#I’ve giggling at this dang drawing of him for an hour now | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

percywinchester27 · 3 years

Text

A lot like ‘Us’ (Part-34)

Word count: 3.4K

Pairing: Sam X Reader AU

Warnings: Feels, fluff

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is eager and honestly, still in awe that she managed to get herself an acceptance from Stanford Law School. On the face of it, her life seems as put together, mysterious and independent as one might hope for. On the insides, she carries the burden of past that haunts her till date. Seemingly, she’d left it all behind; that is until she sets foot in the class of the Law School’s youngest, most promising professor.

A/N: The story employs two different timelines. The present timeline for the story takes place in 2014. Please let me know what you guys think :)

Beta: @deanssweetheart23. I love you so much, darling <3

A lot like ‘Us’ masterlist

The rest of the week was hard.

There were things you wanted to do and then things that you had to do. Unfortunately for you, the Venn diagram of those two things were two circles that did not touch.

Normally, you loved your job, you loved studying and your classes. But sitting through Sam’s class was becoming a new, different type of torture. The pretension was wearing you down. You could see it grating him, too. You rarely spoke up in his class now, trying not to draw attention, neither did he call upon you like he did with other students.

The library was still your second home, though, thanks to the untimely desertion of the other odd shifts librarian, you were left to run double shifts. Molly was sorry about it, but she didn’t have a solution for you, not until she had a new hire. That meant you were stuck in the library all the time. The guys in the apartment were starting to miss you. Kevin came over one evening to inform you everything sucked when you weren’t around. His face had made you hug him.

As for you? Without the free evenings, you couldn’t go over to see Max. You missed him terribly and it would do no good to whine about that to Sam, since you were still unsure about how he would take your excessive attachment to his son.

Not that you didn't have the chance to talk to Sam. After Sam put Max to bed, each night he’d call. You would sit in the alcove of the library widow and talk to him for hours- about the day, the classes and everything under the sun. Sam told you about the cases he was working on, the judges he really disliked and the girl Chase was chasing. Sam thought he was named aptly. He was also your faithful informant about Max. Apparently the playground bullies were back at it with the mean words. You blurted out loud how you wanted to punch the kids and Sam piled on top of that. Cheerful conversations about shaking kids followed.

It felt so juvenile to talk with him over the phone, like when he worked in New York and you were stuck in Lawrence, but not quite. Now, it was exciting to imagine him blushing on the other end when you accidentally said something complementary. Or if a student decided to stay in the library late night, you had to giggle in hushed voices so they wouldn’t overhear your conversations. The thrill of it was exciting. Those few hours had become the highlight of your day.

So, when Madison asked you what you were smiling about in the last lecture on Friday, you had to make up a reason. You couldn’t very well tell her that the bruise Sam was sporting on his cheek was because Max outran him on the basketball court and Sam slipped and fell.

“Just thinking of something funny.”

“Wouldn’t have to do with the green eyed hottie from Monday, would it?” Madison wiggled her eyebrows.

“Who, Dean?” You burst out laughing. “Maddie! He’s married to my sister.”

She laughed with you, face apologetic. “Dang! He’s really hot. Is it bad that I’m sorry he is married?”

“Definitely not,” you giggled. The good old Winchester genes had caused many casualties.

On the dais below, Sam collected his things.

“Ooohh, Professor Winchester is heading out. I better catch him before he leaves. You wanna come? Talk about the assignment?”

“No, you go on.” Sam had given you a run down of the assignment last night. You wanted to pout that he was right. You could have done better.

“Still awkward about the whole drowning thing, huh?”

You looked away, not wanting to remember the pool.

Madison wasn’t paying attention. “You were… I don’t know, delirious. You kept calling him by his name and…” Madison looked at you warily. She did not complete the sentence.

“Y/N saw the opportunity and took it,” said Rebecca from the next row. “I would sell my soul to be lifted like that.”

You slung your bag around your shoulders and made a move to get up. For all you cared, Rebecca could get hit by a truck. Not only were you furious at her for planning that prank with Brad, it made you feel murderous when she objectified Sam like that, reducing him to some greasy creep of a professor. It was insulting.

“Wait up now, sweetie!” She came up from behind. “Don’t act so prissy now. We all know you’re not as innocent as you make yourself out to be.”

“Excuse me?”

“You think I’m blind? To not see how you’re playing with all these men to get what you want? First, you have Brad panting after you, so you get the attention? Then you’re dancing with some random blue eyed man at the induction dance. The very next day you’re swaying in the arms of Chase Lincoln of all people. The moment you touch the pool water, somehow Sam Winchester is miraculously saving you… and two days later you’re crying like a damsel in distress in the arms of yet another man!” She was counting off her fingers. “And people call me slutty! I’m going to find out what your secret is, Y/N. Because I know you have one! And when I do...”

“You know what, Rebecca?” You said as calmly as you could. “Why don’t you go screw yourself.”

With that you headed straight for the library. When Madison caught up with you, her face was red. “Can’t believe I was ever friends with that hag! Gave her piece of my mind.”

“Madison, you should catch professor Winchester before he leaves. I’ll be okay.”

She assessed your words against your expression, then nodded and left.

You wanted to be by yourself.

Thankfully, cataloging was time-consuming and tedious. It took your mind off of Rebecca’s awful words. For the life of you, you couldn’t understand why she was so mean to you.

“Excuse me, miss, can I borrow this book?” Enquired a sweet voice.

You dropped the marker in your hand and looked up. Max was standing beyond the desk, a huge grin on his face. You gave a little yelp of your own and hurried from behind the counter to throw your arms around him, kissing him on his cheek.

“Gosh, I’ve been dying to meet you,” you said, pulling back to look at him.

He was wearing a plaid shirt over a small faded t-shirt and jeans. Such a mini-Sam. You couldn’t resist the urge to lean over and kiss his other cheek.

Max started blushing, looking down at his shoes.

“What’re you doing here?” You asked, leading him to one of the benches.

“Alex broke her arm last night. She couldn’t come over today. Dad’s got work. He asked me to hang out here.”

“Oh, no, is Alex okay?”

Max snickered. “Yeah. She was trying to sneak out for a party and fell out of the window.”

You pursed your lips trying not to laugh with him. “Poor girl.”

“Aunt Jody’s super-mad!” He added and you couldn’t help the giggle that burst through your lips.

“Max, is that you?” Molly asked, sticking her head from behind the shelves. “Darn kid! It’s been ages. Where did you run off to?”

“Mechanics camp!” He told her. “I know where an engine goes now. And how to hot-wire a car.”

“They taught you that at the camp?” You asked, skeptic.

“No, uncle Dean did.”

This time you laughed in earnest.

“You know Max?” Molly frowned.

You nodded. “Remember my little friend I told you about?”

“The one you were holding a bake sale for?”

“Yep, he’s the one.”

Molly put her hand to her lips. “Well, no shit! Do you know who his father is?”

You and Max immediately looked at each other, confirming your secret with a tiniest of nods.

“He’s Sam’s boy, this cute little nugget here.” Molly pulled his cheek. To Max’s credit, he didn’t rub his cheek afterwards.

Which reminded you. “You wait right here, Max. I’ll be back in a minute.” You quickly found the stash of cookies you were saving for tonight's dinner and hurried back to him. Eating at the library wasn’t allowed, but Max was an exception to every rule. “Cookies for you. I know these are your favourite.”

Max’s entire face lit up. True to his nature, he offered you one before digging in. You watched as he took a few bites, sneaking looks to the book he was holding- Adventures of Sinbad.

“I read one of those when I was kid. It had a monster bird that carried Sinbad away to its nest.”

“Oh, the Roc! That one’s my favorite!” Max clapped his hand and the cookies clattered to the floor.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, trying to pick up the bag.

You stopped him with a gentle nudge. “Let me.” After cleaning the cookie crumbs from the carpet, you unwound the scarf from around your neck and used it to clean the crumbs stuck to Max’s mouth and shirt, fussing over getting it all away.

When you made him stand up to clean the hem of his pants, you noticed Sam standing behind you, arms crossed over his chest. He had a peculiar expression on his face- tender but also guarded.

“You’re not supposed to eat the library, young man!” Sam tried for stern, but ended up sounding amused.

You straightened up. “I make the rules here. Max can do whatever he wants.”

Max gave Sam a smug look, before running to him. In a motion that must have been more of less a reflex, Sam reached out and hefted Max up in his arms.

“Look, what I found!” Max showed him the book.

Sam made a face. “Sinbad again? That sixth voyage was lame.”

“I wanna find out how it ends. There’s only one adventure left!”

“Alright, but this is the last of Arabian tales for the year. I get second hand sea-sickness just reading about it. I’m starting to miss Charlie and the chocolate factory.”

“You hated Charlie and the chocolate factory!”

Sam smirked. “You’re this close to getting my point.”

Max turned the book over. “We’re out of authors,” he told you.

The words shook you out of your quiet and you smoothened your expression. The scene before you was making your throat close up. You had never seen them together before. Max’s entire body language changed- his shoulders relaxed and he became less polite… just a bit more demanding, the way a child should be. Sam on the other hand radiated contentment. His voice changed, becoming softer, loving when he spoke to Max. You were sure you had been staring at them hungrily as if you couldn’t get enough of the interaction.

“Any suggestions?” Sam asked, tone still mild.

“T-Tolkein,” you stuttered. “You should try The Hobbit.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Elven songs. Wonderful.”

Molly came over to greet Sam and you excused yourself to go back to the desk and take a stock of the emotions coursing through you. At any point it could get too much and you didn't want either of them to see that.

On their way out, Max waved at you. “Bye, Y/N!”

“Bye, Max.” You blew him a kiss. “You turned my day around, bud!”

There were too many people in the vicinity, so when it came to Sam, you nodded. “Professor.”

He mirrored your gesture. “Ms. Y/L/N.” And with a look full of promise of later, he walked away. You waved at Max till he was out of sight.

“Such a lovely boy,” Molly sighed. “Horrendous business what happened to him.”

“Yeah.” You cut the topic short, still unable to think of Max’s past without feeling faint. Thinking about it was so hard for you, Max had lived through it.

Molly was in no mood to change the subject.

“Sam’s an amazing guy to give up the lawyer life and settle down here for that kid.”

You narrowed your eyes. “What do you mean?”

Molly threw out her hands, slightly embarrassed. “It’s Sam’s personal choice and all that, but he had a solid career in LA. After that Simmons affair blew up in the media, he could’ve stuck around and bagged A-list celebrities as clients. He moved out to this place for Max’s sake- so there was some normalcy and stability in his life. Then, again, Sam’s had his share of downs.”

Your back felt like ice, knowing what was coming.

“I’m not supposed to talk about it but it’s just you.” Molly leaned in closer. “Did you know his wife left him?”

She must have interpreted whatever your face showed as shock, because Molly continued. “Don’t know much about the whole thing. I heard bits and parts from the grape wine. Some girl he met in Kansas straight out of Yale. Took a plunge in a couple of months and this girl bolted not even a year into the marriage. Can you believe that? I mean, look at him… What the fuck was she looking for that he didn’t have!”

You could taste the blood by biting into your lip too hard.

“Never heard of him dating anyone since. I think he’s still in love with her.” Molly whistled. “At least they have each other- Max and Sam. That kid spends a lot of time here. You’ll keep finding reasons to feed your little friend cookies.” Molly flashed you a grin. You couldn’t quite return it.

It was past twelve when your phone rang. You’d just locked the library behind you and had given up on all hopes of the call.

You hurried to pick it up.

“Hey,” Sam breathed. “Sorry it took me so long.”

“It’s alright,” you sighed in relief at the sound of his voice. The sinking feeling in your stomach since the talk with Molly began to dissipate.

“It’s your fault really,” Sam said. “Max liked The Hobbit too much and went to bed real late. How am I supposed to wake him in time for his class tomorrow?”

His concerns were so normal, comfortingly mundane. Sam made it sound so easy, when in fact, all this must have been so hard. One time you heard someone say a mean thing about Sam’s wife and it had you rankled. Sam must’ve lived through years of whispers, stories and ugly rumours. He must’ve had to defend his choice of staying committed so many times. Hadn’t the words shred his heart?

“Y/N? Everything okay?”

You cleared your throat. “Uh it’s just… it’s good to hear your voice.��

He was immediately on alert. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Weird day.”

“Where are you?”

You looked about your dark surroundings. “Crossing the playground, almost to my building.”

“Do you want to come over?” He asked, voice hopeful but unsure. “We can sit in the front lawn if you want.”

You made an impulse decision. “Yeah okay.”

Ten minutes later you were sitting on one of Max’s swings. Your tan sweater wasn’t helping much as you shivered in the chill, waiting for Sam to show up. Weird how you made it before him. He lived right there!

Noiselessly the front door opened and closed. Sam walked briskly towards you. He was dressed in dark grey sweatpants and a black full sleeve t-shirt. In his hand he carried an afghan, a thermos and two mugs.

“Here,” he handed you the afghan. It was the same one that was wrapped around you on the night of the pool party. The memory brought blood to your face.

“We don’t have adult juice around here today, but we do have hot chocolate.” Grinning impishly, he tilted the thermos in your direction. He sat on the ground in front of you, carefully filling up the two mugs with the rich, brown liquid while you wrapped yourself in the Afghan.

Eagerly, you took a sip and moaned indecently.

“Good, isn’t it?” Sam chuckled.

This was very close to what heaven would feel like.

“So, what’s the deal, huh?” He asked after a few sips.

You hesitated, not wanting to admit what the real problem was. It would be the case of a teapot crying to a boiler.

“You know you can tell me things, right?” His voice was soft, beguiling.

“It’s something Molly said after you left.” You gave in, selfishly spilling it all.

Sam listened to the whole story, then shook his head at you in exasperation and beckoned you with his hand. You blinked a couple of times, then gave up and went in willingly.

What the hell, right?

Sam tucked his arms around your shoulder once you slid on the ground next to him.

“You and I, we know what the truth is,” he said. “How does it matter what anyone else says?”

“Is that what you told yourself all these years?” You asked in a small voice, unable to meet his eyes.

Sam sighed. “Why are you doing this to yourself, Y/N?”

“You didn’t answer me.”

His fingers curled around your shoulder over the afghan. “No, I didn’t have to tell myself anything. I knew I loved you. That was enough.”

“I don’t know if I can be as strong as you.”

“That’s because you’re so much stronger,” he said. “None of those people have lived your life, they don’t know what you’ve been through. I can bet my ass, they wouldn’t have made it out of half of it in one piece. It’s easy to judge.”

“That’s not my problem,” you argued. “I don’t care what they think about me. But I can’t stand how it makes you look!”

Sam surprised you by chuckling lightly. “You’re cute when you’re indignant. Especially on my behalf.”

“Quit making this into a joke, Sam.”

“I seriously don’t know what else to do.” He put a finger under your chin, tilting your face up. “Look at me. I’m the happiest I've been in years! Do you really think I give a rats ass about what anyone’s got to say about me? My personal life has never been anyone’s concern except mine and yours. The only other person who has any say in this is Max. And that kid doesn’t shut up about you.”

Sam’s eyes were scorching, melting against the night sky.

“Molly’s wonderful, and I know she has a soft spot for me. But by the end of the day, it's just gossip. There’s no substance to it. So will you please drop it?”

At long last you nodded.

“That’s like my Y/N.”

A rustle from the other side of Sam’s fence made you stiffen. The bushes behind the planks began to shake.

“What’s that?”

Sam shrugged. “Probably Alex sneaking out.”

You frowned at him. “Didn’t she break her arm doing exactly that?”

He snorted. “When has that stopped teenagers? It does make life a bit difficult. Jody’s grounded her. She can’t babysit Max for a while and I got work tomorrow.”

You saw Alex creeping on the sidewalk in front of the lawn. She saw the two of you huddled and froze like a deer caught in the headlight. Sam winked and waved a salute at her. After a minute she unfroze, returned the gesture and went off on her way.

“Why don’t you drop him off at the library in the morning? I’ll keep an eye on him. I’m covering the first shift.” You worked to not sound too excited.

“Yeah, that still doesn’t fix the afternoon. I won’t be back before four.”

“Easy. I’ll wait with him here.”

Sam looked at you, hazel eyes wondrous. “You’d do that?”

“Sure. I owe him a pie anyway.”

“You’re a lifesaver!” He exhaled. “Seriously, I could kiss you right now!”

All you had to do was look up. Sam was right there.

Another crash sounded over the fence, louder than the first, followed by a muted ‘ow.’ You saw lights flare up in what must be the living room. From somewhere inside you heard Jody curse. “Jesus fucking Christ! Claire, what’re you doing on the ground.”

“Why do you always have to catch me!” Claire whined in the darkness. “Alex just left!”

“What. The. Fuck!” Jody yelled. “Get in the fucking car! We’re going to find your sister.”

That did it for you as you buried your face in Sam’s chest, smothering the giggles. His arms wrapped tightly around you. Sam himself was shaking with silent laughter over you.

Yeah, this was pretty close to heaven.

*********************

A/N 2: Thank you for all the support over the last week.

Sam was right when he said- “You and I, we know what the truth is. How does it matter what anyone else says?”

I’m going to take his advice :)

If you want be tagged, you can send me an ask or add yourself to the taglist here.

Or here’s my side blog @percywinchester27-writes. You can give that blog a follow and turn the notifications on to know about updates.

ALLU taglist:

@gabavaldman @im-a-light-child @cosicas-cuquis @bllyjianne @hoboal87 @i-is-for-inspiring @daughterleftbehind @wackiekebab @mylovelydame21 @dancing-the-hellfire-rumba @superbadassnatural @babypink224221 @badlittlehabit99 @anathewierdo @sams-bubblegum-bitch @fandomoverdose666 @superstarmarvel @atc74 @aiofheavenandhell @rebel-author-chick @death-unbecomes-you @cookiechipdough @kbl1313 @linki-locks11 @miss-nerd95 @sunflowers-n-rocknroll @stoneyggirl @like-a-bag-of-potatoes @niyahgray @traceyaudette @blueaura @awfulmoons @waterlily502 @mrsbatesmotel53 @superblyscrumptiousdonut2 @spn-ficfanatic @threstalsaregood @shesnotmaria

#Sam winchester x reader #sam winchester fanfiction #sam winchester reader insert #sam x reader fluff #sam fluff #lawyer!sam #professor!sam #lawyer!sam x reader #professor!sam x reader #dad!sam #spn fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #anawrites #anawritesspn #Ana writes ALLU #allu 34 #q

97 notes · View notes

bbykpoper · 4 years

Photo

𝓑𝓵𝓾𝓮𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂 🦋

Inspired by this post 🌼

Pairing: swimcoach!seonghwa x artist!reader

Warning: sexual content further in the story, read at your own discretion!

Index: Jongho // Hongjoong // San // Yunho // Wooyoung // Mingi // Yeosang

･*:༅

The canvas was covered in smudges of blue paint as you stared at it from your spot on the floor. You were disgusted by your work, by the mere atempt at the whole thing. Your whole being screamed ‘lack-of-inspiration’ and you were fed up with this shit you were trying to achieve. A groan left your lips as your phone started to ring somewhere in the background.

“Hello?” You sounded much more composed than you actually were, seeing as anger was slowly taking over you.

“Hey, bad time?” The soft voice of your friend came through the phone.

“I don’t know...” You sighed, placing your paint brush on the ground. “I’m not exactly going anywhere with my work.” You looked up your canvas but disregarded it the moment you saw the frustration reflected on it. “Anyways, what’s up?”

“I need a favour.” You could hear the stress in his voice. “I forgot my swim bag at home...”

“How could you forget your swim bag?” You stood up and went over to the room next to yours and that’s when you noticed it. “You haven’t slept at home have you?”

“Maybe.” A silence passed over the speaker. “Can you bring it over please? I’m pretty sure Park will have my head either way, but I’d at least like to be prepared.”

“Sure Chan, but don’t come crying when JIhyo comes after you.” You giggled, grabbing the bag and slinging it over your shoulder. “Dang, this is heavy.”

“Sorry again.” He spoke now guilt lacing his words.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We’re friends. And I do need a break from just blindly throwing paint on my canvases.” You giggled along with him. “I’ll be over in an hour or so. I hope Park doesn’t kill you by then.”

“So do I.”

Your steps were quick down the stairs of your loft appartment which led to the small florist shop underneath it. You passed by Yeosang who greeted you with a smile and grabbed the pair of keys from the back room. Jihyo was currently serving a customer as you hurriedly ran past them.

“I’m borrowing your car for a short while.”

“Did Chan forget something again?” She asked while she prepared the bouquet for the customer.

“His swim bag.” And you left the store.

You’ve lived with your two best friends, the very scary yet beautiful florist Park Jihyo and forgetful playboy Bang Chan, since freshman year of college. You guys were well adults now, doing your own thing but still living together above Jihyo’s flower shop. Chan worked as an assistant swim coach at the local college swim team and he enjoyed his job drilling those poor students the best he could. Jihyo opened her flower shop during her last year of college and has been working there with Yeosang ever since. And you? You held art exhibitions from time to time, selling some paintings here and there.

The ride to the local college was uneventful as you parked the car and made your way towards the pool. Students stood around, some going to class, some studying in the soft breeze and others just casually chatting with each other. With a small smile you entered the pool area, squeaking in surprise when a group of girls shuffled passed you annoyed.

“Are you okay?” A voice spoke, pulling you out of the way so the girls wouldn’t stomp all over you. “Sorry about them, they get angry when I tell them to leave practice so that the boys can focus.”

“It’s okay. They surprised me is all.” You sighed, looking up at the blond man who helped you out. “Thanks Park.” You beamed up at him.

Park Seonghwa was the main coach for the college swim team and technically Chan’s boss. He was also friends with Yeosang and you’ve known him since college. He was a nice guy with you, sometimes holding danger in his eyes but overall he was just soft with you.

“What brings you here?” He asked as you two entered towards the pools.

“Chan forgot his swim bag.” You looked at the unamused expression Seonghwa had on his face from the corner of your eye and only giggled now fully facing him. “Don’t be too harsh on him. He’ll get a much more doom filled talk when he comes back home from Jihyo.”

“I sure do hope so. He’s really become irresponsible as of lately.” The blond muttered.

“He’s just going through some stuff.” You sighed noticing Chan sitting on the bleachers, his mind wandering. “I’ll just give him the bag and leave. I won’t hold up practice for you guys.”

You ran over to your friend, flicking his fore head to bring him back to the land of the living. He looked up at you and smiled, taking the bag off your shoulder and throwing it on the ground. He pulled out a pack of baby wipes and started gently rubbing off some paint you had on your cheek.

“You have baby wipes?” You asked, closing your eye so he doesn’t peck it out.

“Of course! I have to take care of my struggling artist.” He giggled with you. “Jihyo has some too in her bag for these exact reasons.”

“Thanks.” You nodded your head as Seonghwa joined you two.

“Get dressed Bang, I’m gonna need your help today more than so.” He said, his eyes not amused by the exchange of affection you two displayed.

“Yes sir!” He said and got up to go. “Thanks for bringing this over y/n.”

“No problem!” You yelled out after him as he waved goodbye to you.

“Are you guys like dating yet or not?” Seonghwa muttered out lowly but you still caugh on.

“You know Chan and I are just roommates. And he has this undying crush on Jihyo not me.” You sighed looking after his frame. “It’s sad that she now has a boyfrined and he’s alone, but at the same time it’s his own fault for not saying something to her on time.” You looked over at Seonghwa and shrugged your shoulders. “Love’s harsh in that way I guess.”

You turned to leave so that you won’t bother their job anymore and noticed how the boys in the pool looked to be having fun as they splashed each other. It made you smile when Seonghwa blew his whistle fiercly telling them to do a few laps to warm up. That whole picture gave you an idea but you couldn’t exactly place your finger on it.

Something was missing.

“Good luck Park.” You waved him goodbye and left.

･*:༅

Waiting in line for coffee at Sugarberry’s you and Jihyo chatted along your mind wandering a bit. You were scared for the upcoming days because you had a gallery show in about two months but only had half of the pieces done.

“You’re still struggling with your art?” Jihyo asks as she pays for your coffee.

“Yeah. I can’t seem to find inspiration anywhere...” You sigh and give her a thanks for your coffee. “I don’t even know where to look.”

“Well, the bookshop down the street has something like a poetry night. Maybe you’ll get inspired by some words?”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“What’s not a bad idea?” Chan suddenly grabbed you both by the shoulder, pulling you in for a bear hug.

“Poetry night.” Jihyo answered with a huff.

“Sounds boring.”

“I may find my inspiration there.” You giggled out. “Wanna come with?”

“Sorry y/n, but Daniel is coming back from his business trip so I’m going over to his house.” Jihyo apologised and you saw Chan’s mood darken a bit.

“What about you Chan?”

“Poetry ain’t for me.” He simply stated.

“Aww, I guess I’ll go alone.” You sighed trying to get the two with your puppy eyes. “Not working?”

“No, sorry.” Both answered.

From the corner of your eye you saw something blue fluttering around and your friends also turned to look at you at the same time. They followed your gaze and were also mesmerized with the creature floating around you suddenly.

“A blue butterfly?” You whispered out the quesiton as it landed on your head. “And it landed on me!”

“I’ve never seen a blue one before.” Jihyo commented.

“Where’d you come from little guy?” Chan brought his face close to your head.

“You’ll scare the butterfly away.” The waitress laughed as she came over to you three. “It’s a rare sight. Blue ones aren’t that common.”

“You know, they say that if you wish upon one it may come true.” She said with a smile. “You better make a wish before it flies off.”

As she left you looked up at the winged creature on your bangs and smiled, whispering out a small wish.

I wish to find inspiration again.

The butterfly flewed off in the direction of the exit of the outside terace of the caffe and you noticed Seonghwa walking in with two other boys. His eyes caught yours and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. He wasn’t expecting to see you all together. The small creature circled the blond man and disappeared into the skies. And in that moment it clicked to you. The inspiration was there for you all the time.

It was in Park Seonghwa.

“I see you still like Irish coffee.” He chuckled at your half dazed gaze at him.

“I haven’t stopped.” You laughed as his friends entered the shop. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” He stopped in his tracks.

“This may sound weird, but bear with me for a moment.” You sighed as your friends walked up a bit so they could let you talk to him in private. “I want to draw you, but like would you be willing to let me draw you?”

“I know it’s a weird request, but I finally found my inspiration in you.” You blushed at the last bit. “And I’d like to explore it fully if you’ll let me.”

“To draw me?” He thought for a second, his eyes following your every reaction. It was fascinating to him how you still looked on at him in wonder, since college to now. “Why not? I think It will be fun.”

“Really?” You were surprised at the answer.

“Yeah.” He smiled at your happy expression.

“Awesome!” You exclaimed. “You know where we live right?”

“Yeah, I took Chan home enough after drunken nights to know.” He laughed out. “Does Wednesday sound good?”

“Yeah. Come by whenever you’re free.” You said excited and jumped over to your friends. “Oh and Seonghwa?” He looked after you. It was the first time since college that you said his name. “Thanks.”

･*:༅

A sharp knock on your front door got you to your feet from your position and you went to open it, revealing a cool looking Seonghwa. He was neatly dressed in a jumper and some washed out jeans, his hair still a bit wet from his job. You let him in with a smile and he placed his shoes by yours, entering the small appartment.

He noticed how the living room was cozy with a simple couch, a few swinging chairs hanging off the ceilings and flowers scattered around. The kitchen was close by warm as ever and four more doors decorated the walls. He noticed how every door was painted over except for one.

“Interesting doors.” He said observing them.

“Right?” You giggled. “When we first moved in Jihyo had this idea for me to paint the doors of our rooms with something that represents each of us. That’s why her door has so much flowers, Chan’s has the coast of Australia and if you look closely I tried painting him on a surfboard but failed miserably, and my door has the view of the Eifel tower because I feel like that’s something every artist needs.” You shrugged your shoulders and led him into your room.

Your canvas and paints have been prepared neatly in front of your bed and Seonghwa took notice just how artistic your room was. Especially the floor with all the paint splotches covering it.

“Ignore the floor.” You said as you noticed him looking at it. “I tried scrubbing it off but it didn’t exactly work so I just gave up.”

“Nah, I think it’s kind of cool. It gives this room your personal touch.” He laughed and went over to sit on your bed. “So how do you want me?”

“Um well, can you lay on the bed? But like sideways. Propt by your elbow. Maybe one leg up too.” You went over to position him as you thought right and Seonghwa felt his breath hitch when you went to touch his shoulder.

It was a feather touch, just enough to let his jumper slide off his shoulder but it got him all hot and bothered. You were so focused that you didn’t pay attention to any of his expressions while you were this close to him, only looking up when you went back to your canvas.

“This is perfect.” You said with a smile. “I’ll just sketch this out today.”

As you said that you plopped a blueberry from your bedside table into your mouth and went on to your work. The man just observed you and enjoyed this silence which was much needed after a long work day.

The hours passed and you noticed that Seonghwa was eyeing the bowl of blueberries on your table. You laughed out loud when you caught his off guard as you threw one at him.

“If you want some just take them.” You said and handed him the bowl. “I don’t bite if you want some.”

As Seonghwa took the bowl your whole perspective changed and it was then that something hit your heartstrings like a truck.

“Keep the bowl.” Is all you said and rearranged your sketch.

“You like blueberries?” He asked, filling the room with his deep voice.

“They’re my focus berries.” You answered laughing along with him at your words. “They help me focus.”

The comfortable silence which filled the room coated your being with warmth as you continued to do an outline. Chan came home not long after and greeted you both, but locked himself in his room and you sighed.

“Is he okay?” Seonghwa asked.

“He will be.” You shrugged your shoulders and looked over at the time, jumping to your feet and startling the man. “Oh no, I’ll be late.”

And you remembered he was still in the room with you and you blushed in embarrassement with everything.

“I wanted to go to the poetry night at the bookshop and it’s starting soon.” You said with a small head scratch. “I hope you don’t mind if I cut our session here.”

“Not at all.” He said sitting up and watching you grab a jacket and some stuff so you can leave. “Would you mind if I tag along?”

･*:༅

“That was so beautiful.” You whispered out as the poetry night came to an end. “Those romance poems really have my hands tingling. I can’t wait to get back and start painting.” You sighed in content, finally coming back with a new found inspiration. “Jihyo was right, I needed this.”

“I’m glad.” Seonghwa stated as he walked beside you.

“But that still doesn’t change the fact that I want to paint you.” You stuck your tongue out at him. “Same time next week?”

“Sure.”

You walked up the steps to your appartment and went back into your room, getting a new canvas out and happily getting lost in your thing. The days passed and so did a month, the painting of Seonghwa almost finished. You guy became much closer friends over this period and he was actually amazed at how well you drew. Today was the last day of working on his painting and just as you finished, you took the canvas to the kitchen so it could dry.

“We’re done.” You said as you went to get your brushes.

“Awesome, can I see it?” He asked.

“Nope. You have to come to my gallery show to see it!” You excitedly waved one of your brushes and it sploshed some blue paint onto his face. You snorted out a laugh. “Sorry.”

“Well, I guess it’s okay.” He looked next to him and quickly took a brush and placed a large dot of black on your own cheek. “Now we’re even.”

The huff of surprise you let out was followed by a giggle and a battle of paint broke out between you two. Even one of your blank canvases was now fully covered in greens, bluess, reds and some whites. Seonghwa splashed some paint on your uncovered back and the play time stopped.

“Seonghwa! How will I wash this off now?” You laughed thinking how Chan was out for the night and Jihyo was spending the weekend with her boyfriend.

“Come on, I’ll help you.” He laughed along going to the bathroom.

You followed after him, moving your hair from the way so he could easily access your back. As you did, the strap of your shirt fell off your shoulder and it had the blond man gulping with nerves. He was very gentle in rubbing off the paint, easily cleaning it from your skin. On the other hand, you were blushing like crazy, heat spreading through your body.

