored Jason’s whining in the background and fixed your gaze on the one person in the room who would soon face your wrath. The rest had already cleared up the goons and Pyg was the only one left. You narrowed your eyes and cracked your knuckles, making your way over to him.

By the time you reached Pyg he was already backing away from Batman and one murderous looking Robin, turning around he tried to make a run for it but was ultimately met with your fist, a sickening crack was heard and no one was quite sure whether it was from his mask, his jaw or both. Pyg was out cold and you shrugged at the duo in front of you while Dick and Jason made their way over.

“Remind me never to get on her bad side ever again.”, Jason whispered as both the boys looked completely terrified of you. You walked over to Bruce and held out your hand. He didn’t seem to catch the drift, for being the world’s greatest detective, he was quite dumb sometimes.

“The keys to the batmobile, unless you want Mr. surprise-I-got-stabbed over here to bleed out.”

After placing Jason into the passenger seat you hopped into the driving one. 

“Also there are people in the back, you know, the missing ones, so good luck with the clean up I guess.”, you called out before before closing the hood of the batmobile. 

You were on the road heading straight for the cave when you realized Jason wasn’t answering your questions anymore.

“Jason?”, you stole a glance at him and he was as pale as a ghost, “Shit!”, you yelled as you jammed your foot on the accelerator. 

•°•°

Jason woke up to the dull beeping of multiple monitors and by the looks of the place, he concluded he was in fact in the batcave. As he regained some control over his senses, he saw you sitting on a chair beside his bed. You were sound asleep but he could see worry etched on your face even in your slumber. Looking at you, Jason wished he had the courage to say what his heart felt instead he just went ahead taking your hand in his, giving it a little squeeze. You stirred awake at that.

“Hey! You’re up!”, you stood up abruptly and hugged him tightly. To him it felt as if you were actually afraid of what might happen if you let go of him.

“I told you I don’t do dying anymore. It sucks.”

You finally pulled away from him, a smile tugging at your lips. Jason glanced at your hand, taking it in his once again, he ran his thumb over your bruised knuckles.

“I knew you had a mean right hook, guess I just forgot how mean”, Jason said smirking at you. You didn’t pull away from him as he had expected in his head instead you just scoffed at the statement. 

“The next time you forget that, allow me to give you a reminder by demonstration Bird-Brain”, you called him by the name you often used back then. At first it was to annoy your very annoying best friend but then it stuck around but hadn’t used that nickname ever since he came back. You both realized that. A silence fell over the once playful conversation, his eyes found the celling and yours found your lap. After a while you cleared you throat to get his attention and he looked at you, his expressions were borderline unreadable.

“Jason I-I should go now, but don't worry I’ll get Alfred back here”, You got up and moved towards the door of the med-bay, scrunching your eyes shut you released a shaky breath.

‘It’s now or never (Y/N)’ 

“Jason when you get better, there is this place I have been meaning to take you to, with me of course.”

“Sure I’ll go”

“So tomorrow sounds good?”

“Tomorrow sounds good”, he repeated after you breaking into a grin. Your cheeks flushed and you had to take a sharp turn to hide the blush on your face. You mentally smacked yourself for behaving like a teen asking her crush out on a date for the first time. 

•°•°

The next night Jason met you on the roof of the Wayne tower.

“Please tell me this isn’t the place you wanted to see with me”, he chuckled behind you and you turned around to give him a quick hug.

“It’s not that bad of a place, plus I can throw you off here too if you get on my nerves”, you laughed at his faux scandalised face.

“You wound me”

“In case you forgot you are already wounded, drama queen, plus its your lucky day, this is not where we will be spending our evening. Just follow me and don’t get lost on the way”, you winked and jumped off the edge, him following the suit.

When you both reached the place you had in mind, the place Jason cherished when he was Robin, the expression on his face was priceless. It was like a mixture of awe and surprise with a hint of sadness.

“How did you find out about this?”, Jason inquired after a while of reminiscing. 

“Gee how indeed, ‘cause it cannot be the fact that I am detective who’s life is influenced by at least a dozen detectives and it’s most definitely not the fact that for me, you aren’t that difficult to figure out”

“Touché”

Jason chuckled at your usual playful sarcasm, his eyes were twinkling with something which felt more than just momental adoration and you couldn’t help but crack a small smile of your own. You made your way over to him, looking at the visible skyline for a brief moment, Jason watched as you sat down on the ledge with your legs dangling off, patting the space beside you gestured him to join you. 

“I have a feeling we’re gonna be here for a while, so might as well sit down and get comfortable”, you shrugged as he nodded and sat down beside you, placing his elbow on his bent knee. You both enjoyed the few minutes of comfortable silence, watching cars pass by below and the moon lit starry sky above.

“I am starting to see why you liked it here”

“Yeah...”

“Alfred told me”

“Huh?”, Jason looked at you dumbfounded, trying to process your words.

“After you...were gone, Alfred told me, he told me that this was your happy place, though I still can’t believe you had a favorite gargoyle”, stifling a laugh you somehow managed to continue, “Anyway so as I saying, ever since I found out about it, I used to come here every night when I got free from patrol, come to think of it I still do, sometimes”

You could feel his heavy gaze boring into you making you immediately regret bringing up this conversation. 

“Why?”, he finally inquired. You didn’t know whether to feel relived or be tense, but it was now or never, releasing a shallow breath you glanced at him, words flowing out on their own accord. 

“Even back then I knew everyone dies at some point and all we can do is try and find some meaning in it, in the memories they leave behind and I guess me wanting to be here, it was a part of me trying to do that and it made me feel somewhat connected to you so I kept doing it; Coming here, spending any time I could spare and leaving before the crack of dawn and before I knew it, it had become a habit.”

“So you did miss me”, he gave you a sad smile and wrapped his hand around your shoulder, giving you a light squeeze. 

“Of course I did you dumbass, I was best friend.”, you gave him a nudge and leaned your cheek on his chest, sighing deeply.

“The reason I avoided you after you came back was because I was scared”, you whispered, hoping it would sound less real that way. Jason pulled back a bit to take in your features and you could hear the strain in his voice, a hint of sadness in it.

“Scared of me?”

“Jason I wasn’t scared of you, I can never be, I was scared for you. I was afraid of losing you again. Every time you come back I lose you all over again and I am honestly tired of it and I thought that maybe if I kept my distance I--”

“Won’t get hurt again?”

“Yeah, something like that”

A moment passed where no one spoke anything, both of you running the scenarios of what might happen next in your brains. An idea clicked in your head and you abruptly got to your feet startling Jason in the process. Offering him your hand and a sheepish smile, you got him to his feet.

“I am tired of being scared Jason. I want this. I want us and for that I am willing to take a chance, are you?”, he stepped closer to you, his scent invading your senses.  

“For you (Y/N), anything. You should know that by now, plus I feel the same way, I have for a while now”, Jason breathed out as he pulled you in for a deep kiss leaving you dizzy for a while after you pulled away for air. Placing your foreheads together, you found yourselves grinning like idiots yet again in the two successive nights. Jason’s stomach growled, sending you into a fit of laughter.

“Hungry?”

“You really gotta ask?”, raising an eyebrow, he tried to look offended but ultimately melted against you as you pressed your lips on his for a brief moment.

“I know a place”, you murmured, lips brushing against his and before he could register what was happening you already had a grapnel gun in your hands, smirking as you jumped off the ledge.

“Last one there is a rotten egg hoodie!!”

“Hey! But I don’t even know where it is!”

“Not my fault Bird-Brain!”

Jason jumped on after you, smiling to himself. Both of you were thinking the same thing ‘maybe this was finally the start of a new chapter; something new, something scary and something beautiful altogether’

°•°•°•°•

Tags: @ladyperceval

[falling-pages]

Fight for me: Hikaru x Renge

Renge tends to Hikaru's wounds after he gets in a fight to defend her.

-

Renge Houshakuji x Hikaru Hitachiin

Genre: Fluff, hurt/comfort, first kiss

Warnings: None

-

Hikaru knew how to throw a punch, but holding his own against three men was above even his own skill level.

It was amazing he had lasted so long in the fight until Mori spotted him and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck like a kitten, tossing him from the circle and finishing the fight himself. Those three upperclassmen didn’t stand a chance--yet he felt his blood run hot at the thought that he had to be saved when he was trying to save someone else.

Toui Kendarishi and his dumb fucking mouth just had to get under his skin, again.

A sharp scrub against his cheekbone jerked him back to reality. He hissed, going to swat at it, before the girl grabbed his wrist and pushed it back down.

“Don’t get mad at me, I’m just trying to help you,” Renge grumbled.

Yeah, some help she was. With every dab of the cotton ball and slab of ointment he relived every moment of the fight, every right hook and gut punch and kick he had endured for her, and she had no idea. The only soothing thing about this therapy appointment was her nails scratching his scalp, but only to distract him from a bad bout of pain.

He only rolled his eyes, jerking away as she moved on to his mouth. “I know you didn’t just roll your eyes at me,” she said, tugging at his bottom lip. His top lip had taken the brunt of Kendarishi’s fists, and all he tasted was his own blood in the back of his throat. He was sure he was a monster to look at, blood staining his teeth and tongue. As it dried against his skin, Renge thumbed it away, smearing it against her hand before she took a washcloth to it.

“So observant,” he hissed, resisting the urge to spit at the taste clouding his senses. Sarcasm was his trusted defense mechanism, and he relied on it heavily now to distract himself from the feeling of her fingers playing with his lips.

A harsh scrub against the wound was her own way of backtalk. “Sass me again, and I’ll stop, and you can explain to Kaoru why you look like a fucking Picasso,” she said.

“Tch.”

But he listened. The blood and spit and pain rendered him essentially mute, much to her amusement, as she worked. His eyes wandered around her bathroom, impossibly pink and frilly for a college apartment. Like the rest of her place, it was like Paris had vomited itself inside, the chunk of the concoction muddled in the bathroom. A pink fuzzy rug was below him as he was perched on her gilded toilet, a gaudy shower curtain boasting images of the Eiffel Tower, and even her mirror was embossed with rhinestones. Everything, from the toilet paper pile to the cosmetics cases, were perfectly stacked and organized, with not a speck of dust or dirt to be found.

Geez. And he thought her shrill demands of perfection in high school were bad. Their host room was spotless thanks to her dictatorship, but this was on another level.

“Admiring the bathroom, I see,” she said, sucking in her cheek as she fiddled with opening a band-aid. Her nails, long and purple, couldn’t quite find the purchase to pinch the covering from the adhesive side.

His life and health were quite literally in her hands, but Hikaru couldn’t hold back the snicker from his bleeding lips. “It’s mental,” he said, reaching up to help her with the band-aid.

Renge ripped it away from him, glowering down her nose at him in the most egregious French expression she could muster. He hadn’t known her in France, but he imagined that was the look she gave every servant, every waiter, every busboy who didn’t fit her exact demands. “I’ve got it,” she spat, turning her back to him. Her shoulders shook, but because of the effort of unpeeling the band-aid or some unknown emotion, he didn’t know.

“Here,” she resumed, turning to face him, and Hikaru’s heart cracked at the tears welling up in her pretty brown eyes, the heaviness in her voice. It sounded so heavy, despite its usual nasal tone, and exhausted, defeated. What had she gone through when her back was turned?

He made her cry. He knew he could take the teasing too far sometimes, but bringing a girl to tears was childish, a middle school prank he had sworn to leave far behind him. But he had done it again, not even to a nobody, but to the girl who was fixing him up, his friend, whom he had grown up with and bruised two ribs defending.

As she leaned down to apply the bandage to his cheek, he tried to meet eyes, to apologize without aggravating his poor lips, but she evaded his glance, pursing her lips and focusing on her work. Her hands shook, lightly grazing his temple.

“Renge, hey, I’m--” he grabbed her wrist, and she jerked away, stepping back until she hit the wall. His voice forced more tears from her eyes, and she buried her face in her hands as she sobbed, massive pink bow bobbing with every movement.

“Just stop, Hikaru, stop!” she yelled, muffled by her closing throat. “I can’t take it anymore. I can’t keep stitching you back up when you snap, I can’t take how mean you are. We aren’t in school anymore, we’re adults, we’re in college, and you’re just puffing your chest like you’re invincible, picking fights and losing them.” She finally showed her face, anger and fear and… something he couldn’t place etched into the lines beneath her eyes. “You want to know what’s mental?” She gestured to him, waving her hand up and down his whole form. “This is mental. You getting into fight after fight and not learning a damn thing from them, that’s what. It’s amazing you didn’t break your nose.”

Blood and anger coiled in the back of his throat. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm again, firmer this time, and yelled out, “I did this for you! I got in this fight for you!”

Renge pressed further against the wall, but she stopped fighting. Her hands shook in his tight grasp. Eyes as big as a silver dollar gazed up at him, heart thrumming wildly in her chest. “What?”

“I got in a fight with Kendarishi, right?”

“Yes.”

“And who is he to you?”

Renge blushed, letting her eyes drift to his chest. She spotted a new bruise mottling on his collarbone. “My ex-boyfriend.”

“Exactly.”

Hikaru released her wrists and watched as they fell to her side, like all the resistance had been sucked out of her. “Every time I fight with him, it’s because he said something bad about you. And then he started saying stuff about me fighting for you, so I just can’t win. I just have a lot of motivation and a lot of anger.”

“Why do you care so much what he says about me?” she asked, still not meeting his eyes.

“Because it was some bad stuff, Ren,” he said. “And I know we haven’t always gotten along, but you’re my friend, and I’m not gonna stand there and while he calls you a ‘fucking French whore who screws every guy she meets.’”

She swung at him, but he blocked, whining, “Hey, he said it, not me!”

When he put his hands down, she was shaking, with rage and sadness and something that looked an awful lot like determination in her eyes. “Bold of him to call me a whore when he’s the one who cheated.” Her hands ball into fists, and her eyes scanned him again--with a less medical glare, this time, and more of a vengeance. “And he did this to you?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll be back.”

“Wait!”

Hikaru grabbed her by the back of her shirt and suddenly realized exactly how Mori must have felt watching him fight it out on the academic lawn. Renge’s feet scrambled on the tile, but he held her in place, dragged her back in front of him to block her path. “What, so you’re going to go fight him now since he fought me?”

“That’s not a good enough reason?” she pouted.

“No, but…” Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck. “You were just lecturing me about fighting him. Seems a little hypocritical to me, Ren.”

“Don’t use words you don’t understand,” she huffed, leaning back against the wall. She didn’t fight him when he leaned in closer, securely caging in her body. “You were just defending my honor. Let me do the same.”

“Mori dragged me out of the fight, so I’d say he fucked them up good enough,” Hikaru said, and his heart thumped especially hard when she laughed. Oh God, it was like the tinkling of a bell, cool and clear and exactly what he imagined confectioner’s sugar to sound like. He felt himself dragged with a current, down the slope of a well, but he didn’t mind; he looked into her eyes and allowed the feeling to bouy him along. If he weren’t bleeding, he might have just kissed her, but he didn’t need her slap adding to his injuries.

Renge’s breath hitched when he leaned closer, resting his forearm parallel above her head. She was so busy in high school that she never noticed how soft his eyes were, almost golden, like the rising sun over a field of wheat. It reminded her of mornings on her family’s country estate, when she would meditate and do yoga and drink tea while the world quietly joined her in consciousness, when everything was soft and drowsy. Such beautiful eyes, bruised and marred and bloodied for her.

