#HER problem is that she's really bad at disentangling her own emotions let alone putting words to them

[blujayonthewing]

..... not me realizing almost none of my characters have anyone they feel like they can talk to and confide in about their own problems.....

[spirit-of-the-void]

Ebony and Ivory (V x Reader Fanfic) Chapter 11

Author’s notes: Thank you all for your long and support, im so sorry for the delay ive been having problems with my internet all night...its the worst, but im chugging on... Do you guys hear music? <3

Chapter 11

Upon waking, you were a cacophony of emotions.

One? Regret. Drinking had left you feeling a bit miserable when you started blinking awake. You put a hand to your head, grunting softly at a pretty gnarly headache that rose to meet you. Well, that was one lesson learned--drinking was definitely not the best idea you ever had, but that was beside the point. Onto the second emotion, which was definitely connected to the slow realization that arms were wrapped around you. Breath in your hair, legs half resting on yours, body to body. Spooning. Your face flushed, entire being immediately recognizing the lanky form lightly hugging yours. V. He was sharing the bed with you, holding you in what could only equate to a tender embrace.

Suddenly that headache bothered you a thousand times less.

You were so torn. On one hand, you were loving the close contact. He was so warm, so welcome. The sound of his gentle breathing and his soft skin touching yours was making your head spin a bit. On the other hand, it made you wonder just how out of hand the drinking had got last night--you hoped to god you hadn’t done anything super uncomfortable to the poet to cause this. Your memories were vague, fuzzy. You remembered a lot of giggling, a lot of crying, V’s hands touching your face. Christ, you hoped Griffon kept you from forcing a kiss on him.

Speaking of the bird, he was curled up by your heads again, snoring lightly. Shadow was lounging by your feet, cracking one eye open to lazily stare at you. This bed was queen sized, definitely big enough to fit you, V, and all the familiars. Minus nightmare, who was still in V’s hair. You took a deep breath, relaxing in the poet’s arms a bit as you thought over how to get up without waking him. It looked like no one else was up yet, luckily. You were sure you wouldn’t hear the end of it from Nico and Lady if they saw you spooning with the sandal-wearing goth. Not that you minded--you would happily do this with him again, at a later date.

You closed your eyes again, counting his breaths. Your power was definitely back, so you snuck him some energy before he woke up and scolded you. You wanted him to get up feeling refreshed and healthy, despite the hangover you were rocking. Still, you had to admit waking up like this was pretty distracting for you in the pain department. And you had worse pain the previous day, a little headache was nothing. As for Lady, or worse Nico...They wouldn’t be having a good morning, not at all. You would do your best for them too.

As you mused, you felt the poet behind you stir a bit, letting out a light sigh. You slowed your breathing, not wanting to get up yet. Mind you, there was a lot to do and time to recover from the missed day, but...The peace felt nice. Being with him felt nice--Griffon was right, you had it bad. It was the fourth day, and you already felt comfortable enough sharing a bed with the man, craved it. You didn’t want to know what sleeping  alone felt like again, and that was definitely a sign that you were absolutely in over your head.

Regardless, you felt V disentangle himself from you, much to your heavy disappointment. You fought a sigh, ready to bring yourself out of your own resting position when something the poet did stopped you. You felt him sit up and pause, letting out a slow sigh into the quiet air. Then, his hand was there, stroking your wavy locks. Softly, tenderly. Delight and surprise filled you, body resisting the urge to jolt the instant he touched you. This morning was just full of surprises it would seem, full of peaceful things that you once took for granted. Never again.

You let him continue for a few seconds, waiting for the right moment to slowly blink open your eyes. He paused for a moment when you did, but still rested his hand on your head as you yawned and rubbed your aching face. Christ, reality was so strange at that moment.

“Well well,” V said in that low purr, wearing his familiar half- smirk when you turned to look at him, “Look who’s finally awake.”

You gave a small smile back, pulling yourself up and hating how your ears rang. You put your hands to your head, letting out a low groan of, “Oww..”

“Ahh, and there it is,” V chuckled, stroking a hand over your aching head, “The culmination of last night’s activities.”

You winced, lifting your gaze again to meet his bemused one. Damn him for waking up looking perfect and wonderful, despite the fact that you definitely helped with that.

“Laugh it up,” You huffed, eyes narrowing on him as you lowered your hands, “But you’re the one who gets to travel with my cranky ass.”

He let out a low chuckle, the way his eyes sparkled with mirth making your heart speed up. He stroked your head once more, making your eyes close a bit before he slid out of the bed. Shadow was blinking awake at your feet, yawning in a great display of mighty jaws and teeth. Absolutely adorable. Griffon was pulling himself up to, letting out a low, bird-like trill as he shook out his feathers. You smiled, pleased that no one seemed worse for wear after the fuzzy night of drinking. You, too, felt like yourself. No lingering bad feelings, no nightmares today.

“Don’t you fuckers know how to sleep in?” Griffon muttered, gold eyes meeting yours. He squinted, probably noticing your good mood, all things considered. He let out a low, evil chortle, hopping closer as he hissed, “Well now, don’t you look cheerful, girlie. How did being little spoon feel? Bet you loved being held in the Poet’s big, strong arms.”

You shrugged, a bemused look in your eyes as you contemplated arguing his words. But there wasn’t really any point.

“Yep,” You replied, picking him up to deposit him on your shoulders while you slid out of bed, “Though my head is killing me.”