“Hey.” He whispered out. “Why were you so scared of me in college? Whenever I hung out with Chan you’d run away from me.”

His touch made you shiver and you know he noticed.

“I wasn’t scared.” You whispered back. “I was just shy. I had this huge crush on you but didn’t act on it because I thought you didn’t like me like that...” You sighed. “I still do.”

You felt the feathery kiss on your exposed shoulder.

“There was a whole magnificent soul burning brightly behind her shy.”

The whisper was close to your ear and you turned around, your heart hammering away in your ribcage. His eyes were tender, but there was hidden lust in them, something you didn’t notice before. Even though he had it all the while while looking at you.

“Have you ever wondered why I never had a girlfriend throughout college? Or even now?” His fingers travelled down your back, the touch leaving fire in it’s wake.

“Rumors were that you were a playboy.”

“I’ve had my fair share of hook-ups, but only because I couldn’t have the one girl I really wanted.”

“You really wanted to have sex with me?” You turned around, raising your eyebrow. “I’m not the type to do this one night.”

“I know, and I really don’t want to.” He came closer to you now, your noses touching. “I want to fuck you everyday, the whole day.” His breath faned over your face. “How does that sounds?”

“Tempting.” You whispered back. “But we’re covered in paint.”

“A minor set back which can be washed off.” He chuckled, pulling you even closer than before, his hands landing on your hips. “Care to join.”

In slow motion his hands brushed against your skin, pulling your shirt over your head. His hands made their way behind your back and climbed up to reach your bram skillfully unhooking it, all while not breaking eye contact with you. The minute his breath hit your neck, you tugged on his shirt, his smirk striking as he stepped back to take it off.

“You enjoying the view baby?”

“Are you?” With a strong tug you unbuckled his belt.

“Well look who’s been working out.” He laughed, grabbing the waistband of your jeans. “You’ll have to slow down a bit baby, we still have some paint to wash off.”

Soon enough you were both standing in the shower, the hot water pooling by your legs in a specter of colours. He kissed along your jaw, his hot kisses left stings on your body as the electricity transferred from his mouth to your skin. Your shoulders were now stained blue and purple, the bulge which was his dick now struggling against your ass. You moaned and whimpered at the same time when his hands wandered down your body towards your folds, that ticklish feeling becoming stronger as he teased your clit.

“God, I can’t take it anymore y/n.” He breathed out as he pressed you closer to him, his hardness growing even more. “I need you.” He mumbled into your ear. “I want you.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Your hazed eyes looked back at him as you stepped on your toes to give him better access.

He didn’t hesitate, he thurst in full strength, the surprise and pleasure filling you fully. The moan which followed made him shiver with something so unknown that his heart skipped a beat.

“Oh my God.” He groaned, hips coming to meet yours full force. “This is, uh, fuck, you’re perfect.” He stuttered. “You just feel so fucking good.” The breathlessness he was showcasing was matched with your loud moans which you were sure Yeosang could hear downstairs.

“H-Hwa...” The groan which left his throat grumbled in your abdomen how strong it was. “F-Faster, I need to take you whole!”

His eyes rolled to the back of his head. He couldn’t believe you would say something like that. Hell, he never imagined he’d have the chance to fuck your brains out like this.

He pulled almost fully out of you, pausing for a moment only to slip back into your core, a moan erupting from both of your throats. You could feel him inside of you, moving along the ridges of your core and giving you that electric feeling deep inside of the pit of your stomach. He leaned down, bitting on your shoulder as he thrusted into your lower half. He was getting faster, harder, and rougher, and still, it wasn’t enough. His hand came to slap your ass harshly, your walls tightening around him as a result.

“You like that baby.” His shit eating grin had you pulling him into a kiss.

He hooked one of his arms under your leg to get a better angle, pushing you up against the glass doors of your shower, your boobs becoming more sensitive with the cold friction provided.

“I’m really close Hwa.” You cried out.

It’s a mess. Loud. Wet. Uncomfortable. But the high rippling through your body makes it all up to you.

“The way you moan my name has me going places y/n.” He whispered in your ear, pushing your leg up higher and reaching your sweet spot. The way your leg shook had Seonghwa smile to himself knowing he was making you feel like this. When your eyes made contact with his, when he saw just how fucked you were, and when a whimper of his name left your lips... Seonghwa went crashing down. His thursts were so good you let yourself go, tightening around him and cumming with a squeaze of your eyes.

Seonghwa lost his footing and fell with you on top of him, hitting so deep he released his seed inside of you, making you spasm all over.

The water came over you much stronger than before and you noticed from your tired vision that as you both fell, you broke the handles and the water wasn’t going to stop soon.

“Fuck...” You layed back onto him, letting his dick fall out of you and the jizz to come out your throbbing hole. “This will be fun to explain to Chan.”

“It’s okay, I know how to fix it.” He said his breathing barely coming back to normal. “I’m sorry I came inside you... It wasn’t my intention.”

“I’m on the pill so we’re good.” You huffed out tired. “Though I’d like a nap.”

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up and I’ll fix the shower head while you take a nap.” He helped you up and you giggled.

“I hope we can have more of these.” You commented.

“More accidents in the shower?” He laughed.

“More sex.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” He came up to you and kissed you on the lips. “We will.”

･*:༅

“But y/n, that painting could make hundreds of thousands of won!” Daniel yelled after you as you walked the gallery halls. “Come on, you have to sell it!”

“Daniel, for the last time.” You turned to him, glaring daggers at his pleading eyes. “I’m not selling the painting of my boyfriend to anybody!”

With a huff you walked up to Jihyo and Chan as he followed after you. You pleaded with her to stop her stupid boyfriend before you commited a crime and she was quick to put him in his place.

“Why don’t you deal of the rest of my paintings? Why must you target that one?”

“Because you can feel the emotion you put into it.” He whined.

“Yes, and that’s why it will hang in my living room.” An arm snaked around your waist and a kiss was placed on your shoulder. “Please stop trying to sell me off.”

Daniel grumbled but pulled back. You greeted Seonghwa’s friends as they scattered around the hall, enjoying your pieces which hung off the walls. Seonghwa turned to look at the picture in which he laid on your bed, surrounded by sunlight and your many knick-nacks, one hand holding the bowl of blueberries and the other plopping one into his mouth. The most intense gaze staring back at him.

“What made you consider me to be your main piece?” He asked you suddenly.

“I wished upon a blue butterfly and you happened to walk in.” You smiled at him. “I guess that waitress was right.” Your eyes held so much affection for him. “I found my inspiration in you.”

#ateez imagines #ateez #park seonghwa #ateez reactions #ateez smut #blueberry

216 notes · View notes

izzyfandoms · 4 years

Text

The Colour In Your Eyes

SHIPS: Patmile

CHARACTERS: Emile Picani, Patton Sanders

WARNING: Nothing

GENERAL TAGLIST: @quillfics42 @aj-draws @phantomofthesanderssides @phlying-squirrel @sly-is-my-name-loving-is-my-game @because-were-fam-ily @imtryingthisout @a-creepycookie @emo-disaster @littlestr @spooky-scary-virgil @fuyel @mimsidoodles @soupgremlin @aroaceagenderfluid @birdsbookshiddeninrealbirdsskin @quirkalurk @gingers-trashy-stuff @iinyxtello @justaqueercactus @melodiread @mrbubbajones @glassferns @pun-master-logan @gayturtlez

Masterpost

A Series Of Soulmate AUs Masterpost

Emile was always daydreaming about colours.

He’d read as much as he could about them, memorised every little description he could find and asked anyone he knew who could see them to tell him the colours of everything around him.

He knew of the warmth of red – the way it was like sun on your skin, anger and love and everything hot and burning. He knew of the coolness of blue – like sky and water, all that was wet and cool and calm. He knew of the life of green: vegetables and vegetation and the way you could practically taste the colour on your tongue when you ate your greens.

He knew exactly how every colour felt, had a basic idea of what each of them looked like, but he had never seen one.

His vision was grey, just like everyone else who had a soulmate but had never met them. Some people were born with the colours in their eyes, but Emile was not one of them.

He was glad he had a soulmate, and he was so, so excited to meet them, but he was just as excited to finally get to see the colours: to watch all his favourite cartoons the way they were meant to be watched, to see life the way it was always meant to be seen. He couldn’t wait for the moment the world turned bright and vibrant.

So, it was strange that the moment that colours first filled his vision, he almost didn’t notice them.

He was lost in a pair of soft, grey eyes.

The prettiest eyes he’d ever seen.

But then, he noticed the pink at the corners of the whites of the eyes – a colour he’d never seen, but one he’d researched and knew the name of. The cheeks were pink, too, as were the parted lips, and the hair was light and curly and a colour that Emile assumed was blond. There was freckles across the bridge of his nose, and Emile suddenly realised that he’d leant in much closer the moment he realised that he could finally see the colours.

It was okay, though, because the other man had leant in just as much, too, so close that it would’ve only taken a slight movement for their noses to bump and their glasses to collide.

(In the past, when Emile had imagined meeting his soulmate, he’d always thought that he’d spend minutes, possibly even hours, looking around at his surroundings and taking in all of the colours. But, right now, all he could do was stare at the other man. There was nothing else he wanted to look at.)

“Wow,” the other man breathed, finally snapping Emile out of his daze and prompting him to take a step back, out of his soulmate’s space. “You’re my soulmate.”

He sounded so, so happy, which was a mood reflected exactly in Emile’s heart, and Emile couldn’t help but let out a delighted laugh and beam at him. He opened his mouth to speak, and what he’d meant to say was ‘they’re so pretty,’ referring to the colours that had blossomed in front of him, but something else came out instead.

“You’re so pretty,” he said softly, and then his eyes widened and his hand flew up to cover his mouth when he realised what he’d just said.

His soulmate blinked at him, startled, before he brought his hand up to his mouth and giggled.

Emile’s heart skipped a beat in his chest, and he suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy inside, as that laugh was now his new favourite sound.

“Gosh, you’re just- wow,” Emile’s soulmate smiled sweetly, before he held his hand out for Emile to shake. “I’m Patton,” he introduced himself. “Patton Sanders. You?”

Emile took Patton’s hand without hesitation, shaking it. “Emile Picani.”

“Emile...” Patton repeated slowly, like he was savouring the name. “That’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you.”

“So, Emile,” Patton said, smiling. “Are you doing anything today?”

“Nope, it’s my day off.”

“Great! Can I take you out, then?”

“I’d love that,” Emile said genuinely, with a soft smile that matched Patton’s exactly.

“Oh, wonderful!” Patton beamed, but when he opened his mouth to continue talking, likely about the date, he suddenly cut himself off with widened eyes when he finally took his eyes off of Emile’s face. “Oh my gosh, look at all the colours!”

That prompted Emile to do the same thing, and he was no less astonished and amazed when he took in all of the colours around them. The world had never been more vibrant, and it had never been more beautiful.

The first thing Emile looked at was the sky. The fluffy white clouds were the same as they’d always been, but this time against a backdrop of a colour he knew was named ‘blue,’ inside of grey. It was the exact same colour of the polo-shirt Patton wore, under his grey and white cat hoodie. The bricks of the nearby buildings were a warm dark colour he assumed was red. The grass and the bushes in the park across the road were a colour he knew was green. The flowers in the windows of the shop they were stood in front of were all kinds of colours, and now far more pretty than Emile had ever found them before.

He looked down at himself, and found he really liked the colour of his tie – which his brother had called pink: like red, but lighter.

“Those flowers are gorgeous!” Patton said, sounding just as breathless and amazed as Emile felt as he admire the flowers that Emile had just looked at.

Emile straightened up. “I’m going to buy you a bouquet,” he announced.

Patton turned back to him. “Aww, really?”

“Yup! Come on.”

Emile hesitated for a moment, before he held his hand out to Patton. Patton took it immediately, and Emile found that his hand was warm and soft and he never wanted to let go of it again. Emile squeezed his hand, and Patton squeezed his back.

As they pushed the store door open and stepped inside, Patton spoke up again.

“Do you like puns?” He asked.

“Of course, I like puns! Who doesn’t?”

“How about dad jokes?”

“They’re the best kind!”

“Wow, you really are my soulmate, huh?” Patton joked, and Emile laughed.

“Do you like cartoons?” Emile asked.

Patton nodded eagerly. “Of course!”

“Disney?”

“Yup! I’ve got all of their songs stuck in my head, like, all the time.”

Emile beamed. “Oh my gosh, we have got to have a movie marathon some time.”

“I’ll bring the popcorn!”

“It’s a date!”

They stopped in front of the flowers, and Emile found that they were all much prettier and more vibrant up close. They weren’t as gorgeous as Patton, of course, but Emile got the feeling that that was pretty much impossible.

“Which ones are your favourite?” He asked Patton, gesturing with his free hand.

Patton hummed, looking them over. “Gosh, I really don’t know! They’re just all so gorgeous, you know? Who knew that colours were so beautiful!”

“Yeah,” Emile nodded in agreement. “Ooh, how about these ones? They’re the most colourful.”

“Oh, they’re so pretty!” Patton agreed. “But, dang, you know, I really wish I knew the names of all these colours. They’re all so pretty!”

Emile picked up the bouquet with his free hand, looking it over. He then pointed awkwardly at one of the flowers with the hand still in Patton’s. It likely would’ve been easier to point if he let go of Patton’s hand, but he definitely didn’t want to do that.

“I think this one is blue,” he said. “It matches the sky – same as your polo-shirt.”

Patton looked down at his shirt as if he hadn’t noticed it. “Oh, you’re right. I think this is my favourite, it’s so pretty!” He then looked back up at Emile, meeting his eyes and giving him a soft smile. “And it’s the same colour as your eyes.”

Emile smiled back. “Yeah, my brother told me that.”

“Oh, you have a brother?”

“Yup! His name is Remy, he’s three years older than me and he’s gotta be the coolest person I’ve ever met. He met his soulmate, Logan, when they were twelve, so he’s been telling me about colours for a while.”

“Aww, that’s sweet. I have a brother, too. His name’s Virgil and he doesn’t have a soulmate so he’s always been able to see them. He’s my roommate, and he keeps telling me that the colours of my socks always clash, but I think I prefer them that way.”

Emile looked down at their feet, and saw that Patton’s socks were two different colours, one that he recognised as a dark blue, and the other that he didn’t know the name of, though it was bright and looked like the opposite of blue, so he assumed it was orange. The blue one had many differently-sized white spots across it, and the orange was covered with dark and light grey cat faces.

He loved them.

Emile smiled at him again. “I like them.”

Patton beamed. “And are those foxes on your socks? Where did you get them?”

“I’ll have to ask Remy, he got these for my birthday,” Emile said, before gesturing with the bouquet he still held. “So, these flowers, do you like them?”

“Oh, yes, they’re perfect.”

As the pair made their way to the checkout for Emile to pay for the flowers, Patton squeezed Emile’s hand to catch his attention.

“Hey, what do you call a girl with a frog on her head?”

“What?”

“Lily!”

Emile laughed, and Patton gave him the fondest look imaginable, seeming incredibly pleased with himself and his pun.

“Okay, okay,” Emile said. “Why did the woman not like camping?”

“Why?”

“Because she found it too in-tents!” Emile laughed at his own joke. “Get it, ‘cos you camp in tents?”

Patton giggled. “Ooh, what do you call it when two flowers start falling in love?”

“I don’t know, what do you call it?”

“A budding romance!”

“Aww, that one’s cute.”

The cashier gave them an amused look as they handed her the flowers and she scanned them.

“First date?”

“Yeah,” Emile said. “How’d you guess?”

“You guys just have the look,” she said, as Emile handed her the money.

“Yeah, uh...” Patton gave Emile a fond look, squeezing his hand. “We’re actually soulmates. We just met.”

She smiled at them as she handed Emile the flowers. “Aww, that’s sweet. Well, I hope you have a nice date.”

“Thank you,” Emile smiled at her.

The couple walked away, and the moment they stepped out of the shop, they stopped. Emile turned to Patton, and made a show of dramatically handing him the bouquet. Patton giggled, taking them happily.

“You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”

“Oh, they’re just flowers,” Emile responded. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

“Well, I can’t wait.”

Patton held the flowers up to his nose, taking a deep breath and then sighing happily.

(Emile had been smiling so much he could already feel his face start to ache. But it was impossible to stop: it was impossible to keep his immeasurable joy from bubbling up. He and Patton had only just met, but he was already excited to spend the rest of his life with him. That voice was already his favourite sound, and that smile was already his favourite sight.)

“So,” Patton squeezed his hand, and Emile automatically squeezed back. “How about ice cream?”

“Sounds great.”

“Okay! There’s a place just a few streets away, I go there basically every week. The ice cream’s just so good!”

Emile nodded, and Patton immediately began walking in the direction of the ice cream place, gently tugging Emile along. Emile went along with no complaint, and he already knew he would follow that man anywhere, to the ends of the earth.

When Patton glanced back over his shoulder to smile at him, he caught another glimpse of those pretty grey eyes, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

Emile had been daydreaming about colours since he was old enough to daydream, but never had he once considered that his favourite colour would end up being grey.

#me #writing #patmile #momile #sanders sides #cartoon therapy #emile picani #patton sanders #fluff #human au

85 notes · View notes

shigarakis-fifth-hand · 4 years

Text

Bakugo Babysits! :); Soft Side

Warnings: Cursing ( it’s Bakubro )

Eri might legally belong to Aizawa and Present Mic, but who was to say that Eri didn’t sleep over every Tuesday and Saturday at Deku’s and Todoroki’s once they got out of UA? It gave the two teachers alone time, and it made Shoto the happiest man alive to be a dad-role he always wanted to be. Deku was sure they would have kids in the near future.

Of course though, somethings had happened like usual. “Izuku! Shoto got really hurt in that villain accident! He’s at the hospital near downtown! Fuyumi, Todoroki’s sister, yelled into her phone with Deku on the other line. “Oh my god, I’m on my way.” Deku turned around, about to grab his jacket when he looked over at the sleepy little Eri on his couch watching All Might videos.

Dang it! Deku needed to leave to go see his husband, but a hospital at night was no place for a little girl. Deku did the only thing he could, and called the one person he knew would be awake at the time.

“Wha- who is this?!” Bakugo yelled into his phone, in the middle of watching Mad Men alone. Saturdays were the only time he could watch his show since his boyfriend Kirishima was out on patrol, so he couldn’t make Bakugo watch Mean Girls or Friends like usual.

“Kacchan! It’s Deku. I need you to come over! Shoto is in the hospital.” Immediately Katsuki stood up, nervous about his friend. “The fuck. Explain you jerk!” He yelled into the phone. “Well yes, I’m watching Eri right now and Todoroki’s sister just called! He’s in really bad shape and I have to get down there right now! Please come watch her.” Bakugo was about to say no until he thought of the little girl, and what he had been told.

“It’s just a stupid six-year-old! Why should I go to a party for a little kid just because she was rescued by some heroes? Big deal.” Bakugo yelled at his mom before she slapped him in the face. Bakugo’s face was purely shocked. His mother never had hit him before.

“Dang you Katsuki, you watch yourself boy! That little girl was born with an uncle that kept her locked in a room. That uncle died and his nephew then experimented on her. He took her fucking insides to make bullets Katsuki. That girl has only known death, punishment, killing, villains, and being treated like an animal. She wouldn’t know love or warmth or even happiness if it fell out of the sky and hit her on the face!”

She looked back up at Katsuki. “She’s been through more than you and I will ever go through, and she’s a fucking child! Now you’re going to go give her the time of her life and make her feel wanted for once, and god dammit! Prove that you’re not the heartless monster to everyone but Kirishima!”

“I’ll do it.” Bakugo spoke into the phone before hanging up. He knew where Deku lived. It only took minutes before he arrived, Deku quickly walking out the door with many thank yous. “She can eat whatever, do whatever. Just make sure she feels safe.” He instructed before running to the elevator.

Bakugo stepped in, smelling the flowers and chocolate that the house had always smelled like. He looked around at the kitchen to see an empty cup of water and lots of sheets of paper, some of them having drawings on it. One was a bee, one was a cat, and one was a tree with flowers around it. Cute.

Stepping inside more, the living room came into view. There, fitting onto half of one couch cushion, was Eri. Her white hair was pulled into two ponytails, she was wearing a large shirt that probably belonged to Todoroki or Deku, and some long pajama pants. As soon as he saw her, she saw him. Immediately her face looked alarmed as she pulled a pillow around her and scooted away from him, staring back at the tv. Bakugo could tell she was scared.

“Hi?” Bakugo introduced himself, walking over to the couch to sit down. He never had been good with kids. He could tell she flinched as he sat down, and she was shaking. “Um, I’m Katsuki. Deku and Todoroki’s friend.” He waited a minute as the little girl looked at him. “You’re the red-head’s boyfriend aren’t you?” She asked as he nodded slowly.

“Uh, I mean, I guess we made it official so ya. Why?” He asked as she just giggled, removing the pillow from her lap. “I’ve met him before. He’s so nice, and he said I would like meeting you. He has a lot of energy. Are you like that?” She asked as Bakugo smiled awkwardly, trying to make conversation with a child. “Um, I can if I want to. Most of the time I’m really chill though.” Eri giggled in response.

“Like my Daddy and Shoto? You must be a good cook then. Are you better than them?” Eri asked as Bakugo suddenly laughed. It was weird thinking that this was the child of his teacher’s. “Oh, I’m even better. See? I’ll make you something! What do you want?” Bakugo asked, hopping up and running to the kitchen. “Uh, pasta! Shoto makes that and it’s really good!” Eri exclaimed, running after him to the kitchen and sitting on top of a bar stool.

“Well lucky for you! They have everything for pasta!” Bakugo grabbed all the ingredients and began cooking away, letting Eri draw in a comfortable silence.

“Done!” Bakugo yelled, setting the plate in front of her. The food was steaming, and you could smell it from far away. “Nice! I’m done too! I-I... I made you a picture.” Eri moved the papers to Bakugo, letting him grab it.

Bakugo looked at the first one, it was him cooking. Bakugo could see the small fire in the pan, the funny-looking apron he wore, and of course his spiky blonde hair that made him look like a hedgehog. The second was hilarious. You could see Deku’s kitchen on fire, Bakugo screaming, and the black pasta on the counter from being burned to a crisp. Bakugo couldn’t help but laugh at that one.

The last was Bakugo in his hero outfit, next to his boyfriend Red Riot.

“You two are like a combo when it comes to your jobs. I’ve seen you two on the news together all the time saving people, so I drew you two.” Eri smiled, pointing around the picture. “See? That’s you holding hands, and those are his sharp teeth. I forgot to color in your hair but that’s okay, it’s messy anyways.” The two laughed, talking about the drawings. “These... these are amazing Eri.” Bakugo felt himself tearing up. “I’m going to frame these.” He smiled, sitting down next to Eri as she ate, continuing to talk about his hero job.

“I’m related to a villain, but it’s okay. I’m going to become a hero.” Eri smiled, before suddenly frowning. “I heard some kids say that I was a villain like that Shigaraki dude, because I had red eyes.” Bakugo began smiling, turning to Eri. “Don’t be dumb! I have red eyes, Kirishima has red eyes. Shoto has one, and your dad does too! Red eyes can only make you more awesome!”

Eri smiled brightly at that, finishing her pasta before hopping down and going back to the couch, Bakugo following closely behind. The two spent hours watching All Might videos, Ground Zero videos, and then videos of Present Mic/Eraserhead working together.

It was around 11 when Bakugo found himself scrolling through the videos before hearing a light snore. He looked down to see Eri covered with a blanket laying on the couch, her head in his lap. Bakugo couldn’t help but smile, before picking her up and bringing her to the guest room bed which was surrounded by stuffed animals.

Bakugo remembered to cuddle her with the white toy cat he had seen her bringing around UA, remembering that her dads had given it to her the day they met in the hospital.

Just as he walked out of the room, he was met by the sight of Shoto walking in with crutches, Izuku and Kirishima walking closely behind. “I saw them on the way home.” Kirishima explained as Izuku helped Shoto sit down on the couch. “Where’s Eri?” Deku asked as Bakugo smiled. “In bed.” He responded as Todoroki looked up, still sleepy off his medications.

“What did she eat? I was going to make her our favorite pasta but-” Bakugo winked at Todoroki, making him nervous. “ I made her pasta, and she loved it. Take that Icyhot.” Bakugo slid his hand around Kirishima’s waist. “So you’re telling me you can’t take care of my fish without killing it, but you can handle a whole child for 7 hours straight?” The room was filled with laughter before a slow pitter-patter of steps was heard.

“Bakugo-san? Kirishima-San!” Eri ran out of the room, hugging the two. “Will you come back Bakugo? You have to come sometime Kirishima! I never see you two!” Eri shouted, holding onto Bakugo’s pant leg. “Sure! We’ll come by tomorow if you want! We’re both off and I’m sure these two will gladly give us free food. Now, we’ve got to go to bed too.”

Deku picked Eri up off the ground lovingly as she blew kisses to two of her new favorite people. “Bye!” She yelled as the two left and walked down the hallway.

“Hmm. Didn’t know you had a soft like for kids Katsky.”

And Bakugo kept his promises. As he always kept Eri in mind, he tried to show compassion as much as possible, becoming a better person. He also tried to remember to treat Kirishima with the love he deserved, never taking him for granted. And lastly, Bakugo did end up framing the pictures Eri made him. He kept them in his office at home to look at always.

For a reminded for why he was a hero.

Inspired by @centeri !! By their “Um... Bakugo. I drew you a picture.” one-liner on their account! Go check them out, they’re one of my ultimate faves!

45 notes · View notes

thewritewolf · 4 years

Text

Marinette March Day 20 - Gown

The gang heads to a high class theater.

@marinettemarch

Enjoy!

Start | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Read on Ao3

The car pulled up to the theater and Marinette took a deep breath. She’d never been to such a high class event and her nerves were getting to her. Was the gown she made herself good enough? Would the people there be able to tell she didn’t belong there?

Her worries faded a little when she saw Nino, Alya, and Adrien clustered together near the entrance, even if her heart began beating faster when she saw Adrien.

“Thanks, papa,” she said, leaning forward to give her father a peck on the cheek. “Adrien said he’d drop us all off after the show, so you don’t need to stay up late for me.”

‘Late’ in this case being past twenty hundred hours. Such was the life of the early rising baker.

“If you say so, dear. Don’t be out too late. Have fun!”

She closed the door behind her and walked toward her friends as she heard the car drive away. Alya was the first to spot her, whistling as Marinette approached.

“Dang, girl! Look at you!” Alya walked around her while Marinette stood still. “Is this what you’ve been hiding up in your room this whole time? I gotta say - I’m definitely jealous!”

“For real, dude! Those are some gnarly threads you’ve got.” Nino leaned in conspiratorially. “Way better than what I’ve seen some of these sticks in the mud sporting. And loads better than what daddio Agreste puts out.” Nino nudged Adrien. “Right, bro?”

Adrien didn’t respond, drawing attention to him. His face was red and when he noticed that everyone was staring at him, he coughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Y-you, uh, you look really nice tonight, Marinette. Not that you don’t usually look nice, but, ah. More than usual.”

Forgetting her usual awkwardness in front of him, she giggled. “Thank you, Adrien! And thanks for inviting us along. I don’t think I’d ever have gotten to see one of these shows if you hadn’t gotten us tickets.”

“For real, bro! You did us a real solid.” Nino straightened his bowtie. EIther Nino cleaned up really well, or Adrien helped him. And given how Nino was slowly making his suit fall apart, Marinette was assuming the latter. “Now let’s snag some seats.”

As they settled into the show and Adrien slowly returned to his usual self, Marinette felt better than ever about her gown. Having that impact on her crush… She’d have to make more of these. And soon.

#Miraculous Ladybug #MarinetteMarch 2020 #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Adrien Agreste #Adrienette #Nino Lahiffe #Alya Cesaire #ml fanfiction #my writing

34 notes · View notes

cinanamon · 5 years

Text

fortune cookies — wyk

pairing | yukhei x reader

genre | fluff, employee!au, customer!au, mutual pining!au

word count | 1.8K

synopsis | You ate so often at the little Chinese restaurant around the corner that flirting with the boy at the counter became a regular occurrence.

warnings | none

“Welcome to the Red Sun restaurant!” You heard the older woman’s voice crackle through the phone and you couldn’t stop the smile that spread on your face. “What would you like to order?”

“Hi, I’d like the General Tso chicken, shrimp lo mein, and two egg rolls.” You glanced down at the list you wrote for your friends hanging in the living room.

“What type of rice?”

You moved the phone away from your mouth and peeked out behind the wall. “What rice?”

Chenle looked over the edge of the couch enthusiastically. “White!” When no one objected you nodded and brought the phone back, repeating the order.

“Any drinks?” You heard her faintly shouting your order but you moved to your fridge and checked that you had soda’s available.

“Ah, no, I think that’s it.”

She told you your total and said it’d be about a twenty minute wait before it’d be ready. You nodded and thanked her before ending the call.

You left the kitchen and sat beside Chenle on the sofa. “I don’t know why you didn’t want an egg roll,” He had been saying crossly.

Jisung, on the other side of the room, shrugged. “I just don’t want one; besides, they put too much lettuce in theirs.” You rolled your eyes and laughed lightly.

“Okay, but they’re good that way,” you objected with a pout. Jisung gave you a look of distaste before going back to his phone.

You sighed and shook your head, checking the time on your phone before standing. “I probably should go ahead and head there.”

Chenle looked at you in confusion. “Aren’t they only, like, five minutes away?”

You moved to the closet and pulled on your jacket, shrugging even though he couldn’t see you. “I mean, if there’s traffic it’ll be longer. And I’ve been going there long enough to know that it doesn’t take as long as they say.” Chenle gave you a look of suspicion but just waved you goodbye as you left your apartment.

Like you predicted, the traffic was a little stocked up, which was normal for nighttime rush hour, but it ended quickly and you showed up within a quarter of an hour. You pushed open the red door and smiled at the receptionist politely.

You had always enjoyed this restaurant, hence why you came so often. It was quaint; small and a little tucked away, but warm and nicely decorated. It had red wood paneling and a dark carpet, a small crystal chandelier in the center of the room, drawings of the Great Wall Of China spanned one wall above the booths and tables. Shelves and thin paper separators sectioned off the different areas, and you enjoyed the scented candle on the counter.

It took only a few seconds before a tall, broad frame pushed through the back room curtain, a box in his hands. Wong Yukhei.

He had flirted with you since you first came to order food; or at least, since he came to take up the job to help his grandparents’ restaurant. You would admit, he was definitely cute and you could tell he was hardworking, but you felt it was just harmless teasing. Who knew how long he’d be working here? Who knew how many other girls he tried to get the numbers of? So you found it fun to reply but never carry out.

His smile only grew wider when he saw you, and he quickened his pace to get behind the counter, taking the girl’s place. “(Y/n), h-hey!”

You smiled charmingly and leaned against the counter slightly. “Yukhei! How are you?”

His eyes met yours and you took note how his grin never once faltered, his hands moving on the monitor without his watchful eye. “I’m doing good; you haven’t called for a bit! How’s life for you?”

“I have a couple friends over right now who were craving some Chinese so,” You gestured to yourself vaguely and laughed, and it must have been contagious because he chuckled too.

His hands slowed on his work and you didn’t miss how he slightly frowned, reluctantly telling you your total, which you readily fetched and handed over. His cheeks flushed lightly when you brushed your fingers over his palm and he retracted his hand back nervously, causing you to bite your lip not to giggle.

“Well, um, have a good night.” He grinned briefly, his eyes locked on you hopefully as he handed over the box. You nodded and wish him the same, turning to go. “Wait, um,” You looked over your shoulder, your eyebrow cocked playfully. The apples of his cheeks colored as he tried to not show how far he leaned over the bar. “Um, come back soon, yeah?”

“Of course,” You tried not to smirk as you pressed on the door and exited.

