#Getting weird and unpleasant messages lately. Stop that please.

[riddles-fiddles]

Heartslabyul boys with a pregnant S/O

Synopsis: I'm dealing with terrible baby ferver so I need to get this out of my system. Headcanons to how the boys react to your pregnancy all thorough the months. Characters: Riddle Rosehearts, Trey Clover, Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Cater Diamond Tags: SFW, fluff, domestic fluff Notes: AFAB gender neutral reader, cw pregnancy and birth

•·.·''·.·•ˏˋ°•*•·.·''·.·•ˏˋ°•*•·.·''·.·•ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

⁀➷ Riddle Rosehearts – poor man hasn't had one single good night's rest ever since the pregnancy test came positive. Riddle is over the moon with the news, of course, but stressed just as much; he knows there's a lot going on with your body and a growing baby can seriously wear you off, so he's always checking up on you, and the doctor's appointments turned into a routine. He's worried and delighted all the same, making sure you're comfortable and your needs are always met. He's pampering you rotten and doesn't even mind your mood swings; he learned to be a lot more patient and permissive from them. Regarding weird pregnancy cravings - no, he won't allow you to eat screws with ketchup, but will provide you with a nutritious meal, mapping your weird requests and directing them in healthy and safe foods.

And though he looks stiff and on alert constantly, he immediately relaxes when he lays by your side, head resting on your chest while his arm gently hugs your belly in a protective way. It's also really cute to watch the way he gasps in surprise and his face go alight with sincere affection when the baby kicks, reacting to his words.

Riddle likes to plan beforehand, so he can avoid facing unpleasant surprises, knowing how to act and be dependable like the responsible father he is supposed to be. He hates to be reminded about his neglected childhood, about how his father would barely make appearances during important events of his life and the way his mother was a strict tyrant who only controled him his whole life. He wants to be better, someone much different from both his parental figures - he wants to be perfect, loving, someone who can make you feel safe and comfortable, taking everything to the smallest detail. So when you lift your eyes to face him, he feels a sense of dread as your features slowly changes from relaxed to one of horror. "Riddle... I think my water broke," those words freezes him on the spot, and he's more terrified than you. Shake his nerves off so he can drive you to the hospital, please, or else he's the one giving birth on the spot. Don't worry though, he'll not leave your side for one single moment once you reach the delivery room, massaging your hand and cooing softly against your ear to try and make the process less terrifying.

⁀➷ Trey Clover – he's a lot more busy ever since you gave the good news. Trey has been working a lot more at his parents bakery and even making side jobs to ensure your growing family's comfort; though mama and papa Clover have both been deeply delighted and eager to extend their help in whatever aspect you may need, Trey is determined to be a providing, responsible father. Of course, he will not stop you from working if you wish to, but will talk you in staying home by the last trimesters, and he looks so worried it's convincing enough. He always comes home late at night, exhausted and worn off, but you're always greeted with the sweetest smile of satisfaction and affection when he comes to lay by your side, wrapping you on his arms and planting loving kisses on your face as he's lulled by your voice talking about how was your day.

He's always sending you messages or calling you to know how you're doing between breaks, and always tries to accompany you during doctor's appointment. If for some reason - like being called to work - he can't be present, he'll ask his mother to go to the appointments with you, just to be sure. He hates that most times he will be too busy to do everything by your side, but will find comfort on the fact that everything will pay off at the end. He is a little disappointed to know that you won't be allowed to eat his sweets, but makes adaptations of your favourite desserts - no sugar with fresh and natural ingredients. Maybe they aren't as tasty as before, but somehow it still feels sweets and are enough to sate your cravings. And no matter how weird they are, Trey will be happy to indulge them, as long as you don't request for something dangerous.

Similar to Riddle, Trey is thinking ahead of time. He has reserved two bags with hospital essentials, one for the baby and one for you, just to be ready when time comes. And when you go into labour, he's quick to react and drive you safely to the hospital, staying by your side until everything calms down, cheering on you and providing comfort the whole time.

⁀➷ Cater Diamond – he was... surprised to know about your pregnancy. He wasn't actively looking forward to be a parent, but he quickly warmed to the idea just from looking at how happy you looked. Also, that meant cute baby pics and another excuse to pull you on his arms to take cheesy photos together. Cater keeps on the easy-going, confident demeanor around you to keep you at ease, but he's swirling with anxiety and doubts inside his mind; his idea regarding parenting isn't one of the best, being manipulated all his live by his sisters and even mother, not to mention that his father's absence for the sake of his own job took a toll on any practical exp he could have on the matter. But he still tries, and he tries hard; suddenly, his Magicam feed is flooding with maternity-dedicated influencers and he's diligent enough to write down the most useful and important tips.

He's also looking for fun, cute pregnancy trends to pull you into, something to take your minds off the scary aspects of it all. He tries to act all mysterious on his stories and new posts, giving out hints and it surprisingly explodes in likes and comments - everybody is on their toes for the day Cater finally announces the pregnancy, and when he makes it public, he's documenting everything, first bump, the ultrassounds, the development of the baby. Will send you memes about pregnancy and useful articles to read together. Also, you won't even need to voice out your needs, Cater's senses are heightened over the roof now and he's tending to them before you can even sigh. Need a hug? Already wrapping his arms around you. Want something hearty to eat? He's calling the best restaurant in town to deliver your comfort food.

Going to appointments with him is always fun; that's when he shows off his concerned side the more, questioning everything the doctor says, discussing articles he had previously read and asking about every little aspect to it. And when your due date comes, he's surprisingly quick to pack everything up like it was nothing, but don't expect him to drive you to the hospital. His arms and legs are melting the moment he sits down. While in labour, he will try his best to make his presence on the delivery room, letting you hold his hand and scream at his ears, but the moment he sees blood, he's fainting. Nope, can't take it at all, he 's just too anxious about it.

⁀➷ Ace Trappola – he's speechless about the news and it takes some time to finally dawn on him he's about to be a dad. Ace is a mix of curiosity, eagerness and reluctance; the aspect of raising a family of his own excites him, but is also scary. He's not particularly experienced with children and this is a whole new world for him, something he needs to learn from a blind spot - and damn, he struggles to keep an interest on pregnancy matters. Everything is too confusing or too hard for him, so he's quick to lose interest. Please, make things easy and fun for him so he can collect some good sense on his head. Ace seeks guidance from his father and older brother though, and at least they are a good influence on him; he learns about the delicate aspect of pregnancy and how he can help make things go less hard on you, so enjoy the next nine months - you'll see a new side of Ace, acting all gentlemanly and serious, at least most of the time.

Yes, he's still the mischievous, funny-loving Ace who will joke about something eventually, teasing you about how you can't bend down to get things on the floor, or how you're going nuts from craving weird ass foods, all the while fetching you anything you can't reach or cooking you a nice meal. He's got a reputation to uphold, you know? So don't you dare tell Deuce or Cater how much of a pleasing puppy he has become just to see you all happy and comfy! He'll never ever admit it, much less oblige to your requests in public, but the minute you have stepped foot inside... one "Ace" is all it takes and he's right by your side in one breath, no matter how far from you he is.

By your due date, Ace is a wrecking mess of nerves. He's lost, though he can't keep still; he runs around the house to fetch everything you might need, but he's always going around, just to make sure nothing is left behind. In front of the nurses, he acts all smug and cool, trying to hide how anxious he actually is as you're directed to the delivery room, but his hands betray him, trembling and sweating. If you want him on the room so you can hold his hands, please don't point out how teary eyed he is. ⁀➷ Deuce Spade – HAPPIEST BOY EVER!!!!!! Deuce lifts you off your feet and twirls you around, peppering your face with kisses the moment you reveal your pregnancy. Deuce is too embarrased to admit it, but truth is that he dreams about the day you two can grow a family together ever since your relationship got serious, and now that his dream has come true he can't contain his happiness! "MAMA! MAMA, I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!" Deuce is tearing up at the phone as he shares the wonderful news with his mother, and you can hear mama Spade squealing from the other side. Honestly, it's hard to pick out who's the more excited - you, Deuce, or mama Spade. As soon as she hears about the news, she's coming over with a basket of gifts - food, knitted baby socks and even some cream and beauty products she used on her pregnancy, congratulating you and Deuce on a big, tight hug. She's so proud of her babies and is gleamming from the prospect of finally being a grandmother - she can't wait to spoil your child rotten enjoy the glee of raising a child all over again, but only with the fun parts, of course. Mama Spade spends a lot of time around you two, teaching the basics and soothing your nerves. All the while, Deuce is clingier than ever, attentive and much more responsible; ever since the announcement of your pregnancy, he looks more regulated, calm and relaxed, or at least he is when it doesn't affect you.

He did threaten to throw hands with some guys staring at you while walking on the square, and also started a ruckus when you two were left on a waiting line on the supermarket for more than twenty minutes, but besides that... you have never seen him so chill. Just like Ace, Deuce is a pleasing puppy; you just need to mumble his name and he'll be right by your side, ready to get you anything. He rubs your shoulder, feet, hands, everything to make you feel less sore, giving you pillows to lean against and warm blankets, and reserves bigger, fresher portions of food for you. He's the kind of guy to wake up at 3 a.m. to drive you to mcdonals with a smile on his face or just comfort you from a nightmare. When you tell him you're going into labour, Deuce hurries up to the hospital, shouting at everyone to take you as priority, and that's when his delinquent boy spirit shines, scaring all the nurses to take you to the delivery room above all the other patients. He's over the moon as you grip onto his hand like your life depends on it, cheering you through your pushes and groans, and whispering how proud he is of you, and you can be sure he'll be balling his eyes out once he gets to hold the baby.

[brandwhorestarscream]

Jazz vs. Cryptid Seekers

Behold, a mini ficlet one shot thing brought in by weird thoughts about the cryptid seekers AU. Jazz is traumatized XD

The weapon detonates without a single shred of warning. Glowing, slimy fluid splatters his entire left side, nearly the same color as energon, though slightly darker. Jazz doesn't have more than a moment to react, opening a comm to report what he'd found, but it's too late. He blinks once and suddenly the floor is rushing up to meet him. He collapses, paralyzed, landing with a sharp bang. Everywhere the thick fluid has touched is numb and tingling, and he can't so much as twitch his digits. It's sticky and slimy like a glob of old oil, and a goopy rivulet dribbles down from his temple and streaks over his visor.

He's got his right servo planted on the floor and is pushing himself up when there's a loud, wet popping noise, and more slimy goo rains down on him from above. His right side goes numb and heavy and he collapses back to the floor with another clang. A third sloppy noise and something hits his chassis and bounces off to land in the thick puddle on the floor. He can't even move his optics to look around. Whatever these security measures are, they're potent. He's entirely unprepared to handle full body paralysis, only driven home by the blaring of emergency messages on his HUD, warning of immediate shutdown to reboot and flush the Invasive agent from his system.

He barely gets his comm online to send a distress signal when his vision clouds over and he's forced into stasis.

Some odd megacycles later, Jazz wakes to the unpleasant florescent lights of the medbay glaring down at him, and he's barely sat up for half a klik when Ratchet finally arrives to give him the typical cranky reprimand. Going on about how irresponsible and dangerous that was, how he had taken out three other mecha during the retrieval. The paralyzing slime had been collected and analyzed–thankfully it wasn't going to give him some dreadful virus, but that's no excuse! "-better be grateful, I had to completely flush your systems, so-"

A warning blipped to life on his HUD. Energon levels approaching 10%. As if right on cue, his primary fuel tank makes a loud grinding noise, and Ratchet stops his rant to give him a curious look.

Jazz chuckles good naturedly. "Gotta cube, doc? I'm wastin' away over here."

"I just topped you up a megacycle ago," already the medic is approaching with a scanner, checking his processing system for leaks or ruptures. The scan comes back normal. "That can't be right... hn. Drink up."

A glowing cube of precious energon is tossed at him. Jazz snatched it out of the air, breaks the corner with his denta, and happily began gulping it down. While he chugs the fresh fuel, Ratchet is staring intently at his scanner as it searches yet again for a breach.

"...So am I free ta go?"

Ratchet flicks one servo with disinterest, grabbing a second and third scanner just to double check. The results all come back the same.

"That slag you were covered in must have temporarily increased your fuel metabolism," he could bring that to Wheeljack and Perceptor later. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing to ever come out of decepticon scientists' crazy defense mechanisms. They were just lucky they'd been able to extract Jazz before he was discovered. "Come back if you experience anymore symptoms, got it? You're free to go."

Jazz thanked the medic and slid off the berth, happy with his clean bill of health and relieved to get away from the overbearing scent of antiseptics and sterilizing bleach. The mission was technically a bust and Prowl was none too pleased at his lackluster report, but it was good to be home all the same. The minibots teased him for getting caught in a 'con trap, and he laughed right along with them. A rookie mistake to be sure, but they were all thankful it hadn't turned lethal.

Less than a megacycle after being released from the medbay, his systems pinged him that he was once again low on fuel. He forwarded the information to Ratchet, dragged himself in for another scan, but everything came back clear. The energon wasn't leaking from any of his vital components, there were no breaches, nothing to suggest that anything was amiss. The science team was working as fast as they could on analyzing the strange slime weapon, but as of yet had no answers as to why he was digesting his fuel so quickly. It wasn't hurting him, really, so Ratchet told him to just stay on top of fuel consumption and keep his gauges in the green as best he could.

Easier said than done. He swallowed down five cubes in just as many megacycles, and the hunger pains were starting to make his whole body ache. It seemed like as soon as he finished refueling, his tanks were twisting and prodding him from the inside, demanding more. Sharp cramps and pinching pain had him walking gingerly around the base, and it eventually got to the point where he was so uncomfortable he slunk miserably into his berth to try and sleep it off.

Jazz wakes up in the dark to the sensation of falling, rolling right off his berth and hitting the floor with an utter lack of grace. The soreness of the fall is nothing compared to sudden, rampant nausea, and he's gagging before he's even managed to sit up. His tanks heave and his systems warn of an imminent purge. Oral lubricant fills his mouth and he dry heaves once, twice, clamping one servo over his mouth to try and keep it down. Primus no, not here, not on the floor, at least let him get to the wash racks!

He stumbles to his pedes but something makes contact with his shoulders from behind–and he realizes he's not alone. He's shoved back onto the floor, back on his knees, and an unfamiliar voice angrily demands, "Give them back!"

He orders the lights on through hiccups, his tanks rolling unhappily. His sensors don't pick up on anything, and he can't see anyone. It's not Mirage, he knows Mirage's voice.

There's the distinctive clack of thrusters on the floor and his spark constricts. Seekers.

How did they get in here?! Are they under attack? Why aren't the alarms going off? What-

His panicked thoughts are cut off and he lurches forward, half-processed energon and digestive enzymes flying past his derma, splattering his servos and the floor.

"Give them back!" A second voice demands.

He tries to turn his helm toward the direction of the voice, but the movement makes the whole room spin and he's helpless, collapsing onto his side, cheek barely missing the puddle of purged fuel. "Wh- Wha- g'oh…!" He groans and clutches at his midsection. His tanks feel like they're going to physically crawl out of his body. Another wave of nausea bubbles up and he purges again. Primus almighty, what had the cons done to him?!

"Give, them, back!" The tip of an invisible truster very, very gently toes the side of his face, tilting it up. He can't see the seeker, but he knows that voice. Starscream. He is so fragged. "We won't ask you again, autobot! Give them back or we'll take them by force!"

"Wh- What're you-" another glob of half-processes fuel flies out of his mouth and splatters all over the invisible pede. It drips down to the floor, and Starscream doesn’t even flinch. "What're you talkin' about?!"

"Don't play dumb," That deep voice… Thundercracker, maybe? Or Skywarp? He can't tell Starscream's trine apart. "We know it was you. We can smell them on you."

Jazz has no time to ponder what the frag that was supposed to mean, because something in his tanks twists, violently, and suddenly something is clogging his primary intake tubing. He chokes grandly, clawing at his chassis and back arching in pain. His HUD blares a red warning, a dangerous obstruction is damaging his aeration tubing and it needs to be purged, now. It wriggles it's way up his throat and his optics bug out helplessly, body thrashing against his will as something squirms it's way up his throat, and then into his mouth.

There's a sharp, shrill squalling noise; something tiny and moving and very much alive is in his mouth! He flips over to spit it out, horrified, and the tiny, slimy thing hisses at him. It's… a cybertronian, he thinks, but microsized and misshapen, stubby half-limbs and malformed plating. It skitters across the floor on all fours and all of sudden Skywarp is just there, plain as day, cooing as he kneels down to offer his servos to the teeny, tiny bot.

"Oh bitty, we were so worried!" He croons, gently cradling the tiny thing. "Here, come on, where it's safe."

He brings his palms up to his mouth, opens wide, and promptly pops the only half-developed sparkling into his mouth, swallowing them down in one gulp.

"That's better," Starscream appears beside him, glaring down at Jazz. He feels like he just lived through a grisly scene in a horror movie, still laying on the floor gaping at them. Just before Skywarp's teleportation spirits them away, he utters a grave warning, "Stay out of the hatchery, autobot."

[crystalkleure]

Okay! Ground rules for my inbox!

Since apparently I have to say these things! Even when I’ve already said most of them before!

Don’t send me rude or incendiary messages. If you’re a dick, I will block you. If you say something that no matter how I respond to it, merely associating myself with the matter at all is going to get me mobbed and forcibly dragged into some micro-niche internet discourse from hell, I am not going to post/respond to it. I fight tooth and nail to not fight on the internet, and especially not in public. My IRL situation is extremely volatile and stressful, and I open my laptop to get away from stress. If you want to discuss a potentially loaded topic with me [and there is no guarantee I will engage unless I know you very well, and thus value your opinion and trust the information you will give me], DM me. I don’t have to post DMs publicly. Asks, on the other hand, are posted and can be reblogged and replied to, and can thus clog up my notifications with nasty fucking discourse that I don’t want to see from five billion strangers I do not know. Don’t publicly broach a subject that will incite a huge argument on my blog.

This falls under “don’t be rude,” but don’t bitch me out about taking too long to respond to your messages. I can be a very slow replier. Again, my IRL life sucks shit and takes up a lot of my time, and I have a dissociative disorder. That latter thing means 1. amnesia, of varying intensity at any given time, and 2. sometimes straight-up blacking out and often not having any idea how much time has passed between events that I do remember. I could think it’s only been a week or so since I last looked at something, and then it’ll turn out it has been two months. I have no control over the dissociation. It just happens whenever I get too stressed-out, apparently, and I can’t fight it -- trying not to black out when my brain wants to black out just gives me a migraine and doesn’t work.

Don’t spam me. Don’t flood my inbox with twenty messages, and then immediately send thirty more as soon as I answer a single one. Especially if all those asks are prompting me to give very detailed, thought-out responses to them [and if they’re not, if they’re just short little single-sentence things because you just want to casually chat...please just DM me?]. This is overwhelming and I will end up having to block you.

Don’t flirt with me. Not interested. This is just very awkward and achieves nothing. If you send me nudes, I report you. I thought only bots did this shit these days, but apparently I was wrong.

Yes, you can ask me to tag things! Please do, in fact, if I post about a triggering topic you need to avoid! Even if it seems weird. I don’t judge. I would, however, recommend either DMing me your trigger-tag request, or asking on anon [or just asking me not to post the ask], so you don’t have to publicly confirm that something triggers you specifically. Assholes can and will use that knowledge to deliberately hurt you.

I have DID, please don’t be weird about it. Being curious is one thing, I know it’s not a very well-known disorder [outside of Hollywood, where it is usually dramatically misrepresented for the sake of entertainment value] and there’s a lot of misinformation floating around about it. Respectful questions don’t bother me, I actually have a special interest in psychology and find it fascinating myself [if not extremely scary because I actually have to live with it lol], and if you accidentally bring up something that turns out to be a little too personal for me to comfortably talk about in public, I will just politely decline to comment on that specific thing. What I mean when I say “don’t be weird” is:

Don’t demand to speak to a specific alter at a specific time. Who is awake at what time is not something that any of us can consciously/intentionally control. You’re pretty much just stuck with whoever happens to be around when the message gets answered. Now, if there’s no time demand, it’s fine. If you send a message for someone specific with the acceptance that they’ll just have to get to it whenever they’re awake, knowing that there is absolutely no telling when the next time that will be is, I don’t think that bothers anyone.

If one alter talks/acts differently than another one did, that’s...that’s normal. They are functionally more or less different people. Don’t get freaked out about tone changes, people like to accuse us of shit like “suddenly being so passive-aggressive” just because the last guy they were talking to was super expressive and the guy they’re talking to now is kind of deadpan. That’s not what’s going on, it’s not you, it’s us.

Don’t pog at introjects like they Are Your Favourite Blorbos. They’re not. Even if an introject is made out of aspects of some fictional character you like [...or hate], they aren’t that fictional character. They aren’t, like, Fictional Blorbos Plopped Into The Real World Straight Out Of Fiction Land One Day, that’s not how introjection works because that’s not a real thing that can happen. At most, they’re like...an imperfect clone of their source’s personality? And not necessarily even their whole personality, maybe only one single aspect of it that our subconscious happened to latch onto, and so they aren’t necessarily even like their source at all in literally any other way. They’re probably not going to act “canon-compliant,” because they aren’t the character and are not roleplaying. They’re just dudes. Please treat them like normal dudes. They are no different from any other alter, introjection is a normal thing that happens in DID/OSDD for known reasons.

I’m not a professional, please don’t treat me like one. I don’t have any sort of degree in Brain Science, I’m just a guy who happens to have a weird brain. I’m not an expert on all the little intricate details of my own disorder, I’m still learning about it myself. I’m no authority on the subject.

{{!!Don’t reblog this!!}}

Supposedly there’s an option to turn reblogs off for specific posts, but apparently that feature has not rolled out to me yet because I sure can’t find the toggle anywhere.

[btsmutimagines]

Our Future

Look, I suck at titles, y’all and I’m a day late ffs but happy birthday Kookie 

Arranged Marriage AU

Word Count: 7.5K (I really need to stop)

Grey skies arched above you as you walked home, kicking a small pebble along with you until it got caught between a crack in the sidewalk.

You audibly sigh, enjoying yourself as you kicked it further and further each time. It was almost like you were that pebble, your life seeming to be pushed by something until it stops.