“Gee, I wonder why,” Griffon said sarcastically, eyeing the empty bottles still on the table as you stood, “Though I gotta say, I admire your honesty, toots.”

You chuckled, giving Shadow a pat on the head as the mighty cat hopped down from the mattress, extending in a luxurious stretch of their front paws. You did the same, only pulling your arms over your head once Griffon flew over to V, dressing himself in the dining room. It occurred to you that you had slept in the arms of a shirtless man all night, which was definitely a plus. One you weren’t going to think about. But you did think about how you felt considerably closer to the poet now. And that pleased you, absolutely tickled pink.

You settled on sitting on the dining room table, summoning a banana to eat while V situated himself. Only once he was done getting dressed did you toss one at him too, enjoying the face he made when the fruit registered in his palm.

“Back to the food I see,” He hummed, eyeing you with a bit of concern, “Are you...sure you’re alright?”

The question made your chest squeeze. It finally occurred to you the events of the previous night, of everything that had happened. You realized that you had no idea how V reacted to it all. What had happened after you passed out? You assumed it was the poet who found you on the bathroom floor, who sent Griffon to find the others. There was a hint of tired worry in his eyes, that concern definitely rooted in something terrible. You felt...awful. You hated the idea that your actions had caused him to be hurt, hated that you put him through a bad experience. Somehow the sensation of his ache was worse than the pain you went through.

You smiled softly, cheerful despite the squeezing of your heart.

“I’m okay,” You promised, crossing your legs on the table, “Promise. No lies this time.”

He let out a slow breath, tapping his cane on the ground and eyeing you with that smoldering look of his.

“I believe you,” He murmured, eyeing the banana you gave him with a wry smirk, “If only you were so honest with your fetishes.”

You snorted a laugh, grinning as you  finished off your own food, “You can’t handle my fetishes, pretty boy. Don’t ask about what you don’t want the answers to.”

“Ahh,” V slid his gaze over you, half sitting on the table and crossing his long legs, “Curiosity did kill the cat, but satisfaction will bring me back.”

The way he said “satisfaction” kind of made your toes curl.

“Satisfaction is a luxury,” Your voice was steadier than your felt, heart pounding away with that stupid excitement as you let out a light hum, “So I have to make you work for it, don’t I?”

He smiled again, and that smile had implications. The whole conversation felt...different. Charged with energy, border-lining on sexy and playful. Flirting. You were flirting with him. As he tasked himself with carefully eating the banana you gave him, your mind raced. Something was definitely different between the two of you, as if the previous night’s events had left you both stepping over a line at the same time. You knew you had made up your mind to be more honest with your feelings. But V...seemed to be a little riskier too, which was both a relief and a curse. A relief, because you wanted to be closer to him. A curse, because it was making you as giddy as a teenage girl with your first crush.

Griffon was not immune to the sensation. He landed on your shoulder, letting out a low, pleased chortle as his beak snapped near your ear. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes held every unsaid jibe.

The distinct sound of Lady rising from the couch followed, both you and Griffon turning to see the lovely woman slowly sitting up. Her hair was a bit tussled, a groan leaving her as soon as she was no longer horizontal. You could sympathize--you weren’t feeling your best after the alcoholic frenzy. Though you knew you had it easier, you could recover with some food and fresh air. The normal humans would not. The woman in question turned to blink at you and the poet blearily, hand rubbing her temple as she registered back with reality.

You smiled, giving a small wave of your hand, “Good morning, Lady.”

She grunted, rising to her feet and stretching.

“‘Morning,” She murmured in reply, face scrunched up in obvious discomfort as she took a few steps closer to you, “Not so good. Christ, my head.”

“I’m so sorry,” You replied in sympathy, smiling as you extended some tendrils over to her to wrap around her wrist. She blinked in surprise when you did so, eyeing them with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. It occurred to you that she still hadn’t seen them yet, only knowing you for a day now, “Here, let me help a bit. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

You whispered that familiar line, sending a small jolt of energy into the woman and enjoying how her expression shifted to awe. You didn’t give too much, not wanting to risk wasting much needed energy very early in the day. Still, it would relieve some of the throbbing headache the woman was surely feeling, and that was better than nothing. You could feel V watching you, finishing off his food much to your contentment. He had learned that arguing with you on the food issue was definitely pointless, you would not be swayed. He was a bean pole, and you were determined to help him in any way you could.

“Wow,” Lady said simply, drawing your attention back to her, “That felt...wild. I do feel better.”

You smiled, “I’m glad. Still, try to take it easy today, if you can.”

“That goes double for you, toots!” Griffon squawked at your words, snapping his beak by your ear and making you wince, “Practice what you preach…! No exerting today, no fancy invocations…!”

You sighed, not wanting to argue, especially not when V looked like he was in complete agreement with the bird.

“Yes sir.”

Clanging followed from the garage, followed by the door opening and Nero sticking his head inside. All turned to face him, you smiling when you saw his squeaky clean face and damp hair. It looked like he had taken a shower, probably having to scrub at that pen writing on his face to get it off. He was lucky you hadn’t sat in there for a half hour the other night like you wanted to. He was one of the only group members not hung over, but luckily his leg was no longer bandaged, now completely healed and ready to go.

“Which one of you douchebags,” He growled, eyes traveling over you and Lady, “Wrote ‘dead weight’ on my forehead?”

You rose a brow, not wanting to be a snitch.