Maybe you did like him, and maybe he did like you, but where’s the fun in not playing with him a little?

- - -

You had been planning on having leftovers, but Chenle and Jisung seemed too unapologetic when they finished off the food you ordered. You had scolded them but couldn’t say that you weren’t craving Chinese food the next night.

You sighed and looked through your fridge for the third time. Nothing looked appealing. Would it hurt to order Chinese again? You took only a second before you crumbled, grabbing your coat and heading out to your car again.

It was a little later than the night before, allowing you to reach the restaurant in less time. When the bell chimed, signaling your arrival, you moved to the counter automatically.

“Hello! Are you dining in or did you order?” The young man smiled at you. You told him the former, and he reached under the surface to grab a menu before leading you a few steps away to a table with two seats. He sat down the menu and took your drink order before departing.

You glanced at the contents of the menu for a short while before decided on the sweet and sour pork; you hadn’t had that in a while.

“One Diet Coke—(y/n)?” You glanced up and smiled at Yukhei’s shocked look.

“Hello there.” You giggled out the words, closing the menu and placing your hands on your lap. He blinked and hastily placed down your drink, pulling a straw out of his apron.

“I know I said come back soon, but I wasn’t expecting you to come back the next day.” His loud laugh rang through the rather quiet restaurant and you tried not to shrink in embarrassment when another couple looked at your amusement.

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t expecting my friends to finish off my leftovers.” He whistled and pulled out his notepad.

“Dang, I feel that.” He clicked his pen and shone a brilliantly genuine smile on you. “Do you know what you want to order?”

“The sweet and sour pork, thank you.” He wrote it down and took your menu.

“It’ll be right out! Especially since you’re a favorite customer.” He flushed right after saying that and excused himself, hurrying behind the curtain. You furrowed your eyebrows and tried to shrug it off. You guessed he probably meant since you came so often.

And like promised, it was out after only a few minutes, and Yukhei presented it himself. He lingered by your table, his mouth pursed. You paused in reaching for your food. “Is something wrong?”

He seemed to come alive again, shaking his head but looking at you with those same hopeful eyes from the day before. “It’s just...would you mind company? My shift ends in a few minutes so I just thought…”

“That we could eat together?”

He blushed at that, a hand coming to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. “...yeah.”

“I don’t mind,” you found yourself saying, dropping your hands back to your sides. “I’ll wait for you.”

“Really?” He perked up, a foolishly big grin spreading on his features. “I mean, you don’t have to but...awesome. Yeah, I’ll be quick!” He practically bounded back into the kitchen, stripping off his apron as he went. You couldn’t hold back the chuckle that bubbled in your chest.

You looked up from your phone to the welcome sight of Yukhei holding another drink and plate (something steak, you presumed), and it was a nice change to see him in just regular clothes and messy hair. He sat down happily across from you. “Sorry for the wait.”

“You’re fine!” You picked up your chopsticks and looked at him expectantly. He really was always smiling, wasn’t he? Or at least always smiling at you. He lifted his to clank with yours before you both dig in.

You shared small talk, but overall, it seemed you were both too hungry to spare too long on conversation. He cracked a few jokes here and there, making you choke on your food and you’d send him a playful glare over the table, but he’d only chuckle in delight.

When you finished, you leaned back with a hearty sigh. He rubbed his stomach and hummed, “The food is good, right? My grandfather really is a good chef.” You smile softly at the comment, nodding in agreement. “Oh! And, uh, this,” he picked up the two fortune cookies from his hands, laughing at the silly addition some restaurants had taken up. He outstretched one to you, and you took it delicately, unwrapping the crisp cookie carefully. Across from you, Yukhei counted down for you to break them at the same time. You smiled lopsidedly as you withdrew the slip of paper.

“Read it aloud,” he prompted.

You sighed in joking exasperation, but cleared your throat. “‘A potential relationship is just under your nose.’” You looked up at Yukhei and both of your cheeks colored a deep red that matched the wood paneling.

“Well that wasn’t very subtle, was it?” He tried to play it off, but you could tell even he felt shy.

“T-that was the fortune cookie!”

“Of course! I’m just playing with you.”

“Well read yours.”

He cracked his fingers and took a deep breath, his dramatics of such a simple action making you laugh again. He grinned back goofily before opening the slip of paper, and his smile dropped instantly, leaving him slack jawed. You furrowed your brows.

“What does it say?”

He tore his gaze away to gape at you, and he slowly turned the paper so you could see it.

It was the same one as yours.

“You’re joking,” you reached for it and brought it closer to your eyes, laughing in disbelief.

“I’m not!” He chuckled reaching across the table to pluck it back from your hands. You made eye contact with him and you both are still laughing and blushing. “The cookies have spoken; would you like to go out with me?”

You shook your head but couldn’t help your foolish smile. “Please never say that again but…yeah, I think going out with you would be nice.”

And when Yukhei blushed the prettiest shade of red, you couldn’t help but cheekily add, “...wouldn’t want to upset the fortune cookies—“

“Please, I knew it was stupid as soon as I said it.”

800 notes · View notes

breg21 · 5 years

Text

Ladynoir Month: Homework

@ladynoirjuly2019

Ao3 FFN

First off, I wanted to say thank you to Starlin's ghost, for pointing out the error in the last chapter, I plan to go fix that either thoughts, or tomorrow morning. I greatly appreciate it! :D

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! On with the chapter.

In all honesty, Marinette had never been a fan of homework. It was a pain most days and when she slept in late— or was busy being Ladybug—she would always miss the lesson in class, thus leaving her clueless as to what to do for the assignment.

"Marinette," Tikki called softly over her shoulder. "You have patrol with Chat in ten minutes."

Oh, shoot. She had forgotten about patrol with her boyfriend— wow, that, that still felt weird on her tongue, a good weird though— And she really didn't want to cancel. They weren't even a month into their relationship, and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could, seeing as they couldn't see each other as civilians.

That was the one part that really sucked.

Marinette sighed. "I know, Tikki. I just have to finish up this homework, it's due tomorrow."

Tikki fluttered around, and she knew the little kwami was thinking of ideas. "You could just take it with you."

She knew Tikki wouldn't have suggested the idea if she didn't think her identity was at stake. She was the one that always voiced the safety of identities. But Chat was a trustworthy partner, she knew he wouldn't peak, and Tikki knew that, too. "I know." She sighed. "I also know Chat wouldn't look, but the thought of bringing something so personal.."

"Marinette." Tikki's tone was understanding, but firm, unwavering. "As much as I worry a little from you two being together, if you're gonna be together, that means actually seeing each other. And you have so little of that now, why make it less when you can simply tell him that it's your homework and not to look."

The young designer knew she was right. "Yeah, true. Okay." She gathered her things and transformed in a flash.

Existing out her balcony, her excitement grew at the idea of seeing Chat.

Patrols may be their only thing considered as dates, but it was part of making the most of them and that was the best.

"And here I thought the only beautiful thing I would see tonight, were the stars from the heavens above, but then my girlfriend appeared and put them all to shame."

Said girlfriend rolled her eyes and skidded forward plopping down next to Chat, crossing her legs in front of her, settling her backpack into her lap before she leaned in sideways to press a kiss to his lips in greeting. "You are too cheesy sometimes, kitty."

He chuckled. "Nah, that's Plagg. He's too cheesy. I'm just the right amount."

She snorted, leaning into him as an arm fell to wrap around her waist. "How is Plagg by the way? I haven't seen him since Style Queen and that was a while ago."

Chat always told her how he loved her laugh, but she knew it had nothing on his. Her heart squeezed and expanded, almost knocking out her lungs, everytime. She hoped to hear it more often. "He's good. Demanding his cheese like usual. How's your kwami…?"

"Tikki." She supplied.

He nodded. "Tikki. How's she doing?"

Ladybug smiled as she cuddled closer, and was beyond pleased when she was rewarded with a small pur that began to vibrate from his chest. "She's good. Loves her sweets, but she's even sweeter than them."

If she thought his laugh was amazing, and his purring calming, it was beyond anything she could explain when both were happening. "She sounds pretty awesome. Wanna trade?"

She reached up blindly to boop his nose. "Nope," she laughed at his grumble of playful disappointment. "But she is the reason I decided not to cancel tonight."

He stiffened, and realized her bad choice of words. "Nothing because of you, kitty. I had homework," She hastily amended, "and I'm wary about bringing something like this by you, but I trust you. Just.. no looking."

They parted, and he nodded in understanding. "Of course, bugaboo. No worries." As if to emphasize his point, he covered his eyes. "See?" He said as he lifted his pinky to make sure he was looking, before lowering it back over his eyes. "Can't see a thing."

She covered her mouth to muffle the giggles, but a little still slipped through her finger cracks. "I know. But you don't have to cover your eyes. Just don't look down." He let his hand fall as she began to unzip the plain old backpack that she had stored away in her room. She was so thankful that she had it and it had nothing identifying her on it.

Pulling out her tablet, she paused as she realized that sitting in the position she was, would turn uncomfortable fast. She tapped his knee so he would part his leg, and have them on either side of the beam.

He did so without hesitation, and she turned her back to him, and scootched until she was snuggled comfortably against his chest. She could feel his chest contract at her touch, and she had to stifle her giggles before they got the better of her.

She turned her head halfway to get a sideways glance at him. "This okay, kitty?"

His body deflated as realized that this was okay, and she was happy within his space."Yeah." Chat's arms slipped securely around her waist, as she felt the little weight of his chin resting on top of her head. She could imagine him having his eyes closed so he couldn't see her homework below. "This is perfect, bugaboo."

Turned out, homework wasn't so bad, as she once thought.

An hour and a half later, and her homework was finished. Chat had actually helped with two physics questions that she just couldn't get down. Thankfully, they were pretty random questions and if he noticed them being anything similar to a possibility— because she had come to terms with the idea that there was a chance— he didn't say anything.

But what Ladybug did notice, was that he was a whizz at physics. Apparently, he had a knack for it, and loved it more than he let on. Which brought her to the question of if he might want to be a physic teacher one day.

That obviously stumped him as he openly gawked at her. It saddened her heart that that seemed to be the first time anyone really asked him that. "I… I don't know. Never really thought about it, honestly." He muttered.

Her frown drooped lower. Well, they were gonna have to change that, now weren't they? "What do you want to do?"

Chat's eyes went out onto the city as he really, for the first time in his life, thought about what he wanted. "I'm not sure. I've always been in the headspace that I'll be working for my father's company for a long time, and after that, he would be the one telling me where I'll be working or what I'll be doing with my life."

Her tongue clicked, and she felt the anger start to rise. "That's just not gonna do." She turned to face him, eyes deadlocked on his, and nothing but strong will dancing in the iris. "You, Chat Noir, have so many choices ahead. Whatever you wanna do, you're gonna do them for you. Be it, a physics teacher, swimming, basketball player, whatever."

His eyes held tears, but they didn't fall. "No one's ever given me that choice before."

She wanted to hurt whoever was supposed to care. "Well, now you do. Whatever you wanna do, for you." She brought her hands up to cup his face. "And I'll be there to support you all the way. That's a promise. Because whatever future has in store for us, we'll face it together."

His catty smirk wiped away the solum hold on his lips, and her heart nearly burst, because there was her kitty. "So, what you're saying, is that you see yourself in my future?"

Heat instantly flooded her face as she began to stutter. Dang, it. "I-I mean… of c-course. If.. you think.."

He laughed, drawing her into him and nuzzled her head. "You're something else, m'lady. Of course I see you next to me. Our future together. I do like the idea that. I know that while I may have other options, teaching sounds really cool."

She smiled as she dug her nose into his chest a little more. A few seconds later, and a yawn came barreling out of her mouth followed by a quiet sigh.

Because whenever she yawned, Chat knew. "Looks like a certain little bug is getting tired."

"No." She grumbled. Tightening her arms around his waist. "I want to stay here for a little while longer."

But he was insistent. "You need sleep, bug. C'mon. We'll see each other soon enough."

She huffed, but relinquished her hold and pulled back. "Fine." She stowed everything back into her backpack, and got ready to take off for home. "Stupid cat boyfriends and caring about their girlfriends." She mumbled under her breath.

He still heard her and laughed. "And, bug?" She turned back to look at him."Thank you. For making me realize I have options in my future, for always believing in me."

"Someone has to." She teased as she leaned up to press a tender kiss to his lips. "And I always will."

Lemme know your thoughts! Until next time! Lots of love!

#ladynoirjuly2019 #LadyNoir #ml #mlb #miraculous ladybug #love square

15 notes · View notes

yoongi-sugaglider · 6 years

Text

Serendipity

Oneshot request

Warnings: Angst, heartbreak, ouch, pain, I cried a lot writing this.

BTS x friend reader

“Jingle bells. Jingle bells. Jingle all the wayyy....”

The mall was full. Crowds of families chattering joyfully as they made their way in and out of stores decorated brightly for the holidays. I sighed as I walked, shaking my head as I glanced down at the half marked off list. There was no way I was going to be able to get everything with this crowd.

My stomach growled, signalling to me just how long I’d been wandering around. With another sigh I turned around and began making my way towards the food court.

“Ya! I told you the audio equipment store was on the second floor! This is what you get for not listening to me?”

Was that Korean?

I glanced around, not sure if I was hearing right. I’d taken several korean classes last semester so that I could intern in Seoul over the summer, but hearing the language in an over crowded mall threw me a little.

A group of young men stood huddled around one of the large mall displays, staring intently at the mall map while arguing among themselves.

“Hyung, I thought you were an expert in English, how come we’ve been going around in circles for the last hour?” One of the younger men pouted, running a hand through his silver colored hair as another with golden blonde hair hung off of him with his arms wrapped around his neck.

“I can read it just fine! It’s not my fault maps are so confusing to follow.” The pink haired young man that spoke tugged down the black mask covering the lower half of his face as he squinted at the map. His face was laced with confusion as he glanced around, trying to spot the escalators leading to the upper floors.

“Aish...couldn’t we just stop someone and ask? Wouldn’t it be easier that way?” The red haired man speaking stepped away from the group, staring around at the crowd flowing along to either side of them.

“We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves Hobi. It’s bad enough we all decided to come out together…” The one with mint green hair smacked the one called Hobi on the chest.

“I swear if I hear Jingle bells one more time I’m going to riot…” The youngest of the group gagged, turning away from them. Noticing me staring he stiffened, elbowing the brown haired man standing next to him.

“Hyung...hyung she’s staring.” He muttered, causing me to blush immediately.

“I...I’m sorry I didn’t mean to stare.” I hastily said, stepping forward and shifting the ungodly amount of bags hanging off of my shoulder.

The 7 men turned to look at me, those wearing face masks pulling them into place to cover their faces.

“I couldn’t help but hear you all speaking in Korean and well...if you’re lost…”

The pink haired man, the one I sort of assumed was the leader of the group stepped forward. “You speak korean well Miss.”

I blushed, bowing my head slightly in thanks. “I took a bunch of classes. My seonsaeng said I took well to the language and referred me to a company her cousin works at for a summer internship.Some...music company called Big Fit...or..was it Big Hit...I think that’s it. It’s an up and coming music company. And since I’m majoring in MDI and entertainment management she thought it would be a great opportunity for me.”

The men all visibly stiffened when I mentioned the company, but I decided not to pay it any attention considering just how nervous they were already acting. Of course, it was an unfamiliar country, and they were surrounded by a madhouse full of people that didn’t speak a word of their native language. No wonder, I would be nervous too.

Flashing a bright smile I waved at the map. “Don’t worry, doesn’t matter what language it’s in a mall map will forever remain confusing.”

The guys chuckled, visibly relaxing.

“Hey...do you think you could show us around?” The redhead who’s name I’d heard as Hobi earlier asked. He smiled, his face lighting up like a ray of sunshine.

The two younger men grinned, slinging an arm around each other as they leaned in closer. “Hey yea! Having such an adorable translator would be great!” The silver haired man cheered.

“Much better looking than Namjoon hyung and his weird pink hair that’s for sure!” Said the youngest.

“Hey, Namjoon is doing his best Jungkook. With everything else he’s been having to translate lately it’s no wonder his brain is fried.” The blonde nudged himself in between the silver haired man and the youngest,draping an arm over each of them despite his shorter stature.

I couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up,covering my mouth with one hand while shifting the dozens of bags on my other arm. One slipped,causing the rest to shift and drop instantly to the floor. Something shattered.

“Shit…” Dropping to my knees I began shifting through the bags, panic filling me as I pulled out the ceramic figurine that I’d bought for my grandmother. “Nooo.” I whimpered, staring down at the broken bits of clay shifting around in the bottom of the box.

“Oh no! Is it broken?” The one they’d referred to as Namjoon dropped to his knees before me, gently taking the box from me and holding it up to the light. The one with mint green hair crouched down beside him, taking the box before standing back up again.

“It..it was for my grandmother…” I heaved a sigh, going back to rifling through the rest of the bags in case anything else was broken. Thankfully nothing else was.

Wiping at my face I shook my head to clear it. “S..sorry. It’s just...she collected those when she was alive...and...I wanted to bring one to her grave before...the year was out.”

“Hey,hey now don’t cry pretty lady.” The eldest of the group stepped forward, holding out a hand and helping me to my feet.

“I’m sure we can get another one to replace it.” Hobi smiled, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I remember the map saying the figurine store was right next to the electronics store right Tae?”

The one with silver hair nodded, his adorable boxy smile spreading with ease. ”Yea, we were going to get ballerina figures for Suzy noona and the other wardrobe noonas!”

“Hey that’s perfect!” The blonde haired young man chirped, bouncing up and down happily. “We could get the pretty noona to help us with our shopping and we can help her carry her bags!”

To say I was blushing was the understatement of the century. 7 hot and obviously adorable guys walking around the mall with me? I died right? Had to have like...slid on a patch of black ice on the way to the mall and ended up in a ditch on the side of the road.

Yea...I’m in a coma at the hospital right now, breathing my last and this is God’s way of leading me into the afterlife.

“Hey, you alright?”

I blinked slowly, snapping back into reality to see a mint haired angel frowning down at me in concern as he slowly tugged down his mask.

Wait...angel? No, he was just a guy. Laughing to myself I shook my head.

“Sorry, yeah, I’m fine ah…”

“Yoongi, Min Yoongi.” He smiled before turning to the others.

“That’s Taehyung, or Tae.” The one with silver hair waved cheerfully.

“Namjoon our unofficial leader and self proclaimed expert in English.” The pink haired man nodded shyly, tugging off his mask as well and smiling just enough to show off the most adorable dimples I’d ever seen.

“The red head is Hoseok but we like to call him Hobi or Jhope, depending on the situation. The blonde shorty is Jimin.”

“Hey I’m not a shorty! I’m only a centimeter shorter than you hyung!” Jimin pouted, his arms folded over his chest in a mock pout.

Yoongi shook his head, waving Jimin away before continuing. “The youngest of us is Jungkook better known as Muscle head. And our eldest is Jin.” The two nodded, the eldest throwing me a wink to die for while the youngest blushed and ducked his head in a bow.

“Watch out for Jin, he’s puns are only as deadly as his idea that he’s…” Yoongi whispered to me but was almost immediately interrupted.

“World Wide Handsome at your service!” Jin announced, offering my another wink and a flying kiss that seemed like it was second nature to him.

Shaking my head I chuckled, catching the imaginary kiss and blowing one back.

“Ya!” Jin clutched at his chest dramatically, staggering into Hobi who grabbed onto him and then spun him away to face plant right into the mall map.

The group of men broke into various states of laughter. Namjoon helped Jin regain his footing, patting him gently on the shoulder.

“I’ve never had one blown back. Be still my beating heart!” Jin shook his head in an exaggerated movement and I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped at his antics.

“Alright you’ve convinced me.” I announced to the cheers of those gathered around me. Hobi and Jimin grabbed my bags as Jungkook and Taehyung shoved Yoongi out of the way and hooked their arms with mine.

“Alright new prettier leader! Lead the way!” They shouted, dang near in unison before beginning to tug me along with them.

“Uh...guys?” I snickered, pulling the two energetic boys to a stop. “Escalator's the other way.” The two stopped, staring at each other and blinking slowly.

“Oh...right…” Tae said as I detached myself from them and turned around to the rest of the group.

“Guys you don’t have to carry my bags. Honest I can carry them myself.” I tried to take the bags back but, seeing as the two were much taller than me, they simply danced out of reach while holding the bags over my head and giggling.

“Now now, it’s the least we can do.” Yoongi said, giving me a shy smile as he ducked his head in the direction of the escalators.

“Yoongi hyung’s right.” Hobi said as he tugged the bags he held over his shoulder. “You’re helping us out and we really don’t want anything else breaking right? Besides, the 7 of us are great company, we promise you’ll have the most fun you’ve ever had shopping.”

Jin moved beside me, offering me his arm with an adorable grin on his face.

“Me lady?” He asked, his eyes sparkling with humor.

Patting his arm I grinned. “Nice arm you got there Jin hyung.”

Yoongi burst into laughter, shoving a stunned Jin forward who stumbled before regaining his footing.

“Come on guys, enough playing around we’ve got shopping to do and we don’t want to waste Miss..ah...wait.” Namjoon suddenly looked unsure of himself.

“Y/n. Y/n Y/ln.” Sticking out my hand Namjoon shook it enthusiastically.

“Right! We don’t wanna waste Miss y/n’s time.”

“Ew, please just y/n. Calling me Miss makes me sound all old.” I cringed, throwing him a reassuring smile as his friends laughed at his awkwardness.

Jimin bounced forward, grabbing my hand and swinging it happily. “Alright! Let’s go shopping!”

***

Several stores and a load more bags dispersed between the 7 men later found us standing just outside a store catering to hats. Something Jungkook and Yoongi had seemed so enthusiastic about that the boys and I couldn’t help but allow them to browse to their heart’s content.

We’d stopped at the food court for a quick bite to eat, something entertaining in itself considering my escorts. Jungkook and Jin had competed in an eating contest, to the pure entertainment of Taehyung, Hoseok, and Jimin. The two had cheered them on to the point that Yoongi and Namjoon had to step in and shush them before they drew attention to themselves.

Not really sure why the attention would have bothered them, but I didn’t think much of it considering I’d sort of agreed with them. With the crowds the way they were it was a surprise there hadn’t been any riots yet or the sound of sobbing children.

I leaned up against the wall just outside of the hat store, my eyes restlessly scanning the crowd of chattering families rushing by.

“Something bothering you?” Hobi asked, his shoulder bumping into mine as he came up to stand beside me. He’d pulled his face mask back on but I could tell he was worried for me by the crease in his eyebrows.

“I don’t know honestly. Something just feels off…” My voice trailed off and I shook the feeling away, shooting him a smile that I hoped reassured him more than it did me.

“Hey if something’s bothering you or you have to go we’ll understand.” Jimin said from the other side of me, his face looking equally concerned.

“No..no I’m sure it’s nothing. Crowds just make me nervous is all. Bad things always tend to happen when we least expect it…” I shrugged, waving Yoongi and Jungkook down as they made their way out of the store, another few bags added to the several they already held.

“Jeeze, with all the shopping you guys have done a girl would think you were buying gifts for an army.” I giggled, shaking my head and turning away to march on. What I didn’t notice was the wide eyed look the boys gave each other.

“She isn’t one is she?” Tae asked Yoongi as they lagged a few steps behind the rest.

“Nah, I think we would have caught her slipping up by now if that were the case.” Yoongi’s voice was reassuring enough and his words seemed to placate Taehyung for the time being.

A few stores down though, Tae immediately brightened, Rushing up to where Namjoon and I were chatting away.

“Hyung! Noona! Wait! It’s..it’s!!” He pointed at the store to our left and my eyes widened almost as much as Tae’s did.

“The Gucci store!” We said almost in unison.

The others groaned, each shaking their head or dragging their groan out in exaggerated exasperation.

“Not you too! And here I thought you were normal like the rest of us.” Jin grumbled, but Tae and I didn’t hear him.

Instead, hooking our arms together we raced into the store, skidding to a stop and staring gap mouthed at the dazzling displays around us.

“Tae look it’s the limited edition Christmas beanie!” I squealed, dragging him over to the display.

“I thought they were only selling a thousand of them!” He groaned, his fingertips reaching out as if he wanted to touch it but was too afraid it was a mirage.

“Ohhhh Taeeee.” I dragged him deeper into the store, the others trailing not far behind as they spread out to browse the merchandise as well.

“Tae Tae oh my god you would look so good in this suit!” I fingered the grey material, admiring the darker grey patterning printed throughout.

“Aiyooo...You’re not wrong.” His eyes scanned the length of it, admiring it from all sides as my attention drew elsewhere.

“Oh...oh yes!” I skipped over to where Yoongi stood, admiring a display of silk chokers printed with the signature gucci pattern. Snagging one with small colorful flowers printed on it I grinned at Yoongi before darting away. He laughed to himself, finding my actions endearing.

“Alright Tae, close your eyes!” He giggled and obliged, drawing the attention of Jungkook and Jimin who both wandered over to see what we were up to.

Jin glanced over, nudging Namjoon in the side and pointing in our direction.

Dramatically as I could I stood on tiptoe, reaching around him from the back and draping the choker over his throat. He flinched and chuckled nervously.

“What are you up to?” He asked, his voice slightly wavering with nerves.

“Ah! No peeking!” Jimin giggled, covering Tae’s eyes with his adorably small hands.

“Alright, alright.” Taehyung mumbled, bending his knees slightly so that I didn’t have to stretch as far.

With slow dramatic movements I cinched the clasp on the choker, tying the extra material into a loose bow before bouncing back on the heels of my feet.

“Okay just one more second.” Motioning to the suit behind Jungkook I grinned. He caught on quickly, gently taking the grey suit Tae and I had been eyeing earlier and handing it over to me. I tugged at Tae’s arm, grinning all the while as I led him over to the large mirrors lining one of the store’s walls.

A mother and her young daughter entered the store at that moment, the little girl’s eyes opening wide at the sight greeting her. I grinned over at her, wrinkling my nose and placing one of my fingers to my lips to keep her quiet. She giggled, covering her mouth with both hands and bouncing over to stand in front of a still blinded Taehyung.

“Alright Tae, arms out wide.” He did as I asked, almost as if used to being dressed. The girl giggled again as I slid the suit jacket onto his arms, coming around to the side to adjust it along his front. As he lowered his arms to his side I nodded to Jimin, who gave the little girl a knowing grin laced with the sweetest sugar as he removed his hands from Tae’s eyes.

“Alright, open.”

He complied, blinking a moment to adjust his vision once more to the glaring lights before staring at himself slack jawed in the mirror. “Holy…”

“Wow mister you look so handsome!” The little girl spoke English, and as I quickly translated for her Tae couldn’t help but grin down at her before giving her a coy wink.

She broke out into helpless giggles, covering her mouth with both hands once again as she darted away to where her mother browsed sunglasses beside Namjoon.

“Momma, momma, this place has all the handsome men!” She pointed to the boys in turn before tugging on her mother’s jacket sleeve.

“Momma, this place is better than the toy store!”

Namjoon chuckled, flashing her a dimple filled grin. “Why thank you little Miss.” He said in clear english.

Hobi took the opportunity to make an absolute ham of himself, crouching down before the girl.

“Would you like to see me dance?” His English was a little bit more broken, glancing up at Namjoon with a quirk of his eyebrow. At Namjoon’s approving nod he grinned brighter, turning back to the girl to see her reaction.

Her eyes widened as Jungkook and Jimin came over, each with dazzling smiles of their own as they joined Hobi in the more open section of the store. They nodded at each other before breaking out into synchronized dance. They dipped and swirled, dodging around each other with moves they’d obviously practiced a hundred times before. Tae began singing, to which Jin quickly joined in and despite the fact that they were dancing Jimin and Jungkook joined in as well.

“Day by day, summer, winter, even if you don’t know, you got the best of me!”

Even if they were singing in Korean the little girl was enthralled, clapping her hands together and even attempting to spin the way the boys were. She collapsed against her mother, all smiles and breathless giggles as the impromptu mini performance came to an end.

The employees cheered and clapped as the mother thanked the heavily breathing dancers, complimenting them on their moves and voices. I stood beside Yoongi, taking it all in with a massive grin on my face though he scowled slightly in turn.

I nudged him gently, nodding my chin in their direction as I asked, “They do that often?”

“Only every chance they get.” He said begrudgingly with a shake of his head. “It’s going to get them in trouble on of these days you just watch.” Though his words came off as grumpy his tone didn’t and I could tell he really didn’t mean it by the fond look in his eyes as he watched the group of men fawn over their new young fan.

The door of the store dinged, drawing my attention to the three men that’d made their way into the store. They wore all black and black surgical masks similar to the ones the boys were using but these guys were obviously locals. I nudged Yoongi, who nodded but kept his eyes averted. He’d noticed them as well. Letting out a low whistle he caught Namjoon’s attention who,without drawing attention to himself began wrangling up the others.

“Alright, since our adorable new fan loved this outfit so much I’m buying it.” Taehyung announced as he and Jimin joined Yoongi and I by the wallets.

“Oh sure, I put you in it and it’s passable. But the cute little girl fawns over it and all of a sudden it’s worth buying.” I pretended to pout, turning away from Tae and crossing my arms over my chest.

“Awww, hey don’t be like that. I was talking about you not the little girl.” Tae wrapped his arms around me,lifting me up and spinning me around. I squealed, giggling as I smacked his arms.

“Tae put her down!” Namjoon stepped in, Jin and the others trailing behind him.

Taehyung obliged, setting my delicately on me feet. I stumbled forward into Hobi’s arms, slightly breathless and still full of giggles.

“Ya! Tae you’ve barely known her a few hours you can’t just pick her up like that.” Jin scolded him, smacking him on the back of the head and Namjoon drowned and nodded in agreement.

“Awww,hyung I didn't mean any harm. She was upset and I wanted to cheer her up. And besides! It may have only been a few hours but it feels like we’ve known her forever.” Tae pouted, hanging his head.

“Tae’s right.” Jimin patted the pouting boy on the arm. “She really feels like one of us. Like we reunited with a long lost friend.”

“Definitely haven’t felt like I’ve been hanging with a stranger.” Jungkook joined in, shooting me a massive grin.

“Guyyysss.” I hid my blushing face in Hobi’s arm. My heart glowed with warmth from their kind words.

How is it I could have met such amazing people and formed such an amazing bond with them over such a short period of time?

“Gotta be a coma...yep, definitely standing in front of Saint Peter…”

Yoongi chuckled. “No y/n it’s not a coma. You’re awake we promise.”

“Oh God you heard that?” I squealed, grabbing Hobi’s arms and shoving him in front of me to hide behind him.

The group burst into laughter, reaching around Hobi to pat my arm or say sweet things to cover my embarrassment.

But the laughter was cut short almost instantly. A gunshot rang through the air. I could hear the little girl scream along with her mother as the boys shoved me behind them.

I could feel Jin and Hobi trembling as they held onto me protectively but I couldn’t see much that was going on around their broad shoulders. As I pushed past them more shots rang out.

“Everybody on the ground! Backs up against the wall.”

“Anybody move or try anything stupid and I'm blowing this little shit’s brains all over these fancy ass suits.”

What...what the hell?

My instincts had been right. The three creepy men from earlier....they were behind all this noise.

One stood in front of the doors, a massive semi automatic weapon in hand as he scanned the halls just outside the store. Another stood over by the register, his own weapon held right in the employee’s faces. The third had the little girl in his arms, a pistol pointed right at her temple as she cried and struggled in his arms.

“Please, don’t hurt my baby!” The mother sobbed as Namjoon held tightly to her, keeping her from moving the wrong way and making the men any more aggressive than they already were.

“Shut the fuck up! Everybody get back! Right now!” The one with the little girl waved his gun at us and everyone immediately backed up, huddling together in fear.