“Renge, I--”

“Don’t,” she whispered, lacking her usual venom. “Let’s enjoy what we have right now.”

Hikaru bit his lip, immediately regretting it as the pain surged back through him. When Renge laughed again, he couldn’t help it; he leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, drinking in that sweet, drawled perfume that he so often used to make fun of her for wearing. She smelled like a doll, but she was anything but--smart, outspoken, a firecracker all wrapped up in that pretty pink bow.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, lowering his hand to her hair without thinking. He caressed the silky locks, trailing his fingers down to touch her temple, tucking the stray hairs behind her ear. “And so soft.”

“You know I’m anything but soft,” she grumbled, but his touch was warm, and like a moth to a flame, she went to him, brushed her knuckles against the bruises on his collarbone. If it hurt him, he gave no indication; from the way he was looking at her, an asteroid could have hit earth and he probably wouldn’t have noticed.

“Sound pretty soft right now.”

Renge rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up.”

“Gonna make me?”

Never one to turn down a challenge, Renge pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed him, as gently as she could manage. In an attempt to avoid his wound, her mouth only landed on half of his, but he could still taste the cinnamon on her breath, the stickiness of her lip gloss on his skin. Some hell of a first kiss, but at least it was a kiss, so he didn’t mind.

He ran his hands up her sides, tickling her ribs above her shirt. She broke the kiss with a giggle, bumping his nose with his as she threw her head back in laughter. What a beautiful sight he had there, all at the expense of a busted lip and a bruised eye.

“Remind me to get in a fight more often, if this is the payoff I get,” he whispered, grinning at her pointed glare.

“Don’t you dare,” she ordered. “You need to let this lip heal so I can give you a proper kiss.”

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t a proper kiss?”

“No.” Renge lowered her eyes back to his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back in. “Once you’re healed, I’ll show you how the French really kiss.”

-

Kofi & Commission

[buckyownsmylife]

v e l o c i t y - chapter ix

The one where John’s your true mate, but he doesn’t want you to be his.

In a universe where fate grants you a new mate whenever you lose yours, John has lived quite comfortably for many years with the knowledge that he was alone after Mary. That all comes crumbling down the second that he meets you. How could the universe choose someone so young to be his omega?

for general warnings and author’s notes, please go to the fic’s masterlist.

A/N: Okay so, my bad. One more chapter after this one!

Y/N’s P.O.V.

I had a hard time sleeping since that night in the laundry room. Well, it was hard to go to bed alone, knowing only one wall separated me from John, knowing the only thing missing for him to claim me was time. He needed time to get over the image of me as a child, accept that I was another person, a woman now - and his mate. And I needed to find some sort of patience to hold onto while he got there.

That didn’t mean I was a saint, though. My desire was still there, even stronger, I dared to say. Now that he had recognized that he truly wanted me, it felt too easy, it felt simple and I just wanted to reach out and have him touch me - really, anywhere.

But I wanted to give him the space he needed to come to terms with this. So I resorted to long nights of touching myself to the thought of him, wondering what he was doing on his bed, if he thought of me when the bunker’s silence grew almost deadly and the sky became darker than a demon’s eye.

And then one night, I heard it.

It was a woman’s moan, coming from the room next door, and instinctively every nerve in my omega body stood in attention, ready to pounce. Who the fuck was with John? Why would he do this? But then his groan reached my ear, sounding much closer, much clearer, and by the time I heard another male’s voice panting, I knew what was happening.

John was watching porn.

The thought thrilled me to no end, even though I couldn’t really explain just why. Maybe it was the fact that he was doing something that intimate, right next to me, not knowing I could hear…

Or maybe he did, and that’s exactly why he was doing it. That had me drenching my panties, quickly getting rid of my clothes before laying back on the bed, a hand between my legs as I tried to listen to his every sound.

Only a few grunts and pants seemed to come from him, the rest mainly from the movie he was watching, but I could distinctly identify the wet, rhythmic slap of his hand meeting his navel along the sounds of the television, and that was the tempo I followed as I started to touch myself.

I got lost in the memories of when it was his fingers inside of me, his scent drowning mine, yet my attention never wavered from the room next door, trying to memorize every little thing about his search for pleasure while I did the same. I just knew it wouldn’t be enough to get me off until his pace quickened, a growl escaping the depths of his chest as he reached his release, and the thought of his cum covering his naked body had me mewling as my cunt clenched around my own digits.

Suddenly, it was all too quiet. All too very quiet. 

“Are you touching yourself, little one?” His voice came closer than I expected it to - not that I expected it at all - and it had me gasping in surprise, imagining him on the other side of the wall against which my bed rested, trying to hear me do the exact same thing he’d been doing seconds before. “Are you touching yourself to the sounds of me getting myself off?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. How the fuck was I supposed to resist him?

“Are you soaking wet?” The questions just kept coming, prompting my movements to grow quicker, more desperate at the clear desire dripping in his tone. “Because of me?” A simple chuckle shouldn’t sound this hot. “No James here to prepare you this time, huh?”

And that was all it took for me to reach my high, cumming around my fingers with a strangled moan as John’s low laugh resonated from my left. “Atta girl. Bet you’ll sleep real good tonight.” And just when I thought he was done and I could finally breathe again, “I know I will.”

Oh, shit. I was trying to be patient and give him his time, but if he thought I’d let this sort of teasing just go by, he was in for a treat. Better get ready for war, Winchester.

John’s P.O.V.

I knew I was playing with fire, but no one could have prepared me for the special type of hell I was forced to live in during the next few weeks.

It was like she was doing anything she could to make my resolve break. She wanted me to lose control, take her again just like I did that time when I thought another Alpha would try to lay claim on her.

And I had to give it to her - the memories of when she was young were nothing but distant flashbacks I could only remember if I tried to think back on why I was trying to resist her.

Even then, it was like that little girl was someone else entirely, someone I didn’t know anymore - certainly not the young woman who was currently caressing the inside of my thighs and slowly getting closer and closer to my crotch in the middle of this fucking diner.

I took advantage of the fact that Dean had left the table to hit on one of the waitresses and Sam had left to ring someone to finally hold her wrists, stop her quest for control over my dick and my nerves.

“You keep trying to test my patience, you little brat. You wouldn’t like what I’d do if I actually lost it, right here, right now.” Her sharp inhale was music to my ears, a smirk taking over my face as I looked down on her by my side.

But of course, she couldn’t just let it go.

“What would you do, old man?” My chest inflated as I took in her defiance, glancing at the door and Dean to make sure no one would come back soon before turning my body fully towards her, caging her against the wall in the booth.

“I’d put you over my knee, rip those pretty jeans and spank the shit out of you, omega. I’d let everyone watch me bruise your skin, I don’t even care that all these alphas are staring at you. I’d let them see, so maybe they’d know they ain’t got no chance with you.” The sweet smell of her arousal was easy to catch, so I knew she was soaked by now - and my smirk warned her of just how much I was aware of my effect on her body.

A few seconds of silence followed my words, both of us breathing heavily as we stared at each other, trying to hold back. Until she broke the spell, simply by being her.

“God, can you get any kinkier?” I wanted to be mad, I really did, but it was just impossible. My whole body shook under the power of my laughter, and I knew Dean was looking back at us now, just like some of the other patrons.

“Try me,” I provoked, raising my eyebrows at her as I reached for my mug of coffee again. She just kept staring at me, lips pursed in a pout, arms crossed in front of her body, the perfect picture of annoyance.

“You’re hot, but you’re very mean. Did you know that?” I choked on the hot liquid, almost spilling it all over myself, not having expected to be so casually called hot by someone as attractive as her in a million years.

“But you know what?” She pressed on, not giving me any time to recover. “I can be meaner.” That sentence, whispered in my ear as she pressed her body against mine, sent shivers down my spine. “Game’s on, Winchester.”

… What had I gotten myself into?

Y/N’s P.O.V.

The fact that we had managed to get John Winchester to go to a club was mind-blowing and hilarious to me. He looked so out of place - much older than most around, and underdressed in comparison to the guys his age, who were all displaying the same type of clothes as the fuck boys who were so desperately trying to get with anything that moved.

“You have something in your hair,” I commented, using this as an excuse to press my body tightly against his when I reached out to fix his locks, and even though he was quick to push me away, keeping me at a distance, there was a smile on his face.

“You need to stop doing that.” I bit my lip as I looked up at him with the most innocent expression I could muster. It was honestly hard not to laugh.

“Doing what?” John scoffed, letting me go to turn back to his whiskey, but once the liquid was in his lips again, his eyes traveled up and down my body, almost undressing me.

“You like my dress?” I asked, twirling so he could get the full view, even though I already knew how he felt about it. There was an entire discussion about the piece of clothing before we managed to leave the bunker, and I still believed it was the entire reason why he decided to tag along to my night out with the boys.

“I think we’ve established this is barely even a dress, little girl.” Giggling, I stepped closer to him again, using the excuse some drunk dude gave me when he lost his balance and wobbled in my direction, my hand falling precisely over John’s crotch as I pressed our bodies together once more.

“You know there’s other people around us, right?” He whispered right by my ear, raising goosebumps all over my skin when the hand that wasn’t holding his drink settled over my ass. “This little skirt of yours is giving me all types of thoughts…”

I was just about to ask him to elaborate on that when his head suddenly snapped up, meeting my eyes instead of looking at my breasts. “Why on Earth aren’t you wearing any underwear?”

I giggled when I understood that he could feel the absence of other fabrics underneath the thin material of my dress since he was now rubbing and squeezing my butt. I was suddenly shy, more because I didn’t expect him to call me out on it than anything else, so I buried my face in his chest as he kept teasing me, “Do you have something against it? Is that it? Are you allergic to panties?”

He swayed us somewhat to the beat of the song that had taken everyone to the dance floor, and I just relished in his embrace before finally coming up with something to say. “You liked it so much the last time…” I reminded him, not expecting what he’d counter.

“Last time was a mistake.” Immediately, I pushed away from him, meeting his eyes in shock and hurt as his words pained me in a way I never expected him to do - not again. His eyebrows were furrowed as he stared back at me, obviously confused by my sudden reaction until he understood what he had said.

“No, no,” he called out, easily pulling me close again despite me trying to escape. I hated that I cherished that night so badly, desired him so ardently ever since, just for him to go ahead and write it off as a mistake.

“That’s not what I meant, ‘mega,” he tried to calm me down, nose rubbing over my scent gland in an effort to lower my heartbeat and suppress my anger. It worked perfectly, as much as I didn’t want it to.

“I just mean, I didn’t want the first time I touch you to be because of anger and jealousy.” His explanation drained all irritation from my body, leaving me slumping against his hard chest.

“I didn’t want it to happen like that,” he continued. “You deserved more than that.” My heartbeat was pounding to the rhythm of the music, not quite believing this turn of events.

“I mean… I didn’t even kiss you, for fuck’s sake.” The sound of his despair against his own actions had me mewling against him, absentmindedly rutting my ass against his crotch, not even realizing I was doing it until his fingers pressed tightly on my hips - not stopping me, just… holding me there.

“I want- I want our first time to be meaningful.” And that, right then, stole my breath away. Because I understood the implicit message. I understood that this was him, saying he was ready. “Hopefully, in a bed,” he continued, and I smiled to myself at his sweet plans for us.

“But if you keep teasing me so much, I’ll bury my fingers inside of you right here, I swear.” This last part was uttered against the shell of my ear, making me go perfectly still, at last stopping my movements against the bulge that had become more than evident in his old jeans.

“And Lord knows where that would take us,” he commented, hands holding me just under the curve of my breasts, making me shiver as he nuzzled against my neck from behind. “By now, you know how easily I can get carried away.”

And I did. Just the memory of it made me shiver, but maybe it was the man behind me, whose hands were now openly exploring my body as if we weren’t surrounded by people in a smelly club.

“Yeah, I know…” I panted, body sensuously moving against his without even intending to, just needing to feel the weight of his hands all over me, forever. “You’ve done it before.”

And that was the last thing I spoke for the next few hours because right then John turned me in his arms and took my lips on his, devouring me in the dark corner of the dance floor, while the rest of the club danced without a care in the world, not taking notice on two mates finally giving in to one another.

The only thing that mattered right then was him and I.

[neakco]

The Lost Temple Ch.3

Ao3 First Prev Next Masterlist

Tim and Marinette are captured by the enemy. At least they don't have to search for them anymore.

Ch.3 That's One Way...

Tim didn’t say much for the rest of the night. What is someone supposed to say when your told the entire universe will end?

 

After quietly making their way back to camp he watched her start on breakfast so he decided to make an attempt at coffee. He let himself get lost in thought as the water boiled, this was no longer a reconnaissance mission. Even without reporting back he knew that it was his duty to help save the world. There was no way he was going to make it home before the paperwork piled up again, he really wished Bruce would pay attention to his civilian work every once and a while.

 

He was distracted from his thoughts by an amazing smell. Looking up he could see that Marinette was cooking pastries. He looked around to make sure they were still in the jungle. How, just how? She was making more from scratch while others cooked over the fire.

 

Tim shook his head and focused on pouring his now boiled water into a French press while he let his thoughts wander back to the mission.

 

He knew he had to tell his friends something but Bart was loud. As long as there was a chance the enemy didn’t know what they were searching for. It wasn’t a large chance, especially since he was never that lucky.

 

It was still enough of a chance though that he didn’t want to risk informing Bart.

 

In the end he just asked Kin to casually sweep the ground to see if he was able to spot anything unusual. When asked why he casually answered that if they could find what the target was looking for first then they could go home that much sooner.

 

Marinette and Adrien both looked a bit surprised that he hadn’t told his friends everything. He did wonder how Adrien even knew she had told him but filed it under his ‘children of gods' theory. Less of a headache that way.

 

The rest of breakfast was filled with Bart's apologies for ever hating croissants and the revelation that Kon had never tried any French pastries before.

 

Adrien had tried to stop him from admitting this but he was too late. Marinette had already adopted Kon into her abused children club and sworn that she would bake him at least one of every pastry in existence after the mission was over.

 

She was still describing different mouth watering treats when Adrien finally shook her and reminded her that the mission came first.

 

Tim laughed while helping clean up as Marinette kept pouting cutely and muttering about noting being more important than good pastries.

 

Finally they split up to start their search. He made good time with Marinette despite her odd stops to check plants. Maybe it was a weird tracking habit.

 

They had been at this for awhile and he had just looked up to check for dropping snakes when Marinette tackled him to the ground. Before he did more then break the fall she had shoved sunglasses on his face, removed and hidden his Cape and had somehow pulled a long sleeved shirt over his head. He was actually impressed albeit a tad confused.

 

“Sorry" She whispered directly into his ear. “Don’t want our targets to know you’re a hero.”

 

“What..” He stopped as he picked up the sounds of several approaching voices. They were coming towards them in a semicircle and it was too early in the day for him to merge with the shadows.

 

Knowing it was probably pointless  he still swung Marinette onto his back and carried them as high into the trees as he could. Once high enough they flattened themselves as close to the branch as possible. Their only chance was to hope this group was stupid, but he doubted they would be that lucky. Their targets probably would have learned by now to keep an eye for jungle predators dropping on them from above, and they were easier to spot then a tiger.

 

It didn’t take long for the group of men to have guns pointed at them as the apparent leader gestured at them to climb down. They climbed down carefully and Tim just barely caught the small smirk and wink she gave him moments before hitting the ground.