Lady seemed to have similar thoughts, letting out a low yawn and turning her gaze away. An unspoken agreement passed between you two, obviously annoying the white-haired demon hunter. You liked Nero, you really did, but you couldn’t throw the obvious culprit under the bus. Hell, you didn’t even know why the whole ‘dead weight’ joke was a thing, but guessing by Nero’s obvious annoyance and that twitching muscle under his eye, it was a sore subject for him. Probably why he got so mad when Griffon said it days earlier.

“I’m so disappointed in you both,” Nero clicked his tongue, crossing his arms as he entered the room, “You both know damn well who did it, but you won’t just confirm it.”

“Did you see who did it, Y/N?” Lady said, examining her cuticles in a lazy display of disdain, “I didn’t, don’t remember a thing.”

You shrugged, playing with a lock of your hair as you replied, “Cannot recall, Must be the booze.”

Nero groaned, rolling his eyes as he turned away, “You guys are the worse. Can’t even believe this shit.”

You smiled, hopping off the table and hearing V follow you as you approached the disgruntled boy.

“Sorry, Nero,” You replied, patting him on the shoulder, “I’ll make it up to you somehow. How is Nico doing this morning?”

Nero made a face, inclining his head toward the door he came through. You heard a distant groan, and the sound of a clanging--Nico was definitely awake, and definitely not happy this morning. You smiled ruefully, hearing her trail of carnage as she made her way through the van, then shoved open the door from the garage. V took a step back, probably not wanting to get involved with the chaos the hungover woman was bringing--smart of him. Nico definitely looked frazzled, hair a mess and bags under her eyes. She took that alcohol well, but the following morning seemed less than stellar. You felt bad for her.

“What are y’all lookin’ at?” She scowled once every eye in the room was on her disheveled form, “What time is it?”

Nero checked a clock on the wall, letting out a low hum. As if Nico’s suffering pleased him.

“Ten in the morning,” He replied, crossing his arms again as he regarded the woman, “We should probably head out, lots to do today.”

Nico groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face, “Shit, that late already?” She looked over the room, scowling a bit as everyone started to gear themselves up. You rushed over to put everything you needed in your bag, absorbing it back into yourself. You then tasked yourself with quickly changing into your normal clothes, not caring who saw you in your panties. V and Nero quickly turned their backs, like gentlemen, while Lady covered Griffon and Shadow’s eyes. Nico openly watched, you could tell. But when you turned your bare back toward them, it occurred to you that neither of the woman had seen it yet.

You heard Lady suck in a breath, and you blinked, quickly pulling on your blouse to hide the jagged scaring all over your back. Yikes, you never explained that.

“Holy shit,” Nico said in a hushed voice, “Y/N, what the hell happened to your god damn back?”

You saw V’s shoulders twitch like he wanted to turn and look, but the precious boy managed to keep himself composed. You smiled softly, vaguely thinking that you wouldn’t have minded if he snuck a peak, which was a dangerous thought. Although, it now became apparent to you that you definitely spilled a lot to the girls last night that V hadn’t heard. You fought a groan, realizing just how many facts you had let loose--both knew your secret now, but the poet didn’t. You held the scars of every time you died, but you couldn’t say that. Not now, not in front of V and Nero. You weren’t exactly comfortable with telling those secrets to them yet, not without the use of alcohol.

Hell, had you not been drunk you wouldn’t have even told the girls. But you were glad you did. You just needed time.

“That’s a story for another time,” You replied, tugging on your combat boots and lacing them, “It’s safe to turn around boys.”

Both immediately turned, relieved to see you now clothed. V’s expression, at the very least, was slightly relieved. And slightly…

Was that disappointment? He looked a bit concerned too, as if he knew there were things that the girls knew and he didn’t. You felt bad, but you couldn’t bring yourself to share everything...not now.

“Warn a guy next time before you start stripping,” Nero huffed, scratching the side of his head, “Some of us are committed men.”

“One of us,” V replied, giving a wry smile, “In fact you’re the only committed man in the room, Nero.”

You chuckled, “Sorry sorry. Was just in a hurry,” You walked by, completely ready now and patted his cheek, “I’ll make sure to tell Kyrie your chastity is preserved.”

“Wow, thanks,” Nero said in heavy sarcasm, rolling his eyes and turning to follow you. He spared the mechanic a passing glance, tone stern as he replied, “Please do not start drinking again. We’re gonna head out, you and Lady be ready to respond if needed.”

“Yeah yeah,” Nico replied with a huff, scratching the side of her face and wincing, “Don’t get your panties in a twist. You know my number.”

You smiled, wrapping your tendrils around her waist as you passed toward the door. A small jolt of energy made her eyes fly open, gaze whipping around to stare at you as you relieved some of her fatigue and pain. This was her first time feeling it, which had to be exciting for the mechanic. You smiled, blowing her a light kiss as your group made its way out the door, tendrils retracting back into you. You were sad you were leaving Lady and Nico behind, but there was work to do. You were glad to be on the move again, but the girl time you were allowed was both wanted and needed. Just...maybe with less booze next time, if there was a next time.

Lady gave you a little finger wave, an adorable smile on her face as you returned it. Upon entering the garage, you were delighted to see the sun shining beyond the garage door. Nero lifted it with his metal arm effortlessly, allowing you and your group to pass through. Less stellar now that you were facing the bright light head on. You lifted a hand to shield the sun, wincing when it sent a twinge through your skull. Bright, much too bright. And worse so, the black crystal you produced the other day was still there, now glinting and gleaming in the morning glow. A reminder, of sorts. Griffon landed on your shoulders as you stared at it, letting out a low whistle as you both took in the sheer size of the structure--he had been there when it was made, but you got the impression he hadn’t really absorbed how big it was.

