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#I had some trouble with cooking pancakes on the stove today so I thought of resorting to the rice cooker to cook the rest of the batter.
btsficsandsuch · 5 months
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hello! if your request is still open can i request one for yoongi or jin about clumsy reader like she often get hurt like walking into a wall, burnt her hand while cooking, etc? and eventually hurt herself really bad & jin/yoongi took care of reader? just very fluffy fics please🥺
thank you in advance! i've been on bed rest for a days now bcs i broke my ankle and been reading your fics to stay sane i hope you keep writing i love your works💗
Sorry this took so long. I hope you’re feeling better by now!
I Heart Yoongi
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“I can’t believe this.”, you mumbled to yourself as you waited for the doctor to come back and wrap your arm in a cast. You were currently sitting in the emergency room with your best friend after tripping over your own shoe and falling down a flight of stairs breaking your arm. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call Yoongi? He’s going to be really upset when he finds out you called me and not him.”, your friend asked. Nodding your head you replied, “Yeah he has a busy day today and if he knows I’m here the he’ll skip his entire schedule to be here. He’s always taking care of me and I don’t want him to get in trouble for me.”
Your thoughts traveled back to all the times your boyfriend Yoongi had taken care of you after you clumsily hurt yourself. Just last Monday you burned your hand while making you both breakfast. Somehow you knocked the pan off of the stove and instead of letting it drop on the floor and loosing your pancakes you thought it would be a good idea to try and grab the pan but you instantly regretted it when you felt the stinging pain in your fingers. Yoongi had helped you put burn gel and bandages on your fingers and then even cleaned up the mess you had made before making another batch of pancakes.
Then on Wednesday you thought you’d surprise him by bringing him a drink and some snacks to his studio. You had a cute serving tray that you filled with a glass of water, some snacks that you put in these cute little glass bowls, you made a sandwich that you put on a plate in case he was extra hungry, you also gave him a glass of his favorite whiskey as a treat, and then even though it was cheesy you topped it off with a single rose that you put in a little glass vase. Looking back all that glass was probably a bad idea for someone as clumsy as you but at the time you were trying to be cute. Standing in front of his studio door you were trying to find a way to knock while balancing the heavy tray. You took your hand out from under the tray and knocked three times before quickly putting it back but it was too late. The vase started to sway and toppled over which made the glass of water fall and ruined the food and next thing you know the entire tray fell to the ground with a crash and glass shattering everywhere. In your panic you were trying to clean up hoping maybe Yoongi didn’t hear anything and managed to step on a piece of glass cutting your foot. Cursing yourself you went to walk to the bathroom to find a bandaid but you were stopped when you felt a hand around your wrist and you turned to see Yoongi. Silently he walked you to the bathroom and had you sit down on the tub while checking your foot to make sure there wasn’t any glass stuck before cleaning you up and placing a bandage over the cut. Then he cleaned up your mess even chuckling when he saw the rose. After sulking for a little you walked out into the kitchen just as he was finishing up and he walked over placing a sandwich down for you and bringing one over for himself so the two of you could sit and eat together.
Finally on Friday you had decided to do a deep clean of the apartment. You were down on your hands and knees scrubbing the inside of one of the kitchen cabinets when you heard Yoongi walk in the kitchen. Excitedly you tried to quickly stand up not realizing just how far in the cabinet you were and with a loud thud you hit the back of your head on the top of the cabinet. Yoongi quickly ran over and pulled you into his arms and rubbed the back of your head. He sat your down on the couch before returning to the kitchen to finish up the cleaning job and put everything back in its place all while checking on you every few minutes to make sure you didn’t have a serious head injury or anything.
That brings you to today. You were trying to bring a load of laundry down the stairs and tripped on your bunny slipper (Yoongi always told you that they were a death trap for someone like you but they were so cute) and you went tumbling down the stairs. When you came to a stop you checked to see if you had any injuries and that’s when you felt the sharp pain in your arm and called your friend and ended up in the emergency room.
Thankfully the doctor finally walked back in, “Alright Miss Y/N. What color cast did you want? We have blue, green, red, purple, pink, and just plain white?” “Umm purple I guess.”, you responded without any enthusiasm. The doctor must’ve done this a thousand times because it didn’t take long at all and before you know it he was giving you the discharge instructions, “Keep the cast dry. Try not to over exert yourself. You’ll want to follow up with your doctor in six week to see about removing the cast. Also you’re probably going to have some pain so I’m giving you a prescription for some pain medicine. You can get it filled today at the pharmacy on the second floor.” You nodded and took the paper work before carefully stepping down off the table.
You were walking down the hall following the directions to the pharmacy but when you turned the corner you saw a familiar mop of black hair spilling out of a beanie and a black jean jacket. Turning to your friend you whined, “You seriously called him? I told you not to.” Your friend put her hands up in defense, “He kept texting me asking why you weren’t responding to his texts. I ran out of believable lies.” You then remembered how you had left your phone at home in a panic. Yoongi noticed you walking down the hall and immediately ran up to you carefully wrapping you in a hug. His eyes went wide when he saw the light purple cast on your arm before he gently lifted it up to inspect it. “Thank you for taking care of her. I can take it from here.”, he smiled at your friend. You thanked her as well and watched her walk off towards the exit.
Yoongi took the discharge papers and started reading over everything that the doctor had told you. Not that he didn’t trust you but he wanted to make sure he also knew everything that needed to be done. Without even speaking he took your non broken arm in his hand and began walking you towards the pharmacy handing the clerk your prescription and then taking a seat next to you, “Why didn’t you call me Y/N? I’ve been worried sick all day. First you didn’t respond to any of my texts and then I find out from your friend that you’re at the emergency room.” “I knew you’d come here and I didn’t want that.”, you replied. He scoffed, “And that would be so bad? Sorry I want to be informed when something happens to you.” You were exhausted and in pain and we’re starting to feel guilty for not only not calling Yoongi but now he was missing important meetings and whatnot and he was also mad at you and it all became too much. You began to sniffle, “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry. I knew you had a busy day and I didn’t want you to get in trouble for leaving. Of course I want you here but I didn’t tell you for your sake. You’re always taking care of me because I’m so clumsy and I jus-“. Yoongi leaned over and placed a kiss on your lips to shut you up. Then he wiped away some of your left over tears, “I’m not mad Y/N. I just got scared that you were in the hospital and I didn’t know why. You are always going to be more important to me than any schedule and I’m always going to be here to take care of you.” Feeling a little better you smiled and reached over to squeeze his hand. “I swear Y/N, I’m gonna wrap you in bubble wrap and then put you in one of those giant bubble things. I don’t think my heart can handle a life time of this.”, he chuckled and you giggled along with him.
The clerk called your name and Yoongi walked you up to retrieve your medicine and the two of you made your way to his car. After stopping to get some food you were glad to finally be back home. Yoongi was Yoongi and didn’t let you get a minute alone. Carefully he helped you undress and then wrapped your cast in plastic so you could shower. Since he knew you too well and he knew being one arm down would only make you clumsier he stood by the shower and helped you shampoo and condition your hair and he made sure you didn’t slip. After the shower he helped you get dressed and gave you another dose of your pain medicine and after following his nighttime routine he got in bed next to you pulling you close so you both could get some sleep after and exhausting day.
The following morning you woke up and looked over at your nightstand finding your pain medicine, a chocolate chip muffin with some strawberries, a glass of orange juice, and a note,
“I had to go to the company to catch up on some things I missed yesterday. When you get up take another pain pill but you can’t take it on an empty stomach so make sure you eat. I’ll be home around 3pm. Please just rest and don’t get any more hurt. I love you.”
You smiled as you took a bite of the muffin and that’s when you looked down at your cast and noticed some writing. You chuckled thinking about how at some point last night Yoongi must’ve doodled on your cast. Taking another bite of the muffin you smiled staring down at the picture of two cats sitting next to each other. One with a cast on their arm and wearing a ‘I heart Yoongi’ shirt and the other wearing a beanie and a basketball jersey. Slowly you got out of bed and as carefully as possible you carried the rest of your breakfast out to the living room to wait for Yoongi to return so you could thank him again.
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andreafmn · 1 year
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12 Days of Ficmas - Day 4
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Prompt (by @12-days-of-ficmas): you have whipped cream on your nose
Word Count: 923
Story Description: When (Y/N) can't sleep, they cook. Today, they're cooking pancakes, Damon's sort of favorite food. Though he's hungry for another type of delicacy.
Fandom: Vampire Diaries/The Originals
Pairing: Damon Salvatore x NonBinary!Reader
Warnings: implied smut
A/N: it's short and sweet and it almost turned into a full-on smut, but decide to keep it pg-13 🫣
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Insomnia? Just Eat
There was never much downtime for anyone with knowledge of the supernatural in Mystic Falls. Whether you knew of vampires, werewolves, witches, or whatnots – or you knew about them – there wasn’t a day that went by without some trouble brewing.
So, when they had even a few hours by themselves, everyone used them as best they could. Whether it was to catch up on much-needed sleep, spend time with their families and loved ones, or simply rest. As the world continued turning, ignorant to the dangers that truly lingered, others fought to keep them safe and valued the time they didn’t have to.
In the Salvatore boarding house, everyone was sleeping, enjoying one of those rare moments of tranquility — they knew it would not last long. And they were going to enjoy it as best they could. Well, except for one person.
(Y/N) was notoriously known for their insomniac tendencies. When they slept, it was only for a couple of hours at a time, never finding that much-needed slumber. As everyone dreamed, they were wide awake, cooking in the kitchen.
When they couldn’t find that sliver of sleep they needed, they would bake, they would cook, and they would sometimes clean – rarely the latter. If their mind was awake, they had to keep busy in some way.
That winter morning, as a blanket of snow covered the lawn outside and locked them in the house, they were in the kitchen cooking pancakes. A mess of flor was strewn about the floor, eggshells were scattered on the counter, and they were covered in specks of batter. It was a messy sight, but they were having fun, their concentration completely on the fluffy pancakes on the stove.
From the entryway, Damon watched the scene unfold. He leaned onto the archway on his shoulder, a wide smile painted onto his face. He recalled the time he had been stuck in the prison world. Cooking pancakes just like they were doing, trying his best to keep a sane mind in that crazy place. The only difference was (Y/N) wasn’t there. Though he was with Bonnie, he’d never felt so alone in a long time.
“Quite a mess you’ve made here,” he spoke up, startling his partner that was concentrated on the food and the Christmas music that was quietly playing in the room. “Never thought pancakes could be this messy.”
“They are when they’re Christmas pancakes,” they smiled. (Y/N) picked up a plate and showed Damon proudly their concoction. “It’s a gingerbread man!”
“Oh! I mean, it looks like it’s supposed to be a gingerbread man,” Damon chuckled.  “Looks good… enough. Why don’t I take over? You can start decorating them.”
“Fine,” (Y/N) chuckled. “I forgot you were the resident pancake expert.”
“What can I say? I’ve had a lot of practice.”
They sat down on the island, opposite of Damon, as they took the pancakes that were already made. In bowls, there were red M&Ms and chocolate chips, and there was a can of whipped cream. They placed two pancakes on each plate and started decorating. With the M&Ms, they gave the little figure buttons. With the chocolate, eyes, and a smile. And with the whipped cream, a scarf.
“Finished!” They exclaimed, the can of whipped cream still in their hand. As they threw their arms into the air, they accidentally pressed the tip, sending whipped cream everywhere. “Shit, sorry!”
The pair burst out in laughter, the spray only adding to the mess that was scattered on the kitchen. Damon circled the island with a cloth, helping (Y/N) to clean up the goo that had landed on their body. He wiped their clothes, then their arms, and finally their face. And he couldn’t help the look of adoration that clung to his eyes.
Moments like these were rare. Where the biggest problem would be cleaning up the kitchen and finishing the insane amount of pancakes they had cooked. It made them both feel normal – human. They were not a vampire and their supernatural-fighting partner. Simply two people in love cooking breakfast on a winter morning.
“You still have some whipped cream on your nose,” Damon pointed out, a look of mischief taking over his face.
“Are you gonna clean it up?” (Y/N) teased. “You know I can’t see it.”
Damon walked closer until he was situated in between their open legs. With a toothy grin, he stuck his tongue out and licked the whipped cream away. He then traveled to their mouth, placing a hard and passionate kiss on their lips. (Y/N) wrapped their arms around his neck, their hands pulling softly at the hair on his nape.
A groan escaped his lips. Heat rising between them. Instinctively, (Y/N) wrapped their legs around his waist, pressing Damon even closer to their body. Soon enough, their kissing turned into a steamy makeout and neither could deny the want that was growing between them.
“What do you say we take this upstairs and I give you an early Christmas present?” Damon grinned.
“But what about the pancakes?” (Y/N) said innocently. “I don’t want them to go to waste.”
“I can assure you they won’t,” he chuckled. “I’m sure Stefan will eat them.”
“And the mess?”
“Quit teasing, (Y/N),” Damon growled. “Now, hang on, baby.”
(Y/N) tightened their legs around his waist and their arms around his neck, giving him another kiss before he sped them to their bedroom. There, another type of feast was held.
Taglist: @beckiej0073-blog @baebeepeach @skyesthebomb @magimtz23 @thatgirljayy @toomanythoughts33 @laylaskywalker @winter-soldier-101 @zheezs14 @DyslexicCatterpillar @cevans-winchester @andreiaafaria @bluetreecloud20 @sunshine2894 @mushroomelephant @esposadomd @this-is-a-bad-idea @nocturnalherb16 @then-worship-at-my-altar @Six-Call @Yuki254
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thatseventiesbitch · 9 months
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Can you do little Leia and Donna making pancakes for Eric on Father’s Day and/or his birthday? But it’s as chaotic as it can be, and Leia keeps eating the raw ingredients. Thank you!
(I’m watching Laura’s pancake video, and I thought it’d be cute for Leia and Donna :))
Thanks for the ask! Sorry for the delay. I love Laura's videos, and I loved this prompt! 😁 Prompt Ask Game
"Okay Le-Le, pour this cup of flour into the bowl." Donna handed her 4 year old the measuring cup, packed tightly with flour. Some of it fluttered to the counter, like snow, as Leia dumped it in the large mixing bowl between them. "Good job."
Donna chuckled, glancing down at the mess they'd made. They had maybe gotten as much on the counter (and floor) as they'd gotten into the bowl.
"And now the sugar." Donna handed her the measuring utensil, this time packed with sugar, and turned around to grab a mixing spoon. When she turned back around, Leia had the handful of the crystal sugar in her mouth. "Leia - no!"
She yanked the measuring cup away and foisted the sugar from her hands, lifting her over to the sink to clean them with a wash cloth.
"What?" her daughter blinked up at her with wide, innocent eyes. The same expression her father used when he wanted to get out of trouble. Donna sighed.
"You can't eat that, Leia," she explained. "Plain sugar. It's not... good."
Fleetingly, she thought of Fez. This was a conversation she'd had with him a few times when they were teenagers. She smiled faintly at the memory.
"Okay mama."
They returned to the task at hand - making a Father's Day breakfast in bed - and Donna let Leia stir the dry ingredients together.
"Want to watch me crack the egg, babe?" she said a few moments later.
"Yeah!"
Leia leaned forward excitedly, her chin resting on her propped up arms. Donna cracked the egg into the mix of dry ingredients, and Leia ooh'ed and ahh'ed like it was the 4th of July. Afterwards she stretched her hand out for the gooey shell, and Donna handed it to her.
"Put it in the trash," she said. But Leia lifted the eggshell to her lips curiously instead.
"LEIA!" Donna yelled this time, startling the little girl. She froze. "Don't eat that!" She'd rushed forward and scooped it out of her hands, shaking her head. "God. Why are you trying to put everything in your mouth today?"
"I'm hungry," she pouted.
"Leia, we're making pancakes," Donna reminded her, exasperated as she cleaned her hands with the washcloth once again.
"For Daddy?" Leia brightened.
Donna's expression lightened too. "Yeah. For Daddy." She finished cleaning Leia's hands, and tossed the washcloth back in the sink. They went back the the counter and Donna resumed mixing the pancake ingredients. "You can give him your card, too," she reminded Leia.
"And I picked him a flower at Gramma's!"
"He's gonna love that. Go get it, Le-Le."
Donna finished mixing the pancakes and slowly added one to the pan. As it cooked, she assembled the serving tray they had. She put Leia's card and flower on it with a glass of orange juice, a cloth napkin, and some silverware.
When she turned around, Leia was seated across from the remaining pancake batter. She had a smear of something suspicious above her lip and her innocent expression from before - the one that meant she was guilty. Donna growled.
"Leia, I swear to god if you a- "
Donna's anger was interrupted by a high pitched shrieking noise. The fire alarm was going off. She rushed to the stove - her pancake was burning!
She turned off the heat and headed to the sink to rinse the whole charred mess down the garbage disposal. The fire alarm was still blaring, and she groaned. This wasn't the way Eric deserved to wake up on Father's Day. And he had to be awake now.
Sure enough, when Donna turned back around, Eric was there. And the blaring noise had stopped.
"Are you guys okay?" He held a broom. He'd used the handle to turn off the fire alarm.
Donna nodded. "S-sorry," she panted from the adrenaline. She clutched her chest. "Eric, I'm sorry."
He chuckled and crossed the room, and he hugged her. "For what, m'lady? I love pancakes," he smiled good-naturedly as they pulled apart, but he still held onto her forearms, steadying her. "And what's all this?" he gestured to the serving tray on the table.
"L-leia made you a card," Donna said, still catching her breath. "I was gonna make pancakes and bacon for breakfast. And I'll give you my present later." She smirked. "When we're alone."
"Hey, all my favorite things," Eric grinned.
Donna blushed and looked down. "Well I'm sorry your Father's Day breakfast was a bust - "
"What do you mean?" Eric interrupted, incredulous. He gestured around them at the pancake batter, the handmade card, and their daughter. "Donna - it's perfect." He drew her in and kissed the side of her head. "Absolutely perfect."
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mango-bango-bby · 3 years
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hey!! hope you're having a good day,, I was wondering if your asks are open, if you could do something with poly kuroo and bokuto and a shy, anxious and sweet reader who cooks them something as a surprise to thank them for looking after them? no trouble of you're busy :)))
♡ Pancakes ♡
(A/N: Ahhhh, I love poly bokuto and kuroo content 🥺🥺 I’m not super proud of this fic,, so I hope you like this!! It was such a cute concept. Also please excuse any spelling errors,, I’m putting this out around midnight lmao)
Summary: You decide to do something nice for your captors as a thanks for taking care of you (Yan!Bokuto x GN!Reader x Yan!Kuroo)
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
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You had the entire apartment to yourself. Not something that happens often. Your captors usually leave one at a time but they were both gone today, leaving you alone in the apartment for the first time. They had only left a few minutes ago, both leaving after giving you a kiss in the forehead.
You stand up from the couch, rifling through the pantry and fridge. Kuroo and Bokuto were always looking after you. Feeding you, making sure you’re entertained, just generally loving you and taking care of you. So you decided you should do something for them for once. You were going to cook something for them! As a thank you!
You continue going through the kitchen, trying to find something you could make. “Hmmm... flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, butter...” you continue mumbling, until you finally realize something that you could make for them. Pancakes! It was about the only thing that you remember how to make from scratch, plus all the ingredients for it were already for the kitchen.
You run around the kitchen some more, grabbing pans, bowls, spoons, and spatulas that you need to make the treat for your captors. Both of them were extremely protective over you, often not letting you even bathe by yourself. They were overprotective to the max. And because of that, they never let you in the kitchen. Claiming you could get hurt if you were even to step foot into the kitchen.
However, Bokuto and Kuroo weren’t home right now so you went into the kitchen. You just wanted to do something nice for them! Sure, you might get in trouble when they get back, but they would never hurt you! That’s something you’ve learned over your time with them, they’re so gentle with you. They understood that you were shy and scared of them, and they were patient and careful with you.
You zone out, flipping pancakes and placing them onto the plates. That was before an arm pulled you back from the counter, almost picking you up off of the floor from the strength. “Woah, woah, woah, you know you are not allowed in the kitchen!” Bokuto whines, standing behind Kuroo, who’s arm is wrapped around your waist and pulling you way from the stove.
You look down, wanting to fiddle with your fingers but you don’t. “I know” you mutter “I-I’m sorry... it’s just that-” You sigh, trying to be able to put your words together properly. You normally got shy when explaining your emotions so you try to make your words make sense. “You both d-do so much for me... and I ne-never give you anything in return” you continue, watching both of the men’s faces soften “So I thought I could do something nice for you” You are whispering by the end of your spiel.
“Aww, baby!” Bokuto cheers, trying to take you from Kuroo’s arms. His hair is slightly more perked up than usual, and his cheeks are slightly flushed. “You are so cute!” He praises , pinching your cheek almost aggressively. “How sweet of you, kitty” Kuroo soothes, using one of his hands to pet your hair. They were so affectionate with you.
“Just because you were trying to be nice still doesn’t mean you’re allowed in the kitchen, okay, cutie?”
“I-I understand”
“Good. Now I’m going to get some pancakes”
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
Thank you for reading, darling!!
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karamfilmare · 3 years
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White Gold and Maple
Kazuha x reader
Dedicated to my lovely mutual for her birthday @ahtsuwu -- sorry it came so late. You deserve this!
Description: Kazuha is behaving oddly, and for what reason?
Content: fluff, humor (?), surprise birthday, Kazuha being just the best bean. Modern AU (I think), light swearing(?), mentions of a spouse passing away (don't worry it's not too sad),
A/N: Sorry if this is shorter than my usual pieces and not as detailed. I wanted to get a short piece out, I hope it's fine. Also, not edited or proofread, sooo oops.
Stirring from your sleep, you stuck a hand out to find your boyfriend and sneak in close--only to find the spot was unoccupied and cool. Lifting your head, you frowned at the absence.
"Kazuha?"
You swung your legs off the mattress and walked around, confused by the silence in your home. Until you heard some light humming.
Finding your way into the kitchen, the smell of warm maple wafted around you. You found Kazuha standing by the stove, his hair messily put up in a loose bun, as he cooked what appeared to be some breakfast. He did not appear to notice your presence yet, so you quietly walked up behind him and slipped your arms around his waist and leaned against him.
"Oh, I didn't know you were awake. I wish you'd sleep in a bit more, I was going to wake you when I was ready."
"But I missed you," you murmured, slowly breathing out a sigh of content into his back. "I'm glad to see you."
"Ok, go sit down, I'll bring the food over in a bit."
Sitting down at the stool at the counter, you propped your head up on your hands, watching him move about. He turned around, the rich scent of maple and pancakes filling the air. Setting down your portion, he continued to watch you eat, asking if he did a good job with them, before laughing at your enthusiastic nodding, since your cheeks were full of sweet fluff. Your morning had gone along well, with not too much trouble, before he pressed a kiss to your cheek.
"With deep regret, I must leave to attend to some things, but it shouldn't be long, alright?"
"Already? Ok, good luck."
And soon enough, he was out the door, leaving you to clean up after the couple of dishes left from breakfast.
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Bzzzzt Bzzzzt
Reluctant to get off the couch, you ambled to your phone on the nightstand of your room, seeing a text from Beidou.
"Call me."
"Really?" you wondered out loud, knowing Beidou wasn't really one for conversations in the morning. Shrugging, you
"Hey."
"Yo. Listen, can you swing by where I'm at? I'm bored and I need company. Ningguang is shutting me down again, saying she's busy or some shit, ya know, the usual."
"Uh, sure, that's fine. Just send me your location, I'll come by."
"Great! I'll text you the location. Don't be late."
Don't be late? Seriously? From Beidou? "Fine, 'captain', I won't hold your important self up."
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"So, I didn't think you'd be a mall person, Beidou."
"Nah, I just felt like it today, though. So, are you doing anything for your birthday?"
"My wha--"
Oh.
"Crazy that you remembered. But no, nothing planned."
The dark-haired woman quirked an eyebrow up, letting out a small sound. "Well, alright. This'll be my gift to you then. Let's go."
She dragged you along the mall, going from shop to shop, usually checking out food, candies, booze, and some clothes. After indulging in some boba tea and candies, you passed by a quaint little shop that caught your eye.
"Wanna go in? Come on, you seem interested." Beidou encouraged you to enter the shop, and you both quietly walked along the little stands. Earrings adorned a turning stand, necklaces and colorful rings were in glass cases, engraved paperweights, and other such pieces filled the room. You noted that these pieces didn't have the cold, pristine look of big designer jewelry stores.
"Huh, they look handmade, don't they?"
"Oh yes, every piece you see here is handcrafted by my family," a new voice startled you, an older woman with strands of grey enhancing her light brown hair. "Sorry for sneaking up. You've a keen eye."
"They're lovely." Indeed they were, the meticulous attention to detail. The rings looked like they were braided in gold, the gemstones inlaid upon them glittered under the light. Chains were linked carefully, the pendants all unique in some fashion. These pieces had character, something you would not mind having every day on your person.
Something caught your eye--a white gold ring with your birthstones, all laid along a pattern around. Not an engagement ring by any means, but something you visualized adorning your finger on a daily basis.
No, I might come back later and purchase it sometime. If it's not there, it wasn't meant to be.
"Ah, this one? My son made it to commemorate his late wife for her birthday, which is today. She passed several years back, but he chose to never forget her. This year, he decided he would create this ring that was similar to the one he made for her on an anniversary of theirs." The woman's eyes turned down slightly, her smile falling a bit. "But don't worry, he made this piece so that someone may show their love to their partner once again. Would you like to try it on?"
You hesitated, but Beidou coaxed you to try it on, before switching her attention to her phone. The woman slipped the ring onto your ring finger, finding that it fit you perfectly.
A grin appeared on her face. "It suits you, as if it were made for you."
Staring at it for a moment, you felt the slight longing for it, not just because of its appearance, but for the story that came along with it. You shook your head before slipping it off. "I might come back sometime later and see if it's here. I don't have any way to pay for this at the moment, I apologize. But it is beautiful."
"No worries. It might find itself back to you in some manner."
Perhaps, but unlikely. Nodding your head, you trudged along out of the store, expecting Beidou to be behind you, only to find her still inside the store, talking to the owner of the shop. Several minutes later, she hurried out, a faint smile lingering on her lips.
"Don't ask."
"I-- alright."
-----------------------------------
You parted ways with Beidou shortly after, and just as you leave the mall, you receive a text from Yoimiya.
"Hey, I can't make it on time to pick something up, could you go to this location for me, please? I'll make it up to you, PROMISE!! <3"
Shrugging your shoulders, you replied asking for the address, to which she replied with a pinpoint of the location. You texted Kazuha where you were about to go, just in case he made it home before you.
Except, the location wasn't a building. It was a large tent on the top of a hill, away from town. You found a slip of paper and picked it up, wondering whether the person was inside.
What the hell is Yoimiya picking up over here? Is she doing illegal business? What is going on here?
Just before you began to spiral in your thoughts, the tent opened up, revealing a smiling Kazuha. "Well, I'm glad you could make it. Come on, you're just in time."
"Just in time for--"
He pulled you close to him, guiding you to the other side of the tent next to the tree. Motioning for you to sit down, he settled himself right next to you. "Have you read the paper?"
Shaking your head, you pulled the slip of paper you found, finding words on the page in Kazuha's pretty handwriting.
The universe was blessed this day
When the heavens opened up
and you descended on earth
To touch my life.
The stars remain in your eyes,
And I wish on every single one,
That I can be called
Yours.
"Kazuha..." you breathed out, your mouth not able to form the words, as your gaze turned to the beautiful man before you.
"Look up."
At his urging, you turned your face up to the night sky. Several beats passed, before a streak of light shot up, before breaking into a large burst of colors. Several more shot up, taking your breath away. The show of sparkles
"Is that--"
"I had a bit of help to set up this moment. I hope you liked it."
Silence settled in, realizing that he was so excited about your birthday all this time. So the sudden texts from Beidou and Yoimiya weren't just random, they were planned.
"Oh, one more thing." Kazuha searched a pocket and pulled out a small box, bringing your hand close. "I heard from Beidou that this caught your eye, and I couldn't let it slip. So..." The ring you found earlier appeared once again before you, settling onto your ring finger once more. "I got it as a promise for us."
The emotions that built up within you finally spilled, tears streaming down slightly. "Kazuha, I swear...I'm--I'm in bliss right now, just being here with you. I just..." You placed your hands on his face and pulled him in for a soft kiss, which was immediately reciprocated.
The tenderness of the moment cemented a new shift in the relationship, one marked with devotion, rich and sweet, like maple. A birthday like this? You would remember for the rest of your life.
127 notes · View notes
marginalmadness · 3 years
Text
Summer Nights: 2/4
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Pairing: Rabbit!Hybrid Jungkook x Y/N
Rating: Mature (later explicit)
Genre: Hybrid!Fantasy, Romance, Fluff
Synopsis: A freak weather anomaly leads to a chance encounter with a rabbit-hybrid, and your kind nature results in you gaining a small, fluffy lodger, who questions your taste in television shows. It’s won’t be for long…will it?
