#It’s called how many snacks can he lift before he eats them and he’s motivated as hell

[somegrumpynerd]

@ilookbetterinslowmo is asleep, post wereanimal fakes! I’m loving this au so much I needed to doodle

[skiller0dani]

NSFW Alphabet | JJ Maybank

M A S T E R L I S T Outer Banks Masterlist

smut requests info

hope you enjoy, love you all. 

AFTERCARE (what he’s like after sex)

so JJ is used to random hook ups and aftercare wasn’t always something he did

he did if he was in the mood 

most of the time hook ups were a way to release pent up frustration 

and when he’s mad he doesn’t do aftercare

until he started dating you

now he goes a little over the top with aftercare

he massages you with lotion afterwards

gets you water and snacks if you want them

hot water bottle if you’re sore

sometimes draws you a bath

boy really loves you & wants to take care of you 

BODY PART (his favorite body part of his & yours)

JJ loves every single inch of your body

but deep down he’s an ass man

loves to see the round curve of your ass in those tight jeans you wear

and your bikini? 

lets just say JJ has a lot of unwanted boners whenever you’re in a swimsuit

which is often during the summer

you can always count on JJ to pin you against the wall and grab a handful of that perfect ass of yours at least once a day

CUM (anything to do with cum, basically)

JJ thinks your cum tastes good

which is kind of embarrassing when he talks about it too much

sometimes he talks about your cum just to see you get all bashful about it with rosy cheeks

funnily enough JJ thinks his cum is kinda gross though

“ew it got on me!” 

“that’s your cum JJ!” 

he usually cleans it off your right away though

he doesn’t want it to get tacky on your skin

which grosses him out more

DIRTY SECRET (a dirty secret of his)

JJ, for some reason, is embarrassed about the fact that he tends to be a little gentler in bed then people expect

it’s an inside joke among the pogues that JJ is a rough lover

which you discovered is not really true

he can be rough, but normally he isn’t

he’s rough when he gets possessive

like when Rafe and his little group flirt with you to piss JJ off 

you can bet that night JJ will be pounding into you so hard you won’t be able to walk for a few days

JJ can also get rough if he’s angry 

if someone pisses JJ off for any reason you can count on getting thrown around a little

but he doesn’t throw you around too much, he would never hurt you

it’s all consensual though, JJ would never do that if he knew you didn’t want him to

EXPERIENCE (how experienced is he? does he know what he’s doing?)

JJ, much to your dismay, is very experienced while you were very inexperienced

by the time you two had sex the first time he had already been with 4 girls before you

JJ had to teach you everything about sex

he was very sexually ambiguous for a 17 year old 

JJ has never been ashamed of his sexual past, but when he started dating you he did feel a little guilty when he saw how much it bothered you

it only bothered you so much because you were a virgin before JJ

you’ve never been with anybody before JJ, and he’s had a lot of sexual partners 

and you would be lying if you said it didn’t bother you

because it does

a lot 

that’s why JJ doesn’t really bring it up

FAVORITE POSITION (this goes without saying tbh)

any position he gets to fuck you is his favorite position

JJ always says “there’s way too many to pick just one!”  

a personal favorite of yours is when you get to ride him

JJ is always takes the lead when it comes to sex 

so he’s always watching you come undone

and when you ride him you get to see him come undone

and boy is it a beautiful sight

head tossed back against the bed

eyes squeezed shut

little whimpers escaping his clenched teeth

his hands holding your hips tightly to still control the pace

even when you top, JJ needs to be in control somehow

you can’t help but whine whenever you see his bottom lip pulled between his teeth

it truly is an honor to watch JJ cum

GOOFY (is he more serious in the moment? more humorous? etc)

he is both evenly 

most of the time, JJ is goofy 

he hardly even takes day to day life seriously

so most of the time JJ is cracking jokes and trying to make you laugh

and he spends a decent amount of time trying to make you blush

but when JJ gets upset he’s an entirely different person in the bedroom

his jaw is always locked, and his gaze is dark and lustful 

he doesn’t crack any jokes, and doesn’t goof around

if someone made a move on you then JJ is usually pretty pissed off during sex

sometimes he’s gotta remind you who you belong to

HAIR (how well groomed is he? does the carpet match the drapes?)

trimmed a little but honestly JJ isn’t too concerned about it

you don’t care if he upkeeps his pubes or not so neither does he

he does if the bush gets to crazy but other than that he leaves it alone

they’re a shade darker then his hair

so like a dark dark blonde

INTIMACY (how is he during the moment? is he romantic?)

unless he’s angry, JJ is very intimate during sex

before JJ started dating you, he had sex just to get off

he had sex with girls because it felt good

there was no closeness in it, no intimacy

but with you sex is very intimate

it’s never about just getting off

every time he has sex with you 

even when he’s angry and pounding into you 

he’s showing you how much he loves you in the only way he knows best

while it’s true that JJ had a lot of sexual partners before you, none of them really showed JJ what sex could be like

that it could be so fucking good 

because with them it felt good, but nowhere near as good as it feels to have sex with someone you love

JACK OFF (masturbation headcanon)

JJ jacks off a lot more then he used to

because when you’re not in the mood, or if you’re busy then he has to find some way to relieve himself

before you JJ would hit up every one of his booty calls until one of them agreed to come over

but he would never cheat on you so if you turn down sex, JJ waits 

and while he waits he jerks off to satiate him until you’re ready

and he never rushes you because he’s not an asshole

he waits patiently because this sweet boy loves you very much

KINK (one or more of his kinks)

he hasn’t outwardly admitted it but you think JJ has a secret daddy kink

he loves when you do exactly what he says

he loves being in total control

he loves the trust that comes with it, when you physically show him that you trust him enough to do whatever he says without question

it’s comforting to know you trust him not to hurt you

he calls you little girl during sex a lot

which you love

“gonna cum for me little girl?” 