“Alright..good...good.” The one pointing his gun at the employees nodded. “If everybody stays calm, then nobody gets hurt and we’ll be in and out. You’ll never have to see us again.”

“That’s right everybody get back!” The one with the child returned the barrel of the gun to the sobbing child’s head, causing her to cry out in fear and the mother to resume her struggles against Namjoon’s arms.

“Please Miss just calm down. Calm down everything is going to be alright.” Namjoon pulled her against his chest, hiding her face so that she wouldn’t have to witness her endangered child’s fear.

“Boss we got 20 and counting.” The goon by the door shouted back into the store.

The apparent leader nodded, motioning his gun towards the store employees. “Alright, empty the register, all the change too. No receipts just the cash.”

The two strung out employees hurried to obey, opening the two registers and beginning to pull out bills and stuffing them into the gucci bag the assailant had provided. After the tills had been emptied he motioned once again towards the rest of us huddled against the wall.

“Alright over you get. I want everyone lined up single file against the wall. No complaints, my associate over there tends to be pretty trigger happy and I won’t be held accountable for what he’s capable of.”

Everyone rushed to comply, standing single file as instructed. I stood between Jimin and Yoongi, Yoongi to my left and Jimin on my right. Yoongi’s fists were clenched with rage and he ground his teeth as if he were ready to do something. I gently took his hand in mine, bringing his furious gaze to mine.

Slowly I shook my head, no this wasn’t something we had any control over or a situation we could do anything about. I tried to communicate to him with my eyes, tried to tell him to stay calm until this was all over. His eyes softened as they held my gaze and he nodded in understanding.

“Alright. I need everyone to empty their pockets. Wallets, cash, cellphones, all in the bags right now.” The leader stood in front of us, going down the line one by one as each person emptied their pockets as told.

Christ...because my day wasn’t weird enough...here I am being freaking robbed...because meeting a bunch of super hot and talented Korean men wasn’t enough, from one extreme to the other right?

Tossing my wallet into the bag was no problem, but my phone gave me pause. It had the only pictures of me and my grandpa on it. I stared down at it as my hand hovered over the bag.

“Hey, we ain’t got time for this, hurry up and put it in the fucking bag bitch!” He yelled, the little one screamed, I dropped my phone instantly into the bag. Sorry grandpa...I’m sorry.

The leader moved on, and when he’d turned his back I saw my chance. I rushed forward, trying to snatch the gun out of his hand, maybe if I could get control of it...But no, he was too quick, and a lot bigger than me. He snatched his arm back, elbowing me in the face before smashing the butt of the gun into the side of my head.

“Fucking stupid bitch!” He shoved me back into the line up. Taehyung and Jin managed to catch me before I hit the floor but I couldn’t tell. All I could see was stars...stars and a bright red rim of anger clouding my vision.

“15 and counting boss.” Yelled the goon by the door.

15...15 till what? Until the cops get here? Until the alarm goes off? As Jin helped steady me on my feet I glanced around. The boys were afraid, I could tell from the way Hobi and Taehyung were clinging to each other. From Jimin’s eyes, wide and filled with tears. Jungkook and Namjoon were quiet, both visibly trembling but trying hard to stay calm in the situation. And Yoongi, Yoongi glared death at the men, as if his look alone could stop them dead where they stood. I had to do something. I had to fix this. The mother looked inconsolable, and I could understand her fear. If I could just...distract them or...get the girl away from the freak with the pistol.

I saw my moment, the leader had his back turned to us once again. And as he spoke to to his idiot compatriot the man lowered his gun from the girl’s head.I slipped out of Jin’s grip, slowly pulling the small bottle of mace I kept in my back pocket out and popping the cap to get ready.

Moving slowly so as not to attract attention I stepped forward. I could see Yoongi watching me, tensing up as if he knew what I was going to do. He nudged Jungkook in the side, bringing the younger man’s attention to me and I brought my focus back to the two infront of me.

It happened in a blur, a steady stream of mace to the guy with the girl’s eyes, snagging her and shoving at the leader at the same time while pushing her back towards Jungkook. The two men screamed, unsure as to what had happened. The maced moron screamed in pain more than anything else, having dropped his weapon in favor of clawing at his eyes. The leader turned, eyes wild as he scanned those pressed up against the wall. His eyes landed on Jungkook and he raised his weapon. Yoongi rushed forward, snagging the dropped gun on the floor but the leader was too quick.

He pulled the trigger, I jumped forward.

A white hot pain laced through my abdomen as I fell to the floor.

“Y/n!” Namjoon?

… I ...can feel his arms, dragging me out of the way. I crack my eyes open to see what’s happening. Yoongi has the gun pressed against the leader’s temple now…

My eyes close as the burning pain spreads...I can feel...warmth...spreading down my legs.

Christ...I didn’t pee myself did I??? N...no…

I open my eyes to glance down again...thank god...no...it’s just blood...don’t think I could live that down if I peed myself in front of all these hot guys…

“Easy there y/n I got you.” I smile up at Namjoon, my arm wrapped tightly around my stomach as I look up again.

Jimin’s taken the gun from the door goon...Taehyung is calling the cops.

“N..Namjoon go help them I’m fine.” My voice...why does it sound like I’m whispering?

But he hears me, he moves away, going to comfort the mother who’s clinging desperately to her daughter. Good...she’s s...safe…

My eyes dart around, Hobi’s got the employees...they’re crying. Ha! Yea I would be too if I had...the...energy…

***

Jimin’s pov

***

I held tightly to the weapon, still trembling from the adrenaline and fear of the situation. In all my years...I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a real gun, let alone holding one like this? I shake my head, glaring at the man on his knees before me. Doesn’t matter what his reason for what he did is, him and his buddies threatened a little kid. I hope they rot for it.

Finally the police arrive, I hand over the weapon to one of the officers and sigh in relief. I can feel the energy slowly draining out of my muscles. Dance practice is nothing compared to what we’ve gone through.

My eyes scan the store, now crowded with people, collecting evidence and cuffing the perps, questioning the witnesses. Namjoon’s talking to one, explaining that we’re from Korea and don’t speak English I’m guessing. Jungkook walks over, his eyes still kind of wild, probably from nerves.

“Hey, Kookie it’s alright.” I try to make my voice soft as I pull my young friend into a hug. It’s easy for me to step into the roll of comfort, it’s what I’m best at. Tae comes over and the three of us crowd together, foreheads pressed together and arms clutching desperately at cloths.

“It’s okay guys, we’re alive, everyone’s alright.” I look around again, see Yoongi hyung comforting Hobi hyung and Jin hyung. Good, they’re alright too.

“Wait..” I pause, panic gripping at my chest. “Where’s y/n?”

Shoving Taehyung off of me I rush to the back of the store, to the place we’d been lined up.

My eyes widen.

My stomach drops to my feet.

I can feel nausea creeping in at the sight before me.

“Oh god there’s so much bl…” I can hear Jungkook and Tae right behind me. One of them is throwing up.

“Shit, shit SHIT!” I’m screaming as I drop down beside her, grabbing at her hands to see where the damage is. There’s a gaping hole...right where her stomach should have been.

“J...Jiminie?” Her voice oh god it’s so weak. She struggles to open her eyes as I smile down at her through the tears.

“Hey, hey there it’s alright I’m here.” I gather her into my arms despite...there’s...so much blood everywhere...why? Why did this happen?

“She...she was trying to..she saved my life…” Jungkook drops to his knees to the other side of her.

“Oh...Kookie...you’re okay..” She smiles weakly at him, reaching out a trembling hand that he grabs almost instantly.

“Yea, yea I’m okay.” He whispers between sobs. “No no, Kookie don’t cry it’s…”she chokes on her words and as she coughs a fresh flow of blood cascades from her lips.

“Y/n no, don’t talk.” Namjoon is beside me, holding her free hand as I cradle her head in my lap. “You’ve got to save your strength, the ambulance is on the way.”

I can’t hold the sobs anymore, leaning my forehead against hers as the pain of the situation rips at my heart.

“Please y/n just...listen to hyung. It’s going to be okay, you just gotta stay awake okay?” I’m begging her and she laughs.

“Silly Jiminie, I’m okay, I’ll be okay...soon as I can feel my legs that is.”

“How can you even make jokes right now?” Hobi’s wiping at his face as he laughs a bitter laugh.

I look up and the other’s are crowded around, each staring down heartbroken.

Yoongi turns away, tears streaming down his cheeks as he clutches at his midsection. Jin catches him just as he drops to the floor.

“Mmm..Jiminie you’re so warm.” Her voice is even weaker and I smile down at her. “Yea, I’m good for warm cuddles. You’ll find out soon as we get you to the hospital and all recovered. I promise I’ll give you all the…” My voice chokes and the tears burn like fire in my throat. “All the warm cuddles you want…”

She closes her eyes, her breathing...it looks like she’s giving everything for each breath…

“No y/n, please just stay awake. Talk to us y/n please?” Namjoon’s begging her, his hands on hers with a white knuckled grip.

She gives off a weak giggle, one choked off by another round of coughing and gagging on her life’s blood. “Talk to you? But you’re angels.Beautiful angels.” She stopped talking as her eyes drifted closed once again.

“Y/n please, stay with us!!” I can’t help but beg her, though her face is blurred by my own acid hot tears.

“Mmm...such sweet angels. I was so blessed to meet you. Stay sweet..okay? Don’t f..f…..forget what you mean to...each…...other….”

No...oh god...her body..it’s gone limp.

I can hear screaming...a high pitched noise deafening me to nothing but the screaming. Is...is that me?

I’m clutching her body desperately to me, despite it’s lifeless state. The paramedics arrive too late. Yoongi hyung’s screaming at them that they’re too late. She’s gone...they’ve taken her...she’s gone...she’s...gone…

*Six months later*

A hush falls over the crowd. Seven men stand on stage, solemn and stoic as they gaze over a stadium filled to the brim with their fans.

Namjoon smiles, waving to everyone before lifting his mic to his lips.

“Six months ago, the seven of us decided to take a little vacation in the US. We wanted some time off, to just exist as people, remind ourselves that we were human and not super star robots designed to churn out music every chance we got.”

The others laugh though Yoongi stays silent, staring down at the ground with his hands crossed before him. He steps forward, lifting the mic so that he can speak.

“One day we decided to take a trip to the mall, it was a few days before Christmas. And we met...someone. So unique and so inspiring that we all became instant friends.”

Hobi joins in, a large grin on his face as he seems to be lost in his memories. “That person didn’t see us as celebrities, and it was amazing. For the first time we were just...us. A group of guys shopping and enjoying ourselves and just being normal.”

“It felt amazing, not having to worry about being the best or watching what we said or how we acted. We were good enough the way we were.” Jin smiles sadly as he stares down at the stage. “She even laughed at all of my dad puns, and it was real laughter she actually got the puns and thought they were funny.” He shakes his head, glancing over to Tae.

Taehyung stands still, staring up at the lights illuminating them. His eyes fill with tears as he remembers her smiling face. “She...was so bright. And she cared so much. All because we caused her to break a gift to her grandmother.”

“Things went wrong quick…” Jungkook sniffs, wiping at the tears streaming down his face. “We were caught in the middle of a robbery and...she...saved me...took a bullet for me…” He dissolved into tears and turned to bury his face in Taehyung’s shoulder.

Jimin steps forward, his eyes brimming with tears as he turns to the giant screen behind him. It lights up, pictures showing up from that day. Selfies she’d taken or the boys had taken. Different shots of them walking together, Jungkook and Jin gorging on food in the food court, her laughing at Namjoon sheepishly held out a broken pair of sunglasses out to a store clerk.

The final picture shows her standing beside Taehyung in the outfit she’d picked out for him, the very outfit he wore on stage.

“Her parents are here today. And we just...wanted to apologize, for not doing more. For not trying harder to save her. We...don’t deserve the forgiveness you so willingly gave us. Because of her we are better, we love harder, we grow stronger as a family. And so..we dedicated this song to her.”

Jimin moves to the edge of the stage and the lights turns low, a single spotlight focusing on him as the music begins to play. The stadium remains quiet, ARMY bombs, glittering through the crowd and shining the light of her favorite color. Jimin parts his lips and begins to sing.

“None of this is a coincidence

I’m just going with the flow

The world is different from yesterday

Just with your joy

When you call me

I go to your flower

As if I’ve been waiting”

#bts x reader #bts x reader insert #bts min yoongi #bts kim namjoon #bts kim seokjin #bts kim taehyung #bts jeon jungkook #bts jung hoseok #bts park jimin #bts fanfiction

68 notes · View notes

buckyscrystalqueen · 6 years

Text

Still On The Road: Part 4

Pairings: Jason Momoa x Reader (AU/ SOA crossover)

Warnings: Swearing, angst, fluff

Word Count: 4,551

A/n: This is a continuation of the ‘Life On The Road’ series, which was a Chibs x Reader story I wrote a few months back.

Part 1 / Part 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, princess. Walk, don’t run. Don’t touch anything bigger than both your hands together, and go pick out the prettiest ones you can find.” You reminded your daughter like you did every time you came shopping as you walked into your main supplier’s massive warehouse. Avery took off in the fastest walk possible with her play shopping cart that you had long since lined with a cotton lined cardboard box in front of her as Jason whistled loudly beside you.

“This is impressive.” He said as you grabbed a flat bed cart and set your fifty or so empty tote boxes of random sizes and on it.

“Welcome to my job.” You said as you pointed to the right to start from one side of the room so you could work your way across. “You know you could’a gone rock climbin’ with the rest of the guys.” You tried as you stopped in front of a five shelf shelving unit full of rose quartz in various sizes, shapes, and cuts.

“Truthfully?” He said as you grabbed the first tote off the stack and set it to the side. “I’m a little bit sun burnt from rafting yesterday so I’ll stick to the shade today.”

“Oh ho!” You teased as you grabbed a dozen palm sized hearts and laid them carefully in the bottom. “Mister muscles has a weakness. I told ya to put on the dang sunscreen.”

“Yea, well I have my bad days just like every one else.” He laughed as he looked around. “Do you want me to help?”

“No, it’s a’right.” You giggled as you picked up a rose shaped stone and looked at its quality. “Actually, yea.” You said as you looked over at him while putting the rose in the bottom of the tote. You grabbed the next tote and handed it to him “If ya wanna start with the tumbled stones. I need four dozen each of the rose quarts, the clear quarts, and the amethyst. So these small ones here. This one, this one, and the one behind me.” He nodded his head as you handed him the piece in your hand with a smile. “Be exact though, I pay for them individually and they give me a good price so I don’t wanna jip ‘em.”

“You got it.” He said as he stood beside you and started grabbing the tumbled stones from the basket. You grabbed a few more cute statue pieces, and a couple wands and points before putting the top on that box and moving on to grab similar items in the clear quarts. “So do you believe in this stuff?” He asked as he moved over to the shelf beside you.

“Not really.” You said as you rubbed your thumb across a small, black inclusion on one of the wands before adding it to the tote. “Kinda. I mean, they’re pretty to look at, and I have a few of them in my truck and my house and I got a piece of citrine in my wallet for prosperity, but if I have a head ache, I ain’t typically rubbing a rock on my forehead and shit. But to each his own, ya know. I have a book that tells me about the basic uses because I send out the information cards with each purchase, which means I have a basic, general knowledge… I don’t know, I live in nature so I guess I believe it by default if that makes any sorta sense.”

“I get it.” He said as he moved over to the amethyst. “I’m part Hawaiian and part Native American, remember. Eastern medicine traditions run deep in my blood. I turn to natural medicine over store bought stuff any day, but that’s how I was raised.”

“Do you miss it?” You asked as you moved on to the amethyst with a new tote. He looked over at you as you gave him a quick run down of the colors, and amounts you needed of the tumbled fluorite and he shrugged.

“I’ve been gone a long time.” He sighed as he started counting stones and carefully adding them to the box under his arm. “I went to college in Iowa, Colorado, and the Florida Keys, I’ve been to Paris, and Tibet to study painting and the Buddhist teachings, respectively. And I realized that I like traveling a hell of a lot more than I do anything else. Sure, Hawaii’s fucking gorgeous and all but damn, isn’t the rest of the world just as beautiful.” You paused and looked over at him as he grabbed the last handful of green fluorite and added it to the box.

“See, now where the hell have you been all my life?” He smirked and looked over at you with a shrug as he closed the tote and added it to the pile of full boxes.

“Traveling, just like you.” You nodded and put your amethyst box down with the rest.

“Well, if you ain’t just the most amazing man alive.”

“Shut up.” He laughed as he grabbed a new tote and pointed to the next group of shelves. “What’s next?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you sure you got that?” Jason asked as you sat on your bedroom floor, organizing the newest, smaller gemstones to their respectful drawers in the giant organizer in the bottom of your closet.

“I’ve been doin’ this for years, Jase.” You said over your shoulder as he and Avery, who had been asleep since five minutes in, watched Moana for the millionth time on your bed behind you. “I got it.”

“You know, you’re just making me feel bad over here.” He joked as he scratched Tink’s head, absentmindedly. You laughed and glanced over your shoulder at him as you slid the drawer of azurite in granite also known as K2 closed.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Heavy lifting, male stereo type, all that shit.”

“I’m gunna stop you right there.” You laughed as you sorted out the aquamarine next. “Trust me when I tell you, I don’t need a man to take care of me. I gotta dog and a vibrator.” Jason burst out laughing and quickly covered his mouth when Avery stirred in her sleep beside him.

“Well then.” He said as he cleared his throat with a cough. “I’ll let you do your thing, then.” He shook his head and rested his hand on Avery’s stomach so she would stay asleep and she whined in her sleep. You turned around to look at her as Jason reached up to feel her forehead. “(Y/N), she’s really warm.”

“What?” You asked as you dropped the stones in your hand in the drawer and scrambled to your feet. You felt her forehead, worriedly as she moaned again. “Can you stay with her…”

“Yea, I’m here.” He said as you got up and headed to your bathroom to grab your thermometer. You rushed back into the room and kneeled down on the bed beside her.

“101.” You sighed when the ear thermometer beeped. “Crap.”

“That’s almost hospital bad.” You shook your head as you sat down beside Avery and brushed the hair out of her face.

“Not yet, but that does mean I’m stuck in Tucson for a couple days until she gets better. She’s a monster when she’s sick.”

“Are you safe to stay here?” You looked over at him out of the corner of your eye and shook your head the slightest bit.

“They have a charter in Tucson… and the club house is about twenty minutes from here.”

“Shit.” He groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Alright, so we stay under the radar. I’ll make all the runs…”

“Jase…” You tried but he shook his head.

“I’m here, (Y/N).” He said softly as Avery groaned in her sleep again. “Even if the other guys go, I’m staying right here.” You nodded slowly as you looked back down at your daughter.

“Alright.” You whispered with another look over at him. “Can you run up to the store for me?”

“Just tell me what you need, sweetheart.”

——

“Mommy it hurts!” Avery screamed as you sat on the small seat in the shower with her early the next morning.

“I know, baby girl.” You breathed with a nod of your head as you tried to quickly wash the vomit from her hair so you could take her to the hospital. “Just hold on for me, OK?” She nodded slowly and continued to sob as you grabbed the hand held shower sprayer.

“I grabbed her a dress from the closet.” Jason said as he laid down the clothes you asked him to grab on the toilet. “I took Tink out and put her up in Avery’s room with some food and water.”

“Thanks, Jay.” You said as you turned off the water and grabbed a towel off the counter. “Alright, baby. Mommy’s gunna make it better.” You got out of the shower, dried her off, and got both of you dressed as quickly as possible. You went to carry her out of the RV to your truck, but Jason easily took her out of your hands.

“Come on, princess.” He said softly as he rubbed her back and walked as carefully as he could down the stairs. Your hands shook as you locked the door behind you and ran to open the back door of your truck. A small, very weak smile pulled at the corner of your lips when you heard Jason singing ‘You’re Welcome’ to her softly as he set her gently in her car seat.

“You’re good with her.” You whispered as he buckled her in and checked to make sure the strap was tight.

“She reminds me of my goddaughter.” You nodded your head as he shut the back door and pulled your door open for you. You got in and buckled your seatbelt quickly as Jason jogged around the front of the truck and got in the passenger seat. He put the hospital’s address in your GPS and sighed.

“It’s alright, baby girl.” You tried again as Avery continued to cry in the backseat. “It’s all gunna be OK, soon.”

——

After getting to the hospital, every thing went at lightening speed. Within two hours, Avery had been diagnosed, and taken to emergency surgery to have her appendix removed. You knew you didn’t have a choice but to call Chibs and sure enough, not twenty minutes after you hung up the phone with him, three members of SAMTAZ showed up at the hospitals doors.

“Are they gunna try to take her?” Jason asked as you paced in a small circle in front of him. You shook your head as you watched one of the guys point you out through the window to another guy on his cell.

“Probably just making sure I’m telling the truth, and not trying to draw him into a trap for violating parole by leaving the state before his probation officer OK’s it.” He nodded at you as you looked down at your feet and continued to pace in the waiting room.

“She’s gunna be fine, baby.” Jason said softly as he watched you walk back and forth. “She’s a fighter, I know it.” You nodded your head, mechanically as you started chewing on your thumb nail. After almost three hours, a nurse finally came out to tell you Avery was finally in recovery.

“He’s with me.” You informed her as you reached back and grabbed Jason’s hand. The nurse gave you a single nod and glanced over your shoulder at the three bikers outside before signaling you to follow her. You wove through the maze of hallways with tears in your eyes and you let out a choked laugh when you finally saw your baby girl.

“Oh, Avery.” You breathed as you walked quickly to her side. She barely blinked, still groggy from the anesthesia, but rolled her head toward the sound of your voice. “You’re OK, baby girl. Mommy’s here. Mommy’s right here, OK?” She let out a little whine as Jason grabbed both of you chairs and set them down at her bedside.

“Bet she’s gunna be really excited that she can eat ice cream for breakfast for a couple days.” He said with a small chuckle as he reached out to softly rub your back. You huffed a laugh and smiled as you ran your fingers through Avery’s curly brown hair.

“Ice cream and milkshakes for days.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where is she?” Chibs voice called out down the hall at the nurses station. “Avery Lynn Telford, where’s m’child?” You sighed and glanced over at Jason with a shake of your head.

“Don’t engage no matter what he says.” He gave you the slightest nod as Avery’s hospital room door opened behind you.

“Wha’ ‘appened?” Chibs demanded as he walked quickly into the room and got a look at his sick, sleeping daughter and the remaining faint red ant bites on what you could see of her arms.

“She had appendicitis. And those are just ant bite from 4th of July.” You said softly so you didn’t wake up your daughter up. “Keep your voice down…”

“Bloody hell were ye doing with ‘er…”

“Jesus Christ.” You said as you looked over at him. “What, you think I shoved dirt down her throat and made her sit in an ant pile or something? She got sick, Filip. She’s a kid.”

“Yea, a kid tha’ should ‘ave a roof ov’a ‘er head an’ not be livin’ on the damn streets like some piece of fuckin’ garbage.”

“Oh, fucking bite me.” You snapped as you flipped him off. “You lived that life for two years, too. You’re just pissed you don’t get to see her as much as you’d like. Look, you’re here as a fucking favor, I could have just as easily told you six months down the line that she had surgery. So if you’re sticking around, sit down, shut up, and be there for your daughter or get the fuck out. We clear?”

“Piss off, ye bloody gash.” He growled as he dragged a chair over to the end of the bed and flopped down on it hard.

“Fuck you.” You retorted as you glanced over your shoulder at Jax and Juice. “Boys.”

“Hey, (Y/N).” Juice said with a nod while Jax simply stared at you, blankly. “How is she?”

“Sleepin’ thankfully and outta pain.” He nodded his head, glanced up at Jason with a tight-lipped smile.

“I’m Juice.” He tried before Jax whacked his stomach, and Chibs gave him a death glare.

“Jason.” You rolled your eyes at the Sons and looked across the room at your friend with an apologetic smile.

“Mommy?” Avery said softly as she stirred the slightest bit. You sat up a little straighter beside her and smiled.

“I’m right here, baby.”

“‘ey, m’ lit’l luv.” Chibs said, sweetly as he jumped to his feet and moved his chair to the other side of the bed. “Daddy’s ‘ere, too.” She rolled her head the slightest bit to look over at him.

“You’re here?” She whispered as she searched his face.

“Course, I’m ‘ere, princess. Ye’re m’ lit’l girl.” She gave him a small smile, and tears welled in her eyes tired, closing eyes.

“You’ll still leave.” She whispered as her pain killers kicked back in again. “You always leave me.” Tears spilled from your eyes as you looked up at your ex.

“Sad that your own kid only knows ya for that.” You growled as you reached out to hold your daughter’s hand. He looked up at you angrily, but you could still see the hint of tears in his eyes.

“Text me when she leaves ‘ere.” He said as he got up from his chair. He looked down at his baby girl, and shook his head the slightest bit. “Then don’t ever fuckin’ call me again.” Your heart lurched in your chest as he leaned down, and kissed Avery’s forehead while Juice said his name behind you.

“Filip…” You tried as he pulled out his wallet, and grabbed every bit of cash he had on him. “That’s not what I want…”

“It’s what I want.” He said as he dropped the cash on the table, and walked out of the room. “I won’t let ‘er opinion’a me be pain for the rest’a ‘er life. Jus’ tell ‘er I’ll always luv ‘er.”

“Filip.” You repeated as you got up from your chair quickly and followed him to the door.

“Take ‘er ta Disney wit’ tha’ cash.” He said as he paused in the doorway and took one last look at his baby girl. “And take care’a my lit’l girl.”

“Filip, don’t do this.” You said as you followed him out the door with tears falling down your face. You looked up at Jax and shook your head. “Don’t let him do this…”

“It’s better this way, (Y/N).” Was all the VP said as he turned and followed your ex down the hallway.

“Filip…” You cried as Jason wrapped his arms around your waist loosely. “ Filip, don’t do this!” You grabbed Jason’s arms tightly as your ex pushed the elevator button and put his sunglasses on his face to hide his tears. “Filip, she’s your daughter!”

“Let him go, sweetheart.” Jason said softly as you covered your mouth with your hands and cried. “Give him time to really think about it.”

“But my baby…” You cried into your palms as you watched your daughter’s father walk into the elevator without a single look back. You instantly turned in Jason’s arms and burst into sobs as he rubbed your back and told the nurses you were fine.

“She has you, sweetheart.” He said as he carefully walked you back into the room and closed the door for some privacy. “She’ll always have her mom.”

“I didn’t want that.” You said as you shook your head and fisted his shirt in your palms.

“I know, baby girl.” He whispered as he held you tightly. “It’s gunna be OK.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You should have been surprised to see two patched members of SAMTAZ sitting outside your RV when you brought Avery back from the hospital two days after her surgery but after what happened with Chibs at the hospital, you almost expected it. You pulled your truck up beside Jason’s and put it in park with a sigh.

“Can you just take her in to her bed?” You asked with a glance over at Jason. He nodded and got out of the truck.

“(Y/N)?” The taller of the two asked as you put your sunglasses on top of your head and went over to unlock the front door for Jason and let Tink out.

“Yep.” You said with a nod as you held your door open and caught Tink by the collar before she could run at the men. They both took a hesitant step back before the taller man took a couple steps toward you.

“Chibs wanted us to pass this along.” He said as he reached into his kutte and pulled out a thick, manilla envelope. “Told us to let you know his number’s been changed, and you’re not welcome in Charming anymore. You will be stopped if you try.” You nodded your head and moved to stand on either side of your pit bull to hold her in place with your calves.

“He’s really doing this, ain’t he?” You sighed as you took the envelope from him.

“He don’t want his kid to grow up with that much hate in her heart.” The second guy said with a shrug. “I get it. Had to do the same thing to my baby mama when I was inside for ten years.” You nodded your head and looked in the envelop at the large stacks of cash, and a few folded up pieces of paper. You flipped the top closed again and closed your eyes to fight back your tears.

“Can you…” You tried, but your voice cracked a bit. You cleared your throat and shook your head as you dropped your sunglasses back down on your face. “Can you tell him we love him?” You asked as you folded your arms across your chest. “Tell him I’m sorry I drove him to make this choice and that I’m sorry for everything.” The two men nodded their heads as they got on their bikes and put on their sunglasses and helmets. Without another word, they started up their Harleys and pulled out of the RV park, leaving you alone in their dust.

You let Tink go with your legs so she could go to the bathroom and called her back inside so you could figure out what Chibs sent with the money. You checked on Avery, who was peacefully sleeping in her bed, and helped Tink up onto her bed gently so she wouldn’t wake up before heading into your room, where Jason was watching the baseball game quietly and waiting for you so you could take a much needed nap.

“What’s that?” He asked as he shut off the TV and sat up a bit on the bed.

“Chibs’ good bye, I guess.” You climbed up on the bed and sat between his thighs with a heavy sigh. You dumped the contents on your lap and grabbed the papers first. You looked at Chibs’ rough, scrolled handwriting and you could see the couple spots that had been smeared by his tears. Your heart broke for him and you held out the letter so that your own tears wouldn’t smear the ink even more.

My darling Avery Lynn,

First and foremost, I need you to know that I have and always will love you with all of my heart. I know you may not believe that, but it is true. Unfortunately, your mother and I weren’t able to make things work out between us, but my leaving had nothing to do with you, princess.

You see, your father is a bad man. I’m a criminal, a liar, and a thief. I have done some inexcusable things in my life, and no matter how hard I tried to escape them to be the father that you deserve, I wasn’t able to. And I will always regret that. God, you have no bloody idea how much I will regret that shite because it meant losing one of the few good things life has given me; you.

That being said, I want what’s best for you, my precious little girl, and that means not having me in your life. All I have done is hurt you in the past two years, and I can’t live with myself for doing that to you. And I know that if I try to stay in your life from this point on, all I will do is continue to hurt you more. I don’t want to do that to you, baby girl. So I need to step away because right now, that’s the best thing I have to offer you.

I’m so sorry, Avery for all the pain I have caused you. I’m sorry that your memories of me are so negative. I’m sorry for putting you and your mother through such hell. I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you all this in person, but I don’t think I’d be able to make it through if I did. I’m sorry that I won’t be there to watch you grow up into the beautiful woman I know you will be… but I know, in my heart, that it is better this way.

I love you, Avery. I will always love you, and not a day has or will go by that I don’t think of you. Be good for your mum for me, and give Tinkerbell an extra kiss each night for me, as well.

‘May the Lord hold you in his hand, and may he never close his fist too tight.’

All my love,

Dad.

You set the two page letter aside and looked at the next page through your tears.

(Y/N),

To help you raise your daughter as you see fit, whether that be on the road, or settled down somewhere far, far away from me. Attached is information for a bank account in her name for a university fund that can’t be accessed by either of us until she’s eighteen. I’ll add more funds to it over time so you won’t need to, but it has enough in it for four years at a decent university as is in case something happens to me.

Thank you for giving me two beautiful years with her. I will cherish them until I die.

Filip.

Tears poured silently down your cheeks as you glanced at the bank account information before setting them all aside.

“I didn’t want this.” You cried as you shoved the money off your lap and curled into a ball against Jason’s chest.

“I know, baby.” He sighed as he wrapped his arms around you and brushed his calloused hands across your arm. He let you cry it out without a word until you had no tears left to shed.

“Bet this isn’t what you though you’d sign up for when you saved my kid from fire ants.” You joked half-heartedly as you brushed your fingertips across the triangle patterned tattoo on his arm.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” You looked up at him through your lashes and he shrugged his shoulder. “Hey, the past two weeks with you and Avery have been full of more excitement than I have had in a long, long time. I’m following you guys around for a while, see what other kinds of fun I can get into. Plus, you promised me a Disney trip. I’m not passing that up for anything.” You smiled as he reached up to wipe the tears off your cheeks with his thumb.

“Well, you’re more than welcome to hang around for as long as you want.” You told him with a nod. “I’m absolutely not crazy enough kick your gorgeous body out of bed.”