“Still can’t believe you made that,” Griffon squawked, his blue feathers glinting in the sun, “That shit was sure somethin’, toots. A real doozy.”

V came up on your right, Nero on your left.

Nero let out a light hum, eyeing the structure with a mix of awe and envy, “Damn, wish I could have been around to see you blow some demons away.”

You smiled, “Maybe another--”

“No!”

All three of them exclaimed at the same time, pinning your startled form in place with varying looks of exasperation. You blinked, holding up your hands defensively but getting the message pretty damn fast--no one liked what the invocation did to you, it would seem. V looked very firm on the issue, jade eyes locking with yours and not moving. There were severally emotions in that gaze, ones that you would not argue with. If anything...it made you feel good.

“N...noted…” You sighed, rubbing the toe of your boot into the ground, “It won’t happen again.”

Nero pat you on the back, a light smirk on his face as he replied, “Don’t sweat it, kid. Bet it was pretty cool, but the results were less than satisfactory.”

“I agree.” V said simply, gripping the head on his cane.

You smiled lightly, rocking back on your heels as Nero started forward, heading to where you remembered Nico telling you to meet them the previous day. Morning four of traveling, one day lost. No one seemed to mind the lost time, which you were grateful for. Nero seemed in pretty high spirits as he led the group to what looked to be an abandoned subway station, rubble and debris lining the platform and tunnel entrance. You fought a groan at the idea of going back underground, but it was at least better than sewers. Cleaner, at least you hoped so. Better lit at the very least.

V walked step by step with you, Shadow on your right and he on your left. Griffon was still perched on your shoulders, and you swore you saw Nero eyeing your group with a bit of curiosity in his expression. You imagined he was intrigued by the strange companionship you had with the demons. V as well, since the poet seemed to be a very mysterious, closed off individual. Little did Nero know, V was occasionally brushing you as you walked, always wearing that smug little smirk when you looked up at him. He never met your gaze, but you know damn well the bastard was doing that shit on purpose. His hand touched your lower back at some point and you thought your heart was going to pound out of your chest.

Oh yes. Things were definitely different.

“I think splitting up would be a good idea,” Nero announced as the subway tunnel branched down into two sides, “Cover more ground that way.”

You frowned before V could agree, eyeing the tunnel with a hesitant look.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” You asked, frowning at the white haired boy, “Why do you guys always wanna split up? Literally that’s the worst idea, haven’t you guys ever watched a horror movie in your life?”

V shook his head, “I don’t believe I have.”

Both you and Nero stared at him for that revelation, a mixture of shock and realization coursing through you. Half of your mind expected that answer, yet you were still startled by it. How the hell had this boy never watched a horror movie? He must have been pretty sheltered...or the opposite, lived a life shitty enough that he never found the time or means. Both sounded awful to you, and probably to the outraged demon hunter next to you.

“Not one?” Nero demanded, “Shit, we need to change that.”

V let out a light sigh, eyeing you both like you were lunatics as he replied, “At a time not now. We need to make haste,” His gaze landed on you, softening considerably as that smirk came back, “I will agree that Y/N raises a point. If we are both traveling in the same direction, I see no reason why we couldn’t share the same path.”

It felt nice when V agreed with you. You were such a simple bitch, his words made you beam in delight. Not only did he decide your plan of action was correct, now you could spend some time with Nero as well. Girls night before, now it was daytime with the lads. You could admit there was a lot of testosterone in the group now, but that was fine in your opinion. You wanted the chance to fight alongside the demon hunter, you were willing to bet there was a lot his fighting style could teach you. Only downside to this was less alone time with the poet, but judging by the weird, magnetic way you two were hovering around each other...it wouldn’t be an issue.

“Fine by me,” Nero shrugged, rolling his shoulders a bit as he pointed his pistol at the two tunnels, “Which one should we pick…?”

You rolled your eyes at his theatrics, giving him a light shove to the right side, “Nico is right, you are such a dork. Just go.”

Nero huffed a bit, putting his pistol back as he started making his way down the tracks, “You’re no fun.”

“I’m an appropriate amount of fun,” You replied in an amused tone, stepping back by V’s side to keep in step with the poet, “I’m just impatient.”

V let out a low hum, pulling out his poems as he walked beside you. You caught a glimpse of the pages, surprised when you noticed what looked to be hand drawn artwork and writing. It didn’t look like this book was printed, but instead was hand made lovingly by someone. You didn’t get to glimpse much, looking away before you were caught peeking. Besides, the peace and quiet wasn’t going to last long anyway. Your foresight began to flare, signaling upcoming demons, making you stop in place to whistle between your fingers and alert the others.

“Get ready,” You warned when Nero and V looked at you, pulling out your daggers, “We’ve got company.”

Somehow, the train tunnels were worse than the sewers.

Hours. You were stuck in there for hours fighting demons. New ones this time, stronger ones. Lizard-like creatures, bigger things with bigger attacks. On one hand, you got to see Nero’s fighting style a bit more, and him being there eased your need to use your own abilities. On the other hand...so much fighting. The subway was crawling with enemies and roots, so much so that your foresight barely stopped flaring. It was pretty annoying, so you just stopped announcing when battles would occur. Because they were always occurring. You were hating it a lot more than the sewers, only difference was there were actually safe places to sit and relax here.