“yes daddy please,” 

it accidentally slipped out. really you didn’t mean to say it

but as soon as you did, JJ groaned softly

and his pace quickened a little

you could tell that he liked that

so you decided to “accidentally” say it more often

LOCATION (favorite places to do the deed)

JJ is a borderline exhibitionist 

he likes the thrill of almost getting caught

but most of the places he chooses to rail you are places that couldn’t be come across accidentally 

JJ can’t bring himself to risk someone else seeing you naked

or worse 

getting fucked

if some other guy saw that beautiful fucked out look on your face when JJ’s driving his cock into you

he’d probably beat the guy to death

so JJ gets his “fucking in public” fix in restrooms or other places with lockable doors

he’d never fuck you out in the open

MOTIVATION (what turns him on?)

e v e r y t h i n g

JJ is horny 92% of the day so anything you do is bound to turn him on

bending over? JJ is popping a boner

your shirt lifts to reveal your midriff? JJ is 100% popping a boner

stripping down to your bikini to get in the water? he’s rock solid before you even get your shorts off

and then he’s looking around to make sure nobody else is watching you strip

there was one time he caught Pope looking when you were getting ready to get in the water and JJ might have punched him

he pulled the punch though, so it didn’t even really leave a bruise

it hurt enough for Pope to never make that mistake again

he literally closes his eyes until he hears you get into the water now, Pope won’t even risk glancing in your direction 

he’s afraid of receiving JJ’s wrath if he’s caught looking again

NO (something he wouldn’t do, his turn offs)

anything that would cause you a lot of pain

he’s comfortable with inflicting you with a little bit of pain like spanking

but anything worse than that and JJ is out

once as a joke you asked JJ if you guys could try ‘blood play’ and JJ freaked out

“I would have to cut you Y/N, no fuckin’ way.” 

“I was just kidding baby.” 

JJ would prefer to make sex exciting in other ways

ways that can’t hurt you

like blindfolding you

using ice or feathers as stimulation

g e n t l e choking 

very gentle

JJ can’t hurt you, he physically won’t feel any joy from it

his dad has hurt him so much that JJ doesn’t like hurting anybody that doesn’t really deserve it

like Rafe, he definitely deserves it

ORAL (preference on giving or receiving, skill, etc)

JJ hates being that stereotypical guy but he really loves when you give him a blow job

you’re just so fucking good at it

when you wrap your lips around him, it literally takes his breath away

when you use your tongue on the underside, JJ feels his insides begin to squirm around

plus he doesn’t mind receiving more than giving too much because he knows how much you love sucking him off

sometimes you beg him to let you suck him off

and of course, JJ always says yes

you’re fucking hungry for his cock, and if you had it your way it would always be in your mouth

but just because JJ likes receiving more than giving doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to go down on you

because JJ is phenomenal at eating you out

some of the most mind blowing orgasms you’ve ever had have been with JJ’s head in between your legs

boy knows what he’s doing in that regard, he just doesn’t do it very often

which doesn’t bother you because he will happily do it if you ask him to

PACE (is he fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc)

depends on his mood, like all things

if he’s in a good mood, his pace is pretty moderate

not too fast but not too slow

if he’s in a really lovey dovey mood then his pace is slow and passionate

long and deep strokes to make sure you feel every inch

if he’s pissed off or jealous then his pace is quick and brutal

harsh snaps of his hips against yours and definite bruises on your hips from him holding you so hard

he always feels bad about the bruises

but you always reassure him and insist you love the bruises

which you do

QUICKIE (his opinions on quickies, how often, etc)

quickies are a pretty normal thing for you two

it’s quickies more often then anything else

a quick fuck in the Chateau’s bathroom before any of the pogues notice you’re gone

quickies in your room when you sneak away from the party because JJ took off his shirt and you decided you desperately needed his cock

it’s rare that you two get to take your time 

but when you can take your time, its some of the best sex you guys have

like it’s so good that it’s worth waiting for

but you’re not complaining too much because any sex you have with JJ is going to be amazing

RISK (is he okay with experimenting? does he take risks?)

yeah he’s okay with moderate risk

if it’s something that could get you in serious trouble then he absolutely won’t do it

if it puts you in a situation 

if it’s something that could hurt you or cause you pain then no he won’t risk it

he cares about your needs and your safety way more than his own

JJ doesn’t care if he gets in trouble and he doesn’t care if he gets hurt

his pain tolerance is really high so he almost never notices if he gets hurt during sex

like if you claw at his back too much and he’s bleeding

actually he loves it when you claw at him, and he loves it even more if you make him bleed

you usually end up looking out for him in the same way he looks out for you

you won’t let him do anything that could end up hurting him

STAMINA (how many rounds can he go for? how long does he last?)