In a blink she was a completely different person. Not only was she scared and rambling but she physically appeared smaller. His French was a little rusty but he was fairly positive she was rambling about getting lost and assuming they were a predator.

 

“Enough!” the leader yelled. Tim tried to act as startled and scared as Marinette. Pretty sure he failed, but it seemed to fool the men pointing guns at them.

 

“Tie up the tourists, we will release them once we have what we came for.” He paused and looked at his men, “Do any of you speak their gibberish?”

 

Marinette clung suddenly to Tim's arm and shook as if scared. He may have found it cute if he didn’t know it was all an act. It did give him a chance to act as if he was trying to be brave for her.

 

He swore internally as he realized he had been paying attention to Marinette instead of the threat. Thankfully he had been at least noting that none of them spoke French.

 

The apparent leader gestured to two of his group, “Drag them back to camp and toss ‘em in one of the cages, I will find a better solution tonight.”

 

As they lightly struggled against their captors to keep up the illusion Marinette started her panicked rambling again. “I really hope you can understand me. I vote we go along and escaped after we've learned what we need.”

 

Tim tired to make his voice sound scared as he responded in French, “Quick thinking, you have my vote. I'll contact the others when I can.”

 

She smiled to show she heard before bursting into quiet sobs. Tim was a little intimidated by her acting skills.

 

It was roughly an hour before their captors emerged into a clearing and tossed them into a cage at the far end. They were left bound as one of them men explained something about the boss’s orders and how the stupid tourists couldn’t even speak a proper language.

 

Tim waited until the men were out of earshot before activating the comm with his shoulder. “Marinette and I found the camp. Keep scanning the ground. We will join back when we can.”

 

He looked over to Marinette to see her analyzing the camp layout. There position was weirdly ideal for it. They had gotten lucky that the cages were on a small slope at the back.

 

He made sure to keep to French in case any of the men came to check on them. “So how did you know they were coming? I didn’t hear anything until after you forcefully dressed me.”

 

He thought he saw her cheeks colour but it was gone before she spoke.

 

“It wasn’t what I heard but rather what I didn’t.” a sly smile graced her face, “A quiet forest is a human filled forest.”

 

He blinked and listened. It was easy to hear the noises of camp, but there was no wildlife, not even birds.

“I can’t believe I missed that.” Some detective he was.

 

“Don’t feel bad, you work mostly in a busy city. It took quite a few wilderness adventures before Adrien and I learned that quiet always meant either humans or danger.”

 

There was a lot in that statement for Tim to try and unravel later, for now he had to focus on escape. He tapped the release on his wrist to loosen a knife and started to slice at the rope. He faltered briefly when he saw Marinette’s ropes fall behind her, untied and uncut. How did she?

 

The thought ended as she held out a long wire, “How good are you with locks?”

 

“A lock like this should only take seconds.”

 

 

Marinette smiled to herself, the lock would only distract his clever mind for a fee minutes. At least she could trust him not to bring it up until the were safe.

 

“Done.” She watched him creep forward before signalling to show it was clear.

 

Escape was slow. The whole operation was larger than she could possibly have imagined. So it took them longer than she would like to sneak past everyone in order to make it to the main tent. But make it they did.

 

Red Robin had led them expertly and with easy to follow hand signals . Sure she didn’t work quite as effortlessly with him as she did with her kitty, but Adrien and her had gone through Hell together.

 

Being Red Robin had only known her a day, he seemed to instinctively understand her. Or maybe he thought just similarly enough to her that they worked. They didn’t even exchange words as he stood watch for her to search the tent.

 

As soon as the flap closed behind her Tikki flew out to help with the search.

 

“Marinette, over here.”

 

Tikki had found a torn document written in the language of the guardians. She carefully shoved it into her bag before glancing at the poor translation next to it. After a brief moment she decided to leave that since it didn’t actually contain any useful information and snuck back out.

 

She quickly nodded to let Red know she had what she needed and he started to led them back into the jungle. She was happy to let someone else take the lead as she let her thoughts wander. Honestly with an operation this large they were lucky that the temple hadn’t been found yet.

 

It was three silent hours before they found their way to camp. Marinette was finally starting to feel the results of her sleepless night and wished she could take a nap. She had to share what she had found, Red Robin had been more than patient with her and her secrets.

 

 

Tim watched Marinette call Adrien over to their makeshift table. He was expecting them to discussing things among themselves first, so he was actually taken off guard when she took hold of his hand to pull him over.

 

“I know your mission is only supposed to be reconnaissance, but Adrien and I would really welcome the extra help.”

 

He watched as Adrien flattened the stolen document out. He leaned closer to try and make it out but saw that it was in some unknown and possibly ancient text.

 

Marinette waved Bart and Kon over and waited until everyone was settled before speaking.

 

“According to the translation I saw, our target believes they are looking for an ancient treasure guarded in an old temple.”

 

That isn’t quite the case.” Adrien point out a passage, “This actually translates roughly to ‘That which even gods fear.’ Not treasure.”

 

Tim could see the grim looks on the duo's faces.

 

Bart looked surprised, “You can read this?”

 

“Impulse, don't just ignore that these people are going to unknowingly unleash something bad.” Kon turned towards the duo accusingly, “but you already knew that, didn’t you?”

 

“Actually, no. Even after reading this we have no idea what the temple is guarding. We only know the temple was lost.” Adrien shrugged.

 

Tim looked closely at the two, once again suspicious and looking for any sign of deceit. “How did you know about the temple?”

 

Marinette sighed, “The monks sent us.”

 

“Threatened us.” Adrien corrected. Tim saw her glare before deciding to ignore him.

 

“The monks hail from a sister temple with their own well guarded secrets. They tasked us to go rescue the treasure.”

 

Adrien gestured to the paper, “This is written in their language.”

 

Tim could observe some anger on both their faces before it was gone with Bart's appearance in their space.

 

“You were threatened? But you two are so awesome.”

 

Adrien was laughing too hard to answer, Marinette looked at him briefly with concern and Tim remembered what they had said about laughing. That couldn’t be good.

 

He was about to ask if the blonde was okay when Marinette spoke, “We were unofficially inducted into their order by a rogue monk that believed he was the last. The currant group don’t  really like that they can’t remove us or make us follow their rules.”

 

Adrien's laughter died away suddenly, “We do this for them and the leave our loved ones alone. My girlfriend…” He trailed off as his eyes misted up.

 

“and my grandparents.” Marinette finished looking just as lost.

 

The heroes were all silent, this was a lot bigger than they thought.

 

Tim blinked in surprise as the pair's words fully settled. He would have bet money that the duo were dating. They had affectionate nicknames and absolutely no boundaries.

 

Kon looked to him and the duo which snapped Tim back to the problem at hand, “What's our plan?”

 

Tim spared only a small glance to Marinette before smiling confidently. “We find the temple first.”

Taglist @toodaloo-kangaroo

[vintagedaydreams]

TLNRS-Part Six (Marcus)

Without further ado- part six!!

Warnings: some cursing, brief illusion to panic attacks, low self esteem

Enjoy!!

@kettnerjanea @jelly-fishy-babie @the-graceful-ace @amwolowicz @batsdothings @waxingmoonstone @littlebabybatthings @mauvette268 @katsav17 @batsuperflashmartianwonderman @imyourapocalypse @chubbybbt @bepo-is-sorry @raindancer2004 @artaxerxesthegreat @bethanymccauley @bloodsweatandsnapple @kawaiipoplover268 @legithraclya

The next morning found you down in the kitchen for breakfast, a silly grin on your face and a happy song on your lips.

Last night’s date had been...amazing. You didn’t know anyone could be that attentive and sweet and Marcus had blown even the Queen’s expectations out of the water.

You gave a happy twirl and goosebumps erupted over your skin as you remembered the hooded look in his eyes and the gentle way he had wooed you over the course of the evening.

It was way too soon for Love and you were still a bit wary and skittish of anything remotely romantic, especially with Vampires, this soon after the whole Carlisle debacle, but oh, did you wish and want whatever this was to come to fruition.

It was so nice to be appreciated and feel as if you were sought after.

“Sounds like someone had a good night,” Edward’s sudden voice came from behind you and you jumped with a yelp.

“Eddie!” you scolded, holding a hand over your heart, willing it to stay within your rib cage, “Don’t do that!”

To your surprise, Edward lifted his hands in the air, a serious look on his face.

“No harm meant, Y/N.”

Your brow furrowed- what the heck was his problem? It wasn’t like you thought he meant to scare you into an early grave.

Edward’s head tilted a little behind him and you looked over his shoulder to lock eyes with Jane.

“Oh, hello,” you said with a small, uncertain smile. The Volturi has all been incredibly welcoming and helpful, but the Witch Twins had been more standoffish than the rest.

Which you could understand. After all, you were a human, and an Unwanted Mate at that.

Edward’s eyes narrowed in your direction and you gave a small sigh.

Honestly, you loved Eddie like a brother but the mind reading thing was a bit tiresome at times.

And it wasn’t like you were wrong!

You were human and you were an Unwanted Bond Mate.

Simple as that. No amount of positive thinking or good self esteem was going to change that.

You turned your attention back to Jane as she shifted and stepped further into the kitchen.

“You are okay?” the blonde vampire asked emotionless, ruby eyes darting from you to Edward and back again.

You tried valiantly to tramp down the warmth that blossomed in your chest at her question.

It was nice to know that she cared, even if she was just asking out of what was probably duty to one of her Kings.

You were suddenly grateful that Jasper didn’t like you enough to hang around like Edward.

One invasive-talented vampire was enough.

A gentle throat clearing reminded you that you had yet to answer, so with a very red face, you assured her that you were fine.

Jane stared you down for a few moments, long enough for you to start fidgeting, before giving a single nod and disappearing.

You turned wide eyes to Edward who just shook his head with a chuckle.

“I have no idea,” he smirked and you rolled your eyes.

Uh huh. Sure.

“Where’s Bella this morning?” you asked curiously as you continued to make your breakfast.

“Packing for our return trip,” Edward said quietly after a moment and you froze, all happy thoughts of Marcus disappearing as it dawned on you.

They were returning to Forks.

You probably should too.

Your mind started to race. What was it going to be like, back in Forks with the Cullens? Could you even stand to see them every day? Would their sudden apologetic and sad demeanors make you give in when you should stay strong or would their attitudes change back to how they were once you were out of Italy? Did you even want to stay in Forks? What if you didn’t have your job when you got back? What if you never recovered from being an Unwanted? What if—

A cold hand was suddenly on your shoulder and you were drawn back into a gentle, brotherly embrace.

“Breathe, Y/N,” Edward murmured into your hair. “Just breathe for a few moments, okay?”

You nodded as best you could with your head tucked into his chest, but dutifully took a few deep breaths.

Why were you like this?

You were pretty sure that normal people wouldn’t be freaking out over a sentence as simple as, “She’s packing”.

Then again, what exactly was normal anymore? Since apparently vampires existed and had their own version of the Mafia.

Edward snorted and you gave a somewhat shaky smile.

Well, at least you were entertaining to someone.

“You are not going to be forced to go back with us, Y/N,” Edward said softly after a few quiet moments. “I am sure that Aro would welcome you here.”

You raised your head to frown at the vampire. “I am not going to be a charity case.”

To your surprise, Edward actually rolled his eyes.

“Aro thinks many things about you, Y/N, but charity case is not one of them.”

You blushed at the slight reprimand and burrowed your face back into Edward’s chest.

A gentle hand ran through your hair and Edward added quietly, “There are a lot of people who care for you, Y/N. Never forget that. And those same people would do everything in their power to make sure you were taken care of and provided for. You have a way of endearing yourself to people quickly and we vampires are no different. Those that want to take care of you do so because of you and who you are, not because of any sort of pity.”

That warmth was back, unfurling in your chest like a flower blooming on a warm spring day.

You squeezed the vampire in front of you in a tight hug, mentally sending your thanks.

You needed to hear that.

“Anytime,” came Edward’s murmur and then you found yourself suddenly seated at the table in a rush of wind.

Your forgotten breakfast was placed in front of you with the order to eat.

“You’ll feel even better when you have something on your stomach. And then you can decide if you want to stay or come back to Forks.”

You weren’t exactly sure what epiphany Edward thought your food would give you, but by the time you had finished eating, you still were no closer to figuring out what to do.

Should you stay or should you go?

What really was waiting for you back in Forks?

But then, what was really waiting for you here?

You gave a soft growl, a pathetic sounding one compared to the ones the vampires could produce, but it made you feel marginally better.

Maybe you could just go...live in England on your own. No vampires, no Mates, no supernatural.

Just the English countryside, horseback riding and rain.

You smiled big, this was a great solution!, and turned back to Edward who was looking at you in a mixture of both amusement and disbelief.

“Y/N,” he started after a moment, “what on Earth makes you think that’s going to be an option for you?”

Your jaw dropped.

“An option for me?” you parroted. “I’m a grown ass woman! Why wouldn’t it be an option?!”

Edward snorted in pure amusement now and took a seat across from you at the table.

“Y/N, there are too many vampires interested in your well being to let you go off on your own somewhere. And,” he continued, holding up a hand when you opened your mouth to interrupt him, “English is very wet, very rainy and very cloudy. Not the ideal place to try and get away from creatures that thrive in the shadows.”

You snapped your mouth shut.

The man had a point there.

Which kinda sucked. What a good excuse to move to the UK.

“Why don’t you come back with us, Y/N?” Edward suggested when your thoughts didn’t leave England.

Your eyes locked onto tawny gold.

“At least for a little while. That will give you a chance to get everything in order if you don’t decide to stay.”

You studied his face while you thought it over.

It would be good for you to go back. Get back to the familiar and comforting.

And maybe even get on with your life.

Although…

“I know it sounds kinda crazy, Edward, it being so soon and all, but I’m going to really miss everyone here.”

The mind reader picked up on exactly who you would miss the most and he gave a gentle smile.

“I can assure you the sentiment would be returned, if he wasn’t going along.”

You blinked once. Twice. Three times.

And then, “Wait, what?”

Edward leaned back in his chair, an air of smugness radiating from him.

“Marcus. King Marcus. The one with the beautiful eyes and the amazingly kind heart you haven’t stopped thinking about?”

You blushed red at that.

“He decided to come along with us to Forks,” Edward continued, “if you had decided to join us.”

“But why?” you asked in genuine confusion. Why would he want to go to Forks of all places?

Edward leveled you with a look that said, ‘Really?’

You leveled a look right back at him.

“He’s known me for a few days, Eddie. And we’ve had one date- if you can technically even call it that. Seems a little premature for him to go galavanting across half the globe for someone he just met.”

Edward leaned in, elbows on the table and face serious and close to yours.

“Y/N. Listen and listen good. You are worth it. Whatever my sire has said and done, however my coven has treated you, forget about it. I told you- you endear yourself to people quickly. The Volturi are no different. What they feel for you is true and all because of you. Bonded or no, Unwanted or no, they care for you. As do I. Don’t be so hard on yourself or surprised that Marcus would travel with you to Forks. There are more that would come if they could.”

“Young Edward is right,” a low, gravelly voice said from the doorway and you snapped your head over to see Marcus standing there, Volturi robes blending in with the shadowed doorway.

“You sell yourself much too short, Cara Mia. I am going with you to Forks because I wish to. Because I do not want you to have to face Carlisle and his coven alone. And because I very much want to see where this attraction between us may lead.”