You stopped once or twice, forcing the two boys and the demons to eat. Nero seemed perplexed with your attachment to food, but otherwise didn’t complain and shoved whatever it was you provided down his throat like a gremlin. V still ate his slowly, carefully, like he was savoring it. The brief moments for resting and chowing down were always short lived, interrupted by demons whenever they could slip their gross little noses in. You were a fairly patient person, but you were beginning to associate the underground with just terrible things. Only this time you were being smart about your energy, and keeping close to V and letting Nero do his thing. Which Nero didn’t mind, the kid loved to fight and be brash.

You reached what appeared to be a boarding area for trains, wide open and filled with benches. Nero let out a whoop of delight, setting on the demons with all the energy in the world, certainly more energy that you had for that late in the day. It must have been four in the afternoon by then. You exchanged a glance with V, opting on sitting down on a nearby bench to watch Nero’s  fighting style while you sipped water. V opened his book again to read that poetry, letting his summons do all the work. You and he were similar, he wasn’t enjoying it either. Just out of necessity, a bit of a tired look in his eyes as he murmured those familiar words, stepping to the side to avoid enemy attacks. He did, however, seem to have fun in some instances of battle, like Nero’s high energy was feeding into his own level of extra. He was taunting more now than ever before, and getting more ridiculous.

You wrapped your tendrils around him gingerly, ready to move him away at a moments notice. Nero seemed fine, whatever arm he was using making him a hoppity son of a bitch. He was zipping all over the place.

“How do you have so much energy?” You complained to him, crossing your legs and letting out a light huff as he shot a demon in the head over and over, “It’s ridiculous.”

He let out a light laugh, kicking the demon away and taunting lightly before he replied to you, “Only thing I’m good at is kicking demon ass!”

You smiled ruefully, highly doubting he had zero other skills. At least he was having fun. They were certainly widdling the demons down fast, loud explosions and crackling filling the room with their attacks. A demon went whizzing past you, disintegrating as you winced and leaned to the side. The only problem when fighting with Nero’s aid is that a lot of his attacks sent the demons flying away or knocked back. You partnered well with V’s fighting style, but Nero seemed used to doing shit on his own.

“Pin them to a wall.” V growled to Shadow, the cat immediately responding and sending a dozen spikes into an enemy.  Sensations of honest to god arousal traveled through you, ones you tried to shake as you quietly sipped water. You were thirsty for something alright. Every time he said something like that you were sent into a tailspin of bullshit, craving, and misbehaving thoughts. You just couldn’t behave it would seem--you had never felt such a chemistry with someone before, nor such a high amount of attraction. There was just something about the poet that was drawing you in.

Way too fast. But that only excited your dumb, idiotic brain.

When the last demon was finally dead, you let out a sigh of relief, hopping up from the bench and stretching your back with a soft groan. Finally, some peace, even if it would probably be short lived.

Nero flicked some blood off his metal hand, cracking his neck before turning to smirk at you.

“I’m gonna go scout ahead a bit,” He said, glancing between you and V for a moment, “You two chill for a bit, I’m gonna clear the way.”

“You sure?” You asked, leaning a hand on your hip, “Promise you’ll shout if things get too rough.”

He laughed, flexing his metal fingers as he replied, “Shit gets narrow up the escalator. I’ll scream like a banshee if I need some help, that good for you?”

You smirked, “I’m down. Have fun, be back before dark.”

“Yes, mom.” Nero mocked.

He gave you a single finger salute, hopping up onto the escalator and sprinting up and out of view. V let out a low hum of relief, leaning against a nearby pillar and closing his book with a low thud. He didn’t look too bad yet, thank god. Griffon was shaking out his feathers and huffing, landing on your shoulders so he could watch the demon-hunter disappear up into the subway.

“Brat sure has a lot of energy,” He grunted, closing his eyes a bit and preening his feathers, “Can’t relate. Sick of dealing with these fucking lackeys. Lower level bastards.”

You smiled sympathetically, patting his feathered head, “You’re doing great, sweetie.”

He grunted, settling down and closing his eyes to rest a bit. V seemed to sense he was tired, so he lifted his cane, summoning the bird back along with shadow in an instant. You blinked in surprise, not used to Griffon returning as well. The instant he did, his tattoos went from slightly faded to flat back, writhing a bit before settling on his smooth, pale skin. You stared in awe for a moment before blinking, trying to shake the sensation from your mind. You were positive V saw you looking.

He walked over to you, cane tapping on the floor with each step as you sat back down on the bench. You wanted to look up at him, but this new energy between the two of you was making you a little nervous, a little hot around the collar. V tapped you under the chin with the silver-handle, tilting your head up a bit to meet his gaze and examine your face. His expression delighted you, making your stomach roll a bit with that nervous excitement you just couldn’t shake.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, giving you that smoldering look from under his lashes, “You haven’t exerted yet.”

You smiled lightly, tapping the end of his cane with your index finger.

“I’m fine,” You assured, eyeing him with a concerned look of your own, “How about you? How is that shoulder feeling?”

He made a big show of rotating it, flexing his arm a bit as he replied, “No worse for wear.”

That made you smile in relief, but it occurred to you that something was...more noticeable now that the fighting was done. You paused, tilting your head and holding up a finger to stop whatever the poet was going to say next. You were positive now, more focused and alert--light music was playing from somewhere.