JJ can go for 2-3 rounds before his dick physically will not get hard again

if he had it his way he’d fuck you all night, but he can’t 

which annoys him

boy can fuck you at Earth shattering speeds and hardly break a sweat

he’s got the energy of a hyperactive child when it comes to sex

sadistically that’s one of your favorite things about JJ, that he can fuck you for long periods of time without tiring

it makes sex exciting

TOYS (does he own toys? how much does he use them? on you or him?)

JJ definitely doesn’t own any toys but you do

and when he discovered this, he immediately brought it into your sex life

he loves watching you cum on a vibrator

he has a remote control one that he uses a lot so he can sit at the end of the bed and watch you cum without even touching you

he also got a small one that you sometimes use when other people are around

and JJ will randomly turn it on when you’re having dinner at Kiara’s 

and you can’t make any sound or act weird 

you always see that little smirk on JJ’s face from across the table when he sees you’re close

and he never lets you cum

UNFAIR (how much he likes to tease)

big tease energy

there was one night he was so frustrated that he teased you to tears 

he edged you so much that one thrust and you were cumming around his cock

he’s a tease in day to day life and in the bedroom go figures

but when JJ is trying to show you how much he loves you he never teases

he worships your body and will give you orgasm after orgasm until you’re a shuddering mess

VOLUME (how loud is he? what kinds of sounds he makes, etc)

JJ mostly just groans and swears under his breath

he says he doesn’t want to drown out all of your beautiful sounds with his own moaning

but your favorite is when JJ growls softly in your ear, or when he sucks a harsh breath in through his teeth when you clench around him

you’re the noisy one in bed 

and that’s the way JJ likes it

WILD CARD (random headcanon)

when you first started dating, JJ was actually really evasive about how many partners he’s had before you

he would get really quiet whenever you asked him and would never directly answer the question

until you cornered him in the Chateau, demanding to know how many people he’d been with 

“4...” his voice was soft, and he wouldn’t lift his eyes to meet yours

that was more then you were expecting, but you couldn’t be mad at him

he was single then and had completely cut off every girl he’d ever had sex with the second you two started dating

so you immediately forgave him which was a huge relief for him

X-RAY (let’s see what’s going on under the belt)

JJ is packing

a good 8 inches when he’s fully hard 

and he’s decently thick too

his cock reaches places inside you that make your toes curl 

JJ has never really described himself as someone with a big dick, but once he saw your eyes widen when he first had sex with you

he thought maybe he might be bigger than average

which you love

there’s always a delicious stretch when he first enters you

YEARNING (how high is his sex drive?)

JJ is down to have sex whenever 

he loves having sex with you and has a stupidly high sex drive

he needs sex at least twice a week or he’s going to be grumpy 

so it was sort of an adjustment when he first started dating you

because it was at least a month until he took your virginity

so he was pretty grouchy for that month that he wasn’t having sex

he didn’t mind though because he was dating you and that’s way better than sex

ZZZ (how quickly does he fall asleep afterwards?)

JJ doesn’t fall asleep too quickly after sex

but since he does most of the work during sex, he’s usually pretty tired

but when he lays down with you, he will spend a few minutes talking to you before he falls asleep

he can last a good 10-15 minutes before he’s too tired to keep his eyes open

so you curl into his chest and fall asleep in his arms

heaven :)

[words-for-holland]

Sunday Morning Chores

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Summary: Tom live streams his sunday morning routine with Y/N. Much cuteness has been captured.

A/N: Another short one. I do have a long Christmas story coming up soon so...stay tuned.

“Babe?” Y/N calls out to her boyfriend who was still asleep curled up in the cool white sheets.

“Hmm.” Tom let out a groan still not opening his eyes.

“Cmon babe, we have chores. Gotta get the groceries.” Y/N coos at the sleepy boy, pushing his hair back and kissing the top of his forehead. Though still very tired, he lets up a goofy grin as he enjoys the way Y/N’s fingers thread through his hair.

“Mmm, later. Come back to bed and lets cuddle first.” He replies in his deep morning voice. Tom’s hands reach out to grab his girlfriend and pull her close to him, hoping she would give in. All he wanted was to spend time with his girl in bed, was that too much to ask?

“No no no no! I know what youre doing.” She laughs. “Youll pull me back in, cuddle, and the next thing you know it’s 7pm and we’ll have no food for the whole week.”

“Get it Monday or ask Harry.” Tom suggests, still holding her and inhaling that cocoa butter scent he loved so much. He took a deep breath in and let out a sigh, giving Y/N the exact motivation he needed.

“Im out of the cocoa butter lotion.” She states. Tom’s eyes widen and he scrambles out of bed, eliciting a fit of giggles from the both of them.

“Well we cant have that can we?” Tom chuckles, “Cmon now, we’ve got to go before they run out of the lotion.”

“Oh my god! You care more about me not having lotion than about the food the three of us well have to eat this week?!”