Marcus stepped into the room and slowly made his way to your side before lowering himself elegantly to his knees.

“However,” he continued quietly, “should you wish me not to go, I will remain here in Volterra.”

You blinked dumbly at him.

“You mean, I have a say in this?” you asked in surprise.

Edward made an odd sound and Marcus looked stricken.

“Y/N,” he said earnestly, “you will always have a choice.”

You looked between the two of them and then your eyes went wide.

“No, that’s not what I meant! I mean it was, but not necessarily like that! Just...it is surprising to me that I would have a say in whether you went to Forks or not, because...well, of the obvious.”

“Why would you think you wouldn’t have an input into whether I accompanied you to Forks or not?” Marcus asked quietly.

You rose a brow. “You mean other than the fact that you’re a King? A Vampire one at that? You can go wherever you want- why would my opinion matter? I’m just me- human and decidedly not a royal.”

“But perhaps I am just Marcus- a man trying to woo a woman he’s beginning to care very deeply for. A man who wouldn’t want to press his luck and go anywhere he wasn’t welcome.”

Silence reigned in the kitchen. Marcus was looking intently at you, you were gaping probably quite unattractively back at him, and Edward was pretending to be engrossed in the ceiling to give you two the illusion of privacy.

“Y/N,” Marcus whisperer, cold hand lifting to gently cup your cheek. “May I accompany you to Forks? And act as your Protector?”

Edward’s attention was now focused intensely on the two of you, but you paid him no mind, your own attention captivated by the King kneeling at your feet.

“Yes,” you finally managed to murmur. “Please.”

A soft smile curled the edges of the Vampire King’s mouth and he smoothly stood.

“Then I have preparations to finish. I shall see you when we depart tonight, Y/N. Until then.”

With a kiss to the back of your hand, he was gone in a swirl of robes and a gust of wind.

Dazedly, you wondered if Aro’s flamboyance was contagious.

After a few minutes, you snapped out of it and looked over to see Edward looking at you with an unreadable expression.

“...What?” you asked cautiously.

“King Marcus,” Edward started, before stopping, his expression warring somewhere between joy and caution.

“King Marcus what?” you finally demanded when it seemed he wouldn’t say anything else.

“He asked to be your Protector.”

“Yeah? And?”

“And you agreed.”

“Yeah? And?!”

Edward’s honey gaze met your own.

“And he has formally claimed you. He is your Protector and you are his Charge. Your battles are his battles, your enemies are his enemies. He wants nothing more than your safety and happiness.”

You gaped as Edward leaned forward to add lowly, “He would now die for you.”

[alice-angel12x]

☁ Drider!Shouto x reader

Dystopian AU/ Monster AU

[Sorry if shouto is a bit ooc]

The world fell into ruin when the all powerful All For One took over all of japan. He took control of everything, and who ever dared defy him would face a horrible fate. Once he had control he shapped society the way he found entertaining. It's not like they could stop him. He had a large following that helped spread his rule and terror. Those who had a transmitter, or transformation quirk were safe. They were treated like people or held in higher regards. Those who had mutation quirk were called monsters and were locked away.

So All For One seperated people. Those who were safe where human. Brainwashing them into believing they were better then those monsters. Those who were Mutated were teated like wild and unpredictable animals, The monsters. They were mocked, humiliated, tortured, and locked away from the pretty cities, and only human Capitals. Some were unfortinate to be born with a mutation quirk, but some were forced to have this fate by All For One. By curing people with said quirks, some were criminals, rebels, or innocents to show his power. Those who are 'lucky' just get their quirk taken and turned into a slave.

What about those who were quirkless you ask. Well... They are slaves.

____

Just outside of the grand Capital, there was a large Dome loomed over the forest. It covered 50 miles worth of land. Inside was a forest, a river, rock hills, cliffs, and caves. Inside were the monsters. This is were they are locked away, and put into their natural habitat. Left to starve, except the occasional 'mouse' that was let inside for them to feed on. With no other food they are left with no choice. As the mouse tries to run and hide the monsters hunt it down and devour them. This hunt is recorded and broadcast all over the cities. As a sick entertainment for the rich, Powerful, and citizens. But for the quirkless slave or the mice it is a form of warning to stay in line and to know our place.

___

"Oh looks like our little mouse could not out run that pack werewolf," the commentator said with so much enthusiasm in his voice.

"Yeah John looks like he's dog food now," John's partner joked.

The slaves all watched in horror, as they watched their friend get eaten alive. The quirkiness were all in their cages and forced to catch the monitor, as a constant reminder that soon that will be their fate. To become a meal, a mouse for sent to die for entertainment.

"They ate Ochaco," a close friend of hers sobbed.

I didn't know her personaly, but she was a really nice girl. She didn't deserve to go out the way she did. I sat in my cage, trembling as I watched the carnage. Denki, Momo, Jirou, Sero, and know Ochaco.

They were all the unfortunate mice picked. I survived another month. Sadly my luck ran out the next month.

"Haha this little rat will do," said a gaurd as he opened my and quickly grabbed me.

I tried to struggle and break free from him, but something hard hit the back of my head. I blacked out.

........

"Welcome back everybody, it's that time again. Our favorite little game of survival. Today our lovely little mouse this month is Y/n L/n. A bit on the petite side, could probably squeeze tight spaces. She's a pretty face, it's sad it's wasted on a mouse. Well place your bets now folks. Who will she find herself being eaten by," John the host said with a laugh.

I opened my eyes to see that I was in a forest. It seemed go on forever, but quickly relieazed where I was. I was inside the dome.

"Jeff sound the dinner bell!" John said as the sound of the air horn filled the dome.

I ran, I didn't know where I just ran into the forest. There was no point in banging on the door. No one was going to answer. So I ran through the forest till I saw a clearing. The same clearing were Ochaco was eaten. I came to a halt right at the edge of the forest. I hesitated as flashed of Ochaco's mangled corpse appeared in my head.

Suddenly I heard growling behind me. I turned to see the pack of werewolves. The leader was a ashy blond with spiky hair and blood red eyes. I slowly started to back away, as he took a step foward.

"Sorry, nothing personal. Were just starving and everyone needs to eat," a red headed werewolf said with a sorrowful look on his face.

"Kirishima shut up! Lets just make this quick before some other monster gets her," said the leader.

"Bakugou, could you be a little more sensitive," Kirishima said bitterly.

"Yeah, well your sensitivity almost cost us last time," Bakugou shot back.

While They were arguing, I quickly made a run for it. Dying by werewolves is probably the worst way to go. I could hear them give chase once they relieazed I ran. Just beyond the open field was tall grass. I managed to loose the wolves, as I came across willow tree by a lake. I stoped their to take a break, when I heard hissing.

Looking up into the tree was a Naga. He had green hair and eyes to match his green tail. He was skinny and so malnourished he didn't have the strength to move anymore. I quickly left that spot and kept moving, till I came across some caves.

It was almost night and it started to get dark. So I went inside the cave, to learn to late that what is a hole in the ground three steps in. I fell into the darkness and blacked out.

_____

Dark and lonely. Thats what I would describe my life to be. A lonley spider in cave.

While the other people in the some wait for their next meal I'm working on making my way out of this hell hole. As I continued to dig my tunnel when I felt my webs vibrate, something fell into my webs.

I slowly made my way over to the cave entrance, surprised too see a unconscious girl tangled in my webs. She had soft silky h/c hair, and smooth s/c skin. I slowly started to inspect her entirely. As I did I found a mouse brand burned onto her skin.

Like me, a monster brand was burned on my side. I untangled her and placed her down softly on the ground. She felt So warm in my arms, I almost didn't want to let go. So I took her deep within the caves, too hide her from the monsters. But also to keep her here, with me.

___

I slowly started to wake up, as I sat up I found my self in a cave. Looking down I was laying on some sort of silk thread, or web. Actually the whole room was covered in webs. I slowly started to stand and started to rip the remaining webs on me.

Suddenly I heard something crawling. Then I saw it a Drider, though I never saw one before. He had half red and half white hair, with a big hurn on the left side of his face, all over his body he bore scars, and on the right side of his chest was the monster brand burned on his skin.

   "Umm, hello," I said as I slowly sat back down. He did block my only exit.

"Hello.... I'm suprised your not screaming, or trying to escape," he said bluntly with a neutral face.

"Well your blocking my only exit, and even if I scream no one is gonna hear me so, yeah... I'm y/n by the way," I said as I held out my hand.

"Umm, I'm shouto the Drider," he said simply slowly shaking my hand.

"So.. Umm, why did you spare me. I thought you would be hungry like the other people up there?" I said looking up at the ceiling.

"Well I have a slow matabalizem, so it takes a while for me to get hungry. I.. I was just lonely," he said with with a light blush.

"Oh... O-okay, I'd be happy to

acompany you, shouto," I said with a smile.

Shouto seemed stuned at first as he seemed to just stare at me for a bit. Suddenly it seemed his eyes began to water, then he pulled me into a tight hug. As he did he stood up to his full hight, which lifted me a few feet of the ground. I slowly and hestitanly returned his hug. His spider half looked like it was an albino verson of a black widow.

As I was studying I could hear him smelling me... It was weird but I didn't say anything. Suddenly I heard a buzzing noise.

____

I could hear them. The humans flying spies, they were looking for Y/n. Gently placing y/n down on the nest, I went to investigate.

I saw it the flying cameras. I quietly sneaking up behind it and quickly smashing it with a rock. They weren't going to take my friend away from me.

-----

As the weeks went by Y/n and Shouto got closer and closer. Y/n would help with Shouto's tunnel, and sometime shouto would go out to the surface to bring berries for y/n. She would clean up any wounds Shouto would gain.

As the weeks went on y/n became more, and more weak. The berried weren't enough to sustain her. She could even afford to move or spend any energy, or she will starve even more. So in desperation, Shouto worked on the tunnel even more. Till he finally did it, he finally tunneled his way outside the dome.

Quickly and quietly he scools y/n into his arms and escapes from this hell. Shouto travled for days, getting as far away from the city, and the dome as possible. When they finally settled down, high up in a tall tree, Shouto went out and hunted down a strong stag.

Cooking it and feeding it to y/n. As time went on y/n did regain her strength.

_____

I slowly crawled down the tree with y/n in my arms. I was so nerves, always worrying if somethi g would come and take y/n away.

We finally made it to the ground , and I let y/n down. She stood still for awhile then she started to.. Roll around on the ground with a wide a smile.

"Were free Shouto. It feels so good," she exclaimed as she jumped up and hugged me.

"Y/n... Thank you for staying with me. Even when you were close to dying. I never want to lose you, and I treasure you, Y/n," I said as is quickly pulled her into a passonite kiss.

And I was happy went she slowly melted into my kiss. This is my paradise. She is my Utopia.

[ruewrites]

Thrones are Built on Lies Chapter 9: The Hands that Guide Me

AO3

Ship: Solomon/Asmo, Diavolo/Lucifer

Word Count: 3823

Warnings: None

A/N: Comments and feedback are appreciated! This fic has been a little harder for me to write, not gonna lie, so I hope you guys are still enjoying it!

Prev

Next

“What?”

Asmo’s voice came out as a shriek. It hurt Solomon’s ears a bit if he was being honest.

The two of them stood before Lucifer, Diavolo, and Azazel. It had been easy to push the idea of assassination attempt to the side until this point, but after an arrow had been shot in their direction… well… He couldn’t ignore it anymore. Of course the crowds had gone scattering and word quickly got back to the main palace. This is when he also learned that the princes weren’t supposed to leave the palace.

Lucifer shook his head, “You heard me Asmodeus. I shouldn’t have allowed you to go out to the sector. I thought it might be safe for you during the day, but I was wrong. So no more. You must stay here.”

“But it’s my sector,” Asmo continued. Even if Solomon wasn’t looking at him, it was easy to tell he was upset. His voice was strained and cracked. He was on the edge of begging and pleading with his eldest brother. Solomon wanted to tell him to stop, but as soon as he went to touch him, he was shrugged off. “I should be allowed to visit it whenever I see fit!”

"That was before an arrow almost took your head off," Azazel chimed in, shaking his head, "Not to mention, you put civilians at risk with your presence."

The way Asmo flinched at those words… He didn’t seem to care about himself in that moment, and Solomon couldn’t help but think back to the small children flocking around his legs and how Asmo genuinely seemed to adore every one of the individuals in his sector. Yes he seemed a little thoughtless, but his intentions were innocent.

“Not to mention, you put a king in danger,” Azazel continued, gesturing to Solomon himself, “Could you imagine the commotion you would have caused if your fiance, royalty from another kingdom, had been struck? He’s an only child, their only heir, and you almost cost them that. His death would have been on your hands.”

That was hardly fair, Solomon had gone there on his own free will. Asmo had asked him, yes, but Solomon hadn’t felt forced. Yet, Azazel’s words had him questioning himself. The entire situation was extremely uncomfortable.

“Azazel, don’t you think-”

The glare Azazel shot Diavolo as his neck snapped towards him was dangerous, “Don’t coddle him. He should have known better.”

“Uncle,” Lucifer’s voice was steady, drawing Azazel’s attention back to him, “I am more than capable of handling my brothers. Please refrain from making any more unnecessary comments.”

The two men stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity before Azazel reluctantly backed down. That was when Lucifer turned his attention back towards the fifth prince. “Asmodeus,” Asmo didn’t look up towards his brother, but Solomon swore he saw him twitch, “No more outings. None. Am I understood?”

Asmo nodded curtly and then that was that. They were dismissed.

The silence was uncomfortable, even for Solomon. Yes he had complained about Asmo being high energy, but now that it was gone… It was unnerving. Solomon had had his guard so high around his fiance, and for what?

“You’re quiet,” he said. An inch stood between them. They hadn’t really walked together like this in the halls before.

Solomon was also a bit disturbed. From what he knew of Asmodeus, he knew that he didn’t give up on what he wanted to easily. But the moment Azazel started speaking, it seemed that all of the fight had left him.

You have a role to fill Lilith.

What exactly had been going on in Arcadia prior to them approaching him?

What exactly had becoming Lilith entailed for Asmodeus?

“I was under the impression you didn’t like me talking.”

Solomon couldn’t blame him for being snippy. He just got chewed out by his older brother and his uncle for something that Solomon didn’t really blame him for. Asmo was agitated, a free spirit locked away in a cage.

"Well, I don't like being distracted by anyone when I'm doing research, and you're a rather distracting presence," he tried to joke, but Asmo didn't seem too amused, "But I don't have my nose in a book right now."

"You will soon."

Just when he was trying to make an effort, Asmo didn't seem to want anything to do with him. At least not right now he didn't, but he could fix that. "I've heard you've gotten into a bit of reading yourself."

"I guess."

"Perhaps we could have a little library date sometime."

He was almost surprised about the smile that crossed his own face when he saw Asmo's ears twitch at the mention of a date. That's what he wanted. He wondered if Asmo didn’t quite believe what he had heard. After all, Solomon knew he’d been a little aloof. A library date was also a little more up his alley. He allowed himself to move ever so slightly closer. "Would you like that Asmodeus?" he asked softly.

"It's not going out-"

"But it's still a date."

He was going to do better.

He was going to start putting a little more effort into Asmodeus.