You were stuck, just like your little pebble.

You finally reached your house, unlocking the front door and noticing the familiar shoes. They were shined up and as uninvited as usual but their owner paid no mind to what you thought, clearly.

The back of your father’s head greeted you as you stepped into the living room and he put down the newspaper he was reading.

You brace yourself, knowing he came to talk to you about something. He never really looked for a conversation, just a breathing punching bag.

“Hello, father.”

“I expected you to be home sooner.”

“I hadn’t expected any guests.”

“Maybe if you answered my phone calls once in a while.”

“You don’t pick up when I call back.”

“I’ve been busy, Y/N.” When are you not? You silently retorted in your mind.

“What did you need to say, father?”

“I’d like you to come to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

“I rather not.”

“Tell me why? Is there something unpleasant about a father and daughter enjoying a nice dinner together?”

“When have we ever done anything ‘nice’, father?” He cocked an eyebrow, he knew damn well that your relationship was far from any loving familial ties.

If you had it your way, he won’t ever know where to find you.

“The Blanche, seven o’clock. I’ll have Hyunjin pick you up.” He adjusted his tie, standing up to walk away and you clenched your fists.

You wanted to yell, at least tell him off for coming over uninvited to force you into some weird dinner. But you merely stood as he brushed past you, you standing in your spot until you heard your front door shut.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ─── 

This morning, you found a box with a card attached in front of your door.

You could tell from the intricate design on the card, it was from your father. Inside was a gorgeous red dress, the off-shoulder design along with the leg slit satisfying your tastes.

You held up the dress, looking in the full-length mirror and imagining yourself in it.

“As if he would know what I liked.” You scoffed to yourself, pulling the dress back on your bed. He probably just sent off one of his servants to find something for you.

Even so, what would be so important that he would send you something to wear? You were his well-kept secret, him wanting you to keep yourself hidden from his life for appearances.

He couldn’t afford to be distracted, he said. In exchange for you disappearing from his life, he sends a weekly allowance that you’ve been saving in a separate account.

Maybe one day when you’re finished, you can pack up your things and truly disappear. Nothing was tying you down to this city anyways.

Bzzt.

You heard your phone vibrate, a text notification appearing on the screen.

Incoming in 5, 4, 3, 2…

“One!” You heard your friend, Yeseul entering your apartment and you put to the dress back into its box hastily.

“Where are you?”

“Bedroom.” She wandered in, quickly embracing you in a hug and you stood still. You’ve been friends since freshman year, Yeseul being the only one who put up with you.

You didn’t mind hanging out with her but you didn’t put your eggs into her basket yet.

Memories of your ‘friends’ asking you to hang out, racking up a huge bill and then making excuses to leave you to pay each time. Your dad even got on your case, interrogating why you spent so much each week. He cut you off, only giving you enough for lunch and your so-called friends were suddenly too busy for you.

How naïve.

“You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“Zoning out, burning imaginary holes into the last thing you looked at. You know, the usual.”

“I was just thinking, Seul.”

“Well stop that, we got other things to do.”

“We? What are you roping me into now?”

“Why do you say that like I only get you into trouble?”

“Because you do.” You deadpanned, you haven’t forgotten the time she thought it was a good idea to stay for after-hours when there’s a curfew in place. You had to dip into the savings to pay off the ticket you got.

“It’s harmless fun, Y/N.”

“That citation definitely harmed my savings.” You muttered.

“Anyways, listen. You and me, dancing and drinking at Hoseok’s party tonight. Sounds like a dream, right?”

“A nightmare, actually.”

“Come on, Hoseok was gracious enough to invite me with a plus one, meaning you.”

“I have to pass.”

“Why?”

“I have plans. Dinner plans, actually.”

“Who’s the mystery man? He must be worth your time since you’re passing up an offer from me.” She knows damn well you would pass up any party with or without plans.

“That’s not important. I just don’t think I can miss this dinner. Sorry.”

“So secretive. I expect no less though.”

“I’ll tell you about it later.”

“It’s fine, Y/N. I’ll take enough shots for both of us.”

“Remember to drink water in between and eat something too.”

“Okay.” She pursed her lips, leaving your apartment right after and you sat on your bed. You shook off the tension, checking the time and preparing yourself for this dinner.

Whatever it’s about, you had a feeling you wouldn’t like it.

You were adjusting your necklace when you hear a knock at your door. Opening the door revealed Hyunjin, one of your father’s drivers. He was newer than the others but devoted to your father like the others.

“Miss Y/N?”

“Y/N is fine. Take me to where I need to go, please.”

“As you wish, Y/N.” You took his arm, locking your door behind you and followed him to the car. The unease settled in when he started driving, part of you that you just went to that party with Yeseul.

Maybe she wouldn’t make that pointed comment and you would send your father a message.

Alas, here you are, walking into the Blanche like the little good girl he expected you to be. Wearing the dress he picked for you, even putting in the useless effort of making yourself presentable to only be met with him scowling at his phone.

“Hello to you too.”

“Ah, so you did come. Glad to see you have the decency to clean yourself up.”

“I rather you tell me why am I here instead of having this conversation with you.”

“First, sit.”

“I don’t plan on staying.”

“Then, change your plan. I have very important people that you have to meet arriving soon and it would be rude to stand there as you are.” You grit your teeth, sitting across from your father and crossing your arms.

A waiter braved his way to your table, filling up your water glass while you shot daggers at your father. Bastard didn’t even have the decency to even hint at who these ‘very important people’ are and why it should somehow matter to you?

You thought the deal was you wouldn’t even say your father’s name in passing and he could live his life freely. No burden of you.

“Ah, Younghee.” Your father got up, making you turn your head to look at a woman who was walking towards your table.

God, was he going to tell you that he was marrying this woman? Why would you even care if he gets remarried?

“I’m terribly late again, aren’t I?”

“Hardly. Is he here as well?” He? Was there a man accompanying her? Her son?

“Of course, he’s an important part of this conversation.”

“That is right. Oh, I almost forgot, this is Y/N, Younghee.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“How polite. Ah, you’re more beautiful than I thought.”

“Thank you very much.” Currently wishing the ground would swallow you whole, right about now. At least before this other guest shows up.

“Oh, Jungkook, darling, over here.” She waved someone over you, this time you stared forward. You froze as this man took a seat next to you. Fuck, you should have ditched when you still had the chance.

“Pardon my mother and I’s tardiness, sir.”

“It’s quite alright, Jungkook. All that matters is that we are all here now. Before we start, we should actually order something. Breadsticks will not get me through the night, I’m afraid.” This fucker is just going to keep dancing around the real topic for as long as he can-

“Um, I’m Jungkook. Y/N, I presume.” You looked at the man, quietly taken aback by how attractive he was. His hair was slightly parted, each hair perfectly in place. His shaped jaw highlighted his face, his pink lips were a perfect hue and he was just… perfect. But he was going to be your stepbrother, right? You shouldn’t even look at him in any other way.

“You would be right, Jungkook.”

“See, they’re already getting along.” You wanted to roll your eyes, all you did was introduce yourselves.

The waiter took your order, you quietly tapping your foot while your father acted jovial with his two guests. You only answered when addressed, quiet otherwise and hoping your food would arrive soon.

“So, Jungkook, your mother says you’re a game developer.”

“Yes, sir. Currently developing a sequel to one of my first projects.”

“My Jungkookie’s project has sold almost one billion copies globally. I’m lucky to have such a successful son.”

“Mother.”

“That’s impressive, right, Y/N?”

“Yeah, sure.” You were more interested in swirling the rich wine that sat in the glass you held in your right hand than whatever this conversation was about.

“Y/N’s in university, right? I’ve heard from your father that you have multiple companies scouting you.”

“That’s really cool.”

“Yup.” You said, taking a large swig and placing your glass on the table.

“Alright, enough of the small talk. Why are we really here?”

“Forgive her, Younghee, I’m afraid alcohol tends to loosen her lips. But I don’t mind cutting the chase.”

“It’s quite alright, I’m sure she wants to relax. After all, to be married so young in this day and age is a rarity.”

Married?

“Wait, excuse me. Who’s getting married?”

“You and Jungkook are getting married. Engaged for now.”

“Are you joking? This is a joke, right?”

“Had you not tell her? This is a lot to load on the child.”

“She could have seen it coming.”

“You’re too mean.” You got up, walking away from the table as you glared at your father. Of course, he would pull some shit like this with you now and then he has to remind you that he was in control.

“Y/N!” You didn’t look back, not caring about who was following you.

“Y/N, please.”

“Just leave me alone.”

“I can’t. Not when you’re like this.” You stopped, turning around to face Jungkook. He loosened his tie, his coat over his shoulder as he caught his breath.

“You know you walk fast in heels.”

“Why did you follow me anyways? Did your mom send you?”

“I came on my own. Your dad made some excuse about you being drinker than he thought, and my mom just accepted it. I figured it was more than that.”

“Even if it was, it’s none of your business.”

“Hard to say when we’re engaged now, Y/N.”

“I don’t want to get married to you, Jungkook.” He looked down, running his hand through his hair.

“Are you really okay with this, having everything in your life dictated by someone else? Don’t you want to know what it’s like to choose?”

“All I ask is that you give me a chance.”

“Jungkook.” How strong is his mother’s hold on him?

“I know that this is probably the worst thing that could happen to you, being forced to be stuck with someone like me but I want to show you who I am. Show you that I’m someone that you can fall in love with. If we don’t work, I’ll break the engagement myself.” You looked at him, his hand clasped together as he pleaded with you.

He looked so sincere, something in his eyes made you feel like he meant it.

“I’m holding you to that.” You replied, looking away from him and he pulled you into a sudden huh. Your body stiffened, not expecting the sudden skinship. He felt warm, the scent of his cologne making it hard to think of a better adjective.

“Thank you.”

“You’d be welcome if you let me go.” You blurted, not wanting to linger around him any longer.

“Sorry. Got a little too excited.” He cleared his throat, you avoid his eyes while you fiddled with your dress.

“Can I take you home?”

“If you’re okay with a few blocks.”

“Why not call a taxi?”

“Easier to walk.” You asserted, beginning to walk in the direction of your apartment and Jungkook could only follow you.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

 You made it home, Jungkook awkwardly bidding you goodbye while you muttered a good night before slipping inside. Thankfully, you had classes to distract you but all you could think about how your dad decided to basically sell you off for his best interests. Someone like Jungkook probably had a monopoly on the gaming industry and your father wanted to venture into technology.

Regardless of how good looking he was, how successful he is, you couldn’t shake the feeling that it was mainly your father’s and his mother’s influence that is driving him. How long can he put up this earnest act?

Give me a chance.

“Ugh.” You groaned, his words repeating in your head and you felt someone poking at your head.

“Quit it.”

“It’s only Monday.”

“That’s part of the problem, Seul.” You looked up to see her sitting next to you, she didn’t seem upset anymore.

“Then what is it? Mystery date was a dud?”

“Something like that.” More like mystery fiancé.

“What happened?” You came up with a lie, telling her that your father arranged your marriage overnight would result in questions you didn’t want to answer.

“I agreed to a second date and I’m not sure if I’m still up for it since we didn’t start on the right foot.”

“What do you like about him?”

“He’s loyal to a fault, he puts in the effort, ambitious…”

“Sounds like things you put on a resume.”

“It wasn’t the best first date.”

“But you said yes to a second one.”

“But he said some sweet things when he did. It sounded like something out of a drama.”

“Aw, he melted your heart a bit, didn’t he?”

“Shut up.” You snapped, embarrassed that you admitted that part of what he said actually affected you.

“I think you should give it a shot since you saw something in him. Plus, you could always dump him if he’s not what he seems.”

“I guess, you’re right this time.”

“What do you mean ‘this time’? Aren’t I always right?”

“You wish.” She nudged you, you were laughing in response.

After your talk with Yeseul, you felt better about the bombshell. But you figured you would have some time before you would see Jungkook. Not him standing outside of your apartment building with his hands in his pockets.

He looked formal, wearing a waistcoat with a dress shirt. You could see gloves covering his hands and you cursed yourself for immediately thinking of how hot he looked.

“Y/N.”

“At my pace, my ass.” You muttered as you tried to pretend that you couldn’t know him, but he started to jog towards you. The two of you ran in the opposite direction of your apartment until he caught you, your back pressed against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you.

“Caught you. Part of me is starting to think you like the chase.”

“I like space, which you’re invading.”

“Right, no hugs. But can we talk face to face?” He let go and you obliged to his request, currently giving him a hard stare.

“I really came because I don’t have your number, can’t give our relationship an honest try without each other’s number.” You gulped, even the word ‘relationship’ made you feel weird. He was right, you thought to yourself, you had to give this an honest try, so you could properly reject him and break it cleanly.

After all, how could you fall for someone like him?

“Y/N?”

“Huh?”

“Having daydreams about me?”

“Ha, you wish, Jeon.” You started to walk back in the direction of your house, not wanting to stay out for long.

“Not even my first name, I thought we were closer than that.”

“You have to work for it.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes.” How do you say things like that so casually, ugh? You pulled out your phone, handing it over to him to enter his number before he turned it over.

“Kookie?”

“It’s cuter hearing you actually saying it out loud.”

“I’m literally never saying that again.”

“Aw, come on Y/N, I can make up a cute nickname for you too.”

“Please don’t.”

“You seem like a sugar plum.”

“What kind of nickname is that? Sugarplum? I don’t even know what that is.”

“Have you never tried them?”

“I think your terrible nickname counts as a deterrent.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to be compared to a candy?”

“It’s not exactly something I want to hear, to be honest.”

“I promise to come up with something better.”

“A promise I wish you can’t keep.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“This is a weird hill you want to die on but by all means, go ahead.”

“At least it’s earned me a smile today.”

“You talk like the main lead in a romance drama. Just awfully cheesy.”

“I hope you’re not lactose intolerant.”

“Seriously, stop it.” You reach your apartment, the two of you talking while walking up flights of stairs until you were at your door.

“Time flies, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“I wish it would stop, kind of liked talking to you.”

“Mhm.”

“Ouch, you didn’t feel the same. I thought we had a good chat.”

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Can’t play all my cards, can I?” You unlocked your door, letting yourself in but leaving it open enough that you could still see him.

“If this is a game, hope you don’t mind losing. I play to win, Y/N.”

“We’ll see about that. Good night.”

“Night, Y/N.” You shut your door, walking into your bedroom and plopping on the bed.

I play to win, Y/N. Not on my watch, Jungkook.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“If you stare at your phone that hard, you might actually shoot laser beams at it.”

It’s been two weeks since you and Jungkook had met, the man semi occupied your thoughts. He kept his distance, probably leaving the ball in your court in terms of whether you wanted to talk to him or not.

And you hate to admit it but you did want to talk to him at least.

“Har har.”

“Is Mystery Date on your mind again? Did you have your second date?”

“I guess you could say so, it went so much smoother like I could say anything, he would know what to say back. It was nice.” God, you sounded like a high schooler in their first relationship. And you can’t even see you and Jungkook beyond acquaintances.

“So, he wasn’t a waste of time but what’s wrong now?”

“I don’t know what to text him.”

“Wait, you weren’t already texting?”

“I met him off Tinder and he wanted to delete the app so we exchanged numbers.” You lied coolly, Yeseul humming in response.

“What are you hoping this message sends to him? Not literal, like do you want him to be more enticed by you or like you’re playing a hot and cold thing with him.”

“Just that I’m open to texting.”

“Oh. You’re not ready for sexting anyways.”

“What?”

“Just send him a simple ‘hey’.”

“Isn’t that too simple?”

“But you’re just opening a conversation, you don’t need much.”

“Are you sure?”

“Y/N, do it before I do it myself.”

“Okay, okay.” You murmured, typing it out and hitting send. He must have seen it, the familiar three dots appearing on your screen before his message came.

I didn’t think you would actually text me, I was preparing to camp out your apartment door.

I would totally call apartment security if you did.

So mean, honey bun.

Honeybun? I think you should retire from this nickname thing, it was funny the first time and now it’s just sad.

No good, huh? I have gotten plenty more to try out.

I swear I’m going to block you if you do.

Fine, I won’t try them out here. But believe me when I say that I’m going to have the perfect nickname for you and you’re going to love me for it

Sure, Jeon.

You do realize my name is actually Jeon Jungkook, not Jeon?

I am aware

Man, you play hard to get on the hardest mode, but I’m not giving up. I’m going to capture your heart.

“Oh my gosh, he’s going to ‘capture your heart’. He found your weakness, sappy lines.”

“They are not my weakness.”

“Please, all I have to say is ‘Don’t let go-”

“It’s too soon, Yeseul. Okay, too soon.”

“Are you sniffling?”

“Shut it.”

Great, you got my friend in on your corny lines

Aw, you talked about me to your friends? Can’t keep us a secret, babe? ;)

I rather keep it a secret but I need advice.

Advice?

Yeah, how to deal with such a shameless man.

Hey, I have some shame. It take a lot of confidence to talk to a girl like you, I feel like you can see through me

So, you know to not waste my time.

Time with me is always worth it, trust me.

Mhm

Somehow that hurt more than when you do that in person.

Hey, Y/N, I’m really happy you texted me but I gotta go? Talk to me later or something.

Don’t play too hard

That’s literally my job, Y/N but seriously bye J

“He sounds cute.”

“He’s something else, really.”

“I know you like to keep people at an arm's length but it really looks like he wants to be centimetres apart if you catch my drift.”

“We’ve been out twice, I’m not going to sleep with him.”

“Is he hot?”

“Objectively.”

“What kind of answer is that?”

“I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“I’m going to tell you to bag him.”

“You’re nuts.”

“No, it’s been two weeks since you met, he seems pretty decent and he’s objectively hot, whatever that means.”

“I still need to get to know him.”

“Just take him for a test drive.“

“Yeseul!”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

You were scrolling through your twitter feed, reading some thread exposing another influencer when you heard a knock on your door.

“Coming.” You said, walking over and opening it to Jungkook.

He lost the business attire, wearing a simple black shirt and jeans. Fine, so it wasn’t the suits that made him look so hot.

“Wow.”

“Is there a reason you showed up on this fine Saturday?”

“Because I want to take you out. Plus I got to see you in shorts.”

“My eyes are up here, Jeon.”

“Wait, let me admire them a bit longer.” You were about to swing the door shut when he stopped the door.

“I was just joking, Y/N. But would you like to go out with me?”

“You don’t mean like a date, do you?”

“Whatever you want it to be.”

“Then we can hang out, Jungkook.”

“You said my name.”

“Did I? Must have been a slip of the tongue, Jeon.”

“Shoot, I should have enjoyed it while it lasted.”

“You can wait in the living room. Touch anything and I’ll have your head.”

“You’re joking, right?” You smiled in response.

“Oh.”

“So where are we going?”

“Somewhere fun, casual.”

“How descriptive.”

“It’s no fun if I tell you everything. You’ll know when we get there.”

“Of course I would because we would already be there.”

“Just get changed, Y/N.”

“Bossy.” You teased, going into your bedroom to change.

Should I dress up for him? But the most we are is friends and since when did friends have to impress each other? Gosh, why are you even thinking about this? Just toss something together!

You put on a crop top and some shorts, joining Jungkook in the living room after brushing your hair.

“Let’s go.” You clapped your hands together, getting Jungkook’s attention and walking towards the front door.

You thought you heard Jungkook mutter under his breath, making you quietly smirk before turning to look at him.

“Is something the matter?”

“Of course not. After you.” The two of you opted for the elevator, you listening to Jungkook hum melodically. He led you to his car, opening the door for you and you sat with a quiet ‘thank you’.

“Are you really not going to tell me?”

“I’ll give you a hint. It’s a building in this city.”

“I see you can be mean too.”

“Taste of your own medicine. A bit bitter, isn’t it?”

“You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?”

“A bit.”

“Hmph.”

“Sounds more cute than angry.”

“You’re a strange man.”

“Only to you, Y/N. Mother says I’m the most perfect person in the world, you’re a close second though.” You rolled your eyes, you’re surprised he went so long without mentioning his mother and chose now to bring her up.

“Of course she does. You’re her baby boy.”

“Oh shit, forgot about your father.”

“Let’s keep him forgotten.”

“Alright.”

“I’m surprised you know how to drive.”

“What a weird comment. Why wouldn’t I know?”

“You seemed like the type to have drivers, mommy won’t want her baby to get into an accident.”

“I’m not that much of a momma’s boy. I have a motorcycle license, I’ll have you know.”

“You? On a motorcycle?”

“I was 18 and feeling rebellious. It explains the earrings too.”

“They suit you actually.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, I have to see you on a bike.”

“Depends, will you take a ride with me?”

“You just want an excuse to get me to hug you, don’t you?”

“Damn, nothing gets past you. But I miss the night rides and it’s nicer with company.”

“I might take you up on that.”

“I guess I better dust off the old bike, then.”

“It’s not a date, remember that.”

“I know, I know.” He pulled into a parking lot, smoothly reversing into a spot before the two of you getting out.

“This way.” You followed him, the sign a dead giveaway and you smiled.

“I could have guessed that you would pick an arcade.”

“It’s fun and casual.”

“Hey, Ms. Han.”

“Oh, Jungkook honey, you came! Who is this lovely woman? Your girlfriend?”

“No, she’s just a friend, Ms. Han.”

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Y/N.” You bowed to her and she waved her hands.

“No need to be so formal, a friend of Jungkookie is a friend of mine. This rascal has been coming to this arcade for years, even skipping classes to beat the high scores on most of these machines.”

“Is that so? What a bad boy.”

“Hey, don’t gang up on me. I still did well, didn’t I, Ms. Han?”

“With the skin of your teeth. You’re lucky you were a talented kid, now a big name game developer.”

“I’m still the same Jungkook.”

“You are the reason I still have banana milk in my fridge.”

“My favourite. Thank you, Ms. Han.”

“Ah, you.” Jungkook cheekily smiles before laughing, soon enough the three of you were. You took a seat at a machine, Jungkook sitting next to you and playing.

“Wanna make a bet?”

“Depends, what do I win?”

“Your most embarrassing baby photo.”

“Blackmail material, huh? Won’t put it past you.”

“Humour me with what you think you’ll win.”

“You let me take you out on a real date.”