“Can’t have my girl suffering from dry skin.” He winks at her, as he pulls a shirt on. “Now lets go!!!”

Soon enough they were out the door, and headed to Whole Foods. Y/N was behind the wheel, holding the wheel with her right hand and Tom’s hand snugglily placed on her thigh. It was quiet for a few moments until Tom decided to do an insta live. For some reason, he wanted the world to see how adorable his girlfriend was driving. He lifted the phone up and pressed the live button.

“Are you doing a live right now?”

“Yeah, wanna show the world how cute we are when we go grocery shopping.” He smirked.

“Cute?” She playfully scoffs. “All you do is grab all the snacks we dont need or eat and ask Darling can we have this? Or Darling what’s this?”

“Yeah, but do you see your face when I ask? You always do that little nose scrunch when you think hard about it. Absolutely love it.” He says kissing her cheek.

Unbenknowst to them, they both forgot they were on instagram live for a second as the comments all started rolling about how cute their interaction was. Tom yawned heavily as he continued to read the comments, a smile never leaving his face. He answers simple questions from fans, and stops at Harry’s name.

Please dont forget the milk and make sure its not expired, you divs.

Tom reads it out loud laughing hysterically. “Darling, Harry says dont forget the nonexpired milk.”

Y/N shakes her head laughing as well as they walk up to the store. “Harry I swear it wasnt my fault. Tom placed it in the cart and didnt check the date.”

“Im sorry, I got distracted.”

“By what?”

“Your smile.” He compliments as he grabs the cart from you and rolls it. “My girl should be focused on the getting the stuff Ill push it for you.”

Hes trying to multi-task as he has one hand steering the cart and the other lifting the phone up to his face as he continues to stream his day. “Yeah, so Y/N made me get up early to go grocery shopping with her if anyone didnt know.” He laughs. “But I dont mind because I love doing stuff with her especially if it involves food.”

Y/N finds the box of rigatoni all the way at the top of the shelf and curses to herself. “Honey.”, she calls out sweetly.

“Hmm, yes darling.”

She pouts her lips as she points to the item she needs. “I cant reach.” She giggles. “Can you please get it for me?”

“Of course. How many?”

“Mmm maybe 2 just incase. You and Harry eat a lot.” She chuckles.

“Yeah cause your food is sooo good. Cant get enough..just like you.” Tom slides in as he steals a kiss from her.

“Are you always this cheesy on Sunday Mornings?”

“Only when Im with you.” He winks as he goes back to his phone reading all the comments for a little bit more until he bids his fans farewell. “All right guys, Im gonna sign off now. Have to make sure I add unneccessary things in our cart that we dont need but want, so I’ll see you around. Bye!” With that he shuts the live and comes behind Y/N, wrapping his arms around her waist, as she stands in front of the freezer looking at which ice cream to buy. Sure Sunday Morning chores are never fun, but with Y/N by his side, he wouldnt mind doing this everyday with her.

“Dont forget the cocoa butter lotion!” He whispers in her ear.

“TOM!”

[elena-reina]

A Soul Part 2 - Draco Malfoy x Reader

Warnings: Did someone ask for fluff?

A/N: I didn't think that many of you were going to like the first part, I stand pleasantly corrected. I've gotten many requests/comments for a part 2, so here you all go 🥰🤍

Part 1

"Y/N!"

Your bloodshot-eyes shot open, trying to catch onto anything within reach as you tumbled to the floor. The only thing you could possibly grab onto were the bedsheets, but they were no help as they slipped through your fingers. Hitting the floor with a loud thud, you groaned. You felt your heart racing as you pushed yourself up onto the palms of your hands. You were peacefully sleeping for the first time in a few months, even if it was in the middle of that day.

Giggling up a storm, Sylvia couldn't contain her laughter.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think you would have woken up that startled," she laughed, lending out her hand to help you up. Your gaze went from her hand, to her face, and back to her hand. You huffed, grabbing onto her as she hoisted you up to your feet.

"Maybe just try shaking my shoulder or something next time will you?" you mumbled, rubbing the sore side of your head. She began to laugh again, welcoming you in for a hug, apologizing once more.

"There's going to be a party tonight, are you up for it?" she smiled, "Well, I'm not really asking you. I'm stating."

Looking back at your, now messy, bed you sat down. The dull and monotoned atmosphere from outside drained any motivation you once had in you. Since your break up, you didn't want to be seen anywhere that he might be. This included any classes you had together or even going to eat at the same time in the Grand Hall. You didn't realize how much of your day you spent working around his schedule to see him before the breakup.

You stopped hanging out with your friends, telling them you had a lot to do in school and blaming it on other stupid things, such as you needing to write a paper for class or were too tired to go out. In the beginning, it was believable but you were running out of ideas fast.

At first, you were angry. Angry at the thought of how it all went down. How dare he talk to you the way he did. How dare he make such a nasty judgement on your character after being together for so long.

Didn't he know you better than that?

What else can you expect from the Slytherin Prince who had such a prominent reputation to uphold. But then, that anger soon turned into sadness. You felt rejected, like you didn’t matter anymore. His words cut deep like a knife, making you feel like you were nothing in his world.

"Just to think I told someone like you that I loved you,” he sneered, “And to make matters worst, you go around parading it to everyone the very next morning.”