“Wow.” He laughed as he tilted his head to see your face a little better. “Way to make me feel like just a piece of meat.” Your smile grew even more as you rolled onto your back so you could avoid his eyes for a moment.

“‘What can I say except you’re welcome’.” Your mocking singing was cut of with a laughed as he tickled your sides.

“God, you’re such a smart ass.” He laughed as he leaned forward to look down at you. You reached up and gently cupped his jaw in your hands.

“I make life fun, what can I say?”

“You don’t have to say anything more than that, baby girl.” He breathed as he let you bring his face down to yours. He kissed you gently with pillow soft lips and you smiled against them as he brushed his hands across your stomach. He pulled back to look at you with a smile as his long hair created a curtain around both your faces.

“Will you stay with us?” You whispered as you brushed your thumbs across his cheeks.

“For as long as you’ll have me, sweetheart.”

#Jason Momoa x Reader #Still On The Road #Life on the Road series #life on the road

22 notes · View notes

mikotyzini · 6 years

Text

What Defines Us - Ch. 20

Thank you to those who’ve been following this story, and a special thanks to the people who’ve signed up on Patreon for early chapters and commentary and everything. Your support means the world to me! Recently, I’ve been spending 3-4 hours a night after work writing, and I really wouldn’t do that if not for you guys. <3

If you want to read on ff.net (or find previous chapters), here’s the link.

After briefly rubbing her tired eyes, Ruby blinked and then blinked again - trying to get the tiny object in her hand to come into better focus. It’d be a whole lot easier if it weren’t so dang small! Like, seriously, why were small things the coolest? It made them so friggin’ difficult to work on!

Taking a big breath, she let it out in one smooth exhale while carefully layering another swipe of paint - her hand steady while a thin line appeared against a background of dark grey. Taking another breath, she blew softly on the fresh paint so it would dry before she set everything down on the workbench.

Perfect!

It was really tough to make such little lines, but she’d figured out how to do it after a whole bunch of practice. ‘A whole bunch’ meaning pages and pages of trial swipes done just to make sure that one itty bitty line would look great. But it did, so the sleep hours devoted to drawing instead of sleeping had been worth it.

And, for not having a heck of a lot of time, her latest project had turned out a lot better than expected. Maybe because her inspiration was better than usual. Or maybe because she was better than usual!

That was definitely something Yang would say. But Yang wasn’t here right now, so Ruby got to say it! Er...think it.

It wasn’t very long ago that she’d kind of dreaded the days her big sister would leave for hunts, but this time had been different. Without Yang around, the house was actually...quiet. It was really weird, but also kind of nice. If anything, it gave Ruby the chance to work on her projects without her sister barging in and throwing random objects at her. Although she missed the candy - it wasn’t so bad when Yang would throw candy into the garage. That was the best! It just wasn’t as great when Yang threw things like lemons or pieces of cheesecake. It was really hard to catch cheesecake without smearing it everywhere...

Yang and Blake had left last night after dinner, but would hopefully be back soon. Using her novice interrogation skills (she was still learning from Blake), Ruby had managed to pry the hunt details from Yang like a hot knife slicing through warm butter. Or...well, basically it had been really easy to get Yang to talk. Like bribing a parrot with a carrot. Heh, that rhymed.

But Blake and Yang had picked up an ‘assassinate’ contract - the kind Blake loved to do. Ruby could see why - they sounded awesome! Basically, certain Grimm were so smart and deadly that they’d earn themselves a nickname - a cool one like ‘Deathdealer’ or ‘Ten Claws’ or ‘The Vanisher.’ The goal of an assassinate contract was to hunt down and destroy these overly powerful and aggressive Grimm. Wipe them off the face of Remnant!

This particular contract was for an Ursa who’d grown a bit too well known near the outskirts. His name was - and Ruby had thought Yang was teasing her until she saw the name with her own eyes - The Hugger. The Hugger! That didn’t sound like a deadly Ursa - it sounded like a character from some kids’ cartoon show!

Or just a cartoon show, because cartoons weren’t exclusively for kids. In fact, people of all ages could watch cartoons. Not just kids. And watching cartoons didn’t make someone childish. Adults could watch cartoons - cartoons with characters named The Hugger.

When Ruby asked how they’d know they’d found this super deadly bear hugger, Blake had almost too calmly answered that it’d be whichever one tried to hug Yang. It was funny because sometimes Blake could be really possessive about people getting too close to Yang, but didn’t seem to care much when it came to Grimm. If anything, it kind of sounded like Yang was going to be bait for this contract.

Tracking a Grimm through the forest at night though...that sounded like a lot of fun! Ruby wished she could’ve gone, but she also knew she was a little clumsy and wasn’t sure she could stay quiet for that long. She didn’t know how Yang could stay quiet for more than a few minutes at a time!

Because Blake and Yang had to find the Grimm before they could kill it, they had no idea when they’d get back. It could be next week; it could be in a few minutes - it all depended on how quickly they could track and dispose of the beast. Theoretically, they could be gone for years - stuck out in the forest, eating berries and tree bark to survive…but Yang had sounded pretty confident that they wouldn’t be gone for long. She’d even made a joke about how Ruby should make dinner for them, as if they’d want to eat undercooked noodles and raw vegetables after they’d been up all night.

Staying at home wasn’t so bad though. It meant Ruby didn’t have to eat tree bark and it had given her enough time to finish a spur of the moment idea she’d had. Unfortunately, being spur of the moment didn’t mean this project was quick and easy. It was actually the opposite of that - never-ending and horribly challenging. But she’d been determined! Determined enough that she’d skipped her last few practices - something she hadn’t done in months. Ordinarily, she’d feel guilty about skimping out on her training, but Yang said it was ok to take a little break after a hunt to rest and recuperate.

Sitting on the edge of her seat, Ruby leaned over the bench to look at what she’d just created - being extra careful not to touch it for the next few minutes while the paint dried. When a big yawn slipped out, she covered her mouth with one hand and blinked several times to knock the exhaustion away.

The little project looked pretty good, but the most important question was - would she like it?

When Ruby’s scroll buzzed beside her face, she jumped out of the seat in surprise and knocked her knee into the workbench with a loud bang.

It was Weiss though!

Hopping on one leg while rubbing her broken knee, Ruby grabbed the scroll and was immediately disappointed.

It wasn’t Weiss. It was a message from Yang - a picture.

Resuming her perch on the chair, Ruby opened the message and found a picture taken through a heavily wooded area. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than trees and bushes and leaves, which was totally something Yang would do. Send a photo and get Ruby all excited…

Ah! But there was something! If she squinted her eyes, she could barely make out a black shape in the distance. Zooming in on that spot, the caption of ‘huggin’ time!’ suddenly made a lot more sense. If that was a regular sized tree right next to the black blob, then that was a big Ursa. Big, big, big Ursa. They should’ve called him Jumbursa. No, that was lame. But not as lame as The Hugger!

She knew better than to respond right away, but her heart was pounding from just looking at the photo and knowing that Yang and Blake were, right at this moment, within shouting distance of the monster. While Ruby was safe at home, they were getting into a huge fight. It was weird...she felt like she should be out there with them, but she also knew that they could take care of each other.

Hearing two knocks on the front door, she instantly leaped to her feet and yelped when both of her knees crashed into the bench this time, nearly knocking everything over. Squealing, she managed to catch her newest prized possession, steadying it on its stand before dashing into the house and flying to the front door. Not even checking through the window to see who was outside, she threw the door open and grinned.

“Weiss!” she exclaimed, rushing forward and pulling Weiss into a hug that was returned with one arm.

One of these days Weiss would hug properly - which meant using both arms! A full circle! Although it probably didn’t help that she was currently carrying a brown paper bag in one hand...

“Hi, Ruby. I hope you don’t mind, but I brought you some food,” Weiss replied with a timid smile, holding out the bag.

“Why would I mind??” Ruby asked in confusion while accepting the bag.

“Oh. Well, that’s just - I didn’t actually think that you would - it’s a saying.”

Ruby couldn’t help but giggle at Weiss’ adorably flustered response, which only made Weiss look even more unsure of what to say next.

“How about - I brought you some food,” she finally concluded, her eyes searching Ruby’s to see if that had cleared up the miscommunication.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind if I accept the food I don’t mind that you brought me,” Ruby replied while unfurling the top of the bag. “You really didn’t have to - oh!! Spaghetti! That’s my favorite!”

The comment made Weiss smile while she followed Ruby into the kitchen. Setting the bag on the table, Ruby pulled out the containers and gave them a second and third glance. It didn’t take a master-level detective to figure out that they hadn’t come from any restaurant she’d ever been to.

“Did you make this?” she asked, which only made Weiss look embarrassed.

“Yes, I did.”

Homemade spaghetti! From Weiss! That was a gift Ruby really didn’t mind!

“You can cook?” she asked in complete amazement. “Wow, is there anything you can’t do?”

“Many things,” Weiss answered so sincerely that Ruby chuckled.

“Yeah right...tell me one thing you can’t do!”

Searching for an answer, Weiss looked into Ruby’s eyes while her mouth opened, but no words came out.

“See? You can’t even think of anything!” Ruby pointed out happily. Finally smiling, Weiss shook her head.

“I can’t catch butterflies.”

Bursting into laughter at the memory, Ruby quickly stuck the containers into the fridge so she could turn back to Weiss. “But you looked so cute trying!”

Ah - that word! It just slipped out. Could she use that word with Weiss? Yeah? No, she could play it off.

“I can’t cook at all,” she added quickly, changing the subject like a pro. “But I’m great at cutting things up! Yang calls me the Super Chopper.”

Waving her hands through the air in a chopping motion, she beamed when Weiss chuckled.

“Well that’s perfect - every chef needs a sous chef to prepare ingredients for them.”

“Then I can be your sous chef?”

“Absolutely.”

For a long time, the two of them shared a smile - probably the longest one they’d shared yet - before Weiss finally turned away and coughed into her hand.

“So...what have you been up to while Blake and Yang are away?”

“I’ve been keeping myself busy! Working on another project and enjoying the silence,” Ruby replied with another small laugh. “They might be back tonight though, so it’s not so bad.”

“You don’t mind having the house to yourself?”

“It’s awesome! I can do whatever I want!” After spinning in a quick, semblance-fueled circle, Ruby planted her feet and caught one of her petals out of the air when she came to an abrupt stop. “I used to get kinda lonely or bored when they left for a few days,” she admitted. “But it’s not so bad anymore.”

This time she’d actually been excited for her two roommates to leave. The front door had hardly closed before she’d messaged Weiss to see when she could come over. And then the front door had reopened because Yang had forgotten something, so she’d caught Ruby texting and gotten in a few lame jokes before actually leaving.

“But now when they leave we can hang out, right?” Ruby shot Weiss a hopeful look before quickly adding, “I mean, if you’re not busy.”

“I can always make time for you.”

The effortless reply made Ruby’s cheeks warm right up. It made her feel special when Weiss said things like that! Like she’d actually try to create time for Ruby, if it came to that. And the way Weiss said it was so simple, like of course she would do that - because why wouldn’t she go through the effort of doing something impossible just to hang out with Ruby?

“Great! Then I hope they go on a lotta hunts,” Ruby said before stifling a yawn and rubbing her eyes.

“Are you alright?” Weiss’ eyes were openly concerned as she asked the question, so Ruby rubbed her eyes again to remove some of the tiredness Weiss must be seeing - only for another yawn to slip out.

“Yeahhh just a little tired!” she said after her yawn had passed. Staying up all night tended to do that to a person.

“Did you not sleep well? Is it your wrist? Did you take anything for it?”

Giggling at all the questions, Ruby shook her head. It was sweet how Weiss fretted over something so simple, but the worry was unnecessary.

“Naw, just stayed up too late!”

The answer was made of fudge. Technically Ruby had stayed up until this moment - which was quite late (in her opinion).

“Do you want to get some sleep? I could always come back later -”

“No, it’s ok! I’m feeling great!” Ruby yelped before forcing a wide grin.

Weiss couldn’t leave yet - she’d just gotten here! Plus, Ruby felt fine! Sure, she was tired and had a bit of a headache, but it was just one of those vague tired headaches - like when your head is squishing your brain a little too hard. Being too tired must make your skull shrink...either that or makes your brain bigger!

She could always take a nap later, but right now she had something for Weiss.

“Oh! I have something to show you!”

Even though she’d been thinking about it since Weiss had knocked on the door, Ruby tried to make it sound like she’d just remembered it. That way it would seem like no big deal - because it wasn’t really. It was just…a normal deal.

Waving Weiss after her, Ruby made her way back into the garage, where she’d spent practically all of her time since their visit to the Dust factory. Which had been amazing and so much cooler than Ruby had ever expected. And so, so thoughtful – like, wow, Weiss had really gone out of her way to make sure they had a great time.

Because Weiss had done something so nice for them, Ruby wanted to give Weiss something nice in return. So she’d been hard at work! That meant she’d stayed up a little later than she should have - or hadn’t slept at all - but it was worth it! Or it would be worth it if Weiss liked what Ruby had created - which was still resting on top of the workbench where she’d left it. By now the paint would be dry, so she didn’t hesitate reaching over to pick it up and hold it out to Weiss.

It was a little nerve-wracking! Weiss was so amazing and obviously had enough money to buy anything she wanted, so the idea of giving her a gift was kind of stressful...stressful enough to make Ruby’s heart beat really, really fast.

“What do you think?” she asked, dropping the tiny object into Weiss’ hand.

“Wow...Ruby, this is spectacular…” Weiss whispered while holding the shiny object carefully between her thumb and forefinger, rotating it gently so it caught the light in the garage just right.

It was just a little ring, but Ruby had made it from scratch!

The band had been the easiest part - repurposing a nice dark grey metal that had welded together smoothly. Along the outer surface, Ruby had painted a single vine of thorns, but the thorns were in the same shade of white-blue as Weiss’ glyphs. Against the dark grey metal, they popped way better than red or black would have.

“You made the entire thing, I’m guessing?”

“Uh, yeah. The band is from an old sword, and I just finished the painting before you got here,” Ruby answered, wringing her hands while Weiss continued to look over the ring.

“It’s beautiful,” Weiss finally said, the reply making Ruby grin while her heart thundered in her chest.

“I’m glad you like it! Because...uh...well, I made it for you.”

Running one hand through her hair, a nervous smiled tugged at her lips when light blue eyes shot up to hers.

“I can change the design if you want,” she added when Weiss said nothing in response. “I’ve just been drawing thorns everywhere since naming my glove. Yang keeps making jokes about how ‘prickly’ I’ve been.” Ruby rolled her eyes at the lame joke. “But I wanted to give you something as a ‘thank you’ for showing us around your family’s factory. It was really fun!”

From the way Weiss was staring, she was at a loss for words. It was only when Ruby shuffled her feet uncomfortably at the silence that Weiss opened her mouth to speak.

“You didn’t have to do this…”

“I know! I wanted to. I had fun making it, too.”

When Weiss’ eyes fell back to the ring in her hands and searched the inside of the band, Ruby held her breath. Spinning it in a slow circle while examining it closely, Weiss eventually turned it back over, and Ruby couldn’t help but grin.

She might have taken a page out of the book of the person who’d worked on Myrtenaster and hidden a word on the interior where the two pieces seamed together. It had taken hours of practice before she’d gotten good enough to make the tiny letters somewhat legible, but she’d eventually figured it out. And apparently she’d done a good enough job that Weiss couldn’t see it - score one for Ruby Rose!

“I don’t know what to say…” Weiss whispered towards the ring in her hands before looking up and meeting Ruby’s eyes. “Thank you. This might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me...”

“I’m really glad you like it! Here I was all worried…” Ruby let out a small chuckle at how silly her fears seemed now.

“I love it, Ruby.”

Weiss looked directly into Ruby’s eyes as she said the words, making Ruby’s heart do a silly little double beat that felt just as weird as it sounded. She’d hoped that Weiss would like it. Loving it was way better.

“But don’t feel like you’ve gotta wear it or anything!” Ruby hurried out before Weiss could feel any pressure to do so. “You can always put it in a drawer or something - I won’t be upset!”

Biting her lip, Weiss thought about the words for several seconds before she slipped the ring onto her finger and gently wiggled it around.

“It fits perfectly,” she remarked, her brow furrowing in confusion. “How did you know my ring size?”

“Oh, you know, I have this super scientific way of figuring out someone’s ring size,” Ruby bolstered before letting out a giggle. “It’s called ‘Ruby’s Art of Guessing!’”

Her laughter made Weiss chuckle softly along with her.

“But I figured your hands are, uh, more delicate than mine, so I used my ring and then made yours a bit smaller!” she explained, briefly holding up the ring around her neck to prove her point. “Oh, and the best part!” Moving around Weiss, Ruby grabbed Thorn from his stand and pulled the glove over her hand. “Ok - give me a high five!”

Curious, Weiss held up her hand and reached towards Thorn. The moment the ring and glove were in close enough proximity, the thorns painted on each illuminated - the vibrant ice-blue popping out against the dark gray backgrounds.

“Luminescent paint!” Ruby exclaimed, clasping her hand around Weiss’ so the heightened color wouldn’t fade away. “Isn’t it cool? It’s purely cosmetic, but ya know, totally worth it.”

“That’s...amazing…” Weiss replied softly, intertwining her fingers with Ruby’s while staring at the thorns glowing brightly.

Ruby watched Weiss’ reaction with a grin, their hands still locked together. She’d had to repaint Thorn since she hadn’t used the same paint the first time around, but it was worth it. Now she and Weiss had a cool friend thing! If they went on more hunts together, people could give them a cool nickname - like The Glowing Thorns or The White Thorns. Or they could be officially lame and go with The Huggers. Ha. Grimm beware…

Still undecided on a nickname, Ruby’s attention flitted back to Weiss when she suddenly slipped her hand away and rubbed both hands up and down her arms with a barely noticeable shiver.

“Are you cold?” Ruby immediately asked.

“Um...just a little.”

“It gets cold out here. Come on - I’ll get you something warm to wear!”

“It’s really -”

“No no, don’t say it’s ok!” Ruby interrupted while heading towards the door to the house. Turning around, she grinned at the perplexed expression on Weiss’ face. “You’re cold, so I’m getting you a jacket or sweater or something! You can either wait here or come with me!”

Taken aback, Weiss blinked several times before finally nodding her head.

“Then lead the way.”

Chuckling at Weiss’ acquiescence, Ruby walked inside - tugging Thorn off her hand and tossing him onto the kitchen table while they walked by it. Making it to her room, she gently kicked open the door with one foot and gestured towards her bed.

“You can sit if you want,” she offered, before heading to the closet to find some warmer clothing to lend her friend.

If she had to guess, Weiss would like something super trendy and fashionable. In other words, nothing Ruby owned. But she couldn’t let Weiss be cold! There had to be something that would kinda...maybe...sorta…well, a great lesson to be learned right now was that Weiss had a different taste in fashion than Ruby did. So...her favorite one would have to do!

Grabbing the red and black jacket and spinning around – her headache giving a slight twinge of complaint as she did so - Ruby found Weiss perched on the very edge of the bed like she didn't know how to sit there. Her back was super straight, her hands were in her lap, and her hair draped over one shoulder. Maybe she felt uncomfortable, but she looked like a princess.

“Here you go!” Holding up the jacket, Ruby waited for Weiss to stand and then helped her into the sleeves. It was a little big on her - the sleeves too long and the shoulders too big - but it was kind of cute the way it enveloped her.

Ah! That word again! At least Ruby hadn’t said it out loud this time. Wait - she hadn’t said it out loud the first time...had she?

“Sorry, it probably smells like roses,” she apologized when she noticed Weiss lower her nose towards the collar. “I can never get the smell out of my stuff! It’s like permanent perfume. Permafume.”

Letting out a small scoff of amusement, Weiss gave Ruby one of the best smiles she’d received yet.

“Don't be sorry. I love the smell.”

The words made Ruby’s cheeks pleasantly warm while Weiss turned her gaze down to the cuffs of the jacket.

If Weiss loved the smell of roses, that was great! For Ruby. Probably not for people who didn’t always smell like roses.

“At least it beats smelling like I just jumped out of a burning building like Yang does!” Ruby joked at her sister’s expense, earning another surprised laugh from Weiss.

“If I’m not mistaken, Blake loves that smell,” Weiss replied with a smirk.

“Oh yeah. Something about how it smells like ‘home.’” Laughing a little, Ruby shook her head. “Those two are so weird.”

“At least they have each other.”

“That’s right! Every weirdo must have a matching weirdo, right?”

“You’re right,” Weiss agreed, smiling back at Ruby. Again their eyes stayed locked for a few seconds before Weiss abruptly turned away in favor of staring at the ground.

Maybe Ruby wasn’t the best at social interactions, but she was more interesting than the ground, right? Seriously, the carpet was just carpet. It was a kinda gray, kinda blue color that probably had a weird name like ‘afternoon sky’ or ‘inky clay.’ The little whatchamacallits - the fabric part that stuck up - were super soft though. They felt really nice when she wasn’t wearing any socks! There was also a small patch hidden underneath the bed that had gotten an itsy bit burned by complete accident. Yang had wondered why Ruby decided to rearrange her room so suddenly...

Ok, maybe the carpet was kind of interesting - but not as interesting as she was!

Determined not to be outdone by the flooring, Ruby grabbed the desk chair and spun it around so she could sit in front of Weiss.

“Did you get to hang out with your sister while she was here?” she asked, happily noting that Weiss was subconsciously playing with the newly appointed ring on her finger, but the question made her let go and return her attention to Ruby.

“Yes, we had dinner before she returned to Atlas.”

“I hope you had fun!”

“It was...great,” Weiss answered with a thoughtful nod and small smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see her, so that was a nice surprise.”

“Yeah! For me too!” Ruby replied. “I mean, I didn’t even know you had a sister, so that was the surprise. And the nice part was, um...her. She seems super nice!”

Nice, and pretty, and kind of stern. A bit intimidating, actually.

“She is. She supported me growing up...I owe her a great deal.”

“Aren’t older sisters the best?” Ruby asked with a smile that Weiss returned.

“They are. You happen to have a great one, yourself.”

“I do! Yang’s awesome.”

“She is…” Weiss replied softly. “She cares so much about you too.”

Growing up, Ruby had never questioned her sister’s love for her. It was always her and Yang against the world - whether it was the actual world or some pretend universe they made up.

“I know she does. With my injuries and stuff, she really went out of the way to help me get better. One day I want to make it up to her! I have no idea how, but I’ll figure somethin’ out.”

Ruby knew that sacrifices had been made in order to help her recover. Of course, with the way Yang was, she’d never mention them. So Ruby had no idea what they were, but she knew they must be there. No one devoted a year of their life to helping another person go through rehab without missing out on something for themselves.

“Well, if you ever figure that out, let me know. I’m still trying to make things up to her, myself,” Weiss added with a self-depreciating shake of her head that made Ruby frown.

“Is she still being mean to you?”

Yang had said that she’d try to be kinder to Weiss…but Ruby would talk to her sister again if she needed to.

“Actually, she’s been a bit more...tolerant...recently. But something is still really...broken between us.” Pausing, Weiss sighed and shook her head. “I know I hurt her, but I want to make it up to her. I have to. We used to be so close.”

“I’m sure she’ll give you another chance! She has no reason not to when you’re here making an effort!”

“Well, I think I’ve finally learned that running away fixes nothing. It only leaves the wounds to fester…” Brow furrowing, Weiss was silent for some time before sighing and meeting Ruby’s gaze with mournful eyes. “It was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop regretting it, but hopefully, I can find a way to overcome it.”

The biggest mistake she’d ever made? What was it? The biggest mistake Ruby ever made had landed her in the hospital with some pretty serious boo-boos and quite a few missing memories. But that seemed like a completely different type of mistake. The way Weiss looked right now made it seem like she’d done something horrible. But, to Ruby, it seemed impossible that Weiss was capable of anything that bad.

Maybe it was kind of bad, or maybe Weiss was just really hard on herself. Whichever it was, Ruby didn’t care. What she cared about was how sad Weiss looked right now.

“I’m sure you’ll overcome it,” Ruby replied confidently, leaning forward and nearly reaching over to grab one of Weiss’ hands before stopping and tugging on her necklace instead. “And I’m sure you had a good reason to leave!”

“But she gave me the chance to come back. I just...I couldn’t do it…”

“But you did! You did do it! Unless...are you a hologram??” Reaching out, Ruby lightly poked Weiss in the shoulder. “No, you’re real! And you’re in Vale, so you did come back!”

“It took me so long though -”

“So? What matters is that you did it,” Ruby said. “You’ve gotta let go of how long it took, Weiss. You’re here now, and that’s what matters. It’s like my mom used to say -” Scrunching up her face, she searched for the exact wording, so she didn’t mess this up. “Mistakes don’t define you - your reactions to them do.”

When Weiss stared at her thoughtfully, Ruby kept talking.

“Basically, you made a mistake, but did it make you a better person in the end?”

“I...don’t know. I hope so.”

Weiss was clearly unconvinced, so Ruby decided it was time to do some ultra convincing.

“Like, look at this!” she said, holding out her wrist so Weiss could see the scar running all the way across it on both sides. “Clearly, a mistake was made. But I’m not going to be Ruby Rose - injured girl, forever. I train really hard every day so that I won’t be that person.”

After briefly glancing at Ruby’s wrist, Weiss turned away and bit her bottom lip in thought.

“We get to choose our reactions to our problems,” Ruby continued. “That’s the great thing about life! Maybe it took you a long time, but you chose to come back, Weiss. Running away can’t define you anymore, because that’s not how the story ends.”

While Ruby grinned at her hopefully-successful argument, Weiss stared for a long, long time while processing the information. It looked like she was going to disagree, but eventually, with a partial smile, she seemed to concede - for now.

“How did you become so...strong?”

“I’m not though!” Ruby answered with a laugh, holding up her left hand and wiggling her fingers. Without Thorn, her left hand was still injured - and she was beginning to realize that her full strength might never come back. Fortunately, she’d found a way to compensate for her weaknesses and then some.

However, Weiss shook her head at the response.

“You are,” she insisted. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. I still don’t know how...how did you work your way back so quickly from your injuries? They were so serious...from what you’ve told me. And with your memories...it must’ve been so difficult.”

“Yeah, I guess it was...the beginning especially, but I had a lot of help!”

“Yang?”

Ruby nodded.

“Yang and Blake encouraged me, and I tried to keep my spirits up. My mom helped too - it felt like she was trying to talk to me all the time, reminding me not to give up. Oh, and can’t forget my secret source of power!”

Looking in both directions like she was about to disclose top secret information, it was only when she found the coast was clear that she leaned forward and held her necklace up in between them.

“Tada!” she exclaimed. It was supposed to be a big reveal, but Weiss only looked confused - glancing between the ring and Ruby several times.

“Your...ring?”

“It’s not just a ring!” Ruby stated matter-of-factly, spinning the necklace around so she could fumble with the clasp. “It’s also filled with magical powers!”

Since she hardly ever took it off, she was less than skillful in getting the itty bitty fastener to open, but after several failed attempts she was finally successful. Letting the necklace fall into one hand, she made a show of slumping her shoulders at the same time.

“Oh...yeah...I feel weaker already…” she tried to say in a tired voice while sliding the ring off of the chain and holding it out to Weiss. “You can feel it – it’s like there’s an invisible power in this ring.”

Even though Ruby was holding the ring in between them, Weiss seemed extremely hesitant to take it.

“Don’t worry, it’s not one of those buzz rings or anything,” Ruby assured her. Finally convinced, Weiss held out her hand, and Ruby dropped the ring into it. Curling her fingers around the small band, Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Can you feel it?” Ruby asked in a whisper, watching Weiss intently. When Weiss opened her eyes, crystal blue seemed to be looking deep into Ruby’s heart.

“It’s important to you,” Weiss remarked softly, uncurling her fingers and looking down into the palm of her hand.

“Yup!”

With a small smile, Weiss gave the ring one last glance before extending it back to Ruby.

“I guess the answer is that I had a lot of people looking out for me,” Ruby explained while accepting the ring and sliding it back onto its chain. “Yang, Blake, my mom, and the one thing from my past that feels...powerful in a way. They all kept me going.”

Stringing the necklace around her neck, she fumbled with the clasp several times before giving up and holding it out to Weiss.

“Can you help me? I haven’t taken this off in months, so I kinda suck at putting it back on.”

Nodding, Weiss took both ends of the necklace in her hands while Ruby turned around. Carefully lowering the chain, Weiss gently fastened it in place - drawing a round of goosebumps when her fingers lightly grazed the back of Ruby’s neck. When Ruby turned around, Weiss moved the ring so it was sitting perfectly in front - holding onto it for a few seconds longer while staring at it intently.

“Who’s it from?” she asked.

The question made Ruby’s brow burrow.

“I’m actually not sure,” she answered truthfully.

“You’ve never asked?”

“Naw...Blake said she’d tell me, but…” Ruby shrugged one shoulder and gave Weiss a small smile. “Is it important where it came from? Or that when things sucked, it made me feel better?”

Weiss opened her mouth, but said nothing for a long time until finally muttering, “I guess...that it made you feel better…”

“But I have a sneaky hunch it’s from my partner,” Ruby admitted. The words made Weiss’ eyes widen in surprise.

“Your partner?”

“Yeah, I know we had a fourth teammate - every team at Beacon has four,” Ruby explained, rubbing her forehead as sleep deprivation continued to weigh on her, pressing behind her eyes in a super annoying way. “But Yang hasn’t told me much about her, and I haven’t asked. There was just...so much else to focus on. I don’t know. All I know is that whoever she was, she was really cool.”

The revelation seemed to catch Weiss completely by surprise.

“How do you know that?”

“That’s one of the only things Yang told me!” Ruby explained, briefly closing her eyes while trying to recall Yang’s words around the stupid, growing headache. “She said…that our teammate was one of the most talented fighters she’d ever seen. And was super smart - like the brains of the whole operation.”

“She said that?”

Ruby nodded. “Yup! ‘We got the smartest in school,’ she said.”

“But you never wanted to know who it was?”

“Of course I wanted to know! I still do. There were so many times I almost looked it up myself...because I’d love to meet her. She sounds amazing, but…” her words trailed off as a familiar twinge pulled at her heart.

It was a decision she’d made a long time ago and stuck with to this day.

“But what?” Weiss prodded, her eyes searching Ruby’s for whatever was going to come next.

“But she’s not here, is she?” Ruby finally answered, temporarily drawn back to the times when she hadn’t had enough energy for anything - when getting out of bed might be the best thing she could accomplish in a day. “If I wanted to get better, I couldn’t dwell on the past. So I decided to focus on the here and now. Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to meet her if...I mean...if she’s still...”

They’d reached the root of the matter - something she was too scared to ask, yet quietly desperate to know. But if she could share this worry to anyone, it was Weiss.

“If she’s...still alive, you know?”

Weiss’ response was one of pure shock. For a second, her mouth hung slightly open with no sound coming out before finally speaking.

“But what makes you think she’s not?”

Raising one hand to clutch the ring around her neck, Ruby shook her head – and paid for it with another pang in her forehead, this one sharper than the last.

There were a lot of reasons why she’d avoided her past for such a long time. It was confusing. It was scary. It made her feel vulnerable and small.

And it would’ve been impossible to move on if she remained stuck in the past. Being able to let go and move on had been important. But, beyond all of those things, something was lurking in the fog that was really painful. Whenever she thought about it, her chest tightened with this ache that only went away through distraction. There was something surrounding her partner that hurt, even with no memories of who they were.

It was the part of her past that eluded her most. Some days she wanted the answers but was terrified to know them. The way Blake and Yang dodged around the subject only made her more nervous to know what the truth might be. So she’d avoided the topic altogether - content to deal with more important matters and live in blissful ignorance. One day she’d probably figure everything out, but she wasn’t in any hurry for that day to arrive.