“Aiming high, aren’t you?”

“Of course, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. You in?”

“Better be ready to hand that picture over tomorrow.”

“Don’t count on it, babe.” There’s the damned nickname, hearing it in person has the same effect as it does typed out. You didn’t let it seem obvious, focusing on the machine and the two of you playing a single round.

“I win. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sweet blackmail material.”

“Sure, after our date.”

“That isn’t part of the deal.”

“Check the scores again, Y/N.” You looked at the two screens, Jungkook putting his arm around your shoulder with a smile on his face.

10660 to 1066…5. He beat you by 5 points.

“How.”

“I’ve been playing since high school, I think I’m losing my touch. I have the high score on this game, I think.”

“I want a rematch.”

“If that’s what you want.” You tried different combos, putting all your focus on your character and finishing with a better score than the first time.

“Beat you by 10, this time.”

“Are you cheating?”

“I think it’s a classic case of sore loseritis.”

“I am not a sore loser, just can’t wrap my head around you beating me.”

“Well, I am a game developer. If I were horrible at games, that would be ironic.”

“This isn’t fair.”

“Wait here, I’ll get you some banana milk.” You frowned at him, watching him go into the back and Ms. Han hit you with a rag.

“He looks really happy with you.”

“I think he just likes winning games.”

“This is a different kind of happy, the smile on his face looks different than when he sees me coming into the arcade with a carton of banana milk or hearing about how the neighbourhood kids talked about his game.”

“It’s like he’s in love. Just like that girl he used to talk about in high school.”

“Jungkook had a crush?”

“But he has you now. Keep your eye on him for me, will you Y/N?”

“I-”

“Ms. Han, you’re running low on banana milk.”

“Ya, you punk, you should supply your own.”

“I promise I’ll buy some next time. Y/N, here.” He handed you a bottle, the straw already inserted and you took a sip. It was really sweet, you never thought he would like something like this.

“Can we book a karaoke room?”

“For how long?”

“An hour.”

“Jungkook.”

“I want to hang out with you a bit longer.” That innocent comment led to the two of you singing the opening to Naruto three times and you two belting Unravel on the top of your lungs.

You took a seat, tired and Jungkook sang on his own. He had such a pretty voice, each note sounding perfect in your ears. Is there anything he can’t do?

“One more song?”

“You’re totally going to lose your voice.”

“I’m dedicating this song to you, Y/N.”

“Oh my god.” You covered your face, laughing as he dramatically pointed at you and he entered the code.

The gentle piano played through the speakers and he kept his eyes on the screen as he sang. It was a simple love ballad, it felt like he was truly saying these words to you.

“Are you crying?”

“Shut up, that was beautiful you ass.”

“I’m not sure whether to be offended or flattered.”

“It’s a compliment, you jerk.”

“Okay… let’s take you home.”

You followed him out to his car, going back to your apartment.

“Are we really going on a date?”

“Why? Can’t wait?”

“I rather not.”

“But we had so much fun today.”

“But it wasn’t a date.”

“I know. But it was a test run for our real date.”

“You planned this out, didn’t you?”

“No comment.”

“I can admire the sneakiness.”

“I planned the whole thing, except for the little chat between you and Ms. Han.”

“Did you eavesdrop?”

“No, I thought she would say something embarrassing that I rather not relive.”

“Really, not even the girl you had a crush on?”

“She didn’t tell you her name, did she?”

“No, but now I’m curious. A girl that got your attention, wonder what she was like? Could she be the reason you got all rebellious?”

“Hey, save these questions for our date.”

“You’re serious about that?”

“Of course. Let me walk you up.” He locked his doors behind the two of you, taking you up to your floor while talking with you more.

“Just what I wanted to see.” You looked at your father standing out of your apartment, Jungkook stopping behind you. He smirked at the two of you, your blood boiling as he adjusted his cuff links.

“Why are you here?”

“Is there something unusual about a father caring about his only daughter?”

“You? Care about me? When did that start? When I became an asset to you to use?”

“Watch your words, girl. Do you realize who you’re speaking to?”

“A deadbeat father who chose money over me.”

“You-” You shut your eyes, knowing what should come next but it didn’t. Opening your eyes, you saw Jungkook holding your father’s arm and he let go.

“Remember this, Y/N, your life was never yours. Never.” He spat, walking off and Jungkook turned to you.

“He’s done that before, hasn’t he?”

“I push his buttons a lot, don’t I?”

“You don’t have to tell me but I won’t let him get away with it anymore. Okay?” You let him hug this time, holding onto a piece of his shirt for a moment. He didn’t make you say it, thankfully but he knew what your father truly was at least.  

His hand patted your hair, the soft gesture melting your heart a bit. Your mother used to do the same thing when you were scared at night before you’d fall asleep she would say these words:

“I’ll protect you.”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

 Yeseul came over, tossing dresses in your direction and currently spazzing while you dodged.

“Oh my god, how come you have like nothing to wear?”

“We’re standing in like a hill of my clothes right now.”

“And yet you still have nothing to wear.”

“Maybe I should get a raincheck.”

“Oh hell no, I can finally meet this mystery man tonight and you can’t take that away from me.”

“Yeseul, calm down.”

“I am calm.” So not calm. You sighed, just fishing through the clothes that Yeseul chucked and finding a simple little black dress.

“That is it. Simple, chic and elegant. My tossing abilities have never failed me.” You rolled your eyes, knowing better than to argue with Yeseul about her not noticing it when she initially tossed it at you but there was no point being a dead horse.

After putting on the dress and Yeseul becoming an impromptu hair and makeup artist, you waited for Jungkook.

You heard him knock and Yeseul sprinted to the door before you could make three steps.

“Oh my god, he’s hotter than I imagined.”

“You must be Yeseul.”

“So you have talked about me.”

“Yeah, just the usual, you being annoying and slightly overbearing. Everyday things.”

“Sometimes I wonder how Jungkook managed to get through 2 months of you without even thinking he needs a break.”

“I think about it every day, try me.”

“Oh yeah, you can start right now.”

“Oh no, missy, and pass up on this date when you’ve dressed up so beautifully? I’d would have to be locked up in an asylum.”

“I told you you looked hot.” Yeseul boasted.

“Hush.”

“Now, I’m stealing Y/N for the night. Not sure if I’ll get her back by morning.”

“By all means, take her.”

“Gee, Yeseul, some friend you are.”

“Have fun, lovebirds.”  She rushed you both out, giving you a thumbs up and wink. You cocked an eyebrow, Jungkook leading you away and you were met with a midnight blue motorcycle.

“You weren’t joking.”

“I’d never joke about my Harley. Come on.” You took the helmet from him, placing it on your head and sitting behind him.

“Trust me and hold on.” You listen to the bike roaring to life before purring as he began to ride. He weaved through traffic carefully, probably because of you and parked at a restaurant.

“Can I..um…hold your hand?”

“Yeah.” You breathed, Jungkook quietly lacing his fingers between yours and leading you into the restaurant.

“Reservation for Mr. Jeon.”

“Right this way, sir.” The host led you to your table, an intimate booth with virtually no one in sight.

“A waiter will be with your shortly to take your orders.” He said, walking away and leaving you with Jungkook.

“Are you nervous?”

“I wasn’t expecting you to look this beautiful, it’s kind of distracting.”

“Should I be offended or flattered?”

“You’re beautiful.”

“You’re pretty handsome, I guess.”

“Compliments with you are like pulling teeth.”

“At least you know how much I mean it when I say one due to their rarity.”

“Point taken. But I’m going to keep telling you how beautiful you are until it sticks.”

“You might give me a big head.”

“Even so, you would be beautiful.”

“Charmer.”

“I aim to please, babe. Since you like it when I call you that.”

“When did I-”

“Didn’t think I would notice how you gulp anytime I said it and you look to your left?”

“Okay, that’s weird for you to notice.”

“It’s because I’m always looking at you. It’s hard to keep my eyes off you.”

“Sap.”

“But you drink it up like syrup.”

“Doesn’t make it any less sappy.”

“Fair enough.” The waiter came by, the two of you placing your orders and once again were left to each other.

“What was your childhood like?”

“Always with the hard questions, Y/N. Dad was busy expanding his empire and legacy, Mom took care of me and my older brother. My older brother started working for our dad, spending more time with the company then getting married and putting any other free time into his wife.”

“It was me and mom for a while, but my dad would come back to remind me that I was his son and he’s the one calling the shots.”

“I remember the day I ran off after turning 18, spending countless nights mindlessly riding through cities, spending nights in bars and crashing at random people’s houses to get by. My mother came for me with two men to drag me back home, my father was gone. Fucked off to god knows where.”

“Mom was lonely and so was I, so we lived together. I put my time into game development, being one of the lucky ones to hit big with my first project and here am I.”

“I guess a power-hungry father is a trope we share.”

“You’re right.”

“But you’re conveniently forgetting this mystery crush from high school.”

“She was so carefree, always doing what she wanted but never in the way of others. Like a bird. She flew away, out of my life for years.”

“Do you know what happened to her?”

“I.. don’t, could only guess she’s happy now.”

“I’m surprised your crush wasn’t a video game character.”

“Lara Croft is still my number one.”

“I see, that’s why you like shorts so much.”

“It was an awakening.” You tittered, he’s such a goofball.

“Your turn.”

“It was just me, my father and mom. My mom died in my first year of middle school, dad starts nosediving into work and I had to raise myself. Dad came home one day and told me that we shouldn’t be associated with each other anymore. Sent me away after high school and occasionally pops in to make me feel like I’m nothing without him.”

“You’re more than what he could ever be. He’s just a grumpy piece of shit.”

“It’s nice to hear someone else finally say it.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” He reached for your hand, his thumb stroking the back of your palm.

“Yeah.” He caught your eyes, the two of you having a quiet conversation through eye contact. You didn’t know what to say next until Jungkook started to wiggle his eyebrows at you.

“God.” You started to laugh, breaking eye contact.

“I win.”

“When was this a competition?”

“Since I said it was.”

“Is everything a game to you?”

“Not when it comes to like… serious stuff.”

“How profound, Jungkook.”

“I should be a philosopher.” You shook your head, him chuckling to himself. The waiter came around with your food, appreciating the arrangement before taking a bite.

It was silent yet comfortable. The quite clatter for utensils against dishes left you to think about this moment in time.

You would have never thought that you would be able to sit across Jungkook, being about to joke around with each other and just feel happy in each other’s company.

Didn’t think that you’d find yourself talking every day, hanging out whenever you were free, sometimes even missing him- Wait, when did things become so different?

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s just you got a little something on your cheek.” You took a napkin, gently wiping his cheek before he could. He watched you, those brown eyes drinking the sight of you and you felt like you were drowning.

His hand came to cover yourself when you were about to pull away. Your face grew hot, his large hand clasped over yours against his cheek while he gazed into your eyes. You were slowly becoming his leading lady and you hadn’t even realized it until now.

“I like you.”

“What?”

“I like you, Y/N. Not because of our parents, but because I got to see parts of you that I didn’t know existed. You’re witty, competitive, smart, beautiful, everything I could ever want and need.”

“Jungkook.”

“Tell me I’m not crazy for feeling like this, that I’m not the only one.”

“You’re not crazy.”

“But how do you feel about me?”

“Promise me you won’t grow a big head.”

“I won’t grow a big head all of a sudden.”

“I think you’re different from who I thought you were.”

“Good different?”

“Good different. Maybe more than that.”

“I’ll take it.”

 ───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

 You took off your helmet, fixing your hair and Jungkook getting off after shutting his bike off.

“You totally rode slower this time.”

“It’s the only time you’ll hold me.”

“That’s because…you’re the affectionate one.”

“And I’ve been deprived, you know.”

“You have my permission now.” He took a step closer to you, his hand gently smoothing over a strand of your hair before tucking it behind your ear. His hand swiftly moved to hold your cheek before he looked into your eyes.

“I want to kiss you so badly.”

“Please do.” You breathed mindlessly before he leaned in.

He was gentle, your kiss barely touching before you pulled on his tie to reel him closer. Your mind was racing faster than your heart, the softness of his lips blocking out any other thought beside Jungkook.

He tasted like the champagne you two shared, the sweet taste more intoxicating than the actual alcohol. You melted, him wrapping an arm around your waist and temporarily breaking your kiss.

You dived back in, not wanting to let go the feeling his lips gave you. It hadn’t occurred to you that you were waiting for this for so long, holding back for what?

You pulled away, needing to breath and he held you close. His heart was pounding as hard as you was while you quietly listened against his chest.

“Give me your hand.”

“Now, close your eyes.”

“You’re getting bossy, you know.”

“Sometimes I like to wear pants, you know.”

“Don’t get used to it. I like control.”

“Then I’m all yours. Open them.” You looked your hand, seeing a ring on your ring finger.

It was a silver band with red heart crystals embedded around it.

“It’s just a promise ring. A promise that I’ll be by your side… as your boyfriend.”

“Jungkook.”

“Will you be my girl?”

“Of course, I will, Kookie.”

[arumin-arureruto]

Honeytea PT 1

Kyoya x fem reader and Hikaru x fem reader, Kyoya angst, Hikaru slowburn.

Warnings: manipulation, Kyoya angst

word count: 2k

songs to listen to while reading:

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

Everything I wanted - Billie Eilish

Bitches Broken Heart - Billie Eilish

(I'll probably make a Spotify playlist at some point)

Outfit reader is wearing:

"ouch" the boiling hot water dripped from the tip of the tea kettle and onto your hand

"Mrs Ootori let me help you with that" said one of the kitchen workers as she rushed to your aid, already grabbing a towel.

"Oh no it's ok, this is for Kyoya and I would like to make him tea myself, I haven't been in a kitchen in so long though it seems I'm a bit rusty." you laughed while running your hand under cold water.

The water helped soothe the burning but you would definitely feel an unpleasant sting later.

This time you payed more attention as you poured the water into the mug.

Looking through the assortments of tea you tried looking for Kyoya's favorite, mint and passionfruit.

You put the tea bag in the water and put back all the other tea boxes, you and Kyoya used to love buying exotic teas from all around the world and trying them. The thought of doing something as simple as drinking tea with your husband made you smile.

You picked up the mug and started walking out of the kitchen, smiling at the staff that were busy at work already prepping for tomorrow's meals.

The manor's halls were dimly lit and empty, Kyoya insisted on buying a big lavish house even though it was just you two most of the time.

Walking slowly as to not spill any of the tea all you could hear was your breathing and your bare feet hitting the cold marble floor.

When you got to Kyoya's office you knocked, and waited for permission to come in.

No answer.

You knocked again and waited.

Still no answer.

You grabbed the doorknob thinking you'd just let yourself in when you remembered what happened last time you walked into his office without permission.

A chill went down your spine and you felt a lump in your throat.

"It's okay, he said it wouldn't happen again" you thought to yourself.

Still you decided to try knocking one more time, after you knocked the third time you heard Kyoya's voice coming from behind the door.

"You may come in"

You slowly opened the door and walked inside, still holding the mug in your hand.

"How can I help you?" he asked not looking up from his laptop.

"I brought you some tea" you hesitantly put it down on his desk, your hands already missing the warmth the mug provided.

"I appreciate it, you may leave" he still wasn't looking at you.

"Actually I was wondering if you wanted to come to bed with me?" you spoke the words quickly and nervously.

"No thank you, I am quite busy at the moment and would like some peace and quiet to continue my work if you don't mind."

"You've been leaving earlier for work and staying up later to finish it, I've just been feeling lonely and wanted to spend some time together that's all"

oh no.

Word vomit.

You did not mean to say that thought out loud.

Kyoya let out a loud and annoyed sigh, he stood up from his desk and started walking towards you.

You felt your heart beating in your ears and a lump starting to form in your throat as his tall lanky figure approached you.

Already preparing yourself for the worst you closed your eyes and looked down.

"Like I said, I am busy at the moment with important work and do not have time to deal with you and your loneliness, will I have to repeat myself a second time?"

His mouth was right next to your ear, you could feel his warm breath on your neck.

"No, I understand" you said, voice barely above a whisper.

"Then you may leave"

you gave a quick nod and turned to leave, already feeling the tears in your eyes threatening to spill while he returned to his desk.

"Y/n, before you leave I ask that you learn your place in this house, you are in no position to waltz into my office and demand that I drop everything to spend time with you, do you hear me?"

You stopped in your tracks. His voice was cold and emotionless, the chill you felt earlier returning.

Your voice shook a little.

"Yes"

"Good, then we understand each other my dear."

You hurried and left Kyoya's office quickly, tears streaming down your face.

You had only been married for a year and 4 months, why was your marriage already dying? Before you got engaged you and Kyoya had already been dating for almost 3 years so you knew he did like you, what happened?

You continued walking to your room, the house's unwelcoming atmosphere making you want to ball up and cry even more.

When you got to the room you and Kyoya shared you frantically looked for your phone, turning over pillows and accidentally messing up the tidy bed one of the maids had made.

"Son of a bitch where is it" you thought while continuing to search the bed. Your vision was blurry because of the tears so that didn't help.

After 5 minutes of turning the room upside down for it you found your phone, sitting neatly on your vanity.

You quickly picked it up and hurriedly scrolled down your contact list.

Majority of the numbers were women from families Kyoya thought it would be beneficial for you to associate with, your actual friends and family took up less than 30% of the numbers in your phone.

After scrolling for a little longer you found the number you had been looking for.

You quickly called the number and waited while it rang.

"Hey this is Hikaru leave a message, or don't, I really don't care."

fuck

It was pretty late so he was probably asleep, but you decided to try again.

You paced around the room and waited while the phone rang a second time.

After what it felt like ages you finally heard a voice.

"y/n?"

Your spirits started to lift and a little smile crept up to your face.

"Hikaru? I'm sorry did I wake you up"

Hikaru let out a sleepy laugh.

"Yeah you big head it's almost midnight, its fine though, what's up? You sound weird"

"I'm-"

You froze, should you tell him?Should you tell him that your marriage was falling apart? That you felt out of place in your own home? that you felt lonelier then ever?

"I've actually been having a pretty shitty night" you laughed, mostly out of nervousness than joy.

Suddenly you couldn't hold it in anymore, tears started running down your face again and you let out a loud, guttural sob.

"Sorry I didn't want you to hear that" you laughed again as you wiped your nose with the sleeves of your robe.

"Y/n what's going on?" Hikaru's voice grew alarmed

"I don't think I can do this over the phone, I have to talk to you, in person."

"Ok I'll come over right now if you want."

It sounded like he was stumbling out of bed and putting on his slippers.

"Oh no no its fine, it can wait till tomorrow" you said quickly, even if Kyoya wasn't home you needed some time alone to think so Hikaru coming over right now was out of the question.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still sounding worried.

"Yes I'm sure, I'll talk to you tomorrow"

"Ok but are you 100% sure?"

You felt a smile creep onto your face

"Go back to sleep Hitachiin"

"Whatever you say Ootori"

You laughed again, this time a genuine laugh.

"Goodnight Hikaru"

"Goodnight y/n"

You hung up, feeling happier than you were before.

You threw your phone on the bed and went into the bathroom that connected to your bedroom to wash your face.

After splashing some cold water on your face you looked into the mirror and almost didn't recognize the woman before you.

What happened?

You had everything anyone could want. Looks, money, power, a rich handsome husband, a high status in society.

Your eyes didn't have the same glint they did back in high school, you felt as if you had aged 2 decades in just 8 years.

You and Kyoya had started dating in your senior year of high school, he was attending his first year at Ouran University and he proposed to you right after he graduated while you were starting your 4th year at the university.

You were happy, everything was going great, it all started going downhill after you got married.

Kyoya became cold, it's as if after he had you wrapped around his finger he didn't bother trying to please you. Sometimes you wondered if the only reason he targeted you was because of how it would make him look, but you couldn't think of a way in which marrying a commoner that was attending Ouran on a scholarship would benefit him in any way.

You tried forgetting those awful thoughts, no, Kyoya loved you, you guys were just going through some hard times as do any couples.

As you leaned on the sink staring at your own reflection you heard Kyoya coming into the room.

You took one last look in the mirror to make sure any traces of your crying were gone.

you turned around and there was Kyoya, silently staring at you while leaning on the door frame.

You didn't know what to do so you just leaned with your back on the sink while he slowly approached you.

He ran his hands down the side of your body down to your thighs and put this face in the crook of your neck.

He inhaled and exhaled, hands feeling the back of your thighs.

"God you smell amazing"

Just his deep voice close to your ear was enough to make your legs go weak.

No.

Sex wasn't getting him out of this.

Until he used words to apologize you weren't going to give him anything.

"I thought you were busy" You said harshly.

"I took care of things that couldn't be delayed, everything else can wait until tomorrow." You could feel his breathing speeding up.

no, nope. Until he apologized he would get nothing.

"Hmm" you said, still not giving him a reaction.

He seemed to pick up on your strategy because he lifted you up and put you on the bathroom counter.

The cold marble against your bare thigh scared you but before you could process the feeling Kyoya put his mouth on your neck and sucked the skin.

Since you were caught by surprise you couldn't suppress the moan that came out of your mouth.

"Now now Mrs Ootori, what troubles you? Giving me the cold shoulder isn't very nice." he was whispering in your ear while undoing your silk robe.

Your own breathing was starting to speed up and you could feel heat pooling at the bottom of your underwear.

"How about you try apologizing?" You didn't try to stop him from undoing your robe.

"And why would I do that?" he asked while feeling the exposed skin on your collarbone with his nose.

"For the way you treated me when I went into your office" You said, anger starting to return.

"To be fair you interrupted me while I was doing very important work and it made me upset, so who here should really be apologizing?"

He was right, you knew how much he valued his work time and you still interrupted him.

Ashamed, you put your head down.

"I'm sorry" you mumbled.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you"

"I'm sorry" this time you said it louder.

Kyoya lifted his head up to look you in the eyes.

"Good girl. Now, there are other ways you could apologize to me."

He picked you up by your thighs from the bathroom counter and carried you to the bed.

By then your robe was already discarded on the bathroom floor and you laid on the bed, just in a thin and short sleeping gown.

Kyoya took off his shirt and pants and straddled himself on top of you, arms on either sides of your head.

Although you laid there with your husband on top of you, all you could think about was seeing your best friend the next day.