“I never told a soul,” you whispered.

You grimaced remembering what he said to you. He hadn't tried reaching out to you at all. Just like you were avoiding him, he was avoiding you even more.

What if he was at the party?

What if you ran into him?

What if he-

"Hellooo, Earth to Y/N?"

Shaking the thoughts out of your head, you regained your focus on your friend who looked at you with curiosity.

"Not tonight, Sylvia," you sighed. She let out a loud groan.

"No, Y/N. No," she firmly bored.

"What? I-"

"No. We are going out. You've been blowing me off for weeks." She was not going to take no for an answer. "I don't know what's going on with you because you won't tell me, which hurts my heart a lil' bit, but nonetheless, it'll be good for you."

You hadn't told anyone about your breakup, not that it mattered. Your relationship was such a big secret that you didn't bother to tell anyone since most people didn't know about it in the first place. Well, that was until it somehow leaked out; Still not knowing how it happened in the first place, but again, it's not like any of that mattered anymore.

You tried to cover up the fact that you were completely heartbroken, well, to the best of your ability. You would spend countless nights thinking about everything that went down and what you could’ve done to prevent the break up from happening in the first place.

Maybe if you had just gone to bed earlier that day, everything would've been fine.

"Syl, c'mon. Next time," you sighed wanting to be done with this conversation.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah and then next time you'll say 'next time,' when will this end. What happened? Did you and Malfoy break up or something?"

Your heart dropped at the mention of Draco. The thought of the break up, even though it had been a month or two now, was still a sore spot. You reminisced about the multiple nights you spent wrapped up in his arms, just the two of you; Missing his cologne that would linger on your clothes after being with each other. You missed him, but you knew better.

"I don't want to talk about it," you dismissed.

Your response was enough to answer her question that she didn't feel the need to press further. "I understand, but please can we go out tonight? It's a Halloween party, let me get your mind off of things. We'll be dressed up in costumes, you'll basically a whole new person."

You crossed your arms, biting the inside of your lip. "Fine."

A wide grin spread across her face as she jumped up and down with glee. She pulled you into a bone-crushing hug and turned around.

"Alright, let's get dressed, we're leaving in an hour."

Looking at yourself in the mirror, it had been a while since you dressed up, even if it was a costume. It felt good to be able to call yourself beautiful, even though you hadn't felt like it.

During the beginning of October, you and a couple of friends went costume shopping in Diagon Alley. You wanted to get something simple, but that was not possible with your friends. They loved to dress very sexy, and of course you had to follow suit. At the time you were on board with it, you knew Draco would have been drooling over you. But now, you didn't have the same confidence you once did.

The costume your friends picked out for you to buy was a devil's costume. It was a thick red long-sleeved latex leotard that came with red devil horns that actually looked like it was coming out of your head. Your wore red heels that really accentuated your long legs, even giving you a boost in the back. Your makeup made your features pop out, giving you quite a godly facial structure.

You heard a knock on the door. "Y/N are you done yet? We're coming in."

Slyvia popped her head in and looked at you. Her eyes widened, walking straight towards you. She grabbed onto your hands and turned you to face her as her eyes traveled up and down. Following behind her was Adrian and a couple of other friends.

"HOLY CRAP!" She gasped, cheesing from ear to ear.

She was wearing a skin tight black cat costume with thigh-high boots, cat ears, and a long tail. She looked amazing.

"You look... just wow," she gaped.

You felt uncomfortable and guilty because your original intention was to 'wow' Draco. You didn't want to get the attention of anyone else but him.

"I don't know, Syl. It might be too much," you shied away.

"No such thing," Adrian butted in, dressed as a vampire. "You look ravishing."

"But what if Draco-"

"BAH!" Adrian groaned, flicking your forehead, "Forget about him. Tonight's about letting loose and having fun."

He was right. You nodded and grabbed a long coat to cover everything up and keep yourself warm outside. With one final look in the mirror, you walked out of the door.

You arrived to Hogsmeade where the party was full on going in a huge tent. You could hear the music, even outside, and you could see people dancing through the opening. A smile forming on your lips as you walk inside the tent. Everyone was dressed up in costumes having the time of their lives.

Slipping off your coat and hanging it on one of the hooks, you joined your friends to the dance floor.

"Tonight is all about having fun!" Sylvia shouted, moving rhythmically with you. And that's exactly what you did for the first time in a while. You had fun, Draco never crossed your mind once the entire time. You were finally enjoying yourself for the night.

A few hours had passed and you were definitely becoming exhausted. Your friends would drag you along everywhere with them. They didn't want to let you be alone and for the most part they didn't want to let you to focus on anything else but having a good time.

You danced, went to snack and drink, back to dancing, and then would attempt to takw a break- which wasn't long because they would drag you back to the floor. You definitely got a bunch of stares from other students because they've never seen you dress the way you had tonight. However, this only fueled your confidence.

You grabbed onto Slyvia's arm and tugged her towards you. Bringing your lips near her ear, you spoke. "I'm going to go to the restroom real quick!" you said just aloud enough for her to hear.

She nodded. "Okay! We'll be right here!"