Warnings/Tags: This chapter involves Jungkook going into heat.
Author’s Note: If I called @johobi​ patient before, I fucked up the tenses to bad in this chapter, it took her HOURS to fix. But she approved of the chapter which I’m happy about because this is the one I was most worried about. Jungkook Goes into heat in this chapter, and I hope nobody wants to kill me when they finish it.  Chapter 3 is only a week away! <3
Previous Chapter: Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Tags: @kookiebunny97​ @mintyrae​ @skswriting​ 
Word Count: 5.6K
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction for entertainment purposes only. The events depicted here are entirely of my own imagining, and have no basis on actual people or events.
I hope everyone is enjoying BE, and Life Goes On.
Summer Nights: Chapter Two
The next morning is the first day of your new-new normal. You wake to the sound of music coming from the living room. You pull yourself to your feet, shuffling from your bed to find the sourc
The next morning is the first day of your new-new normal. You wake to the sound of music coming from the living room. You pull yourself to your feet, shuffling from your bed to find the source of the enchanting sound. To your shock and delight, you find Jungkook hopping around the kitchen happily, ears and hair bouncing as he sings along to the radio and prepares pancakes. His voice is divine. You stand there enraptured, caught under his spell. He drops the spatula in fright when he turns to find you leaning against the wall, watching him silently.
 “Please continue,” you urge him. But he shakes his head, blushing and hiding behind his ears. “Your voice is so pretty. Please?” you coax, stepping towards him. Jungkook considers you from behind his ears for a second. Then, tentatively, he picks up the spatula and resumes his song while he washes it clean.
 From that day onwards, he wakes you each morning the same way, voice drifting through the bedroom door he leaves slightly ajar. There’s always a stack of warm, fluffy pancakes waiting for you in the kitchen, and beside it a bowl of yogurt-drizzled fruit. As soon as you’re seated, Jungkook extends a freshly brewed cup of breakfast tea to you. You eat together in the early morning light, the radio playing in the background. And while you get ready for work, Jungkook cleaned up the dishes from breakfast. 
 Domestic heaven. 
At the end of your work day, you come home and thank God he’s still there. Sometimes he’s typing away on your laptop. Jungkook signed up as a freelance transcriber as a way to make money while staying with you. It was something to do while you were at work, too, restless soul that he is.  Sometimes, though, you come home to find him flopped on his side in a patch of sun, having a nap as a bunny. 
You cook dinner together now. Well, when you say together, you mean you take his direction, since Jungkook is a much better cook than you. He uses some of his free time to look up recipes he thinks you’ll like. 
It’s ridiculously heartwarming. 
After dinner, as is your routine, you split the washing up and curl up together to watch some Netflix. On the days you do all the washing up, Jungkook doesn’t fight you for control of the TV. 
You still tease him over the first and only time you watched a horror movie. The first jump-scare forced him into rabbit form and he leapt into your lap in fright. Jungkook spent the entire movie there, shivering. And the rest of the night he spent pressed against your side in a tight, furry ball. Of course, the next day he insisted he wasn’t that scared, he just didn’t want to bother you by transforming back and forth.
He did a similar thing when you were watching a sappy romantic movie, but you don’t tease him about that. The second you noticed him sniffling at the lovers’ separation, he turned into a rabbit and hopped off his chair and over to you. You expected him to come cuddle, but he scrambled onto the back of the sofa and situated himself by your head instead. Every time there was a particularly romantic moment, he would nudge you with his nose and tickle you with his whiskers. And when he was feeling particularly bold, he’d grip your shoulder with his front claws and rub his chin over your cheek and neck. It tickled so much it made you squirm. 
After extricating yourself from his clutches, a quick search on the internet told you that rabbits do this to mark their territory. You have trouble looking him in the eye the rest of that day. You know he’s attracted to you; have done since that first night. But he’s been ever so respectful. For some reason, the thought of him marking you as his makes your skin flush and burn.
Shopping for groceries is an experience, too. Jungkook skips around the store, picking multiple things up, asking you if you like them before throwing them in the shopping cart. It doesn’t matter whether you need them or not, just if you like it. That’s good enough for Bun. He’s so happy and energetic, his smile wide and eyes sparkling until you bend over into a freezer to pick up some ice cream. When you turn back, Jungkook is clinging to the cart, his eyes wide and entire body stock-still. All but his foot as it wildly pounds the ground.
“You okay, Bun?” you ask with a tilt of your head. His mouth drops open into a shape as round as his eyes. Mimicking you, Jungkook tilts his head before blinking and shaking it. And then he coughs, practically vibrates, before muttering something about cereal and running off in the opposite direction of the cereal. 
Ever since that peculiar day, Jungkook has insisted on going grocery shopping alone. Something about getting out of the house and becoming more independent. But he blushes and averts his eyes as he says it, foot tapping wildly until he kicks over a plant pot. He cleans up the mess without another word, chewing on one of its stricken leaves and purposefully avoiding your eyes for the rest of the day.
Your weekends become different too. Before Bun arrived, you’d spent them relaxing after your work week, alone and in peace. Now you have a tiny, demanding rabbit that follows you around your apartment, tripping you up. And now you also have a fully grown, demanding man. A roommate - for lack of a better word - with which to do things. Now you have Saturday walks in the park and Sunday brunches. Imagine that.
 Jungkook is incredibly physical. Forever moving, rarely still, bouncing from foot to foot, wiggling when excited. When you praise him, he claps and dances. The day you get a promotion at work, he hugs you so tightly, lifting you up and spinning you in the air because he’s simply that happy. He binkies about in excitement just as much as he did in bunny form, long hair and floppy ears bouncing wildly as his eyes crinkle in happiness, sending things flying in his excitement. You’ve already replaced one particular lamp three times.
But then Jungkook starts marking his territory in human form, too.
You’re chopping something for dinner on some nondescript day when Jungkook approaches you from behind, hands sliding gently over your hips. You could shake him off easily if you wanted to. But you find yourself not wanting to. His chin rests on your shoulder as though he’s just watching you work, but then the subtle rub starts. Across your shoulder and into the crook of your neck, until an involuntary shudder runs down your spine. It snaps Jungkook back to his senses and he pulls away.
—-
The day everything changed was the day from hell. Work had been awful, just one fuck up after another. None of which were even your fault, but all of which you were expected to fix.
You come home to a tidy apartment, subtle scented candles burning and soft music playing. Jungkook is in the kitchen cooking, and you’re sure the ingredients you can smell are ones he’s shopped for today.
“Welcome home.” He smiles over his shoulder at you. “Dinner is almost done if you want to get washed up.” He turns back to stir the pan on the stove. When you walked through the front door you were on the verge of tears. Now your eyes are misting up for the complete opposite reason.
You drag your sorry ass over to him and practically collapse against his wide, strong back, wrapping your arms around his tiny waist like he often does you.
“Thank you,” you practically sob into his shirt, screwing your eyes closed in an effort to not actually cry. You try to keep the emotion out of your voice but Jungkook knows you well enough to sense you’re upset by something. He immediately switches off the stove burners and turns to wrap his arms tightly around you, holding you without a second thought.
 “What is it? What’s wrong?” he asks, voice full of concern. Large, strong hands brush the hair back from your face.
 “I just had a really shit day, and you just—” You turn, arms flailing, motioning to the clean apartment and dinner on the stove. Jungkook nods in understanding. “—you made it all better.” His eyes go round as he blinks at you in shock, before melting into something warm. He tucks your hair behind your ears and tilts your head as he moves in, as though he were going to kiss you. Your eyes flutter closed as his nose brushes yours, but his lips never touch yours. “What’s this?” you ask in a whisper, blinking your eyes open to find him smiling at you softly.
 “A rabbit thing,” he says simply, resting his forehead against yours with a soft grunt of air. It doesn’t quite reach a growl. You know it's a rabbit thing; you researched. But you didn’t expect it in human form.
 “Okay.” You don’t push, don’t demand an explanation for a deeper meaning, just accept the affection from him. You lean in and brush your nose against his in return, causing him to gasp and grunt again, hand moving from your face to your waist. It lingers there for a few seconds before Jungkook gently, physically, pushes you away, his large eyes looking bigger than usual. His pupils are blown out, almost entirely black. Breath comes from his parted lips in short pants and huffs.
 “You should get cleaned up while I finish dinner,” he says softly, stepping backwards. There’s an arm’s length of space between you now. You nod at him, hands finding his, giving him a squeeze as you back out of the kitchen. You don’t let go until the space between you is too far for your fingertips to touch. His eyes don’t leave you until you’re completely out of sight.
 You close the door quietly, leaning your forehead against it and taking slow, deep, grounding breaths, trying to calm the racing of your heart. What was that? Sure, it isn’t the first time he’s done it; he did it on the night he transformed and kissed you. Somehow, though, it felt as intimate as him kissing you again. Is it wrong to feel this way towards Jungkook? He’s your Bun, your charge; you’re his caretaker. Are you taking advantage of him? Is he only acting like this because he’s thankful to you for taking care of him?
 You push off and away from the door, feeling heavy. It’s almost like there’s a rope connecting you to Jungkook and forever pulling you towards him. You change out of your work clothes into something more comfortable. If that more comfortable thing happens to be something just a little clingy in certain, flattering places, and it makes you feel pretty, then you tell yourself you need the ego boost after the day you had. It has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to look good for Jungkook. You head to the bathroom to wash your face and brush your hair into something more relaxed before returning to the kitchen. And Jungkook.
 “Nope!” Jungkook yells, stopping you before you can even enter the kitchen, two strong hands taking you by the shoulders, turning you around and practically marching you towards the living room. You pout over your shoulder at him, but he’s just grinning and laughing at your pouty face. You slump onto the sofa and he leans over the back of it, hovering over you, his eyes crinkling as he laughs musically. Ever so carefully he takes you by the jaw, rubbing his chin over your head, tilting you to the side so he can whisper in your ear.
 “Sit and relax, I’ll bring you dinner.” His voice is light and full of joy.
 You sit and pout, grabbing the remote to put some music on. At the exact moment you drop it back to the table, a bowl of food is placed in front of you. You blink up at a grinning Jungkook as he retreats eagerly to the kitchen, presumably for drinks. His enthusiasm is infectious. You pick up the bowl of pasta, twirling your fork in the creamy sauce and noodles, and take a big bite. It’s delicious. Delicious enough to have you moaning with pleasure and sliding back against the couch.
 “Kookie, this is amazing!” you groan, licking the sauce from your lips.
 Jungkook stares at you, eyes wide, focused on your tongue as it slides along your lips. You hadn’t even realised he’d come back from the kitchen. He places a glass of wine on the table in front of you, ducking his head and hiding behind his ears as he shuffles to his spot on the sofa, bowl in hand. You watch him slyly out of the corner of your eye. His face is so red, so glowing you can almost feel the heat radiating from it. “I made it,” he says, still staring intently at his food. “I found a recipe online I thought you would like.”
 “From scratch?” you ask, amazed. He nods, biting his lip and refusing to look at you. You reach across the space between you and thread your fingers into his soft, wavy locks, rubbing the spot just behind one of his floppy ears. “Bun this is amazing, it tastes amazing!” His head lifts up, eyes so big they sparkle in the low light. “You’re amazing,” you whisper in a soft voice. Jungkook ducks his head again, hiding once more behind his long ears and curly hair. He eats his food slowly, more picking at it than anything. You, on the other hand, tuck in enthusiastically, all manners and grace gone, letting him see and hear your enjoyment of the food. You know how much it pleases him when you unabashedly enjoy his cooking. When you ask for seconds, handing him your empty bowl, Jungkook binkies across the room to the kitchen, bouncing on his heels as he piles a second serving of noodles and sauce into your bowl.
 He hands it back to you soon after and sits beside you on the sofa, knees curling under himself. Reclining on the back cushions, he observes you as you eat, arms crossed and eyes sparkling. When you’re half way through your second serving and can’t eat a bite more, he whisks away the dishes and returns quickly to your side. 
 Jungkook flops over and places his head in your lap. “Will you…” He bites his lip, turning to bury his face in your sweater, his cheeks burning crimson again.
 “What? What do you want, Kookie?” you ask, carding your fingers through his hair and rubbing a thumb over the gentle fur of his ear. It twitches repeatedly.
 “Just this. Will you play with my hair? Stroke my ears?” he asks in a small voice. It’s unusually meek for him in his human form.
 “Of course I will, Bun. Anything you want.” You smile, running your fingers through his hair, nails trailing down his scalp. His leg kicks out, narrowly missing the coffee table. You hand him the remote. “Pick something to watch.”
Jungkook shuffles, turning to face the TV. With his head still in your lap, he curls up into a ball, enjoying your ministrations. You continue to pet him, running your fingers through his hair and stroking his ears, twirling locks of hair around your finger before releasing the resulting curl. You lounge there together, the stress of the day bleeding away from you thanks to a stomach full of good food and your hand tangled in the hair of—Jungkook—whatever he was to you right now.
You don’t know exactly when you fall asleep, but you wake to strong arms holding you, carrying you to your room. Jungkook places you delicately on your bed and you fling yourself backwards, curling up to drift off again. But before long you’re being shaken gently awake and sat back up. Soft, cotton pajamas are pushed into your hands.
“You need to get changed,” a soft, deep voice says firmly in your ear. A warm body presses against your back.
You pout, eyes resolutely closed, but begin taking off your sweater. Large hands help you when you get tangled on your arms. It’s even more of a struggle to unhook your bra. You flail for a while before dropping your arms and slumping back against Jungkook with a tired, pathetic whine. If you were properly awake you might have noticed how his breath hissed through his teeth, or how his nose rubbed your temple. 
With more force than is probably necessary, Jungkook grips you by the shoulder and props you forward. Then, with just one finger, he pulls your bra band away from your back, taking all care not to touch you at all. By some black magic he manages to unhook it, sliding the straps down and off your arms before discarding it on the floor. Not once does he look over your shoulder. He pulls the camisole of your pajama set over your head, guiding your arms through the straps before you wake enough to take over and pull both arms through.
“Now the shorts,” he grunts, low and gruff. It’s unusual enough that you pout at him over your shoulder.
“Bossy bunny,” you mumble, standing and kicking off the comfy leggings you had on. Somewhere in the back of your head you register a soft ‘”shit’” that you’re too tired to acknowledge. You pull on your shorts and sit back down, immediately flopping to your pillow. You feel your body being turned, tucked beneath the sheet pulled over you. Sleep comes easily to you after that.
—-
You wake up while it’s still dark outside. Jungkook’s chest is hot against your back, his knees curled and tucked behind yours. A muscled arm hangs heavily over your waist, keeping you close to him. You lift it as carefully as possible and slide out of bed, tip-toeing stealthily across the soft carpet and out of the room. You head to the kitchen and grab a glass in the dark, in search of a drink for your parched throat.
You drink your fill and shuffle back to bed, bringing a glass with you just in case. Although you slip into your room as stealthily as you’d left it, Jungkook is awake when you return. He sits with his arms wrapped around his knees, bottom lip snagged beneath his prominent front teeth.
“Kookie?” you ask softly in the darkness, making your way back to your side of the bed. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, I just—I reached for you and you were gone,” he says, watching you place your glass of water down and climb back into bed. “I was waiting for you to come back.”
“Silly rabbit,” you coo. Jungkook rolls towards you, wrapping his arms around your waist and tangling a powerful, muscular leg with yours. You settle back, stroking his head and mulling over his unusual clinginess as sleep comes to claim you. 
But then you feel a pressure against your thigh, and you’re suddenly very awake. 
Jungkook undulates his hips to a subtle rhythm. “Wha-” you begin, turning to look at him. But he buries his nose beneath your jaw, his breath coming out in soft,  heavy huffs in time with his movements. He grinds against your hip with a desperation. You swallow audibly, forcing yourself to ask as your face burns. “Jungkook, what are you doing?”
“Sorry,” he whines. “I can’t help it, I just—” He throws his thigh over your hips, shifting until he’s hovering over you, weight on his knees and forearms. His hips drop to roll against your stomach, a thick bulge straining the thin material of the pajama bottoms you had bought him. Jungkook ruts against your sweat-covered skin as you stare up at him, eyes wide, frozen in shock. Heat floods through you, stirring your insides until you’re panting. He is, too. His mouth hangs open as he huffs in time with his thrusts, lips grazing your jaw until they reach your mouth. He caresses it softly with his own, barely a whisper of a touch. Once. Twice. Just like that first night he turned. The third time, he kisses you. Your eyes flutter closed and you kiss him back. Nothing more than a delicate tilt of your head and a careful brushing of your lips against his. This is wrong, a voice in the back of your head whispers. This man is practically a stranger.
Only he’s not.
He’s shared your bed as a human for the past two weeks, and ten weeks before that as a rabbit.
You’ve spent evenings curled up together, watching shows you both enjoy. You know his moods, as he knows yours. Your hand feels as comfortable tangled in his hair as it does amongst his fur, and you can read his eyes in both forms exactly the same.
He’s your Jungkook. Your Kookie. 
Your Bun.
He exhales heavily, his tongue lapping at your lips for more. Warm breath fans your face and you practically tremble with anticipation. Jungkook tears himself away to run his hands down the curves of your body, and as you look up at him, your mouth dries at the sight of his godly form. The ever-present glow of the city creates a subtle neon halo behind him, heightening his otherworldly, divine presence.
“I-I—“ As suddenly as he came onto you, Jungkook scrambles backwards off the bed, falling ungracefully to the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry!” he yells, eyes watery and wide with terror. He rushes out of the room so quickly he doesn’t even stand up straight. Just heads straight for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. You follow too late, reaching your bedroom doorway just in time to hear the bathroom lock snap into place.
You drop to your knees outside the bathroom door, knocking on it gently. “Jungkookie, what’s wrong? Please, come out,” you call.
“I can’t,” comes a whine from the other side of the door. It almost sounds like a sob. “I have to stay here. Can I have a blanket please?” The voice is strained and tight; unsure. It’s not like the warm, bright voice you’ve come to know at all.
“Okay,” you agree. “I’ll get that for you. I’ll be right back.” When you return with the requested blanket, you let Kookie know with a small knock on the door. He cracks it open just enough for you to push the bedding through. In doing so, you catch a glimpse of his eyes. They’re wide and a little teary, his pupils huge. His face and upper chest is worryingly flushed. Jungkook notices you scrutinising his appearance and slams the door shut before you can comment. You hover on the other side of the door, not wanting to leave him. “I’m not upset with you, Bun. I understand if you want some space. Good night.”
You shuffle your way back to bed, curling up under the duvet for the first time in weeks. Because despite the heat and humidity of summer, it feels far, far too cold.
—-
The fullness of your bladder wakes you, demanding you seek relief immediately. You can tell by the noise outside that it’s late morning, and you hope Jungkook is already awake. You roll out of bed and shuffle over to the bathroom, trying the handle and finding it still locked.
With a reluctant sigh, you knock. “Jungkookie? Bun, I need to pee. Can you let me in please?” A few moments later there’s shuffling behind the door and the soft click of a lock opening. A sunken-eyed Jungkook stands on the other side, eyes averted. The duvet you gave him wraps him like a shroud. It hangs over his head, hiding his ears, his hands clutching it tightly at his chest. He stares pointedly at his feet as he shuffles past you, and if it weren’t for your desperate need to pee you’d stop and talk to him. But that’s a conversation that can wait until you’ve made breakfast.
You finish in the bathroom as fast as possible and make your way to the kitchen, noticing how he sits curled up on the chair in the corner of your living room.
You pull out all the things you need to make pancakes and crank up the volume on an upbeat playlist; mostly songs Jungkook likes listening to in the mornings. “Jungkook, could you help me please?” you ask sweetly. “The strawberries and bananas need slicing.”
He perks up at that, ears twitching before his eyes dart over to you. He loves bananas, almost obsessively loves them. I knew that would work, you smile to yourself. Jungkook fiddles with the waistband of his pajamas and you try to forget the outline of his hardness straining against them. Try to forget how your skin flushed when he rocked it against you. You focus back on the batter, giving it an extra hard stir, making sure there’s no lumps in it. That’s the reason for you beating it so vigorously. No other reason.
You sigh, pinching yourself before switching on the burner on the stove.
Jungkook begins chopping fruit. Yes. You smile to yourself, watching him out of the corner of your eye as you work on two stacks of pancakes. The tension in the air between you two eases, and soon you’re both dancing to a song that Jungkook listens to often; its easy choreography something you developed together. The song changes into something new, something you’ve never heard before, but you sway your hips nevertheless as you ladle batter into the hot frying pan. Jungkook bounces from foot-to-foot, endlessly energetic as he works his way through half a bunch of bananas and the entire bowl of strawberries. He’s piling the chopped fruit up on plates when you push between him and the counter with a small, murmured excuse me. The step he takes back to allow you access isn’t quite big enough. Even then you don’t notice; so used to squeezing around one another in the modestly-sized kitchen as you are.
 Jungkook, however, notices.
Your ass slides firmly against him and he grips your hips almost painfully hard, pressing you into the counter.
“Ow! Jungkook, what are you—” Your question becomes a squeal of surprise when he buries his nose behind your ear and grinds his rapidly hardening cock into the cleft of your ass. Only two, flimsy layers of clothing separate you. 
“I need you so bad,” he growls as he rubs his nose through your hair, the underside of his chin skimming the column of your neck. You arch back into him, throwing your head back to expose more of your neck to him. You’re usually a lot more reserved with men—a lot—but something about Jungkook makes you want to be wild. Maybe it’s the way you feel so safe with him. His body is a solid presence against your back, his thrusting desperate and needy. Gone is the sweet, delicate Bun you’ve come to care about. He’s been replaced with someone who grips you, growls at you, and yet you still feel safe in his arms.
It’s Jungkook. He’d never hurt you.
You groan, something between a whine and a whimper being ripped from the back of your throat as he rubs himself against you. Then, suddenly - unwelcomely - cold air hits your back. 
Jungkook has torn himself from you for a second time. 
You turn but he’s not behind you. Spinning in place, you see a fluffy tail vanishing around a cabinet and a pair of light grey pajamas left in its wake. You follow fast enough to watch him hightail it out of the kitchen and across the living room, straight under the chair in the corner. He never sits in it as a human, preferring to sit next to you on the sofa, but it’s his favourite place to hide as a bunny.
You crouch, peeking under the chair, trying to coax him out.
“I’m sorry, Jungkookie. Come out and talk to me, please?” you beg to the huddled mass of fur under the chair. He stays where he is, shifting in a way you know means he’s settling in for the long haul. You stand up, running to turn off the stove before dashing to your bedroom and throwing on some clothes. After grabbing your bag, you check under the chair again. Jungkook is still there. “I’ll be right back, okay?” you tell him, before rushing out the door.
You all but run out of your apartment building, dodging people on the street as you head to the florist a block and a half away to get a custom bouquet made. It’s ugly as hell, but it’s not supposed to be for looking at. All of the flowers are suitable for rabbits to eat, and you get triple the ones you know Jungkook is particularly fond of.
You rush back to your apartment on a sliver of energy, taking extra care to preserve your gift, but the whole journey takes you less than twenty minutes. You discard your shoes and bag by the door and head straight for the chair, placing your peace offering on the floor before it.
“I have a gift for you,” you say, pulling a white hibiscus from the bouquet and presenting it to him. “Please come out and talk to me, Bun.” You watch as Jungkook hops forward, unable to resist the pull of his favourite flower. You untie the haphazard collection of flowers and lay them out on the decorative wrapping paper for him. It does the trick and draws him out from under the chair. You hold your hand out to him carefully, letting him come to you on his own terms. Jungkook devours a rosebud and hops forward, bumping your hand with his nose. You sigh, tension you didn’t know was building melting from your shoulders.
Somewhat placated, you head back to the kitchen. The pancakes are now cold but nothing that can’t be reheated. You store his breakfast in the fridge and slip a couple bits of banana onto the paper with the flowers. Jungkook leaps at them, devouring them with relish before following you into the kitchen and circling your chair as you eat your pancakes. He reaches up, nudging your foot to get your attention. And by attention, he wants more bananas.
Once you’re all done with breakfast, you move to the living room. There are several episodes of a TV show you and Jungkook have been watching together that you need to catch up on, and that’s your usual plan for the weekend. Jungkook, however, has other plans. He jumps into your lap, purposefully knocking the remote out of your hand. You tangle your fingers through his fur and feel him shudder under your touch.
“Do you want to tell me what's wrong now?” you ask softly, thumb rubbing soothing circles between his eyes. Beneath your hand, Jungkook transforms. He curls in on himself, doing his best to obscure his nudity, and buries his head in your stomach. You run a hand down his back and find his skin is clammy and feverish. “Oh my god, are you sick? Bun, you’re burning up!” you exclaim, panic injected into your tone.
“I’m going into heat. It’s why I keep—why I keep—” His voice is high-pitched and strained again.
“Why you keep rubbing against me?” you finish for him, raking your nails through his long locks. His ears and tail twitch and Jungkook whines. Nodding, he curls in on himself tighter. “You need a partner,” you say matter-of-factly, but he shakes his head in disagreement.
“No. I don’t need a partner...” he says simply, the implication left hanging. You move his ear carefully, brushing his hair from his face and cupping it with one hand. Your thumb strokes his cheekbone until his tightly-clenched eyes open.
 “Then, tell me what you want,” you whisper. His eyes narrow like he’s assessing you. Assessing the full implication of your words and trying to decide how to answer you.
 “Normally I’d mate with someone in a nest—” Jungkook starts before he’s racked by shudders. He buries his face in your stomach again and whines.
 “My bed,” you offer. “You can build a nest there if you need to.”
He shoots upward at your words, watching your face carefully. “But—” His eyes are wide, mouth agape as he draws the logical conclusion but not daring to hope. “--where will you sleep?” He asks as though he is scared of the answer.
 You carefully brush his hair back from his face, thumbing over a floppy ear. “I c-can—“ you stutter, before taking a deep breath. “I’ll figure something out.” You lean forward, pressing your forehead to his. Your lips are so close like this, close enough to brush against each other as you speak. It’s not quite a kiss, but your intention is clear. “If you need anything—if you want anything...” You trail off. 
 Jungkook wastes no time. He sits up and crawls into your lap, his bare, muscular thighs straddling yours as he kisses you deeply. His hands, no longer rough, cup your face delicately as though he can’t believe he’s been gifted something so precious. Even as his naked hips roll against your stomach.
 “Iwantyouwantyouwantyou. Need you,” he chants between kisses.
 And in an act of madness - or perhaps sanity - you give yourself to him completely.
Next Chapter
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rheawritessometimes · 3 years
Text
A Not-So-Bad Deal
{ Childe x GN!Reader }
{ Summary } Babysitting Childe has its ups and downs. Series Masterlist
{ Warnings } Swearing, Injury, Physical Intimacy, Mild Spice, PDA, Not Beta Read, Barely Proof Read.
{ Notes } Reader is implied to have commitment issues. Accidental flirting, because intentional flirting is awkward and hard. Didn't explicitly state what each breakfast item was, but they're based on popular Russian breakfast foods. Ahah, not me setting myself up for yet another part?? Masterlist
{ Word Count } 2,955
The sentiment of spending Childe's recovery with him being a simple endeavor was quickly thrown into the garbage when you were awakened before the sun had even begun to peek over the horizon to the sound of what you were sure was a break-in. Rolling out of the bed with your sword materializing in your hand was done entirely on instinct, you were still too groggy to have any proper thought. Stealthily exiting the room, you made your way to the source of the noise, the kitchen.
Needless to say, you were more than annoyed to find that the 'break in' was actually a familiar Harbinger making breakfast, tearing apart the kitchen in the process. Your sword dematerialized as you brought a hand up to massage your temples to ward off a headache. Childe was humming cheerily in the middle of the mess of ingredients and cookware, some of which you were certain had not been necessary to whatever it was he was making. There was no way that many bowls were necessary for any recipe.
The Snezhnayan flashed a bright grin when he saw you, but the gesture did nothing to ease the scowl that had settled onto your features. That didn't seem to dampen his mood in the least, he merrily continued preparing what appeared to be enough food to feed a lot more people than were currently occupying his apartment. Was he expecting a lot of company this morning?
"I thought we made a deal that involved you resting and not cooking enough to feed a small army at ass in the morning," you remarked, the sarcasm laid on thick enough to be dripping from each word. Much to your frustration, this only made him laugh as he turned the stove on.
"Well, I usually wake up early but this morning I had nothing to do since someone broke my bones. So, I decided to make a nice breakfast for my guest to enjoy with me," he responded with faux innocence, though there was laughter in his voice that easily gave him away. His words were still effective in making you feel a little guilty, so you wordlessly brought the dishes you were fairly certain he was done with to the sink and began washing them.
The two of you fell into a comfortable quiet after that, you were busy cleaning a mountain of dishes and Childe's focus was on frying a few eggs and cutting up a bowl of strawberries. You were mindful to stay out of the way as Childe cooked and he made an effort to set the cookware he was finished with beside the sink for you. The rhythm you two had quickly settled into felt startlingly domestic, something you reminded yourself not to like, and certainly not to get used to.