A/N: Hey babes so this is just the first chapter, I'm definitely making this a slowburn so expect a lot of chapters. As a Kyoya girl this was painful to write </3, anyways love y'all!!!

[my-arlington-academia]

Kissing the cards of the Crystal 6 goodnight 🌌🌙 (headcanons/scenarios)

Since the crystal 6 can feel a "tingle" when Seeker draws their card from the deck during a reading, that got me thinking: What if they also feel a "tingle" through their card when Seeker is touching it outside of a reading? Or in this case, what if Seeker kisses it? 🤔

Chaya

- Blushes right away

- What she felt... it was lips, right?

- "B-but why would Seeker kiss my card? That’s kind of silly, maybe I’m mistaken..."

- Spoilers: she wasn’t mistaken 😂

- This feeling comes only when Seeker is alone in their room

- Chaya quickly comes to the conclusion that this isn’t just a random feeling she gets out of nowhere, it really is Seeker kissing her card before falling asleep...

- She tries to confront them about it, although really shyly

- "Seeker, I don’t mean to pry b-but... You’ve been doing something to my card lately, right?"

- Seeker just goes silent for a moment

- "So... You could feel that?!? Oh God..."

- Chaya is really confused, she’s unsure of what to do next and just sorta stands there silently until Seeker calms down

- Does that mean Seeker will stop doing that?! Chaya regrets confronting them now, it’s not like she disliked it

- On the contrary, if she had to be completely honest, she liked it. A lot.

- "Will... Will you stop doing it? I’m totally fine with it so you can keep going! Uh- only if you want to, of course!"

- Seeker is not dumb, they got the message: Chaya likes the feeling she gets when they kiss her card

- And so, they get a little bit cocky. Seeker takes Chaya’s card out of the deck and kisses it right in front of her

- As always, Chaya blushes but she covers her face this time, knowing that Seeker is watching her reaction

- "Wh-what was that for?! You can just kiss me directly when we’re together..."

Kera

- Understands what it is right away although she doesn’t 100% get why Seeker is doing that

- Sometimes, she doubts her judgement a bit because of the confusion, though she quickly gets back on track

- "Come on, Kera. What they’re doing is obvious, stop doubting yourself..."

- Tries to ignore it, thinks to herself "What they’re doing alone is none of my business."

- But after mulling it over some more: No actually, it is her business.

- It’s her card and she’s bound to it so she obviously feels everything that’s happening to it

- Why is she trying so hard to ignore this???

- "Feeling shy is not like me." Kera thinks to herself. She finally decides to confront Seeker, and she’s really honest about it

- "I know you’ve been kissing my card from time to time. Could you tell me why you’re doing that? It... It confuses me."

- Seeker tenses up immediately and avoids Kera’s gaze while trying to explain it

- "I see... So you’re attracted to me and kissing my card goodnight pleases you in some weird way? ...Alright."

- Seeker is losing it, well yes, long story short it’s what they said but still...

- "...Don’t look down like that. You can keep doing it. I didn’t want to admit it at first but... Frankly, I enjoy that feeling."

- Seeker is a bit surprised, they’re used to Kera’s bluntness but they didn’t expect her to actually like something of this sort

- Unconvinced, Seeker takes the card out from the deck and places a gentle kiss on it

- Kera tries to stay stoic at the contact, and yet her pale skin betrays her. Even the slightest blush is clearly visible on her cheeks.

Maeve

- Gets it immediately and is eager to tease Seeker about it

- Goes to search for them and finds them quite easily

- "Oh, of course they would be in their room..."

- Doesn’t want to be too aggressive about it so she knocks a few times

- "Heyyy~ Owner? May I get an explanation as to what you’re doing to my card right now? Even better if it’s a cohesive one and not some fresh served BS pretty please~"

- Seeker opens the door in a hurry, cheeks flushed

- "What...! Ugh. Don’t tell me you felt that?"

- "I sure did. ❤"

- Seeker tries hopelessly to dodge the question and change the subject... really clumsily

- "...Wow. You won’t fool anyone with that cute face of yours, you know?~"

- She pinches their cheek and Seeker backs away

- "P-please don’t. You don’t get how mortified I am right now..."

- "Aww come on, there’s no need for that. It felt kind of nice, actually. Why don’t you try to do it again?"

- Swiftly, Maeve steals the deck out of Seeker’s pocket and draws her card, then she holds it in front of their lips

- "No need to be shy~ If you did it once already then surely you can do it again?"

- Reluctantly, Seeker closes their eyes and softly places a kiss on the card

- She would never admit it, but Maeve liked that kiss more than she should have...

- "See? It wasn’t that hard now, was it? ❤ Goodnight~"

Mikael

- Is really perplexed. Why would Seeker do that?

- There’s no way they’re wrong, Mikael is really in tune with their card by now to make this kind of rookie mistake

- Well, it’s not like there’s a need to confront Seeker about it. It was probably just a one time thing although Mikael isn’t sure as to why they did it in the first place

- Spoilers: it wasn’t a "one time" thing 😉

- Almost every evening/night, Mikael feels this pleasant sensation... but why?

- It’s not like them to get so curious but... Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?

- "Seeker, I’ve noticed that at about the same time every night, I feel some pleasant sensation go through my body. I have the suspicion that you’re the one behind this. Am I wrong?"

- Seeker goes into panic mode

- "O-Oh- Uh. Yes, I’m so sorry, I won’t do it again-"

- Mikael reassures them immediately, they just want to know why Seeker is doing it, that’s all

- "Well I- Ugh, that’s so embarrassing... For a little while now, I got the habit of kissing your card goodnight before I fall asleep... Please don’t think I’m a creep."

- Mikael is taken aback by this, they’re not sure what they expected but it surely wasn’t this

- "No worries. I was merely curious, that’s all. And I like the feeling I get when you do that so please, don’t stop that lovely "habit" of yours. Plus, if you wouldn’t mind..."

- Mikael gently slides their hand into Seeker’s pocket and takes their card out of it

- "...Kiss it in front of me, you’ll see that this doesn’t make me feel unpleasant at all."

- Seeker does as they’re told and seeing Mikael’s reaction to it, well... they don’t want to stop with only one kiss.

Reyes

- Doesn’t fully get it and tries to pass it as "just a random jolt" the first time it happens

- The 2nd time, he wants to believe that it’s just some weird coincidence or something

- But the 3rd time... There’s no way around it, Seeker is doing something to his card and he’s not sure if that "something" pleases him, knowing what it is

- It may be the first time that he’s hoping for his intuition to be wrong

- Tries to ignore it even after having figured out that Seeker is the one doing this (obviously) he doesn’t want to talk to them about this matter... or like, talk to them at all

- It would be kind of annoying... but mostly really awkward to be honest

- However, It starts to happen too regularly so he finally decides to confront Seeker about it

- "Listen here. I know what you’ve been doing to my card these last few weeks and I’d appreciate it if you stopped doing that."

- Seeker is really embarrassed at first but they quickly get a hold of themselves

- "...Aren’t you curious as to why I’m doing it?"

- Reyes actually questioned himself a lot about it, not like he would admit that so easily though

- "...What, you’re really bored or something? You want to annoy me, is that it?"

- "No. I’m just wishing you a good night."

- "I- Y-you know that we can’t actually sleep for real, right? Are you completely stupid?!"

- Oh boy... getting that sweet answer flustered him a lot more than intended, Seeker loves this side of him

- "Details. On that note, it’s getting quite late so..."

- Seeker draws Reyes’s card from the deck and places a soft kiss on it, Reyes flinches at the contact

- "Goodnight, Reyes."

- "You- *sigh* Whatever, do what you want... Goodnight."

Vinn

- Wonders what it is the first time he feels it, this type of thing has never happened to him before

- A little "tingle" from time to time when a Master draws his card from the deck, sure. But this "tingle" has never felt this good...

- It happens more and more frequently and- is that the feeling of lips on his cheek??

- He starts looking forward to that "feeling" every night

- Somehow, it always happens when Seeker is about to fall asleep

- He’s really hoping he’s not wrong and that this "feeling" is caused by Seeker kissing his card

- It’s really romantic in a way, but he’s scared of getting the wrong idea

- And so, he tries asking Seeker about it

- "So... How to say this. Don’t freak out but- you um, you kiss my card every night before going to bed, don’t you?"

- Seeker almost spits out their tea

- "Well uh- H-how...? Don’t tell me you feel a "tingle" of some sort?"

- Vinn places his right hand on the back of his neck, he didn’t expect to feel so shy about this to be perfectly honest

- "More than just a "tingle" actually. It feels really good..."

- "So you don’t want me to stop doing it?"

- "W-What?! Of course not! Why would I not like to be kissed goodnight? I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t the one making this up because of my wishful thinking.... Actually-

- Vinn points at Seeker’s pocket, understanding more or less what he means by that, they take the deck out of their pocket and draw Vinn’s card

- "...Can you kiss it while looking at me?"

- Seeker is really embarrassed because of this whole situation but seeing how Vinn is also blushing... well, let’s say they’re not the only one to feel this way

- Seeker places a gentle kiss on the card, resulting in Vinn’s blush switching to a darker shade of red. Nonetheless, Vinn smiles cheerfully at them, Seeker’s heart melts at the sight.

[sunshinejihyun]

Chocolatey Giggles - Kiro’s Birthday 2021

Author’s note: happy birthday, you big goofball. I love you so much.

the little scene I mention with Lucien is based off @dreamer-hyun​‘s WONDERFUL fic called ‘watch the universe expand’. Go read it, it’s amazing.

Word Count: 1580

Warnings: brief mention of unrequited love concerning Lucien, unedited bc im toired

Masterlist

Kiro had awoken before her; he was expecting sunlight to be streaming in through their windows, casting a glow over her soft but he was instead met with a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning.

He must have slept the night through, but with the worried lines creasing her forehead, Kiro knew she hadn’t slept well. He gently pulled the covers up over her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead before getting out of the bed and stretching.

Even though it was his birthday, Kiro still had to work. The life of an idol never stopped, even when he wish his Evol was more like Victor’s; Kiro would love being able to stop time so he could have a little world all to himself and the woman he loves. He kept telling himself that the faster he went and got the recording finalized and perfect, he’d be back in her arms where Kiro felt the safest.

So he snuck one final peek at her face. The worried lines had fallen away and she looked peaceful; it was the perfect image to etch in his brain before he saw her once again.

The driver was already waiting for Kiro as he came down his front steps. He didn’t bother changing; he knew he should but he really just wanted even more of a reason to head on home as soon as possible.

Kiro brushed his driver away as he reached to open the idol’s door. “Please, I’m perfectly capable of opening my door.”

“Of course sir. I’ll get in the drivers seat then.”

Settling himself in his seat, Kiro pulled out of his phone to send a text.

Miss Chips! Today’s a wonderful day! Don’t worry about the rain, the best part of celebrating Kiro Day is being in the arms of the person he loves most, and that’s you! I’ll be home before you miss me too long.

Kiro hoped that seeing that message would put a smile on her face when she woke up. One of the ones where she’d smile sleepily while still rubbing her eyes and seeing the slow way her face lit up always brought strength and warmness to Kiro’s heart.

As the rain pattered on, Kiro watched the raindrops race down the window and placed bets every time on which one would win to kill time.

A ding from her phone brought her out of a restless sleep, the side of the bed next to her was cold but judging from the imprint on the pillow, Kiro had only left maybe ten minutes before. The storm last night had been noisy, and she didn’t sleep well through them. She even briefly wondered if Lucien did okay through the storm.

Before she and Kiro got together, she and Lucien would stay up late on stormy nights, only a wall between their backs as they talked on the phone through stories about fictionalized worlds. She didn’t realize it then, but Lucien told her more about himself in those stories than he ever told her to her face.

The storm connected them, and now it felt like the biggest disconnect in the world not to have his calming voice whispering to her until the sun started to rise. It wasn’t that they couldn’t talk, but he had distanced himself since she and Kiro had gotten together; she didn’t blame him either. He loved her. She loved him too, just in a different way.

She wouldn’t change anything, though. Not even for the whole world, because Kiro was her world and that would mean potentially losing him in the change.

Her phone made another sound, reminding her of the message that roused her from the light sleep she had slipped in after waiting for the sun to arise. Kiro had texted and it was a message that warmed her heart and made her feel a bit more awake.

Rubbing her eyes, she set out for the kitchen. There was coffee still in the coffee pot from when Kiro made it and she poured some in a mug before pulling out the cake box she had hidden from Kiro in an empty sealable bag of peas and carrots. He wouldn’t dare eat those on his own, so she figued it’d be a safe place to hide the mix to surprise Kiro for his birthday. As long as Savin didn’t escort him in, she and her love would be able to eat enough cake until they crashed on their couch from a sugar rush later on.

Baking the cake was mindless, the hum of the mixer calmed her nervous coffee jitters and by the time it was in the oven, she was snuggled under warm blankets on the couch. The coffee didn’t keep her awake for long and the slow drops of rain against the roof was enough to lull her back to sleep.

She woke the second time because the fire alarm started screaming. She couldn’t place where it came from at first but as soon as she spotted the smoking oven, she rushed over and pulled the burning cake pan from the oven.

Dropping the hot metal into the sink, she rushed to open the windows and clear out the smoke.

“Miss Chips? I’m hom- WAH! What’s that smell?” Kiro walked through the door, choking on the smoke as Apple Box ran to him, jumping up and landing his paws on Kiro’s shoulders.

“I burnt something!” She cried out, grabbing a handheld fan and trying to push the smoke towards the open window.

Kiro gently removed Apple Box from his shoulders and grabbed a magazine, helping her to fan the rest of the smoke out. The fire alarm had stopped screaming and the kitchen was starting to smell like burnt cake and rain, a weird combination but not an unpleasing scent.

Kiro peered into the sink and laughed. “Did you try to bake again? You know what happened to the cookies!” She had tried to bake him cookies to snack on during a plane ride a few weeks ago and no matter how long they were in the oven, they refused to cook. Kiro left with no snacks and she was left with un-cookable cookie dough.

“Shh,” she pouted, walking over to Kiro and wrapping her arms around her from behind. “I just wanted to do something nice for your birthday and it’s ruined.”

He turned, hugging her head close to his chest. “Kiro Day isn’t ruined!” Kiro kissed the crown of her head. “Just having you here like this is enough for me.” It was quiet for a moment, they stood wrapped in each other and swaying to the gentle pitter patter of the rain. “Besides, the cake isn’t ruined either.”

“Um,” she blinked, looking up at him. “It’s kinda burnt.” “Hear me out, but I saw on Tik Tok that if you mix cake with frosting and put them in balls and freeze them, they can be cake pops after you dip them in chocolate! We could do that!”

“That’s… actually genius, Mister Kiro! Good job!” She bounced up on her toes and smacked a kiss on his cheek before breaking out from his grip. “Let’s start!”

That’s how they ended up in standing side by side in the kitchen. She was on a stool and watched as Kiro guided the handheld mixer around the burnt cake and chocolate frosting.

“Now we just have to roll them into balls!” Kiro said, and she snickered as he dipped his hand in the bowl and got a clump of the messy cake.

They giggled together as they rolled each individual cake pop and every once in a while one would hip bump the other, which would throw them into another fit of giggles.

Once they had popped the cake in the freezer, they plopped on the couch and cozied up together. His arm was around her shoulder and her head was on his shoulder. Kiro draped a blanket over both of their laps and Cello jumped up and curled into her lap. Apple Box sat on Kiro’s feet which made the both of them giggle.

“I’m sorry you didn’t sleep well last night.” He said, kissing her forehead softly. She responded with a kiss of her own, placed right on the side of his throat.

“It’s fine, I had a nap earlier.” She didn’t question how Kiro knew she had a restless night; he always could tell from one look at her. He claimed once it was because her eyes didn’t sparkle as much. “I’m sorry I ruined your birthday cake,”  She picked up her head then and choked back a giggle.

“What is it?” Kiro asked, his eyebrows furrowing which just made the chocolate on his nose that much funnier.

“Hold still,” she replied, leaning over to grab her phone from the coffee table and snapping a picture of his confused face, covered with chocolate. She showed him then, and he scrambled for a napkin. “That’s going on Moments!” She declared.

“Miss Chips, don’t you dare!” Kiro’s quick fingers tickled at her stomach and sides, causing more laughter to bubble up. “If you do that, Savin will kill me!”

“...Too late!” She cried before she escaped his tickling. “Happy birthday Kiro, I love you.”

“Thank you, Miss Chips, for spending Kiro Day with me!” He replied before touching her sides softly this time and pulling her in to share a sweet, frosting tasting kiss.

[kieraelieson]

Centaur AU 5

To say Thomas worried the rest of the day would be an understatement. He tried to keep it to himself, but it must have been palpable, since Roman came into the stable bright and happy, and his smile dropped immediately. His eyes went wide, clearly sending messages to the others, but he didn’t say a word until his jockey was gone.

“What happened?!”

“It’s not that much to be concerned about,” Logan said. “My legs are hurting, nothing more.”

“The vet has been called at least!” Roman said, a flash of anger in his eyes. “If—“ his words fizzled out as he turned to see Thomas.

“No, no, Thomas called the vet. She’s coming tonight to help,” Patton said, his tone calming.

“Well,” Roman looked like the wind had been taken out of him. “Good.”

And that somehow reminded Thomas. The very visit probably wouldn’t be over in a few minutes, he would be late to get home again. He was now Extremely glad he’d gotten a cell phone for Remy. Perhaps after a month or so he could afford one for Emile too.

He went to the phone, ignoring the quiet talking from the others.

Remy didn’t pick up right away, and Thomas called a second time.

“Look, I don’t know who you are—“

“Remy, it’s Thomas.”

“Oh. Sorry, this is a weird number. Wait—- don’t tell me you got lost this time!” Remy laughed. “Emile! You’ve got to hear this!”

“No, no, Remy, I’m not lost, I’m still at work. I just called to say I’ll probably have to stay late again.”

There was a vague, displeased grunt. “What, overtime twice in a row? You did negotiate for overtime pay, right?”

Thomas sighed. “No, I’m not sure I’m even getting paid at all for it.”

“What?!” Remy yelled. “Thomas, you are A Doormat!” The sound went a little fainter. “Emile, tell him! He’s not even getting paid for staying late!”

“Really, Thomas, you do need to stand up for yourself in terms of fair payment,” Emile said.

Thomas chuckled slightly, sighing. “I know. I really do. This is just more important than that. I’ll explain when I get home, and I’ll even try to figure out a way to renegotiate.”

“We’ll hold you to that,” Remy promised.

“Be safe and reasonable,” Emile said. “If you get very tired, it may be better to quit before your task is complete or to stay the night there.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind,” Thomas said. “Love you guys.”

“Yeah, yeah, all the mushy ‘we love you too’,” Remy said distantly before hanging up.

Thomas smiled a bit. He really missed them, even though it’d only been a few days, they seemed really long.

And then he heard a car stop and a door shut. Hopefully that was the vet.

He turned to offer his most reassuring smile to the centaurs before going out to meet her.

“Oh, hello, are you Thomas?”

“I am, yes, and I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Dr. Avery. Would you help me carry some things?”

“Of course.”

“I’m not surprised something finally happened,” Dr. Avery said, her tone rather annoyed. “I’ve been saying all you recent grooms are lazy and uneducated.”

Thomas tried not to take offense, but really, he was undereducated. He hadn’t had barely an idea of what to do.

“For a centaur like that one you need to be applying liniment all the time, and keep support for his legs between, and he really ought not to be sleeping standing.”

Thomas nodded, extremely glad for the information, though a part of him grated against the tone it was delivered in.

“And he really needs some kinds of exercise other than those competitions. Without the variety, eventually he’ll be unable to do anything else. Maybe it’s even too late already.”

Thomas nodded again.

They entered the stable, and the silence was almost oppressive. All four centaurs stared intently at them, very still, and not making a single sound, not even in response to Thomas’s small smile.

Dr. Avery went right into Logan’s stall, and he narrowed his eyes at her slightly before moving into the middle of the stall, crossing his arms and staring firmly at the wall. It somehow cut into Thomas to see it. As if the vet visiting was something that had happened long ago, and ended very unpleasantly, and this was some sort of unpleasant truce. But he didn’t know what to do about it. He, they all needed a vet, and he strongly doubted he would be able to call his vet. There would be so much paperwork, even just to begin, and Logan was hurt now. Not to mention that the owners might well hate the idea of switching vets.

Dr. Avery unwrapped Logan’s legs and ran her hands carefully over them, making small displeased noises as she found… whatever she was finding.

“Thomas, go out to my truck, there’s a portable x-ray machine. Bring it here.”

Thomas ran to obey quickly.

The vet examined each of Logan’s legs very carefully, and then studied the x-rays, frowning intently, but not saying much. Thomas felt like his breath was held the entire time, waiting on the professional judgement.

“Well, first of all,” she said, still staring at the papers.

Thomas nodded quickly. “Yes?”

“This is going to be expensive to treat,” she said, her tone sour. “There are a number of faint cracks in the cannon bones. I’m quite frankly shocked he hasn’t broken his legs. He needs to stay off his feet as much as possible, and his legs need support, as well as dietary supplements to build up the bones again. He will not be able to participate in any of those competitions whatsoever for 12 weeks at the very least.”

Thomas nodded firmly. He was sure… well, he was desperately hopeful that the Authiers would pay for it.

“But on top of that the mental aspect cannot be discounted. I’ve known this centaur for quite a few years. It will be a long, and painful recovery, if it’s handled just right. I don’t think he’ll pull through it. Centaurs are finicky like that once injured.”

Thomas felt as though she’d managed to slap them all in the face, and Logan at least twice. He wasn’t sure if he was more shocked or angry.

“Add all that to the likelihood that he won’t be able to do many competitions afterwards even if he did somehow pull through it, and from the inactivity his muscles will be atrophied, he won’t be the same for… perhaps six months or more. I don’t know that you’ll, or rather, that the Authiers would find it worthwhile to keep him around anymore.”

Thomas felt like he might fall over. His voice came out squeaky and faint. “Are-- are you seriously suggesting that---”

“Putting him down. Yes.”

There was a choked sound from Patton, who looked both absolutely terrified and like he might throw up. Thomas wondered if he looked the same way. There was suddenly a scream.