That also meant that he was resisting the urge to grab at his pendant. He had to open himself up to talk to Asmo more, and that meant also forming a more organic way to figure out how he was feeling. He needed to ask him questions, he needed to know a little more about him.

"You would like a date? Wouldn't you Asmodeus?"

Slowly, Asmo nodded and then his motions became more rapid, "Oh! Oh yes! Yes I would like that!" He caught Solomon in a tight grip and held him close. Solomon felt himself go stiff and was unsure what to do with his hands. Although, it was nice to see Asmo smiling. Eventually he settled on patting the prince's back. Asmodeus looked up at him, eyes sparkling, "Oh you'll be the luckiest man in any kingdom! Well, maybe next to me of course. But you'll love being with me! We can talk about it more if you'd like to walk me back to my room?"

"Well, you see, I would, but someone still has to teach me how to navigate the caverns."

It was a little embarrassing. He'd been living here for a while now and still had little to no idea as of how he was supposed to get around. It was especially inconvenient when he was hungry or wanted to visit the library. Asmo tilted his head and backed up, taking Solomon's hand in his own and squeezed. His hands were a bit bigger than Asmo's, but he also couldn't help but notice how warm and soft they were. They reminded him of soft silk. His nails were also well cared for especially compared to his own which were bitten. Had anyone ever held his hands like this before? It was such a small thing to think about, something that didn't matter in the long run, but he thought about it nonetheless.

Asmo's skin felt nice against his own.

Asmo's hands felt nice against his own.

"Well, I guess that gives me an excuse to spend more time with my husband!"

"Fiance."

"Same thing," Asmo let go of his hands and waved him off, "The point is I can get some time with you all to myself."

The very idea of spending time with him seemed to have Asmo excited, a little life was coming back into his eyes.

He was cute, and Solomon could feel an appreciation for his spark start to creep over him.

"In any case, I think walking back to my room would be a fantastic first lesson."

***

It was easy to forget how dizzying the tunnels were. Was the Heart always this aggressive or did it just have a special spot for him in it's cold unfeeling grasp?

"You think too much," Asmo's voice cut through the disorienting feeling. He was leaning against one of the walls, completely unbothered by the magic surrounding them. Pushing off the wall, Asmo walked closer to him and put his hands on either side of his face. "Let yourself relax."

Funny. He thought he was relaxed. There was nothing for him to be stressed about, he was as calm and collected as he could be.

Asmo pressed into his face and frowned, "You're so incredibly tense. I told you to relax." Pretty fingers pressed into his jaw and trailed their way down, "Unclench. Stress causes wrinkles you know."

"I am relaxed," he said as Asmo squished his cheeks. Yet, he felt his jaw relax.

"Clearly you're not. I've seen how you sit, slouching over those books of yours is terrible for your posture. When's the last time you've just cleared your mind and relaxed?"

Solomon scoffed, "Never, clearing the mind isn't really something a king can do." Not if he wanted to be a good ruler he couldn't. He needed to be on his toes, to strategize, to think. Not to mention, he was also a scholar.

"Ugh," Asmo rolled his eyes, "You sound just like Lucifer. Stubborn." His fingers ran down his face, neck, and to his shoulders. His touch was nice, gentle and a little curious, "If you think too much down here it's going to be harder to navigate. Pick one thing to think about if you have to. Something that won't lead you to thinking too much."

That seemed like a bit of an impossible task. What thought could possibly keep him from slipping down a rabbit hole?

The glint from the scorpion on Asmo's chest caught his eye. Then his thoughts drifted back to the hands on his person. There were only so many thoughts a single person could spark. Just like that a little bit of the haze cleared. He took each of the hands from his shoulders and held them in his own. Subconsciously, his thumbs ran over the soft moisturized skin. He couldn’t help but think once more about how warm he was. His body was very much a contrast to his own.

Asmo shuddered but didn’t bother to move. “Got something?” he asked, a hopeful edge lining his voice. His weight shifted towards the balls of his feet as he leaned closer to Solomon.

Solomon looked into his eyes. They were just as hopeful as his voice and they seemed to hold every star usually confined in the night sky. “Perhaps, but that’s for me to know,” he smirked, letting go of his hands to touch his nose.

His smile quickly turned into a pout and he placed his hands on his hips, “Boo. Really? You won’t tell me?”

“I don’t think I will, not yet anyways.”

“You stubborn man! I should just leave you down here.”

“Not if you’d like me to walk you to your room you won’t.”

Asmodeus pulled away from him and Solomon followed, walking a little closer behind him to the point where they were almost touching. He still smelled like the flowers of his sector. Solomon was still lucky to be here. Lucky to be paired with an attractive partner. Lucky that he was finally making progress.

“Anything else I should know? I doubt Diavolo just automatically knew where to go,” he leaned over Asmo’s shoulder.

Those soft slender hands reached out to run against the wall, “There are marks in the brick work. Some of them have the Mark of the Heart. You can feel them in the brickwork if you know what you’re looking for.”

Solomon placed his hand over Asmo's, stopping him in his tracks, “Show me.”

He swore he could hear Asmo swallow as he guided his hands along the subtle etchings in the brick work. They went slow along the clean cut lines, and the more Solomon moved over them the more familiar they became. They became etched in his memory as their hands cast shadows in the soft light from the torches. They stayed there in silence continuing their pattern until Solomon glanced towards him.

“You blush quite a bit,” he was so easy to read, “What is the cause this time?”

“The flames cast a wonderful shadow against your jaw line,” his voice was was soft, for once Solomon had to strain to look at him, “You’re a very handsome man, and I like touching your hands.”

Was he a mind reader? Voicing his own thoughts in such a way, Solomon swore he must know exactly what he was thinking in the moment. He didn’t look up at Solomon, but remained focused on guiding his hands along the wall.

“You think I’m handsome?”

“Well yes, I can see.”

Solomon stopped tracing his hand against the wall and pulled back only to close in to his fiance, “Then don’t avoid looking at me.”

Asmo’s breath hitched as they came closer together. Solomon threaded their hands together and squeezed. “I realize I haven’t been the kindest to you, and I apologize. I’d like to fix that if you’d allow me,” he allowed his voice to drop. His eyes swept over Asmo’s face, he was incredibly attractive and his features only enhanced his beauty. Long lashes, full lips, bright eyes. He was gorgeous.

“You’re very pretty Asmodeus.”

“Thank you.” Both of their voices were soft, despite being alone in the tunnels. Asmodeus continued, bringing his free hand back up to his face as a spark of hope returned to his eyes, “I want you, I do. I’m happy to hear that you… you want…”

He was quiet, but Solomon found it hard to pull away. There was something inside of him that felt… conflicted. It was a new feeling, one that was set into motion since he went to Asmo’s sector. He wasn’t sure what to make of the feeling yet. All he knew was that he could have stayed down here with him for hours, just like this, with their fingers intertwined together. Solomon’s other hand went to his hip and followed along the curve.

Beautiful.

“Oh! It’s wonderful to see you two spending time and getting closer together,” the booming voice made Solomon jump and move away from Asmodeus. Now it was his turn to become red. Diavolo stood not too far away from them, his butler not too far behind. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything if I did.”

Solomon coughed as Asmo moved away from the wall and huffed, “You kind of did. What are you doing down here?”

“I wanted to check on you! I know you loved travelling to your sector and that someone telling you you could no longer go was upsetting. But I see that Solomon had you in mind! Doesn’t he Barbatos?”

“That he does young lord.”

Solomon couldn’t bring himself to look the butler in the eye. It felt like Barbatos was bearing into his soul, that he knew what he was going to do before Solomon even knew himself. What he did see of the butler was all knowing eyes and an incredibly sly smile. Suddenly he became all too aware of himself. Hopefully the light was dim enough that his features were obscured.

“We could have gotten closer if we weren’t interrupted,” Asmo growled under his breath. It almost made Solomon sputter. Getting closer? Down here? Solomon wasn’t about to go a lot further than what he did. Well maybe he would have, he wasn’t too sure what was going on inside of his mind at the moment.

“Why don’t we walk with you the rest of the way?” Diavolo asked, “It could be nice for all of us to get a little closer together.”

Asmo held up his hands, “Diavolo, normally I would love to but-”

“It’ll be fun for us!”

And that was how the four of them walked back to Asmo’s room together. Diavolo spent a lot of time chatting with the fifth prince as Solomon walked stiffly next to Barbatos. He was a private man, he preferred things to stay that way.

“Getting used to being here your majesty?” Barbatos hummed, glancing towards him, “I know the young prince has been eager for you to be here with him, even if he was nervous about seeing you here.” The two of them started to lag behind Diavolo and Asmodeus.

“Keep an eye on him, he’s not always transparent, none of them are.”

Solomon furrowed his brow, "That's a bit ominous don't you think?

"Ominous pr a gentle hint towards well intent? I'll leave that for you to decide," Barbatos then continued onward and placed a hand on Diavolo’s shoulder, “Perhaps we should head back. I can make tea for you and Lucifer.”

“But Barbatos!”

“We should leave them be,you can talk to them later, but for now we’ll leave them be,” Barbatos turned to face them again, “I do apologize for the intrusion, but we’ll be able to see you again soon.”

“Alright! Buh bye! We’ll see you later then!” Asmo chirped, grabbing Solomon’s arm and continuing on down the hall. It was a bit faster than Solomon was expecting, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Asmo wanted to spend time with him.

“Come in with me?” he asked, trying to tug Solomon into his room.

“Not tonight, but we’ll meet in the library to spend some time together. I promise.”

Solomon watched him before squeezing his hands one more time before backing away, “I’ll stop by in the morning, we can eat together, just the two of us, and then we’ll read together.”

“And you promise?” Asmo asked once more.

He's not always transparent.

“I do.”

It took him a while to return to his room. He wanted to make sure he was taking the right path back. But the longer it went on, the more confident he became. Thoughts of soft skin and golden scorpions inhabited his mind, keeping his path straight and narrow.

***

A few non royal magic users live within the fifth district. It leads me to genuinely believe that magic truly does run through the land. They aren’t strong users, but they can use a bit. The flora and fauna in Arcadia also don’t cease to amaze me. There’s a change in variety from the entrance to the fifth district, it’s very easy to forget how large the empire is when staying in the center. People also seem rather attached to their individual leaders, so maintaining good relationships with them will be incredibly important. I have to wonder if magic users outside the royal line have always been here or if they slowly integrated into the city. I also have to wonder if they have access to the Heart.

The underground caverns simultaneously require focus and no thought at all. Thinking too much causes what is akin to interference and it is easy to become disoriented. There are also small markings along the walls that are easier to find once you have your bearings. They lead along correct paths in each of the corridors. I can only assume the path to the Heart would also be the same, only more hidden.

Asmodeus is beloved by the people in his sector. He also seems to have a natural talent with young children. They adore him and he cares for them deeply. He seems to care for every person in his sector. He’s very warm, and it’s clear that he uses products from his sector daily. His hands are soft and his nails are well cared for. There may be a little more to him than I initially thought.

***

Asmodeus was more focused on Solomon than on the book in his hands. He sat close to him on the couch, eyes fixed and shoulders touching. It was a little hard to focus on the words in front of him the longer he stared, and yet it was also a little nice.

“Asmodeus, nothing unsavory in my library please, and try not to drool on my books,” Satan glided behind the couch only to disappear behind one of the many bookshelves. Solomon could only dream about reading half as fast as he did, it was a mystery.

“I’m not! Hush up and let me enjoy my date!”

“Quiet, it’s a library,” Satan’s voice echoed through the room. Solomon could picture the smile on his face as he spoke. He could only imagine what Asmo had confided with him in private.

Asmodeus rolled his eyes and resumed his work.

“You haven’t made a dent in your book,” Solomon said, closing his own and picking another up from the pile, “Does it not interest you?”

Asmo looked panicked before holding the book closer up to his face, “No! It’s incredibly interesting! I just like to take my time when I’m reading about advanced stuff. But I’m sure you completely understand! After all, you read scholarly stuff like this all the time.”

Hooking his finger over the spine, Solomon slowly brought the book down so he could see the page. He wasn’t really met with any resistance. “Oh yes, I do enjoy taking my time on the table of contents,” he smiled, “Asmo, it’s okay if this isn’t really your thing.”

“No I-”

“It’s okay. It is. You don’t have to read every single book you think I’d might pick up,” he gently took the book from Asmo’s hand and placed it at his side, “We can still spend time together if you’d like, just like this.”

He could see the hesitance in Asmo’s eyes. What had him so worried? Solomon certainly wasn’t angry that they didn’t enjoy the same literature. He wanted to know him better. If Asmo didn’t find what he researched fascinating like he did, that was alright. There was still so much about his fiance that he didn’t know and so much he wanted to learn. Maybe one day he’d understand him. Just maybe.

What he did know is that physical affection seemed important. So he slung one arm around the back of the couch and motioned for him to come closer, “You can lay your head on me if you’d like.”

Asmodeus didn’t say a word, instead he jumped at the opportunity to snuggle closer to Solomon, placing his head on his chest and letting out a content little sigh once he was comfortable. He was warm. So very warm.

"Let me know if you'd like me to start reading out loud."

Asmo nodded against his chest.

His weight was somewhat calming, and he found that he didn't mind spending his reading like this. This was what made Asmodeus happy. It was so simple, Solomon felt like a fool for depriving him. He’d become paranoid due to ambition. As he read, the fingers on his other hand gently started rolling over his fiance in one fluid motion.

He was going to be better for Asmodeus, for his happiness.

[wristic]

Be Hungry for Me

Pairing: (The Last Kingdom) Sihtric X Reader  Word Count: 1700 Warnings: Explicit fluff/angst (18+) ____

After spending another night together, Sihtric is hesitant to leave your bed no matter how much he warns himself to go. There’s a clash of worlds between you and him that could easily turn volatile should the wrong people catch how intimate you’ve become with him. Yet it seems neither of you can stop. 

____

Since the sun had first breached your room, Sihtric had been awake. Off and on he kept telling himself it was time to slip away, bail before your morning routine began. But then he’d watch the dust dance in golden rays, slip his fingers along your warm skin as you slept beside, unconcerned with the world. Most flings he wouldn’t be concerned, but you weren't most people. He was never meant to be there. It would be certain death if he was caught.

Sihtric patted your arm draping low on his waist. “I better go.”

Stubbornly your arms wrapped tightly around him, nuzzling into his side.

It pulled a smile from him, lightly dragging his nails down your back, feeling the goosebumps rise. “I can not lay here all day. I’m sure one of your handmaidens will burst in at any moment.”

You gave a tired mumble that sounded like, her problem, before lazily peppering kissing along his side. They tickled at first, easy to accept as he looked off and allowed himself to forget all urgency in favor of having you by his side. You followed the line of his hip, the heat of your lips lingering the lower you went, parted to tease the thought of your tongue only a lick away. The closer in you moved, the harder it was for Sihtric to hold still. Legs rubbing between the sheet, struggling to keep from rolling his hips. Anything to not heat the situation further.

But you were not a women to give up easily.

You moved your body, nudging his legs apart so you could rest between them. Feeling your hands run up his sides pushed all the air from him, you still dragging kisses along sensitive skin. Sihtric felt helpless, tossing his head back on the headboard and letting out a shuddering sigh. His hands groped for you, one tangling in your hair and the other gripping your wandering hand to his heaving chest, to stop it from winding him up. “Come on, Princess. I should have left last night.”