"Maybe I did make a little too much," the Harbinger muses somewhat sheepishly as he looks at the table he had just finished setting. It was without a doubt too much food for only two people, the table at risk of collapsing under the weight of it all. You could only nod in agreement.
"Your guard might appreciate a plate," you offered, as though one more person would make much of a difference against the mountain of food. You had to admit, everything did look delicious. The table was laid out with fried eggs, some porridge, a few sandwiches with sausage on them, what appeared to you to be some kind of crêpes, pancakes of some sort, the bowl of cut strawberries, and a kettle of tea. It would be no trouble finding people willing to eat the excess food.
"I suppose my subordinates deserve a nice breakfast," the redhead sighs dramatically, "They're lucky they have such a nice boss."
"Mhm, and if you ever fall out with the Fatui you could certainly find a job as a cook," you reply after sampling a forkful of his work. Living in Liyue had you more accustomed to chopsticks, but it was evident after going through Childe's kitchen that he did not own a pair. As a witness to his attempts at using them, you weren't very surprised by this finding. A fork was easy enough to figure out, anyway.
"I'm glad you like it," the redhead responds with a grin, quickly busying himself with his own plate. As he eats, he begins to talk about having similar breakfasts with his family in Snezhnaya. This turns into him recounting learning how to make these dishes with his mother and you quietly listen along, making the occasional comment and smiling fondly at his memories and the way he became more animated as he spoke about his family.
The sun had emerged by the time each of you had eaten what you could, and you cleared the plates while Childe ordered his guard to distribute the remaining food to his subordinates stationed in Liyue. You were halfway through cleaning the dishes when the Snezhnayan waltzed into the kitchen, leaning against the counter. He contented himself with watching, not bothering to even offer his assistance.
"I was thinking we should do something. I've been cooped up for too long. Maybe a casual hike up Mt. Aozang?" he suggested, causing you to pause in your ministrations and glance back at him with a raised brow. No hike up Mt. Aozang would be a casual one considering the terrain and potential enemies of the area.
"It's been less than a full day," you pointed out, "And, hm, what was it? Oh yeah, and you have a few broken ribs."
"What are a few broken ribs to a Fatui Harbinger?"
"It's a no, Childe," you firmly insisted, causing him to groan and mumble about you being a 'spoil sport'. It was easy enough to ignore him as you finished up with your small chore.
"I'm using your shower," you informed him once you turned away from the sink. He only hummed in response, still pouting against the counter. It was all you could do to not roll your eyes at his childish behavior.
"What am I even supposed to do for six weeks if I can't go out and fight things?" he whined, and this time you did roll your eyes.
"Well, maybe you can still improve your fighting," you mused, "Have you ever tried working on your strategy? Because that could definitely use some improvement."
The Harbinger huffed indignantly at your words, taking the mature route and sticking his tongue out at you as you left the kitchen to take a shower. He could pout to himself in the kitchen while you had a relaxing shower.
The apartment's bathroom was on the smaller side, but it was still easily workable and didn't feel at all cramped. You had brought with you your own toiletries, but that didn't stop you from poking around Childe's well-organized things out of curiosity. There wasn't anything of particular interest so you decided to just get cleaned up and figure out what to do for the day.
Leaving the bathroom wrapped in a towel and feeling refreshed, you made your way to the guest room to pull out something to wear for the day. You decided on something comfortable, it didn't seem like you'd be going out today anyways and if you did you could always change into something more suitable. After getting dressed and taking care of a few more things, you left the guest room in search of Childe.
It was a simple task finding the Harbinger, he was seated at the table flipping through the pages of a book. You were more than surprised to see it was a book on battle strategy, although you noted it was one focused on group tactics to be used in war organization. You supposed it shouldn't have been any great shock to find he had such books, considering his position as a Fatui Harbinger who was known for his knack for combat. But to actually find him taking your advice was not something you had expected.
"Finally done with your shower?" Childe asked, looking up from his reading, "Good, you were stinky."
His tone made it clear he was joking, and you gasped in mock offense. You both laughed at this, his cerulean eyes shining with amusement. You weren't sure you'd ever seen eyes more beautiful than his.
"Anyways, I was thinking we should go for a walk around the harbor and have a late lunch a Wanmin. Then we can just wander looking for stuff to do, or we could go out to that one boat. Or maybe Zhongli will be at the market and invite us for tea," Childe suggested, setting the book down on the table. You raised your brows at his 'plan'.
"It's been a long time since I've had any time off and I don't know what to do," he justified, crossing his arms over his chest. You only shook your head, smiling softly at his pout.
"Alright, I wouldn't mind a walk around the harbor, at least. Lunch at Wanmin sounds good too. We'll see what happens afterward," you conceded, watching his expression immediately brighten. Just a walk shouldn't be too strenuous, so you weren't terribly worried about his bones. Plus, you wouldn't be able to keep him in bed all day and this was a much better alternative to him going out and finding a fight.
"Let me just get changed into something more presentable."
It wasn't long before you were walking along the docks of the harbor with Childe. You were hand in hand with him, the redhead had grabbed your hand early on, intertwining your fingers with a cheeky grin. You didn't resist when he did this, comfortable with showing the small amount of affection even in public.
Looking out across the calm waters of the harbor, you couldn't help but think it matched the blue of the Harbinger's eyes. While he had an excellent poker face when necessary, Childe's eyes were often very expressive, allowing an easy read of his mood at a glance. Smiling fondly at the thought, you squeezed his hand gently before moving on.
The rest of the day progressed just as pleasantly, both you and Childe enjoying the sights of Liyue before getting lunch at Wanmin as he'd planned. After eating, you browsed the various stalls of Liyue's busy market, admiring the vast array of goods on display.
As the Snezhnayan had earlier predicted, you did meet Zhongli at the market and he did invite you two for tea. You wondered if he had planned it with Childe, but the polite man seemed entirely surprised to have encountered the both of you.
Tea with Zhongli turned out to be quite a lengthy endeavor, and you were rather exhausted by the end of it. He had recounted the history of Liyue well into the evening, in a way that reminded you of a professor during a lecture. It was Childe who was finally able to excuse the both of you, after several hours of education on the historic importance of Silk Flowers.
"Well, I did make a promise that I would rest, so I'm afraid we must be going."
"Ah, yes. It is always good to keep your promises," Zhongli agreed sagely, his words carrying a strange gravity. With polite goodbyes, you left with Childe to return to his apartment. The walk back was through darkness thanks to the hour, but the streets of Liyue were lit and there was still plenty of activity.
It was no surprise that both you and Childe were ready for bed by the time you made it through the door. He mumbled out a mostly unintelligible apology for how long tea with Zhongli had lasted before kissing the top of your forehead and disappearing into his room.
You stood in the hallways shocked by the affectionate gesture for a few seconds before deciding it would be best to just go to bed and forget about it. Surely the action was purely the result of exhaustion.
This time when you woke up the sun had already risen. Silently, you thanked Morax for not having to wake up to Childe's noisy breakfast-making. Even if his cooking was really good, without sleep you'd eventually become rather cranky, to put it lightly.
Exiting the spare bedroom, you found the Harbinger sprawled out on the couch looking through a stack of papers. You assumed it was Fatui business, something which you wanted nothing to do with at the moment. Maybe at another time, you would be interested in their secrets, but as of right now, they weren't really your problem.
"How are you feeling? In any pain?" you asked casually, making your way to the kitchen to retrieve some ice. Regardless of his answer, it was still advised to ice his side regularly.
"Mm, I'm fine. Took some of the medication earlier," he replied, most of his focus still on the documents in his hands. You briefly wondered how often it was that the Eleventh Harbinger did paperwork as opposed to fieldwork. You would have assumed he had a secretary or something for this kind of thing, though you supposed it made some sense for him to do it if he wasn't out in the field.
Leaving the kitchen with another makeshift icepack, you noticed he had set the papers down on the coffee table and draped an arm over his eyes. You raised a brow at this but didn't say anything as you placed the icepack on his side and sat on the couch where there was space beside his legs.
"I don't think I can last six weeks like this. I'm already dying of boredom," he confessed, raising his arm to see your response.
"I'm not sure I can last six weeks either," you replied snarkily. It seemed lost on him as he nodded in agreement before furrowing his brows and scowling at you. Realization.
"Hey, wait! What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, sitting up quickly and wincing at the resulting pain. You picked up the icepack that had slid down and pressed it against his side until one of his hands came up to hold it in place.
"It means I think sometimes you're a bit much," you laughed in response, ruffling his hair and causing his scowl to deepen. He swatted your hand away from his hair using his free hand, and you only smiled in amusement.
"I'll have you know I'm a fucking delight and you adore me," he asserted, staring you dead in the eyes with a challenging look. Now that he was closer, your eyes were drawn to the light smattering of freckles that crossed his nose and dusted both cheeks. From a distance, they weren't really visible, but now you could clearly see them.
"Mhm," you agreed absently, bringing a hand up to lightly cradle his jaw, swiping your thumb slowly across his cheek. It was only when he started leaning in that it dawned on you exactly what you were doing and how intimate it seemed. By the time his lips were pressed against yours, heat had risen to your cheeks and you were certain your face was a brilliant shade of scarlet. Luckily his eyes were closed so he couldn't see you in such a state, but you had a feeling he was able to feel the heat radiating off your cheeks.
Despite your flirtations having been unintentional, you didn't push Childe away. Instead, you wrapped your arms loosely around his shoulders and fell into the slow rhythm he had set. You heard the soft thump of something being tossed onto the coffee table, but you were distracted from that when his hands found your sides and he pulled you into his lap.
A soft breath left you when his lips moved down to your neck to place gentle kisses there. The featherlight touch had goosebumps raising across your skin and you were almost embarrassed by your body's reactions.
"Alright, maybe six weeks won't be too bad," Childe murmured against your neck and you could feel his smile. It made your heart flutter, you weren't sure you liked that.
"Oh, what made you change your mind?" you asked innocently, a hint of laughter in your voice.
"Mm, I wonder." His lips began trailing back up your neck and over your jaw until he sealed them over yours again. The drag of his tongue across your bottom lip had you opening your mouth for him without a thought. In response, he pulled you closer to him, one hand reaching up to tangle in your hair.
When he finally pulled away, he smirked at your flushed appearance and the fact you were a bit breathless. The way he looked at you made butterflies flutter in your stomach and when his ocean eyes dropped to gaze at your lips you felt the overwhelming urge to flee.
"I need to go. I want to get you some proper icepacks from Baizhu and I should probably do some grocery shopping for you," you blurted, standing up. His arms fell easily away from you, but he looked up at you with a surprised and what you thought might be a slightly hurt expression.
"Um, okay," was all he could say as you retreated to the guest room to get dressed in something more appropriate for going out in public. Changing didn't take very long and you made sure to bring Mora along as you fled the apartment with barely so much as a 'goodbye'. Childe was still sitting stunned on the couch as you breezed out the door.
Running away was always a good way to deal with your problems.
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yutahoes · 3 years
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His Princess
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characters : dad! Yuta Nakamoto x Reader, Shihoh
summary : A little father-daughter date turns into something unexpected. 
word count : 1.7k words
tag list : @ailoveyuta​ @yutazen01​ @aiforyuu​ @cosmiclatte28​ 
a/n : Welcome to another episode of dad! Yuta. 😂 
The moment Shiho’s eyes opened that morning, she beamed at the large bunny stuffed toy sitting on the chair. This is new. Next to her pillow was a bouquet of pink roses that made her giggle. There’s only one person who would do this. He’s here. He’s back.
At a young age, she understood how her dad would always be away for his work. Her mom made her understand that he’s doing it for her. And although she misses him all the time, she promised him that she will not cry because of a guy, especially her dad.
Her little footsteps echoed through the house as the pink rose petals scattered all through the house. “Daddy!” she called from the kitchen, seeing her dad in front of the stove. The bouquet was easily left on the floor as she ran to her father’s arms. 
“Did you miss me, princess?” Yuta asked which made the younger girl nod. “Daddy missed you as well.”
“Are you staying for good? Or you’re going to leave again?”
His face fell that instant. This was always his daughter’s question and he hated seeing that sad expression in her eyes. “I’ll be here for four days.” She nodded as he placed her on top of the counter then flipped the pancake he’s doing. “I’ll cook you every meal and tuck you to bed every night.”
A wide smile appeared on Shiho’s lips. Yuta hated that she looks just like you. God, his daughter is so pretty. “Oh no. My flowers,” she exclaimed realizing that the bouquet is still on the floor. Yuta chuckled then carried her down that she took the forgotten flowers, caressing it. “Did you get me the flowers, daddy? And the big bunny?”
Yuta nodded, putting the pancakes on the plate. “Uncle Jaehyun bought the bunny for you.” he reasoned out. “Mommy said you like pink so I bought you flowers. Do you want something else, Shihoh?” She shook her head, smiling widely. “How do you want your pancakes, baby?”
Shihoh explained that she wanted it in heart shape, even telling Yuta that you have a special cutter just for that located in one of the drawers. The younger poured syrup all over her pancake, smiling as she tasted it. Yuta smiled. She’s growing up fast. She can eat alone now. He remembered how the both of you were having a hard time feeding Shihoh. Now, she’s doing it alone.
“Where is mommy?” She asked innocently. “Did you also get her flowers, daddy?”
Yuta nodded. “She’s still sleeping.”
“Is she tired? Did she do a lot of work last night?”
The older smirked. “She did a lot last night. So let’s just let mommy rest today.” Shihoh nodded. “Princess, let’s go on a date together.”
Her eyes sparkled that instant, staring at him. “Can I wear my pink dress?” Yuta nodded, smiling. “How about mommy?”
“Let’s just go on a date with her later. For now, it’s just daddy and Shihoh.” The younger nodded, giggling. She excused herself to fix herself for their so-called date. Yuta shook his head. She’s really a grown-up.
Shihoh had been repeatedly saying that you will get sad if you wake up and find out they’re on a date and Yuta had to reassure her that he had full permission to date her. He wanted to be jealous, your bond is really out of this world now. Even at the park, while Yuta is setting up the small picnic he prepared, Shihoh kept on mumbling about her mom. And he thought he’s the only person who would love you this much.
He was just watching her with a smile on his face. She’s picking up your habits. The way she scrunches her nose while she’s having trouble opening the lid of the yogurt, even your odd way of eating the crust of the sandwich first. Shihoh has become an exact replica of you. And it’s endearing. Truly, a mini-you. How can Yuta not fall in love with his daughter?
Shihoh asked if she could play in the playground and Yuta nodded, packing up the picnic he made. Yuta fished his phone out, dialing your number while watching Shihoh from afar. “How was your date?” You asked that made him chuckle.
“Shihoh was worried that you’re going to be sad. She wished you’re here.”
You smiled fondly over the phone. “It’s your bonding. You wanted a daddy-daughter time together.”  
He laughed, leaning his back on the tree nearby. “Yeah. But you call me daddy as well.” You had to call his name to make him stop, making him laugh. “How are you feeling? Shihoh was asking me why you’re still asleep and I told her you did a lot of work.”
You giggled. “I did do all the work.”
“Because you missed me so much,” Yuta said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll do all the work tonight…” He hastily stood up when his attention went to the playground, “Shiho Nakamoto!” he called then the line got quiet.
A lot of scenarios were running in your mind. Did she get hurt? Yuta sounded mad. You messaged him, even trying to call but he didn’t answer any of it. You grew worried. Nothing bad happened, right?
You heard the car enter the garage as you paced back and forth in the living room, biting your thumb. The moment you opened the door, Shihoh hugged you while crying and Yuta just stormed past the two of you. He looks angry. “Daddy is mad at me.” Did they fight?
Yuta sighed when she started sobbing in your arms, escaping to the kitchen. What happened? You carried Shihoh inside, placing her on your lap as you sat on the couch. “Can you tell mommy what happened?”
She breathed heavily, “The boy has a boo-boo so I kissed him and then…” Her cries got louder as she leaned in your arms. “Daddy got mad at me.” You had to bite your lip to prevent yourself from smiling. That’s just cute. “I just want to make him better.”
“I know, honey.” You said in a soft voice, rubbing her back. “But Shihoh you cannot just kiss someone like that.”
She stared at you wide-eyed. “Why not? You do it for me all the time.”
“Because I’m your mommy.”
“I wanted to be a mommy as well.” You gasp at that. She’s really cute. “I want to be like you.”
You giggled. How can you explain this to a five year old? “I thought you wanted to be Elsa?” But she just stared at you. “Honey, you’ll be a mommy if you grow up. You’ll be a mommy if you meet someone like daddy.” Her eyes were still curious and it made you smile. “Now, just let mommy be mommy. And you as mommy and daddy’s princess Elsa.” 
“But daddy is still mad at me,” she said in a sad voice that broke your heart.
“He’s not. He’s just scared.”
“But daddy is strong. He doesn’t get scared.”
“He does. Especially when it’s about you.” You said. “Daddy is scared that his princess will become a queen and be taken by some prince from another kingdom.” The look in her eyes made you giggle. She looked scared.
Shihoh shook her head. “I don’t want that. I still want to be daddy’s princess.”
You smiled. She really does admire Yuta. "So Shihoh, we don't kiss other guys especially in front of daddy, okay?" In her innocent look, she asked if that includes Mark oppa and you nodded. "Even NCT uncles, honey."
Shihoh nodded then hugged you tight. "I'm sorry mommy. I won't do it again."
"You shouldn't say sorry to me." You gestured at the kitchen that made the little girl nod.
It does seem comical when Shihoh approached your husband, looking really scared. "Daddy…" she called. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again." Yuta had to kneel in front of her as she hugged him tightly.
"I'm sorry, princess. Daddy overreacted."
"Don't be scared, daddy. I don't want you scared. I'll forever be your princess."
"And I'll forever protect you, my princess." He wiped away her tears as you watched the two of them. "Sorry, daddy made you cry."
"Sorry, Shihoh made you mad." She was now smiling. Any sign of their rift earlier is nowhere in sight which made you smile. They're really the same.
Yuta asked Shihoh to change into her home clothes and she ran into her room that made you chuckle. "So…" You started. "Where did she kiss the boy?"
"His hand," Yuta mumbled which made you surprised. All this drama just because Shihoh kissed a guy's hand? Yuta is just too much. "A lot of things flashed in my eyes, okay?" He revolted but you still chuckled. "I even saw her in a wedding dress."
You had to roll your eyes at that. "Don't you think that you're a little protective of Shihoh? Calm down Yuta, she's just five years old. She won't be wearing the wedding dress even after ten years."
"You bet she's not."
A chuckle escaped your lips as you hugged his waist. His hand rests on your back, staring at you in question. Why are you suddenly so clingy? "Will you stop being too overprotective if we have another child?" His eyes lit up that instant. The same expression Shihoh has. "Besides, she already said that she wants to be a mom. Maybe she can now take care of a younger brother or sister."
You felt Yuta trap you in a hug, hands on your waist. "Are you sure?" You nodded, sliding your arms on his chest to hold his shoulders. "I love you, Y/N." he mumbled, rubbing your nose together. "I'm glad you're Shihoh's mom."
"Do you have any other choice?" He giggled. Yuta's lips were on yours that instant. The same gentleness he had from last night as he held you tight.
"Mommy, are you hurt?" Shihoh asked, eyeing the two of you. You had to shake your head as Yuta scooped her in his arms.
"Shihoh, do you miss your uncles? Do you want to spend the night with them? How about Mark?"
You laughed. God, you're really in love with your family.
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Blooming most recklessly (Evgeni Kolpakov x GN reader)
What is this? This is 2/10 one-shots/blurbs for my 1 year Tumblrversary celebration, which is a deliciously tropey “friends to lovers” event. Here, the prompt is “Oh crap, I just saw you nude on/by accident and now I can’t stop thinking about you.” with Evgeni, requested by @wasicskosgirl. Thanks so much, Amanda, and I hope you enjoy it! (I didn’t know which way around you wanted it, so I hope this way is okay!).
So many fun prompts coming this week (w/c 22nd Feb), so if you’d like to follow along, pls either request a tag in my asks, or keep an eye on # Luna’s tumblrversary
Author’s note: This is a double trope, because not only is it friends to lovers, but also... they were roomates! Don’t think you need to have seen the movie to read this, though of course it helps. Basics of what you need to know if you haven’t: Evgeni is so under-rated. He’s a dreamboat. I love him. FYI: The fic title is Rilke, as Evgeni has a copy of Letters to a Young Poet in his bookcase.
Rating: Mature, for nudity and sexual thoughts.
Warnings: nudity, reader expresses some sexual thoughts but not explicit. Allusion to a reader being in a “bad situation” a while prior to the fic, but no details specified. One or two very subtle nods to Evgeni’s experience as a refugee, if you squint. Mention of smoking.
Word count: 2.9k, fuck me. I tried to make it shorter but... ah well.
Tagging: @nathan-bateman​ @foxilayde​ @supernovafeather
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The sound of piano music floats into your dream, blooming most recklessly. The delicate, light notes seem to exist merely to ease you from slumber, rousing you as gently as the fingers which skim deftly over the keys. As the music finds you, you stretch, letting your body slowly come to, a beaming smile splitting your face as you remember where you are. As you remember where you are not.
You had been hesitant when Evgeni offered that you room with him. Despite your friendship, you were still colleagues, after all. Plus, you didn’t want to be a burden - although he had gone to great pains to make sure you didn’t feel like one. You know the man enjoys his solitude - which is all too rare for him between his job at Sotheby’s and attending night school. However, he had insisted, and you could not argue too keenly. You were in need of a safe port to land in when your prior situation fell through, and your dear friend understood the need for refuge well enough not to turn you away.
Waking up in Evgeni’s apartment should feel strange; disorienting, perhaps, but, in truth, he had made it feel like home from the moment you arrived. He’s made it feel like home in a way you’re not even sure you’ve experienced at any time in your life. Your friend Evgeni knows more than a thing or two about starting over, and you are grateful to have him by your side as you do the same.
Even on your first morning you stir, feeling more relaxed and rested than you’ve felt in a long while. Your eyes travel gratefully around the sparse room, blinking through the cascade of golden light. It is bare – just a couple of cardboard boxes of belongings, and your pressed work clothes hung out over the back of a crooked, wooden chair. Your smile returns. It is perfect. You swing your legs eagerly over the edge of the mattress. For once, you even want to get out of bed, the sound of Evgeni’s sweet music beckoning you deeper into the loft.
By the time you reach the open-plan living area, the playing has stopped, and Evgeni is tossing something on the stove.
“Ah, good morning,” he greets in his soft Russian accent, with a sweet, closed-lipped smile. He’s just as genial first thing, then? He’s enough to sweeten the black, bitter coffee already steaming for you on the counter, you think. “How did you sleep?”
“I actually slept. All night, which is a miracle in itself, ‘Geni,” you smile, surprising even yourself with the soft laugh which lilts out of you. You’re not used to hearing yourself so… happy.
“I’m glad,” he says, placing his hand gently on your upper arm, and looking like he means it, his soft brown eyes beaming at you. “Oh, I fixed breakfast. If it’s not how you like it, I’m sorry – I’ll get it right tomorrow.”
“You’re a sweetheart,” you praise. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“It’s no trouble,” he insists, with a single, light squeeze to your arm.
“Is it okay if I shower first?” he asks, his eyebrow raised, and despite the fact it was no trouble, you surmise it probably was, a little, from the way his feet are already tracking hurriedly towards the bathroom. You sincerely hope he hasn’t made himself late cooking you pancakes.
Evgeni works security, and today, you recall, he’s responsible for relieving the night guard, and opening the auction house up, thus it’s an early start.
“Of course, ‘Geni, it’s your apartment.”
You think, if you’re not wrong, that he looks a little upset as you say that, his brow furrowing. “And now it’s also yours.” He says that like he means it too, and with it, you can’t help but pull the man into a hug, the realisation that you have somewhere good to be, overcoming you. Relief overcoming you. The man seems a little surprised, but his arms wrap gently around you in return, smoothing over your back. When he pulls back to search your face, your eyes are swimming with emotion.
“Are you okay? I can stay. I can ask Troy to cover for another hour if you-”
“-I’m fine. Really. I’m… happy. Now go, don’t make yourself late. Your good looks will only excuse you so many times,” you laugh, and he reciprocates with a warm, rich chuckle. Evgeni Kolpakov is a punctual man, but he had been tardy more than a few times because of you lately. Because he’s such a good friend, and he had been there when you needed him. No matter. That was before… and things are different now. Things are good now. And, you will make it up to him - even if it takes the rest of your days.
“Okay. I’ll make sure to leave you hot water,” he promises, before near-jogging in the direction of the bathroom.
A smile lingering at the corners of your lips, you next turn your attention to the fresh coffee, lifting it to your mouth for a sip. Surprise surprise, it’s already sweet. He’s like Midas, that man, except everything he touches turns to sugar. That, or he simply remembered how you like it.
You vaguely hear the spray of the shower starting up behind you as you wolf down some pretty decent pancakes. As you do so, you steal a glance at the clock on the exposed brick wall, and you begin to mentally sketch out your schedule for the day.
You have to admit that this cohabitation is off to a pretty smooth start. You will likely need to figure out a shared morning routine going forward -you idly think- as you hear the water shut off and you absent-mindedly head towards the bathroom. Maybe sometimes it would be nice to walk to work with him early, and enjoy the stroll together. You could even pick-up pastries from the –
“-Oh my God!!” you cry, as you paw the bathroom door open, and your eyes fall over Evgeni, standing in front of you entirely nude, water beading over his skin, and giving you an eyeful of his bare ass and back as you enter.
Unfortunately, it only gets worse from there, as your open-mouthed yelp alerts him to your presence and he turns around, giving you far more of an eyeful than you bargained for so early on a Monday morning. Your hands jump to your cheeks in horror, before you have the wherewithal to recoil and stumble back out into the hallway.
Immediately, you yell a string of profuse apologies over your shoulder, and you hear him mumbling (presumably cursing?) in his mother tongue through the still ajar door as you retreat swiftly back into your bedroom.  
Okay.
On second thought, maybe there are a few kinks to this cohabitation thing which still require some ironing out.
Absolutely mortified, you manage to take a few deep, calming breaths before there is an insistent knock at your door. You think about ignoring it, but it’s quite obvious that you’re in here, so, instead, you slowly peel the door back, to reveal a hastily dried and clothed Evgeni, half his lower shirt buttons still undone, and his hands currently reaching to buckle his open belt.
“The latch is broken,” he explains, looking more than a little flustered himself. “I’m so sorry. Are you alright? I’ll get a new one. Today, on my lunch break.”
“Why are you sorry? I was the one who walked in! I’m sorry, ‘Geni.”
His hands move around the circumference of his pants, hastily stuffing his shirt in. He still has a spot of toothpaste on the corner of his mouth, you note. That’s a normal thing to note though, isn’t it? How he would taste of spearmint? You shake the intrusive thought away- what’s come over you?!
“I don’t want you to think I’m that type of guy,” he says apologetically, his brows knitting together in concern.
“What do you mean?”
“You know. Invite my attractive friend to live with me, don’t secure the bathroom. Like a… creep.”
You shake your head in confusion, especially with how pained he looks, and the way his fingers skim nervously over his buzzed head.
“I only want you to feel safe here,” he says, feather soft, with full, pouting lips, and you don’t know what you did to deserve him but you’d certainly like to find out so you can keep it up.
“I do. I promise,” you insist, reaching for the loose tie slung uselessly around his neck, and taking it upon yourself to feed it under his collar, looping it around on itself into a half-Windsor as his fingers take care of his final buttons and clasps. “Now, go, ‘Geni! You’re going to be late. I’ll see you at work, okay?”
“I’ll get a latch,” he nods, talking as he moves, and shrugging on his navy uniform jacket. “On my lunchbreak. Really.”  
You follow him out to the front door, leaning against the doorframe as he laces up his boots, and as the awkwardness dissipates, the two of you finally release your tension with a splutter of laughter.
“What are you going to answer when our colleagues ask about your first day, roomie?” Evgeni asks you, gently teasing.
“’Geni,” you laugh, burying your head in your hands, squeezing your temples. “I think I’ll tell them you gave me quite the introduction.”
He smiles brightly at you in return, his eyes creasing. Then, really needing to leave, he wishes you a good day, his fingers twining gently with yours before he sets off down the hall.
It’s just habit, though, him touching you like that – he always has to keep his fingers moving. It doesn’t mean anything. A hard gulp trails down your throat.
You don’t even want it to mean anything.
After all, you’re just friends. Purely platonic. Nothing sexual there at all.
Cut to later, and you’re having a lot of sexual thoughts about your “friend”. In fact, you’ve gone fully feral.
You have already zoned-out several times during a mid-morning meeting, and twice asked for more water, causing your colleague to wonder if you’re coming down with something or feeling feverish. You certainly feel warm, but with an entirely different sort of heat. A one which hits… lower.