“NO!” Virgil had reared up and kicked the door, hard.

Dr. Avery paled. “Why is he loose like that?! That is a violent centaur!”

Thomas, in what was probably a powerful move Emile would berate him for later, managed to shove everything down all at once and put on a conciliatory smile.

“Thank you so much for coming. I will talk to the Authiers, and call you again with their decision. If you leave, it will be easier to get him under control again.”

Virgil was still screaming, the sound more animal than human, and the stall door would not hold much longer.

“That’s at least a three man job! I’ll get the tranquilizers.”

“No.” Thomas said firmly. “Please leave. Now.”

Dr. Avery shook her head like he was crazy, but grabbed her stuff and left.

Thomas shut the stable door, and then heard a cracking of wood. In seconds Virgil was in front of him, rearing up threateningly. If he hadn’t already so far detached himself from the situation, Thomas might have screamed. And then he would have most assuredly died. But he didn’t, he raised his hands slowly and silently in surrender.

“You won’t touch him!” Virgil screamed.

“Virgil, please. I swear to you I will never let anything like that happen to Logan. I swear. I will do everything I possibly can, and if that doesn’t work I’d kidnap him before I let someone kill him. I promise Virgil, everything I can, I will do to make him safe. I promise. Please. Please walk back to your stall. Or to Logan’s. I’m sure he would appreciate you with him.”

It was as if dark clouds started to be blown away as Virgil stood down, taking a step back and turning to look at Logan.

Thomas collapsed to his knees, suddenly sobbing.

Something was going on, but he didn’t know what, only that his breath was coming short and he couldn’t stop himself, nearly curled up in a ball, heavy sobs wracking his body. And then strong arms picking him up and holding him in a hug.

“It’s alright. Everyone’s safe for now.” Someone said. “You did the best you could.”

Thomas tried hard to stop crying. He needed to be the strong one. He needed to fix everything. “I’m so-sorry, I’m trying.”

“It’s alright. We’re all alright for now. Let it out now.”

Thomas slowly managed to regain some kind of composure, and realized that Roman was holding him, knelt down on the floor with him.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. You- you shouldn’t have to--”

He was cut off and surprised by Roman squeezing him in a tight hug. “Thomas, you’re giving us the best you have. Thank you. It’s enough.”

And somehow that made him want to cry all over again. Not the same desperate sobs, but it still made him sniff, and quite a few more tears ran down his face. “Thank you, Roman.”

“I’m sorry,” Virgil said, his voice quiet and low. “Did-- did you mean what you said?”

Thomas nodded firmly. “I’ll never just stand by while they kill someone. Especially not for being hurt.”

Patton burst into tears, which, judging by his wet face, were not the first by far.

“Is Logan ok?” Thomas asked.

Virgil looked up at Logan’s face, which he could see from his place snugged up against his side. “He’s out.”

It took Thomas a second while his brain screamed ‘he passed out???’ to realize Virgil probably meant he was heavily dissociated. Thomas couldn’t blame him. But… this was probably what the vet meant about centaur’s and their minds once they got injured. It wasn’t their fault, it was a whole life long of trauma. But for Logan to get well again he would have to be present.

But not yet. He deserved to calmly make his way back. He deserved… anything, after being talked about like that. Someone literally threatened to kill him while he stood there listening! Thomas felt anger rising up in him, bringing with it a rush of heat and energy. He was calling the Authiers. And he was not taking no for an answer.

He took the phone with him into the closet, where he couldn’t be so easily overheard. None of them deserved any more bad news.

“Hello?” A familiar voice asked, with loud music in the background. It was the woman who had hired him, and he felt bad to say, he didn’t remember her first name.

“Hello, Mrs. Authier, it’s Thomas Sanders.”

“Oh, Thomas! Do you need something?”

He was going to have to phrase this right if he had much hope. “I’ve been looking into the things that the other grooms did, and I’ve found several problems.”

“Uh huh. Well give me the quick version, I’m a bit busy.”

Thomas took a deep breath. “One of the centaurs needs medical care, and I need more time here. I’d like to be hired full-time, and be able to bring things over here to stay.”

“Oh, that was excellently quick. Is that everything?”

“Um, yes?”

“Great. I’ll give you an empty check for the medical care, and send my lawyer to talk with you in the morning about rearranging the schedule. Are we good now?”

“I… yes. I think so.”

“Great! There’s a party up at the main house, and it’ll go most of the night if you want to join.”

“Uh, thank you.”

“Call anytime, you’re a good summarizer!”

And then she hung up. Thomas was dumbfounded. It was entirely not how he’d expected it to go at all. He was wondering more and more what kind of crazy people he was working for.

He called Dr. Avery, and went to voicemail, which he preferred quite a bit. “Mrs. Authier approved the medical treatment. If you can come in the morning and give me care instructions, I’ll do my best to be sure they’re followed.”

And then Thomas let out a long, relieved sigh. He came out of the closet to many tense faces.

“She said yes. We’re going to treat Logan, and help him the best we can.”

Roman and Virgil sighed in relief, and Patton nearly cried again. “Oh, thank goodness!”

“And,” Thomas said, and suddenly had all eyes fixed on him again. “I think, I might be moving to stay here. Would that be alright with you guys?”

There was a strange silence.

“Well, what we think about it wouldn’t really change anything,” Roman said.

“Of course we’d love to have you!” Patton said, overlapping Roman’s words.

Thomas nodded solemnly. He could understand if they didn’t want him here. They barely knew him, and it’d take away the privacy they had at nighttime.

“Well, for tonight then, I need to wrap up Logan’s legs again, and probably after all that mess Virgil at least could use a brushing down. Would that be alright?”

Thomas looked mostly at Virgil, who nodded, but reluctantly, and didn’t meet his gaze.

And Thomas had to admit, even with the exhausted numbness settling over him, he was scared to be between Logan and Virgil, even though he knew, and they knew too, that he was only trying to help. Logan was still almost frozen, a glazed look in his eyes as he turned lazily to watch Thomas.

Thomas ran a hand gently over Logan’s flank, and over again. He didn’t know if Logan would appreciate petting or if he’d be annoyed or insulted by it. He just wanted to find some way to help, and to perhaps comfort and reassure a bit.

“I’m really sorry. If I’d known what she was going to say I would’ve had her outside to talk.”

Logan didn’t respond at all.

Thomas tried giving a rather wry smile, but it fell a bit flat.

“If you’d come out of this stall, Virgil, it’d be easier for me to brush you,” Thomas said, turning and going back to the closet to get a curry comb.

Virgil was standing in his own stall when Thomas came back out, and he was standing stiffly, his eyes darting around a bit, though he turned his head away to make it less obvious. Thomas wasn’t sure what was wrong, but he didn’t blame him. He felt antsy and jittery himself, and just wanted to get done and get home.

But as he entered the stall Virgil stepped away from him. “I’m sorry. F-for earlier. I-I didn’t mean to—“

“It’s alright,” Thomas said, raising the brush. “Just stand still now and we’ll be good.”

Virgil flinched back and away, holding his arms close to his chest, a wide-eyed scared look on his face. It finally registered to Thomas that something more was wrong than just fading adrenaline.

“Virgil, I’m tired and kinda crashing, it’s making me kind of dumb, and I’m gonna need you to communicate here with me, ok? What’s wrong?”

Virgil’s eyes flicked to the curry comb, but he didn’t say anything. A tremor started and ran over his body.

Patton came to the rescue, leaning over the walls.

“Virgil doesn’t like that brush.”

Thomas frowned down at the innocent curry comb. “It’s no worse than any other brush, Virgil.”

“It hurts! Especially when you’re mad or tired.” Virgil blurted out, shutting his mouth immediately after as if he’d said something bad.

The only way this kind of brush would hurt was if it was practically slapped against…. who was Thomas kidding, with the rampant abuse, it was incredibly likely that exactly that had happened.

“It wouldn’t hurt if it’s done properly,” Thomas promised. “Would you let me try? If it hurts you I promise I’ll go back and get your favorite one instead.”

“You promise?”

Thomas nodded firmly. “I promise.”

Virgil shook his head, a tremor running down his whole body. “Promises break.”

Thomas thought about it for a minute, and then went out and grabbed a lead rope, tying one end around his wrist.

“Do you trust Patton? The whole time I’m brushing you he can hold the other end of this rope, and the instant it hurts you he can pull my hand back.”

Virgil looked to Patton, who seemed more than a little nervous about the idea, but still nodded and accepted the end of the rope.

“O-ok.”

Thomas gently set the brush against Virgil’s side, waiting for the flinch and shiver to die down a little before he moved the brush at all. Virgil was all covered in sweat, and Thomas tried to move just right to get it off without moving too quickly and startling him.

He was a little surprised, but also a little not, that by the time he’d finished one side Virgil was relaxing into it. It must feel good to finally reach through all the hair and get properly brushed, and to get really clean.

He’d just wanted to get home a bit ago, but this was more important. It wasn’t just brushing down a centaur, it was getting Virgil to trust him, to trust brushes. It was healthy for Virgil’s coat too. And probably it was helping relax a lot of stressors for him. He needed it, far more that Thomas needed to get home. So he took his time, did it the best way, which also happened to take a long time.

And once he was done Virgil was so relaxed his eyes were drifting shut.

“There. You did very well, Virgil. And thank you for helping, Patton.”

Patton smiled and yawned. “You’re welcome, Thomas.”

“I’ll probably head home now. Is there anything else any of you need?”

“It’s nearly midnight,” Logan said, startling Thomas by speaking.

“Yes?”

Logan just gave a small nod, as if that meant something to him. “Thank you.”

Thomas nodded. “You’re welcome.”

He closed stall doors and turned off all the lights but one, finally leaving. When he got home, for some reason, he didn’t go into the house, he went into the stable. Only barely awake, he dropped onto the hay next to where Emile was stretched out, laying prone.

“Thomas?”

Thomas gave a weak grunt in acknowledgement before falling asleep.

[keichanz]

Neighbors | ch. 2

hey guys. remember this fic? i finally wrote finished the second chapter two years later lajefilauhefajf whoops ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

AO3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Kagome jolted awake with a startled gasp, shooting upright in bed as her arm, on its own accord, swung out in front of her as if to catch something – or maybe catch herself from falling. For a solid minute Kagome did nothing but drag in ragged breaths, eyes wide, her arm trembling slightly from holding it aloft. Finally the glaze over her eyes seemed to clear and she blinked her vision back into focus, into reality as her consciousness slowly registered the nightmare had ended.

A flash of white caught her attention. Dazedly Kagome stared at the white gauze wrapped around her hand, uncomprehending what exactly it was for several seconds as her sluggish mind struggled into full wakefulness. Snippets of memory slipped through the haze that clouded her mind; the sound of glass shattering, a brief weightless feeling, red smeared across her hand...heavy pounding on her door, a flash of silver, of deep, burnished amber—

“Ya alright?”

“Grease dog.”

“Inuyasha.”

“Inuya—ah.”

Without any warning the pain finally registered in her hand and Kagome sucked in a sharp breath as the recollection of last night’s events came rushing to the fore. Putting away dishes, cutting her hand, falling…Inuyasha coming to see if she was all right. Her ankle developed a dull throb, reminding her of how he’d carried her out of her apartment, drove her to the hospital, and carried her inside. She remembered the needles, the fear it instilled in her, how she’d hid in Inuyasha’s shoulder. How he’d talked the entire time, distracting her so she was able to relax and forget about what the doctor was doing.

Blushing as she recalled the low timbre of his voice and the solid strength of his arms beneath her, Kagome winced as the pain in her hand turned into a burning throb that was getting increasingly difficult to ignore. She bought the appendage into her lap and inspected the white bandage, trying to recall the doctor’s instructions concerning the injury. Truthfully she couldn’t remember much after Inuyasha had announced the treatment was finished so she must have been on auto pilot up until Inuyasha carrying her back out to his truck. Then she remembered nothing so she must have dozed off on the way back home.

Her blush darkened at the implication that her handsome neighbor had carried her to bed, however it was impossible to stop the pleased smile from curling her lips. She already owed him so much for coming to her rescue and seeing to her care. But knowing that he hadn’t stopped there, taking her to her room and putting her to bed? It astounded Kagome, how someone she barely knew could be so thoughtful, and Kagome hoped she’d be able to make it up to him. She was grateful for all he’d done, and she wanted to make sure he knew it.

Kagome’s smile widened and she nodded determinedly to herself. “Right. First things—ow.”

Hissing as her right ankle twinged, Kagome moved more slowly as she swung her legs off the bed and carefully placed her foot on the floor. It still hurt like hell but she was pretty sure she could still walk. The ace bandage prevented her from seeing if there was bruising or swelling, although she didn’t think it was sprained, just a bad twist, which she was thankful for. She still had a lot of unpacking to do and having a sprained ankle would put a damper on her plans.

Wrinkling her nose as she contemplated on what to do next – she knew walking on it would slow the healing but she didn’t exactly have a choice, nor did she own any crutches – something on her nightstand caught her attention. Turning her head, she found what looked to be a wrinkled receipt sitting on the table with a scrawled message. Instantly Kagome’s heart quickened and she snatched it up, unable to stop another smile from blossoming as she read the short note.

Text me in the morning # in your phone

- I

God, how stupid was it that such a simple, completely generic and normal message left her heart pounding and her stomach fluttering?

Oh my god, Kagome, get a grip! It’s just a dumb note! You barely even know the guy; it’s completely ridiculous to fawn over a stupid wrinkled receipt!

Kagome read the message again and butterflies took flight in her belly.

Oh, god. She had it bad.

Kagome moaned and let her head roll forward on her shoulders, lifting a hand and racking fingers through her hair. She let the paper fall to the floor, stared at it for a minute, cursed, then stooped down to pick it up and place it back on the nightstand. Scowling at how ridiculous she was being now, Kagome shook her head and resolved to push those thoughts to the back of her mind to dwell on at a later time.

A much later time.

Sucking in a breath, Kagome braced her hands on the bed and slowly pushed to her feet, baring her weight on her left leg and using the nightstand to keep her balance. Biting her lip, she carefully let her right foot rest on the floor before slowly shifting to bear her weight on it a little at a time. As expected her ankle protested but she grit her teeth through the pain and forced herself to take a tiny, shuffling step. To her surprise and utter relief her ankle didn’t give and she breathed through the pain as she took another one, slowly limping her way toward the door, trying very hard to ignore the pain that ricocheted up her leg as the idle thought of what the time was floated across her mind.

Somehow she managed to make it to the bathroom without incident and shuffled out only a short time later. As much as she wanted one, Kagome didn’t think she could handle a shower right now, not with her ankle as it was. And with her hand the way it was, it was probably best she avoided getting it wet, at least for now. She’d do a Google search later on how to properly clean and treat a post-stitched wound, or something.

She gimped her way to the kitchen, finding it was getting slightly easier to walk even if the pain didn’t exactly lessen. It was halfway down the hallway that she remembered about the shattered glass she’d have to clean up and she gave an involuntary pitiful whimper. Man, she really didn’t think she’d be able to sweep it all up, not when she could barely—

Kagome stood in the doorway to her kitchen and gaped at her clean floor. Seconds later a warm, not at all unpleasant feeling blossomed in her chest and spread outward. The corners of her lips flickered into a smile as a soft blush colored her cheeks, those damn butterflies once more taking flight in her belly.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome murmured and leaned against the jamb with a soft sigh. So not only had the man taken her to the hospital, carried her to bed, and practically tucked her in, he’d also had the consideration to sweep up the shattered glass that had littered her kitchen floor.

Damn, Kagome mused, biting her lip as she carefully shuffled over to the car counter that bisected her living room and kitchen. Just sweep me off my feet while you’re at it.

Feeling a mite flushed and resisting the ridiculous urge to giggle like a schoolgirl with a crush, Kagome hopped up onto one of the bar stools with more difficulty than usual and swiped up her phone. It had been sitting there since last night while she was putting away dishes and she wasn’t surprised to find it was only at 10% charge.

Still enough to send a quick message, though, she mused with a little smile and checked the time—just after 9 AM. It was a reasonable enough time; he should be awake, right? Granted, they did get back fairly late and though she couldn’t remember the exact time, she knew it’d been closing in on midnight when the doctor finally finished stitching up her hand.

It's just a text, Kagome reasoned and opened up her contacts, ignoring the way her stomach did that weird swooping thing again. Even if he is still sleeping, he’ll see it when he wakes up.

Opening her messages, she immediately zeroed in on the latest one sent and the smile that split her face was embarrassingly giddy. Inuyasha had sent himself a text, just a simple and short “hi,” but it had her heart pounding nonetheless as a squeal bubbled up her throat and good god she was acting like a schoolgirl with a crush now, for heaven’s sake!

Shaking her head and telling herself to get a damn grip, Kagome fired off a simple “Good morning! :)” before deliberately setting the mobile onto the counter and carefully climbing down from the stool. She knew that if she just continued to sit there waiting for him to reply, she’d drive herself crazy wondering if he’d received it or not and she’d constantly check her messages to see if she had one back yet. She might as well pass the time by doing something productive and not acting like a teenaged girl with her first crush, so with a grunt Kagome hobbled her way back to her bedroom.

After brushing her teeth, taming the unruly waves of her hair into some semblance of order before promptly putting it into a messy ponytail, and changing into some clean clothes, she was feeling a little more human than before. Donned in a simple t-shirt and black capri leggings, Kagome deemed herself ready to face the day’s challenges and shuffled back out into the kitchen, using the walls and pieces of furniture to help kept most of her weight off her ankle.

Amazing what a little bit of deodorant and a fresh pair of panties could do to a woman’s confidence, Kagome idly mused and started up her Keurig before hopping over to the counter. The hope was evident in her eyes as she woke up the screen to her cell and then her entire face lit up with a smile.

2 new messages

So he was awake. Leaning against the counter, Kagome eagerly opened it up, telling herself that she wasn’t being ridiculous. She wasn’t.

morning

how you feelin?

Resisting the urge to immediately start firing off text after text, reassuring him that she was fine and then expressing her endless gratitude with even more messages, Kagome bit her bottom lip and flicked her gaze to the door. It just felt too…impersonal, thanking him via text message, especially after all that he’d done for her. She thought it would have better impact to tell him face to face, to let him know just how much she appreciated his help and how grateful she was to him. It was hard to express that kind of thing through text, after all, and Kagome was nothing if not thorough when it came to something like this.

So, considering all of that…perhaps her attractive downstairs neighbor wouldn’t mind a brief morning visit?

Mind made up, and stubbornly ignoring that damn giddy feeling again as it welled up in her chest, Kagome left her phone sitting on the counter and slipped her feet into a pair of hard-soled slippers before heading toward the door. Her ankle and hand were both throbbing and she told herself she’d take some painkillers after she probably conveyed her thanks to Inuyasha. No doubt she’d probably already overdone it from all the moving around she’d already done that morning and she resolved to a day of rest on the couch, some Uber Eats, and Netflix.

After she got back, of course. First there was a certain golden-eyed, devilishly handsome grease dog she had to talk to and profusely thank for his thoughtfulness.

Exiting her apartment and letting the door swing shut behind her, Kagome made it to the top of the stairs before realizing she had a bit of a problem and she pouted in frustration. Dammit, how was she going to get down the stairs with a bum ankle? She eyed the railing and winced; while wholly intact, it didn’t look very sturdy and Kagome didn’t trust it to hold her weight if she leaned too much into it. So she supposed that left one other option left because she was getting own those stairs, goddammit.

Heaving a sigh of resignation, Kagome rolled her eyes and knelt down before falling back onto her butt with a grunt. Then, lifting her foot to keep her weight off of it, Kagome scooted on down the stairs one by one, feeling a bit like a child, but knowing it was the only way without possibly losing her balance and falling down the stairs.

Several minutes later and with a slightly sore butt, Kagome used the railing to heave herself to her feet. She deliberately didn’t think about how she’d get back up the stairs as she hobbled the few feet to Inuyasha’s door. Sucking in a bracing breath, and trying to control the wild fluttering of her heart rate, Kagome lifted a hand to knock gently—

The door swung open before her knuckles could make contact and she was left blinking up into the scowling visage of her downstairs neighbor.

Kagome blinked. Smiled. “Hi.”

Inuyasha crossed his arms and glowered down at her. Wearing a tight black t-shirt and dark-washed jeans, he looked rather intimidating with those stern golden eyes glaring at her with clear disapproval and his mouth turned down into an annoyed frown.

Kagome’s smile faded a little at his less than receptive greeting and she felt a flush coloring her cheeks. She shifted her weight and didn’t miss the way his eyes flashed down to her ankle. His scowl deepened and she suspected she knew the reason for his apparent irritation.

“Um…how did you—”

“I heard you on the stairs,” he cut her off before promptly bending down and sweeping her up into his arms.

Gasping sharply, Kagome could feel her face growing very warm as Inuyasha effortlessly carried her into his home and then set her down onto his two-seater couch, being careful not to jostle her ankle. Wide-eyed and face very red, Kagome watched as he sat on the coffee table before her and wordlessly held out his hand.

She blinked at him. He wiggled his fingers, clearly impatient, and when all she did was stare at him, Inuyasha sighed, reached down, and lifted her foot to prop against his knee. Tugging the slipper off, he carefully began unraveling the bandage around her ankle, needing to see if it had gotten better or worst since last night. He could feel the weight of her slightly stunned gaze on him as he worked but he ignored it, trying valiantly to keep a tight rein on the anger simmering just below the surface.

“Idiot,” he snapped as the bandage fell to the floor and lifted angry amber eyes to lock with sheepish caramel-colored depths. “What the hell were you thinking going down those stairs by yourself? You could have fallen and ended up with something far worse than just a sprained ankle! What part of ‘stay off of it as much as you can’ didn’t you understand, stupid girl?”

Indignant that he would immediately assume she walked down the stairs, Kagome leveled him with a mulish glare and pursed her lips. Color filtered into her cheeks at the obvious reprimand and she huffed, crossing her arms.

“First of all, I didn’t walk down the stairs, I scooted, and second, how else am I supposed to get around when I don’t own any crutches? Oh wait, just let me go fetch the bloody wheelchair I keep stashed in my closet for a random twisted ankle!”