The hand he failed to grab slipped down his body, rounding in his thigh and pushing him open wider. You adjusted lower and his breath hitched, “Your father will-”

You gave a hotty huff, determined eyes locking on his from between his restless legs. “I’m hearing a lot of reasons you should go.” You climbed up him, enveloping him, pulling your legs around his waist as you loomed above him. “Yet I don’t see you leaving.” 

He glanced between you and him, brushing his hands down your arms. Just seeing your legs spread out above him sapped any memory of his protests, at a loss for why you stopped and moved up. Dragging his eyes back to your teasing smile, he whined quietly. “You are distracting me.” 

There was laughter in your words, “I’m distracting you? How ever am I doing that?” leaning in and softly taking his lips. Sihtric melted from the touch, his hands coming up to lock you, rob you of kiss after kiss, not caring for how sloppy they were getting before lapping his tongue against yours, drowning in your taste. 

Unable to resist any longer, his arms wrapped around you, squishing you tight against his chest. You ravaged him, positively glowing in his returned eagerness. And Sihtric was reminded all over why he wanted to steal you away. Nails digging into his shoulders, needily rolling your hips in his. His hands dropped on your waist, pushing you down against his heated erection, teasing himself with the idea of slipping in, instead of, well, doing what he kept telling himself to do. 

Tearing himself apart with a loud smack of lips, “Please, I mean it. I must go.” he whispered, pleaded desperately against your heavy breathing.

With a loud petulant sigh, he released you and you flopped off him and on the bed, unceremoniously. He sighed, sympathetic to your glaring into the above canopy, jaw tense as you wanted to argue.

It was the right thing to do, as much as it disappointed himself to pull his legs off the bed. As he reached for his pants, your words came clear as day.

“Tell me, Sihtric, did you ever imagine yourself begging a Christian princess for freedom?”

Sihtric froze. Ironically his Thor’s hammer dangled from his neck, goading him to meet your obvious taunt. Looking over his shoulder, you raised your brows, awaiting his response. He half turned, voice dropping low and quiet in warning. “I am a warrior. I do not beg.” 

You shrugged, playing with the rumpled bed sheet. “Sounded like begging to me.”

Keeping his scowl, Sihtric crawled above you, caging you below him. “I. Do not. Beg.”

Your shifted, laying on your back, teeming with anticipation. “Mm. Felt like I heard a lot of it last night too.” 

He scoffed, “That was you.” Before you could sass him further, Sihtric covered your mouth with his. You grabbed onto him as he ground you into the mattress, a whimper escaping, a reward for his caving. In his mind rang the alarm, you should be leaving, you should be leaving, you should be, but how could he? Feeling you writhe under him, grab for him, cry for him, was intoxicating. It drove him absolutely mad.

The only compromise left was to have you. Rush you into a high he wanted nothing more than to join you in. With one timely positioned grind he slipped in, pressing as far as he could go, and that one motion turned into filling you to the core. It was just so easy it felt like an accident. Already thrusting against each other, you soaked and ready, the slow drag along your walls going without a moment’s hesitation. 

You threw your head back to let out hard gasps. Your hands gripped his thighs to keep him there, deep inside. It was both mesmerizing and too much to bear. Sihtric dropped his head to your shoulder, letting out a long deep moan, frustrated with how overwhelmed it made him. All around you, all around him, he couldn’t understand how you two ever came apart. Why did he even want to leave?

Still sensitive from the night before, he was slow, dragging himself in and out, savoring being completely inside. You could barely handle that alone, whimpering in his damp hair, legs rubbing along his sides while your hips twisted and thrust in his open lap. A smile started to slip on him, thinking of taunting you, asking if you were going to beg yet. Until you raised your hips, taking him just a sliver deeper and his breath got caught in his throat.

“Sihtric, stay with me.” You hushed, grunting as you road yourself on him. Your arms hugged him tighter, refusing to let go, pleading like he might disappear at any moment. “Stay with me,” You prayed, “Stay, stay with me. I want you all to myself. I want to keep you here, forever.”

Something deep in his gut turned, a sour taste making it hard to swallow. He lifted himself to look into your face, brushed some stray hair to the side, committing the misty expression in your eyes to memory. If it was in pleasure, or pain, he couldn’t know.

All he knew was he couldn’t promise you that. 

So he said nothing.

Sihtric sat back, looking down as he focused on doing as your body demanded, quickening, snapping hard. You buried your face into the blanket next you to drown out your own voice. The sun rose through the curtain, a bright golden line running up your body as you bounced off him. He could watch you all day, imagine every morning could be like this, imagine you were truly his. 

Everything in him started to tense, building up, tightening every muscle till he felt like he’d snap. Glancing at the door, he quickly licked his thumb, looking straight down and placed it between your split lips, rubbing furiously at your clit. You jolted, arching your back and covering your face as you held back screaming. 

The tension built in his chest, in his head. Your legs gripped him tight and his thrusts began to shudder. You moved against him, jolting as your eyes rolled back. He was thankful for it because he couldn’t focus anymore. He meant to only bring you to climax, but Sihtric found himself forcefully pulling out at the very last second, every drop of his blood lip up in a godly fire.  

Head high in the cloud, body covered in a sheen of sweat, Sihtric moved and loomed above you as he caught his breath. Upon opening his eyes, his Thor’s hammer rested on your heart, sending his thoughts distant. Could his Gods favor you like he did? Would they be sympathetic if he prayed? Drive you into his arms and away from this pretty cage you called home?

Softly, he brought himself down to your chest, listening to your speeding heart. Your hands, numb and sluggish, gathered in his hair, playing with the dark ringlets forming as he grew it out. He embraced you back, nuzzling into you to bury himself deeper so he couldn’t escape. Your petting relaxed him, nearly sent him back to sleep when he felt you look to the door, and sigh. 

It seemed you were finally starting to come to your senses. 

Sihtric lightly kissed up your collar, skipping your neck to feel your bitten-soft lips one more time. Neither of you seemed to be in the talking mood anymore. You two gazed into each other, fingers gently drawing circles where they rested. He didn’t pull away until you gave the slightest grin. Until he knew you could find some sweets in the bitterness to come. 

Slipping from you, all was silent as he got dressed, making him feel a bit self conscious as you watched him. Sihtric snuck a peek at your invasive gaze, but you weren’t looking at his body, you were looking at him. In his pause, you tilted your head, like he’d said something and you missed it.

As his lips parted, you grinned, motioning for him to come close. Once in range you fisted his loose shirt, pulling him down for another kiss, dragging your lips across his, savoring the moment. When you let go, you licked your lips and whispered, “I’ll miss you.”

He pressed his forehead to yours. “I’ll come back. I promise.”

After a beat, you nodded, letting your grip slack and fall in your lap. He felt your eyes on him the whole way out, he felt them through the castle and down the roads of the city. 

Would it be stupid to ask Uhtred to help him obtain your hand?

_____Tags and a Special Thanks____

@flowers-in-your-hayr​ @gillyfish​ @peppagetoutofthewata​ @whenimaunicorn​ @ceridwenofwales​ @terrazaurio​ @for-bebbanburg @extrodinary-disaster​

[hailing-stars]

@febuwhump day three: imprisonment 

definitely not a lizard

Summary 

“I don’t understand why I have to be here, Mr. Stark,” said Peter, as Tony pulled the car into the school parking lot.

“Because this is entirely your fault.”

“I think entirely is a little unfair.” Peter took a glance back at Nessie, who snuggled with her pink stuffed bunny. She had gotten so big that she covered the entire front seat of the car. “I’m not the one who suggested Morgan bring her pet dinosaur for show and tell.”

“But you are the reason she has a pet dinosaur.”

“Don’t think enough blame is pinned on OsCorp for that one, actually.”

or

Peter ransacks an OsCorp lab for fun and finds Morgan a friend in the process.

OR

The origin story of the monster that lives in lake behind the Stark house.

Bits of broken glass crunched under Peter’s feet, and under his mask, he smiled, looking around at the OsCorp lab he’d just ransacked. Jameson was right. He was a menace, and it felt great.

Good, healthy destruction was soup for the soul, and nothing felt more soul-mending then laying waste to the place responsible for so much animal cruelty. After taking a few seconds to admire his handiwork, he turned to leave, but his eyes caught a cage with a small lizard locked inside.

“Don’t worry, buddy,” said Peter, striding across the lab, stepping on even more broken glass. “I’ll get you out there. Put you somewhere you can be free.”

He picked up the small cage, and Karen alerted him Tony had sent him a couple of text messages reminding him about Morgan’s birthday party, telling him to be late. That they wouldn’t be waiting for him to cut the cake.

It was a sinking realization. The remembering her birthday, and consequently, remembering he hadn’t remembered to buy her a present. Between Spider-Manning and school and friends and academic Decathlon, his life was filled with great distractions.

The lizard jumped around in the cage, and Peter got a brilliant idea. He only hoped Mr. Stark saw the genius of it.

*

Peter wasn’t late to the party, but him and the lizard were the last to arrive.

He parked his car behind Bucky’s motorcycle. He swung his door open, and unbuckled the passenger’s side seatbelt, freeing the cage from the strap keeping it safe from the bumpy ride out to the lake house.

He just hoped Ms. Lizard wasn’t too shaken up. He hoped she was ready to meet her new family.

As it turned out, her new family wasn’t quite ready to meet her. Tony’s head snapped in Peter’s direction as if he was the one with the extra sense for danger. His eyes narrowed in on the lizard cage tucked under Peter’s arm, and he marched through party guests scattered about the yard and towards him.

“What the hell is that?”

“It’s a lizard,” said Peter. He held out the cage, balancing it on the palms of his hands. “Isn’t she cool?”

“Please tell me,” said Mr. Stark, “that thing isn’t supposed to be Morgan’s present?”

Peter gasped, and moved the lizard away from him. “Mr. Stark, she isn’t a thing.”

“She’s not a present, either.”

“You and Pepper were just saying Morgan needs to learn about responsibility,” said Peter. “So really a pet is a perfect present.”

“No we weren’t,” said Tony. “We were saying you needed to learn about responsibility after you forgot to put gas in your car and we had to come save you on the side of the highway.”

“Well maybe if I had a pet lizard as a kid I’d remember to put gas in my car.”

“Oh, so it’s May’s fault?”

“No,” said Peter. “That’s not what I meant!”

Tony released a long, annoyed breath, and rubbed his temple. “Are you serious right now? With the lizard? Really couldn’t have thought of a less annoying birthday present?”

“It was sort of an impulse thing,” said Peter, and he explained to Tony about OsCorp. He explained the destruction of the animal testing lab, because he knew he would approve of that sort of inconvenience being bought upon Norman Osborn. “So you see, I couldn’t just leave her there in animal prison. She deserves a home.”

“Pete, not this home,” said Tony. “Find someone else to care for your friend, and get her out of sight before Morgan -”

An ear shattering scream filled the air. Party guests, made up of mostly old and new Avengers paused and cleared the path for Morgan Stark, who charged at them in her brand new ballet slippers.

“IS SHE MINE?”

“Uh, well -” said Peter, shuffling his feet around, feeling awful.

“I LOVE HER,” said Morgan. She put her knees in the dirt, and peered into the cage. The lizard stared back at her. “I’ve always wanted a lizard.”

“You have never once said you want a lizard,” said Tony.

“Well I didn’t know I wanted one until I had one,” she told him, with a tone that suggested it was very obvious.

Tony closed his eyes. “Fine. You may keep the stupid reptile, but you’ve both responsible for keeping it fed and the cage clean, got it?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Tony walked away, and Peter popped the lid to the cage open, so Morgan could get a closer look at her new pet.

*

Two weeks passed, and Nessie no longer fit in the glass cage Peter had lifted from OsCorp. That was okay, according to Morgan, because Nessie liked sleeping at the end of her bed way more than cold, smooth glass, anyway.

According to Tony, it was a nightmare. He was terrified of the strange noises Nessie hissed at him every morning when he tried to wake Morgan up for school.

Peter sat at the kitchen table, minding his own business and eating cereal in a sleepy fog, when Tony stormed into the kitchen waving his bloody finger around.

“That’s it,” said Tony. He twisted the facet, and ran steamy water over the bite marks. “I’m calling Bruce. That thing definitely isn’t a lizard.”

“Maybe Nessie hates you because you keep calling her a thing,” said Peter, with a mouth full of cereal.

Tony grumbled and poured peroxide over his hand.

Later, Bruce showed up with a homemade DNA testing kit and a whole lot of questions.

“...you really thought it was a good idea to let Peter and Morgan keep an unknown species from OsCorp?”

“It was kind of an impulse thing,” gritted Tony, glaring at Peter, who patted Nessie’s head, distracting her from Bruce poking her scaly skin and drawing her blood.

Bruce worked fast, and it felt like hardly any time at all had passed before he was scratching his head, staring at the results in disbelief.

“I think… I think Nessie’s a dinosaur.”

“Oh great,” said Tony. “OsCorp is genetically engineering dinosaurs. Just what we need.”

“Has Norman never watched Jurassic Park?” asked Peter, with a frown. “He really should… it’s a great film.”

“Of course he’s seen Jurassic Park. He’s just too stupid not to take it’s warning and not put dangerous beasts on our planet.”

“I don’t think Nessie’s dangerous,” said Bruce. “She’s definitely from the prehistoric age, genetically, but she lacks any predatory instinct. Looks like OsCorp has successfully domesticated dinosaurs.”

“Leave it to Osborn to create completely boring dinosaurs,” said Tony. He held up his now bandaged finger. “If she’s not dangerous, why did she bite me?”

“Have you considered she just doesn’t like you?”

Tony growled, Nessie hissed more of her baby dinosaur roars, and Peter pet her, calming her down and marveling at how awesome it was to have a dinosaur running around the lake house.

“Dr. Banner,” said Peter. “If they can make dinosaurs, do you think they could engineer, like, a Pikachu?”

“A what?”

“You know, Pokemon?”

Bruce continued looking confused, and Tony continued looking like he was in great, neverending pain.

*

“I don’t understand why I have to be here, Mr. Stark,” said Peter, as Tony pulled the car into the school parking lot.

“Because this is entirely your fault.”

“I think entirely is a little unfair.” Peter took a glance back at Nessie, who snuggled with her pink stuffed bunny. She had gotten so big that she covered the entire front seat of the car. “I’m not the one who suggested Morgan bring her pet dinosaur for show and tell.”

“But you are the reason she has a pet dinosaur.”

“Don’t think enough blame is pinned on OsCorp for that one, actually.”

Tony parked the car, and grabbed Nessie’s leash from the dashboard. He managed to click it around her collar without losing an arm, or getting his hand bitten. They were working on their relationship, and in Peter’s opinion it was going pretty well, as long as Tony remembered to feed her hamburgers every once in a while.

It was a slow walk to the school’s entrance. Nessie was a faster swimmer than walker, and Peter often wondered if she wouldn’t be happier living in the lake.

“Okay,” said Tony. “You’re gonna have to carry her. I can’t take walking at this snail pace.”

“Why do I gotta carry her?”

Tony looked at Peter like he was dense. “Because I would break my back, super-genius.”

“Fine, fine,” said Peter, scooping Nessie up in his arms. She licked his face in appreciation.

They got looks from everyone who spotted them in the hallway, as they marched towards Morgan’s classroom. Once they got there, it was impossible for Morgan’s classmates to focus on anything else besides the dinosaur, so they got to start show-and-tell right away.