The image of Evgeni nude -from both behind and from the front, no less- has somehow branded itself behind your eyes and is playing on a loop. You’re not sure how you managed to commit the sight so quickly to memory, but perhaps it is your keen eye for treasures and antiquities which has allowed you to so readily recall his positively sculptural form; finer than any marble that has ever crossed the table at Sotheby’s.
How had you not realised before? Evgeni Kolpakov is maddeningly gorgeous.
You are trying desperately to come up with some explanation as to why the fact has escaped you for so long. Perhaps it is because you met him in a professional context, where you tend to supress any sexual feelings. Perhaps it is because he came into your life at a time when you could feel little but despair, never mind desire. Whatever the reason, though, now that you have realigned your perceptions, the floodgates have opened, and you are drowning.
You are drowning in thoughts of his sculpted muscles, undulating under his smooth brown skin. The set of his shoulders and strong arms. His shapely chest and stomach, with a hint of softness, leading down to a trail of black, curled hairs and his more than sizeable –
“Are you quite well?” your colleague asks as you let out an audible and entirely involuntary whimper, interrupting the proceedings.
“You know,” you bluster, coming up with some thin excuse. “I’m probably being paranoid, but I just want to check something with the security desk. I’ll be back shortly.”
You are senior enough (or dispensable enough, in your current, distracted state) that no-one protests you leaving, and so, you rise from your seat, gravitating purposefully towards the lobby. Where you know Evgeni will be, stationed at the front desk.
He beams when he sees you approach, as always, standing immediately on ceremony, as if you are royalty to him. No. No, in truth, he’s the prince, isn’t he?
“Hello, roomie,” he greets, clearly enjoying the novelty of your new nickname, and, all at once, you are taken aback by him. His sweet and humble manner. His fun, playful nature. His generous friendship. His talent. His creativity. Sensitivity. Lack of pretence. He possesses an abundance of treasures, unparalleled by the contents of any single auction house. Of all of them combined. You see it all at once.
With a smile held on the inside, you cross silently to him; wordlessly - with an intensity and passion you usually reserve only for your work, now entirely focussed on him.
He has placed his broad, dexterous hands on the surface before him. He leans forward to better speak to you. His eyes are liquid umber, with a sparkle and vitreous lustre more impressive than any gem you have thus far appraised in all of your career.
“Evgeni?” you say breathily, flattening your own palms on the surface of the reception desk, your fingertips a hair’s breadth away from touching his own.
You’re a mess. You even feel your legs weakening underneath you. And, it’s no longer because you saw him like that, in the bathroom. It’s because you see him. All at once. In his entirety.
His brow furrows and his lips pout at you as he hears his name tremble from your lips. As your fingers inch forward and unconsciously straighten his tie, and pick a speck of lint from his crisp uniform. You are close enough to smell the heady scent of his aftershave and cigarette smoke and coffee, which shouldn’t work, but somehow does. You are close enough to-
“-Is there any action on camera six?” you blurt out, snatching your hands back and away from him. Retreating.
Confused, Evgeni humours you and steals a glance at the monitor to his right, but when he sees nothing suspicious, he takes greater note of the obvious tension in your body. Of your clenched fists at the end of your jacket sleeves, which you hastily relax. He shakes his head. Nothing.
You are about to retreat, fully, when Evgeni simply breathes your name, arresting you in place with your back to him. There is a beat before he repeats it again, a little more firmly, and you slowly turn back towards him, your eyes shining with guilt, though you can tell he does not understand why.
He repeats your name one more time, barely above a whisper, and his voice beckons you to the desk, where you again plant your hands on the surface. This time, with a quiet confidence, a sensuality, his fingertips inch slowly over yours, tenderly dancing over your knuckles until he fully envelops your hands with his, his touch awakening surging music deep within you. “Did you…” he asks with a tentative curl of his lips. “Did you want to kiss me?”
His soft, non-judgmental eyes encourage you, as does the warm, reassuring touch of his hands over yours. “Yes,” you suspire, feeling as light as air with your confession.
Evgeni’s pink tongue darts out over his lips, his eyes sheening with a gentle intensity, the room so quiet and still with tension that you feel he must command silence as expertly as he commands music. This time, his ever-moving fingertips come to caress your cheek, brushing over your jawline, your chin, and your lips. “And, darling. Why did you stop?”
Why? Why did you?
All on one breath, you blurt out a run-on, non-sensical answer, entirely fracturing the mood.
Evgeni’s English is perfect, but even then there’s no chance that he caught what you were saying - not with the speed and incoherency with which you delivered it. No-one possibly could have. In fact, are you even sure what you said?
“What?” he laughs, as you fold forward and bury your head into the desk, mortified all over again. “Say it again?”
You groan, and Evgeni hinges you up from the desk by your shoulders, so that you can reluctantly repeat your sentiment, your words much slower this time around. “I don’t want you to think I’m only kissing you because I saw your cock this morning and went feral. Because it’s more than that, ‘Geni. It’s so much more than that.”
He chuckles lightly as you respond, your words not seeming to offend him. “Sure. It was my ass as well then?” he teases softly, and you bring your hands to your face again in renewed embarrassment, until he tenderly peels them away with his own, clasping hold of them safely.
“Would it help if I take you out to dinner, and after I can kiss you first? I haven’t seen you in the nude, so you know I have only pure intentions.”
Despite the silence in the lobby, your heart swells with a crescendo. “Yes, ‘Geni,” you respond, biting down on your lower lip. “I think that would help a lot. Maybe I can even try to… corrupt you.” You add with a playful, flirtatious tick of your eyebrow.
You share a smile with him, and, yet, for now you are forced to break from Evgeni as a guest enters the lobby. Knowing how much pride he takes in his job, you slink back to let him perform his duties, and yet, the guest does not have his full attention. His eyes follow you instead, as they have done, always, since your first day at Sotheby’s. Evgeni visibly suppresses the biggest smile, until he can’t any longer. And, as you walk away you hear him say “Sorry. I’m really happy today, ma’am. Tonight, I finally get to have dinner with my roommate.”
Oh. Yeah.
Maybe you should worry about that? The fact you just moved in with him last night and suddenly decided to start dating. But, for some reason… it doesn’t worry you at all.
Evgeni has always felt like home. You simply had to agree to move in. At the thought, happiness throbs in your chest, blooming most recklessly.
And you let it bloom.
Finally, you let it.
96 notes · View notes
whumpcollector · 3 years
Text
Safe Haven
Hey all. I come bringing gifts in the form of writing. I’ve been playing around with these characters on my head for a bit so hopefully you all enjoy!
CW: Slavery. Dehumanization (kind of)
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Kai let out a small sigh as he looked down at 07. The poor thing was curled up on the floor of the closet, arms wrapped around themselves and head tucked into their chest. It looked like they were trying to hide themselves, making themselves small so they wouldn’t be noticed. 
Or maybe so they would be harder to hit.
A grimace crossed Kai’s face as he looked at the bed in the room. It was a small guest bed, a bit old but still comfortable. The covers were pristine, 07 hadn’t even lied down on top of them. They didn’t take any of the blankets into the closet either; a short draft reminded Kai how cold the nights were getting. 07 felt it too, shivering in their sleep. 
Kai was conflicted. He wanted to pull one of the blankets off of the bed and wrap 07 up in them, given them some protection from the winter chill. On the other hand, for whatever reason, 07 didn’t want Kai to know they weren’t using the bed. Why they felt the need to lie about this was something to be handled later. Right now Kai had two options. Put a blanket over 07 and risk them freaking out or let them lie there on the floor in the cold. 
Another draft and another made up Kai’s mind. He walked over to the bed and pulled off the comforter before walking back and gently placing it over 07. They didn’t wake up, thankfully, and now they had something to fend off the chill. 
Kai walked out of the room and back towards his own. 07 was probably going to be in a bad way tomorrow morning, but this was something he would need to address at some point, might as well do it now. As he laid down in bed he wondered how exactly he was going to tackle this. An answer didn’t come to him; he would have to wing it. Well, at the very least he had plenty of experience doing just that.
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Kai awoke to the smell of cooking bacon and hot coffee. 07 was already awake and busy cooking breakfast. Kai got out of bed, taking a quick shower and throwing on a fresh set of clothes before walking into the living room. 07 was still busy cooking breakfast, a variety of smells coming from the kitchenette they were working in. They hadn't noticed Kai walk into the room, and he watched them for a few minutes. They were scared, close to panicking. They moved quickly and jerkily, shifting from one task to the next as if leaving something alone for more than a moment would set the house on fire.
‘Well,’ Kai thought, ‘no reason to put it off.’
“Good morning 07.” He really wanted to give them a proper name, but one thing at a time. “I see you’ve started breakfast.”
07 froze up for a split second before turning around and bowing their head. “G-good morning master Kai. Breakfast will be ready s-soon.”
Kai nodded before walking past 07 and grabbing the coffee pot to pour himself a cup. 07 went back to cooking breakfast. Kai spied pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, and biscuits in various states of completion on the stove and counter. They were really going all out. 
Kai sat at the table, circling his finger around the rim of his mug and pondering how to handle this. He couldn’t and wouldn’t just ignore it. Trying to coax out a confession would just torture them for no reason. Looks like the only way out was through. 
07 brought a plate piled high with food to the table, placing it in front of Kai alongside some silverware. There was a slight tremble in their hands, small enough that it didn’t make the plate shake but enough to be noticeable. After serving Kai they knelt by his chair, eyes cast down. Another habit Kai wanted to break, but again, one thing at a time.
The food was good. Really good. Perfect in fact. 07 had outdone themselves. Kai ate in silence, savoring the food and also, maybe, possibly, putting off having to bring up last night for a few more minutes. Unfortunately the food didn’t last forever, and once the plate was clean Kai was out of excuses. 07 stood up and took the plate from the table, walking to the sink in order to start washing it. Well, now or never.
“So…” Kai began before trailing off and turning to 07.
They had frozen in place. Kai could hear their breathing go shallow.
“I uhh...I um...I checked up on you last night and...well...I was just wondering if there was...” Fuck’s sake man just get it out already. “Why were you sleeping in the closet?”
07 stood frozen for a few seconds more before clumsily putting the plate on a counter and rushing towards Kai. They fell to the ground, going prostrate and grasping Kai’s ankles.
“I-I’m so sorry master. I’m sorry. Please, please I didn’t mean to insult you. I-I jus-”
“Hey, hey.” Kai said, crouching down and trying to soothe the slave at his feet. “It's ok. I’m not mad. You’re not in trouble. I just...I just want you to be honest with me. Can you do that?”
07 nodded timidly.
“Ok, well first of all can you look at me?”
They looked upwards, tears in the corner of their eyes and lips trembling. Kai gave them a, hopefully, reassuring smile. 
“Good, good. Ok, now I just want you to be honest. Have you slept in the bed at all since you got here?”
07 hesitated before nodding once.
Kai raised an eyebrow, leaning his head in a bit closer. “Do you promise?”
They didn’t respond, casting their eyes back down. A second passed, and another, and then they slowly shook their head. 
So they’ve been sleeping in the closet on the ground for more than a month at this point. Kai cursed internally, he should have paid more attention. It's a wonder they haven’t gotten sick. 
“I see,” Kai said slowly. “That's ok. I just wish you would have told me.”
Shit, wrong thing to say. 07 tensed up, curling into themselves further and trembling. 
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I-I…” They trailed off and looked back up, a strange desperation in their eyes. “Please forgive me master.”
Kai nodded. “Ok. I forgive you.”
07’s eyes widened and they started backwards slightly. A combination of disbelief and hope crossed their face. “R-really?”
“Yup.” Kai nodded again. “You are forgiven. I asked you to be truthful with me and you were, so I forgive you.”
“Thank you! Thank you, I promise I won’t lie ever again, I promise!” 07 buried their face in Kai’s ankles, clinging to his legs like a lifeline.
Kai patted them on the head. He wanted to explain that they hadn’t done anything wrong, that there was nothing to forgive. But, well, one thing at a time. One thing at a time. 
If only there were less things to take care of. 
Kai took a deep breath and looked out the window. Snow had come down hard last night, and the driveway was covered in a fresh white blanket. Well, it would be good if 07 had something to do to distract them, and Kai needed them out of the house for a bit, he had a plan brewing. Besides he wasn’t exactly chomping at the bit to shovel snow, either.
“Hey, 07. The driveway is pretty covered right now. Would you mind heading out and clearing the way?”
07 nodded, standing up and heading towards the front door. 
“Hey wait,” Kai called after them, “don’t forget to put on a coat and some gloves.”
07 paused and turned back. It looked like doing so had never crossed their mind. They nodded and headed towards the closet by the front door, pulling out one of Kai’s old coats and a pair of gloves. The coat looked almost comically huge on 07, but it would keep them warm. Once they were properly dressed they looked back at Kai. He nodded in approval and they bowed their head before walking out the door. 
Kai let out a sigh and walked back into 07’s room. He looked at the closet. There were no clothes in it; no one had used the room for a while. Hell it didn’t even have a door; the thing broke off after an earthquake a few years ago. As it was, the closet wasn’t fit for anyone to sleep in. 
Well no shit, it was a fucking closet. 
Still, Kai could change that. He cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck. Time to get to work.
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07 shoveled the last bit of snow out of the driveway, taking a moment to appreciate their work. They had done a good job. The driveway was completely clear, you couldn’t even tell there had been any snow. Master would be pleased.
They hoped that Master would be pleased. 
They needed to please master. They had lied to him. They had insulted his generosity. They should have been punished, they should have been beaten or burned or cut or whipped or drowned or something. But Master didn’t do any of those things.
Master didn’t do a lot of things. 
Master didn’t yell when they were stupid. Master didn’t hurt them when they failed. Master didn’t even seem to mind their constant stuttering. Master was...different than what they had expected, what they were used to. 
They weren’t sure how they felt about that. It was all so uncertain. They had to be wary of every move, every word spoken. Who knows what would set master off. They wished that Master would just tell them, lay out the rules clearly so they would know what to do and what to avoid. That would be so much easier, so much nicer than having to walk on eggshells until they inevitably stumbled into a punishment. 
At least so far they had managed to avoid doing anything that would anger master. It was a miracle they had gotten so lucky so many times. They had thought today was it. Master had learned that they had scorned his gift to them and lied about it. By all rights they should have been punished, but they weren’t. 
It was almost frustrating.
07 shook their head, they had no right being frustrated. They should be nothing short of grateful for the mercy they had been given. It was more than they deserved, far more.
They walked back into the house, taking off Master’s coat and gloves and carefully placing them back in the closet before taking off their winter boots. Master wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen, and they didn’t hear anything from the forge in the backyard so he wasn’t working. Their pondering where he might be was cut short as Master entered the room carrying a cardboard box.
“Oh, hey 07. You finished with the driveway?”
07 nodded. “Yes Master, the driveway is clear. I hope I did a satisfactory job.”
Master strained his neck, looking out a window before waving his hand. “You did fine, don’t worry.” He turned to walk away before abruptly stopping and turning back. “Ah wait. I should have mentioned this earlier so you didn’t put away the coat but could you bring in some blades I left out in the forge? I don’t want them to get damaged from the cold.”
07 nodded and walked back towards the closet. Pulling their coat, gloves, and boots back on and making their way towards the backyard. The blades Master had left out were easy to find, and they were on the lighter side so carrying them into the garage wasn’t too difficult.
Master kept 07 busy for the rest of the day, having them do a variety of small tasks and chores until it was time to cook dinner. That was odd. Usually Master left them to their own devices, only occasionally ordering them to perform anything specific. Maybe this was supposed to be a punishment? Taking away 07’s relative freedom for the day. They didn’t know, and decided it would be best not to think about it too much as they started cooking dinner.
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Kai leaned back in his chair, letting out a satisfied sigh. Dinner was good, it usually was when 07 was cooking. He should get them to teach him, god knows he couldn’t do anything more complicated than boil water without hurting himself. Or setting something on fire. Or both. 
It was usually both.
Speaking of 07, Kai was anxious about how they would take the surprise he had prepared. It might be too much; they hadn’t been too receptive of gifts in the past. Hopefully everything would go well. Hopefully.
Well there wasn’t anything to do except wait for things to play out. 07 usually went to bed an hour or so after dinner. All Kai could do was wait. He stretched his arms and stood up, grabbing his plate and bringing it to the sink. 07 was already doing the dishes, and Kai stood next to them and began to dry what they had finished cleaning. It was a routine that had developed between the two of them. It was probably one of the only times 07 wasn’t nervous around him. 
Once the dishes were done Kai and 07 moved towards the living room, or more accurately Kai moved to the living room and 07 followed him. They tended to shadow him when they weren’t doing anything, staying just on his peripheries. It kind of reminded him of his old cat Rumble. It was cute. 
Kai took a seat on the couch and 07 curled on the floor off to the side. He had tried to invite them onto the furniture but they had always resisted. Pushing the issue always got them worked up so he stopped bringing it up, at least for now. One thing at a time and all. 
There was a nature documentary on, one about ocean life. Kai couldn’t say he cared much for the ocean but David Attenbourough could make wet paint the most compelling thing on the planet. 07, on the other hand, was utterly enthralled. They tried to hide it at first, but soon enough they were leaning forward with wide eyes and an open mouth. Kai could have sworn they even let out a small “ooohhh” when a particularly impressive shot of a whale played on screen. 
By the time the documentary had ended it was well past midnight. 07 stood and turned to Kai. “M-master. May I have permission to retire for the night.”
Kai gave them a nod and they left to clean up for the night. Kai waited for a couple of minutes before walking towards their room. He found them staring at the closet in complete disbelief. 
Kai walked towards them, casually looking into the closet. He had to admit he didn’t do a bad job. A thick sheet and comforter covered the floor, providing a softer surface than just the carpet. The pillows from the bed had been moved into the closet as well. A few strings of fairy lights connected to a somewhat jury rigged switch provided some lighting, and an old curtain had been hung up to allow for some privacy. 
It wasn’t much, but it was a hell of a lot better than just an empty closet.
07 turned to face them, confusion written all over their face.
Kai threw up his hands. “Surprise.” He placed a hand on their shoulder and gave them a smile he hoped was reassuring. “If you don’t want to sleep on the bed I won’t make you. But, you shouldn’t just have to sleep on the floor so I thought I’d, well, make it a bit more liveable.”
07 just stared at him before suddenly falling to the ground prostrate. “T-thank you. Thank you Master Kai. Thank you.”
Kai knelt down, running his hand through their hair. “You are welcome 07. Let me know if the lights stop working. I’m not amazing at wiring or electrical stuff so it might break down.”
07 merely nodded before standing back up and approaching the closet. They hesitated, pausing and turning back to Kai with a worried expression. They thought it might still be a trap, or a test. 
“It's ok,” Kai said softly. “Go ahead.”
07 gave one last tentative nod and entered the closet. They slowly lowered themselves down, pulling the comforter open and slipping beneath it. They let their head hit the pillow and a look of pure bliss crossed their face. Kai smiled and pulled the curtain closed.
“Goodnight 07.”
He left the room and made his way to his own, a warm feeling of satisfaction bubbling in his chest. He didn’t always get things right when it came to 07, but today? Today he got something right. 
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07 stared up at the fairy lights hanging above them. They didn’t know what to think. Not only had Master not punished them, they had been given a reward of all things! The comforter was thick and warm, and pillows were soft and the lights were beautiful. It was almost too much, they wanted to cry. They didn’t though, best to not do something that might annoy Master. 
Master. Master Kai. Master Kai had given them this gift, this wonderful gift. There had to be a catch, there had to be. Slaves weren’t just given these kinds of gifts, especially not slaves that had just lied to their master. There had to be a catch. Somehow, someway, at some point they were going to pay for this. They shuddered at the thought, memories of what they had to do in the past to pay for these kinds of gifts intruding on their mind. 
But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Master had been nothing but kind and merciful to them since he had acquired them. Maybe whatever they would have to do to pay would be mild. 
Master was still an enigma to them, one that continued to grow more and more confusing. A part of them hated it, hated the guessing and worrying and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Another part of them didn’t care. Sure Master was confusing, and unpredictable, and different, but maybe that wasn’t so bad. Maybe they could get used to it.
For the first time in a long time, 07 slept peacefully through the night.
Tags: @haro-whumps​
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anathewierdo · 3 years
Text
Call of the Ocean  Chapter 30: So Ariel is Real Now?!
Pairing: CEO!Mechanic!Dean Winchester x Mermaid!Reader
Word count: 7180
Chapter summary: Roan and Thasman are finally back together and things are looking great for everyone... until a close call results into Dean finding out the big secret.
Series summary: CEO of Winchester Auto Dean Winchester has had enough of the office life. With his father keeping him from what he wants to do, which is work on the plant floor, Dean decides to leave for a quiet life. In Matagorda, Texas, he finds something he never thought he would, a chance encounter with a mythical creature.
Call of the Ocean Masterlist
A/N: CHAPTER 30 Y’ALL!!!!!! Who else is excited?! This series is a collaboration with @flamencodiva​ . Text dividers were made by the awesome @talesmaniac89���
Next chapter will be posted on Wednesday, December 9th :D
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It had been a week since the barbecue and everything seemed back to semi normal. With still no word from Liara, it was not to say that the young merpeople weren’t worried, but it was unsettling. All they could do was hope that the goddess of the sea and Poseidon were watching over their fellow merpeople and keeping them safe. Y/N and Roan found a comfortable routine at the diner, making money and working hard. On some days they would go to the garage to deliver lunch for everyone. And on other’s the boys would eat at the diner. 
Thasman fit in with the guys at the garage, quickly learning his way around the cars. Every three days, Roan would go to the cave alone while Thasman would opt to go later giving the excuse that he needed to work on the cars to learn more about them. He would always assure his boyfriend that he would take a dip with Ellen watching, making sure he was safe. On this particular day however, Dean decided to take Y/N to the Texas State Aquarium. It would be like their Houston trip. 
“Are you two sure you don’t want to come?” Y/N asked Thasman and Roan. 
The two mermen were sitting at the kitchen table eating the breakfast Ellen had taught Roan to cook. 
“Go be with Clownfish!” Thasman joked. “You two deserve to have a nice day out. Besides,” Thasman paused to take a bite of the pancake Roan had made. “He’s been planning this for a good couple of weeks,” he admitted. “Plus when you come back, we need to take a dip in the cave.” 
Y/N gazed at the cuff that had now permanently adorned her wrist. “I still have a few days to get by, but I'll gladly join you at the cave. You two have any plans for today?”
“Thas is going to show me a movie about a human called Mr. Bean,” Roan called out from the stove, giving a flip to an almost done pancake. 
“Just be safe and don’t get into trouble,” Y/N teased. “It was enough that you were almost caught in the storage room of the garage. That was not appropriate, Thasman.” 
“Me?” Thasman exclaimed. “Roan’s the one who kept flirting and putting on his charm. Not my fault I couldn’t resist.” 
Said merman let out a mocking chuckle at Thasman’s words. “Don’t blame me for your lack of restraint, Stingray. I heard that royal guards were supposed to be more professional.” 
Y/N had to laugh at how the two mermen now were inseparable. She was glad Thasman was happy. Taking a banana from the small stand Ellen had and ate the small fruit reveling in its sweet taste. It wasn’t long before a knock could be heard and Y/N smiled brightly. 
“He’s here!” Y/N smiled. “Jai-quay’” she said as she opened the door to leave the house. 
“You look as gorgeous as ever,” Dean complimented. 
Y/N blushed and kissed his lips, “Thank you. Tala em ffuuhii.” 
“Wait, don’t tell me,” Dean thought about her words, “You are excited?” 
“Yes,” Y/N smiled. “You are doing very well learning Sindartan.” 
“Well, it’s a good thing I have such an amazing teacher.” Dean opened the door to Baby for her and smiled as she slid in. “So the trip is going to be two hours. So I got us some snacks and good music.” 
The drive was quiet as they enjoyed just being close to one another. The songs filtered through their silence. As usual, Y/N had slid over towards Dean, close enough to place her head on his shoulder. Dean was content to have her there as a permanent fixture. 
When they got into the aquarium, Dean watched once more as Y/N marveled at the building. But this time, Y/N was showing Dean all about the sea creatures. Once again, Dean found himself in awe of Y/N, but something caught his eye. He noticed many of the sea creatures seemed to gravitate towards Y/N. 
“Oh my,” she giggled. “These sea horses are very playful.” 
Dean watched as she pointed to the horses who seemed to follow her finger making a small girl giggle. Y/N looked down at the child and gave a small wink as she moved her finger in a circle. The sea horses seemed to be following what she was doing with her finger. 
“Silly chuu-ffeeniis (Sea-horses),” she chuckled.   
“You know? If you wanna get up and close to the fish, there’s this area where they let you pet them.” He suggested.
“Oh!” Y/N smiled. “I would like that very much!” Y/N smiled. 
“Then let’s go, sweetheart,” Dean smiled as he looked at the map to lead her to where they could pet and feed the stingrays. 
As they approached the exhibit Y/N pointed to one of them and laughed. “I never thought I’d see Thasman here.” 
“Oh man,” Dean chuckled. “Wanna take a picture with him?”
“Yes!” Y/N laughed. “Then we can show Thasman his twin!” 
As Y/N posed for her picture, the stingrays seemed to do something no one had ever seen them do before. Y/N reached her hand out to touch them and many of them seemed to gravitate towards her. She giggled at the stingrays, not realizing what they were doing was not normal. 
Dean was astounded by this. His head just kept repeating ‘how’ over and over again. 
“Did you take it?” Y/N asked as the stingrays continued to move. 
Dean snapped out of his wonder, “Huh?”
“The picture, Dean.” She clarified. 
“Oh! Yeah! Just give me a moment, sweetheart.” Dean lined up the camera and took the picture. “Got it.” 
Y/N walked over to him after cleaning her hands. “What’s wrong?”
“Huh? Oh nothing, just,” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve never seen stingrays do that before. They must really like you. They were pilling on each other just for you to pet them.” 
She just shrugged in response, not really knowing what to say to Dean’s comment without getting herself in a tight spot. After all, there was no really easy way to explain that sea creatures could recognize a mermaid, much less a member of one of the royal families of the sea. “Hey, weren’t there more fish here? Do they have turtles?”
Dean had pulled out the map to figure out what to see next before putting it away, flustered.  “I’m not sure… Wanna get lost with me?”
Y/N smiled widely, “Okay.”
They wandered their way through the aquarium after that. And Dean kept noticing more and more incidents as they passed or stopped by the tanks. All types of fish would stop whatever they were doing and go to Y/N. If she stopped in front of the tank, they’d gather behind the glass, gaping at her. If she left, they followed until they couldn’t anymore. They’d play, they’d stare, they’d even push each other for a good glance.
He was either dating a freaking Disney princess, or fish just really liked his girlfriend.
But then again, she really was a princess; she came from a place where her people were incredibly close to the ocean. She is beautiful, kind, nice, feisty and aggressive if the situation calls for it, she just completely blows him away in the best way possible. 
Of course, there was the thing with the dagger, the mysterious location of her home and now the fish… 
“Poseidon mighty!” her exclamation startled him out of his thoughts. She was now standing in front of a tank that contained some pretty weird looking fish. “I have only heard about these from Liara. They are beautiful.”
Dean and Y/N were at an exhibit that housed fish only found in the pacific ocean. Being in the caribbean waters, there were many fish that were not known to Y/N. 
Dean smiled at the way she marveled and learned about what they were. Watched as once again the fish swam towards her for her attention. The way she giggled at their actions made its way to his heart. He couldn’t help but smile at what was happening. 
“Come on sweetheart,” Dean gently pulled her away. “We have an otter show to watch.” 
As Y/N looked at the otters, Dean noticed that the trainers were having a hard time keeping their attention. He followed their line of sight that led to his girlfriend sitting next to him. What happened next, shocked everyone in the otter arena. The smallest of the otters, seemed to ignore their trainer and made it’s way past the barrier and towards Y/N, who stayed as cool as a cucumber. 
"Hello," she greeted the otter. 
Dean gaped at the calm in her voice as she let the otter climb over her. The trainers could do nothing but smile at how Y/N cared for the small creature. 
"You should go back now," she laughed. 
To Dean's surprise, the otter seemed to listen to Y/N and made its way back to the trainer. Much of the audience thought it was part of the show. Dean, on the other hand, knew it wasn't. The way the sea creatures reacted to Y/N, really made him wonder more about who she was. 
After the otter show, they continued to wander around the aquarium, laughing, talking and taking pictures, though Dean wasn’t completely there. His head was still trying to piece together what the hell his girlfriend had that made the fish basically yearn for her to look at them. 
Y/N commented on the weather being hot, fanning herself with her hands and pulling at her hair away from her skin. 
“Here,” Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out a black ring. “Andrea was always leaving these things around. You can use it to tie up your hair.” 
Just when he thought she couldn’t possibly be more adorable, Dean watched her stare at the hair tie, pulling and playing with it. “I don’t know how to use this.”