Inuyasha snorted at her “scooted” comment and tried very hard not to grin at that highly amusing mental image his brain supplied as he gently prodded at the swollen flesh of her ankle. Kagome hissed and flinched. His ears pinned against his head and his frown deepened as he carefully turned her ankle over in his hand.

“Sprained,” he repeated, studying the light bruising that was starting to come in. “Not twisted. It’s mild, though, so should heal within a few days. Provided you stay off it like you should have been doing.”

Kagome frowned. “But the doctor—”

“Is an idiot,” he finished and gently let her foot back on the floor. “And it was probably the end of his shift, you were no doubt his last patient, and was probably too tired to give a rat’s ass if it was twisted or sprained, so he didn’t and just said to stay off it. Which you didn’t.”

“Well, unless you expected me to fly to the bathroom—”

He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes.

“Okay, okay, I get it. Jeez, I’ll stay off the damn foot.”

Satisfied, Inuyasha grunted and stood up. “You want anything to drink? Coffee?”

Kagome perked up at the prospect of hot coffee. She’d meant to make herself a cup but then promptly forgot about it when she decided to come down here instead.

“Coffee would be great,” she said but then faltered when Inuyasha walked toward the kitchen without another word. “Wait, Inuyasha! Ah…damn.”

Huffing, Kagome deliberated for about half a second before getting to her feet and limping her way after him. She was determined to thank him, dammit, if it was the last thing she did!

When her ankle started protesting too much, she hopped the rest of the way and managed to reach the doorway before having to stop to rest, leaning against the doorjamb. Standing in front of his coffee machine, Inuyasha’s ear flicked behind him before he looked over his shoulder at her and then promptly muttered a curse, rolling his eyes.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome said and tipped him a smile as he started toward her. But before she could continue, the half-demon bent down, wrapped his arm around her thighs, and promptly hoisted her over his shoulder.

Kagome squeaked in surprise, the blood rushing to her face to paint it a lovely scarlet color as Inuyasha stalked back into his living room and dumped her back onto the couch.

“Stay,” he told her, jabbed a finger at her face with a pointed look, then disappeared into the kitchen again, grumbling under his breath.

Kagome pouted and sunk back into the couch, glaring mulishly at the dark flat screen television across from her. For lack of anything better to do since she was evidently sequestered to the couch while Mr. Moody made her coffee, Kagome took in her surroundings.

She suspected that at one point in time, the entire apartment house had been one unit before it was split in two and what she was staring at now was the original décor. Inuyasha’s walls were covered with that fake wood paneling and the carpet, while clean, was faded red shag. A huge, old brick fireplace took up one corner of the room and she had to wonder if some of the shelving on the walls was original, too.

Honestly, Kagome liked it. It was charming, cozy with a rustic feel to it, and for some reason it suited the half-demon in the kitchen. Despite just having met him last night, she got the sense that he liked to live simply, without all the bells and whistles that her own upgraded apartment had.

The upstairs must have been a more recent addition, Kagome surmised. Or at the very least had a recent renovation to attract more tenant applicants. If she had to guess, the oldest thing in her own apartment was probably the furnace. She didn’t mind, though; why fix what ain’t broke, right?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Inuyasha walked in from the kitchen holding a streaming mug of delicious java and a plate of what looked to be toast. Kagome blinked in surprise as her mouth twitched upward. He’d made her breakfast, too?

He set both items on the coffee table in front of her and Kagome saw that the toast was in actuality a toasted sandwich with a fried egg and tomato. Her stomach rumbled in appreciation as her heart warmed even further at her neighbor’s seemingly endless consideration. Goodness, at this rate, she was going to fall—

“Wait,” Kagome said when Inuyasha once again started to leave. Thankfully this time he stopped, half-turning toward her and cocking a single brow in silent inquiry.

“Thank you,” she blurted.

Inuyasha shrugged. “It’s just coffee and the sandwich was easy—”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kagome gently cut him off and then gave him a warm, genuine smile. “I mean, thank you for everything, Inuyasha. For coming to see if I was okay last night after I fell, for taking me to the hospital, for…”

She blushed. “For putting me to bed. And yes, for this, too.”

Kagome gestured to the coffee and food and leveled him with another soft smile, her eyes glittering with unconcealed appreciation and warmth.

“Just…thank you,” she said sincerely. “I came down here because I wanted to tell you that in person, not through a text. Sorry for making you worry.”

Inuyasha stared at her and could feel his cheeks warming with a slight flush because yeah, she had worried him when she’d come down those stairs by herself. Wench was clearly more perceptive than he’d anticipated and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of that yet. One thing he was certain of, however, was that when she smiled at him like that his stomach did this weird swooping thing and something warm blossomed in his chest. His mouth suddenly felt dry and he had to swallow once, twice before he felt like he could speak again.

Ah…shit.

Not trusting his voice to not crack and hoping his face wasn’t as red as he feared, Inuyasha merely nodded before disappearing down the hall.

Pleased her gratitude had been adequately conveyed and recalling how cute he’d looked while blushing, Kagome finally allowed herself to enjoy the breakfast Inuyasha had so generously provided. The sandwich was delicious, the coffee was the perfect temperature, and she didn’t know how he’d done it, but her attractive silver-haired neighbor had added the perfect amount of cream to sweeten it just how she liked it. The man was a Godsend and hell yes she was grateful that he was her neighbor and not someone else’s.

She’d just polished off the sandwich and was settling back into the cushions with her coffee cradled in her hands when Inuyasha reappeared and her eyebrows rose in pleasant surprise. He’d put all that glorious silver hair up into a haphazard bun and was in the process of jamming a black ball cap onto his head as he headed for the door. Kagome blinked. Was he leaving?

“Are you going somewhere?” she asked, watching as he shrugged on a leather jacket and grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter that divided the two rooms, similar to her own.

“Just gonna run a few errands,” he rumbled and double checked to make sure he had his wallet and phone. “Stay put. I’ll be back soon.”

Kagome frowned. “But—”

Before Kagome could even draw in the breath to gasp, Inuyasha was suddenly right in front of her and leaning down with his arms caging her on either side. Her eyes widened and her face erupted in color, butterflies taking flight in her belly as her heart skipped a beat.

Staring directly into her eyes and trying very hard to ignore how fucking wonderful she smelled, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and growled, “Do. Not. Move. From his couch. I’ll know if you did. Capisce?”

Eyes side, Kagome swallowed thickly, licked her lips, and nodded.

Inuyasha’s gaze flicked to her mouth then back to her eyes too fast for her to process before he emitted a low grunt and pushed away. Kagome released a breath she didn’t even know she was holding and silently watched as he headed toward the door.

She bit her lip. “Inu—”

He stopped, jabbed at finger at her, and Kagome’s jaw clicked shut. Satisfied, Inuyasha opened the door and exited his apartment, closing the door behind him.

Kagome stared at the door and stayed put…for five seconds. Quickly, in case he came back for whatever reason, Kagome got to her feet and hobbled as fast as she could down the hall toward the bathroom.

Hey, it wasn’t her fault her bladder decided to tell her she had to pee right before he walked out the door!

[the-river-person]

Monster History in the Librarby

Niven was getting ready to close the Library for the night. All the usual patrons had gone home already. Both of the editors for the Snowdin Newspaper, as well as the Loox that often hung around by the tables and played word games like crosswords, junior jumble, or soduku. Speaking of which, Lady Garf, one of the editors of the newspaper who specialized in making games for it, had left a few of the ones she’d been working on. With a sigh he collected the pages and stored them behind the main desk, he’d have to remember to give it to her tomorrow. The bell on the door tinkled and Niven looked up to say that they were actually just about to close. But the words died on his lips and he stared at the person who had come in. Face hidden by a dark cloak, they were somewhat tall, nearly reaching the height of Sir Papyrus, captain of the Royal Guard. Though he couldn’t see their face, he caught a glimpse of white fur. Was it Ice Wolf? Just a little over a year ago he’d started coming in every few months to check out books to read during his work breaks. No, Ice Wolf was much bigger. “Is this the Librarby?” Asked the figure, a male voice, deep yet not unpleasant, almost musical really. Niven grimaced at the question. He’d once harbored hopes of getting the sign repainted. But there really wasn’t any point now, was there? Not only had everybody just gotten used to it, but even if he did repaint it, the sign would just reset along with everything else in a few short weeks. It wasn’t worth the effort, but it still irritated him. Forcing himself to smile he quickly decided just to see what this Monster wanted before closing up. “Yes, it is. We don’t usually see too many non-locals in here. Most just pass by on their way to the ruins or the Greater Snowdin Caverns. Are you from the Capital?” “You could say that,” said the figure, sounding mildly amused. They offered no further explanation, and Niven decided not to push his luck further that way. “What can I do for you?” For a moment the Monster was silent, looking round the small library as if gauging its potential somehow. Not for the first time, Niven wished for the resources to make a much grander library, something akin to the great libraries he’d read of in human books: Ashurbanipal, Alexandria, Pergamum, Villa of the Papyri, Trajan’s Dual Library, Celsus, the Imperial Library of Constantinople, House of Wisdom in Baghdad, "Dharmaganja" ("Treasury of Truth") and Dharma Ghunj ("Mountain of Truth") in India’s Nalanda University. There were so many, and all he had was a few shelves. A couple histories, fiction, somone’s book report left here years ago and never retrieved (it was gleefully shelved as something new and at least 3 people had checked it out since for the sheer novelty), poetry, only a single science book about astronomy, and an entire shelf devoted to joke books and word games. But if someone was really coming out here, far from the Capital, to look for something specific. Well... They had to be desperate. New Home’s public library was much bigger, and if you couldn’t find something, you might humbly petition the King and Queen for access to the castle archives in the chance it might be there. Nobody came to a tiny town at the edge of civilization. Well... they did come. Sometimes they even bought things at the general store or stayed a the inn. But that was really just people on their way to the Ruins after Reset Day, the crowds and the general traffic as Monsters carried out their plans for the next three weeks. Getting puzzles ready for the famous DT and Royal Guardsman Monster Kid, who lived right here in said small town. So some people came through, a lot of people. But not for books. Never for the librarby that hadn’t even spell its name right when the sign was painted. “I’m hoping,” said the Monster. “That you might have texts on Monster History from before the war. History, perhaps theology? Mythology and folklore? I’ll take anything you’ve got.” Oh, so that’s what he wanted. Niven gulped. Okay so maybe it wasn’t accurate that nobody had been coming to their tiny library from out of town. There was that person from the capital he’d only seen once, a shifty fellow who was supposed to be a castle servant. White hair, pale purplish skin, and a terrifying grin with sharp yellow teeth. Niven had been freaked out by the Monster’s weird face markings and the J like tail that had lashed back and forth in agitation. Jevil, or so he had said his name was, had been after books on Monster Religion. It was a surprising subject, one few cared about. But Niven had a couple of rare tomes on it, possibly texts even the Royal Archives didn’t have. And that, it turned out, was the entire point. Jevil was a scribe in the Royal Archives and kept the smaller of the castle’s two libraries in good order for the King and Queen’s more general use. Thankfully he hadn’t come again after the first time, having taken a stack of books with him. He sent them back a month later, along with a few coins for the late fees, and asked for more books, naming each specifically. So Niven had shipped them off to the Capital, and sure enough they returned the next month with a request for more books. Sans the skeleton had become a familiar face as he came by so often to pick up or deliver boxes of books headed for the weird little Monster. And Jevil wasn’t the only one. Ice Wolf had been checking out the weirdest things. Niven would have expected a joke book, or even an interesting novel, but no. Ice Wolf wanted to read about physics and geology and historical documents and traditions. Niven hadn’t had much cause to write to the Capital Public Library in... well ever really. But to get some of the texts Ice Wolf wanted he pulled up his sleeves and penned message after message requesting various books until someone came down about nine weeks in to ask why on earth there was suddenly more book traffic going to Snowdin. “Oh, heh heh.” He laughed nervously. “I believe we do have some things. If you’ll come this way please.” The Monster followed him into the lower levels of the library, a section which held most of the least circulated books and materials available only by request. He really needed to dust down here, now where was the light? Ah yes. A dim bulb flickered to life, bathing the shelves in a warming and distinctly yellow light. From the shelves he pulled book after book, most dusty, a few with a little water damage, and many quite old. These he stacked before the Monster, who shifted in surprise as he looked over the growing pile. As Niven set another book on the pile he caught a better glimpse of the face beneath the hood. A white furred goat-like face with black markings on his lower cheeks and eyes of a dark muted red. Niven almost dropped the books in surprise but hid his reaction by faking a sneeze, though maybe with all the dust in here it really wasn’t that fake. This was a Boss Monster! But not Asgore, not nearly tall enough and certainly much thinner. But not the motherly Toriel either. It didn’t make sense, all the other Boss Monsters had been killed in the war, only the King and Queen had made it Underground with the others. And the only other Boss Monster living since then had been... Hadn’t Asriel Dreemurr become a flower? How had he regained his body? Or... something similar. It wasn’t quite a child anymore, though not yet an adult. Somewhere in between if appearance was anything to go by. A teenager maybe. That didn’t make sense either as his age should have been tied to Asgore and Toriel’s, and none of them could age anyway with the Resets, but maybe being a flower did odd things to you. Niven watched out of the corner of his eye as the prince began flipping through some of the books. “Monsters and Humans have always dwelt together in the world, though the nature of this coexistence had been woven together with myth, legend, and superstition for thousands of years.” Asriel read the passage from a “Brief History of Monsters and Humans”, it was volume nine of the collection, which was anything but brief. The author had been criticized for his long winded and needlessly flowery language. Still it made for good reading, if you had the time for it. “Owing to the nature of Monster’s Souls and the intrinsic connection their magical bodies have to the state of their soul, Humans were often under the mistaken impression that the Monster Clans were more numerous than they really were. As new generations of Monsters were born, they sometimes took on new and often unique forms different from their elders, forms that matched the state of their very soul.” The Prince broke off reading and looked up at Niven, who suddenly realized he’d stopped taking books off the shelves and had been staring as he listened. Flushing, the Lizard started to turn back to the shelf. “Is that why some of the Monsters around are things like Aeroplanes or shaped like bathtubs and obsessed with washing? Because they were born with new forms?” Niven turned back around. It was a good question, and not really covered that well in schools. Sure they touched on the subject, but no one really focused on the implications of how Monster Souls behaved. “Well, more or less. You have to understand that Monsters such as the Tsundereplane couldn’t have been born until Monsters learned of the existence of human airplanes. And anime of course. Then when this new Monster was born, their soul manifested a body that fit who they were at their foundations, the most basic structure of all the things they could become. We Monsters don’t have much control over this, we can’t shift our own forms at will, but our appearance is far more closely tied to who we are than you would think. Creatures like Woshua were born of groups of water dwelling Monsters. Humans often characterized us with names like Fay or Fairy, Spirits, Daemons, and lots of other things. And human folklore has a lot of tales about faeries who insist upon cleanliness and washing, often enacting terrible punishment if specified arrangements weren’t kept, like leaving washing water out at night for them to bathe in, or having a strict routine of personal hygiene while living in an area where said fairy has to deal with you often. Sound familiar? At some point the bathtub must have been an image they focused on, and at some point a Monster child was born with that form as part of who they were.” Asriel nodded, forgetting that he was trying to hide his face and letting the hood slip down a bit as he listened with wide eyes. Just barely visible in the upper shadows of the hood were his horns, not terribly big, just poking up from the white tufts of fur. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll take this one. And these.” He plucked another four books from the pile. “Can you hold the rest for me?” Niven found himself agreeing to do just that as he followed Asriel back up the stairs and let him out. As he locked up and turned out the lights, he wondered why nobody had heard anything about the prince yet if he was back to his true self?

[twistedapple]

When thunder cracked a heart

[Hello hello, if you were wondering why I made myself scarce lately, it’s because I’ve been extremely busy with no less than three Halloween projects to handle while working full time. Now that it’s all settled, we shall be back to a more regular schedule. But for now, I hope you’ll enjoy this piece and its accompanying write up! Feel free to give feed back as well, it’s always welcome.]

The castle that hosted the Pomefiore dorm was buzzing with activities - well, it was always buzzing, but this time more than usual. Not long after the entrance ceremony and the start of a new school year, Pomefiore and Diasomnia had come to an agreement regarding the planned festivities for Halloween - which involved an opening of the school to the public as well as various stands and appropriately themed areas. This time around, Diasomnia had requested Pomefiore’s help for their theme, which seemed to be based on dragons. And judging by Vil’s disgruntled expression when he left a surprisingly long meeting, as well as Malleus’ pleased look, Bianca estimated that the dragon fairy had been as specific as usual - which likely meant a lecture that ate away at Vil’s patience enough to have him accept, at least to make Malleus stop - and probably because details were fine to have a good working line, but too much of it would ruin the creative process by adding constraints. 

Since then, Pomefiore had been a hive full as much of apple blossom and bat patterns as of fabric sewed to emulate scales. The load of work had been too much for the dorm to be able to handle its own decorations as well, so Vil and Rook had cleverly devised a plan involving the ever dramatic look of the Mirror Chamber to have a refined vampire theme. 

On the fated day of Halloween, everbody had been up earlier than usual to not only prepare themselves according to their shift, but to help Diasomnia with the costumes and makeup as well. The latter task, however, initially proved difficult to handle as even under Vil’s no-nonsensical leadership, a part of the students openly expressed their hesitation at dealing with the dorm led by Malleus Draconia. As Vil gave them a disappointed look and a stern scolding for their ridiculous disposition towards someone who was merely a fellow student, a soft voice rose to settle the matter. Bianca was, after all, more familiar with the Crown Prince than the entire dorm would ever suspect, and thus casually volunteered to put an end to what felt like a needless outpour of fear - the complaints were increasingly grating her.

As the group in charge of helping Diasomnia entered its dorm, some students led them to the bedrooms, where the ones in charge of the first shift had already started readying themselves. Bianca knocked to Malleus’ doors and announced herself before entering with her usual fairly brisk pace. Malleus stopped adjusting his robe and gave her a curious look. 

- Still in your dorm uniform? I had hoped to see you in your costume.

- Well yes, I’m on the second shift, but I can always pass by afterwards before heading back to Pomefiore? Now please, sit and let’s get started with the makeup, else you’ll be late. 

Bianca proceeded to an inspection of his skin, pleased with what was presented to her. After all, as Vil would say, working on a properly prepared canvas always ensured best results. And as she expressed her satisfaction, her precision work started. Malleus didn’t know exactly what was going on, but promptly felt reassured by her quiet confidence as she comfortably yet efficiently worked, switching brushes and products at each new step with the steady hand of someone who had a solid knowledge of their craft.  Both of them also used that opportunity to appreciate each other’s company, and their short reunion ended with Bianca affectionately adjusting Malleus’ costume, visibly satisfied with what she was seeing.

***

Later that day, the festival proved itself to be much more chaotic than the previous ones. It seemed a weird rumor involving the ghosts of the school and their new Magicam account had attracted troublesome visitors determined to have their personal five seconds of glory on the application. Right as her shift started in the Mirror Chamber - earlier than originally planned, since Vil had been forced to take his leave in order to figure out how to handle the exceptionally rowdy crowd -, the loud crack of thunder the people present in the Chamber, causing even more chatter as the visitors either expressed their confusion since it wasn’t meant to be a stormy day, or their joy at what they thought was a wonderful sound effect. Bianca knew better however, considering the thunderous noise was especially familiar to her. Once her short break started, she immediately proceeded to send a message to Silver, Malleus’ bodyguard and one of her classmates, to inquire about the reason of the draconic outburst. Silver plainly explained the situation, though the surprising speed at which he’d replied translated a certain degree of annoyance - indeed, some visitors had demonstrated an exceptionally unbecoming attitude as soon as they’d recognised Malleus, causing a situation that led him to be so angry he’d quit and requested to be left alone. Respecting that wish, Bianca considered waiting for the evening before at least quickly check up on him. She knew he wasn’t likely to snap at her, but she could understand the value of having some time to oneself after an unpleasant encounter - something Malleus had to deal with way more than was acceptable, solely because of who and what he was.

As the evening was well advanced, Bianca headed to what she suspected would be the spot where Malleus would come back to for a bit of calm. He had a preference for the quiet of abandoned places, and had very likely picked Ramshackle dorm as the Diasomnia area for that very reason. Her judgement revealed itself as correct once she spotted the familiar tall and horned silhouette. He had removed the costume and the makeup, and seemed taken aback when he saw her approach, still in her own vampire costume, her cape flowing with every step - and quietly determined to try and shift his train of thoughts from sour to more agreeable ones.

- How come you’re still wearing your costume? 

- Well... I did say I’d pass by before heading back to my dorm, didn’t I? Besides, this is a really nice outfit - look, there even pockets in the skirt! For some reasons trendy skirts and dresses don’t have them, but while drafting the outfits Vil decided to add them! 

-... Pfff... Well you’re certainly good-looking like that and... Ah you even joined us people with fangs. How does it feel to have sharper canines? 

- It feels like I had to figure out how to place my tongue to not sound silly when I speak! Oh no, that just gave you a mental image, didn’t it? 

- Haha yes, oh to be a ghost and see you train to get used to fangs! Speaking of teeth, I have something for you... Well, I think it’s still a tad bit early, and we won’t have the Autumn celebrations to go with it, but happy birthday!

As he talked, Malleus pulled a flat package from the inner pocket of his jacket, and gave it to Bianca, who carefully unfolded the wrapping paper to uncover a delicately ornate comb mixing elaborate golden leaves and small cabochons of sodalite. Bianca immediately proceeded to undo her elaborate pony tail to put her hair in an updo that would be more fitting to place the comb. Malleus felt his shoulders relax a bit at the sight of her joyous expression and leaned to leave an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

They spent a bit more time together before going their separate way - Bianca needed to get back to he dorm to remove her costume and have a proper, restful night. On her way back, she silently considered the events of the day. As skilled as she was at warding off Malleus’ worries, Bianca couldn’t work these issues in his stead, and she couldn’t help feeling concerned about the likely built-up of stress and frustration at being constantly othered. There was only so much she could do for now, but the fairy was decided to do whateves was in her power  - even a small step, like wearing the comb daily with her school uniform - to express her personal support and understanding. 

[dnarez]

Chapter 30 - Weird but good

You woke up well rested and... oh My GOD! TOSHI WILL BE HERE ANY MINUTE!!!