Now that the area wasn’t filled with the sound of fighting, grunting, and screaming demons--you could hear the sound of faint violin music playing from the subway speakers. Light and gentle, strangely out of place in the broken, grimy setting. You blinked, meeting V’s gaze and putting a finger to you ear. You knew he noticed right away, those full lips parting a bit as he inclined his head. He looked absolutely entranced, that mischievous look appearing in his eyes as he looked up toward the ceiling. Looking for speakers, probably. You liked the expression he had, almost like childish wonder--the same look he got before doing his taunts.

You closed your eyes a bit, listening to the ringing chords of a violin and trying to find some peace in the moment. You could hear Nero lightly fighting up ahead, his echoing shouts and laughter still reaching the main subway platform. Other than that, you could hear just...the music. And V’s slow breaths. That closeness between the two of you seemed even more pronounced now that you and V were alone, truly alone for once in the entire time you had been together. You didn’t quite know what to say, but you wanted to say something--because you were sure he felt it too, this strange energy that had been blooming since day one. The aching, desperate need to be closer, better.

Before you could open your mouth, V’s fingers curled under your chin, making your eyes pop open to look at him.

He had a wry smile on his lips, half tilted upward as he held that same hand out to you.

“Shall I have this dance?” He purred, jade eyes shadowed in the dim light of the subway.

Your heart went racing in your chest, pounding like fists on steel doors. You felt that dumb, eager ache blooming in your chest again.

You smiled ruefully, taking his hand again and letting out a light laugh as he tugged you to your feet. The absurdity of the whole moment was making you giddy, hand entwined with his as he pulled you further into the clearing where just before those demon’s had been killed. God, his skin was so warm. Energized, squeezing your fingers with a gentle encouragement. His face was so very enticing, head tilted down to look at you as he gave you that crooked smile you so enjoyed. He did have a flare for the extra, only this was his first time openly involving you in it, inviting you to join. It felt very...personal.

Oh lord, you were in over your head. You were in wayyy over your head.

He tugged you against his lanky form, twirling you around to the sound of the music, humming lightly to the tune. Whatever the song was, he seemed to know what it was. You tried to follow his steps, smiling like a complete idiot as he took you step by step around the room. You felt...so many things. Embarrassed, elated, excited, giddy. You hoped your face wasn’t red from all of it, but your cheeks were already pretty warm. Once the tempo of the song picked up, he gave a light chuckle, wrapping an arm around your waist and lifting you briefly, spinning you around with a light squeak on your part. He seemed to be having a good time, hair waving about his face each time he moved you.

He looked...entrancing. And in that moment you knew just how deep in you were.

You had known him for four days if you were pushing it. Four days to become this smitten with the poet. In all your years of serving the Deity, you had never gotten close enough with anyone to feel romantically attracted to them. And even those you did get close to, none appealed to you on a physical attraction level. Never. You never thought of being touched by any of them, being held by any of them. But this...was new, different. Even as a human, had you ever felt this kind of chemistry before? You highly doubted it, there was something very special about V. Approachable, charming. Mysterious. Maybe you had been doing this too long, maybe all those years of serving with no regard for yourself had left you too lonely.

You didn’t care.

Dancing with V felt both too short and too long. The music came to a slow end, the final chords of a violin ringing out as V bowed to you, hair falling in front of his face as he bent his head over your hand. If you weren’t mistaken, you felt his lips brush your skin, ever so slightly. Your pulse was racing, you knew he could feel it. Instinctively, you took a few steps back toward him, his hand sliding down your wrist as you did so. His fingers felt so precise, gentle. Probing, even. Like he was tracing the very veins under your skin. You met his gaze, letting him pull you back against his chest while still gently griping your arm. A silent, unspoken thing passed between you, the building energy that had started blooming now turning to flower petals.

His hand ghosted along your jaw, an interesting expression on his face as he regarded your warm cheeks, soft lips, and gentle eyes. You could see yourself reflected in his, and that made your heart pound even faster. His thumb brushed your lips, gently tracing the lower one with a tenderness you had never experienced. It made you knees so very weak. You thought you saw his tattoos writhe a bit out of the corner of your eye, his companions sensing their master’s racing heartbeat but not aware of the reason why.

You wanted to kiss him. So badly.

And from the look on his face, he wanted to do the same to you.

But before you could bridge the gap, Nero’s loud voice rang out, echoing from his place further along the subway. You saw V close his eyes, a light sigh being drawn from his lips as the moment you shared came to a halt. You loved Nero dearly, but in that moment you had never been so disappointment in him.

“I found the exit!” Nero’s voice caroled, coming closer as he probably made his way back, “Ready when you guys are!”

You let out a slow breath, closing your eyes and mourning the lost opportunity. But much to your surprise, V didn’t pull away instantly like you expected. He lingered, stroking those fingers over the back of your neck, sending chills down your spine. His lips brushed your ear--you could have easily fainted, knees very weak from the whole experience. Not to mention unbelievably turned on--were you really that starved for attention, that needy? Felt like you were. You could have moaned at the feeling, christ his breath was so hot. Wanting, breathy.

“We will continue this,” V murmured, tone filled with heavy promise, “At a later date.”

With that, he turned away, fingers trailing through your hair and body brushing past yours just as Nero appeared right at the top of the escalator. You kept your back turned, hands pressed to your cheeks as you desperately tried to gain a molecule of composure. Your emotions were written on your face, you couldn’t imagine what kind of expression you were wearing. You wanted to bite your lip, and you wanted...so many things. Fuck, you were in so much trouble.