“Here,” Dean ran his fingers through her hair collecting it in one mass before stretching the small elastic ring around it. “A nice ponytail.” He let his fingers graze her neck when something caught his eyes. “You have a tattoo?” 
Her free hand rose to touch the mark instinctively. “It’s the royal mark.” Y/N explained quietly. “Every member of a royal family has it.”
“So they marked you?” Dean raised his eyebrow. “I mean it must have been painful. How old were you?” 
“I’ve always had it.”
“You were born with a mark of Poseidon on your neck?” Dean let his fingers dance over it. It was lucky he paid attention in Greek Mythology class back in college. 
“Yes,” She confirmed casually. “My family has the mark of Poseidon. One of our allies in the east has the mark of the Goddess, and so on. Only the royal families have those particular marks.”
“Huh,” Dean nodded. 
Y/N turned around to face him, arms encasing Dean and pulling him close gently. “What are you thinking?”
“Just,” Dean caressed her cheek. “Never seen a birthmark like that before. It’s unheard of,” he breathed. “You are a big mystery, Y/N. I just hope you trust me enough to let me in.” 
Although he was one to talk. She still thought his last name was Campbell. He had yet to tell her his real last name and the legacy his family had. 
“Maybe one day,” murmured Y/N. “I’m not ready to tell you and I can’t make any promises.”
“Okay, sweetheart,” Dean said as he kissed her forehead. “Just know that you can tell me anything. I won’t judge you.”
                                          ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The next day, Dean found himself under the hood of a car. He seemed to be working on it non stop. Everything that happened at the aquarium was strange. From the way the fish acted, to how Y/N seemed to think it was no big deal. And what Ketch told him last week was still very unsettling. He hadn’t told the guys about it yet and he wasn’t sure how to. 
“Dean?” 
He continued to focus on the car, not really listening to Benny calling him. His thoughts still on what mystery that had Y/N wrapped up in a cocoon. Dean continued to tinker with the car, tightening bolts and making sure everything was connected. She lived on a secluded island, her language was one no one had ever heard of, a dagger with marking Ketch had never seen, and a birthmark symbolizing a god of the sea. It was just one mystery after the next. 
“Dean!”
The shout from above the car made him startle, bumping his head harshly against the hood of the vehicle. 
“Goddammit, son of a bitch Benjamin!” Dean rubbed his head. “What?!” he growled. 
“It’s about Mrs. Bronson’s car. Seems the engine might need to be rebuilt,” Benny handed him the specks as they walked to the car. 
“Oh,” Dean breathed. “Sorry, mind is somewhere else today.” 
“No, really?! I couldn’t tell.” Commented the cajun sarcastically. “What happened? Did something happen with Y/N? Or did your old man try to call again?”
“Just got stuff on my mind okay,” Dean breathed. “Let’s take a look at Mrs. Bronson’s car and see what needs to be done.” 
Benny knew Dean was hiding something. Whatever it was, he hoped that it wouldn’t last long. Both Benny and Dean found themselves elbow deep in the car. Dean having pulled out the engine to try and figure out the problem only to find a rat.
"Well, there’s the problem," Dean sighed as he shook his body in disgust. "This thing died in there." 
"Guess we can clean the engine up and put it back. She's going to need a loaner though," Benny said. "Everything okay, brotha?" 
Dean sighed and hugged, "just… the mystery of Sindarta and Y/N. I got a call from Ketch just last week during the barbecue." 
"What did he say?" Benny asked. 
"Kinda want to talk to you, Cas and Sam about it. See what they think," Dean breathed. 
“Well how about after work?” Benny suggested. “Let’s get all these cars done, I’ll tell Andy I’m spending the night and we can talk about what’s bugging you.” Benny slapped his shoulder, “How does that sound?” 
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you're the boss,” Dean smiled. “Good thing I made you co-owner.” Dean said, catching Benny by surprise. 
“What? Dean, this is your business, I can’t–” Benny began. 
“You can and you are. I already got the paperwork from Sam.” Dean walked over towards the counter and walked around behind it to a filing cabinet where he opened the draw and pulled out a contract. “Fifty-fifty, partners.” 
“Cas knows, right?”
“Yes, Benjamin. He knows. And he’s okay with it.”
“I--” Benny looked at his friend. “I don’t know what to say man. I just came with you expecting to be a regular mechanic not part owner or partner… Thank you.” 
Dean stepped up, arms wide open for the cajun to get in there. “No need, brother.”  
As Dean was going over the contract with Benny, Andrea’s voice echoed in the workshop making the two men look up. 
“You are not allowed back here, you two timing hoe bag!” Andrea chased after the brunette who seemed to be making a beeline for Dean. 
“Your time is running out,” she growled crossing her arms. “Do you know what’s at stake if you don’t sign?” she shook her head. “What kind of CEO goes practically two months without signing an amazing contract as what our corporation has drawn up?” 
“Mr. Winchester is no longer the CEO of Winchester Auto, Mrs. Braeden. You have no business to attend here.” Andrea reminded her. 
“Not exactly,” She pulled out the contract with John’s signature. “At the time this deal was drawn up, he WAS CEO.” she smiled. “You see, the contract doesn’t need him to officially be CEO when he is already the heir and is still technically CEO being a Winchester.” 
Dean stopped dead in his tracks midway to hide in the back of the building at those words. “Oh no.” He groaned to himself and turned around, heading out to the front to confront her, all but snarling at Lisa by the time he got to the counter where Andy worked. “You fucking bitch.”
“I may be a bitch, but,” she leaned over the counter and trailed her finger along his jaw. “Mr. Pellegrino gets what he wants, and so do I.” 
“How did you get my father to sign this fucking thing?”
“It was easy really,” she played with her nails and smiled. “Told him that if he didn’t sign we would reveal his ugly affair from when he was a filthy mechanic. I believe your parent’s were apart for a few months when you were around what, 10?” She pulled out an envelope and tossed it at him. “It’s all there, a half brother who works as a mechanic in some podunk town.”  
“You’re lying,” He sneered. There was no possible way she could have dug that out.
“It’s all there in the envelope,” she pointed to what she threw at him. “If not you could always call daddy and ask him,” she paused to gasp. “Oh, wait… you aren’t speaking to him.” 
“You have ten seconds to get the fuck out of here, Lisa.”
“Or what?” she challenged. 
“I’m just sick of seeing your face is all.”
“But you like the face of that diner bitch,” she laughed. “Guess she must be easier than me. Must be a good cunt if you are resisting me.” 
The temptation of standing up for his girlfriend and telling Lisa how much she was wrong was incredibly strong. Almost irresistible. But Dean had known this type of argument for a while now. She was just trying to rile him up, do something she could use against him so he would have to sign. 
His fists clenched tightly at his sides as he took a big breath to reign himself in. “Please show her to the door, Andrea,” He growled.
“No need,” she sighed. “I can see myself out.” she began walking before she stopped and turned. “One more thing,” she quipped. “If you don’t sign in two months, we will release everything about your half brother.” she gave a devilish smile. “Bye Dean. I hope you think carefully about your decision.” 
Dean stayed frozen in place as Lisa walked (or more like stormed out) of the establishment. He didn’t allow himself to move until he was sure Lisa was out and far away.
 He snatched the godforsaken envelope, “Andy, I’ll be in the office. If anyone calls, I’m swamped. Benny can take care of them.”
“Got it Dean,” Andy sighed with a sympathetic smile.
                                         ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
After a few phone calls to Sam and still a refusal to talk to his father, Dean, Cas, and Benny made their way to Dean’s house. Andrea was more than okay with having Benny stay at Dean’s house for their guys' night. It gave her a chance to do some wedding planning of her own without Benny being a sourpuss about it. Once at the beach house, Dean grabbed a few beers, some hard liquor and glasses while Benny ordered pizza. 
“Fucking Lisa is a piece of work,” Dean grumbled. 
“Damn, woman would drive anyone to madness,” Benny grumbled. “You okay brotha? I know her barging in and spewing all that bullshit, riled you up.” 
“Fine,” Dean sighed, running a hand across his face. “Sam said he was taking Pops’ private jet to be here. I hate taking him away from Jess but--” 
The knock on the door interrupted the conversation.  Cas got up from the couch and answered the door. The sound of rushed footsteps echoed as Sam rushed in. 
“Where is it?” He asked and reached for the envelope Dean held out for him. “They have some nerve doing this. And-- fuck Dean, I know you’re pissed at the guy but you have to call him. At least about this shit that’s being pulled on you,” Sam pleaded. 
“Dad’s gonna be a last fucking resort in this. I’m not calling him.”
“Well then at least call Mick!” Sam growled. “This needs to be squashed. I’m trying to find anything that can get dad out of what he signed and the only thing I can see is if he--” 
“Goes public,” Dean breathed. “Adam’s not going to like that. He likes not being known.”  
“I don’t think he has a choice,” Sam ran a hand across his face. 
“Look there’s something else I need to talk to you guys about,” Dean sighed. “This thing with Lisa is going to be handled. There is no way in hell I’m ever signing that contract.” 
“I think that’s something we can all agree on.” Sam said as he settled in on the couch. “So I’ll be here two days tops before I head back. Jess wants us to try cakes but I wouldn’t mind having a wedding cake from Al’s. They’re the best!” Sam smiled, changing the subject.  
"Ketch got back to me," Dean mentioned as he took a sip of his beer.
"What did he say?" Sam asked.
"Why did you contact Ketch?" Cas asked. 
Benny nodded his approval at their friend’s question. “And why didn’t we hear about that?”
Dean sighed. "Ketch said that there is no civilization close to it. No distinctive markings or language he recognized." 
"What?" Sam said on the couch. "Nothing resembling it or familiar?" 
“I’m telling you, man. Nothing.” Dean said as he took another sip of his beer. 
“No. Hold up there, boss,” Benny said as he settled down on the couch. “What did you send to Ketch? What the hell are you talking about?”
Dean sighed, “The night Thasman kicked my ass and he used that balm on me from his dagger?” 
“Yeah?” Benny urged him to go on. 
“Well,” Dean sighed. “I found it under the couch, took some pictures of it and sent them to Ketch so he could try and give me more info about where they’re from.” 
“And you’re sure he found nothing?” Sam asked. 
“I’m telling you,” Dean huffed. “Ketch says that there isn’t ANYTHING like what I sent him. Nothing, zero, zip, nada.” 
“So maybe the dagger isn’t that old,” reasoned Castiel. “As far as we know, their island was closed off to the world.”
“But all cultures have SOME semblance of interaction,” Sam interjected. 
“From what they mentioned, they kinda had an idea of what the outside world was, they have some information… it’s just… outdated?” Dean grunted. “But that doesn’t change the fact that before we met Thasman and Y/N we never heard about Sindarta or anything that resembled their language.”
“Where did they say their island is located?” Benny asked. 
Dean sat back and sighed, “Close to Cuba, in the Gulf. Why?”
“Take out your laptop. We need Google Maps.” Sam gave Dean’s thigh a pat before smiling. 
Dean grabbed his laptop and logged in. Within a few minutes Dean had the browser open to display the interactive map. He started by typing in Sindarta, only for the shop he had first found to be displayed. He tried a variation of combinations to come up with no result. 
Sam shook his head and grumbled, “Zoom into the Gulf, would you?”
As Dean zoomed in they could see the other Islands that surround Cuba. The Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Haiti, the Turks and Caicos Islands. But no Sindarta. 
“Did they say how close to Cuba?” Cas asked, moving in behind Dean. 
Dean shook his head, “I don’t think so.” He began zooming in closer, finding smaller islands, but they all had names. “I mean there is nothing on here that isn’t named or remote. If you think about it most of these places all interacted with each other in some form. It would be very rare that their Island is uncharted.” 
“This calls for Chinese food,” Benny said as he walked towards the kitchen to place an order. 
As the research continued, it seemed more likely that the site they had found that was for the island, seemed to be a bit made up. Dean closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. He wasn’t going to be made a fool of, not again. No matter how pretty or innocent she seemed, Y/N was not going to hurt him like Cassie did. 
“I need to go talk to Y/N,” Dean said as he put on his boots. 
“Just don’t do anything rash,” Cas tried to reason. “Maybe her secret is something big. Just try not to jump to conclusions, okay?”
                                        ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Thasman was helping Ellen grilling steaks for dinner. He had spent the day in the garage and had been a small witness to what Lisa had done. Upon telling Y/N however, the princess became enraged. 
“The nerve of her,” Y/N spat. “She is nothing but a sea snake.” 
“I agree,” Thasman chuckled. “But Dean did seem to handle her well,” he smiled. 
He was sure it was due to being close to the hot grill, but Thasman was feeling a little too warm for his liking. Moving back, he removed his shirt and sighed, but still felt no better. 
“Thasman, are you alright?” Y/N walked up to him and placed her hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up. Have you been taking a swim in the cave?” 
“I’m fine,” Thasman brushed her off. “I’m sure it’s just how close I am to this grill thing. I promise I feel okay, just hot.”  
Y/N responded by taking hold of his arm and guiding him to a chair to sit down on. “You don’t look okay.” 
“I’m sure it’ll pass. Don’t worry, Y/N/N.”
“Stay there.” Ordered the princess, heading out of the kitchen and calling for Roan to come down. The sound of two sets of rushing footsteps caused Thasman to groan. He was fine! He just needed a little break.
Roan entered the kitchen with a concerned expression and a slow pace, Ellen and Y/N entering close behind. He kneeled in front of Thasman, extending one hand to touch the merman’s forehead and the other one to take one of his hands.
“How are you feeling, my Stingray?”
Thasman smiled tiredly at the nickname. He had missed that silly nickname so much in that month where they hadn’t been on good terms. It still caused a wild current to settle inside of Thasman’s belly. “Hot. A little tired. Mostly hot.”
���When did this begin?”
“Not long ago.”
“You shouldn’t be feeling like this,” Roan frowned. “I’d say you’re drying up, but you went to the cave yesterday.”
“I didn’t,” Thasman gasped. His breathing grew heavier with each word as he gave Roan a pleading look. “Ellen and I. We had to know how long. I’m so sorry.”
“How long, what?” Y/N looked between Thasman and Ellen. 
“How long I could last outside of the water,” Thasman took in a shallow breath. “We had a bit of a theory. Liara mentioned my mother loved a human, so we thought that I might be a halfling,” He explained. 
“You should have told me, Stingray,” Roan said gently as he pushed a few strands of hair out of Thasman’s face.
“I know. Didn’t want to worry you.”
A look of determination settled on Roan’s eyes. “We need to get to the cave. We can get there in time if we leave right now.” He let out a groan at the effort of helping Thasman stand up, already trying to walk them out of the house. “What else haven’t you told me?”
“I promise that’s all,” Thasman weezed as he tried to breath. 
Outside the house, Dean pressed himself up against the wall as he watched Ellen, Roan, and Y/N usher Thasman towards the beach. He could tell that Thasman wasn’t doing so well as Roan seemed to be practically carrying the guy. He kept his distance and made sure to shadow them as he watched them approach a cave he hadn’t seen in his occasional walk on the beach. 
“Why are they coming here instead of taking him to a hospital?” He muttered to himself as he watched Y/N and Roan undress while Ellen helped with Thasman. The first two were talking amongst themselves in Sindartan, a tone of urgency clear as a bell on their voices.
“Thasman bi hhu-huu,” Roan hissed. (Thasman is hot). “Ellen, fimra tre.”
The woman grunted, trying to settle Thasman down near the edge so she could take off his pants and shoes. “Not a mermaid, boy. Can’t understand ya.” 
“Mermaid?” Dean whispered as he tilted his head. ‘What are they talking about?’ he thought. ‘Mermaids aren’t real.’
“It means help,” Roan said gently. “Please, help us, Ellen.” 
“I’m trying, sweets. Just this sock and it’s done. There we go, Thas. That’s it.” 
Dean couldn’t exactly see how Thasman was doing, but the guy seemed to be having trouble moving, and his speech was slurred. One of Thasman’s hands rose in what he must have thought was Roan’s direction, but was actually reaching out for a rock. “Tala bi kila, mortum.” 
Roan jumped into the water, followed closely by Y/N. As soon as they surfaced, they swam to the edge where Ellen was sitting up their friend.
“Into the water now, boy. Come on.” Ellen grunted, pushing Thasman closer to the water.
Roan let out an impatient and scared grunt as he grabbed both of Thasman’s ankles and pulled them into the water with him and Y/N. Dean froze in his place, not ready to make his presence known.
What the fuck was happening, though? Taking a swim with a barely conscious Thasman wouldn’t help in anything. In fact, they might have just dragged him in there to drown him. He waited for a few seconds, watching Ellen gather and fold the scattered clothes only to place them in a rock near the edge.
A full five minutes went by. Ellen had sat herself down and taken out her phone, occasionally looking worriedly at the pond of salt water. Neither of the three had surfaced to get air yet. Dean bit his lip as he watched Ellen do nothing while Roan, Y/N, and Thasman remained underwater. He was about to barge out of hiding and dive in when the water broke and Thasman emerged. All smiles and in a good mood, nothing like the man Dean had seen just barely seven minutes ago.
“Hi, Ellen.”
“Well,” Ellen sighed. “At least we know that a week out of the water is your limit, Thas.” She sighed. “But I did not like how that was learned. We should have been more careful.” 
Thasman nodded his agreement, but still smiled widely. “I’ll just come here every two days with my boy–”
He’d been pulled down before he could finish his sentence. Ellen seemed to get worried at that, and leaned over the edge. “Thas?”
This time, it was Y/N who emerged. “Sorry Ellen, Roan has to talk to Thasman real quick.”
“Let me guess,” Ellen chuckled. “Roan is going to withhold bacon from the boy?” 
Y/N nodded with a smile before responding. “And pancakes. And probably cuddling.”
“Poor Thas,” Ellen sighed as she took a small stretch. 
The surface of the water broke again to the cave echoing with a slew of fast mermish. Roan growled at Thasman who seemed to try and keep the other man calm. Dean could only hear Y/N’s giggling at the two men. He glanced inside and wondered if he imagined the word ‘mermaid’. 
“I’ll do whatever you want,” Thasman promised. “But let me cuddle you.”
“Toh,” Roan huffed. “Tala hrone not daahuu!” (I am not amused.) 
“Please, my taafoowii,” Thasman pleaded (Love). “I swear, that is the only thing I have kept from you since we got back together. Now we know I’m a halfling. I promise, I haven’t kept anything else from you.” 
“Then both my aunt and your mother fell in love with humans?” Y/N wondered as she swam around. Her tail still plunged under the water's surface. 
Thasman swam slowly towards Rowan, guppy eyes fixed on his boyfriend’s as he opened his arms in invitation for Roan to swim in. “Seems like it.”
“Then we should find him,” Y/N said as she watched Roan swim slowly towards Thasman. 
“You are not off the hook, Thasman,” Roan said. “But I do understand your curiosity for wanting to know more about who you are.” 
“I’ll make it up to you, taafoowii.” Thasman promised quietly, inching closer and closer with arms still open. “Does this mean I can finally hug you?
Roan rolled his eyes and snuggled into Thasman’s open arms. “Just please, stop making decisions without me, you stingray.” 
Thasman’s grip tightened as he laid an affectionate kiss on top of Roan’s head. “This was the last time.”
Y/N smiled at her two friends. It was good that they were happy. She didn’t want their happiness to ever end. With a mischievous glint in her eye she swam a few paced back and lifted her tail before bringing it down to the water. Both Roan and Thasman gasped as they were splashed by the princess. 
“Oops,” she smiled innocently. “Couldn’t resist. You two seemed to be heating up and needed to cool down.” 
Dean’s mouth hung open at what he saw. The tail, and not just any tail, the purple coloring, the swirl patterns. It was the tail from his dream. Y/N was the thing he saw on his first night in Matagorda. She was the mermaid that haunted his dreams. The way the dreams had her pulled into the ocean by a black cloud. Turning away from the mouth of the cave, Dean closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. It couldn’t be. Mermaid’s aren’t real. He had to be hallucinating. Or having a stroke. 
“You’re dreaming, dude. Come on!” He grunted to himself, pinching his arm and slapping himself in the face as an attempt to wake himself up.
But it was no use, both those things hurt. And worst of all, his girlfriend was half fish. Well she was hot, but still she kept this secret from him. Did that mean she couldn’t trust him? What caused her to think he couldn’t be trusted with her secret? Sure, she was technically a humanoid, but there was no doubt that he loved her. She was kind, funny, adventurous. But what did that mean for them now that he knew? Would he expose her? Or would he allow her to tell him her secret when she was ready? 
Mermaids are real. 
Holy fuck, mermaids are real! And he’s dating one!
He turned back to the cave. Dean just had to. He had to be sure that what he had seen was real. And fair enough, all four of them were openly laughing now, having a splashing war of sorts with tails, or in Ellen’s case, her feet. The panic was starting to come back in full force, and Dean had to force himself to take deep breaths in order to stop himself from falling into hysteria.
So he ran, he ran as fast as he could back to his house and ignored his friends' and brother’s calls for a full report on what had happened with Y/N when he entered his house, making a beeline for his room and only wishing them good night before closing and locking the door. He could deal with them later.
                                       ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Thames stayed behind a rock waiting for the unfamiliar guards to change posts. For over a month she had been scouring the oceans trying to rally their allies. Many of them had heard of Michael, and it was a danger to confront him. But why he chose now to show himself was a mystery. Once the coast was clear, Thames swam as fast as she could towards her room. As she rounded the last corner an arm grabbed her. 
“The king has been looking for you, scroll keeper,” the guard sneered. 
“What for?” Thames asked, putting on her Liara persona. “I have been doing nothing but the research I am destined to do.” 
“I will not tell you again,” the guard growled holding his trident towards her. 
Thames composed herself, trying to push down any nervousness she was feeling. Had someone figured it out? Did someone catch her true identity? With a sigh she rolled her eyes at the guard. “Very well, take me to him.”  
As Thames neared the throne room, she couldn't help but feel disgusted in what she saw. Many of the maidens were hanging on the false king. She recognized many of them as the mermaids who despised the princess. But here they were trying to gain the favor of the man who would turn them into nothing but slaves. 
“Scroll keeper,” Michael chuckled. “Come, enjoy. Have a drink.” 
“No thank you, your grace,” She gave him a tight thin lined smile. “I have important matters to attend to. Is there anything else you wish of me? Or is it only to partake in the debauchery?” 
“I wanted to know how your trip to the south went.” The prince mentioned casually.
“I don’t know what you mean, your grace,” Liara kept her eyes downcast as Michael swam towards her. “I have been visiting ancient-” 
“LIES!” Michael bellowed as he took hold of her chin in his hands. “You have been gathering allies for your decrepit king.” 
“I assure you --” 
“Silence from you, traitor,” Michael seethed. “Where are they? Where is the princess and that pitiful excuse for a guard?”  Michael gave a sinister smile, “Not to mention that dolphin trainer. Don’t think I didn’t see how that guppy looked at the guard. Eyes full of desire.” 
“I don’t know where they are,” Thames growled. “I don’t know what you think is--” 
The slap Michael gave her stung. Eyes full of anger, Liara tried to control herself.  
“I want the truth, scroll keeper. So think carefully about what you say next.” Michael drawled. 
"My king," Thames said. "I do not know where they are." She repeated. 
"Guards," Michael chuckled. "Seize her." 
Thamse's eyes widened as two guards held her arms. She tried to squirm away, but they held her firmly. She watched as Michael reached for his sword. 
"The kingdom will never be yours," she spat. 
"That is where you are wrong scroll keeper," Michael let out a laugh. "It already is. And once I find your princess," her locked his lips. "She will be mine. And she will produce my heirs, before I kill her."  
"You will never get your fins on the princess!" She growled feeling her power flow as the current began to shift. "I will fight till my last breath for this kingdom. Those who are truly connected to the god Poseidon!"
Using the current, Thames was able to overpower the guards. She used her power to create a small whirlpool, causing the guards holding her to retreat in fear. The water surrounding her grew in strength and speed, pushing the prince and guards to a wall on the other side of the room. 
“What are you doing?! Get her, you idiots!” Michael growled as he pushed his guards after her. Grabbing his sword he joined in the chase. 
Rushing to her room, Thames grabbed everything she could, anything she could get her hands on. She looked at the secret box of human relics and reached for it, shoving it in the bag. She looked around frantically as she moved a bit of the furniture and reached inside for an identical cuff that she had Thasman retrieve for Y/N. Putting the piece of jewelry on, she took one last look before grabbing something to defend herself from the guards after her. Making sure the coast was clear, she made her way down the hall and out towards the palace gates. 
“There she is!” a voice called out. “After her!” 
Thames cursed and used her powers to propel her forward. But not before something blocked her path. 
“You are no scroll keeper,” Michael sneered. “Who are you? Only royals have powers bestowed to them by the ocean gods.” 
Thames stayed silent as she held her dagger and gauged her attackers. Swirling around she created a large push of water giving her distance from them. With a wave of her hand she placed two of the guards in small whirlpools while she charged at Michael. She swiped at him and smiled when she drew blood. 
“I am going to slice you the way you sliced at my son!” she growled. 
“Son?” Michael asked as he raised his eyebrow at Thames. “I thought he was an orphan?” 
“Wrong,” she growled moving quickly and once again having her blade make contact with his skin.  
Michael grunted in pain, but swung back his sword to strike right back. Thames failed to counter and got herself a big wound on the side of her ribcage as a result. The frustration kept escalating inside of her; what was she doing fighting some sea scum when she had to swim as fast as she could to prevent herself from getting killed?
Her heart broke when she figured there wouldn’t be enough time to say goodbye to Nereus. 
Desperate, Thames conjured up all her strength and shifted the currents. Sending Michael in the opposite direction of where she was going. She would have to hide, just like her son, in the human world. She made sure to change the currents behind her, calling all of the magic she could to make sure she was not being followed. Just as she changed the currents to help Y/N and Roan usher Thasman away to safety. As she neared the cave, she made sure to calm the currents behind her as she made her way into the cavern leading to the lagoon. Her vision blurred as she made her way to the small shore leading to the mouth of the cave. She was naked, no clothes to cover herself as she held onto the cloth she used to patch up her wound. 
Looking around she smiled finding a dress that she could throw on. She wasn’t sure where she would go, she didn’t know where this Ellen person lived. But all she could hope for was someone finding her and helping her out. Making sure she had everything even with her body in pain she kept one thing on her mind. 
‘Thasman’ 
That is what she kept repeating, her son’s name in her head over and over.
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Aaaaand?? what did y’all think?? Cat’s out of the bag, y’all! What do you think Dean’s gonna do next?! And Thames/Liara? 
Any and all kind of feedback are appreciated. Please, like, reblog and comment <3
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Daisies and Daffodolls Day 17: Book Series
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Sorry I've been MIA a lot. I've been busy doing sewing stuff (next photo challenge I'll prepare a few weeks in advance). But anyways, I took a pic of Celestina in what would be her meet outfit. Celestina's story is different in many ways than other AG characters. For one thing, she's my Gorillaz OC as well, so her story involves some Gorillaz lore as well, and her story starts at age 11 in middle school in 2016 and goes to at least 2020 when she's 15. Basic outline, Celestina is a cheerful creative girl living in Orbitz Ohio. She was raised by her mom Sharon and her stepmom Mia, (they got married in 2015 when gay marriage became legal in the US), and her dad is Stuart "2-D" Pot, the lead singer of the British band Gorillaz. In her story, Celestina faces many changes, such as her Mom starting a new paramedic job, her dad returning to England to reunite with the rest of Gorillaz to record Humanz, as well as starting her first year in middle school. I'm actually planning to write a whole book, maybe more, about Celestina, and post the chapters here on tumblr. I think I'll go ahead and post the first chapter here as a preview, but I'll post the full story later, maybe with illustrations.
Summary - It's the year 2016, and Celestina is starting her first year of middle school.  While she's excited for a fresh start of the new year, she's also nervous.  School uniforms, more classes, more teachers, and new classmates.  Unfortunately, the school year starts out on a sour note, she barely shares any classes with her best friend, and in homeroom class, she gets paired up with Lucy Phillips, a cold, aloof, yet mysterious, new girl from Britain.  Meanwhile, things aren't easier at home either, her dad ends up returning to the UK to reunite with his fellow band members to record their next album, and her mom begins work at her new paramedic job.  But when Celestina begins to get close with Lucy, the new girl's iciness starts to melt, and they both learn they have more in common than they thought.  
Celestina's Family and Friends
Celestina Damon - An excitable 11 year old girl starting her first year of middle school in the year 2016.  
Sharon Damon - Celestina's mother, a practical, but cheerful, lady.  She starts working a new job as a paramedic.  
Mia Lucci - Sharon's wife and Celestina's stepmother, a funny and kind woman, she's always there when Celestina needs advice.  She runs and works at The Leaning Tower of Pizza pizzeria with her twin sister Gina.  
Stuart "2-D" Pot - Celestina's father, and lead singer of the British band Gorillaz.  He isn't quite wired like other people, but in his own 2-D way, he's very deep, and he's also got a big heart.  Despite the troubles that come with being a long distance parent, he loves Celestina immensely and tries to be in her life as much as possible.  