“I’ve always felt like someone or something important to me was missing,” Ruby tried to explain. “It’s kinda difficult to describe, but...it must be her, right?”

“But to think she died -?”

“It’s either that or she left and has no interest in speaking to me, or us.” Either of those answers kind of sucked - enough to bring tears to her eyes as a sense of loss grew in her chest. Sniffing once, she tried to play it off by rubbing her tired eyes.

This was part of the reason why she avoided thinking about the wall of fog sealing her off from those memories. It made her way too emotional!

“I’m pretty sure the ring is hers,” she whispered, briefly scrunching her eyes closed when another quick jab of pain appeared over her left eye. “That’s why it’s so powerful,” she continued, opening her eyes and shaking off the exhaustion. “It’s a huntress’ ring. And that’s why I always kept it near me. Honor her memories even if I don’t have them, ya know?”

Picking up the ring again, Ruby looked down at it the best she could while it was still hanging around her neck.

“Maybe she’s not in my life anymore, but she helped me get through some rough times without even being here. If I ever get to meet her...and I hope I do, you know? I hope I’m wrong. But if I ever get to meet her, I want to thank her for that. For leaving me with something that helped me through.”

Smiling, Ruby looked up only to find that Weiss was staring back with tears growing in her eyes.

“Weiss?” Ruby yelped in concern, quickly moving over to the bed and sitting by Weiss’ side. “Are you ok? What’s wrong??”

“I’m -” Choking up, Weiss stopped and shook her head. “I’m sorry. Just...hearing you say that…I didn’t realize...”

“Hey, it’s ok.” Consoling Weiss, Ruby made sure to smile to prove that she was just fine. Because she was. This was something she’d come to terms with a while ago. “It’s just one of those things, you know? That’s why I try not to think about it too much!”

“Yes, but…”

When Weiss’ lip quivered, Ruby reached out and pulled her into a hug that again made her stiffen. Only this time she eventually gave in and returned the hug in full, wrapping both arms around Ruby and pulling her closer.

“I’m sorry,” Weiss murmured, burying her face into Ruby’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry…”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” Ruby replied softly, rubbing one hand up and down Weiss’ back. “I’m probably just overthinking it anyway. Maybe she decided to go off on her own after school and no one’s heard from her since. Maybe we were never that close. Or maybe I bought the ring for myself!”

Her sense of loss could come from not having access to any of those memories, not over some specific person or thing. The ring might only symbolize the years she’d lost - a tiny, pretty reminder that she could carry with her everywhere.

Maybe she should consider that her story might be a little sad to people who were hearing it for the first time. Just because she’d accepted what had happened to her didn’t mean that others were on the same page as her. But it was really sweet that Weiss was so sympathetic!

Savoring the hug, Ruby gave Weiss a gentle squeeze to try to comfort her even more. Now, this was a good hug. Firm yet comfortable. Open and accepting. This was how a hug was supposed to be.

It was only a few more moments before Weiss pulled back and looked at Ruby for what felt like a long time - her hands resting softly on Ruby’s knees. If Ruby could look into Weiss’ mind right now, she could probably see the wheels turning full speed - coming up with an answer to some question Ruby had never asked.

The next second, Weiss abruptly stood up.

“Ruby, I need to tell you something,” she said, immediately pacing back and forth in front of the bed.

The sight made Ruby feel a strange twinge of anticipation - like something really significant was about to be revealed. If she was right, that would be amazing. The possibility of getting another glimpse into Weiss’ thoughts made her both hopeful and excited at the same time.

“I’m listening,” Ruby said, standing up as well. The moment she did so, there was another prick of pain in her temple that caused her to temporarily close her eyes and wait for the feeling to pass, but it only slightly went away this time. Thankfully, Weiss hadn’t noticed, but Ruby might need to get some sleep soon…

“There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t sure how you’d respond -” Weiss was saying quickly, pacing the small room and not daring to glance Ruby’s way. “I know it took me a long time to summon the courage, but I hope that telling you now counts for something. Because I need you to know.”

Standing in the middle of the room, Ruby remained as motionless as possible. She didn’t want to move because the room had kind of started to spin. The tired tension in her forehead was getting a little harder to ignore, and she was growing increasingly light-headed the longer she watched Weiss walk back and forth, back and forth.

Something didn’t feel right.

“I know you’ve wondered how Yang and I know each other. From school, but -”

Weiss’ words were beginning to fade away as a dull roar crept into Ruby’s ears, and a black spot appeared in the center of her vision. She blinked, but it didn’t go away - it only got bigger. Probably not a good sign.

“Weiss…” she said, her voice sounding hazy and far away. “I don’t feel so good…”

“Ruby? Ruby!”

The last thing she saw were light blue eyes headed her way.

#RWBY #White Rose #Weiss Schnee #Ruby Rose #what defines us

64 notes · View notes

self-indulgent-sparrow · 6 years

Text

The Party

This is a monster and it just keeps happening. I thought this would clock at maybe 6k??? No. It's 10.7k words. I'm kind of scared. It's 45 pages. Someone hold me.

UM ANYWAY this was an incredibly interesting experiment in writing voices of different characters―I've never really written Simon or Mab or even Dib that much before this. I HOPE I've captured them well, I constantly went through the documents to try to accurately portray them.

It's hard to say what the point of this thing is, outside of “Don't judge a book by its very nice cover” and “respect ppl's decisions and boundaries”. This entire thing was literally just me trying to get Dib and Queenie to have a Chat. Oof.

I apologize in advance to literally everyone for a specific part of this story. You'll know which part, because your soul will leave your body while you experience it.

Enjoy.

you're like a party

somebody threw me, you taste like birthday, you look like new years. you're like a big parade through town: you leave such a mess, but you're so fun!

--the party, regina spektor

"You want to throw a party for Fourth of July? Since when were you so damn patriotic?"

"It's not for Fourth of July in particular," May says, sorting through her recipe box with a small focused frown. "I just kind of figured--there's gonna be fireworks anyway, but I'd like a distraction from the holiday, so why not just make it about having good company in general?"

"That makes absolutely no sense," Kass replies, flicking through the discarded recipe cards. What the hell is yubruk? "Anyone you invite will just think it's a holiday party."

"I really doubt Mab's going to care about a human holiday, and I know Dib's looking forward to not thinking about the current political situation. It's gonna be fine--is my guacamole recipe on the back of one of those cards? I can't find it."

Kass flips some of the cards over, and flicks the card in question towards May's outreached hands across the table.

"Thank you." She glances it over, and then sets it aside to glance at Kass, who is sipping his coffee. "I swear it won't be so bad. It's not gonna be a lot of people, and I'll make the biggest batch of lemonade you've ever seen. You like lemonade, right?"

"Hard lemonade, maybe," he replies shortly.

"Why is everything alcoholic with you."

"I'm an alcoholic."

The girl snorts, slapping her fingers over her mouth to choke down the laugh. Kass continues to drink his coffee, only barely smirking back at her.

"God, you're just the worst," she finally says after the fit of giggles has died.

"I am not the one trying to host a party for a bunch of monsters to pointedly not celebrate the holiday on that day, you little weirdo." He adds, as May sticks her tongue out at him, "Just do me a favor and leave me out of it, alright? This is your inane little get-together, not mine."

"I won't make you do anything, promise. All you have to do is tolerate people being in the house for a few hours. That's it, I swear." The way May smiles, Kass almost believes her, especially when she continues, "As consolation for making you deal with my shenanigans, I will give you the first slice of my strawberry chocolate cake."

Kass frowns around the rim of his mug in speculation, and then mutters moodily, "...it better be a big slice."

As the day of the not-party draw nearer, things at 3, Tesla Drive get a little hectic as she cleans and prepares in between her shifts. On Tuesday, July third, May brings home a watermelon as wide as his ribcage, and uses up half of the counter space to slice it into small, sweet triangles. A couple go missing when she walks away for a moment to put her hair up, and if she notices she says nothing, because it's still enough watermelon to feed a small country. Kass watches her wrap the watermelon slices and slide them into the fridge underneath the vegetable tray.

She bakes the cake layers, and whips the cream, and sets them both in the fridge overnight, with the air of someone who's done this countless times before. Kass watches her work from the kitchen door frame then, and the morning after, where at 10 am she's already been up for two hours. Two hours, and she's already peeled and chopped potatoes and sliced strawberries.

She's at the counter, pouring lemon juice into a bowl, when Kass serves himself cereal. "Good morning," May says, distracted, moving to the sink when he nudges her aside to reach for the coffee. "Sorry I didn't make breakfast."

"Didn't expect you to," he replies, pouring the warm contents into his mug.

(The mug, part of a set, has a king chess piece on it. She'd bought it as a joke, and uses the queen mug personally.)

He eats at the table, which is still blessedly clear save for the bowl of sliced strawberries, while May finishes the guacamole and quickly cleans her knives. She's pulling the cooled cake out of the fridge when he asks, suddenly rather concerned, "This isn't a formal attire party, right? You aren't going to demand I wear a button up or anything bizarre?"

"In this weather? Course not. A clean shirt and a pair of pants would be nice," the girl says, matter-of-factly, pulling out the tub of frosting and popping off the lid. "Beyond that I leave it up to you. Could you pass me the strawberries?"

Upon being offered the bowl, May squints at it suspiciously.

"This bowl is lighter than it was when I put it on the table."

"No it's not," he says, convincingly.

There's a small groan, and then a sigh. She frosts one layer of the cake with a wide spatula, while Kass watches, leaning on the fridge quite helpfully.

"Hey asshole, get the strawberries out, I gotta cut more. Anyway," May continues, beginning to place slices onto the frosted center, "If you end up deciding you're sick of the company, by all means you're free to hide in your room. I won't pester you. I can't say the same for other people, though."

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to i-ow." Kass pulls his fingers back from the strawberry bowl. May waves the frosting spatula at him threateningly.

"You have had enough, sir. Let me finish."

He sticks his stung finger in his mouth, and grins around it at her like a leer. May begins to giggle.

"You are such a child, sometimes."

As noon approaches, they both shower, and she's still there when the doorbell rings, so Kass, against his better judgment, answers the door. "You knock, now?" he says with faux surprise, when Simon and Gunter cross the threshold.

"Hey, man, give me some credit, my hands are full," Simon jokes back, gesturing to the tray of popsicles in his hands. Gunter is holding a pie--apple, by the looks of it. "Is there space in your freezer for these? Don't want them to melt."

They follow him into the kitchen, and Kass takes the tray to slide it into the small freezer above the fridge. The popsicles look to be made of different kinds of fruit. He nearly claims one now, until he glances down and the penguin is staring at him, so instead, he closes the freezer door with a little huff. Fine. Later, then.

The fridge is running out of space, so the pie is left on the table. The lemonade sits in a tall pitcher, condensation forming at its sides, on the counter. Kass grabs one of May's nicer glasses that she's brought down for the occasion, pouring the cool drink and offering it silently to Gunter. The penguin looks surprised, but accepts it. It looks between him and Simon, and then states, a touch awkwardly, "I'm going to go set up the snacks in the living room."

Kass watches Simon somewhat warily, looking over the cleaned shirt and blue, star patterned bow tie. Simon deftly ignores him, pulling food out of the fridge to set onto the kitchen table. "Dang, that's the cake May made? It looks rad!"

Since the break-in visit Kass had been told about, Simon has been over several times. While Kass had initially regarded him with little more than suspicion and disdain, Simon had been unusually (to him at least) respectful of his personal space, physically and verbally. He'd seemed more interested in helping May cook, or bringing a movie to watch together.

They had had a conversation about O'Malley while playing Mario Kart on May's Wii, mildly terse while he had avoided red shells and banana peels. It had been somewhat brief--an admittance to the act, an open distaste for the damn dog, and Kass's attempt to generally wave the whole situation aside. It wasn't a perfect patch job, but it was better than nothing, he supposed, and Simon had been less pushy.

He'd been tolerable, while being himself, but it never quite took the edge off. It is, after all, Simon, do-good-be-good Simon. It's why Kass is immediately skeptical and squinting when Simon asks, "How've you been lately? You seem better."

His mouth is a thin line, but Simon's not looking as he reaches into the pantry and grabs the chip bag to dump into a bowl.

"Peachy. You wouldn't believe what not having an anxious brat following you around does for your nerves. Dib's not here too, which helps."

"Pfffbt." The boy (hardly a boy anymore, but he'll never be much else in Kass's eyes) pulls the plastic wrap off the guacamole, studying it curiously. When he looks up at Kass, his smile is undaunted by the jab. "Following you around in a different house would be way too much work, even for me. And anyway, May told me space would do you some good, so I've been nice."

He makes a harsh little "tch" noise with his tongue. "Of course, when the bird tells you, you listen. Nevermind I stated repeatedly for you to keep your shenanigans to yourself for months, then."

"You, sir, are a liar and a fiend, so I ignore what you say constantly. Half the time you're projecting anyway," Simon says, with a snicker, "and the other half, you're making really dated references that show how darn old you are."

"I am not old.”

"Okay, mister Mid Life Crisis. You're not old."

Kass mumbles something under his breath, nursing a second glass of lemonade. Simon blinks in his direction.

"I missed that. Say it again?"

With a little grimace, he repeats himself. "I said, we're still not friends. Don't expect me to come over and play. "

Simon rolls his eyes. "Whatever makes you feel good, dude. You're doing fine over here anyway, you've chilled out a lot."

"Yes, well, when I'm not constantly told to change my core person to fit a standard, I tend to thrive."

Simon sets the paper plates in his hand down, and looks at Kass. His expression is a hard one to fathom--the flesh of his cheek is pulled up, like a half grimace. With a little chuff, he pushes his glasses up his nose.

"You know what, you're right. I was pushing you really hard."

Wait, what?

This isn't a subject they've touched on for a while. Kass, more than anything, had meant it as a general rib, but the jab seems to have been more effective than he'd assumed. His surprise is evident, because Simon continues.

"I mean, I don't feel like I'm wrong, because I know you can be better than you let on--but!" He holds up a finger at Kass's little scowl. "I was pushing way too hard, at way too soon a time."

He sits in a chair at the table, gesturing, looking a touch sheepish. "I should have recognized way sooner that you were spiraling into a bad state. I won't get too weepy--I've apologized plenty of times about it and I know you're sick of it. My point, here, is, I never really looked at the situation from your point of view."

Kass watches warily, as Simon dips a chip into the guacamole, and sticks it into his mouth. He makes a pleasantly surprised sound, and swallows, then gestures again, a little shrug.

"I tried to get it, but it didn't really sink in until the whole, uh. The thing with Pickman. I didn't register how deep a level the Foundation stuff was ingrained into you. That's on me, and I'm sorry."

For a long minute, there is quiet. It's awkward, and uncertain.

Kass says, a little caught off guard, "We're starting this party off on a very low note, you know."

Simon snickers again.

"My bad. But I'm really glad you're starting to feel better. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know." He points at Kass sharply, squinting. "Illegal activity is out, though."

Kass finds himself very nearly smiling. "We'll see," he says.

"See wh--Simon, you blessed boy! You're early!" May's enthusiasm fills and controls a whole room, and she dives into Simon's arms when he stands. "You didn't have to come help!"

"Well," he says, seeming pleased, "I figured it'd take a load off your mind. Gunter and I brought some extra desserts."

When May pulls away, she examines the pie brightly. "Look, Kass, a cutie pie! And also, an apple pie."

"....May."

She can't help how her chest shakes from laughter. "That's it, I'm sorry. That's the only joke I'll make."

"It was so bad," Simon says, affronted.

"I'm sorry," she says again, though she doesn't seem very sorry. "I'm just so happy--You're here, and you look nice and I suddenly feel much, much less stupid about this whole thing."

It catches Kass a little off guard to hear that, because she hasn't seemed self conscious as she planned the party--a touch rushed, maybe.

Had he failed to notice, or had she just hidden it that well?

Simon grins at May as she touches his bow tie, the pair of them thick as thieves. "You look adorable and I hope you know it."

Though Kass will never admit it, Simon is right. May has chosen to leave her glasses off today, and her hair, still damp from her shower, is pulled back into tight pigtails. A blue ribbon peeks out behind the springing curls, loose by her neck, and her shirt has a feather pattern around the collar.

She's embraced the summer mood, it seems. Her face lights up from the compliment.

"Actually," she asks sheepishly, "could you give me a hand? I'm not very pleased with the ribbons and you could probably get a better angle than I could."

"Sure!"

Simon ushers May out the hall, to the bathroom. Kass slips past them into the living room. The penguin and a green little clone are setting the coffee table with food, neither of them looking up while he maneuvers to set up the Wii.

"Awfully considerate of you," it says from somewhere behind him. Kass checks the batteries of each spare remote, and then flicks through the disks, picking multiplayer games and setting them beside the console.

"If I have to tolerate this ridiculous backwards event, I might as well find ways to enjoy myself," he replies.

"Right," Gunter says. "Of course. That's all."

"That's all, Ducky."

The doorbell is well timed, and Kass stays put as it's opened by the bird. He half turns, watching Dib, already bright red from the heat, strip his trench coat off to hang on the door's coat peg.

"One hundred and three degrees," the boy mumbles. "One hundred and three stupid degrees. And everybody's barbecuing."

(His shirt is bright blue, and has a spiraling wind pattern. This is very ironic.)

"Need cold. Need fluids."

Dib makes his way into the kitchen, reappearing moment later with a cold glass pressed to his forehead. He drops heavily onto the couch, and finally seems to notice Kass, raising a hand in a half greeting. Kass raises his eyebrows, and then looks over the couch, and grins.

"Psst. Constant Vigilance."

"Nn," Dib says wearily. "What."

"Look."

Suspiciously, Dib looks behind the couch to the base of the stairs where Simon and May reappear to enter the kitchen. He gasps at the sight of the tiny springs at the base of her neck.

"Oh my goooooosh."

"I told you," Kass says, a touch smug.

"That's--That's so cute," Dib hisses back, grinning wide around the lip he is biting into. "That is so good."

"What are you two jerks snickering about," May asks as she sets the vegetable tray onto the coffee table.

"N-Nothing--" Dib says, at the exact moment Gunter says, "Kass pointed out your pigtails."

May peeps (god, it's brilliant when she does that), and then yells. "What is with you people and my hair!!"

Kass snickers and ducks the pillow chucked in his direction, tossing it back in Dib's direction.

When Simon and Gunter drop onto the couch, Kass tosses them each a controller and drops into his recliner, only half listening to the party, his hands behind his head.

Simon, to some degree, is right. He is more relaxed. This is his space, currently being invaded upon with his own permission. That's what he tells himself, at least, slitting one eye open to watch Simon hand Dib his ass in Super Smash Bros.

Four rounds later, Dib has won all of a single match, staunchly holding to playing Samus while Simon flicks through Pacman, Lil Mac, and Ness. Gunter has decided he has a very high interest in May's guacamole, and has helped himself to a good portion of the stuff, ignoring the cold cut sandwiches and veggie tray.

May's still not appeared to join them. When Kass stands and peeks into the kitchen, he finds her at the stove. The faerie queen is sitting on the edge of the counter by the window, the sunlight painting patterns on her wings. It's with a little grimace that Kass maneuvers around her to pour himself a glass of the lemonade, ignoring their conversation.

He catches sight of the stove--wait. May's making french fries. Unashamed, Kass sidles to her side and steals a couple finished ones on the plate.

"Stop stealing food," she mumbles with a little smile.

"Stop having friends that are all in my nightmares," he retorts, blowing on the fry and sticking it in his mouth. Ah, unsalted. Probably a batch for the faerie then.

"Sorry?"

It is, at this very moment, that the back door to the kitchen bangs open. All three inhabitants jump nearly a foot, and only two relax as the cause makes itself known.

"Sup?" The nightmare queen proclaims, posing dramatically in the door frame. "Y'all can relax now, I'm here. The party can finally start."

Kass attempts very hard to make himself invisible, and does not succeed, though the new guest ignores him to throw her arm around May's shoulders. He's not a fan in the slightest of the queen that visits from time to time―she looks like Sydney, but isn't Sydney, and she has a tendency to drip onto the sofa and make creepy faces at him without thinking about it. Certainly she's not threatened him, but he's seen her head come off at least once, and he's not interested in being within three feet of that.

"You are dressed all in black, how are you not dead from the heat," he hears May murmur with a smile in her voice.

"It's the aesthetic, man. Suffer for the look."

"I love you, dumbass."

He maneuvers away from all three queens--that's way too much power in one room for his comfort--at the same moment that Mab proclaims, "May, dear, you've hardly left the kitchen this entire time. This is your event, you should relax!"

"I'm almost done, alright? This is the last batch of fries, and then I gotta salt some of them and we'll be good to relax."

"You've made plenty, you've got to go join your own party! Nobody's going to starve, you've made sure of that," the queen coaxes. Kass watches, as he retreats with his glass, Mab and the other one--Queen Nothing? a stupid name, he can think of something better--usher the bird away from the stove. She resists only a little, snapping the stove dial off.

Kass stays on the peripherals of the scene when they finally drop her onto the edge of the couch. Slime princess drops onto the arm of the couch beside Simon, smiling in what she must imagine is a relaxed manner but really comes off with far too many teeth.

"This guacamole is fantastic, May, could I possibly bother you for the recipe?" Gunter asks, and true enough, the bowl is much emptier than it had been when Kass had left.

"I'll make a copy for you," she replies, hugging a pillow. "Pass me some snap peas?"

For a few long minutes, the party is absolutely wonderful, and loud, without him. He thinks, maybe, he'd like to creep off soon, but he doesn't, just standing at the base of the stairs watching the madness unfold.

What a strange bunch of characters. Of course they all found each other. Of course they all get along. Who else would have them?

Simon and Dib eventually hand the controllers to May and the ink hazard, who are both godawful at Mario Kart. It certainly doesn't stop them from trying, though eventually he does lose his patience at how badly his roommate is failing and snatch her roommate to shoot her to third place. She had fought him for it for just a moment before yielding, and he's suddenly back in the fray of this stupid event.

He soon finds out every queen is bad at Mario Kart, and really, that almost takes all the fun out of winning. Almost--not quite.

On the couch where he rests his elbows, Dib and Simon are having a conversation about the new Marvel movie, and the villain's absolute inane scheme.

"I mean, it's at least a better motivation, than say, universal conquest," Dib claims, "But dude! You're wearing a matter manipulator, and you're arguing there aren't enough resources? Make more!"

"Nobody's arguing his concept isn't super donked up," Simon counters, "but I'm not really sure he knows any better. Plus, can the gauntlet really make more matter?"

"Well by that argument, he could have turned a bunch of useless waste into more resources," is the very irritable retort.

"What the hell is even happening in these movies anymore," May adds, scoffing. "I never bothered watching Civil War and now there's an evil grape."

"You never watched Civil War? But that one's actually pretty good!"

"Dude. Age of Ultron suuuuuuucked. I got jaded. All I know is everybody's in Civil War and duking it out because Tony's doing some more shit no one agrees with because no one will get that man therapy."

An apt description, Kass thinks. Apparently, not enough one for Dib and Simon, who begin to explain.

"Well, it's more about this bill--"

"And there's a terrorist attack--"

"And it seems like Bucky did it but--"

"Jesus Christ," May says when they are finally done, her head in her hands. "That was almost as bad as What's Up Tiger Lilly."

Kass squints at his roommate at the same moment someone, he's not sure who, asks, "What's What's Up Tiger Lilly?"

"No," she says, muffled into her fingers. "I'm not telling you the What's Up Tiger Lilly story. You don't want that."

They all exchange looks, and then look expectantly back to her.

"Well, now you have to tell us. You can't tease us like this," Simon states.

"Pleeeeeease," adds the Void Girl, grinning wide and batting her eye at May in what she thinks is a pleading expression.

May's eyes narrow. She shakes her head once.

"I warned you."

She takes a large drink of her lemonade as everyone waits, the video game and snacks forgotten. He finds himself only vaguely intrigued, but more than anything he realizes, watching her eyes glittering, that she is basking in the attention.

Holy shit.

May's a storyteller.

"Now," she begins, "You have to understand this is not my story--I got this story from Ethan, who was my coworker at one of my old part time jobs. We worked at Jimmy John's. Now for those who haven't been to Jimmy John's, it's like Subway, but more mediocre. Subway, you have countless options to choose from, right? Jimmy John's, you have far fewer options, but you're gonna get your sandwich in about thirty seconds, so that's great I guess."

May puts her hands in the air in a shrug. "I'm sure this is a talent I'll eventually find useful in life, but so far I've come up dry. Thanks a bunch, Jimmy John."

"Anyway," she continues, "I got this story from Ethan, but this story didn't happen to Ethan. This story happened to his old friend Jake, while the both of them were in high school. Now, because basically none of you went to high school," (here, May squints around the room with a little crooked smirk), "high school is basically this place you go to spend four years learning nothing substantial and existing as a ball of anxiety pretty much the entire time. For, you know, eight hours almost every day."

She grins.

"So not at all a waste of time, right?"

Dib snorts. The queens nod sagely, though really, only one of them really knows what May's going on about.

"So Ethan and Jake went to high school together, and they were in movie club. Now, again, since almost none of you went to high school--clubs are a place in high school where you decide, 'I've only been here eight hours, that's not enough! I wanna be on my school campus some more.' Then you find some friends who like the same things as you do and also wanna be on campus for even longer."

May looks up at Kass with a bit of a wicked smile, one he's learned to be mildly concerned about. Very quickly, he learns the cause.

"Now, friends," (she turns and stares directly at the queen on the other end of the couch, who sheepishly shrinks into her shoulders), "are people who like your company. Usually, they will actively try to spend time with you! You may never be sure why, even though they claim it's because they think you're fun to be around. Or something."

Little monster. Kass flicks her ear, and she giggles, pushing his hand away. "Stop that, I'm telling a story."

"Anyway," May says again, forcefully, "You and your friends all find a thing you like to do, like, say for example, sports."

As if anyone in this room likes sports. Kass hides his smirk in his folded arms on the backboard of the couch.

"Sports," the bird adds helpfully, "are basically a stupid form of physical activity that require movement and sweat and usually sitting out in the sun! Crazy concept, right! The AC exists for a reason."

"May," Simon says, his hands folded in front of his face as though he is concentrating very hard. "Please."

She continues, undeterred. "There's usually grass and some kind of ball and I hope most of you know what a ball is, because I'm not going to explain that."

"May," Simon says, a little more forcefully.

"Please," Dib adds, a hint of desperation in his voice.

They're figuring out the scheme, slowly.

"Okay, we're getting off topic. So, Ethan and Jake are in a club, and they are in movie club. Movie club was this thing where Ethan and Jake and their friends would get together to watch a movie, and then discuss what happened in the movie, and subjects like the movie's themes. Now," May holds up a finger in an explanatory matter, "Themes are like, the meaning of the story, or what the story is trying to get across with its moral, and morals for those of you that don't have them," (she's grinning at Kass again), "are complex ideas about right and wrong."

She smooths her shirt down, and takes another sip of her lemonade. "They're usually widely debated by people who don't have any, and yet decide they're doing things like taking away people's rights out of 'moral obligation'. But I'm getting off topic."

This is the worst story ever. Holy shit. Already an air of distress is descending upon the guests.

"The theme of this story would probably be about the folly of man and the error of judging a book by its cover, or what have you," the bird says, nonchalantly. "Now, a book is like a movie, but instead of being told visually, the contents are shared through words, written on pages bound together, and usually reading is involved."

"MAY," Dib hisses, pained.

"No, no, this is important to the story, see, because because Ethan and Jake were in movie club, and it was Jake's turn to get a movie for the club. So he goes to the library. A library is a place that contains information in many books. But it also contains other forms of media like newspapers, which are real stories versus fictional ones. This is a real story by the way. No newspaper will publish it. I've tried."

Kass has to physically bury his head into the hard bend of the couch to keep from laughing. She's good at this, she's good at keeping this train wreck entertaining. She's a terrible little monster.

"Besides books and newspapers, you can also borrow things such as DVDs, and at this point a DVD is a somewhat dated sort of disk that--Dib no come back!!" May suddenly says as Dib stands, his hands in the air as though he can't take anymore. "This story has a great pay off come on man--thank you, as I was saying."

Dib crosses his arms. Kass reaches over the pokes him in the head. "You did ask for this."

"Don't touch me."

"Young man. Am I going to finish my story, or are you just going to keep interrupting me."

"I'm good. Keep going."

"Good boy," says the pleased bird. "Where was I. Hm, I can't quite remember--should I start over?"

"May!"

"Right, yes, a DVD is a dated sort of way to watch movies. So, Jake went to the library to borrow a movie, and he decided he was going to borrow the movie What's Up Tiger Lilly."

The room visibly relaxes with relief. Finally, they all seem to think. We're finally getting to the story.

Kass knows better. Kass hides his grin, watching the reactions carefully.

"Now, What's Up Tiger Lilly is a Woody Allen movie. It's some kind of kung fu movie he basically dubbed over with a completely different story," May explains, and then adds, her voice quirking up in pitch, "which I guess makes it very artistic?"

Mab nods, though she does look a touch confused, and the penguin says from the other side of the coffee table, "That is.... an apt explanation. Really, the only explanation needed so far."

"This is my story and I'll tell it how I like, thank you Gunter." Her tone is a touch affronted, though always, always laced with sarcasm.

"Apologies. Continue."

"So, Jake went back to movie club with What's Up Tiger Lilly, and he and his friends watched it. They enjoyed it!"

That wicked smile is back.

"Enjoyment is an emotion you feel, likely the very one you feel now as you listen to this wonderful story I'm telling you. I know you're enjoying it because you're my friends, and you like my company, and you like my stories."

"May," the ink girl says at the end of the couch. "Please. You care about me, right. Please stop this madness."

"So they watched this movie," May continues, undeterred, "and they experienced enjoyment, and they discussed it.

And time passed.

Now, seeing as not all of us conform to time's rules, time--"

Dib makes a strangled sort of noise, like a scream that got locked behind his tongue. Kass presses his forehead to his fist on the backboard. He cannot look.

"Time is a somewhat linear linear mostly wonked up passage of growth, usually noted in minutes, hours, and days. It's very convoluted and made up by humans because they apparently need more ways to stress themselves out, like being late to things. for example, you're probably thinking to yourself, the time you spend listening to me tell this story couldn't be spent in a better way at all, and it's going by so fast! I'm halfway through the story!!"

"May," Kass says, very evenly. "You are going to get thrown across the room."

"Explain throwing to me really quick?"

The flat stare he gives her is answer enough. The monster on the couch grins widely.

"Anyway. Time passed, and then, one year later--" (May holds up a finger) "--Jake went back to the library. A year is three hundred sixty-five days. This was probably a little more than that, but not by much. He went to the library, and he picked out some books to check out. I'm not sure what he checked out, maybe he decided it was time to reread Harry Potter but could only find a copy of book five, which is confirmed to be the most depressing, unenjoyable novel of the series."

Kass watches Simon's expression very carefully, noting the tight-eyed squint. Simon does not rise to the bait.

"Maybe he was doing a book report, because at this point people still went to libraries to get information out of books, a method so dated and untrustworthy nowadays that those poor libraries should really do something with all those dated encyclopedias."

Now Simon does open his mouth, visibly irritated. May is grinning right at the boy, obviously goading. He barely gets a word out.

"Do not--"

"An encyclopedia!" she interrupts loudly, "Is a book with information on every possible subject known to man!"

"May--"

"They usually come in collections! But none of that matters. What matters is Jake went and grabbed some books he decided to check out."

Simon gives up, shaking his head impatiently at the couch cushions.

"He brought his books to the counter, and he said hello to the librarian. The librarian was a woman--Ah, wait, I should clarify--"

The room bursts into an uproar along the lines of "we know what a woman is--"

"A LIBRARIAN is a person who works in a library."