An unbelievable amount of trouble.

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18136193/chapters/43222517

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Tagged: @just-call-me-no-name @silentwhispofhope @nightshadow4713 @slightlylunatic @efiicitia @raven-huntress

[sky-girls]

I am what I feel

Chapter 13  (Find the other chapters here)

I know I can’t keep you but I want you close

I’m late but hey I managed anyway and that’s something right? Anyway I hope you guys like this chapter

There's something inherently weird about being a couple,about the way you walk close to each other, always touching somehow,about the way you say hi and goodbye with a small kiss and how you send each other good and night and good morning texts, about the way you kiss hi and goodbye and whenever you want basically. And Luna loves it.

She had seen many humans couples before, she had helped form a lot of them and she thought she knew what it entailed, the customs that couples follow, she thought she knew all she needed to know about the way humans live romance and she was right but it turns out that as much as she knows about humans relationships she actually has no idea how to be in one. It's not hard, or at least it's not hard with Matteo but it's weird. A good weird, an amazing weird but still well...weird.

“It’s weird for me too.” Matteo says when she tells him. “But that might be because of the fact that I’m dating an actual goddess.”

He winks at her and Luna rolls her eyes, not even trying to fight the fond smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“It’s okay.” He says kissing her nose making Luna actually grin. “You’ve never been in a relationship, you never thought you would be in one, it makes sense that you need some getting used to it.”

“It just feels weird that I basically live off making people get into relationships and I don’t really know them.”

She says tangling and untangling their fingers.

“Well if you ask me you are doing great.” He says and Luna tilts her head up to kiss him softly.

“You are pretty biased.”She says with a smile and Matteo just shrugs.

“Can we go to the roller now?”He asks after a while. “Or do Nina and Gastón need more time alone?”

“I don’t know.” Luna groans letting her head drop on his shoulder . “I don’t know what's actually happening between them at this point,  I’m such a bad eros.”

Matteo chuckles and pulls her closer by the shoulders.

“I would help with that but the sooner you are done with them the sooner you are gone so I don’t really want to.”

“Can you at least do some intelligence gathering for me.” She asks and Matteo laughs out loud.

“Intelligence gathering.” He repeats. “It sounds so serious.”

“It is serious.” She exclaims poking him on the ribs. “Just ask Ámbar and Gastón about Simón and Nina. “

“Okay will do.” He says standing up from the bench and offering her his hand. Luna takes it and stand ups too. “But I doubt Ámbar will tell me much.”

“You are a smart guy, you’ll figure it out.” She shrugs. “Use your charm.”

“Sorry, munchkin, but you are the only one who can’t resist it.” He smirks and she rolls her eyes at him, shaking her head in amusement.

”Come on.” Gastón insists. “Show me.”

“No.” Nina repeats shaking her head and sending looks to the door, cursing Luna and Matteo for being late.

“You said you would.” He says crossing his arms around his chest, victory on his face.

“My pics.” Nina reminds him calmly. “Not my blog.”

Gastón huffs and then leans in closer to her, his eyes fixed on hers, making her heart beat faster and heat go to her cheeks. How is she supposed to deny anything to him like this?

“Pretty please.” Gastón says with puppy eyes and Nina sighs.

The problem is that a lot of her poems are about him, not all of them but enough and even if they are not obvious in any way she would still feel paranoid that he figures it out. She shakes her head again, the fear of him finding out of her huge crush on him and rejecting her stronger than his puppy face.

He pouts a little and Nina smiles softly at him, his deep brown eyes are completely focused on her and she would love to just shorten the distance between their lips and kiss him but of course that’s nothing more than a simple dream.

“Hey, Simón!” Gastón calls out of the nowhere making Nina jump and take her focus back to reality and away from Gastón eyes and lips. “What’s Nina’s blog?”

Nina turns around violently to find Simón with a grin looking at her dangerously.

“Don’t you dare, Simón.” She says and his grin grows even wider. “Simón, don’t.”

“Just google felicityfornow.” He says to Gastón and Nina drops her head on the back of the couch groaning. “She’s the first result, her insta and twitter have the same name.”

“Luna is my only best friend now.” Nina declares and she can hear how both boys laugh at her. “In fact she’s my only friend now.”

She feels Simón mess up her hair before he leaves a kiss on her head and then leaves to work, or maybe betray some of his other friend, she has no idea. Well, she does, it’s the first one, she is just being stupidly dramatic. Nina takes a deep breath and turns slowly to Gastón who’s typing on his phone.

“Please don’t.” She says in a small voice, knowing full well it’s not going to work but having to try it anyway. Last thing you lose is hope after all.

Gastón smiles at her and then goes back to his phone, tapping on something with a big smile.

Nina looks around, finding the fastest way to evacuate the place. A straight line to the exit wouldn’t be possible because Gastón is on her way and would stop her and the next fastest way to leave has Simón on it this very second. Still he needs to go back to the bar at some point to get the orders, as soon as he has to do it, Nina will bolt to the other.

“Wow, Nina.” He mumbles obviously surprised and Nina freezes on her place. He knows, he found out, he read that poem and realized that it was about him and now he will try to be nice but will reject her and she will die of shame, metaphorically of course. “This is great.”

Nina gathers the courage to look at his eyes and they show only amazement and excitement, not pity or awkwardness so she guesses he didn’t find out.

“Thank you.” She mumbles, looking down at her hand and tangling her fingers as she feels the heat grow on her cheeks.