You turned and began pushing past the sea of people, heading towards the opening of the tent. You mumbled quiet 'excuse me's' and 'sorry's' as you forced your way. Keeping your head down to watch your steps, you didn't see where you were going and roughly bumped into someone, almost falling. However an arm reached out and held onto your frame, holding you from falling backwards.

"I'm so sorry, I-"

You stopped speaking once your gaze lifted staring into the eyes of the person who caught you.

Those grey eyes that you could stare into forever.

His lanky fingers were wrapped perfectly around your waist, holding you up by the arch in your back. You couldn't read his facial expression. He wasn't one to dress up, but he was dressed as what you could guess was a Prince, of course. All he had on was a black suit with a green cape and silver crown.

Regaining your composure, you cleared your throat and quietly bowed your head. You felt self-conscious and insecure now that you felt more exposed knowing that he would have loved this outfit on you, had you been together.

"Sorry.. I have to go," you spoke quieter with each word, not even sure if he could hear you and rushed to quickly get out of his sight. You could feel his eyes burning holes through the back of your head- or so you thought. Your eyes began to sting and the last thing you wanted him to see was you upset.

Finally, making it through, you were outside and began walking to the nearest open building. Breathing in the fresh air, the only sounds heard was the fast-pace clicking of your heels and the faint music fading the further you walked. You wiped away any set of tears that threatened to spill. You were not going to cry over him.

Walking to a building not too far in the distance, you leaned your back against the wall and stared up at the night sky. You closed your eyes and took deep breaths. You’re sick of pretending not to care and having him as your weak spot.

Your head fell into your hands as you couldn't control your emotions anymore. You just had to let it out, you denied yourself the pleasure of expressing your true emotions for too long. The truth of it all, it hurt. It hurt giving your all to someone just for them to turn around and stab you in the back.

You couldn't help but ask how.

How did anyone find out in the first place.

"Y/N?"

You sniffed, wiping your tear-stained cheeks. It was a bit cold outside, but nothing you couldn't handle. Plastering a forced smile onto your face, you looked up.

"Hi Luna."

"What's the matter? Not enjoying the party?" she asked, joining you against the wall. She was wearing the head of a lion that you recognized she would wear when supporting Gryffindor. It normally would've brought a genuine smile to your face, but nothing could lift your spirits right now.

Luna gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of butterbeer caps.

"No, no I am. I just," you paused, "I needed some fresh air, away from the loudness. How have you been?"

"Oh, it's been alright. A bit lonely without being in classes often, Ginny's been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me 'Loony' the other day."

You nodded. You didn't know what to say.

"I can see you've been crying, it is an awfully quiet night," she said out of the blue.

You didn't speak. The cold air brushed your exposed skin, raising goosebumps.

"Luna, can I ask you something?"

Maybe you shouldn't. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. But in this moment, is it?

"Of course," she smiled.

"Do you.. do you know anything about the gossip about me and-"

"-You and Malfoy?" she interjected.

You nodded, quietly.

"There was a rumor going around that you and Malfoy began dating. But I think that surfaced a while ago," she said confusing herself, "Was there truth behind it?"

You ignored her question. It isn't true anymore. "How did you hear that rumor?"

She looked up at the stars. "I think I overheard Marcus Flint or Terence Higgs talking about it. If I remember clearly, they saw you one night together with Malfoy cuddling or did they say snogging? I don't remember clearly."

You let out a sob again and pushed your face into your hands, crying.

"I'm sorry Y/N, was it something I said?" Luna frowned, placing her hand on your shoulder in a comforting way.

"No.. No, I'm sorry Luna- I don't mean to," you couldn't find the right words, but you knew you had to get it out, "Draco and I were, I guess, a thing? If you could even call it that."

She listened attentively.

"He wanted to keep us a secret because of his reputation and I knew I wasn't being truthful in the sense that I wasn't a pureblood. But that was only because I knew he would disapprove. So maybe it is all my fault, but he accused me of telling everyone.. and I- I didn't."

Luna hadn't spoke for a while, not that you even noticed her presence had disappeared, but had been silently replaced. It was not until you took some time to calm yourself and lift your face from your hands.

Expecting to see Luna, you spoke.

"I'm sorry Luna, I didn't mean to explode like that. Thank you for listening to me."

No response.

"Luna-"

Your eyes met his again and startled you. How had you not felt that Luna left.

“We need to talk.”

You shook your head and pushed yourself off of the wall, going to walk away. "There's nothing to be said, Malfoy. You made yourself very clear that day."

He stepped forward, wrapping his hand around your wrist to stop you from walking. You frowned, refusing to look at him.

"Draco.. please," your voice cracked, "Don't do this to me. I'm barely just starting to come to terms with everything. And if you decide to stomp all over me again, I won't be able to put myself back together this time."

Hearing these words crushed Draco. He overheard your conversation with Luna and felt immense regret from that night. Knowing he was the one who made you feel this way, the one who broke down such a beautiful soul took a toll on him.

He hadn't been doing so hot since the breakup. He had been more snarky and bitter overall to everyone he came into contact with. He was embarrassed and felt used when he thought you had told everyone about your, once, secret relationship. He felt betrayed, and he could handle betrayal from anyone but you. You were what set him over the edge; Especially after hearing that you weren't a pureblood was just the icing on the cake.