Kailey Green - Celestina's next door neighbor and best friend since childhood.  A smart and sweet girl, if a little awkward.  A self proclaimed theater nerd.  Often gives Celestina the nickname "Lessie".
Lucy Phillips - A new girl in Celestina's homeroom, who's family arrived from Britain.  She seems mysterious and comes off as cool and guarded, but in reality, she's a little shy, and becomes much kinder and sweeter once you get to know her.  
Chapter 1
New Year, New School, New Hope
The alarm clock on the bedside table chirped on and on as Celestina Damon slept in, nestled in her soft, pastel colored, blankets.  She was dreaming a wonderful dream; Celestina, rocking a sparkly, purple, galaxy print dress, was singing in front of a sold out crowd on her first performance.  Fans in the crowd were holding handmade signs and cheering her name.  Here she is posing for pictures with fans!  There she is signing autographs!  She finishes her last song of the show, wishing the audience a good night.  The crowd erupted into a thunderous roar of applause, fans shouting her name "Celestina!  Celestina!  Celestina! -"
"CELESTINA!!! WAKE UP!!!"  
That did it!  At the sound of her mom's voice, the young girl jolted up from her bed with a start. "Gah!" she exclaimed.  Her wavy blue hair was messy and needed brushing, and she was no longer clad in galaxy print, but rather, blue and white pajamas with panda bears printed all over.  Celestina ground the sleep out of her eyes and smashed the "stop" button on her alarm. 
"Okay, I'm awake Mom!" said Celestina, slightly irritated.  Her mom chuckled.
"Hey, if I let you have your way, you'd be asleep until lunchtime." laughed Mom.  "I told you not to stay up too late."
"I didn't stay up late!" Celestina protested, "I'm just, not used to waking up this early."  She was kinda right.  Today was the first day of the new school year, after three months of staying up and sleeping in later than usual, it can be hard to get back on a schedule.  
"Fair enough," said Mom, "but I can't always be around to make you wake up, especially now, you understand?"  Celestina nodded.  What her mom had meant was that she just got hired to work as a paramedic at a new ambulance company, which meant that some days she had to go in early.  Unfortunately, it also means that she would come home later after working many hours, some nights possibly after when Celestina was supposed to go to bed.  Luckily, today was only her orientation, which wouldn't start for a few hours, so her Mom could drop her off on her first day of school, but she was still dressed in her work uniform, black boots, navy blue pants with lots of pockets, and a wine red shirt with the ambulance's logo embolized on the left breast, and her curly blonde hair was tied up in a long ponytail.  
Speaking of uniforms.  Not only was Celestina starting her first day of school, but it's the first day of a new school, specifically, middle school.  Okay, so technically this school is a combo middle and high school, so not only does she have to deal with the 7th and 8th graders, but also all the high schoolers as well.  And all the students have to wear uniforms.  Actually, the uniform itself wasn't that bad, it was pretty cute, the top was a rich shade of purple with a white collar and ribbon, and a white pleated skirt that fell below the knees, had a "sailor suit" sorta look to it, kinda like what an anime character would wear.  All the same, Celestina couldn't understand why she just couldn't just wear her regular clothes to school, you know, like everyone did in elementary school.  Sigh, another change to have to get used to.  Mom caught Celestina eyeing her uniform.  
"Well get dressed, hon." said Mom, "And come downstairs for breakfast.  I think Mia made some chocolate chip pancakes!"  Mmm, just the thought of those pancakes made Celestina's mouth water.  
"Okay, you win." laughed Celestina, giving her mom a hug.  "I'll be down in a few."  After Mom had left the room, Celestina got dressed, brushed and pulled her long wavy blue hair into a ponytail, using a hairband with two pink poofballs on it.  Before she left to go downstairs, she looked toward the corner of her room, and saw Scratchy, her fluffy gray bunny, stirring around in her cage.  
"Hey there Scratchy!" she cooed, giving the bunny little pats.  She then slipped a little chew treat for her to play with.  "Be good while I'm at school, okay?" 
The young girl grabbed her backpack, filled to the brim with school supplies, and headed downstairs to the kitchen.  The aroma of chocolate chip pancakes and maple syrup filled the room.  Mom had seated herself at the kitchen table, eating her small stack of pancakes, and Mia, Celestina's stepmom, was busy flipping the pancakes at the stove.  Her mother, Sharon, and Mia have only been married for less than a year, but Mia has lived with Celestina and her Mom her whole life.  They probably would have married sooner had it been allowed before last year!  Mia is a pretty lady, tall, tan skin, and shiny dark brown hair, and she's a great cook.  Her and her sister Gina (Aunt Gina to Celestina), run a pizza place called Leaning Tower of Pizza.  
"Pancakes, comin' up!" shouted Mia to Celestina.  Mia still spoke with a New York accent, despite the fact that she's been living in Ohio for at least 15 years.  She served the girl her pancakes before sliding her own onto a plate.  Celestina took her breakfast to the table and poured on the sweet maple syrup.  She cut a piece and took a bite, mmmm, was so good.  Her smile fell slightly looking around the room.  She couldn't get used to the empty space at the table.  
"What's wrong?" asked Mia, noticing Celestina's frown, "Don't you like chocolate pancakes?"
"I LOVE them!" exclaimed Celestina. "I just wish Dad was here to have some."  Mia and Susan exchanged a look of understanding. 
"You miss him don't you." said Mia.  Celestina nodded. 
"Yup!" said Celestina.  It was actually more than that.  She paused a bit, trying to think of how to put it into words, "I mean, I dunno, I guess I'm also a bit worried, you know, about him leaving again."  Celestina's eyes looked down at her pancakes.  Talking about stuff like that always made her uneasy.  
Celestina's dad, her whole family life in general really, was, well, unusual to say the least.  For one thing, her parents weren't married when her mom had her, in fact, they split up shortly before Sharon found out she was pregnant.  Whatever, no biggie, there are lots of kids whose parents are like that, people who have children before they got married, or had kids and didn't stay together.  However, it was even more complicated in Celestina's case, because her mom is American and her dad is British, meaning it's harder for her to see her dad on a regular basis because he lives so far away.  Also, her dad is famous.  Celestina's father is none other than Stuart Pot, better known as 2-D, the lead singer of Gorillaz.  Yes, that 2-D!  It's been awhile since the band did any songs together though, the last album, Plastic Beach, was released when Celestina was 5, but a couple years before that, something else happened, and that's what worried Celestina.  For a short while after Celestina was born, 2-D would often call the house to say hi, sometimes even visit.  But after a visit that Dad made sometime when she was 3, he had gone on a trip somewhere, and suddenly vanished.  Her mom tried to keep calm around her when she asked where Dad was, but even as a kid, Celestina could kinda tell that her Mom was worried about him.  The sudden release of a new Gorillaz album didn't help either.  At one point, her Mom told her stories that 2-D and Murdoc Niccals, the band's foul mouthed, green skinned, bassist, were taken by pirates and trapped on an island called Plastic Beach, an island in the middle of the ocean made of garbage and spray painted pink.  Looking back, Celestina wasn't sure if this all really happened or if this was something Mom was making up, but she knew something happened that made her dad unable to contact her for awhile.  Shortly before Celestina was 8, her dad had called her on the phone for the first time in years.  
"Celestina, is that you?" said 2-D in his thick Londoner accent, "You sound so big!  How old are you now?"
"I'm gonna be 8, Dad!" answered Celestina proudly, "I'm a big kid!" 
"8!?  Wow!  You really grew up!" exclaimed 2-D, Celestina could hear the tears caught in his throat. "I've missed you so much!" 
After a brief vacation, or "holiday" as her dad called it, in Guadalupe, he visited Celestina and the family for the first time in a while, right in time for her 8th birthday.  And since then, he had been able to keep in better contact, and came to visit Celestina in person more often these last few years, as if to make up for missing out for those last 5 years.  She even got to fly with him to England one time and met her grandparents, David and Rachel Pot, for the first time at the amusement park that Grandpop had owned.  This year, 2-D stayed in the guest room for a few months, he was able to keep Celestina company during the summer while Sharon was taking paramedic classes, and Mia was working at Leaning Tower.  2-D had been helping Celestina with her budding interest in music, teaching her how to play her new blue Melodica, a small keyboard with a flute-like pipe in it.  When they weren't practicing, the father daughter duo would watch scary zombie movies, or listen to some older Gorillaz songs on Celestina's old CD player.  On June 23rd, the whole family, and a few of Celestina's friends from school, celebrated her 11th birthday with a bonfire cookout in the backyard.  It was a wonderful summer.
But all this fun and excitement of summer had to come to an end.  It was now time for school, and just as well, Dad left to go back to England, rather suddenly at that.  Somehow, one of his old band mates, Noodle, the guitarist and the only girl in the band, (and Celestina's favorite band member, next to Dad of course), ended up getting back in contact with him.  Apparently, the band was getting back together to make a new album called Humanz, which would be released sometime next year.  Like always, Celestina was sad to see him leave, but she was also worried too, maybe because a part of her is scared he would go missing again.  
Sharon put a comforting hand on Celestina's shoulder.  "It'll be okay," she reassured her daughter, "He said he's gonna text us when he arrives to meet the others.  Plus, he said you can visit him during spring break."  
"I know," nodded Celestina.  She finishes up her pancakes, thinking about everything going on.  Mom's starting a new job, Dad's going back to England, I'm starting a new year in a new school, and we have to wear uniforms!  So far so good, she thought sarcastically.  She rinsed her dirty plate in the sink and slipped on her black flats to meet Mom out in the car.
"Are we taking Kailey today?" asked Mom.  Kailey Green is Celestina's best friend and next door neighbor.  
"No, Mrs. Green wanted to take her this morning," answered Celestina, "but she's picking both of us up after school."
"Okay, good," said Mom, "let's get going, you don't wanna be late," she checks her watch "and neither do I!" she laughed.  Celestina gave Mia a hug goodbye.
"Have a good day at school, rockstar." said Mia lovingly.  "I'm coming home from Leaning Tower about an hour after you get home from school, okay girlie."
"'Kay 'kay, I got it." smiled Celestina.  She gives Mia a fist bump, complete with a little explosion sound effect.  
"You have a good day at school," then she turns to Mom "And good luck with orientation Sharon."  Mom gives Mia a loving kiss on the cheek.  
"Bye honey," said Mom grabbing her keys.  "I should be home by dinner tonight."  Celestina and her mother wave goodbye to Mia before getting in the car.  As Sharon drove on to the school, Celestina sat in her seat nervously, her breakfast doing flip flops in her stomach.  
"Are you doing okay back there?" asked Sharon, looking at her daughter in the rearview mirror.
"I dunno," she answered.  "Honestly, I'm pretty nervous.  Middle school sounds kinda scary.  All these classes, new teachers, ugh, no recess, school uniforms," she grimaced.  She had so many thoughts, so many "what-if's", that they started coming out one after another.  "What if I don't like my teachers?  What if me and Kailey don't have any classes together?  What if all the classes are too hard?  What if I get bullied by the older kids?  What if -" 
"Celestina!" said Mom suddenly, "sweetie, sweetie, it's alright." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I know this isn't something you want to hear, but I kinda know how you feel.  I was nervous starting middle school when I was your age.  And, if I'll be fully honest, I can relate to how you're feeling right now.  I'm a bit nervous starting this new job."
Celestina looked up in surprise, "You are?" she wondered.  "But you said you were excited."  Mom gave Celestina a loving smile.
"And I am," answered Sharon, "But I have so many mixed feelings.  I'm worried I won't be good enough, I'm worried the boss could be a jerk, or that I won't like my co-workers.  So many things can go wrong.  But," she paused before continuing, "There are also good things I'm looking forward to as well.  I'll be able to use the skills I worked hard learning in all these classes, I'll be able to help people, I'll be bringing home a little more money, which means we will be able to go out more often." she said with a smile.  "It's normal to be scared and nervous, it's okay in fact.  But you also have so many good things to look forward to.  Yes you have more classes, but you get to have more classes you enjoy, like music and art.  And even if you don't have any classes with Kailey, you'll always be able to see her because we're neighbors.  If you're having a problem, whether it's classes, mean kids, or even a mean teacher, you can always come to me or Mia.  I just want you to know, even if the bad things do happen, there are also a lot of good thing to come, I want you to remember that."  Celestina thought over what her mom had said.  She did have a few good points.
"I did hear that the music department puts on a school musical every year," said Celestina, feeling a bit more hopeful, "And there's all these fun clubs".  Sharon's eyes lit up.  
"See, there you go!" said Mom. 
"It just seems like so many things are changing at the same time." Celestina admitted, "it just feels so fast, I feel like I can barely take a breath."  
"I know, it sucks, it really does." said Sharon in an understanding tone.  "The funny thing is, is that the only thing that never changes, is that everything changes."
"That's so confusing to think about!" said Celestina laughing.  
"Ah, but that's the truth," said Sharon with a chuckle.  "But you know what else will never change?"
"No what?" asked Celestina.
"I'll always love you," Mom answered warmly, "The same goes for Mia, and for your dad, we will never stop loving you.  You are our child, and nothing will ever change that."  
"Aw mom, I love you too!" she exclaimed.  At that moment, Celestina's cell phone chirped with a new message.  Oops, better silence it before class, she thought, making a mental note.  But seeing who the message was from made her smile.  
"Ooh I got a text from Dad!" shouted Celestina in excitement.  The text read "i made it to studio 13 in london.  about to start recording for the new album.  I miss you already, but i'm happy to be home again.  russ, noodle and murdoc say hi.  say hi to your mum for me.  love you little panda bear."  Celestina smiled at the mention of the special nickname her dad gave her.  Attached with the message was a picture.  It was a group photo of the whole band in what looked like the inside of a recording studio.  Celestina had yet to meet the other band members in person, but she knew who they were from the music videos and interview clips on YouTube, and from a few stories from her dad.  There was Murdoc Niccals, the band's bassist, and probably the biggest troublemaker of the band.  He has an odd scrunched up nose, and green skin and black hair, sorta made Celestina think of the Gangreen Gang from The PowerPuff Girls.  Then there was Russel Hobbs, the drummer, a heavyset black man from New York, with bright white eyes lacking pupils, a result of being possessed by a demon when he was young.  He seemed to be the voice of reason in the band, and when he speaks in interviews, he has a gentle voice.  Then there was Noodle, the guitarist, and the only girl in the band.  Celestina almost didn't recognize her at first, she's so used to seeing her in the music videos back when she was a kid or a young teen, and now she's a beautiful grown up woman!  Noodle was not much older than Celestina is now when the band released their first album, and according to her dad, when they were first looking for a guitarist, Noodle traveled from Japan all the way to England, in a FedEx delivery crate, and gave such an epic explosive guitar solo, that the band ended up giving her the part on the spot.  Celestina likes to imagine that if they were the same age, she and Noodle would be great friends.  And in the middle of the pic was her dad, 2-D himself.  He's tall and wiry, the tallest of all the band members in fact, he has spikey blue hair, and due to two separate car accidents (which were Murdoc's fault), he lost his front tooth, and his eyes were injured, they now look like blank black circles.  Murdoc gave him the nickname 2-D because his black eyes made it look like he had "two dents'' in his head.  Surprisingly, her dad liked that nickname, at this point, the only people who really call him Stu anymore would be Nana and Grandpop, as well as Sharon and Mia.  People would often describe her dad as, well, not very bright, sometimes saying he's thick and calling him names like "space cadet", but Celestina doesn't like any comments like that.  To Celestina, her dad has his own 2-D way of thinking, and his creativity with making music is where he shines the best, and he's got a kind heart.  In the attached picture, all four band mates were smiling (even Murdoc), and that made Celestina happy, seeing her dad and his old friends all back together.  
"That's great!" said Mom, "What does the message say?" 
"Dad said he got to England safely, he's excited to work on songs again, and that he loves and misses me, plus he sent a pic of him and the rest of the band." said Celestina.  "Oh yeah, Dad says hi, and so does Russ, Noodle, and Murdoc."
"Aw that's awesome!" replied Mom, "See, I figured he would make it there okay.  How do the other three look?"
"Murdoc is as green as ever," Celestina replied with a laugh, "Russel pretty much looks the same, but Noodle looks so different!  She's a grown up lady!"
"Yup, I believe it," said mom with a chuckle.  "Oh man, I haven't seen her since you were a baby, she was still a teenager then.  Grown up so fast, both of you." she said with a sigh.  "It's good they seem to be doing well." She paused, thinking, "I got an idea.  We're almost there, why don't we take a few back-to-school pictures of you when we get there, and you can text them back to your dad?"
"Ooh I'd love that!" said a delighted Celestina.  She was quiet for a bit before continuing.  "Hey, I know I was sad before with Dad leaving, but, well, it's also really cool that the whole band is back together and they'll make more songs again."
"I know, I can't wait to hear them," agreed Mom, "but like I said earlier, it's okay to feel sad about missing him.  Just don't forget that there are also a lot of good things to look forward to."
"I understand," answered Celestina.  Mom had just pulled up to the school.  There it was, Orbitz Public School.  Mom was lining up to park at the entrance where the middle school classes were.  While Celestina had seen the school many times when going on errands with her mom's around town, today the building somehow seemed larger and more intimidating.  Her breath slowed down and her hands grew sweaty the closer they got to the entrance.  Mom had found a parking spot and Celestina nervously left the car, carrying her backpack.  
"This place is way bigger than South Lincoln," remarked Celestina, referring to her elementary school.  Sharon gave Celestina's hand a comforting squeeze.
"I know it's scary," said Mom. "But you got this."  Even though Celestina was still nervous, she somehow felt a bit better with her Mom hyping her up.  
"I got this!" repeated Celestina.
"You're the star of your own stage," encouraged Sharon, "You knock 'em dead!"
"I'll knock 'em dead!" repeated Celestina, feeling pumped.  "Oh yeah, let's get that picture taken to send to Dad" she remembered.  Celestina and Sharon walked around to find a spot with good lighting in the courtyard. 
"Ooh, we can take one here," said Celestina, handing the phone to her mom.  She struck an adorable Sailor Moon style peace sign pose in her new uniform with the school in view in the back.  After the picture got taken, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.
"Huh," said Celestina, before turning around to see her best friend, "Oh hey there Kailey!"
"Hi Lessie!" greeted Kailey, using the nickname she used for Celestina since they were little.  Kailey was wearing the same purple and white school uniform that Celestina was wearing.  She kept her short brown hair in her natural curls, and her red square glasses framed her blue eyes.  The giggly girls greeted each other with a hug, before realizing that both their moms were standing by with their phones.  
"Smile you two," said Mrs. Green.  Both girls smiled for the camera with their arms around each other.  
"Perfect!" exclaimed Sharon before handing Celestina her phone back.  Celestina then quickly sent both the pics to her dad with a special message.
"So glad you made it home safely Dad.  Mom and Mia say hi back.  Today is me and Kailey's first day of school.  Can't wait to see you again, and maybe meet the rest of the band (even Murdoc lol).  Have fun recording.  Love you lots!  We got this!"
Shortly after she sent it, her dad replied with another quick "I love you", and Kailey got Celestina's attention.
"C'mon Lessie," said Kailey, "We still need to get our schedules."
"Oh my, that's right!" exclaimed Celestina.  "We gotta get going!"  
The girls gave their Moms a quick hug and said goodbye, and headed into the school.  Celestina still felt a bit nervous, but she felt a lot better than this morning.  She headed inside the front doors of the school with Kailey, walking through the purple and white crowd of students, feeling determined to take on the day no matter what happens.  
"Celestina, you're on!" 
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homerjacksons · 3 years
Text
Sonny Carisi Week Day 4: "What is this between us?” Word Count: 1934 Pairing: Cargan Summary: Sonny and Trevor are supposed to be casual, but Trevor finds himself wanting more. AO3
It wasn’t like this between them, not really. They’d been sleeping together on and off, whenever they faced each other in court, for over a year, but that’s all it was. That’s all it had ever been. Which was why Trevor couldn’t quite understand the warmth blossoming behind his ribs at the sight of Sonny standing at his stove wearing a pair of Trevor’s sweat pants that were far too big for him, flipping pancakes like he did it all the time, like he belonged there.
Sonny turned suddenly, and Trevor felt caught out, as though he shouldn’t be looking, but he forced himself to maintain eye contact, to smile, to pretend he wasn’t just slightly panicking about Sonny looking soft and sweet and domestic in his kitchen.
“Morning,” he said, voice raspy with sleep, and God, Trevor hated how much that instantly made him want him.
“Morning,” he responded quietly, almost cooly, as he made his way over to Sonny.
“I thought I’d surprise you,” Sonny said with a small shrug, looking shy in a way that made Trevor’s stomach flutter. “As a thanks and an apology combined, I guess.”
“What for?” He asked, leaning back against the counter, arms folded across his chest.
“For, uh—“ Sonny hesitated, ears turning red. “I know we don’t usually spend the night and I feel bad for passing out on you. Literally on you. I just—“
“It’s fine,” Trevor said with a small laugh, shaking his head. The truth was, he’d found it endearing beyond belief and that should have been his first clue he was in trouble. “I would have said something if it wasn’t.”
“Still…” Sonny shrugged, turning back to the pan, cursing under his breath as he turned the slightly charred pancake onto a plate.
“I set clothes and a towel out for you. That should be invitation enough.”
“It was,” Sonny said with a sheepish smile, nudging a plate of pancakes towards Trevor as he gathered everything he’d prepared to take to the table. “But I didn’t give you much of a choice.”
“Trust me,” Trevor said quietly, pressing a kiss to the corner of Sonny’s mouth as he took a plate of bacon and a bowl of sliced banana from his hands. “If you weren’t welcome here, you’d know about it.”
Sonny hummed quietly, offering a softer smile, and Trevor was so sure it was, once again, both a thanks and an apology and had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.
“You really didn’t have to do this.”
Sonny shrugged as they sat down. “I wanted to. Cooking for people, it’s—“
“Your love language?” Trevor intercepted with a smirk, enjoying the way Sonny flushed instantly, right from the tips of his ears down to his bare chest.
“I’m Italian,” he muttered, focussing intently on cutting up his pancakes. “It’s how we communicate everything.”
“I thought that was hand gestures.”
Sonny shot him a look halfway between annoyed and amused, and Trevor laughed, deep and genuine and earnest in a way he wasn’t sure he had in years. It hit him, suddenly, that he’d been missing this his whole life and he hadn’t even known. That Sonny filled a gap he hadn’t noticed until it had begun to be filled in.
The realisation was followed by a kind of ache he couldn’t explain that made the laughter die on his tongue and his smile slip away as he watched Sonny eat.
“What?” Sonny asked with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Trevor said quickly, sliding his usual, easy smile back in place. It felt suddenly foreign and bitter and false on his lips, but he ignored the feeling and continued smiling, because what else could he do? “Just thinking how lucky you’ll make someone someday.”
Sonny laughed self-deprecatingly and ducked his head, and the ache in Trevor’s chest deepend.
This was supposed to be casual, a way to blow off steam after a long day, a way to release pent-up frustration with an attractive man made only more attractive by his incredible court presence. It was supposed to be meaningless, yet here Trevor was, realising he was falling in love and wondering desperately how he could ask for more.
Langan Grab a coffee with me?
Carisi I’ve got court in 10. What’s up?
Langan We can’t have coffee without an ulterior motive?
Carisi Course we can. But not today. Raincheck?
Langan You have my number.
Trevor groaned, pressing his palms into his eyes. He knew it wasn’t an outright rejection, but he couldn’t help but take it as one. He felt inexplicably stupid until his phone pinged again.
Carisi How about drinks tonight instead?
The grin that took over Trevor’s face almost hurt.
Langan Give me a time and a place and I’ll be there.
Trevor was early, unexpected nerves bubbling in his stomach. Realistically, he knew this was no different to any other time they had drinks. They’d drink enough to get buzzed but not get drunk, they’d take a cab back to Trevor’s place, they’d have incredible sex—some of the best he’s ever had—and then Sonny would leave with a sly, “til next time,” on his way out.
But it felt different this time. The nerves, the way that Sonny had been on his mind all week, the warmth in his chest every time he remembered Sonny in his kitchen making breakfast looking completely relaxed and at home, meant that everything had changed for him, even if the change was entire one-sided.
“Hey,” a familiar voice breathed out behind him, and when Trevor turned and met those tired blue eyes, caught sight of the lock of hair that had fallen loose from its gel already, Trevor wanted to kiss him then and there.
“Hey,” he said quietly, shoving his hands into his coat pockets to prevent himself from doing something reckless.
“You look different,” Sonny commented with a tilt of his head as he pushed the door open, holding it for Trevor to enter.
“How so?”
Sonny shrugged, leaning in to make sure Trevor would hear him over the noise inside, and Trevor felt a shiver run down his spine. “You look lighter somehow.”
Trevor gave him a look that plainly told him he thought he was ridiculous, but his heart was hammering against his ribs and he felt seen, exposed, torn open and laid bare for all to see. It made the back of his neck itch.
They drank, and they talked, and every time Trevor made Sonny laugh, that fluttering inside his ribs intensified, as though something was trying to break free from inside of him. Sonny reached for him in the cab, fingers twisting in his hair uncertainly before he kissed him, and that was new, but everything else was routine right up until the moment Sonny, still breathless, moved to slide off the bed.
Trevor grabbed him by the wrist before he could stop himself, heart hammering against his ribs harder than it had been even just a moment ago.
“Stay,” he uttered, voice barely above a whisper, yet the way it rang around the room, bouncing around the silence between them, suggested he’d shouted it at the top of his lungs with all the urgency he felt.
Sonny seemed to hesitate for hours, Trevor’s chest constricting further with every moment that passed, before he finally nodded, face relaxing, expression softening as he slid back alongside Trevor, hand resting across his chest.
“Can’t make you pancakes in the morning, though,” Sonny teased, playing with the hairs on Trevor’s chest as he curled around him.
Trevor laughed as he wound his arm around Sonny, tucking him firmly into his side as he pressed a kiss into his hair. “That’s not why I asked.”
“Good, ‘cause otherwise I might think you’re just using me.”
Trevor laughed again in that deep, genuine, earnest way that only Sonny seemed to be able to elicit, and that familiar warmth spread through him again, even though he knew when morning came, the illusion would be shattered.
Only it wasn’t. Sonny disappeared just as the sun was rising, leaving a kiss on Trevor’s forehead and a lingering warmth that felt like a promise of more in his wake.
He texted Trevor first, this time, about nothing in particular, and he came by the office later in the week with coffee and bagels. And it became a thing for them to talk and see each other regularly, casually, without court and without sex, just as friends, as something potentially more. It felt so easy, so natural, so right, that Trevor was wary of examining it too hard. He was scared that if he looked too closely, everything they’d built between them would shatter and he’d be left with the stark reality of a friends with benefits situation and nothing more.
Langan Le Bernardin, 7:30pm Friday night.
Carisi You didn’t.
Langan I did. I can cancel if you don’t wanna go.
Carisi I can’t afford that.
Langan My shout.
Carisi Trevor…
Langan A dirty client just paid us a lot of money. Let me treat you to make myself feel better.
Carisi 🙄 I’m sure you feel real bad about taking money from scumbags.
Langan Okay fine, I’ll cancel.
Carisi No! I’ll be there, jeez.
Trevor almost, almost sent a kiss emoji before he came to his senses and locked his phone with a sigh, hands trembling slightly.
He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face all day.
Sonny laughed, breathless and light as they exited the restaurant, and the sound buoyed Trevor, made him feel bold enough to link his fingers with Sonny as their hands brushed, and for a moment, he felt light as a feather and completely indestructible.
Then Sonny pulled his hand away, shoving both hands in his pockets, and Trevor was sure he felt his heart crack open, his breath catching in his throat.
“Trevor—“
“It’s fine,” he lied, and badly if the look on Sonny’s face was anything to go by. “Forget it. I’ll get you a cab.”
“No, Trevor, I just—“
“It’s fine.”
“I wanna know what this is between us,” Sonny said firmly, stopping Trevor from walking away by placing both hands on his arms. “I wanna know what this actually is before I go holding your hand on the street because...because if this doesn’t actually mean anything, then I can’t—“
“This means everything,” he blurted out, wincing at the tremble in his own voice. “These past few months with you have been everything I didn’t know I wanted.”
Sonny smiled, hesitantly, letting his hands slip down to Trevor’s. “Good,” he whispered, giving Trevor’s hands a squeeze before linking their fingers again. “Me too.”
“You doubted—“
“Of course I doubted,” Sonny said through a laugh, tugging on Trevor’s arm as he started walking. “You were the one who said this was just casual sex.”
“I was an idiot.”
Sonny hummed in agreement, bumping their shoulders together as they walked. “When did you work that out?”
“The morning I woke up to you making pancakes in my kitchen wearing my clothes and smelling like my shampoo.” He ducked his head at the admission, feeling suddenly far too vulnerable, a far cry from the man Sonny saw in the courtroom, the man he’d initially been attracted to.