“You are amazing.” Gastón exclaims and she feels herself blush even more.

“She is.”A female voice says and the Luna sits with Matteo in the couch next to Nina’s. “What’s the particular reason in this situation?”

“You guys are late.” Nina says trying to avoid the subject but Luna just shrugs and sends Matteo a smile and she guesses that she really doesn’t need to know the reason.

“Nina’s poetry.” Gastón explains, his eyes glues to the screen as he probably scrolls down her deepest thought. She would love to be an ostrich right now and hide her head under the ground.

“She is so good.” Luna exclaims jumping a little on her spot. “She is incredible.”

“She really is.” Gastón says looking at her with warm eyes making her heart go even faster. “You have such a way to express emotion, Nina, it’s beautiful.”

She looks down and mumbles a small thank you and Luna, subtly kicks her foot under the table and when she looks up the other girl has a big smile.

“Can I ask who are they for?” He says carefully and slowly, almost like she would run away the moment those words leave his mouth, and as much as she wants to she doesn’t, mostly because Luna’s foot looks like it’s ready to trip her into falling on top of Gastón and that would be ten times worse.

“I would rather if you didn’t.” Nina whispers and Luna sends her a look but she is too focused on the way Gastón’s eyes soften to interpret it.

“It’s okay, then I won’t.”  Gastón says and Nina can see that Luna and Matteo share a smile.

Silence fills the table as Gastón keeps scrolling through her blog and Nina prays for an excuse to run away. Luckily her mom sends her a text asking her to be home early today for a dinner with Mora.

“Well, I need to go.” She says standing up quickly and putting her back on he shoulder. “I will see you all tomorrow.”

She basically runs out of the roller and just one she is outside she dares to look at the notifications on her phone, both on tumblr and instagram someone with the nick rollertrack has liked everything they have found. Nina could bet that’s Gastón and it doesn’t make her feel any warmth on her chest or anything because she knows that this means nothing more than that he likes her poetry, which is nice, but not exactly what she wants. Nina hugs herself, she will never get what she wants, she knows that but for some reason it keeps hurting.

Matteo keeps tangling and disentangling their fingers together as Luna’s eyes are fixed on Ámbar and Simón, he doesn’t know what she’s thinking or planning and he doesn’t want to know, he doesn’t want to know anything about whatever that will get her away from him sooner than he is ready for it. But as the time passes he is sure he will never be ready for it.

He sometimes debates whether or not he should ask what would happen if she just stops trying to pair Gastón and Nina and Ámbar and Simón up but there are probably ways to avoid that happens and to ensure that soulmates find their ways to each other no matter what. Besides he doesn’t want to get on the way of his two best friends happiness.  No matter how much it interferes with his own.

Matteo turns to look at Luna, she’s biting her lower lip, her hair is slightly messy, her cheeks are slightly pink and she is so beautiful it hurts. It didn’t use to be like this, he always thought that she was cute, since the beginning he had been attracted to her but the more time passed. the more his feelings for her grew, the more beautiful she had become to his eyes. He knows he has never felt this way for anyone and the thing is that doesn’t want to ever feel this way for another person ever again. He knows that this is probably youth talking, that maybe in a few years Luna will be nothing but a beautiful memory between many, that maybe he will find his soulmate or some shit and he will love them more than he has ever love anyone but he knows that that person won’t be Luna, so he doesn't want it.

“Can I ask you something?” He whisper and she turns around to him with a small nod. “Do you know...Do you know if I have a soulmate?”

Luna’s eyes widen in obvious surprise and he really thought that someone whose existence in this earth is a deception should be a better liar, or at least less of an open book but Luna’s face can tell you everything she is feeling and she somehow still manages.

“Why do you want to know that?” She asks softly, tensing up a little and Matteo doesn’t know if it is for the question itself or because of the information she has about it.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs playing with her fingers . “I just do.”

Luna looks at him, torn by something and he wonders if maybe she shouldn’t tell him or if maybe she shouldn’t know even if she obviously does. Luna sighs and looks down at their hands.

“You don’t.” She mumbles with a sigh that’s a mix of relief and disappointed. Matteo nods, just relief filling up his body. He wants what he feel for Luna to remain the strongest he has ever felt as dramatic as this might sound.

“What’s up with that sigh?” He ask looking at her straight in the eyes.

“Well I want you to be happy.” She whispers, something warm on her eyes. “I want you to find love again but at the same time, thinking of you with someone else...I don’t want to do that.”

Matteo stares at her for a few seconds, guilt evident on her face since that last comment. He leans in, brushing their lips together softly, she lets out a small sigh and he deepens the kiss a little.

“I don’t want to think of me with someone else either.” He murmurs against her lips before kissing her again.

“You are a teenager, Matteo.” She says after pulling away. “You have a long life ahead of you.”

“I don’t care.” He shrugs and she rolls her eyes.

“In a few years you will have forgotten about me.” She says with a tint of sadness in her voice.

“I doubt it.” Matteo says. “And even if it happens I don’t think I’ll ever care for anyone like I care about you.”

She smiles disbelief obvious on her face but she just shakes her head and squeezes his hand before resting her head on his shoulder.

“I mean it.” Matteo says putting an arm around her shoulders.

“I know you do.” She sighs and he pulls her closer, kissing the top of her head.

He knows that she thinks that the fact that he means it now doesn’t mean he will mean it in a few years but he knows himself and he knows that this, that she, is an exception, that the chances of this happening again to him are slow and he is not going to deny it.