You ring the bell and the fox nurse comes to you. "Hi Hun! I would say good morning, but it's afternoon already, so! How can I help?"

"My friend will be here to visit me! Can you help me sit up and look a little less like I need face reconstruction?" You turn your head to her.

The fox nurse nods and helps you sit up "Here, use a brush to tame that wild hair of yours" she hands you a hairbrush "You need to eat too" she helps you sit up, which is hurting less than the last time.

"Hey! And the sweet you are owing me? You still didn't give me" You frown and her.

"Oh! I had forgotten, sorry, but sure! I will get it from the vending machine that we have on the cafeteria" Fox nurse goes to the door and stops "Please do brush your hair"

You sigh and start to brush "Yes ma'am"

---

Shinso didn't arrive, you had spent the day looking at the door and then at your cellphone.

Keigo called you on his break and texted you when he could, but Shinso only send one saying that he would be late.

'At lest he warned me, and he is training to be a pro hero, I can't be angry at him'

You hear hurried steps from the hallway, not a full run. 'Keigo arrived earlier than I expected...' but when you look at the door to say hi to your brother, you are surprised to see Hitoshi almost out of breath on your door.

"Sorry I.... was... going to... come earlier but-!" he said between breaths.

"Stop" You interrupt him and pointed to the chair next to your bed "Sit and take a breath, then you can explain"

Hitoshi huffed but obeyed you.

While he calmed his respiration you got back to your cellphone, where you went back to talking to Tokoyami about his internship.

The silence was comfortable, like always was when you were with him.

Hitoshi was the first to break it "I look happy, are you talking with your brother?"

"Nope, Tokoyami is telling me about his internship, it looks fun! Eijiro also was sending me messages earlier, but now he is busy with patrol and stuff, looks like another student from 1B also picked that hero" you looked at him and was surprised to see him frowning while looking at your phone.

"You have a lot of male friends don't you?" his hand went to the back of his neck like always.

You took a few seconds to answer, but then it hit you like a basketball.

"Toshi... are you- ARE YOU JEALOUS!?" you blushed HARD

'Does Toshi like me too!?' you looked at his face which now was just as red as yours.

"W-WHAT!? I-I... well... yes? I-" he took a deep breath and thought about it carefully "Yes, I am jealous"

Purple eyes peer into your (e/c) colored ones, you didn't expect this, he was blunt about it, you thought that he would be evasive or straight out say no to you but... he didn't.

"Is it-... Is it bad if I say that I liked that you were jealous?" Your eyes went back to your cellphone.

You heard him taking a deep breath and then his hand was on top of the screen of your cellphone.

"No, actually it would be very, very good, that you liked it." You looked at him again, he was much closer than before.

He got a little closer, and you got a little closer too, until your noses were touching one another. You could smell a minty touch on his breath, you prayed that your breath wasn't unpleasant.

You closed your eyes and took the risk to close the distance, your lips touched, lightly pressing against one another, it wasn't fireworks, and it definitely wasn't like the movies and books made it sound like, it was weird, good, but weird.

The feeling of pure happiness was overbearing, your heartbeat on the machine was very fast, but he quickly pulled away when you both heard someone fake coughing at the door.

The fox nurse at the door pointed to her wrist where a clock was "Sorry for disturbing the sweet moment but... the visitation hours are over, now only her guardian can stay."

Both with a red face nodded and Shinso got up, but before he went out he gave you a sweet little kiss on your cheek. "See you tomorrow, I will call you as soon as I get home" he spoke firmly

You nodded, and watched as he walked out of the room.

"You two look cute together" she said then she put a chocolate bar with 70%cacau on your lap and left you alone.

You were too dazzled to notice anything other than Toshi leaving.

Tag List:

cutietootierootandlooty

[onelastbreath-writes]

I’ll Meet You There (Part 3)

Pairing: Marcus Moreno/ Wife!Reader (AFAB, no y/n) 

Word Count: 2.6K

Warnings: Talks about loss of spouse, loss of child, medical conditions/inaccuracies, grief/mourning, manipulation/brainwashing (subtext/implied, but we’ll get into it later *winkwink*)

Tags: Hurt/No comfort (for now), ANGST, eventual happy ending, one really sad man for whom I just keep making things worse, #sorrynotsorry, and now I’m just making stuff up as I go along

Summary(lite): You are Marcus’s wife, and you’re definitely not dead. No one is having a great time right now, but like hell if there's a force on this earth that’ll keep you apart forever. This is not a goodbye, its just a see you later. And the interim is going to be everyone else’s problem, you’ll make sure of it.

A/N: Hello dears, welcome back to my twisted mind story,,, guess who showed up like 2 weeks late with a smoothie! So things about this new chapter: I am a criminal with italics and someone needs to stop me, hello switching scenes and perspectives because I just want to fast forward to the good stuff but y’all don’t live in my head and don’t know all the stuff that happens to get us there so here we are taking the slow lane, and I keep brainstorming new and horrible things for my characters because I am A Lot, All The Time, and will not be stopped. Also hey, Marcus the Simp is here for you, so much. I hope this is acceptable to be a reader fic still, because I am giving you some serious personality traits... ehh, it is what it is. Tell me if you spot any of my various references, there’s a lot of ‘em. Thanks to everyone who has liked/reblogged/commented, y’all are gorgeous and I’m so grateful for the love <3 Drop me a message/ask if you want a secret about one of the characters (specify which one), I need an outlet for my endless b.t.s. plotting >;) Please enjoy p3!

AO3|Masterlist

[Previous Part]

---

There were more casseroles in his fridge that Marcus knew what to do with, and more sympathy and “thinking of you” cards stacked in piles around the house than he could count. He appreciated everyone’s gestures, but he could recognize the difference between people who were kind in the interest of helping others, and those who were kind only to help themselves. It was quite obvious which type were flooding his mailbox.

Hell, most of the people sending him cards, his fans, didn’t even know his wife, never spoke to her, didn’t feel the empty Her-shaped-space in their very souls. They just wanted the clout, the prestige, of being ‘involved’ and sympathetic to a grieving superhero. It was exhausting, but no one seemed to empathize with him on that.

The Heroics upper management, and the director specifically after his press conference and the publicity the attack had brought the organization, had insisted on Marcus taking an undetermined amount of leave from the team so he could “process and mourn his loss in the comfort of his own home.” Like he didn’t look around and see every piece of himself and his wife over the years; the Home they built for their family, filled with all the hopes and dreams of two starry eyed lovers ready to take on the world together. Like her absence wasn’t slowly killing him. 

And it wasn’t like she was gone gone.  

Dead.  

She wasn’t dead.

No way in Hell.  

Whether it was because she worked with superpowered people, her experience as a medical professional, or if she was just more paranoid than most, his wife was a planner, and she was prepared for this. “In the event of my death...," like she just knew it would be necessary.

Truthfully, she had schemes and contingencies and all manner of reactionary plans prepared for if (and when) the worst happened; terrified to be blindsided or caught unaware, unable to help those she would have been able to, if only if she had the time to think. Unpreparedness costs lives in both of their careers, and she refused to leave anything up to chance if possible. And so, she’d plan, and he’d listen.  

All throughout their relationship, from before they’d even gotten serious enough to discuss marriage, to when they heard their unborn child’s heartbeat for the first time, and just on random weekday afternoons when they would take Missy for walks around the neighbourhood to show her the beauty in their lives, his wife would paint her theories and ideas like artwork. She’d tell him a story, full of action and mystery, humour and theatrics, tragic romance and harrowing adventure; she could spin a tale like she had a silver tongue, but she never lost herself in her own narratives. In the end, they were messages, lessons, for him to remember when everything was going wrong.    

“It’s all about momentum, babe. Bleeding off energy and taking a bad hit instead of a fatal hit. You can’t just full stop; you’d absorb all the kinetic energy, and the resulting trauma will turn all your squishy internals into, like, body soup, which is just super unpleasant. And of course, head is always number one priority. Bracing for impact works better at giving you fewer serious injuries, especially for your neck and head. Muscles should absorb as much of the energy as possible, instead of letting it fall to your ligaments, discs, and nerves to take the force. So, tense up and roll in the case of a low air evacuation.”

Low air evac... she was concerned he was going to have to jump from an aircraft without a parachute at some point in his life. Which was probably accurate he’d admit, but still, he wasn’t hoping to actually need that plan.

Thankfully, it wasn’t always fire and brimstone with her, and she had many strange and terrible schemes to keep the common, everyday superhero family on their toes. Always carry at least two lip balms... never tell someone you don’t have plans for the evening... don’t smile in your mugshot... no clowns. Ever.

She was so weird, a total nerd, and so completely the girl of his dreams.  

He loved teasing her about her unending train of thought, the brain that never sleeps, how she’d go on tangents while on tangents but always circle back around; even nicknamed her (quite cheekily, and because it made them both laugh) Doctor Batman, which was usually saved for when she was being particularly dramatic and gloomy. Turn the supercomputer off for a second, Bats, come see what Missy’s doing!  

He was her anchor, always ready to pull her back to earth when she started drifting off too far from them, but he never asked and never wanted her to change. He adored her, silly or serious, or when she woke him up in the middle of the night to make him promise that he’d never get their kid(s) a pet owl (because they’re “scary”, and “our kids would be too powerful, Marcus. Promise me!”), or that in the event of them inviting a third to their bed, it would “absolutely never, ever, ever be Miracle. No way!”  

He thought it was quite entertaining most of the time, listening to her plan for zombies and old gods and what to do if everyone just started hating cheese one day, but if it was all so important to her: having him remember this or agree to that, he’d accede to her requests in a heartbeat. Most of it was cute, harmless stuff he didn’t think would even happen, but sometimes she would hit him with serious stuff. Entirely out of left field, she’d go for his heart, and ask him for things that would hurt him, destroy him inside, if he ever had to follow through with it.

“Marcus, if it’s a choice between my safety- my life, and Missy’s? I’m always going to choose her. Kids come first, okay?”  

She wasn’t superpowered, didn’t have a shred of anything other than pure, normal human in her, but she was easily the strongest person he knew. Fearless and brave, kinder than this world deserved, she’d do anything for the people she cared about. And she’d promised him, maybe as a way to repay him for all the things he’d agreed to over the years, that she’d move heavens and the earth to return to their family. That nothing in this world, or beyond, could keep her away. “Eventually,” she’d stared into his eyes, glossy with tears from how forcefully she believed, “I will find my way back to you. I swear it, so keep a weather eye on the horizon.” See? A whole-ass nerd, and he couldn’t have loved her more.

So, she wasn’t dead. Pure and simple. She was somewhere, somehow, and he was going to find her again.  

---

“Marcus, the grieving process is different for everyone, but it is always unpredictable and painful. You will have days where you will feel like you haven’t made any progress, or even lost the progress you’ve previously made, but please know that this is natural; it's something everyone experiences, and that it doesn’t mean you’ve failed in your objective. Healing takes time, and a major part of recovery is learning to forgive yourself when you slip up. No one expects you to be back to normal tomorrow, or next week, or next month. Healing from grief is not a race, so we will go at your own pace, and we will work together to accomplish your recovery goals. You aren’t alone in this journey, and you don’t need to handle everything by yourself.”

The grief specialist he was seeing was someone he would describe as an “old soul”. She exuded the patience and peace of someone who had watched empires rise and fall, seen the turning of the wheel of time and drifted along with the current. Her voice was deep, rich in emotion and empathy for those who needed guidance, calming and intriguing with a soft lilt on her vowels. Timeless and ancient all in one, and even if he wasn’t actually mourning the death of his wife, he did find himself deeply grieving being without her. They were two halves of a whole, and though his soul was at a loss without its partner here, he still had their greatest creation, their pride and joy, their baby girl to raise.  

He would do whatever he had to do to be the best parent he could for Missy. And so, if meeting with a physiatrist every week was something that would help, then he would be here, every week. He'd learn to live with his grief, his sadness and loneliness, with just the memory of his Everything, and he’d help their kid with all hers too.  

It’s what he promised to do, after all.

“If anything ever happens to me, you’ll just have to love her enough for the both of us.”  

---

There was nothing they could recover of the people closest to centre of the explosion. No remains, no blood, nothing. Like they hadn’t been there at all.  

Suspicious.

Upper Management had brought in a team of private investigators to handle the case, people who would keep the details quiet and the public appeased with what little information they’d choose to release.  

Marcus was a superhero, and sure, his job was to hit things until they weren’t a problem anymore, but he couldn’t understand why all the highly trained professionals didn’t question the sheer amount of evidence that just wasn’t adding up.  

He tried to bring up the inconsistencies once with the lead investigator, but they had just given the distraught, widowed husband, so lost in his own denial and grasping at straws, a sad smile and told him they would do everything they could to find the truth for him and the rest of the victims’ families.

Typical.

After being brushed off without a second thought, he decided to keep his ideas quiet, and since they’d proven their unwillingness to listen, he’d just have to solve the mass disappearance himself.  

“Have you ever thought about how to commit the perfect murder, mi amor? I have. First: If there’s no body, they can’t prove the person is dead. No evidence of death? No murder. Simple. But of course, completely vanishing a full human would be a challenge. Short of having the superpowers necessary to, like, erase someone from reality in their entirety, there would be a lot of chances to leave evidence. Ordering suspicious chemicals leaves a trail, driving out to a pig farm in the middle of the night is shady as hell and all neighbors are professional narcs, and fires? Hah! Do you have any idea how hot the fire needs to be to cremate human remains, and how long they would need to grill for? Huh, maybe the perfect murder isn’t a murder at all...  

Hey babe...  

Always doubt a body, but always doubt no body, more.”

---

You tended to lose time when there was no one else in your room. It was hard to tell when your eyes were open because you started dreaming about the only things you could see since you first woke up: drop-ceiling tiles, white walls, and pale blue curtain dividers. And it was easier that way, in the end. Your heart didn’t hurt when you only dreamt of the room. You couldn’t mourn the things and people only your soul could remember if you thought of the room. Drifting in and out of consciousness was how you were coping.  

---

You had been here, left in this room alone, for ages. You had agreed to help the man who had saved you from the explosion that killed your family, but apparently you couldn’t help him until you had recovered enough. You’d read your charts, grilled your nurses and doctors more and more the longer you were kept here. What were they all waiting for? There was nothing wrong with you except the mild post traumatic amnesia, and the whole not-remembering-much-(or anything, really)-about-your-personal-life-and-family-of-the-recent-few-years thing you had going on. It was nothing compared to when you first awoke and could remember nothing. It killed you to be without the memories of your husband and child, to know only of them instead of actually knowing them, but there was nothing you or the doctors here could do. The brain was a tricky thing, and you had to accept that your memory loss might be permanent.  

That just meant that you had to put all that you could remember to good use. You could help people here, and work towards getting justice for your family. Years and years of school, practical experience and training, you had gained it all back; re-read textbooks and studies, wrote papers on your re-emerging knowledge and jogged your memory about long nights and early mornings, surgeries and follow ups... it was all still in your head. It had returned to you easily, like diving into a cool pool on a hot summer day. It was like coming home and taking off your shoes; it felt good, freeing, as-it-should-be.  

But still they weren’t letting you leave. So: what were they waiting for?  

“Ah, Doctor, it’s lovely to see you, as always. How are we feeling today?” Okay, so the guy who “saved” you (read: paid the people who actually saved your life)  gave you the heebie-jeebies. He looked like a classic pompous asshole bigwig, like, oil tycoon or something. And he definitely had some sort of thing for you. Gross.

“I’m doing as well as can be expected, trapped in a room with nothing to do, you know, brain rotting, et cetera. Thanks for asking.” The sass was a choice, probably not a great choice, but your choice none-the-less. You really hadn’t had many opportunities to choose anything for yourself in a while.  

Well...

You were bored, and that was going to be everyone else’s problem.  

“Ah, well, good news then! You have been cleared from observation and you’ll be able to be discharged soon. Isn’t that just delightful!” Mister Craig (“Please, just Greg is fine”), was some sort of horrible group hallucination, you were convinced. No one was that cheery, that animated, unless they were on something, or you were on something. “I’ll have someone bring you your personal effects shortly, and then I can show you to your new apartment. The complex isn’t in the best neighbourhood unfortunately, but it's got some real charm, very vintage! You’ll love it!”

“I’ll look forward to seeing it then; sounds like it’ll be a real interesting place to stay. You can also explain what it is I’m going to be doing with your organization. Because you haven’t specified yet. And I expect a proper contract and wage agreement. Legally binding preferably, for your sake, of course, Mr. Craig.” Even if you weren’t the most physically intimidating person around, you knew how, and more so, when, to assert your dominance in a conversation. Especially with men like him. He was the type of guy who would pinch a nurse’s ass and then accuse them of not being able to take a joke.  

“You wound me, Doctor, I am a man of integrity! I promised you an opportunity to make a difference! To get justice for the loved ones so cruelly torn from you! You have nothing to worry about!”  

Sounds legit. Totally above board. Can’t wait.

---

Taglist (omg!! thanks love): @killtherandomness​

Drop me a line if you want to be added <3

[notyetneedcoffee]

Birthday Treat, Part 1

Pairing: Stucky x Reader

Warning: NSFW, 18+, toys and smut

A/N: follow up to Late Night Comfort, but not necessary to enjoy!

o o o o o 

"So, nothing for me?" You called out as Stark adjourned the meeting.

"Not today." He winked.

Warning bells went off in the back of your brain. Tony’s normally smug face held a little extra mischief. When your eyebrow rose in question, he only granted you with an over-the-top cheesy smile.  

Natasha, Wanda and Clint filed out of the room passed you. Wanda's eyes darted your way, glinting with amusement. What the hell?  

As you stepped out of the conference room, you were immediately flanked by two super soldiers. Steve fell into step at your right, Bucky on your left. Looking between them, you drawled out, "Fellas?"

Bucky took your hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm, smiling at you, but saying nothing.  

"What is going on?"

"We may have found out that you have a birthday coming up." Bucky grinned.

"In nearly two weeks." You scoffed.

"At which time we'll be tied up in Austria." Steve explained. "So we're taking the time now."

Stepping into the elevator, Bucky pulled you tight against his chest. His soft lips ghosted over yours, pulling away before you could deepen the kiss. "We're got a cabin upstate reserved for a couple days."

Steve's warm fingers brushed your hair aside so he could place a warm, wet kiss upon your neck.It made you sigh.  "Before we leave, there's just a few things we want you to do. So we're heading to Buck's apartment. Then we'll go. The chopper is all packed."

You pressed your chest into Bucky's while your ass tipped back against Steve. A trip upstate sounded pretty damn good. No wonder Tony was smirking, if both of them asked to be 'off the roster' at the same time with you, it probably confirmed what he had been wondering for a while.

You may have started with a relationship with Steve, but it'd always been quiet and unknown to the others. When Bucky became involved, he enjoyed the casual cuddles and territorial touches too much for the relationship to remain a secret. Most people assumed you and Bucky were the item and Steve the third wheel. Others saw more of the truth.

Bucky led you into his apartment with the most wicked smile. Just the twinkle in his blue eyes made your tummy flutter. In his room, Steve wrapped his arms around you, kissing your mouth slow, sucking your bottom lip. Buck’s hand slid over your ass, his teeth biting into your shoulder through your shirt. A shiver shot down your spine.

“Now,” Steve trailed his hands up and down your sides. “We’ve packed your things. We’re going straight from here to the chopper. The trip will take about a half hour. Then there won’t be a soul around for miles.”

“We’re going to spoil you, Doll. Give you everything you want and more.” The rumble of Bucky’s voice slid over neck. “But we need to give you the first present before we leave.”

Steve unbuckled your belt and undid your jeans. Bucky massaged your tits through your clothes, pulling you back against his chest. As Steve’s fingers slipped between your legs you moaned, “I like this present so far.”

“We’re just getting you prepped for your present, Doll.” Buck’s metal hand wrapped around your throat. You were pulse kicked up.  

A small mewl escaped when Steve pulled a silver anal plug and a bottle of lube from the night stand. Oh, that was new. His fingers slid between your folds, curving up into your cunt when he felt how wet you were. “Fuck, Sweetheart. Soaking.”  

Bucky chuckled in your ear. “You ready, baby?”

Steve’s fingers slid along the picker of you ass, teasing you, relaxing you, as Bucky licked and nibbled at the skin behind your ear. You began to pant. “Steve, oh shit.”

He press the cold metal against you, the pressure at first felt fine, then a twinge of pain. “Breathe.” Bucky purred. “Relax.” He bit your neck. The plug slipped all the way in, sending sensations spiraling through your core. “Good girl.”

Steve kissed you, drinking down your gasp when he wiggles the head of plug at you ass. He smiled against your lips. “Just one more thing, Sweetheart. Then we’ll go.”

One of your hands reached back, clasping Bucky’s hair, the other was on Steve’s neck. You wanted them naked. Now. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No.” Steve grinned. He pulled your panties and jeans up. But just before putting them totally in place, he slipped an ergonomic silicone sliver in the folds of your pussy. It was light, thin, and long enough to tickle your clit. He tugged up your clothes and fastened everything.

Just as Bucky’s hand began to loosen from your throat his other hand came around where you could see it. He held a tiny remote. He pressed the little button with flourish.

The little device vibrated, the flexible tips hitting your clit and the fucking plug. Your cunt clenched. Your knees nearly buckled. “Oh fuck!”

Both men looked immensely satisfied. “Come on, Doll. Our chopper awaits.”

“Seriously?”  

“Yes, Doll.” Bucky took your arm again. You followed him, the feeling of walking weird. It wasn’t unpleasant, in fact the subtle rubbing kept you in a constant state of excitement. You felt the weight of the anal plug, the teasing of it, reminder of what’s to come. Then the little vibe, soaked in your juices, tickling and teasing, even though it was off.

You knew you looked no different, but you felt like a neon sign floated over your head blinking, announcing how kinky you were. Still, as Bucky bit his lip with a wicked smile you grew even more wet. Steve pressed the elevator button, adjusting himself subtly as he leaned against the wall. They were as turned on as you.

The helicopter waited on the roof. Steve stood by as you climbed in, settling in carefully. You buckled up and just began to relax as Buck went through the start up sequence. By the time you reached altitude for the trip north, you were almost comfortable.