“Hey,” Sonny whispered, stopping to pull Trevor aside. He reached up to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, hand resting on his cheek. “I’m glad.”
Trevor huffed, smile stretching his face as that warmth blossomed behind his ribs again, stronger than ever before. “Me too.”
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sandwichrin · 3 years
Text
A Little Into You (Junkyu x Reader Fic) (ch. 5)
Word Count: 3.1k words
Pairing: Kim Junkyu x Fem. Reader (Treasure members are all included as well)
Genre: PG-13, Comedy, Romance
A/N: Hello! Finally, the fifth chapter is up! Hope you guys enjoy this one, and Happy New Year in advance 🥰🧡
You keyed in the combination numbers of the lock on your door and slammed the door shut behind you once you entered your home. Your heart was racing, you could hear your own breath shaking from the sprint you just did after leaving the elevator.
It was another member of the group, wasn’t it? Why are they all hanging around here?? And most importantly, why am I meeting them all now? Like, you’ve been staying here for more than a year now and yet you never seem to run into any of them before.
You rest your head against the door behind you. Still trying to catch your breath, you thought to yourself- maybe Jeongwoo was telling the truth about him visiting his friend. Maybe they all like to hang over at their friend’s house here?
You shook your head. Enough is enough. You didn’t want to think about them for now. It was nerve-wrecking enough that you almost got sued on the spot by Treasure, and if you hadn’t made a run for it when Jeongwoo was making that phone call, who knew if the lawyers really did send you a lawsuit for messing with their company’s boys?
You stood up straight and headed for your room. You wanted to take a warm shower and just relax for the whole night.
                                                                *
 “Ah Junkyu-ah! Come in, come in!” Jihoon exclaimed when he saw his best friend at his dorm’s front door. (Note: The boys are living in 3 separate dorms in this fic as updated in their KProfiles’ site)
Junkyu entered the house and took off his shoes at the front entrance.
Jihoon walked away from the spot and headed towards the kitchen. “The rest of us are in the kitchen, come join us,” he said.
Junkyu nodded and tagged along behind his friend, seeing his other friends seemingly busy doing something in the kitchen.
Mashiho was busy whipping the eggs in a medium-sized bowl with all his might—in which Junkyu was concerned that if he whipped it any harder it would turn into a dessert instead of fried eggs. Not far from Mashiho was Doyoung, slightly in a bowing posture, deeply focused on watching a kimchi pancake recipe from his phone’s Youtube.
Junkyu felt warm being close to his friends. He had always appreciated their existence in his life, even before they debuted together, he had always felt a special bond with them. Junkyu pulled out a chair out of the dining table which was opposite the kitchen island where Mashiho and Doyoung stood.
A hand placed a glass of water in front of Junkyu, and he raised his head to see Jihoon nodding slightly at him.
“Thanks,” he said to his best friend.
“You know you can take off that face mask now right?” Jihoon asked obviously. “No fans can follow you around in here you know that,” he added, chuckling.
Junkyu snickered as he pulled the face mask off. He reached for the glass of water in front of him and took a big sip from it before placing it back down onto the table. Both him and Jihoon kept quiet whilst watching their dongsaengs both being busy in the kitchen.
“Mashi-hyung, can you pass me the salt behind you?”
Mashiho stopped beating his eggs. “Oh? Sure, here,” he passed the bottle of salt to Doyoung.
“Thanks—WAIT what is that??”
Mashiho blinked his eyes innocently at his dongsaeng’s question. “Huh? What is what?”
“THAT,” Doyoung pointed out at the foamy bubbles formed in the bowl Mashiho was holding.
Mashiho’s eyes looked down into the bowl in his hands. He smiled brightly as he said, “Eggs! I’m making omelette today!”
“I—” Doyoung was speechless at what he saw. He wasn’t sure if he should tell his hyung that he might have overbeat his eggs at this point since he looked so proud with what he did.
“Don’t worry, I’ll add in some leeks too! It’ll taste really good,” Mashiho added, his smile still beaming on his face.
Jihoon got up from his seat to peek at Mashi’s bowl. Jihoon snorted out loud, in which he quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
Mashiho turned to look at his hyung who was standing behind him by now, “What? What’s so funny, hyung?”
“Nothing, nothing. I just…you better cook those eggs now Mashi. There’s no need to beat them anymore,”
“But, I want to add in leeks—” Mashiho said but was cut off by Jihoon tugging him and directing him towards their kitchen stove.
“Sure, sure. Just add in everything you want. There you go, no more beatings. Just add in them leeks and cook okay?”
Mashiho looked at him, puzzled by Jihoon’s behaviour. He shrugged and followed his hyung’s instructions without further questions.
Doyoung who was a few feet away from both of them, raised a thumbs up at Jihoon for acting quickly before their omelette turns into something else.
Jihoon nodded briefly at Doyoung before returning to his seat beside Junkyu again.
“What happened there?” Junkyu asked as soon as his best friend was beside him again.
“Nah, nothing big. Just some issues with eggs.”
“Oh.”
Suddenly, they heard the front door being closed. Everyone turned to see Jeongwoo walking into the kitchen with a solemn look on his face. Jeongwoo headed towards the kitchen sink and washes his hands thoroughly, since he had just taken out their trash earlier. After making sure his hands are clean, Jeongwoo wiped them with a kitchen cloth and proceeded to take a seat with his hyungs at the table.
“Wow someone looks down in the dumps,” Jihoon said as he saw the look on Jeongwoo’s face.
Jeongwoo ignored him and continued staring down at the table.
“Oh come on. Don’t you get it? Down in the dumps? You went to throw the trash out in the dumps earlier? No?” Jihoon said, trying to explain the pun he made.
Junkyu rolled his eyes slightly at his hyung’s lame pun.
“Oh come on, Junkyu! You don’t think it’s funny either??” Junkyu shook his head at Jihoon who asked him in disbelief. “Man, I must be really losing it,” Jihoon said to himself, noting that he was getting less funny now.
Junkyu eyed Jeongwoo who was sitting opposite him. “Hey Jeongwoo. Hyunsuk said that you called him and sounded like you were in trouble earlier. Are you okay?”
Jeongwoo raised his head to meet Junkyu’s eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something but then he shook his head and looked away again.
Jihoon furrowed his eyebrows, feeling confused at what was going on with his dongsaeng. “Wait, Jeongwoo called Hyunsuk? When?” he asked Junkyu.
“Yeah, I was talking to Hyunsuk on my way back here on the phone and Hyunsuk suddenly told me to check up on Jeongwoo because he was worried about him after receiving a call from Jeongwoo,”
“Huh…Hey kid, speak up. Something happened while you were taking out the trash, right? Now that I think about it, you were gone for quite some time too. Usually when we take out the trash, it takes us less than 10 minutes to come back here,” Jihoon said, his voice now filled with concern for his dongsaeng.
Jeongwoo blinked a couple times before looking up at both his hyungs. “The trash shoot on our floor was under maintenance so I went to the main trash container outside the building.”
“Aahh, so you had to go all the way down there huh, just now?”
Jeongwoo nodded at Jihoon.
“And? What happened down there? Did a sasaeng stalked you?”
Jeongwoo shook his head at this. However, his face was still written with disappointment. Jihoon and Junkyu exchanged looks, concern starting to form on their faces as well.
Jeongwoo lets out a loud sigh. He rests his head against the table, which made it more difficult for his hyungs to read his expression now.
Jihoon decided to shake Jeongwoo’s shoulder, “Hey, you better tell us what happened. We’re genuinely worried about you.”
Another sigh escaped Jeongwoo’s lips. He raised his head, and this time, his face showed double the frustration compared to when he first entered. To be honest, he actually looked like he almost cried.
“Yah…what really happened?”
“I…I just can’t! I feel like I’ve disappointed everyone!” Jeongwoo exclaimed loudly.
Both Jihoon and Junkyu was surprised by this. Even Doyoung and Mashiho whom were busy cooking stopped to look at what was going on.
Jeongwoo got up from his seat and paced around the kitchen. He was contemplating to tell what happened, but at the same time he felt like it was no use because in the end, you had already escaped from him.
“Jeongwoo-aa, just tell us. It’s okay, who knows we can help you. We’ve been together for so long, you don’t have to be scared to tell us anything,” Doyoung chimed in, trying to calm Jeongwoo down. He already stopped mixing his pancake batter by now.
Jeongwoo stopped pacing around the room. Taking a deep breath, he nodded at his hyung. Doyoung was right, he shouldn’t feel scared to tell them this. He walked back to the chair near Junkyu and Jihoon and joined them again. He took in another deep breath before opening his mouth, “Okay…I’ll tell you guys what happened earlier…”
                                                                 *
 It had been a week since the incident of you meeting the treasure members at the convenience store. It had also been a week since you met Jeongwoo for the second time that day at your apartment’s trash container. There had been no more encounters with these people so far, and you were grateful for it.
You were already prepared to be ambushed and to be filed a lawsuit by last weekend but since nothing happened, you took it as a sign that maybe—just maybe, Jeongwoo was kind enough to look the other way and not file a lawsuit against you. Maybe.
And because there was no proper closure on what was going to happen to you after the encounters you had, you started being extra careful whenever you leave for work or even when you head home after work. Like, literally, this whole current week, you had been walking very fast to work and every time you’re about to pass by the YG Building, it makes your anxiety level rise up, making you hustle like as if you’re running a marathon every single time you pass by the building.
Of course, the only pro to this is that, you’ve been arriving to work earlier than usual and you were able to get more of your work done before it was due.
Since it’s been a week, which means it’s already Friday again today, you were already packing up your belongings from your desk at work before noon time.
“y/n-ssi? Are you done with the brochure I asked you to design?” Sangyeol, another colleague you often work with, asked you.
“Oh yeah. I emailed it to your second email address. The one for department purposes?”
Sangyeol was quiet for a while, staring at his monitor on his desk. Probably checking his email. “Oh right. I’ve got it. Thank you! I’ll let you know if it needs any improvement, yeah?”
You smiled at him, nodding. “Sure, just let me know.”
Your eyes landed on the small table clock on your desk that marked 12.05pm. Bingo. Time to clock out!
                                                                 *
Stepping out of your office building, you felt the warm sun seeping through your skin. It felt good. You love the warmth more than anything. If anything, you hated cold weather more than you hate finding beansprouts in your noodles when you ordered them at a shop. Sure, a little breeze is nice but heck no if it’s the bone-biting cold weather.
After a couple good minutes of soaking in the Sun’s warmth, you proceeded to walk down the block, straight towards the convenience store to commence your usual “Ramen Fridays” ritual.
                                                                  *
 “Welcome!” you heard the young cashier greet you as you entered the shop.
Your eyes met him from afar and you flashed him a friendly smile, considering you were comfortable with his presence by now since you see him every Friday.
“Ramyeon?” he asked out loud as he saw you heading towards the instant noodle’s aisle.
You looked at him and nodded briefly. He smiled at you, a soft and cute one too. You chuckled to yourself thinking that you literally find this cashier cute today when usually you wouldn’t even glance at any guys around you.
Shaking your head to yourself, you focused on scanning the row of instant noodles on the shelves.
You leaned down to take a closer look at the ones at the bottom shelf, when you heard the cashier greeting some other customers into the shop.
                                                                 *
 “Welcome!” the friendly cashier greeted Jaehyuk as he entered the store. He bowed slightly and headed straight towards the chiller. His eyes scanned for that small yellow bottle of his favourite drink, in hopes that it hasn’t sold out yet.
He was busy zoning in on the chiller, he didn’t realise Jeongwoo grabbing his shoulder, making him almost jump out of surprise.
“Hyung! I told you to wait for me, didn’t I? Why did you leave me?” Jeongwoo whined at him.
Jaehyuk chuckled at his dongsaeng’s behaviour. Jeongwoo is indeed the baby brother in the group. Jaehyuk’s eyes narrowed as he smiled behind his half-covered face at Jeongwoo, thinking that this dongsaeng is acting all cute and clingy.
“Eyy you know I want to make sure that I get this drink, right? I need to get a good amount of supply before it runs out,”
“But hyung, what happened to the supply you bought last Tuesday?” Jeongwoo asked him.
“Aish, those are all finished already,” Jaehyuk answered him, his hands already grabbing two bottles of the banana milk in front of him.
“Wait—but you bought 6 bottles the other day,”
Jaehyuk stopped in his action and turned to look at his dongsaeng. “Jeongwoo-aa…”
“Yes, hyung?”
“What happened to those 11 cups of ramen you bought last week?”
Jeongwoo fell silent. “Okay fair point. You can take as many banana uyu as you want hyung,” he said in defeat.
Jaehyuk grinned and proceeded to grab onto more of the banana milk since there seems to be plenty of them today. “Hey Jeongwoo, grab that basket over there. I might take half of these,” he urged his dongsaeng to grab the basket near the front door.
As Jeongwoo was grabbing the basket, a familiar figure tapped his shoulder.
“Oh! Hyung! Gosh, you startled me!” he said, his hand clenched at his chest.
Hyunsuk’s eye smile formed above his face mask. Fixing his cap on his head, he nodded at his dongsaeng, “Where’s Jaehyuk?”
Jeongwoo gestured towards the drink’s chiller, and there was Jaehyuk, arms holding onto 5-6 bottles of banana uyu.
The both of them made their way towards the struggling man and helped him put his drinks into the basket.
“Hyung! What are you doing here?” Jaehyuk asked as soon as he saw Hyunsuk.
Hyunsuk leaned against one of the glass doors of the chiller and smirked as he said, “Jihoon sent me out here to check up on you just in case you buy too much uyu,”
Jeongwoo’s eyes glanced at the basket he was holding, which already had 7 bottles of banana uyu in it, and Jaehyuk’s hand was still reaching into the chiller to grab some more.
Hyunsuk’s eyes darted into the basket as well. “Okay Jaehyuk, that’s enough. This is enough to cover a whole week for you. Put that one back into the chiller,” he points at the bottle in Jaehyuk’s hand.
“But hyung…” at this point, both Hyunsuk and Jeongwoo could hear Jaehyuk pouting as he says this. It was easy to tell that Hyunsuk and Jeongwoo was smiling underneath their masks.
Hyunsuk shook his head and said, “Seven is enough Hyuk-aa. Put the rest back,” his tone sounded like he was still smiling though.
“Aww but hyunggg,” Jaehyuk dragged his words, all in a whining tone now. Jeongwoo was already giggling at him now.
Hyunsuk too, started snickering when his eyes landed on the girl at the payment counter. He stopped what he was doing as he tilt his head slightly. The small orange-coloured heart keychain hanging out of the totebag seemed familiar.
He turned around to look at both his dongsaengs arguing about the banana uyu.
“No, hyung! You heard Hyunsuk-hyung right? Seven is enoughhh,”
“Just one more, please just one more Jeongwoo-aa,”
“Hey Jeongwoo, you settle things up with Jaehyuk first okay? I’ll be right back,” Hyunsuk told his dongsaeng beside him. Jeongwoo nodded at his hyung before proceeding to nag at his hyung about self-control.
                                                                 *
 “No spicy kimchi stew flavoured ramyeon for you today, miss?” the cashier asked as he beeped your bowl of instant sweet curry flavoured ramyeon you had placed on the counter.
“Ooh no thanks. I’m feeling for something sweet today,” you smiled at him.
The cashier nodded at this and smiled as well. “Alright, that’ll be $8.”
You took out your wallet from your tote bag and opened it to pay when suddenly the cashier spoke up again, “Wait—”
Your eyes looked up from your wallet and into his. A questioning look formed on your face, “Y-yes?”
“You didn’t buy any drinks yet,”
You blinked a couple times. “Oh? Oh! Oh no no, I got myself a bottled water today,” you grinned at him. You pulled out the water bottle from your bag to show him as well.
“Oh, alright then,” he giggled. “Okay that’ll only be $8 then.”
You nodded and pulled out a $10 note from your wallet and paid it up to him. You were waiting for your change when suddenly you heard someone’s voice beside you.
“Excuse me,”
You turned around to see a man wearing a cap and face mask on. Only his eyes are visible for you to look at. “…yes? Can I help you?” you asked this man.
“Oh? It’s really you!” the man sounded happy saying this to you.
“Erm, miss, your change?” the cashier interrupted you and the stranger as he handed you your change back. You smiled and took it from him, shoving it into your tote bag. You grabbed the ramyeon bowl from the counter and looked back at the guy in front of you.
“I’m sorry…? I…don’t recall…You are?”
You heard him chuckle. “Oh right, how would you tell? Silly me.” He removed his face mask and lifted his cap slightly to show you his face. His grin was fully visible to you now.
Your eyes widened. “H-Hyunsuk-ssi,” you said softly.
Hyunsuk nodded and smiled brightly at you. “Yes! It’s me! Oh my god it’s been a while!”
You blinked a few times, in hopes that this was just a dream but the more you blink, he’s still there right in front of you. You swallowed the lump in your throat. How…Just how…did I end up meeting him again?
To be continued...
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elvenstar146 · 3 years
Text
Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds
Author’s note: I don’t own these characters but they are so much fun to write about.
Characters: Edward Elric, Winry Rockbell, Granny Pinako, Alphonse Elric
 Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds
                 Winry and Edward were living in their new home that was built on the Elrics’ previous home. They had just celebrated their first wedding anniversary, and Winry was 5 months along with their first child. Edward would stay and write at their house while Winry went to work at her grandmother’s.
Winry walked with their puppy, Eva, to her grandmother’s home, and arrived to a quiet house that normally would smell of breakfast and smoke from a pipe. “Granny? Are you up yet?” She yelled upstairs. ‘Maybe she overslept.’ Winry walked up the stairs to her grandmother’s door. She knocked, and asked if she could come in. No response. “Granny, I’m coming in.” Winry walked into the room and saw her grandmother laying in bed. “Granny, it’s late. We have some orders to work on.” She walked to her bedside and noticed the stillness. “Granny, are you okay?” She shook her shoulders and noticed that the elderly woman was cold. “Granny….” Winry felt for a pulse on her neck, and couldn’t find one. She brought her hands to her face. “No…. You’re not supposed to go yet. Granny, you said you would help me.” The tears started falling. She sat on the bed, and cried. ‘How can I do this without you? We still need you.’ Winry thought to herself. Her dog put her head in lap to try to comfort her.
Winry collected herself, and made her way to the telephone. She dialed her house number, and waited for Edward to answer. “Hello?” he answered, sounding irritated. “Edward! I need you to come to Granny’s house now!” she yelled into the phone, and started crying again. “Winry! What’s wrong?” “It’s Granny. She’s gone.” “Gone, what do you mean gone? Did she go into town?” Then the realization hit him. Winry was crying too hard to answer. “Winry, I’ll be right there. I have to hang up now, okay?” “Ok.” She weakly replied. ‘Oh shit!’ he thought. ‘This was not a good time for this.’ He thought about his pregnant wife while he was running to the house.
He found her sitting next to the phone still. She looked up at him and started crying harder. Edward sat next to her on the couch, and let her cry into his chest. He still couldn’t believe it. Edward trusted her judgement but once she calmed down, he went upstairs to verify for himself. They made the appropriate phone calls to the doctor and undertaker to make arrangements. Next was making phone calls to family and friends. Edward did most of the phone calls so Winry could rest. It was really hard to her to tell people without bursting into tears. He called Alphonse knowing there was no way he would be back from Xing in time for a funeral but Al did promise to be there when the baby was born.
Later that evening, Edward and Winry went home to rest. It had a been a long emotional day for both of them. Winry just wanted to go to bed even though she wasn’t sure if she would sleep. There was a light knock on the door shortly after they got home. Edward answered the door, and it was one of their neighbors offering their condolences, and a pot of chicken noodle soup. Winry met them at the door, and thanked them for the soup. Their neighbor told them if they needed anything, to let them know. Edward brought the soup into their kitchen, and made them each a bowl. He sat them on the table. They sat at the table but Winry didn’t start eating. “I’m not really hungry.” She said with her eyes staring into her lap. Edward was worried. She hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. He took her hand. “Winry, you need to eat something. It’s not just you that I’m worried about.” He put their hands on her pregnant belly to remind her that it needed nourishment. “Please.” Edward was practically begging her. She nodded in affirmation, and began to eat. It was the most quiet dinner they ever had together.
Three days later, Edward and Winry were getting ready for the funeral when another knock on the door was heard. They had a lot of visitors from town visit over the past few days so it was becoming normal to have people constantly visiting. Edward opened the door, and he was surprised. “General Mustang! What are you doing here?” He also saw Riza and Armstrong behind him. “We’re here to pay our condolences.” They were in black suits and Riza wore a dress. Winry came downstairs after putting in her pearl earrings that Edward had gotten her. She was surprised, and offered them to come inside. Riza and Winry hugged. “You didn’t have to come all this way.” “We wanted to. We know this is hard for you.”
At the funeral, Winry held on to Edward at his side. She was crying even though it felt like she couldn’t cry anymore. ‘This is harder than I thought it was going to be.’ Edward thought as he held his grieving wife. Even his eyes got glossy. Granny was the one that had taken them in when Trisha had died. She was a grandparent to him, too.
Everyone at the funeral went to Pinako’s house. So many clients had shown up, and their friends from Central had come down. Winry asked Riza “Where are you staying tonight?” “We were going to get a room at the Inn.” “Nonsense! Come stay with us tonight. We would love to have you, right Edward?” “Wait, seriously?” He looked into Winry’s eyes as she pleaded him with just a look. “Fine, they can stay.” He couldn’t say no to her today.
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Edward and Winry and their Central friends went to their home for night. And the next morning, Edward got up and made pancakes for their full house. He wanted Winry to sleep in because he knew she hadn’t slept well. He heard her get up in the middle of the night, and found her reading a novel. At least she was eating now even if she had to be reminded. Mustang found him cooking, and was amazed that Edward knew how to operate a stove. “Well of course I can cook. Sometimes, Winry gets breakfast in bed.” Riza elbowed Mustang. “I wish I got breakfast in bed.” Edward smirked because he had gotten Mustang in trouble with his new wife. Winry came downstairs, and was happy to have breakfast made for her. They all made light conversation, and the new baby was an easy topic. No one really wanted to talk about why they were here to visit. Yesterday was an emotional overload.
Their guests stayed a few days because it seemed to cheer Winry up to have them there. Once they were gone, Winry had to learn how to live without her grandmother’s constant companionship. Winry would want to tell Granny something but then remembered she was gone. She cried a little every now and then but it was getting better. But the hardest thing was she was so tired. She would take a nap every afternoon but wake up in the middle of the night, and stay awake for an hour. Edward got used to her leaving their bed and reading downstairs a little bit to distract her mind. Then she would come back when she got tired again. He didn’t know if this was the pregnancy or grief, or maybe a combination of both. He noticed that some days were easier than others but some were still difficult. He knew they would get through this. He helped more with the housework and cooking meals so Winry could rest more.
A few months later, Winry was eight months pregnant. She had gotten back to doing her usual work and housework though she was having to adjust to doing certain chores due to her size. She was still having trouble sleeping but she wasn’t nearly as tired during the day. She smiled more, and Edward noticed that she was feeling better.
Edward and her were waiting at the train station for Alphonse to arrive. Al got off the train and hugged Winry first. He looked at her very pregnant belly. “Wow, Winry! You look amazing!” “Aww thank you Al. I needed to hear that. I feel huge!” The brothers hugged and greeted each other.
“I want to go to see Granny now.” Alphonse told them. They all agreed to go together, and bought flowers while they were in town. They arrived to the cemetery, and saw their family’s graves. Al kneeled down and put flowers on Granny’s grave. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here but I’m here now.” Winry put her hand on his shoulder. “She would have understood. She was really proud of the work you’ve been doing.” Bringing a medical alchemy back to Amestris had been one of their goals, and Pinako had been hoping to use it with her patients’ recovery. Now Winry would be able to use it to help her patient’s pain levels.
About 6 weeks later, Winry had her baby. It was few days early but the boy was healthy. Once mother and baby were cleaned up, the brothers and Winry looked at the baby in awe. “Hey little guy.” Al said to the baby. “Don’t call him little! It might bother him.” Edward said to his brother. “Edward, he is little, and so cute.” Winry said as she looked at the baby. Edward was annoyed because he knew he had lost. He took a serious look, and told Winry “You know, she’d be really proud of you.” “Edward, don’t make me cry.” She hit him with her free arm. “I’m sorry but she really would.” “Yeah, Winry. She also knew the baby would be early because brother’s the father.” Winry smiled at that. “I’m not that impatient anymore!” Edward defended himself. “His patience has gotten better.” Winry said with a smile.
Edward saw Winry’s smile, and reflected on how much her smile had changed over the past few months. It didn’t have a hint of sadness in it. The dark cloud had lifted slowly. Time doesn’t heal all wounds. The wounds can leave a scar. They had gotten through a dark period of their lives, and now the sky was clear. Winry would be a little sad every so often but there were still smiles and laughter to be had. Her heart had grown more. She had become wiser, and learned to cherish more because she knew that these moments were precious.
 Author’s note: My mom passed away 3 years ago. I thought a grief story would suit well to the theme of ‘Mending’. There is hope for anyone grieving. There is also help. I had to get help through my grief, and I have no shame in saying that.
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solalunar-eclipse · 3 years
Text
Team Dark: A Holiday Special
Chapter Two: Shadow
One | Three
Word count: about 6500 words
No warnings, just more angst than last time because Shadow.
Author’s Note: Thank you all so much for the great comments you left on chapter one- it’s really what keeps me writing and posting.
In other news, I believe that Hanukkah started yesterday evening, so to anyone who celebrates that holiday, Happy Hanukkah!
...
It was the dawn of a bright new day, and Shadow stirred as the sun rose, feeling oddly content. His bed was warm, and he was comfortable, and he really didn’t want to get up just yet. Fumbling around on the bedside table for his book, he began to feel even better at the thought of hiding under the covers for another hour or two, curled up reading…
Except his book wasn’t there. He made several quiet irritated noises, before forcing himself to sit upright.
Chaos, he was not a morning person.
This was incredibly frustrating, of course, since he only needed about five hours of sleep a night and tended to wake up early. Coffee beans usually helped with that, though, and some hot water. 
His thoughts now focused on coffee, Shadow dragged himself slowly out of bed, shuddering as the cold air hit his fur. He searched through the clothes he’d brought and pulled out a warm, soft sweater, sighing with relief as he put it on. It was his favorite, too, since it matched his stripes nicely. 
Sliding on a pair of slippers (plaid, fluffy, chosen by Rouge) he padded downstairs silently, eyes scanning the area for his book- and caffeine. He wandered through the main hall, enjoying the view that the large windows provided of the snowy landscape. Still, he wished they’d turn the heating up a little, shuddering as he wrapped his arms around himself tightly.
As he walked into the kitchen, still half-lost in a morning haze, Shadow was fully awakened by the shock of seeing other people up. More specifically, Rouge’s mother and stepmother were cooking. Already. He clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from shouting, and his quills bristled in surprise. 
His friend’s mother startled and dropped the flour she was carrying, while her stepmother yelped and fumbled with the frying pan on the stove. Shadow rushed over and caught the dropped bag before it could explode, his nerves feeling slightly shot from having to deal with so much this early on.
“My bad,” he whispered, placing the flour on the island in the middle of the kitchen. “I didn’t know anyone else was awake yet- sorry.” he finished lamely. The hedgehog began to feel slightly uncomfortable, as both of the other occupants of the kitchen were looking directly at him. Until now, he’d managed to avoid everyone’s notice pretty well at this party, fading quietly into the background after that first introduction. 
He was not prepared to socialize, especially not this early.
Camellia just smiled at him, though, and said kindly, “It’s perfectly alright, honey, we didn’t realize anyone else could stand to get up so early either!”
Rouge’s mother rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Shadow as she walked past him. “You say that like I like mornings, Cam.” she quipped.
He felt awkward just standing in the middle of the room- especially having interrupted their formerly-private moment- so he took a couple of steps to the side quietly. “I’ll just be out of your way now…”
“Oh no, don’t worry about it at all!” the bat exclaimed. “Were you looking for something, sugar?”
Having two terms of endearment directed his way in as many minutes stressed (and slightly flustered) Shadow, and he found himself beginning to retreat into his usual cold persona. The hybrid muttered, “I was just looking for my book. If you happened to know where the coffee is, that would help. That’s all.”
The cardinal handed him a bag of coffee beans, still smiling warmly. “And I think your book’s over there, honey.”
Shadow took his book and turned to walk out of the room, nodding a quiet ‘thank you’ as he did so.
However...the second he set a foot outside the kitchen doorway, he froze. Looking back over his shoulder, he asked, “...how much more do you have to do?”
It would be downright rude to leave his hosts doing all the work, wouldn’t it?
...and why did that sentence sound like someone else had said it?
“Oh! Well, we have the eggs, and the waffles, and the…” the bat began to rattle off a long list of the different things they had to make. “But don’t worry about us, dear, you have your book to read!”