Peter stood next to Tony and Morgan up at the front of the class, dozens of tiny eyes staring at him. He handed the end of Nessie’s leash to Morgan, and she plopped down in front of her feet.

“This is my pet dinosaur -” started Morgan, only for Tony to cut her off with a series of loud coughs and a correction.

“Reptile,” he said. “Dinosaur’s just a family joke. They definitely don’t exist anymore.”  

“Uh, Mr. Stark,” said Mrs. Presley. “What kind of reptile is Nessie, exactly?”

“A big one,” he answered, then urged Morgan to continue.

“Nessie likes bubble baths,” she said.

Peter could tell from the look on Tony’s face that he was having flashbacks from the time he’d walked into the bathroom and saw him and Morgan with a giant bubble gun, and Nessie in the tub filled with even more bubbles, snapping her jaws at the flying ones.

“And cheeseburgers,” she continued. “My big brother Peter rescued her from that mean green guy -”

“-the pet store owner!” Peter injected. “He was, umm, wearing a green polo, and kept her in a tiny cage.”

“Yeah, they were so mean to Nessie,” said Morgan. “Always poking her with needles and keeping her locked up, but then Peter got her for me for my birthday, and now we have lots of fun, even if it stresses my dad out sometimes.”

Morgan finished her speech, and Mrs. Presley whispered to Tony, asking him if it were safe for the children to pet the creature she was still convinced was something more than a reptile. He nodded. The children lined up, and after they each had a turn, Tony and Peter left with Nessie, once again, locked in Peter’s arms.

“I think it went well,” said Peter, once they were in the car. In the backseat, Nessie took a bite out of her pink bunny. “Maybe we should stop for burgers on the way home.”

*

Eventually, Nessie moved out of the house.

It happened over time, as she grew larger and larger, and became way too big to sleep on the end of Morgan’s bed. She grew so massive, Morgan understood it’d be cruel to keep her locked up in the house, especially when they had a perfectly good lake in the backyard.

So the lake became Nessie’s home, but it wasn’t like she didn’t come back to visit. She showed up, emerging from the lake to scare the hell out of Happy, on the occasions of family barbecue, enticed by the smells coming off the grill.

She showed up for Morgan on summer days, when her and Peter swam in the lake despite Tony’s concerns about flesh eating bacteria.

“You worry too much, Mr. Stark,” Peter would tell him.

And Tony would tell him that was impossible. It was a parent’s job to worry, and it would never quite be enough.

When the house got quiet, when Morgan aged out of the part of her life when her family was her entire world, and when Peter became busy with college and Spider-Man nonsense, Tony worried more.

Some nights he found himself wandering outside, firing up the grill, and throwing a few burgers for himself, and for Nessie, who could always be counted on to rise up out of the lake for a good burger.

As the sun set, casting an orangish glow over the lake,  he threw a burger out to Nessie and she ate with a snap of her jaw.

“You know,” Tony told her. “You’re not half bad, Ness.”

She walked towards him, and before Tony could react, licked him. Her giant, reptile tongue left dinosaur slavia and small bits of hamburger on his face and clothes.

“Really,” he said. “Just when we were starting to get along.”

Nessie put her head to the sky, and roared at the disappearing sun. Tony could only hope the neighbors wouldn’t hear her.

[decayandfanfics]

The great book of sayings

PAIRINGS: Tomura Shigaraki x FemReader

SUMMARY: He looks at you, his scarlet eyes fixed on yours, burning a hole through your head, every bit the predator he is, but you are as tough as it gets, so, against your better judgment and any well-founded logic, you answer his silent threat, the animalistic look he gives you with nothing less than a fearless smirk, irises burrowing into his pupils.A clever girl. He thinks, finally labeling you inside his head, cursing himself in the very moment he allows his brain to think of you as more than an asset. He is sure (he knows himself enough to know) he’ll think of this moment many times from now on.A clever pretty girl.

Reader is a typical college student until she gets herself tangled with the league of villains.

WARNINGS: Unhealthy/complicated relationships, violence, Tomura being Tomura, mentions of murder, heroes’ abuse of power, smut later.

A/N: I’m trying so hard to write crusty boy here really in character. At least after AfO is taken. Any misspelled words, english is not my native language so i’m trying Helen.

___________________________________________________________

Chapter 8 / Chapter 9

You show me the man and I’ll show you the rule.

Tomura thinks he knows nothing about beauty, but then she proves him wrong.

(He thought her pretty before already, but after seen it…he concludes she’s the most beautiful, terrific thing he’s ever seen. Not that he would tell her that.)

A feral dangerous creature living inside of her with no other match.

No other but him.

Oh...you have no idea...She told him.

It happens so fast. One moment she’s there, sitting in front of her laptop, pretty and quiet and serene. All harmony and light, resting softly under the sunlight, between her dumb succulents and the spices that fill her home. Then he can hear Dabi’s caustic laugh and the wrong words. He’s disrespectful, an instigator, skilled in the art of making others lose their composure like is his favorite game.

He hears the foul words, the berating, and the mocking aimed to him, while she sits wide eyed and impossible flustered by the kitchen table.

Dabi smirks triumphant, like he always does after giving everyone a piece of his drama and Tomura watches him, wincing, reminding himself again that Dabi is supposedly oldest than him and Toga, and yet he does his best to being an annoying brat.

Tomura knows better to just let him bark, his remarks mean nothing to him, he knows what he is, and he knows what he isn’t. He’s a freak, yeah. That too, but he isn’t a child anymore, so he let it slide, keeping his eyes glued to his phone arching an inquisitive brow, ready to just let it die there.

He just forgot about the stupid little stunts of bravery she has this tendency to commit. (An annoying dangerous trait that makes him chuckle with something akin to fondness.)

She’s having none of the bullshit, Dabi’s little remarks had fed her up after a whole week of spiteful teasing, her precious patience has run thin.

“blue eyes are a mutation too, so you are no one to talk about it.”

The moment she opens her mouth, Tomura feels something warm filling the hollow place where his dead heart should go and it’s so foreign to him that for a moment he panics and thinks (very stupidly) that maybe his energy drink-based diet is finally going to kill him, and he (barely in his sweet twenty’s) is having a stupid heart attack.

But the pain never comes, it’s just her, voicing a clever answer, defending him.

“A quirkless little bitch? Seriously, Dabi? Where you raised in a fucking barn that you know nothing but fuck this and bitch that?

He wants to make her shut it, but he can’t find the words. Not when her remarks are sharp and funny to hear. (Besides, her voice sounds so sweet when she’s throwing smart ass angry comments just to back him up.)

It warms him and enrages him equally. How dare she to defend him? He can speak for himself on his own and doesn’t need her to make any back up about an insult he doesn’t care for. Stupid pretty woman. Trying to shut Dabi, putting herself in danger for the likes of him...Is she insane? (later that day, he’ll conclude that she must be pretty fucking nuts to have them all in her home after all, but somehow the thought only makes him like her more.)

“yeah. I know stupid cunt too.”

Dabi likes to cause havoc and now he’s pissed, so he throws a vulgarity aimed at her. Tomura feels the hot pang of anger at the other man, because the offense is not only an insult, but also a lie.  She’s not stupid nor a cunt. She's sharp as a knife and kind enough to share with them. 

“Dabi, cut it out.” He warns with a grimace, and now the fight has everyone tense in the room.

“I’m sure you do. Pretty useful to describe yourself I bet.” She snarls showing her teeth, an angry frown darkening her features and Tomura swears her eyes begin changing color.

“you sure like to bet, like how you are betting I don’t burn you alive for being an annoying bitch.”

This time Tomura gets fucking furious, something animal revolving inside of him at the idea of Dabi threatening her. But the fight is escalating so fast, he can’t say anything before she answers back.  

“Fuck off, Dabi. This might be shocking for you, but you don’t scare me.”

He wants to laugh at this, truly. Feisty little thing she is when angered, all her soft ways and nerd knowledge thrown out the window in a fit of cocky bickering and a part of him is living for the chaos of it.

“now, that’s pretty fucking stupid of you.”

“Dabi, shut up!” Tomura growls irked with the way her hair has begun to float over her shoulders, now completely convinced that she’s not quirkless at all.

“I’m not the one insulting everyone just because I cannot deal with some fucking daddy issues.”

God fucking dammit woman, just shut up. He thinks frustrated, giving her a look worth a stab.

“YOU DON’T KNOW SHIT” Dabi snarls before kicking the little table in the living room, breaking one of its legs with a loud crack.

“CUT IT OUT!” she screams this time, standing from her chair “I don’t have to know when it’s plainly obvious you have problems with authority.”

“you really think you are so clever, don’t you?” Dabi states, crossing the living room, aiming to her, so Tomura leaves his place in the corner to stand at her side without even thinking why.

“I know I am, asshole!”

Dabi stops his tracks, looming over her like a monster. His eyes scanning her face before looking at Tomura, who stands by her with his hands open in front of him in clear warning.

The black-haired man looks at her before moving to Tomura, his brows raised in surprise as he chuckles darkly.

Shigaraki hates the way he looks at him, like he knows his thoughts. Like he knows he’s been creeping into her room to watch her sleep and the sinister lustful visions that sometimes plague his dreams after some playful back and forth every time she defies him with some smart-ass comment.

“stupid woman. You should know better.”

And then…he just slaps the laptop out of the table; the computer smashing open against the cemented ground.

Tomura remembers this moment like one would remember the witness of a car crush or a catastrophe. A simple second enough to amaze him for a lifetime.

The way her eyes just ignite into scorching red lights shining like burning embers under her frown brow. Her hair floats free from gravity over her shoulders like a terrible chaotic crown as her mouth flash pearly teeth in a feral snarl.

He watches how she claws her right hand, fingers curling, knuckles tensing and Dabi is suddenly choking under the pressure of some raw power. His limbs twisting painfully in horrific motion and unnatural angles in complete agony.

A second later and before anyone could grasp what’s happening, her other hand pointing pinky, index and thumb to Compress, Toga and himself, keeping them frozen in their place, a strange rigid pressure making him feel like he’s full of cement and any movement will shatter his bones and snap his spine.

He can’t move, he can barely breathe. Feeling like if every fiber of his being, every muscle, every cord is solid hard under his skin, unavailing him to get away.

But he can watch, so he watches her terrified and amazed.

Her quirk is rare, and powerful and dangerous. But she keeps it locked away, sleeping soundly, safely caged inside her ribs, like the best hidden weapon, perfect for torturing bodies and bending wills. Buried deeply under her layers of kindness and humor.

One twitch of a finger, and Dabi’s neck would snap in two and they can do nothing but just watch when little blood vessels begin to burst in the white of his eyes as he pants desperate for air, his veins contorting furiously under the marred skin of his neck and the flames scatter in some random parts of his body without any control.

Tomura swears he can hear Dabi’s bones crackle under the invisible force as his spine bends backwards in a sickening angle.

And, as sudden as it begins, ends.

Her hair falls and her eyes are no longer red. Dabi breathes again falling to his knees and for a moment Tomura thinks he will cry out of pure fright.

For a moment he wonders if Toga and Compress want to cry too because that felt like certain death, but is sweet, somehow. Something within him squirms joyfully with the notion of her own violence. She is as dangerous as him, no damsel in distress, no little girl in need of care, no simple quirkless girl, but a horrifying woman. A dangerous and powerful creature with a quirk made for torment, just like-

He looks at her, just to find a sad disappointed face. A thick trail of blood began sliding silently from her nose, tainting the perfect bow of her lip. Only then he notices the bloodshot eyes and how the color has run from her face.

She stands quiet and bitter watching between her hands and Dabi trying to catch his breath. Her face giving away guilt and self-loathing (two feelings he’s very familiar with.) but unlike him, she is no tormentor, she grasps no joy in watching Dabi suffer, nor do she wish of making them quiver to the sight of her.

She is kind, and brave, and witty. Humorous girl, quick at wordplay and puns; buying vitamins and oranges for them and something about no one getting scurvy under her watch.

He wants to laugh hysterically at her sight because she is magnificent, and for a moment he thinks that the boy with the destructive touch and the girl with the tormenting gaze sounds like a hell of a name for rulers and his heart shivers in excitement, but she is crying and clutches her guilty hands against her chest and ask them to forgive her for using her quirk on them.

She didn’t mean to; she didn’t want to. She likes them all very much, so she promises she’ll never hurt them again, and somehow it reminds him of something, but he cannot place a finger on what exactly.

He feels the sorrow drowning him. A grudge so horrid it makes him want to vomit and scratch his neck raw because something in her resembles something in him, but he cannot really grasp the motive of such connection, only knowing it has something to do with the hands he carries around like a symbol of his own distress and a little black-haired boy crying in some familiar backyard.

The sound of the bathroom door startles him and she’s no longer in the living room, but he can hear the quiet sobbing coming from behind the door.

Finally, Dabi decides to just fall backwards against the cold floor, still panting, an arm over his eyes.

Only then Spinner breaks the dreadful silence and ask the question they all want to make.

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT.”

Chapter 10

[a-solitary-marshmallow]

Found You

Note: Hey! Damn, it's been a while since I posted. School finals and then not having a laptop for weeks will do that to you, apparently. Anyway, this is a oneshot I had lots of fun writing! Early in my werewolf Stan AU, someone on AO3 commented that it would be pretty cool if Stan managed to escape, and... well, you'll see. Thanks to the person who gave me this idea! Hope you all enjoy :)

________________________________________

Stan was beginning to think that it was time to re-evaluate his life.

How many times did a guy have to chew his way out of something before coming to that conclusion? Twice, apparently. At least this time he’d had wolf fangs to back him up; the last time he’d chewed his way out of a sticky situation he hadn’t even had that.

He’d been so desperate for so long to just do what Pa had ordered. Make millions, prove to everyone that he wasn’t just a failure, be welcomed back home. But – it was never gonna be enough, was it? He may as well stop living in a fantasy world.

Fuck getting rich and being accepted back into his family, Stan just wanted to sleep in a bed. He wondered idly if this backwater town was hiring waiters or something. Didn’t need high school credentials or a valid ID to be a waiter, right? Sure the pay was shit and there was no hope of getting rich enough to make Pa happy, but he might be able to afford a cheap motel or something.

Not that Stan looked like prime employee material right now. When he’d first stumbled into this diner the waitress had looked like she was expecting him to either rob the place or drop down dead in front of her. Now it seemed like her suspicion had given way to pity because she placed a slice of pie in front of him alongside the coffee he’d ordered.

“It’s on the house.”

Hey, he’d take what he could get.

Stan dug into his pie, groaning happily at the warmth seeping through his mouth. The pleasure of eating actual food was slightly marred by the ache in his jaw. He winced and poked at his teeth with his tongue, checking out the damage. All things considered? Not bad. It probably wouldn’t take more than a few weeks to heal the worst of the damage. Hey, werewolf perks.

Luckily Stan had only needed to break the lock of Ford’s cage to escape – if he’d tried chewing through the bars he wasn’t sure he would have any teeth left at the end of it. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if there had been heavier security. He’d managed to break himself out before shifting into human form to unlatch the shed door, limping into the woods as quickly as he could while the night still hung heavy and quiet. He’d finally found his car and gunned it until he ended up in this dump, a town a few miles away. Sitting in this booth was the first time he’d rested since getting out of there and he was beginning to realize that everything hurt.