A vibration shocked your body. The harness kept you pinned to the seat. Your hips rocked, but that increased the sensation in your ass. It didn’t stop. The more you moved, the more intense the feeling became.

“Oh, shit!” You clung to the straps. It needed to stop. It needed to be more. Something. “Who’s got that fucking remote?”

Steve’s low chuckle filled the headphones.  

“Oh, dammit, Stevie.” You pleaded. “This thing is, oh shit, it’s going to make me numb before it gets me off.” It stopped. You laid your head back and closed your eyes, catching your breath. He knew you lied.

“Don’t get too comfortable, Sweetheart.” Steve’s voice purred in your ears. “It’s a short trip and we want you ready for us as soon as we get there.” You felt a tickle to your clit. It disappeared. “There’s things we want to do to you…” an intense vibration shook you and disappeared. “That you’ve only whispered about.” Again. “Things we’ve wanted to do…” the pulsing stimulation to your clit had you rocking in your seat. “Take you in ways we haven’t before.” The vibe, the plug, the straps of the harness, his velvet voice. You felt the tension coil. “We will…” the intensity had you writhing “make you…” the vibe kicked into over drive, “come…” you cried out “undone.”

You shook, coming hard, legs shaking panties soaked, jeans damp.  

“Holy shit.” You panted.

“Thank god for autopilot,” Bucky laugh. “Or I would have crashed us. Fuck, Doll. That was beautiful.”

“Steve,” you breathed.

“Yeah, baby.”

“This thing was your idea wasn’t it?” He hummed an affirmative. You laughed, relaxed, eyes heavy. “Knew it. I just love how kinky you are.”

“Rest up, Doll. You’ve got a couple minutes until we land. Then the fun really begins.”

TAGS:

@the-omni-princess, @theneuropsychwriter, @buckybarneshairpullingkink, @lbouvet, @geeksareunique, 

If you would like to be added to my tags, removed, or have a story request, please message me!

[my-arlington-academia]

The main 10 cheering up a crying Scholar (Y/N) part 3

Here goes the last part finally... Here we have the last 2 boys: Tegan and Tyler! Like I said they had to be cut because tumblr was all like "YoUr PoSt Is ToO LoNg!" Thanks tumblr. As always.

Tegan

- you were feeling like shit lately and you just really needed to confide in someone so before you even noticed where your legs were taking you, you were already standing in front of Tegan's room

- it was really late at night so both of you were in your pyjamas already, though in Tegan's case he was most likely still playing video games

- "Is Tyler here?"

- "Oh uh. No, he's not here... yet."

- Going by Tegan's guilty face Tyler probably snuck out... again.

- Tegan is rambling a lot, he's probably really stressed out because he wasn't expecting you out of all people to come this late

- "A-anyway, when he comes back I'll tell him that you were looking for him so..."

- "Wait, no! I wanted to talk with you, I was just asking to know if we're alone. The both of us. Can I come in?"

- you see a faint smile on his face, is it relief? He's probably happy that you were looking for him instead of someone else

- when you come in you can see that he was in fact, playing a game

- "Oh, sorry. I'm probably a bother."

- "What?? No!"

- He shuts the TV off and makes some space on the couch so you can sit

- "I should be the one apologizing, it's such a mess here. If Karolina saw the state of our room she would kill both me and Tyler."

- his familiar quirkiness is making you feel at ease, but when you remember what you came here for it gets harder to speak

- Tegan attentively looks at you while you're trying to find your words

- turns out that no matter how you try to start, you can't go on. Everytime your throat gets tight and your mind goes blank

- "Y/N...? T-take your time, there's no rush... I'll wait. I can even pull an all-nighter while waiting, no big deal!"

- he's trying really hard to sound reassuring but knowing that he's literally ready to NOT get any sleep tonight just to listen to what you have to say makes the pressure even stronger

- You start crying and cover your face out of embarrassement

- Tegan.exe has stopped working

- "Woah! Uhhh... Y-Y/N?? I'm sorry! Is it me?? Is it because of the other day when I laughed so hard that I spilled cola on your uniform?! Is the stain not coming out? Please don't cry I'll buy you a new one!"

- This boi is a wreck

- It's like he's on an emotional roller-coaster without knowing what the ride is about

- "Noooo... it's not your fault... thank you for being there for meeee..."

- "O-okay! Good to know! But what can I do to help?"

- You keep on sniffling and bawling

- "Ummm... could I get a hug?"

- "Yes! Anything!"

- squeezes you in his arms tightly... maybe too tightly. Where's all of this strength in PE?

- You already knew that he was tall but now you can really tell that he's a tree

- once you stop crying it gets a little awkward

- Well, to be fair it's always a bit awkward with Tegan, but in a good way

- "Um. So. I was playing Mycraft, wanna play?"

- You end up sitting on his lap while he creates a new world in the game just for you

- "Here. Even if you never played Mycraft you probably heard things about it right?"

- "Yeah, they got an update recently right? With the bees and stuff."

- You guys spend a few hours building things turn by turn while taming different animals in game, like dogs, horses, parrots and whatnot

- in the end you explain the situation pretty calmly

- You can see Tegan tighten his grip on the controller whenever you get to the parts of the story that are unpleasant

- he doesn't say it but he's clearly angry about all the things that happened to you

- overall the evening/night is well spent building houses and getting jumpscared by creepers

- next morning you wake up on the couch and see that Tegan is sleeping in his bed while Tyler is trying his hardest to not make any sounds while walking in the room, which is impossible because of the mess

- "Ah Y/N, you're up! Haha so you had a good time with Tegan when I was gone huh? You bad children. Sooo scandalous, I'll go snitch to Lady A."

- You sit up on the couch in a hurry

- "W-what do you mean?"

- Tyler has got the most mischievous grin that you've ever seen

- "Get this: when I came back yesterday at 4am, you were sleeping in Tegan's arms while he was still playing Mycraft. He said that he didn't want to move around because you'll wake up, but honestly? It was probably because he was planning on sleeping with you on the couch if I didn't get ba-"

- A pillow flew towards Tyler's head from behind him

- looks like Tegan woke up

- "S-shut up! I-I wasn't... I mean... Ugghh! It's like when a cat falls asleep on your lap! You wouldn't want to wake it up, right? That's all it was."

- "Can't relate. I think you're spending too much time with your online furry friends."

- "I don't even *have* furry friends."

- "Yeah. Well, maybe because *you're* the furry friend."

- they have a short pillow fight while you're still trying to remember everything that happened yesterday, well, technically it was today but whatever

- You leave their room in a good mood while Tegan is already planning on hacking a few phones...

Tyler

- Noticed it the moment you didn't greet anyone in the morning

- Usually you start the day by saying hi to everyone but that day you went past them as swiftly as you could and made your way to your seat

- Tyler, of course didn't want to bring any attention to you since that's what you were trying to avoid in the first place

- he did his best to sneak out of his group of friends and came to your desk

- "Hey Y/N! Not feeling good today? Want to talk about it?"

- "...Not now, sorry."

- Great! He'll spend the whole day wondering what's wrong

- can't concentrate in class or in anything really, not even his art

- You always come to mind whenever he tries to do anything

- so he's being really adorable with you the whole day, and the following days

- Helps you carry your belongings, even if they're super light

- also carries your food tray at the cafeteria

- "You need more water? Wait! Wait, I'll get it."

- he even pulls out the best weapon against sadness

- wholesome memes.

- he sends them constantly when classes are over

- You end up calling him over because you can see how worried he is, and also because you trust him and need to talk to someone instead of staying alone all the time

- you can see that he read your message but he's not answering. Weird.

- a few seconds later someone is knocking at your door

- "Y/N!!! I'm here! What do you need??"

- You open the door and see that Tyler is out of breath and wearing a panda beauty mask, it's honestly kinda hilarious to see

- "Please don't laugh... I was just doing my skincare routine."

- "No I understand but... haha, you look like you got beat up from both sides. Doesn't really look like a panda."

- you guys sit down and have a casual talk

- Tyler manages to make you laugh a few times with some stories from before you came to Arlington, though it was mostly about him and Tegan screwing around

- then Tyler looks at the time

- "Oh! It's time to take it off! Observe the magic of my "beat up from both sides" mask!"

- His face is literally glowing, he looks like he has baby skin

- that's when you decide that it's time to tell him about your troubles

- When he had the mask on you didn't feel like the conversation could get serious because of how ridiculous it looked

- You start speaking really softly, so softly that Tyler most likely couldn't hear you properly so he got closer

- When your voice starts to break he puts his arm around your shoulders and rests his head on yours

- and when you start crying he takes one of your hands into his

- he's carefully rubbing your hand with his thumb while you continue speaking

- When you're done and you've calmed down he kisses you on your forehead and hugs you

- he didn't say anything while you were telling him about your problems but his way of comforting you was surprisingly really physical

- Tyler already knows that it's a personal matter and he can't help you directly but he's gonna do his best to be there when you need it and distract you from it

- When you guys call it a night and he goes back to his room you realize just how romantic that moment was

- You have second hand embarrassement while remembering how gentle and caring he was while you were literally bawling

- You keep on silently screeching and making weird sounds into your pillow while recalling everything

- You cringe so hard at some of the things you said and the way you cried was honestly worth of an actress in a drama

- 'Oh wow. Maybe Tyler's dad will hire me just to cry on screen in one of his movies...'

- a few days later when you feel a lot better Tyler admits something to you

- "Please, don't take it in a weird way but... I thought that you're really cute when you're crying."

- Um...?

- "Dude. Tyler. Do you even realize what you're saying?"

- "I know! I'm sorry! But I swear I don't mean it in a like- you know, creepy way or anything! I swear!"

- "How can this not be creepy?"

- "Uhh... Nevermind. Forget I said anything..."

- the both of you keep on having a good time while Tyler is secretly plotting a little revenge

[fandom-necromancer]

905. Why are you constantly carrying that thing around with you?

And another number 905 for the wonderful @markusandkaraandconnor! Thanks for prompting and enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 (Warnings: Racism against Androids in the first two paragraphs)

‘Look at them… Damn android fuckers start to sprout like weeds everywhere!’ Gavin tried to filter it all out and enjoy the evening, but with them not even trying to keep it down to a whisper, that wasn’t really possible. ‘I mean look at that shit. Wine-flavoured Thirium? What the hell. As if these things would know the difference. How did they even test it? The stuff would be poisonous for humans anyway.’ Gavin stared down on his plate, only looking up to awkwardly smile at Nines, whose LED was at a steady red. He hadn’t looked their way yet, but from the corner of his eyes he saw them sitting at a table for two, much like him and Nines. This time the second person spoke up: ‘Look at the guy. Of course, he settled for a machine. With a face like that only an android could love you.’ Gavin sank further down into his seat, trying to gulp down a bit of his food, that only tasted like ashes now. Nines instead straightened his spine and fixed the pair. Two men, both human, wearing formal clothes. From facial structures alone the android detected a 73% chance they were brothers. ‘Would it be too much to ask that you keep your voice down, so we both could enjoy our meals in peace?’, he asked, keeping up the ever-polite outer shell to disguise his building rage.

Gavin was thankful to have him. Were he alone he had long taken their respective dishes and clubbed them to unconsciousness with them. And that was still well within the realm of possibilities as politeness just wouldn’t make them stop. ‘Oh, what? Did we hurt your feelings? Do you even have them?’ ‘Look at that red light. Goddamn thing needs a mood-light to emote, of course it has no feelings.’ Gavin clenched his teeth and laid down fork and knife not to attack the two with it if they only took so much as another breath his direction. ‘Hey! Hey, you! Yeah, I’m speaking to you, android-fucker. Does he do the windows-error noise when orgasm?’

‘Let’s go, Nines’, Gavin pressed through gritted teeth. ‘Detective, I don’t think that is nec-‘ ‘Nines. Let’s go.’ The android only ever called him by his title when in distress. Gavin knew they had to move now if they wanted to avoid this ending in a fight. And he wanted to avoid that, if not to stay out of a fight then to avoid the police being called and him explaining to his colleagues what had happened. ‘…Fine’, Nines nodded stiffly, standing up and putting on his jacket before walking around the table helping Gavin into his. ‘Aww, it seems they want to figure that one out right away’, one of them giggled and Gavin snapped. ‘You two are complete and utter assholes who don’t deserve my time, but I have you know that any organic you may have phcked or – if you are even capable of that – loved, won’t ever be fit to hold a candle to my partner. I surely hope you die alone in a cold, dark alleyway and that I don’t have to work on that case then. Thanks for ruining our evening.’ He had spoken in a cold, deadpan tune, while reaching over to the salt and decorating their respective meals with a generous amount of it. ‘Enjoy yours.’ With that he marched out, Nines following close.

They drove home in silence, Gavin only now calming down. He had his damn share of these people in his life already and he knew getting angry about it wouldn’t help. But he would be damned if he didn’t stand up for his partner. Nines didn’t deserve these sorts of comments. He hadn’t done anything wrong, Gavin being his first and most likely only love. Gavin would have accepted it if it was just on his person, he had phcked up numerous times already, had accepted and was happy to be alone forever until half a year ago. But not Nines. Never Nines.

He had hoped the android would have calmed down, too. But once they entered their home and Gavin had closed the door, Nines exploded. ‘Damn humans! Why would they do that? It had been a nice evening! Why would anyone have the desire to ruin someone else’s life this way? I can’t even begin to understand it. I-I-‘ Static mixed in with his voice and Gavin could only look at him in shock. ‘Gavin, I love you a lot and my feelings are real. Please believe me.’ There was a desperate, pleading look on his face he would never be able to forget, and it could as well have been a physical knife pushed into his heart and twisted around because this? This shit hurt.

‘Nines! Nines, don’t. Don’t say things like that, don’t let this get to you. Of course, you have feelings, of course you love me. I know that. I love you too. You are the best thing to ever happen to me! Please, forget their stupid comments. They mean nothing!’ ‘But they are right. I am a thing. I can’t know if flavoured thirium tastes like the real thing. Me acting like a human is just an act. I am a machine and nothing I do will ever change that.’ ‘Do you think that matters to me?’, Gavin asked, reaching out to hold Nines’ trembling hands. ‘Do you think it matters to me how human you are? Take this today as an example of how shitty humans can be. I don’t love you for your ability to taste food you can’t even eat. I love you for that weird look you gave me when we first tried flavoured thirium-drinks. That expression was priceless and you getting all excited about the different tastes and ingredients is one of my favourite memories of us.’ He moved up to cup his cheek. ‘Please. My love for you doesn’t come with any conditions. Especially not for how human you are. You have far exceeded the levels of humanity anyone of us could give.’

‘I just…’ Nines looked away, moving out of Gavin’s touch. ‘Sometimes I ask myself whether a human partner wouldn’t be better for you. I… We can’t even have sex.’ ‘Nines, just stop. Do you really think that shit is important? I like to have fun once in a while, but that doesn’t mean- Listen. No human would ever want me. And I don’t want any human. I want you. And only you.’ Gavin wanted to move in again, hold Nines and show him what he really meant for him, but the android evaded him once again, this time even moving a few steps away. ‘No. You are only saying that to make me feel better!’ He reached up to his temple, dug his fingers into the synth-skin there and before Gavin could shout at him to stop, Nines had pried off his LED, throwing it into the bin next to the door violently. ‘I- I have to go’, he muttered, static heavy in his voice and Thirium trailing down his face. In a heartbeat he had opened the door and slipped out, leaving Gavin behind.

He felt empty as he sunk to the floor against a wall. What had just happened? A few words spoken without care and taken too seriously were all it needed to blow any air right out of him. Gavin looked at the bin, remembered the exact sound the LED had made as it hit the plastic. ‘Phck’, he sighed to himself. Maybe he should have made a scene. Maybe he should have beaten the shit out of these two guys. If only his android would still be here with him then. He had become so used to Nines being around that their home now just felt empty. Lifeless even. He chuckled humourless close to tears. How phcking ironic.

He pushed himself from the ground what could be minutes or hours later and fetched the LED from the trash. He brushed over it a few times, freeing it from carrot pieces stuck to the half-evaporated Thirium on it. He took the little disk with him to the kitchen, carefully cleaning it with a sponge until he was sure there wasn’t any dirt on it. Then he changed into something comfortable and sat down on the couch so he could keep the door in view. All the time he held the LED fiercely in his grasp, holding it to his chest and kissing it gently in the futile hopes through whatever techno-magic they had built into it, Nines would be able to feel it. ‘Phck, Nines, please come home’, he pleaded through his grief-struck voice as he curled in on himself around the LED. He had cried enough so no new tears would come, and he only was immensely tired now. Darkness had settled around him as he hadn’t had the spirit to switch on any lights since they came home. It was late in the night already, maybe even very early morning, as Gavin fell asleep then and there on the couch, holding the disk close and muttering over and over: ‘Just come home. I love you.’

-

The next day he had woken up stiff, cold and alone. Oh, if that didn’t awake some unpleasant memories of the past… He had opted for a shower first, before trying to build up energy for a change into real clothes and breakfast. He succeeded in neither, spending the morning where he had spent the whole night, curled around the LED and turning it in his fingers. He had sent Nines a message on his phone, reading: I miss you babe. Please come home when you feel like it. I’m waiting for you and I’m worried. I love you. So far there hadn’t been an answer, but he was stuck on read. So at least he had seen it. He was probably fine then. At least not physically hurt. He spent all Saturday on that couch, turning on the TV in the hopes of being distracted. It didn’t work. He fell asleep to his plead to whoever was listening that Nines would come back. At least this time he had thought to get a blanket.

Sunday wasn’t better. No answer from Nines. Another text message from Gavin that he could come home whenever he was ready, that he hoped he was okay, that he missed him and loved him. Gavin felt as if he hadn’t done enough and at the same time didn’t know what else to do. Nines had told him he needed to go. And he would give him all the time he needed to think. Hell, even if he decided he didn’t want to be with him anymore… Gavin didn’t want to think about that too much as the knife in his chest reappeared every time he did, but… If Nines felt that way, Gavin would let him go. If only he knew he was happy and well then. The worry chewed away at him. He hadn’t eaten more than a piece of bread and some instant noodles the whole weekend and while he knew it wasn’t healthy, he just couldn’t get more down.

Everything in him was focussed on Monday. He would have never thought to look forward to a Monday while it was still weekend, but Nines would be at work, right? He would see him tomorrow for sure. He had to know he was alright.

It felt weird driving in his car without his partner sitting next to him. His LED was resting above the radio, Gavin’s constant companion by now. He didn’t even go to the toilet without it. He walked into the precinct like a ghost, several people even asking him if he was okay. He sat down on his chair, eyeing the desk in front of him. Shit, he had been so sure Nines would be there. Sitting there, staring at his screen. Ready to be hugged. Phck. He looked through the bullpen, his eyes locking on Connor. He had sworn to never talk to that tin-can again after that incident in the evidence room. But goddamn, this was for Nines.

‘Hey, Connor, err… Sorry to disturb, but-‘ ‘What do you want, Reed?’, the android brushed him off. ‘I was getting there, thank-‘ ‘I only tolerate you because my brother made the mistake of loving you. Now get to the point.’ Gavin swallowed. Yep, no chance in mending that shit-show. ‘Is he okay?’ That made Connor look up. ‘What? I worry about him, shit-head! Don’t look at me like that.’ ‘He is… He is getting better. He thinks about you a lot and from what he told me he misses you, too. He gave me his phone, so he wouldn’t answer.’ Gavin nodded. ‘Is he safe?’ He hated how weak he sounded, especially in front of Connor, but he just didn’t care anymore. Maybe that was what made Connor’s face soften. ‘He is. He is staying with us at the moment. Though I would advise you not to come over. He needs time.’ ‘I know. He told me and I will give him all the time he needs to figure it all out.’ He took a deep breath, but he was already so far in, what would it hurt to admit more. ‘I love him, Connor. I really do. Trust me, if I was ever true with anything in my life, it would be this. I just want him to be happy.’ ‘He loves you too. These idiots at the restaurant just struck every uncertainty he had about your… relationship. He will figure it out in time. If you believe me or not, I am on your side with this. You mean to much to him and he is too happy with you – whatever he sees in you – that I want him to come back to you, too.’ Gavin for once decided to be civil with the toaster. This really meant a lot. ‘Thank you, Connor.‘ ‘Don’t mention it.’

-

Still, Nines didn’t show up on Tuesday. Neither did he come Wednesday or Thursday. Gavin looked worse for wear every day, but no one questioned it. Maybe news had come around already. Maybe no one cared because that was “just Gavin”. But on Friday, Gavin walked into the precinct, slumped down behind his screen and mindlessly started scrolling through his emails before his brain caught up with him and he looked up. A familiar android looked back and Gavin could have cried in relief wouldn’t he be so uncertain of how things were between them. ‘H-Hey Nines’, he tried and was stupid enough to add a little wave. ‘How… How are you?’ His throat was dried up and speaking was hard.

The android stood up and came over, crouching in front of him. ‘I’m sorry, I stayed away for so long. I needed time to think’, he began and immediately Gavin was in the defensive. ‘No, that’s totally fine, really!’, he hurriedly said, to mask the fact that it had absolutely not been totally fine. He had lost a few kilos or more in that week and wondered how he could ever have functioned without the android. ‘You did mean it, right?’, Nines asked and took the man’s hand gently in his. ‘That you love me and don’t want any human? That you want me? And only me?’ ‘Yes!’, Gavin nodded quickly. ‘Yes, I meant that.’ ‘And that you don’t care about me being a machine?’ ‘Absolutely, Nines.’ ‘That’s good to hear’, the android sighed and relaxed, only to frown as he felt the LED trapped between their hands. He took it and held it up to inspect the disk. ‘Why are you constantly carrying that thing around with you?’, he asked. ‘Connor told me you had it with you the whole week.’ ‘Nines, I- I just-‘ ‘I threw it away for a reason, Gavin.’ Gavin just pulled Nines into a hug, regardless of who might be looking and how awkward it had to be. He didn’t care. He had yearned for this for a long time. ‘I don’t care, Nines. It is a part of you. Maybe you don’t like it or don’t want it, but I can’t throw away a part of you. I love you, with LED or without it. And I won’t let you throw away yourself just because some asshole talked shit about you. No one can ever change what I feel for you. And it’s good to have you back.’