He wavered a moment longer in the doorway, before reluctantly putting the book down. Walking back to stand in front of them, he sighed. “Where are the aprons, then?” he asked flatly.
“Are you sure, honey?” Camellia asked. “You really needn’t trouble yourself…”
Shadow raised a brow ever so slightly. “I’m sure.”
“Oh, aren’t you sweet!” Rouge’s mother gasped. “We usually get help a little later on, but if you really want to…”
“I have a little experience with cooking, but not much.” he warned, taking the apron she offered him and putting it on. (This was true. He only knew how to make waffles and French toast, and that was just because Rouge decided she would go without breakfast if she had to cook.)
The cheerful cardinal pulled him over to the counter, making Shadow startle slightly. “Have you ever made hash browns before, honey? Those shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“No…?” he said, a little confused. “I...I’ve never had those before. What are they?”
“What?” Lila cried out, on the other side of the room. “What has Rouge been feeding you? Well, it’s about time you learned then.” She moved over to stand next to Shadow, handing him a bag of potatoes.
The hedgehog just stared at the vegetables, his mind going blank.
He needed to have his coffee before he dealt with this. Now.
Two hours and several handfuls of coffee beans later, Shadow could say that he absolutely knew what hash browns were, having produced enough of them to feed an army. He had also made veritable mountains of scrambled eggs and stacks of pancakes, all while asking ‘Are you sure we need this many?’. He’d thought that the dinner spread was incredible last night, but seeing everything as it was being made only served to emphasize just how much food everyone here needed.
A few other family members had shown up near the end to help out Rouge’s parents, but the real flow of people was only just beginning. Young children were now rushing down the stairs, lured by the smell of breakfast. A few adults began to come down as well, along with Rouge and Omega.
The younger bat looked a little surprised to see Shadow in the kitchen, and he internally cringed as he realized just how bad he must look right now. His quills were tied back in a sloppy ponytail and the apron he’d been given was more than a little long on him. It wasn’t long enough to conceal his slippers, though, and his sweater was rolled up past his elbows, while his arms were covered in flour, sugar, and even a little bit of oil.
“Aww, hon! You’ve been helping!” she said, batting her eyelashes in a blatantly over-the-top manner. She was clearly fighting the urge to laugh at his appearance.
Shadow rolled his eyes. “Don’t rub it in.”
Rouge’s mother bustled up at that, smiling warmly at him. Shadow became significantly more uncomfortable- he was used to having glowers and wide-eyed stares directed at him, not...that.
“He just walked over and demanded an apron, then he got right to work!” she said cheerfully. “He’s really quite helpful, honestly!”
Omega looked at the older bat. “Shadow does not like to admit that he’s helping, even when he is very clearly doing so. His pride is too great to ever admit that he’d do such a thing.”
The hybrid scowled. “That is not true.”
Rouge giggled. “Oh, it’s not, hm? Then what about the time you finished-”
“-don’t you dare-”
“-cleaning my room when I-”
“-now you know how it feels, Shadow-”
“-shut up-”
“-took a quick break, or the time when-”
“Alright, that’s enough!” Shadow roared, leaping at her. Rouge’s mother seemed quite startled at this, but Rouge started cackling just like last night, and Omega looked incredibly smug (somehow), watching as she dodged his attack.
“Just look a little sad, Mom, and maybe tell him you’d be ‘ever so grateful’ and he’ll drop everything to do iiiaaaAAAAH!!”
Shadow had managed to catch Rouge and pin her down on the couch. “Take it back.”
“Never.” she said, smiling sweetly at him.
The hybrid prepared himself to inflict some sort of punishment (messing up her makeup, perhaps, or tickling) when he was hoisted bodily and flung over a very square and very metallic shoulder.
“Umph.” he wheezed in a very undignified manner as Omega hauled him out of the room.
The robot looked very pleased with himself. “Ah yes. Revenge is truly sweet.”
...
“Alright, guys!” Rouge announced after breakfast. “It’s perfect weather out, so you know what we’re gonna do? We are going sledding.”
Shadow- who had been cleaning up and lost in thought- nearly hit the ceiling. “Wait, what?”
“Don’t worry, hon, we’ll get you all wrapped up first.” Rouge said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.
The hybrid’s body immediately sagged in poorly disguised relief.
Five minutes later, Shadow wore three layers of shirts, a coat, sweatpants, snow boots, thick gloves, a hat, and a scarf. “I look like an idiot.” he growled.
“Would you prefer to be cold?” Omega asked him dryly.
Shadow shuddered at the very thought. Pulling his clothes a little tighter, he was suddenly launched back into the past, a very particular memory running through his mind.
“You ready for lessons today, Shadow?” a young, blond-haired girl asked. 
Maria.
Shadow, at the perky young age of two and two-thirds (eight mentally), leaned on the edge of her bed, smiling. “Always!”
Professor Gerald entered shortly with their lesson for the day- exponentials for Maria and multiplying fractions for Shadow- and began to teach.
As Shadow worked on his problems later, the professor’s voice going on in the background as he spoke to his granddaughter, he began to notice his fingers trembling. Weird.
The longer he worked, the more it spread, until his fur was bristling and his whole body shook occasionally. But he was the Ultimate Lifeform! He was made to be tough!
So he kept on going.
Eventually, his breath began to come short and his teeth clicked together. He accidentally dropped his pencil, his fingers trembling too much to hold it.
Maria noticed.
“Shadow, are you alright?” she asked. “Come here for a second…”
He walked over, trying to keep his legs from shaking and failing miserably. She reached out to touch his arm, but gasped as soon as she felt his fur.
“Maria!” he cried out, worried. “Maria, what’s wrong?”
“You’re freezing, Shadow! Come here…”
She pulled him onto the bed next to her, the warm quilt on it keeping her from struggling as Shadow had.
He let out an involuntary sigh as warmth began to flood his body, melting away the shudders and allowing his breathing to return to normal.
“Strange…” the professor had said, after getting Shadow a warm jacket to wear. “This was unexpected- I didn’t think it was so cold! I know the temperature on the space station is meant to simulate wintertime inside on Earth, but it’s only an indoor climate.” He’d later discovered that Shadow’s DNA predisposed him to get cold easily.
Or as Rouge put it: “You’re half lizard, hon. I’m honestly surprised you don’t spend all day lying on hot rocks when it’s cold.”
That event had led to a lifelong hatred of Space Colony ARK’s air conditioning (and several heated glares at the ventilation system for Maria’s benefit).
And then…
Shadow remembered what it felt like to have ice cover his body. When he’d woken up from his frozen sleep, he’d been filled with a chill he just couldn’t shake.
He’d been able to ignore it in his quest for revenge, but from then until he finally went Super, he had struggled to become warm, even in the tropical heat of the jungle. A cold sensation had settled in his very bones.
But now, he no longer felt frozen inside, and the cold was just an irritation, albeit a slightly more emotionally charged one.
Wasn’t everything.
Rouge and Omega had both been incredibly understanding, though. The bat had never made him go outside when it was cold, and she often dumped armfuls of blankets on him at random moments. (He appreciated it more than he let on.) The E-series robot was more subtle in his support, doing things like handing Shadow an extra scarf before he left their house or silently placing a mug of hot chocolate next to him when he shivered.
And now, they were standing in front of him, having packed all of these clothes for his benefit.
Somehow, Shadow couldn’t find it in himself to complain.
“No,” he sighed, “I suppose I don’t.”
“Alright, guys, let’s go!” Rouge practically dragged them out the door, pushing Shadow up onto Omega’s shoulders and then flying up to grab his hands once they were outside.
“I will never comprehend how such a small being has the power to lift both myself and Shadow.” Omega commented as they took off.
“Lots of practice- hff- and weight training- hh- does the trick.” Rouge gasped, evidently straining to keep them in the air. “I’m- ngh- out of practice.”
“It’s fine, Rouge.” Shadow said, his voice muffled by the scarf. “Take your time.”
Eventually, they made it to a giant hill with an incredibly steep slope. As they trudged up to the top, the (relatively) small hedgehog began to notice just how very angled and high the incline was...
Shadow regretted everything. 
“Are you sure this is a good idea, Rouge?” he asked, watching as Omega lay down on what would have been his chest to be the actual sled.
“Of course, hon! It’s going to be great!”
“Uh…” the hedgehog muttered nervously, even as he allowed Rouge to pull him onto the robot’s back. “I…”
“Alright let’s go.” Omega said quickly, firing his rocket boosters.
Rouge whooped and Shadow (to his eternal shame) screamed as they blasted down the hill at top speed, flying across a patch of ice at the bottom and skidding to a stop several yards away. Panting heavily from his adrenaline rush, Shadow fought to get his thoughts in order. “That...that was….”
“Awesome!” Rouge shouted. “We’re doing that again!”
“...alright?” Shadow agreed. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice, but it was a little fun.
The next time, Rouge tried lying down and yelled the whole way- not being able to see where you were going made things a lot more scary. Omega tried carrying them up to the top of the hill as well, completely eliminating the usual grind of dragging a sled up the slope that came with this activity. Shadow got into it eventually, clearly enjoying himself despite the fact that he never quite yelled like Rouge as they careened wildly downhill.
Eventually, Rouge convinced Shadow to try lying down as well. “Don’t worry, hon, I’ll hang onto you and make sure nothing bad happens.” she reassured him.
“Okay...okay. Just make sure you hold on tight.” Shadow groaned, clinging to Omega with enough force to strain his fingers.
They blasted off down the hill and Shadow shouted in surprise- this was so much more intense! He felt every bump and jolt all the way down, but it was all fun.
Until Rouge yelled, “Omega! Tree!!”
Shadow gasped, startled. There was a tree and it was coming up-!
Omega fired his left booster, spinning them far away from the tree. Unfortunately, that meant spinning literally, as he’d majorly overcompensated for the potential collision. Whirling around in a circle, both Shadow and Rouge were thrown off. The bat managed to catch herself mid-air with her wings, but the shaken hedgehog wasn’t quite as lucky.
Shadow’s vision went completely white. For a moment, he feared he’d hit his head- but it was only snow. He sighed in relief.
That feeling didn’t last long, though, as he felt the cold begin to seep in from all sides. Panic wormed its way into his chest- and then when he tried to move, he could only push helplessly against the lightly packed material.
Calm down. It’s only snow. Rouge and Omega will be here any minute now.
He took a deep breath.
And another.
And then Omega was there, clasping his hand to pull him out of the snow, and Rouge was sitting on his shoulder, looking worried but pleased to see him alright. 
“I’m so sorry, hon, I didn’t mean for that to happen…” she said sympathetically.
“Neither did I.” Omega added, and Shadow noticed that the robot wasn’t quite looking him in the eye.
The cold was quickly banished with yet another reminder of just how much his friends cared. “It’s fine. I just…” He looked away, a little embarrassed. “I did what the therapist told me to do and just breathed, and waited for you.”
“Awww, that’s good, hon! Tolja therapy’d help somehow.” Rouge smirked at him, but it was all warmth and kindness underneath.
Shadow shuffled awkwardly in the snow. “It seems that way...I’ve decided to keep going with it, after all.”
“Excellent.” Omega said, and Shadow felt even better. “Now we should get back. Shadow appears to require the immediate application of blankets and hot cocoa.”
The snowy, slushy hedgehog was not in the mood to protest, and simply said, “Yes. Now.”
...
Two pairs of red eyes narrowed in a face-off. It had taken their owners over an hour to get to this point- the final competition. The winner of this match would be crowned champion.
About half of Rouge’s family watched, holding their breath as Shadow opened his mouth to speak.
“E-4.”
“Miss.”
“Dammit!”
Shadow didn’t care one bit who might hear him swear right now, his teeth gritted and mind racing a mile a minute. He was supposed to be good at tactics and strategy, yet here he was losing at Warboat. Badly.
Three of his ships, covered in red markers, lay slain off to one side. Meanwhile, Omega had only lost one and a half of his. Accursed computer processors.
The hedgehog was certain that Omega would have a gigantic grin on his face, if it were possible for him to produce one. As it was, he stared constantly at Shadow, even as he moved his markers around.
“C-6.”
Shadow felt relief flood his very soul. “Miss.”
It didn’t take long for Shadow’s fourth ship to get knocked out, even as he still searched for Omega’s third. He was getting trounced, and he knew it. Yet still, somehow, he had a shred of hope.
But then, two rounds later, he snarled furiously when Omega switched his LED eyes from full circles to half-moons- an evident hint at a smile.
“H-2.”
Shadow’s stomach dropped. “No!”
“Yes.” the robot said proudly, before planting a red marker on his board. 
The hedgehog began to search frantically for Omega’s ship, his moves becoming increasingly random and less thought-out as imminent destruction closed in.
Finally, something happened. “A-1.”, he muttered, resigned to his painful end.
“...hit.”
“Yessss.” Shadow hissed, somehow feeling triumph despite his imminent defeat. 
“Yay.” Rouge remarked dryly from the spectating area. “Consolation prize.”
“Shut uuup.” he whined petulantly, before realizing how very relaxed his demeanor had become. Straightening his back and smoothing down his quills, he allowed that familiar blank expression to settle back into place. “No distracting the players, please.” he added coolly.
Was it him, or was that a flash of...disappointment he caught from her?
Anyhow, he lost on the very next turn. Grumbling quietly, he went to sit down on a couch as Omega partied loudly with all of the children, blasting up-tempo dance music from his speakers.
It was one of the children (such sweet little kids, some of them were) who suggested that they make trophies. Pulling out cardboard and paper to draw on, they quickly made little certificates and gold, silver and bronze medals. One parent found some ribbon to thread through a punched-out hole, and then the little ones all scrambled to set up a proper ceremony “like on TV”.
As Shadow bent down to receive his handmade medal and crayon certificate, he knew without a doubt that this was being saved. For good.
Later, Shadow was relaxing in his bedroom when Rouge’s mother walked in, Omega following behind her.
“Oh, good, I’ve found you!” she said, her voice bright as always, but...off, this time. “Would you mind coming with me for a minute?”
As Shadow followed her out of the room, exchanging bewildered looks with Omega, he realized what the strange tone was.
Her voice was brittle. Fragile. As though it might break if one of them spoke wrong.
They entered a different room, one high up and far away from the rest of the party. Rouge’s mother stood in front of them for a moment, pulling at her sweater before deciding to sit down. She looked at her gloves for a moment, clearly thinking…
And then promptly burst into tears.
The two were incredibly startled at this, and despite both being relatively...emotionally inexperienced, they gathered around her to try and help. 
“Uh...I...is something wrong?” Shadow asked, immediately kicking himself mentally. Of course something’s wrong, people don’t cry if everything’s perfectly fine!
Omega, thankfully, got straight to the point. “What is it?”
“It’s...no, no, it was...Rouge.” the bat said, her voice sounding choked.
“Rouge?!” Shadow’s quills bristled. “What happened?”
“She...when Rouge came back. From her two years, you know, away-”
Shadow and Omega did know, now.
“-she came to the party two years ago, and she was different. She was cold, and distant, didn’t talk, and only laughed a- at people, not with them.”
Rouge? Cold and distant?!
“She wouldn’t talk to anybody about her life- the only reason I even knew she worked for G.U.N. was the logo on the paychecks she sent. When she stopped sending those, after I told her the news about Camellia- she took that well enough, but after that...I heard nothing. Nothing, for almost ten months.”
Omega’s eyes were wide, and Shadow was sure his own were as well.
“A-and then one day, she called me up. Her voice was different. Warmer. Happier. She apologized for her silence, and said she’d been in a bad place. I blamed myself, and accepted her apology, of course. She had to grow up so young, do so much all by herself… and she paid the price for it...for a while.
“And then I happened to look at an old article a couple weeks later, and I realized why she was better- and I couldn’t believe I’d missed it. My baby girl, in the news! And of all the things...fighting a world-renowned supervillain alongside the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog!
“But that wasn’t why she was better. No, when I started searching the internet frantically and saw her perched on the shoulder of a massive black and red robot, laughing uproariously- when I finally worked up the courage to go to her social media pages and saw, not darkness and pain, but her with an arm slung tightly around a young striped hedgehog, flashing the biggest smile I’d seen in years, I knew.”
Shadow’s hands were jittery and he really wished his heart would stop beating so loudly.
“It was both of you. I never found out the specifics as to how she met you two- I hope she’ll tell me the story someday- but you saved her from all of it. She had coworkers, sure, some nicer than others, but you gave her friends, and ones who understood her position at that.
“And this year- getting into a snowball fight! Telling silly stories at the dinner table! She would never have done that last year, mark my words.”
Rouge’s mother was smiling broadly through her tears now, looking at both of them. She reached out and hugged Omega, tightly but quickly, and did the same for Shadow, leaving him dumbfounded. “Just- I-
“Thank you.”
Shadow sat there for a minute, unable to do anything other than keep a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, though, he noticed some movement by the door, and spun around to see Rouge standing there, absolutely silent as mascara-filled tears streamed down her face. Her hand was clamped over her mouth, presumably to keep from making any noise. 
“Rouge?” her mother asked, startled.
“Mooommmmm….” she whined, her own voice sounding tight- and then she rushed across the room and into her mother’s arms. “I love you, Mom.”
Shadow tried very hard to ignore the burning sensation just behind his eyes.
“You’re right. About, like, all of it.” Rouge said quietly, once she was finished crying with her mom. “Nothing here mattered to me when I was out there every day being, basically a soldier, y’know?”
She sighed, wiping more tears from the corners of her eyes, and stood up. “I think now’s a good time to say something that I’ve been thinking about for a while. Sorry if it isn’t perfect-” she laughed thickly- “I’m not exactly in the best state right now.”
Rouge’s mother smiled at her. “I’ll give you three some privacy, then.” she said gently, closing the door on her way out.
After she left, the younger bat resumed her impromptu speech. “Okay. Omega....chaos. Omega. Ohhh man.” She pointed at him. “That day? When you busted out of heckin’ nowhere and started blasting your machine guns like mad? O-one of the best days of my life. Wanna know why? I met you.”
Omega looked very fixedly at a point on the wall behind her.
“You literally carry me places. You crush our enemies with your epic missiles and fists of steel. You helped me prank Knuckles so bad he was checking everywhere for traps for the next week. You’re so fun and I just. You. Awesome. I can’t explain it properly right now but hopefully I’ll get to do a lot more of that later. You’re the best ever.”
“I…” Omega sounded like he was at a loss for words. “I am...honestly extremely flattered by this statement. I will continue to carry you places and destroy all who oppose us.”
“Awesome.” Rouge grinned.
“Aaaand Shadow.” She wheeled to face him, and the hedgehog in question attempted to mentally prepare himself and failed horribly. “You. You are so cool there are no words to describe it. And I don’t mean because you own a motorbike or you dress in all black or any of that stuff. 
“I mean because like half the people who’ve been important in your life so far have been trying to kick the ever-loving hell out of you...and yet you get up each and every single time they do it and win. Honestly...I’m proud to know you, Shadow. And I hope you know that if you need me, for anything ever, know that I will give up the Master Emerald in a hot second to help.
“So yeah. And you’re the first guy I’ve ever met who’s actually willing to talk makeup- let alone likes it. The one who tries all the new restaurants with me. And the only person I will ever know who can somehow handle going to the mall with me more than once in a week.” Rouge finished with a smirk. “I guess you really are Ultimate.”
Everyone in the room who had tear ducts was currently using them. A lot.
Shadow sniffed furiously and wiped tears from his eyes. “Th- thank you…” He cursed internally as his voice betrayed him.
“Oh yeah, get ready for more.” Rouge warned him. “There’s more.”
The hybrid’s throat tightened in response.
“You know how I said, before we came here, that you guys meant as much to me as my real family?”
“Yes?” Omega asked, his voice sounding a little quieter than usual.
“To heck with that. You guys don’t have to, like, change anything because of this, but you are my family. You’re both my real family. As real as Mom is.” Rouge said, her words shaky yet determined. 
Shadow felt as though he’d just been struck by a bolt of lightning. Dazed, he swayed slightly, clinging to the edge of his seat. 
Family?
Is...is Rouge...is Omega….
He began to hyperventilate just thinking about it, just considering that after all he’d been through, after everything he’d lived through- at the end of it all, waiting for him, right now, was a--
“Shadow. Shadow, hold your breath.” Omega reminded him, and he shut his mouth and clasped his hands tightly for a minute. 
A family? My family?!
“I- yes. Please. Yes. Family sounds good.” Shadow managed to stammer.
“Well, then!” Rouge said, looking pleased. “Now I get to assume the official Big Sister duties of kicking anyone who dares look at you wrong and buying you food.”
Shadow blushed a little. “Rouge. I don’t need protecting like that...”
“I know, but since when’s that going to stop me?” she asked. “And don’t start complaining- being the baby brother’s the good life, from what I’ve heard.”
A fresh wave of tears poured down his face at the words ‘baby brother’. 
Of course, that was when Omega decided to go completely off the rails. “Am I the middle sibling or the youngest?”
Shadow and Rouge stared at him for a second. Then they both started laughing wildly, the toll of the various emotional highs and lows hitting them all at once. 
“M-middle one.” Rouge gasped out eventually. “Definitely, the attention-seeking middle sibling.”
Omega made angry eyes for a second, but reconsidered. “Fine. That...yes, that works.”
“Family group hug?” Rouge suggested, smiling warmly at them both.
Shadow nodded weakly. “F-family group hug.”
Omega picked them both up and held them tightly. “You both will always be my favorite organic beings.”
“Thanks, Omega.” Rouge said, squeezing them both a little tighter.
A couple of hours later, Shadow was pulled out of his room for the third time in two days, again by Rouge’s mother. “Sorry to bother you, honey, I just wondered...would you mind giving us a hand with dinner? You were such a great help with breakfast that Cami and I had hoped....”
Curse you, Rouge.
So now he was in the kitchen. Again.
Only things were very different this time. Now, there were about ten people in there, all rushing around in some complicated pattern and carrying hot, cold, cooked, uncooked, and various other kinds of dishes all over without running into each other.
Somehow. 
Shadow, despite feeling very overwhelmed and (strangely) underqualified, took one step into the fray- and immediately jumped several feet straight back as he was nearly mowed down by one of Rouge’s auncles rushing past with some sort of casserole.
“Sorry, kiddo!” they yelled over their shoulder, handing off the dish to someone else before sprinting back across the kitchen. Seconds later, another relative vaulted over the island in the middle of the room to get to the sink as quickly as possible, while carrying a semi-full plate that he somehow managed to keep steady.
The hybrid suddenly remembered several battles and sparring matches that he’d participated in. This...actually looked a lot like those.
He locked eyes with Rouge’s stepmother. She didn’t have time to say anything to him, instead just tilting her head in one direction. Shadow’s eyes snapped to a frying pan left unattended and knew what he had to do.
He took a running start and launched himself clear over several people’s heads before sticking the landing right in front of the pan. Several people applauded, and one person- the vaulting relative from earlier- frowned, having been severely upstaged.
So it was a competition, then?
Shadow looked directly at him and smiled like a feral shark.
...
The wild food preparation/parkour show finished with several people throwing the food to each other across the room like in a musical (Shadow thanked his lucky stars that he’d caught his- it was made of glass), and he decided it only existed because Rouge’s family was extremely over-the-top.
Immediately following that, everyone gathered around for another large dinner, during which Shadow only ate a little. And after too many more embarrassing stories, everyone gathered into a room to watch one of those cheesy Wintersweek romance movies that always came out in droves at this time of year.
Shadow said that they were all incredibly cookie-cutter style stories, each one following the exact same plot. Rouge claimed they were uplifting, fun stories and that she didn’t care if they were all the same. Omega liked to categorize all of the things that were wrong with them, so he was willing to sit with Rouge as she watched them.
The hybrid had scoffed cynically and walked away, filling the kitchen sink with water in the next room over and making a big deal out of clattering the plates around that he planned to wash.
Romance movies were so overrated.
Shadow could still see the screen through the doorway (not that he wanted to), and despite his wishes, the movie kept distracting him. He couldn’t stop himself from looking up to see what was going on.
It appeared to be a classic enemies to lovers story, as currently the shy young woman with a rock band shirt- who also happened to be the main star (cliche alert)- was glowering furiously at the trendy, popular blonde movie star. Who was, of course, berating the main character for her poor customer service.
At a coffee shop.
Shadow sighed loudly.
And of course, just as he’d suspected (he wasn’t paying that much attention to the movie all these films were the same really) they both ended up competing. In a Wintersweek cooking competition.
The movie star was confident she would win. Her film crew was ever-present, taking all the best shots of her as she ‘worked’.
Obviously, the main character was determined to beat her through hard work and skill. She was fully prepared to show this star just who she was dealing with…
...and all that and so on. Shadow rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the soapy water.
And then (this movie was like every single other one!!) their partners both came down with an illness that wiped out several other competitors as well. So naturally they were forced to work together. And of course they worked well, too.
(Shadow had stopped working on the dishes by now. Somewhere around here, he’d forgotten to look away.)
By the time these two had begun to look past each other’s flaws and see the real person beneath them, his eyes were riveted to the screen. It was still bad, he told himself, even as he watched every move they made. It was still bad.
They were working together now, smiling slowly and talking quickly and sometimes, occasionally, laughing. The obligatory hands-touching-by- accident scene happened. The two looked into each other’s eyes.
Shadow couldn’t decide how he felt anymore. Confusing emotions swirled inside him.
The kiss scene. (He saw it coming a mile away.)
The awkwardness. (Just to build up the tension.)
Their lips meet. (And a little voice deep down inside Shadow whispers…
 ...that feels right.)
The hybrid didn’t move a muscle for the next several minutes of the movie, refusing to miss a moment.
The couple won the competition. Of course, he thought, some form of rational thought returning to him. That was to be expected.
As the movie ended on their celebratory kiss, Shadow began, strangely, to feel as though someone had just punched him in the chest. When the credits rolled, he left, walking away from the movie, trying to get rid of this strange sensation.
He heard the click of Rouge’s high heels follow a minute after. And then the stomp of Omega’s ironclad steps.
Folding his arms, he tried to project an I-don’t-care attitude. Unfortunately for him, Rouge and Omega could a) tell that he was projecting said attitude and b) figured out quickly what he was really thinking. Curses.
“Was it the movie?” Omega asked bluntly.
The only acknowledgment Shadow gave was a slight twitch of his shoulders up and down.
“Did you hate it?” Rouge questioned.
Again, just a twitch of the shoulders.
They both studied him for a second.
“No…” the bat whispered, her teal-shadowed eyes widening. “No, you liked it! You liked it!”
“I did not!” Shadow spat furiously, more venom than he’d intended finding its way into his voice.
“You did.” Omega said. It wasn’t a question.
“I mean…” he sighed, looking away. “Let’s not talk about it, okay?”
“Come on, Shadow…” Rouge said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
“Please?” Omega asked.
The hybrid groaned. “I...it was just- it wasn’t good, are we clear? It was just sappy. But. If you insist. I suppose...romance...argh. I can’t say it!”
“It’s okay, hon, just be patient.” Rouge said soothingly.
“Ugh...I mean...I’ve never dated someone before. Is it...really that nice?” Shadow muttered. His eyes narrowed, daring them to taunt him.
Omega looked at him, curiosity sparking in his eyes. “You want to date someone?”
“Wh-no, not like that! I- I mean...not just anyone…” he sputtered.
“So you’ve got someone in mind, then?” Rouge smirked at him, raising a brow.
“No!” he snapped, his eyes wide. “I- just meant- promise me you’ll never set me up on a blind date, are we clear?”
“Promise.” she said. “And I’m not crossing my fingers, either.” The bat waved both of them in front of her to demonstrate.
“However, we will force you to converse with others at future social events.” Omega declared. “I have heard that this is the first step in a successful relationship.” 
Shadow scowled, but without any real heat. “Don’t you dare.”
Rouge giggled. “No more sulking edgily in the corner for you, emo-hog!”
He groaned. “Are you both turning against me? Really?”
“Of course we are.” Omega remarked. “That is exactly what family is for.”
“I don’t know whether to feel flattered or irritated.” Shadow grumbled.
“Flattered. Definitely~.” Rouge quipped with a wink.
“Ugh. Well, I’m going to bed now. I’ve had enough of this nonsense.” he sighed, stalking out of the room.
“Aw, come on, Shadow!” the bat said teasingly. “Don’t you want to watch the sequel?”
The hybrid spun around so fast his quills nearly sliced up the doorway. “I’m sorry, the what now?”
“The sequel.” Omega repeated flatly. “You know you do.”
He hesitated.
“Fine.” Shadow growled through gritted teeth, his hands occasionally clenching into fists. “But only if I get to run commentary with Omega.”
“Sounds fair!” Rouge chirped, flying off with the other two right behind her.
As they walked away, Shadow in the back, he allowed himself a small, secret smile. They truly cared about him, and he knew they only wanted to see him happy. The teasing was all their way of showing affection. His eyes began to glimmer softly with a faint hint of happiness as fond thoughts and memories drifted through his mind. One sentence, though, stood out above all the rest.
I love my family.
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