So he handled it the only way he was used to, by cutting you out. Cutting you out of his life, like he did with everyone else, was the easiest way. No matter how much you were hurting, his selfishness outshined his own pain.

And seeing you tonight only brought back that pain back to his chest. He saw you when you first entered the party with a happy smile on your face. His heart ached seeing you so happy. Happy without him, and looking the way you did tonight. Nothing could have prepared him for being in the same room as your presence. He couldn't help but let his eyes travel up and down the body he once used to call all his.

He would catch others staring at you with a burning feeling of jealousy that others dared even looking your way. The way your hair perfectly framed your face, the crinkle of your nose when you laughed, or the way your hips moved in rhythm with the music. He wanted nothing more than to march straight towards you, wrap his arm around your waist, and pull you in for a much needed kiss.

"So let me speak."

He turned you to face him. You wouldn't look him in his face. Instead you crossed your arms over your chest looking down at your feet, which only pushed up your chest, distracting Draco. He gulped, diverting his eyes back up to your eyes, trying his best to focus.

"I'm not going to apologize for what happened. I meant almost everything I said-"

You scoffed, shaking your head. You didn't want to hear any of this. But before you could even get the chance you walk away, he moved in front of you, blocking any sense of escape you had.

"I, first, want to hear from you- why did you hide your status from me?"

Is he really asking this right now? You stayed silent, partly stunned by what he asked.

"I don't see how any of this is relevant anymore. I hid it because I was falling for you and I knew you'd never be there to catch me if you knew," you mumbled, fearing that if you spoke any louder you wouldn't be able to control yourself, "I know it was selfish of me.. but didn't see any harm in it since our relationship was a secret anyway. I didn't lie.. I just didn't want to bring it up."

His eyes were scanning the area, looking around to see if anyone had spotted the two of you together. You looked at him, observing him as his eyes searched around.

Was he still embarrassed of being seen with you?

"I'm tired, Draco, it's been months. You've said yourself that we're over- that you don't love someone like me," you said telling him what you thought was the truth. He lowered his head.

"I've realized you weren't the one who spoke about us," he began, "I actually have known for a while, but I couldn't bring myself to face you after everything that went down. I was blinded by my rage. I wanted you to hurt inside just as much as I did, if not more. I had never fallen in love with anyone before, and I have no idea how."

A single tear rolled down your cheek. “Please, I can't,” you repeat, shaking your head, you were trying to prepare yourself for another heartbreak. You take a deep breath and quickly wipe off your tears.

A cold breeze brushed by again, making you hold yourself tighter. Draco noticed and untied the cape from around his neck. He draped it over your shoulders to provide you warmth. He wanted to hold you in his arms instead, but he didn't know how you would react.

"So much has changed this year. I've pushed away everyone. My friends, family... I'm not great with apologies, but I'm sorry. I should have just heard you out that day instead of staying trapped up in my stupid head," he paused, "I miss you. I miss everything about you, and seeing you here tonight only reignited that dull flame in my heart."

You were at a loss for words, almost forgetting how to breath. His eyes were glossing over.

"I wasn't being truthful that day when I told you I didn't love you. I do, I can't hide it. I love you so fucking much it hurts. Knowing that you're crying all because of me makes me want to rip out my hair and remove every ounce of sadness from your body."

You took a step closer so you were standing right under him. He placed his hand on your cheek, rubbing it with his thumb lightly.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"May I?" he asked. You nodded. He swiftly bent down and grabbed your waist with his other hand to close any space left between the two of you. His lips connected with yours hungrily, filled with immense passion. Your hands traveled up his chest and went around his neck. You missed the feeling of his silky hair running through your hands. Lightly tugging at it, a small moan escaped from his lips that molded perfectly with yours, breathing in your heavenly scent that he yearned for so desperately.

You pulled away and rested your head on his chest, enjoying his embrace. He didn't mind, he missed holding you in his arms. Feeling you wear his clothes again, even if it was just a cape, brought back a smile to his face.

"I don't know what I was thinking, really. I wasn't thinking at all. I'm really, really sorry Y/N," his voice cracked this time, "I regret it deeply."

You bit your lip and lifted your head. "What about everyone else?"

"What about them."

"Your reputation-"

"Fuck what everyone else thinks. The only one that matters is you."

Your heart skipped a beat. "You really mean it?"

"With all my heart, yes. So much," he breathed.

At last, a blush rose to your cheeks shining under the moonlight. You couldn't believe this was actually happening right now. You couldn't help but think that if Slyvia had never convinced you to come out tonight, none of this would be happening.

"I just have to say that you look absolutely breathtaking tonight. I can't handle everyone else looking at you when I want you to belong to me and only me."

"I did originally buy this for you," you spoke lightly as he smirked. He hands traveled down your body and onto your thighs. You instinctively jumped while he held onto you by your legs. Turning around, your back was against the wall as he towered over you.

"Be mine?"

You couldn't suppress your happiness. You nodded your head, and reconnected your lips.

"I'll never hurt you again, on Merlin, never again," he mumbled against your lips.