Kass can't hold it back anymore--he's wheezing into the back of the sofa pathetically. Fuck, she's horrible. Dib is visibly getting irritated, and Mab looks to be getting there. The noise only dies when May says, "Can I finish my story, or will I need to start over?”

Reluctantly, the party goes quiet again. May nods.

"Thank you. As I was saying. The librarian was a woman, and Jake went up to the checkout desk. Jake said 'hello!' The librarian said 'hi!' Jake said, 'I would like the check out these books!'

The librarian said, 'okay, let me see your library card'. And she scanned it, and she looked at the computer. And she went, 'hmm.'"

May puts her hand on her chin in mock contemplation for a moment, acting it out. Everyone seems to be holding their breath, afraid to interrupt when actual progress is happening.

"'What is it?' Jake said.

'It says here that you checked out What's Up Tiger Lilly, and never returned it,' the librarian said.

'Oh,' said Jake.

'Yes, it says here you have a fine of eleven dollars and twenty cents. You can't check out any more library books until you pay the fine.'

And Jake said, 'oh,' again.

The librarian said, 'Do you want to pay the fine?'"

May steeples her fingers. She smiles sweetly.

"And Jake said, no."

There is a pause. Several long beats pass.

May says nothing more. She continues to smile.

"Are you," Dib finally says. "Are you actually--That's IT?"

She looks like the cat that got both the cream and the canary. Kass begins to snigger into the sofa again.

"This is so stupid! That was the stupidest--Why did you--aaaagh."

Simon's face is distorted, a mix between amused and horrified at himself. "The punchline," he says slowly, "is that he wouldn't pay a library fine?"

"Yes."

"....This is a bad story."

"Aw."

The queens both look a level of distressed, though in different ways. While the eldritch horror seems, for lack of a better phrase, split down the middle between laughing and committing a murder, Mab is staring at May, her eyebrows creased. Kass realizes, exactly, what's about to happen, at the exact moment Mab says, "I don't understand."

"Oh no!" May says, holding back a cackle. "Mab didn't get it guys, I gotta do it over again and explain it better this tim--"

"NO!"

The chorus rings throughout the room sharply. Kass can feel May's wide smile from behind his hand, firmly clasped over her mouth. She's visibly shaking with giggles--he's not doing too much better.

She wasted a good half hour of their time, like this, he realizes when he glances at the clock. She had managed to get them to sit and listen to her say nothing of consequence for a full half hour. The nerve of her is something to be applauded.

At her gentle tap against the back of his hand, Kass removes his fingers. The bird looks smug, smiling at her guests who are coming down from their rages. Dib has picked the game controller back up, very determined to not look at his host.

“That was mean,” Gunter says, looking rather amused in retrospect. “That was absolutely terrible.”

“What, you people think I'm nice?” comes the reply, followed with a shrug. “Honestly, it's like you don't even know me!”

“You're wicked,” Mab says, finally smiling. “You'd give the fae a run for their money.”

May seems far too pleased with herself at that. She sits back against the couch, sipping her lemonade pleasantly.

“I once heard an hour long rendition of that story. I'm still improving at it, to be honest! But now,” she adds, grinning dangerously, “You can share it with your friends!”

When cake is served, May is good on her word. She gives Kass a large slice, refills his lemonade glass, and waves him away as he escapes back up the stairs to his bedroom. It's a cool, dark space, and he lights a quick smoke, something he'd avoided doing down with the guests.

While it is not a bad party, by any means, he has had his fill, he thinks. For now, he wants some time to himself.

With time, he hears the party become quieter. The afternoon slips into early evening, the shadows only barely longer. He wakes from a nap to a quiet house, a murmur of sound the only hint that it is not entirely empty.

He stands and stretches, feeling the vertebrae of his back click softly. It's almost seven when he gathers his dishes and exits his room. What are the chances there's still cake, or a slice of pie?

Kass is at the foot of the stairs when he stops.

He hears―rather, he overhears―in the kitchen―

“―we please drop this? Just today? I―today was a good day, dude, can't we just bask in it without talking about this again?”

“I'm sorry, May, I'm just―I gotta make sure! You know I can't just let it go―this is Kass we're talking about.”

It doesn't take a genius to know that's Dib. May, on her part, sounds agitated, moving around the kitchen, running the sink. Kass can picture it, can picture the little impatient steps and how things knock about when she accidentally swats them while reaching for things. That just makes her angrier.

“Why? Why is it such a big deal to you? I thought you didn't care anymore, you were fine when the man went missing. It was like you didn't even notice.”

“It's―It's not that I didn't care, I just―I didn't want to waste energy on trying to find a guy that doesn't want to be found. I do care! I'm going to care, and I'm going to worry and be suspicious!”

“Why can't you let it go?”

“Because!” Dib seems to snap harshly, before he stops, as though catching himself. When he speaks again, it's in a lower volume, and more controlled.

“This is Kass. This is the guy who lied to me for months, and was a huge jerk to me and my friends for years, and that was before he got stuck in my garage. You know how many times he's thrown me under the bus―you have to understand. I'm going to be a bit hyper-vigilant! I'm going to worry!”

This isn't the first conversation Kass has overheard about himself. He's spent long enough in 1, Tesla Drive, and in Site 17, and many other places, to hear numerous insults about his person. It, for the most part, doesn't bother him, so much as it annoys him that people have really nothing better to talk about.

What Kass is surprised to find unpleasant is the idea of May talking about him. Of course she does, he know logically she'd talk about him while he's not around, but there's something so possibly two-faced about it.

He hears her small huff.

“I get that―and it's fine to be nervous, okay? It's fine to not trust him, that's not what I'm saying. But that's not what you're doing. What you're doing is questioning my choices. My judgment. You still have this idea that I need protecting, but I don't. I'm not telling you to get over it and be his friend, I'm not an idiot. But, Christ, Dib, I expect you to trust my decisions.”

"But I'm worried about you. I know you said you could handle him but he's just a lot to deal with. Plus," Dib says with a little sniff. "You shouldn't have to deal with someone like that on a daily basis. You don't deserve that."

"Okay,” she says after a beat, her tone sharp and irritated, “First off. I'm not handling him. Kass is not some kind of wild animal I'm trying to tame. Secondly, I'm much more capable than you give me credit for. I'm in charge of an entire species, most of which don't like me. I work retail. You think I can't deal with a little bit of criticism and insults? You think I can't deal with a bad attitude from time to time?"

There's a moment of quiet, filled with nothing but the clatter of dishes and the running water.

"....I didn't know that. They don't like you?"

"Not the point, here, hon. My point is, look. This isn't something you need to worry about. You don't need to worry about me, and you don't need to trust him. You need to trust me. You need to trust that I can take care of myself, and that I can manage living with him. And I'm getting really sick of having to defend my friendship, dude. We're adults, we should be past this."

Oh, she shouldn't have said that. She shouldn't have, that opens such a gaping wound, that--

"Wait, Kass is your friend?"

"Oh, here we go." The dishes clatter loudly.

"Kass doesn't have friends, May."

"Don't start with me, Dib.”

"No, seriously! Simon tried for months to convince the guy! You know what it resulted in? It resulted in sharpie on his forehead and honey stuck in places there shouldn't be honey! Kass doesn't have friends, he refuses to even fake it, and maybe Frank's an exception, but I don't think Frank's picky--"

"Ow! Fuck!"

Kass stiffens at the little swear. Dib stops talking―the water stops running.

"What happened?"

"Cake knife got me. No―don't go anywhere, I'm fine."

“You want me to go grab a band-aid?”

"No, no. It's healing up already, see?"

"Nn. You're sure?"

"I'm good, hon. Just tired. Can we―can we please drop this subject?"

"Nnn,” Dib says, clearly not ready to drop this subject, “can I just say one more thing?"

May doesn't respond, so Dib continues, undeterred.

“I just think, of all of us, you're the one that needs to be the most worried about Kass causing issues. Simon and I know what he's like, and the kind of under the table stuff he's pulled. You―you haven't been around him as long as we have, and you always see the best in people. But―he needs a closer eye on him. If something happens--if he gets picked up by the Foundation, he's going to sell us all out if he thinks it even has a chance of saving his skin.”

“I―“

“Please let me finish. He'll sell us out and that includes you. I know we can handle it, we can figure something out, we always do, but if something goes wrong―May, when I told them about what ZiM's PAK could do they completely disabled it, with no way for him to get out. They'll keep you under the tightest lock and key. They'll shove you into the tiniest cell and poke and prod at you until they know every little thing you can do and then they'll leave you there.”

Dib's voice, his cadence, is painfully sincere. Maybe a touch raw. Maybe he's faking the depth of his worry, playing it up to make her listen―he's done it in the past. Still, he speaks with more familiarity than he seems to want to.

“You need to be careful about what you say to him and what you tell him. I don't want you to get hurt.”

There's a silence. It's heavy and stifling, and then May says in a low, dark voice, “I don't―you know what? I can't deal with this right now. I have to go clear the living room―I'll be back in a minute.”

Oh, shit.

Before Kass can slink away from the wall beside the door frame, she stomps out through it and nearly barrels right into him. They stare at each other a moment, exchanging no words.

She looks... angry. He thought he'd seen her angry before, but he's never seen this; her eyes are slits, her shoulders tense and up to her ears. The air around her seems boiling hot with barely-contained rage, the curls of her pigtails loose and framing her face unevenly.

May looks him in the eye, and then grits her teeth, looking away and moving around him without so much as a word. Kass watches her storm into the living room, gathering paper plates and used napkins. Her motions are jarring, forced and rushed.

This is held-back anger―not the snappish tones she's shot his way when he's opened his mouth too much, not the tense way her fingers push her hair back from her face when she's got four and a half things all happening at once. She cleans when she's angry. She channels it everywhere but where it should go.

And that's―

That's such bullshit, Kass finds. It's not the particular speech Dib's given May that gets under his skin, but the pretentiousness of it all. He's done that thing he and Simon and Mab always seem to do. They stick their noses into other people's business. They insert their own opinion into a subject that has nothing to do with them.

They've done it with Kass for years now. He understands why, to some extent. He hates it, but he thought he understood why―he had thought the distrust was always behind it. He'd figured it was the way Dib needed to make sure he didn't throw them all under the bus again.

But, apparently, it's just the kind of shitty, awful, bratty child that Dib is; so much so that he does this sort of thing to his supposed friends too. He can't seem to help himself―he's too full of himself and too stuck on his high horse. The stupid kid still thinks he's the smartest person in the room. He's sixteen and he thinks he knows better than full-blown adults.

Kass wipes away the snarl that's been growing on his face, and forces his eyes away from the girl's turned back. He slips into the kitchen, where Dib is standing awkwardly in front of the sink, fidgeting with a towel he'd been drying dishes with.

Dib looks, more than anything, startled, and for once, uncertain. His eyes had locked onto the door frame, as though waiting for May to return, but upon seeing Kass, his expression slides directly back into distrust and disinterest, eyes lidded and squinty.

“Hi.”

“How's it going, Lightning Bolt,” Kass says, flatly, without interest.

“It's.... going.”

“Where's the barefoot wonder?” he asks hollowly, checking the fridge's leftovers. No good―he's lost his interest in anything sweet, from the bitter taste in his mouth. “Already gone home to candy land?”

He can feel Dib's eyes on his neck as he turns his back. He has not missed this feeling in the slightest.

“Simon went to grab some snacks from Uuu. He and I are going to take the Voot to watch the fireworks from bird's eye view.”

“Interesting,” he responds, moving to the sink. It's not interesting, really. “So it's just you then?”

He's in Dib's bubble, and it's obvious the teen is tense, but all Kass does is rinse his plate and glass. He leaves them in the sink, eyes on his own hands.

He grabs a clean glass from the dry pile. “You're leaving ET on its own tonight of all nights? You find that wise?”

“ZiM is fine,” Dib says, a touch sharply. “He's used to loud explosions.”

“Of course. War species.”

There's a heavy pause. Kass fills the glass with ice cubes. Clink. Clink.

“How, um,” he hears Dib start, haltingly, “How are you doing?”

"I'm fine,” Kass says, his voice upturning into sweet saccharine sarcasm. “I'm just dandy, not being in your presence 24/7 does wonders for my complexion."

A glance up confirms the expected scowl, which he feels no need to respond to. His own expression, carefully controlled, is neutral.

No matter Dib's feelings towards him, be they disinterest, disgust, or suspicion―that distinct mutual feeling of dislike that had manifested early between them is not going anywhere any time soon.

Kass smiles, suddenly, a wide and rather cold smile. He smiles like a wolf looking at a little girl in a bright red hood would smile.

“But here's a fun fact for you to ruminate on, dear old Dib. Let's say, for sake of argument, I wasn't doing as spectacular as I am doing. It, fascinatingly enough, would be entirely none of your business. Isn't that interesting?"

His smile remains, though he looks away from the boy hovering near him to pour a fresh serving of lemonade into the glass.

“I--”

"Here are the facts,” Kass says, holding a finger up, “I'm not your responsibility anymore, Dibromoethane. Your opinion on my status is moot and unnecessary. Lemonade?"

Dib's eyes flick between Kass and the glass in his hand. His expression is twisted when he says, hesitant, “Uh. Sure?”

"Tough tits,” the man replies, walking away, “Serve yourself. Keep your nose out of my roommate's hair about my status."

When Kass returns to the living room, May is pacing along the length of the couch. Her hands are full of used napkins, which she nearly seems to be wringing, crumbling them into tight balls. She barely looks up at him when he approaches, but her pacing stops when he enters her personal space.

“It's hot enough out without you working up your feathers, birdy. Drink.”

He offers the lemonade, but the bird shakes her head. “No, no, I have to finish cleaning. It's gotta get done.”

Kass tsks lightly. “It'll still be there when you've calmed down,” he starts, his mouth on the next syllable before it gets stuck in his throat at expression of absolute rage that paints May's face.

“That's the problem! It needs to get done or it'll just stay a mess, regardless of whether or not I'm angry! Jesus Christ, am I actually saying words out loud? I'm actually audibly speaking, right? I'm not just making random noises with my mouth like some handicapped old person?”

Holy shit―she's seriously upset. May's eyes are lit up, molten gold. Kass takes a step back; she notices, and deflates nearly immediately. She presses her hands to her face to stifle a noise that sounds suspiciously like a scream.

“You―he―mmmmgh how many times, how many fucking times do I have to say something for people to hear me? Fuck me, why the fuck don't people listen when I talk?”

Her hands have buried into her pulled back hair, the pigtails coming loose and the dirty napkins still balled up in her fist. Carefully, as though defusing a bomb or trying not to startle a lion, Kass sets the glass down onto the coffee table and extracts her fingers from her hair. He uncurls them, one by one.

“You're letting this get to you far more than you need to, you need to take a breath.”

“Fuck you, don't tell me what to do. I'm an angry bitch and you shouldn't touch me.”

“Look, princess, don't get snappy at me, I was well-behaved today,” Kass says sharply, unfurling the fist with the napkins and taking them from her. “Rudeness is unbecoming of royalty.”

“Fuck,” she says again, and deflates once more. “I'm sorry, Christ, you shouldn't―you don't need to deal with this shit, but I'm just so sick to death of it.”

She stares at her hand, curling and uncurling the fist, her mouth a thin sharp line.

“Everyone's always fucking acting like they're waiting for the other damn shoe to drop. Like―Like, I'm fucking naive to how awful you can be, have been. And when I finally realize, oh no, he's just the worst, I'll be crushed!”

May looks up at Kass, brows furrowed and jaw taut. “I'm not a fucking baby! I don't need people to take care of me!”

“Keep your voice down,” he hisses, to no avail. She's nearly shouting.

“Like I don't fucking know most of the awful shit you pulled? Like I don't know about when you dislocated Dib's shoulder, or lied to him for months, or sold the kids out to the Foundation, or the thing with O'Malley? Or any of the other terrible things you've done? I fucking know, Kass! These aren't secrets, unfortunately!”

She surprises him―she laughs, bubbling with anger. “But they're not my grudges to hold! Most of this shit is ancient fucking history, and I wasn't there! I have no right to be pissy at you for any of it! And somehow, some-fucking-how, because I don't treat you like roadkill, it means I don't know you're a jerk.”

Here, May's pitch rises into the dramatics, into mockery. Her hands press to her cheeks to add to the theatrics, eyes wide and childlike. “Nooooo, I need to be protected! I need to be warned about the Big, Bad, Kaaaaaass. Fuuuuuck.” This last word is her normal pitch, pouring with exasperation. She presses her fingers into her eyes, groaning.

“You're the fucking same, you know that?” she concludes. “You and him and so many stupid humans―you think you need to teach the softhearted that the world is so much worse than they act like it is. I hate it so much.”

And May is softhearted, that much is true. Kass has lived in this house with her for maybe half a year now, and he knows this much. She is, above all things, kind and optimistic, while simultaneously sarcastic and smug and a small jokester.

Her interactions with him have forced Kass to try to come to terms with the idea that being soft is not nearly the same thing as being weak.

May is quiet for a long, long minute. Kass listens to her inhale deeply, and exhale slowly. He lifts his hand and places it on the crown of her head―it's the closest he can get to a conciliatory gesture. It works―the tension in her shoulders drops, and she inhales another shuddery breath.

“Nn. Fuck. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped so hard. It―it's not okay, and it's not your fault. None of this is your fault,” May adds, pulling her hands from her face, “You were just.... there to take the brunt of it. I'm sorry.”

While mostly caught off guard, Kass can't exactly say his feelings are hurt. Certainly, he doesn't like being assaulted with the fact that most of his dirty laundry has been hung out for curious eyes, and her outburst is certainly a new side to her that's set him on edge, but she's not exactly the most threatening form.

He supposes he's a bit ruffled by the idea that he and Dib have anything in common. Oh, certainly, he'd compared the pair of them before. He'd believed (and he still does to some level, what with being a cynic) Dib would realize how hard the real world was, and would become cold like Kass had to survive it. He'd believed there was no other real way to deal with the harshness―this isn't a kid's show, after all.

But the idea that Dib would do anything Kass might do? The idea he would actually buy into Kass's mindset about the world? Well, that is just about unthinkable, these days, especially with the company he keeps.

They're nothing alike, he tells himself. She's just angry.

“I think I'll survive the sudden shock, tweety bird,” Kass finally says, waving off the apology. Again, he tries to offer the glass, and May accepts it now, pressing the cool condensing side to her cheek. She turns, her brows pinching upward. Already she's got that guilty look he's grown familiar with―she makes it almost immediately after she snaps at him.

“I should go talk to him,” she says, weakly. “I just stormed out in a huff.”

“Give it another minute,” Kass replies, patting her upper arm. “He deserves to feel like shit for a bit longer, don't you think?”

May chuffs, looking up at him. She very nearly smiles, and she looks exhausted. The host has had a long day.

“I'm, um,” she starts, “I'm sorry about this. Again. Um. Was―Was everything okay on your end? I know this isn't really... your cup of tea.”

“I've been to worse.” His mouth is a crooked line, close enough for her to recognize as a smile. “I don't really think I'll ever be at ease in the company of a bunch of monsters, unfortunately.”

She nods, biting her lip. “Yeah. Yeah, sorry. I forget, sometimes, that you can't really.... turn that off.”

Another inhale, and exhale. Kass pulls his hand back, sticking them both into his pockets. “I'm going to hole up for a bit―I'll come back out before the fireworks. Will you, er, will you be able to manage until then?”

“Yeah,” May says weakly. “Cleanup's almost done. I think I need some alone time, too.”

“Right. I'll see you in a bit.”

“Kass?”

Her smile is weak, a little pained.

“Thank you.”

“...yeah.”

Kass returns to his room. He watches the street from his window, leaving it open to smoke. After a few minutes, he can see the signature lightning bolt as the miniature form of Dib exits the house through the front door, his trench coat blowing back behind him.

Dib turns back to the house and looks up. He squints at Kass's window. Kass closes the blinds.

At every turn, May has defended him. She has repeatedly kept Simon, and Dib, from sticking their noses too deeply into his business. She has gone on the record to say she enjoys his company.

Hell, she got mad at her golden boy over Kass. It's no secret how much May adores Dib, doting on him like a mom friend, and she put that aside to defend Kass's privacy―from the sound of it, multiple times.

He doesn't understand it. She certainly could do better in the way of friends―the girl is a friendly person who manages to get along with most people. Christ, more than that, she deserves better than a drunk, depressed, cynical ex-agent who can count the number of kind deeds he's ever done on his fingers, and still have some to spare.

Christ. She's so painfully loyal.

It's sinking in, more and more. Kass can be... safe, here. He's not convinced that physically he's in the clear, the Foundation looms over him still. Yet the other factors―the itching paranoia, the watchful eyes. The disgust, and the insults. The adventures. He is safe from them. They are things he can choose to stay away from. He's not forced into them by being adjacent to them.

Safe. It's a word that doesn't really fit right in his mouth. He wonders if he'll ever adjust to it.

The shadows are lengthening when Kass creeps out his bedroom. Purple twilight fills the sky, the sun already nearly below the horizon. May is on the roof, staring hard in its direction, drawing with what little light is left.

"That's going to fuck up your eyes, you know."

"They'll just fix themselves," she shoots back, not bothering to look back at him as he approaches. "I wanted to get the cityscape."

Kass sits next to her, his feet hanging over the ledge. She shows him the sketchbook, the crosshatched silhouette of the distant buildings. It's not half bad.

"You patch things up with Constant Vigilance over there?"

"I think so. I actually think I scared him a little bit? He's never really seen me get mad, at him or anybody. I think he's surprised it was at him first."

Kass sniggers. “The little prick had it coming."

"Hush,” she says, with no force behind it.

"I have the right to be vindictive, he was talking smack about yours truly."

"Talking..... smack."

"Technically,” he says, grinning, “the phrase was accurately used."

There is a pause, and then a weary sigh. "Never say that again. Please."

Quiet fills the cool evening air. The sky begins to light up, like artificial stars of a thousand colors. After a little time, the sketchbook is set aside.

"This is a stupid holiday,” Kass says. Just to state the obvious.

"Yeah, I know. But the fireworks are nice."

"Did you bring at least bring gunpowder poppers?”

"No? I know your track record with fire, sir."

"You're no fun."

On the other side of the street, and the street behind them, the air is loud, filled with little bangs and pops and children's screams.

“I'm sorry about what Dib said. I―I'm not going to invade your privacy, that's not fair to you.”

“Don't apologize, birdy. It's his shit to get over, not your problem.”

“But―it's not fair. I can't make him stop. I've tried.”

“I don't expect you to get him to stop. The day the kiddiewink stops squinting at me like I'm going to suddenly spawn cockroaches from every orifice, I'll know he's lost his mind.”

May bites her lip to hide her smile. “You're not mad?”

“Woe is me,” Kass responds flatly. “Dib doesn't trust me and he thinks I'm a handful. I'll never recover from the shame.”

“You are a handful,” she snickers. “Pfft. You're wonderful.”

It always catches him a little off guard when she says that. Even when she insults him, it's with the same cadence of quietly pleased. It's nice.

The air's not very quiet, really. In the distance, there are police sirens. There's the small popping noises, and the distant booms of the fireworks. But they are quiet, watching the world from what seems like many miles away. Miles from the chaos. It is calm, here.

Up until the moment that the backyard of 1, Tesla Drive, is filled with an explosion to rival the fireworks, filling the much closer area with noise and light, and quite possibly fire. In the noise, a familiar wild cackle is heard, loud and maniacal.

The pair on the roof next door have curled away from the sudden heat. They blink at the house, and then each other, as bits of ash and still-burning paper drift through the air. May begins to giggle nervously.

“Let's, uh, let's go back inside."

"Let's."

#birdy blogging #may writes #GOD is this a WALL

22 notes · View notes

alucywarner · 7 years

Text

another pov

[Yup, classy, creative titles with Parrish. You know how it is. Here we have it. The promised Maddox POV posts begin here. I’ve already said what this one would be, and here we have it. We’re gonna start off here~.

However, we begin towards the end of this journey. My little Maddox has already done all of his apologizing. Lucy deserves better than what he’s being trifling at. You know the story. WE BEGIN HERE. INITIATE MADDOX POV.]

[Yes, Maddox is confused af, as mentioned in the base post. A kiss on the cheek? A cheek kiss is a confusing kiss, because WELL, IT COULD BE TAKEN IN SO MANY WAYS. It could be friendly, it could be romantic?? What was he supposed to take out of this?

So, he’s staring, and yes, he’s got literal ‘????’s above his head, and then she smiles a real, genuine smile as she thanks him, and tbh, his heart literally skipped a beat. Full-on, he could’ve gone straight into cardiac arrest. Then, dang it all, she giggled. She actually laughed at him, and nothing had ever sounded so beautiful to him. He was, well, moonstruck is the only way to put it.

And normally Maddox was really good at presenting some sort of front based on how he wanted to be seen, and what he wanted to keep from other people, but being as dazed as he is right now, looking at this girl in front of him that’s smiling and laughing and kissing his cheek and whatnot, his mouth seems to have a mind of it’s own. And we got what we got.]

Your smile is really pretty.

[Which, BANG, CRASH, SCREEEEEEEECH. What the hell did we just say? Why has our mouth betrayed us so? His mind was backtracking so hard as soon as the words escaped him, because no, we cannot say things like that. That’s showing our hand far too much, and it doesn’t really matter if Lucy Warner is literally the most beautiful girl we’d ever laid our eyes on, we are just NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY IT OUT LOUD. Nothing of the sort.

So, it can’t just be our mind that backtracks, and we have to backtrack out loud, quickLY.]

I mean, as far as smiles go... [Yeah, that’ll do. That totally works.]

[And, oh God, Lucy’s face. HER FACE. She looks so confused and shocked while she’s stuttering out her thanks. He can’t see his own face, but he’s pretty sure it looks dAMN similar to Lucy’s. Eyes bugged, jaw slack. Yup, he was mortified with himself.

So, what’s he do now? Well, we know that already.]

I’m gonna… let you do whatever it was you were doing… now. Bye.

[And he, as I put it, sprouted wings and flew out of the library. But that’s where it ended before. We just saw Lucy smile a cute little smile, and it was all over. But no, Maddox did not see that cute little smile.

He was out of the library in about five seconds, and his heart was going about a THOUSAND MILES AN HOUR, and he was mentally beating his own face in, because what the HELL had he even just said? An apology, sure, that was fine. Apologies happened, and they didn’t mean anything more than just ‘I’m sorry’. ‘Your smile is really pretty’, though? That meant something on a while other level. And, again, while it was true-- he never, ever said stuff like that to anyone. It just wasn’t who he was.

But, he’d never felt the need to tell any girl that anyway. Not even subconsciously. So, maybe it was who he was, but he’d just never found the girl to tell it to? But, SHIT, man, Lucy was just someone that he wanted in the pants of, right? That was all it was.

But, okay, maybe she was gorgeous... and smart... and fun to be around... and funny... and basically all-around borderline addictive to be around, and maybe he-- actually-- kinda... liked her, but thaT DIDN’T MEAN ANYTHING, RIGHT? He’d never lost his cool enough to say something like ~pretty~. He didn’t call anyone pretty

So, what changed? What made his dumb mouth say that stupid shit?

It wasn’t... because...

I’d say he was nigh upon this revelation when he gets back to his locker, and his ~girlfriend is there waiting for him.]

Where the hell have you been?

I don’t know. Around?

Around who?

Steve. [A shrug.]

Oh, Steve. Right.

You’re gonna get jealous of Steve now? Come on, woman.

Call me woman again, and I’ll break your nose.

Yeah, sure, cool.

Don’t give me a reason to be jealous, and I’ll stop being suspicious. How about that~? [A bitchy smile. Bet.]

What the hell have I done, even?

Oh, please.

I get it. Steve’s the hottest chick in school. You have all the reason in the world to be jealous. [THE SASS. An eye roll.]

You know this isn’t about Steve.

[YUP. HE KNOWS. And, honestly, the further he gets into this conversation and his revelations that he might be trying to come to still, the more he realizes that maybe you really do have a reason to be jealous and/or suspicious, Harley.] I thought you dropped that like, a week ago. Ya know, after you punched her.

I’ve dropped it if you’ve dropped it~.

I never picked it up to begin with.

Mhm. Better be true.

[And yikes, that happened. And maybe just now he’s realizing just how different this feels. Because he used to think that a kiss was a kiss, and it didn’t matter who was doing the kissing, it was just going to be that-- a kiss.

Because, yesterday, when he kissed Lucy, there was so much more to it than just a kiss. There was something in kissing her that kickstarted his heart into a dang gear he didn’t even know existed. And, GOD, he felt like he could kiss her once and never stop for the rest of time.

Right now, with Harley’s lips on his... he didn’t feel a damn thing. In fact, he didn’t feel a damn thing when he was with Harley at all, or anyone else for that matter.

So, his mind is called back to that smile from earlier-- that beautiful-ass smile. No, he could look at it forever, my dude. And, really? Honestly? That’s all he wanted.

And shit. There went the revelation. It felt different because, fuCK, this was love, wasn’t it? This was what love felt llike.

Damn it all, he was in love with Lucy Warner. DAMN HER, because he wanted to kiss her and only her for the rest of his whole fUCKING LIFE. He LOVED her. He was IN LOVE.

Clearly, this newfound knowledge is gonna cause him to draw back from Harley’s crazy lips. She’s offended that he’d even do this.]

Excuse me?

I’ve... gotta... go.

What???

Class is... class.

Class. Since when do you go to class, Maddox?

Since I don’t want fucking detention, okay? That’s since when. Now-- I’ll talk to you later, I guess. Bye.

[TBH, he’s sprouted wings again, and he’s flying off. No, this asshole isn’t going to class. He’s going to go sit his ass on Steve’s couch while Steve’s here, and he’s going to mull over the fact that he’s in LOVE, and how much that really, REALLY sucks for him.

And here we see why Harley does the clinging. Maddox is just a shit hider of feelings to everyone but Lucy. Okay. The end.]

#maddoxpov #3/9/17 #// aw i've missed putting dates #it's like cloments all over again

1 note · View note

buckybarnesstar · 7 years

Text

Clint’s Daughter

Note: feedback is welcome! I loved this request, omg.

Request: I adore ur writing and was wondering if u could do where the reader is like Clints daughter and last time Bucky saw her was when she was younger and now she’s grown up and he starts feeling things and ya know maybe throw some make out in there and some touchy stuff ;) and DOLL JESUS PLS YES LOVE U - @iblamemichael181

Clint was probably as excited as you were to finally have you back at Stark Tower in a few short hours. You haven’t been there in so many years, you actually lost count. You were tired of the country life and you desperately needed a change in scenery.

Your dad said you had a place at Stark Tower anytime you wanted to visit the city and your family, as he calls them. So, you packed your bags and told your dad you wanted to visit.

Your mom was a little more reluctant to let you go, she always wanted to make sure you were safe. Clint assured her time and time again that nobody would be able to mess with you, not when you had an army of Avengers by your side. After convincing her to let you leave, you made your way to the jet Tony had so kindly sent out for you.

Clint was pacing along the common room floor, checking the clock every five minutes. “Clint, she’ll be here. Sit down, you’re making me nervous.” Tony said with a loud sigh. Clint shook his head and stopped pacing, turning to face the others. “She hasn’t been here in years, I just want her to feel at home.” Clint said, checking the clock once again. You should be landing anytime now.

The team was talking among themselves, all gathered around, waiting for you to get there. Everyone was excited to see you again, only remembering you as your younger self. They always tried to keep in touch, mostly Steve and Nat than anyone else.

Soon after, the jet finally landed on the roof of the Tower and Clint basically screeched in excitement, causing the team to laugh. “Jesus.” Sam muttered, shaking his head as he chuckled. The team all stood around in a welcoming line, ready to see you.

Clint stood in front of them, a big smile on his face. “I can’t wait to see her!” Nat squealed, bouncing on her feet. Steve smiled and nodded. “Me either, I wonder how much she’s grown.” Steve said, staring at the elevator anxiously.