The whole ‘nearly-beaten-to-death’ thing wasn’t new to Stan, but that didn’t make in pleasant. From the pain in his chest he was pretty sure at least one rib was broken. Peering at his reflection in a spoon revealed that he was also covered in a myriad of ugly black, brown and yellow bruises like a patchwork blanket – a patchwork blanket with a mullet. Ugh. He put the spoon back to its original purpose of scooping pie, so he didn’t have to look at his reflection anymore.

Also, he couldn’t remember hurting his neck, but he must have somehow because a spot on the back of it was tender and swollen. When Stan reached up to feel it there was a little lump. Maybe he could get some ice for that to bring the swelling down? Nah, no use when his whole face looked like a discoloured turnip.

He wolfed down (haha, wolfed) the last of his sad little meal and felt around in his pockets for spare change. He could just finish his coffee and run, but that would make a pretty bad first impression and he was still hoping to get hired. On the other hand, this coffee was expensive as shit and Stan could probably buy himself a cheap burger or something with the cash tomorrow. Would it be better to make a good impression, stick around in this town and look for work, or steal now and search for another place?

He gulped down a mouthful of scalding, bitter coffee. It was way better than lapping lukewarm water from a metal bowl. Upgrades, people. Upgrades.

The door gave a stupidly cheerful jingle that Stan resented – partly on principle, and partly because who the fuck goes to a diner at three in the morning? (Except for Stan, because he was pathetic, and of course the waitress. At least she got paid to be there.) Stan took another sip of his drink and glanced across to get a look at the other sad sack who had just come in.

He choked.

Because holy shit that was Ford standing in the doorway, staring right back at him.

Ford’s glasses were askew and his hair mussed, like a man who had recently crawled out of bed. How the hell was he there? Stan had barely left an hour ago! He coughed and thumped at his chest to encourage his stupid lungs to start breathing again.

Ford’s eyes travelled down to some machine doohickey he was holding, and then back up to Stan. A frown flashed across his features.

“…there you are.”

Stan tried to speak but it came out as a wheeze. He cleared his throat and tried again.

“Uh – Ford. Didn’t – um – didn’t think I’d run into you here.”

Ford walked over and slid into the booth across from Stan, eyes scanning him. The intense gaze made Stan shrink back into his seat and cough uncomfortably. Well, at least Ford had no reason to believe that Stan was the werewolf he was missing?

“Are you some kind of – werewolf?” Ford demanded.

…shit.

Stan schooled his expression into a grin, trying to ignore the thundering of his heart pounding against his chest. “Werewolf? Psh, Ford, you know those don’t exist.”

Ford rolled his eyes at Stan’s forced nonchalance. “Stanley, please. I tagged you with a tracker, I know it’s you.”

Well, Ford kinda had him there.

“Wait, wait wait wait – you chipped me?” Stan hissed. Ford only nodded to himself with self-satisfaction. Stan cursed and reached up to scratch at that tiny lump in his neck, wincing as his fingers prodded tender flesh. Damn. He should have noticed earlier and clawed it out.

And now Ford was watching him with that calculating stare. Stan stared back defiantly, swallowing down the growl that bubbled up in his chest. He would not be out-stared, dammit.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ford’s question broke the frigid silence. Stan blinked.

“You – uh, what?”

Ford pressed on. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were? Who you were? Hell, this entire mess could have been avoided if you’d just-”

“Oh, so it’s my fault, is it?” Stan couldn’t bite down a hint of a growl, and he took pleasure in seeing his brother’s eyes widen at the low rumble.

“…I didn’t say that.”

“May as well have.” Calm down, he had to calm down. He couldn’t afford to lose his cool in front of people. Of course, it would have been easier to control himself if he wasn’t exhausted and aching all over and starving and shivering and afraid and so so angry. The gritting of his teeth was already becoming awkward around sharp canines and the beginnings of a large, lolling tongue. He had to get out of there now.

“-back to my house.” Ford was continuing. How long had he been speaking for? “You could be a danger to yourself and others in this state.”

“I’m fine.” Stan stood up roughly. Thank god the waitress had ducked into the kitchen for something – she wouldn’t be monitoring to make sure he paid. And as an added bonus she also wouldn’t see the inhuman gleam of his irises. He yanked his hood over his head just to be sure and stalked for the door.

“Need I remind you that you attacked a man just yesterday?” Ford followed him relentlessly. Stan shouldered through the door and his dirty boots crunched in the thin layer of snow outside. Fat flakes spiraled down around him and stung his face as he stomped to his car, Ford in fast pursuit.

Ugh, the snow muffled the sounds around him so all he could hear were the sounds of two bodies, magnified and echoing – harsh breathing and the pounding of blood in his ears, crunching of footsteps behind him and the minute scrape of fabric brushing against itself in movement. The sensation of being followed made him shiver, made every muscle in his tired body tense.

It’s just Ford. Not some rando. He won’t hurt you, calm down. Focus on the moment, Ford is talking to you.

“No.” Stan snapped out. “No, I attacked his fucking dog. He’s the one who tried to bash my skull in.”

Footsteps behind him brought to mind a similar sound. Footsteps crunching in snow as the person followed him when he tried to crawl away. He could still see the burly figure looming over him. Red, red hair and red, red blood on his own pelt-

His breaths came quick and fast, gulps of frigid air. Ford was speaking to him loudly but the words all blurred together. A hand reached for him and Stan jerked away.

“No!”

His voice rumbled with a low growl and Stan cursed to himself, claws digging into his own bicep as he tried to force the Shift away. Now was not the time to have a breakdown. He was supposed to be in control, goddammit!

But the urge to Shift sat heavy in his chest, almost an ache. Shifting made him safe, because shifting made him dangerous, and nothing can hurt you if you hurt it first and every cell in his body was screaming for him to run away-

Stan didn’t realize he’d sunk to his knees until he felt the snow soaking through his pant legs. Burning, biting cold. Pain radiated from his arm, too – his claws had slid under the skin of his arm and sent pain stinging through him. But the pain was good, it kept him grounded.

“Stanley-”

“Shut. Up.” Stan growled out. Ford shut up.

Deep breath in, deep breath out, forcing his lungs to expand and contract. Slowly the Shift settled itself, claws shrinking into dirty nails and fangs becoming blunt and fur (when had the fur appeared?) receding into skin.

Stan ran his tongue over his teeth to ensure that they were wholly human once again. The fluctuation between states hadn’t helped their aching – his gums throbbed and he could taste blood.

“Oooookay.” He pulled in another deep breath and let it out slowly. “Alright. I’m good.”

Ugh, the snow was soaking through his pants. Stan pulled himself up and tried dusting the white powder off, but his body heat had already caused it to melt into the fabric. He cursed.

“…are you okay?” Ford finally said.

A glance at Ford’s face showed equal amounts of wariness and concern. Which, hey, Stan didn’t think that his brother would be concerned about him, so that was a nice surprise.

…but there was also the possibility that he was just worried Stan would go apeshit and tear him to pieces. That would make more sense.

“You’re fine, I’m not dangerous or anything unless I wanna be.” Stan waved a hand. “Just my Shifting acting up. Funnily enough, it’s hard to not slip into danger mode when you’ve been locked in a cage for hours on end! Funny how that happens, huh?”

Ford had the grace to look a little guilty. He reached to take Stan’s arm, then hesitated before his fingers made contact. “…look. Can I at least take you home? You shouldn’t be driving in this state.”

Stan had to suppress a laugh. Sure, take the homeless man home. That had to be some kind of paradox, right? He spat a glob of blood into the snow to clear his throat before responding. “No need, I’m fine.”

Ford was staring at him in horror now. Stan blinked.

“…what?”

“Was that blood?”

“Er. Yeah. Why?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were badly injured? You could have internal bleeding!” Ford shrilled, making Stan take a step back and laugh nervously.

“Seriously, I’m fine, I just broke a couple teeth on the-”

“You broke a couple -” Ford spluttered. “I’m taking you to the hospital right now.”

“I don’t need to go to the-”

“We are going to the hospital now!”

“Ford-”

“Hospital. Now.”

…you know what? Stan’s day couldn’t get any weirder. He shrugged.

Ford grabbed him by the arm and started towing him through the car park, Stan trying not to limp as he followed. From Ford’s worried cluck he didn’t do a very good job.

“Aren’t you gonna, like, try to study me or whatever?” Stan managed as he was pushed into a car. Ford dropped into the driver’s seat.

“Of course I am, I’ve never seen a werewolf before, but that will be after I know my brother isn’t dying!”

“…fair enough. Can I pick the music?”

“No.”

[masterjedilenawrites]

The Helmeted Hunter: Chapter 32

Boba Fett x Reader | A repeat of Chapter 14 from Boba’s perspective

Chapter Warnings: N/A

AO3 Link (In case you like it better over there, it’s okay, no judgement)

< Previous Chapter | Masterlist

“Bonus” Chapter 32: The De-Helmeted Hunter

It was a warm, bustling evening in the little village on Jedha, and Boba Fett was not happy about it.

He couldn't remember the last time his stress levels had been this high. Every corner that was turned, every person that walked by, every sound and small reflection of sunlight made him grip the gun beneath his cloak just a little tighter. Everything was a possible threat for the girl that walked beside him. He felt more like a bodyguard than a bounty hunter. He sure missed the days when these jobs were simpler. What he wouldn't give for a nice bail jumper right now....

The girl wandered down one street and up the next, and he tried to be patient as he followed along. If he'd had his way, they would've stayed inside that crummy hotel all day, where he had set up booby traps and other counter measures to prevent anyone from getting near. But the girl reminded him of a kitten exploring the world for the first time, full of curiosity and unwarranted confidence. He hadn't been able to leave her in that cage for too long back when she was his prisoner, and he certainly wasn't going to try reigning her in now that he'd more or less freed her.

He wasn't sure why he'd agreed to let her out and work with him. Just like he wasn't sure why his heart rate went up every time Hondo commented on her prettiness, or why he had spent ten minutes the night before trying to pick out clothes for her. Were all girls like this? He didn't interact with many in this line of work, just a few that were more like psychopaths than women.

Adding to his stress was also the fact he had to walk around without his trusty armor. He was ashamed to admit he'd grown too accustomed to it, to the point where he felt naked without it. He hadn't always worn armor, hadn't always been this closed off and paranoid. There were still a few of his old bounty hunting mates who had survived and could very well be scavenging for work in these parts. What if he was the one who got recognized? What if the girl ended up in danger because of him?

How he'd been able to sleep so heavily last night with such troubling thoughts, he wasn't sure. God, he wasn't sure about so many things. And all because of this girl.

Eventually the sun set and a chill rang through the air, creating the perfect excuse to finally go back to the hotel. Boba's pace unintentionally picked up in anticipation. The sooner they got back, the sooner they could sleep through the night, and the sooner they'd then be off to the shipyard. He had sent a message to Maz to meet them there as part of plan he'd worked out a few days ago. It was the only reason he'd agreed to come here with Hondo. He was actually rather proud of himself for coming up with it; it worked out on so many levels. He could settle his debt to Maz, stay on Hondo's good side in case he ever needed the slimy pirate's help again, and ensure the girl was protected while he looked for this elusive client.

But then they came across a small plaza that was set up for dancing. Creatures moved about with each other under a canopy of twinkling lanterns. A band played in the corner, just switching their tune to something slow and sweet.

Boba looked down to see the girl swaying beside him. An overwhelming feeling came over him to sway with her. Without really thinking, he held out a hand and cleared his throat for her attention. He could see her eyes crinkling between the folds of the shawl over her face and it took every ounce of strength for him to keep his composure. How easy it was to make her happy.

How easily her happiness effected his own.

It was awkward at first. He hadn't really ever danced before, but he did enjoy music. It felt natural to move along with it. It was just the part about the girl standing to face him, settling her hands on the top of his shoulders, looking up at him as if no one else was around... that part he didn't know how to handle.

So he looked away, falling into his comforting habit of tracking the people around him. He still didn't notice anyone he recognized or who seemed like they were up to no good. Everyone was enjoying themselves. It was an odd sight to take in, this little desert town reveling in simple pleasures amidst a galaxy devastated by Imperial occupation. It always surprised him to find such little pockets of liveliness.

"Can I ask you something?" the girl spoke unexpectedly. "I mean, if I asked you a question, would you give me an honest answer?"

He turned to look at her with raised eyebrows, trying not to panic at what she could possibly want him to tell her.

"Depends on the question," he said slowly.

Did she want to know why he'd agreed to Hondo's stupid plan? Was she curious about the Jedi and the Holy City? Would she ask more about his father?

Oh dear God, he thought with a twist of his stomach, don't let it be about my father...

Her voice was quiet but earnest. "Why did you wait? You said on Jakku that you saw me come through the portal. So why did you let me run around for three days before capturing me?"

Well he certainly hadn't expected that. Had those thoughts really been on her mind this whole time? He hadn't realized he'd even mentioned it. The whole situation on Jakku had been a real shit-show; he knew he'd argued with her but couldn't recall exactly what he said. Why did it matter to her anyway?

"I wasn't expecting you." He figured he might as well give her the honest answer she was wanting, though he did feel a little embarrassed as the words actually started coming out. "In this business, the higher the price, the more unpleasant the bounty. Sure, I was given your description. But seeing you was something else. You were just normal. I wanted to watch you, just to be sure I wasn't missing something. You weren't bad, fending for yourself like that. But I couldn't wait forever and it was clear you weren't special, so then I moved in."

Oops. That hadn't sounded right.

"I meant," he stuttered out quickly, "not that you aren't special... just, you know... not..."

He wasn't sure what he was trying to say. Why was he nervous all of a sudden?

"Unpleasant?" she said with a knowing and playful look in her eyes. Her eyes were the only thing he could see, framed by a dark shawl and dancing with the amber glow of lanterns. And he was suddenly conscious of the fact that she was looking at him. The real him, not the helmeted hunter the rest of the galaxy knew. What did she see, he wondered?

"You have your moments," he finally said. "But generally, no, you're not unpleasant."

She was so much more than that. She was normal, but the kind that put him at ease. The kind that made all the craziness of the galaxy seem insignificant. Like an anchor in a storm, grounding him to a world that didn't need to be as complicated as he sometimes made it.

She was good and kind and brave and easygoing and fun and beautiful.

She was special.

He gulped. Had he stepped closer, or had she? Were they even technically dancing anymore? He should probably do another scan of the area to make sure no one had snuck up in the last few minutes. But it was like he was frozen, entranced. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but at the same time, it was like he couldn't think at all.

But then her eyes were no longer locked with his, blinking off into some middle distance where he couldn't follow. He blinked himself, trying to focus in the dimness of the lights and clear his mind.

He had gotten much too carried away. It must have been all that extra sleep he got, messing with his head. A guy like him didn't have room in his life for special. He didn't need her....

Right?

"Are you okay?" he asked, needing her to say something, to help him get out of his own head.

She shook her head and stopped moving. "I'm just tired."

She drew her hands down from around his neck and stepped back. She was troubled about something, he was able to read that much from her. But he didn't press; he never did. He knew what it was like to lose family and home and purpose. Except, when he'd been in that dark place, the galaxy had wanted nothing to do with him. He'd had to make his own path, his own name.

Not this girl. She had nothing to prove. And as she turned to face away, he realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that maybe she didn't need him, either.

That was fine, he told himself. It would be that much easier when he finally collected the bounty on her head and walked away. He just had to ignore the part of himself that still hoped she saw him differently after all. The part that didn't want to walk away.