Bucky stood beside Steve, his hands stuffed in his pockets. “Y'think she’ll remember me?” Bucky asked quietly, catching Steve’s attention. You had just briefly met Bucky the last time you had visited the Tower, you didn’t have a lot of time to stay. You were much younger and didn’t get to properly warm up to him.

Steve turned to Bucky, a small look of shock on his face. “Of course she’ll remember you, Buck.” Steve said, nudging Bucky’s side. Bucky smiled and sighed. He enjoyed having you around that one time, you were young and full of energy. You made everyone smile and just made the place feel happy. Bucky could remember how you wore pigtails in your hair and wore little sundresses, he thought you were such an adorable little girl.

You sighed, nervously playing with the hem of your sundress. The elevator suddenly dinged and the doors opened. You saw the entire team standing with big smiles on their faces. “Y/N!” Clint and Nat both yelled, rushing over to you.

You smiled shyly and set your bags down, letting your dad pick you up and twirl you around. Clint’s smile was so wide and you couldn’t help but squeeze him tightly. “Dad!” You said, your arms tight around his neck. You laughed as he set you down and you turned to a rather overly excited Nat.

“My turn!” She yelled, pulling you into a tight embrace. “You’ve grown up so much!” She yelled excitedly. You hugged her back and she swayed you from side to side. “I’ve missed you!” You yelled back, smiling as she giggled into your ear.

She pulled away and you turned to see Steve standing there. You squealed as you ran and hopped up, wrapping yourself around Steve. “Steeviiieee!” You yelled, hearing him chuckle. “Y/N!” Steve yelled back, twirling you around just like Clint did. He set you down on your feet, helping you keep steady.

You beamed up at Steve, your hands resting on his biceps. “Dang, Brooklyn! Those muscles have grown!” You said, your eyes and mouth wide in amazement. Steve playfully flexed under your hold and chuckled. “You haven’t grown much height wise, but wow! You’re so beautiful!” Steve said, causing Clint to clear his throat, eyeing Steve. “Oh Dad, stop it.” You said giggling. Steve pulled you along, your dad and Nat following behind.

You shyly waved at everyone and Tony stepped forward now, gaining your attention. “Okay, has it really been that long?” Tony asked, giving you a tight hug. You smiled and gave his back a light pat. “It has.” You pulled away, “You’ve gone grey.” You said, making Tony gasp and pull away from you. “Dammit!” He yelled but you stopped him before he could rush to the nearest mirror. “I’m kidding!” You laughed along with everyone else.

You shared hugs with everyone and it was time you reunited with Bucky. You smiled and Bucky stepped forward, his eyes raking up your body. “Y/N, you’ve grown.” Bucky said, letting out a breathy chuckle and pulled you into a hug. “It’s been so long, Doll.” Bucky said, causing the room to fall silent at the sudden nickname. You smiled and hugged Bucky back, feeling his arms tighten around you.

Your heart started to race in your chest and you blushed, noticing Bucky held you longer than anyone else did. Clint cleared his throat again and you quickly separated from Bucky. You noticed Bucky’s eyes fall to your cleavage as you pulled away. “I know, I’m sorry I was away for so long. We have so much to catch up on!” You said, smiling up at Bucky. His blue eyes locked with yours and you swear you could see him blushing.

You heard Sam snicker. “Oh, boy.” He whispered, though nobody commented on it. Clint held your bags and smiled at you. “I wanna show you your room. Tony and the others are gonna start dinner. We’re all gonna hang out outside, we’re having burgers!” Your dad smiled widely, dragging you away from everyone.

You turned to wave and Bucky stood there, seemingly full of shock. You turned back to the elevator and the doors closed, taking you to your room. “How was the flight?” Clint asked, rubbing your back. You smiled. “That man and his fancy jets.” You laughed softly, your dad doing the same.

A few hours passed and you caught up with everyone pretty quickly. They were all surprised at how much you had grown up over the years. You enjoyed talking to the team and every now and then, you would catch Bucky staring at you. You felt some sort of connection between each other.

You were all sitting at a table in the backyard, eating dinner. The sun was just beginning to set and you were laughing at something Tony said. “I swear, you never left the tower without wearing a sundress! I don’t know what it is.” Tony said, making you smile. “My mom always bought them for me when I was little,” You shrugged, “It stuck with me, I guess.” You said, watching Tony nod with a smile.

The conversation carried on and you noticed Bucky looking at you again. You had to admit he has gotten a lot more muscular and he was a very handsome man. You blushed when he winked at you and you felt an elbow gently jab your arm. You turned to Nat, seeing her sip from her cup, her eyebrow quirked. You sent a questioning look at her, but you knew what she was hinting at.

Bruce cleared his throat and looked at you. “So, Y/N, you went to college, didn’t you?” Bruce asked, his eyes kind and his smile small. You nodded. “I did! I really enjoyed it, but I’m not entirely sure what I want to do.” You said, feeling everyone’s eyes on you. Bruce nodded, smiling at you. “That’s understandable.” He commented.

Sam smirked at you. “Party a lot?” Sam asked, making you blush. You giggled and rolled your eyes. “No, I was too busy for all of that.” You replied, shaking your head. Sam smirked again, leaning in closer to you. He was sitting right across from you.

“No time for a boyfriend either?” Sam asked, earning a slap to his arm from Steve. “OW! It was just a question.” Sam said, furrowing his eyebrows at Steve. “Wings off, Sam.” Steve said in a stern voice. Everyone laughed and you blushed, slowly looking over at Bucky. Bucky’s head was hanging down a tad and he was picking at his food.

You sighed softly and turned your attention back to everyone else. Clint was staring daggers at Sam and you rolled your eyes, smiling to yourself. Your dad was always protective about a guy stepping into your life. He wanted someone he approved of and you feel like the only guy your dad would approve of would be Steve, but your eyes have been on Bucky since you got here.

You felt something in your gut when you look at Bucky. Something is drawing you in and you were nervous, yet you wanted to be near him so badly. You wanted to touch him, feel him, hold him, in the most innocent sense. But also in another sense of those words. The way his hair was hanging loosely in his makeshift bun and the tight black tank top he was wearing now made your mouth water.

A snap of two fingers broke you out of your thoughts and you jumped slightly in your spot. “Hm?” You asked, looking towards Wanda. “You okay?” She asked, looking at you. You sighed and cleared your throat. “I-I just need to use the ladies room. I’ll be back.” You rushed, standing from your seat. “Is everything alright?” Clint asked, putting down his cup. His eyebrows were creased together with worry. All eyes were on you, even Bucky’s.

You nodded and gave your dad a small smile. “I just need some fresh air.” You said before walking away and up the stone path that led to a back door. “Aren’t we outside?” Vision questioned as you walked off. The team all looked over to you and Bucky watched your figure walking away, his tongue lightly darting out to wet his lips. (refer to gif omg)

You sighed and shook your head, more thoughts of Bucky coming into your mind. What was wrong with you? You just got here today after years of being gone, why are you already catching feelings for someone like you’re desperate for a guy? But you just couldn’t help it, Bucky was just so hot. He was nice, too.

You walked up to the elevator, sighing again. You looked at the buttons, your floor number disappearing from your clouded mind. You bit your lip, wiggling your fingers as you tried to remember it. You looked at the mass amount of floor numbers and pressed what you thought was yours. You waited patiently for it stop.

As the doors opened, you slowly walked out, seeing a floor similar to yours. You hoped you got it right, but as you walked down the long hallway, the musky cologne smell from the three rooms made you realize that this was not your floor. You kept walking down the hallway anyways, looking at the decorations on the doors as you walked by.

You walked by Sam’s room, a sign saying “Falcons Only” on his door with a drawing of him hanging off of it. You smiled and looked to your left, right across was Steve’s door. It had a decal of his shield on it, with a small picture of him and the team pinned to it. You stepped up to his door and gently let your fingers touch the photo. You giggled when you noticed the bunny ears Sam held above Bucky’s head.

Your eyes remained on Bucky’s face for a little longer. His smile was genuine, his eyes squinted from his smile being so wide. His hair was framing his face and he had a cap on. He looked really happy and at peace with himself.

You smiled and moved away from Steve’s door, seeing another one at the end of the hall. There was a large window on the wall you faced. It was almost dark now, surely the team would be inside soon.

You waked over to the last door. There was nothing on it. No name tag, no drawing, no photos, no symbol of the Avenger who lived in this room. Curiosity getting the best of you, you turned the doorknob and peeked inside. The room was simple and had minimal in it. You walked inside, leaving the door cracked.

You looked around the room, looking for anything that would give you a hint of who occupied it. You saw a perfectly made bed, no wrinkles on it. There was no clutter, nothing out of place. Everything was neat and clean, organized as if the person hated clutter. A cluttered bedroom meant a cluttered mind. Maybe this person suffered with a cluttered mind before.

You walked over to the desk in the bedroom, seeing a few books. You recognized some of them, others you didn’t. A red journal shoved in between two books caught your attention. You knew you shouldn’t look, but you were in too deep now. Your fingers gently tugged the book free, not a speck of dust was on it. It was red and there was a star on it. Your fingers traced the star and you heard the door creak open.

A gasp fell from your lips and you turned to face the door, seeing Bucky standing there. “Bucky!” You squealed, holding the book to your chest, your heart racing and your breathing heavy. Bucky walked in and over to you, making you gulp. This must be his room and he didn’t look pleased to see you in here. Actually, you couldn’t tell how he felt. His eyes and expression were unreadable.

Bucky stood in front of you, his body towering over yours. His hand reached up and he tugged the book from your chest, his eyes glancing at your cleavage again. You took a shaky breath and Bucky leaned closer to you, his torso resting against your chest. Bucky slid the book back in its rightful place and you licked your lips nervously.

Bucky leaned back a little, his hand rising up to hold your waist. You gasped softly. “I-I’m sorry, I just-I, uh, I forgot my floor number.” You said quietly, looking up at Bucky. He held your waist with both hands now and he leaned back enough to look into your eyes. You felt small under his gaze, his blue eyes staring into yours. “Bucky?” You asked softly as he started leaning into you.

Your breath was uneven and Bucky’s lips ghosted over yours. “Tell me to stop.” Bucky whispered, his breath fanning over your mouth. Your eyelids fluttered a little and you felt Bucky squeeze your waist. You looked into Bucky’s eyes. “I-I,” you breathed, “Don’t.” You whispered back.

Bucky’s lips quirked into a smile and he leaned in, pressing his lips to yours. You let your hands rest on his forearms, letting them glide up his arms and to his shoulders as you kissed him back. Bucky’s lips were soft and plump, perfectly moving with yours. You let your eyes flutter shut and sighed into the kiss.

Bucky pulled you closer and your wrapped your arms around his neck, standing on your toes. Bucky easily picked you up as the kiss deepened, wrapping your legs around his waist. You carefully pulled out his hair tie, letting his thick hair fall, only to be tangled by your fingers. You gently tugged on it, hearing Bucky groan into the kiss.

He pulled away, your lips and his making a smacking sound. You breathed heavily, Bucky doing the same. He gently laid you down on your back on his bed, keeping your legs wrapped around him. His lips connected with yours again and you felt his tongue poke against your bottom lip. You opened your mouth, letting your tongue wrestle with his.

A moan fell from your lips and Bucky’s hands lifted your dress up, resting his hands on your thighs. Bucky ground his hips against yours and you moaned, feeling his crotch rub against you. His lips attached to the side of your neck and you gasped, tilting your head so he had better access. “Bucky.” You breathed, feeling him sucking on your pulse point. Bucky smirked against you and stopped sucking before he left a mark.

Bucky pulled away from you and you turned to look at him. His lips were wet and red from kissing you. “You’re so beautiful, Doll.” Bucky said, his hand gently caressing your cheek. You blushed and looked away from Bucky. “Hey,” Bucky kissed your cheek, “Look at me, Doll.” Bucky said softly. You giggled and looked at Bucky again, his eyes looking into yours.

Bucky smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips against yours again. You kissed him back, letting your fingers run through his hair. Bucky gasped a little, grinding his hips into yours again. You moaned softly and suddenly heard someone calling your name. You gasped and Bucky moved off of you, clearing his throat.

You quickly stood off Bucky’s bed, straightening your dress. Bucky stood away from you, rushing over to his desk to casually lean against it. The door suddenly opened and Steve looked inside. “There you are! I’ve been searching for you guys!” Steve said, sighing out. He looked between you and Bucky, noticing both of your red cheeks and the slightly messed up bed.

Steve pointed to the bed, his eyebrows furrowed. Steve scratched the back of his head and you blushed, shifting on your feet. You shyly looked at Bucky and he was blushing like you were. “You-your, the bed, Bucky.” Steve said, his eyes widening. “Don’t tell my Dad! Please!” You begged, seeing Sam barge into the room now. His eyebrows raised and he caught on quicker. “No way!” Sam said, laughing.

You groaned and walked over to Sam and Steve. “Promise me you won’t tell!” You pleaded as Bucky walked up to you. His arm slithered around your waist and Steve sighed, eyeing Bucky. “I won’t.” Steve finally said, looking at Sam. Sam stopped laughing and cleared his throat. “You have my word.” Sam said, smirking at you. You sighed and thanked the two guys before they left.

You turned to Bucky and he smiled down at you. “That was close.” You breathed, shyly smiling at Bucky. He chuckled and pressed a kiss to your forehead. Your stomach erupted with butterflies. “Let’s go before someone else comes in.” Bucky said, grabbing your hand. You smiled, looking down at your joined hands, suddenly not caring if anyone saw it. Not even your dad.

You were happy you decided to visit again.

Note: oh gosh, I hope you like this. the ending sucked, I feel like. :( thanks for the request, sweetie! feedback is welcome, I love when you guys let me know you enjoy my writing! .c

Permanent Tag List: @imgettingmarriedtobuckybarnes, @abloggernamedsecretly, @untrusted-statue, @our-teenwolf-fam, @littlemissacorn, @its-not-a-phase-hux, @dontfuckwithkezolas, @letsrunwithdream, @thyotakukimkim, @aisabel7, @learisa, @heidijames28, @ifoundlove-x0vanessa0x, @theassetseyeliner, @thatsportyavengerpower, @fantasticallyabnormal, @jenn0755, @this-blog-belongs-to-v, @lostinspace33, @morganosborn101, @mxye, @diving-down-to-wonderland, @miraisnotavailable, @ballerinafairyprincess , @unluckyybuckyy, @earinafae, @betherz568,@wagatla, @frickin-bats, @fangirl-monarchy, @sparklydestiel, @charlesgrey1875, @potterhead1265, @domcaaa996, @poshspicehaz (if you want to be added or removed, please message me! If I missed you, let me know!)

978 notes · View notes

arrow-guy · 7 years

Text

My Heart Went Boom

I combined a couple of requests from a couple of v v v lovey anons, I hope you guys don’t mind!:

1. Hi!! I had an idea where the reader is in the library doing something and listening to music with headphones and she sees Peter Parker and Helpless from Hamilton comes on?? And it goes through their relationship please? Thank you if you can!!!!!

2. If requests are still open, could you please do a really fluffy one with Peter Parker where you are not dating yet but are best friends and are cuddling while watching a movie and fall asleep together??? Thank you so much!!!!

A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this, so thank you guys for sending those requests in! I really hope you don’t mind me combining the prompts, but they fit together so nicely I couldn’t help myself. I hope you enjoy this piece!! ;u;

Pairing: Peter ParkerxReader

Word Count: 3303

Warnings: None

-Fifteen-

He’s been sitting there, across the room, for the past hour and a half, fidgeting and trying to study. He’s not getting much done and a few librarians have had to come by his table and ask him to quiet down. Almost every single time he would look up at me, we would lock eyes and then he would quickly look away like he’s embarrassed. I don’t know if he’s embarrassed to know that someone’s been watching him or if it’s the fact that he’s been shushed so many times, but it’s cute.

I’d look away but, the fact of the matter is, I don’t want to. His face is slightly angular and holds a soft attractiveness. His mannerisms are different from anyone I’ve ever seen before. I’ve been around people who are prone to fidgeting, but this is a whole new level. Both of his legs are bouncing, he’s tapping his pencil on the book he’s trying to read and he keeps flexing and relaxing the muscles in his shoulders. It’s like sitting down doesn’t agree with him at all and his entire body is protesting being sat in a chair for so long. He’s got his face all scrunched up in concentration and his hair is a little messy due to the amount of times he’s run his hand through it. Everything about him is just interesting.

He’s getting shushed for the fourth time as Right Hand Man is fading into A Winter’s Ball. He looks up at me, eyes wide, and I cover my mouth to muffle the giggle that slips past my lips. He immediately flushes and drops his gaze back to his book, tangling his fingers into his hair and I decide the lyrics of the song don’t fit him at all.

After a few moments of actual peace and quiet a sizeable explosion can be heard from outside and the entire library seems to shake, the windows rattling loudly. I pull my earbuds from my ears and look around the building, concerned for my fellow patrons, before looking back to the boy whom I had been staring at for nearly two hours, but he’s gone. It’s like he vanished in the ten seconds it took for me to look around.

A round of shouting outside prompts me to head to one of the windows to see what’s going on.

There’s a massive crowd gathered around a small crater in the middle of the street. There are about four cars turned on their sides from, what I would guess was, the force from the blast I’d heard previously. I don’t see anything that could have caused the explosion until I look up. Above the rooftops a glider circles the small patch of New York as if it’s looking for something, possibly someone.

There’s a blur of blue and red past the window and the glider practically dives after it. As it gets closer I find that it’s the Green Goblin. He must have modified the explosives he usually uses to be more powerful to draw attention to what he’s doing. He must really want someone’s attention.

The blue and red blur slows and finally solidifies enough for me to make out who it is. It’s Spiderman. That’s who the goblin was trying to draw out and that’s who he’s dive bombing right this second.

I watch in awe as he manages to dodge and sling back every single attack the Goblin threw at him. He’s incredible and I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from him. That is, until he lands on the outside wall of the building and the Green Goblin follows suit. I slowly back away from the window as the Goblin produces a bomb from his belt. As soon as Spiderman launches himself away from the wall I break out into a sprint away from where I was standing.

The blast propels me forward, knocking me to the floor. The force of the second explosion sends shelves toppling and books flying everywhere. I'm buried under a massive pile of books, but I can still see the fight. Spiderman continues to dance around the Goblin, flinging the occasional bookcase at him and webbing him up as much as possible when he has the chance.

Eventually he goes down, knocked out and webbed to the neck. Spiderman walks away from the scene triumphantly and I heave a sigh of relief. He disappears from my line of sight but, about two minutes later, I hear the pounding of feet headed in my direction.

Someone starts shifting the massive piles of books that's covering me. When it's gone I can finally take a full, deep breath again. I roll over onto my back to find the boy I had been looking at kneeling next to me. A look of relief flashes across his face when our eyes meet.

“You're okay.” I say sitting up from the pile, books shifting as I move.

“Yeah, I am, I guess. Why?” He asks, lifting an eyebrow slightly.

“After the explosion you disappeared for a bit. I got a little worried.”

“O-oh,” I watch as his face flushes and he looks away in an attempt to hide it. “Yeah, I, uh, I had to go use the, uh, the bathroom.” He pats his legs absentmindedly, nodding his head, seemingly pleased with his answer. “That is definitely where I was.”

“Okay,” I laugh at his response. “I’m (Y/N), by the way.” I extend my hand to him. “I figure I should introduce myself after staring at you for so long.”

“Sounds appropriate.” He chuckles in response and shakes my hand. “I’m Peter. Peter Parker.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Peter.”

I see a familiar face in the crowd. I can’t quite remember where I’ve seen them before, so I hang back at a newspaper stand so I can figure out who they are. They’ve got their head down, probably looking at a phone, but somehow they manage to avoid every single person in their path. When he finally looks up I finally recognize him and he grins at me.

“Peter!” I call, waving to him. He waves back and quickens his pace.

“It's good to see you, (Y/N).” He greets me with a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around my shoulders.

“It's good to see you too!” I hug him back and relish the embrace. He smells like a campfire, lavender and pencil shavings, but in the best possible way.

“How have you been?” He asks, pulling away from me and holding my shoulders.

“I've been good! How are you?”

“I've been pretty okay. School’s been a little crazy, but nothing I can't handle.” He nods, satisfied with his answer.

“Well, that's good.” I laugh. “Where were you headed?”

“I was gonna try my luck at the library, but it's still closed for construction, so I decided to just walk in the other direction until I found something interesting.”

“Oh! I had no idea the library was still closed. Dang...”

“Yeah...”

“Hey, would you maybe want to hang out at my place? I don’t live too far away...”

“That actually sounds awesome.”

“Really? Cool, okay, well I just live about five blocks that wa-” My voice is drowned out by a loud chorus of shouting. Peter seems to be frozen in place as he looks around the block. “What is it?”

“Something’s coming.” He finally looks back to me. “I think you should head back home. It could get dangerous.”

“What about you?”

“I'll be fine, don't worry.” With his hands on my shoulders he turns my body around. “I just need you to be safe.”

“O-okay.” I grab his hand and scribble my phone number onto the back of it. “After whatever's happening is over, you call me and you let me know you're safe, okay?”

“Deal, now go.”

I quickly jog back to my apartment and park myself on the couch, phone in hand, to wait for his call. I wait for about half an hour before I get bored and try to distract myself by listening to Hamilton again. I pick up right where I left off at the end of A Winter’s Ball and Helpless immediately begins to play.

Leaning back into the sea of throw pillows I close my eyes and finally relax for a moment.

My phone vibrates and I immediately answer it. I rise from my seat, pulling my earbud from my ear and replacing it with the speaker of my phone.

“Hello?” I ask, my voice shaking ever so slightly. I pace the room hoping waiting for the response.

“(Y/N)?”

“Peter? Is that you?” I hear a quiet sigh on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry.” I sigh in relief and flop down onto the couch. “You went back to your place, right? You’re safe?”

“I’m good, yeah.”

“Thank goodness.” He sighs, relief evident in his voice.

“Y'know, the offer to come over still stands.”

“Does it now?” He sounds like he's smiling.

“Yeah, I mean, if you wanna swing by we could watch a movie or something.” I shrug. “I dunno, it's all up to you now, Parker.”

I hear him laugh on his end. “Earlier, you said you lived a few blocks away?”

“I did yeah. If you just stay on that same sidewalk and keep walking straight you could be here in, probably, five minutes?”

“Sounds like an interesting proposition, (Y/N).” He says. “Guess I'll be there I feel five minutes.”

“I'll wait for you on the stoop!”

-Seventeen-

That afternoon turned into dozens of afternoons in the weeks to come. As we got to know each other better time seemed to fly faster. Before we knew it, two years had come and gone during our friendship.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't think Peter was handsome. He's grown taller and his face has become more trim. He's grown into the angles he had when I first saw him. His eyes are bright most of the time, like he's finally found his passion. Most of the time I worry that he's met someone at his high school and left me for people who are closer to him. The most reassuring thing is when I see him ambling up my street and bounding up the stoop to the front door of my apartment building.

Today Peter convinced me to watch a quiet Ghibli movie, Whisper of the Heart, and as soon as the movie started he stretched himself out across the couch and rested his head in my lap. Absentmindedly, I started to comb my fingers through his hair and he was soon asleep.

I tried to make it through the movie, but it's been a long week at school and I just can't keep my eyes open.

Peter wakes up, groggy from his short nap. The unfamiliar strain of fingers in his hair reminds him of where he is. He doesn't know when he fell asleep, but he's glad he did. Something about being one of the few people to know what (Y/N) looks like when she's asleep warms his heart. In the most appropriate and platonic way, of course.

He always feels most comfortable around (Y/N). Something about the way she accepted him so readily that first day caused him to feel drawn to her. She's always been very understanding of his schedule and how it changes unexpectedly. She's never once questioned him having to cancel a get together and he's thankful for that.

Peter hates feeling like he has to keep Spiderman a secret from her. Knowing (Y/N), she'd probably accept him in a heartbeat and their relationship would be stronger for it. The only thing keeping him from telling her is his worry for her own safety. He worries that if she knew who he was, she would be in danger, and he couldn't live with himself if that were to happen.

Gently, he removes (Y/N)’s hands from his hair and rises from his entirely too comfortable spot on the couch. He doesn’t want to leave quite yet. He really, really doesn’t. Instead, he picks (Y/N) up and lays her down on the sofa before joining her again, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to his chest. Unconsciously, she snuggles into his chest and sighs quietly. He smiles happily to himself before drifting off to sleep.

-Nineteen-

“What’s got you so antsy, Pete?” I ask, gently taking Peter’s left hand in my right and lacing our fingers.

“Hmm?” He hums absentmindedly, turning his head to look at me. For some reason he never runs into anyone, regardless of whether or not he’s watching where he’s walking. “I’m sorry, my mind was somewhere else, did you say something?”

“You’ve been jumpy all day.” I furrow my brow. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“No-yes, it’s just...” He trails off, lifting his right hand to his mouth and biting at his thumbnail. “I don’t know how you’ll react.”

“We’ve been dating for nearly two years. I don’t think there’s much you could tell me that surprises me at this point.”

“Are you sure?” He asks, stopping us in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Why are you so worried about this?” I run my thumb over his knuckles. “Are you cheating on me or something?”

“What?! No! Of course not, (Y/N), you know I would never do that.”

“Then just tell me what’s going on.” I huff. “If it’s got you this worked up, then it has to be something important.”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it slowly. Once he’s calmed himself enough he pulls me across the street and into the alleyway next to a corner store with a flickering ‘open’ sign. When Peter determines that we’re far enough away from the public to actually talk to me he releases my hand and turns away from me, running his hands through his hair.

I open my mouth to speak but, before any sound can come out, I find my mouth covered with a weird, sticky webbing and my sound of horror is muffled by it. When I look at Peter he’s looking at me apprehensively. My eyebrows lower, unimpressed by his little show.

“I fmphinph nephit.” My words come out in a muffled mumble.

“What?” He asks. I roll my eyes in annoyance and point to my mouth. “Oh, right, sorry.” He manages to rip the webbing away without leaving any strings behind. “You were saying?”

“I said, I fucking knew it.”

“Wait, you knew?!”

“Yeah, you’re terrible at hiding your costume.” I have to suppress a laugh. “I mean really, you bring that backpack on every date we've ever gone on and you constantly wear shirts that are a little too small for you so when you stretch your arms over your head, I can see the red and blue part on your little tummy there.” I poke him in the stomach to prove my point.

“Okay, you've made your point.” He grabs my wrists and pulls me to his chest before moving his hands to my waist.

“Have I?” I place my hands on his chest and quirk an eyebrow at him.

“Yes,” His grip on my waist tightens. “Are you mad?”

“No. I know you had your reasons.”

He gently pulls me against his chest, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. “Thank you for understanding.”

“It’s in the girlfirend job description, Pete.” I feel a laugh rumble through his chest.

“Is it really?”

“Yup, must be understanding. It’s right under; incredibly generous and fantastic hugger.”

-Twenty Two-

“Where are you, Peter? You were supposed to meet me at my apartment fifteen minutes ago.”

“Sorry, there was a bank robbery and I got held up. I promise I’m on my right now.”

“You better be.” I grumble.

“You want me to pick you up?”

“What?”

“I could swing by and grab you if you wait for me on the stoop.”

“Wait, you mean actually swing by and grab me, don’t you.”

“What else would I mean?”

I sigh and shake my head. “I honestly don’t know.”

“So, do you want me to pick you up, or just meet you on the stoop like a normal boring person?” His tone is light and joking. I don't answer straight away, not entirely sure about what to do. “I'm two blocks away, so I kind of need an answer.”

“Are you sure it's safe?”

“Of course it is.” He says, sounding entirely confident. “I wouldn't have suggested it if it weren't.”

I sigh and stomp down the stairs, out the front door of the apartment building and out onto the stoop. “You better not drop me, Parker.”

I hear him chuckle before the line goes dead. I tuck my phone away in my purse and wait for him to “swing by” as he promised he would. It's not long before I hear a loud whooping and am quickly scooped up by the love of my life.

He holds me tight to him, his hand fastened securely around my waist. Just to ensure my safety, I wrap my arms around his neck before burying my face in his chest to avoid watching the blur of buildings and lights around us.

After a short time, we're standing on solid ground again. Regardless, I refuse to open my eyes.

Peter laughs and takes my hands in his. “You can open your eyes now, (Y/N), it's okay.”

“Nope, I refuse.”

“Okay,” I feel his arms move in what I'm guessing is a shrug. “But you're going to miss out on the view.”

“What?” I ask, cracking open one eye. I see a soft blurry glow surrounding Peter and I can't help myself opening both eyes. Behind Peter has to be the largest amount of candles I've ever seen in my life. Peter has his mask off and is looking at me expectantly. “Peter, what is this?”

“How long have we known each other?” He asks.

“Seven years.” I answer quietly.

“And how many of those years have I loved you?”

“Peter...”

“How many?”

“I don’t know.” I shake my head.

“All of them,” He squeezes my hands. “I have loved you all seven of them.” He sighs quietly and lets go of one of my hands before getting down on one knee. “I want to love you for as many years as I possibly can, so,”

“Peter, oh my gosh, what are you doing?”

“(Y/F/N)(Y/L/N), will you marry me?” He asks, producing a simple ring from the collar of his suit.

I cover my mouth with my free hand, tears welling up in my eyes. “Yes,” I nod. “Yes, of course I will.”

He grins and slips the ring onto my finger before quickly standing up and hugging me, picking me up and twirling me around in the process. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

“Ditto, spider-dork.” I laugh and press a kiss to his cheek.

A flash goes off and both Peter and I look around, confused.

“Oh yeah, that’s going in the scrapbook.” A slightly electronic voice sounds to my right and Peter’s left.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter and I ask at the same time.

“What, you expected me to sit at home and wait for you to visit with the news after you told me you were proposing to your sweetheart? Sorry, kid, that’s not how I work.”

I roll my eyes and kiss Peter on the cheek one more time. “You’re lucky he’s cute, Mr. Stark, otherwise I wouldn’t put up with this nonsense.”

Thank you guys so much for reading! If you enjoyed the fic, please leave a comment or shoot me an ask! Feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Tag Listers:

@lost-yet-never-found, @tempestinatea-cup,@helmerfan43,@pokemaniac1,@baguettegirl,@ididnotseethatcoming,@chronolockcd,@creaturefeatures101,@wintcrcaptain,@arianaamaris,@nerdycinderella,@imagine-assembling-the-avengers,@wordstothewisereaders,@ptprocrastination,@1950schick,@neverenough24,@amayasymone23,@liladeldiamandis,@thebeutifulsunriseofmoi,@numbersdonotwinbattles,@super-potter-4ever,@kaykay0522,@arfrona-and-marvel,@ek823,@deansbaby67supernatural,@ilovebeingjoyful,@always-a-marvel-addict,@furrywerewolfcollector,@evansscruff,@theamazingworldofmarvelfics,@maurici65,@swing-dance-into-my-heart, @kissofvenom922, @not-that-type-of-person,@marvel-at-stucky,@arianaamaris, @dawn-phantomhive, @superwhovian80, @always-a-marvel-addict,@fangirlwithasweettooth,@lunalovegood2,@awesomeahwu,@thedoctorlivesthroughbooks,@kitkatgaming,@wordstothewisereaders, @marihof1,@fantasiesfortomorrow,@leahhavoc,@awesomea102938,@samwinchesterswifey,@kaywolves,@anthonysfark,@childrenofhumanity,@bucky-barnes–winter-soldier, @gucci-zjm,@howdoesoneadult,@nyotapon,@redroomproperty,@sscarletwitchess, @saved-by-words-and-music, @thefandomplace, @themeechofitall, @yourbuddyyourpalyourbucky, @claws-of-vibranium, @here-to-wreak-havok

182 notes · View notes