---

For those who wanted to be tagged in part 2:

@elikaberry @305weasley @theothermaximoff @cedrictodeadric @dracossimp01 @aes-99s @shortstackmagee @alice-the-nerd @jquick-18 @dracomalfoyreader @tanyatrehan

[nepenthendline]

S/O having an epileptic seizure - Tendou, Koganeawa, Tanaka, Goshiki, Sugawara and Aone

My medical degree coming in handy here lol, this technically counts as studying, right? Also I’m going to cover a range of different seizures and that they are aware of your epilepsy, so I hope that’s ok! These are all going to be mini drabbles!

I just want to say I don’t have much experience with epileptic seizures besides studying them, so I hope this is realistic enough, I put a lot of effort into it 💞💞

Request: idk how many characters you accept so i’m sorry if this is too many!! but could you do tendou, koganeawa, tanaka, goshiki, sugawara and aone with a s/o who has epilepsy and has a seizure when they’re hanging out? :)

Seizure types covered: Atonic, Complex Focal, Tonic, Tonic Clonic, Absence and Myclonic

Tendou - Atonic Seizure:

The two of you were sitting in his bed, cuddled up to each other while watching a show on his laptop. You had both spent all day studying so this time was for the two of you to relax together, pushing through the tiredness. His arms were loosely wrapped around you as you leaned on his shoulder, breathing his scent. 

As his fingers were brushing over your skin, he felt your body stiffen suddenly, before going limp and falling forwards. Since he always paid close attention to you, he was able to quickly move the laptop out of the way, allowing your head to safely land in his lap. He knew you weren’t in pain, or that you would probably even remember this moment, but it still sent his heart racing every time he witnessed a seizure. Brushing your hair away from your face, he pulled the blanked closer, covering your body to keep you warm. 

It was only a few moments before you opened your eyes again, blinking and looking around the room in confusion, but he was instantly there to comfort you. 

“It’s alright, sweetheart, you’re safe. You can lay there for a little longer, ok?” He gently spoke, caressing your arm as you settled back into his touch, still trying to regain your senses. 

“Sorry,” you mumbled, reaching out to pull the forgotten laptop closer and set your eyes back on the screen once more. He let out a light chuckle before speaking.

“Sh, you don’t need to apologise. Although, if you didn’t want to watch the show, you could have just said so,” he teased with a smirk, laughing as you swat his leg in protest. 

Koganegawa - Tonic Seizure:

You didn’t know too much about playing volleyball, but Koganegawa always begged you to play with him, often resulting in you both throwing the ball back and forth with him showing off a great deal. 

He was trying to teach you how to spike, setting the ball to you in different places as you did your best to jump high and slam it down. You’d miss multiple times, turning to him with a pout as he laughed, but he gave you a thumbs up and a ‘good job’ no matter how badly you did, all with a beaming smile on his face. 

You were motivated to learn though, for him, and once again threw the ball up over his head, ready to set to you. After tossing the ball in the air, your body went stiff and your vision blackened as you fell backwards.

As his arms rose to direct the ball to you, he took a glance in your direction and saw you crumble to the floor. His quick reflexed kicked in, lunging towards you in an attempt to catch you with wide eyes and a pounding in his chest, although he didn’t reach fast enough as he heard the thud from your head making contact with the ground below. Before he could call out to you, your eyes slowly opened again, as you raised an arm to rub the back of your sore head. 

“Are you ok? Are you hurt? Do I need to call someone?” He frantically asked, putting his arms around you, aiding you as you pulled yourself forward to sit up, groaning a little at the slight throbbing in your head.

“I’m fine, it’s ok, I just hit my head a little hard,” you reassure him, taking the hand that was held out in front of you to help you stand. Coming behind you, he, gently, moved your hair and checked over your head, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw no major damage. His hands dropped to your sides, holding you steady as he pecked the top of your head. 

“Ah, you’re so brave. I’ll get you some ice cream on the way home, that always makes me feel better when I get hurt.”

Tanaka - Absence Seizure:

After a long day of walking around town, visiting different shops and eating at a cute cafe, you were on the train coming back home, settled closely to Tanaka as he held your hand tightly. 

He was talking away about the tournaments the Karasuno team had coming up soon, discussing all the strong players they needed to face and telling you stories from their practices. 

As he spoke, you couldn’t help but admire him, smiling away as you watched how passionately he talked, how his carved jaw moved and the way he eyes seemed so piercing. After every sentence or so, he’d give you a grin back, squeezing your hand as you nodded along with his story. 

“You’ve seen what Hinata’s like though, he’s crazy, right?” He asked with a laugh, looking at you for your reaction, although he didn’t hear your voice reply to him, nor did he see your sweet smile. Your face had turned limp as you stared beside him, unaware of his focus on you. He stopped speaking, carefully watching over you and stroked the back of your hand with his thumb. 

It was only a couple seconds before your eyes snapped back to his, opening your mouth before closing it again and swallowing, “sorry, could you repeat that?” 

He simply gave you a smile and kissed your cheek, before carrying on with his story, where you trained your eyes and thoughts on him once more.

Goshiki - Myclonic Seizure

You often had to remind your boyfriend to study since his brain was filled with volleyball 99% of the time, so you tended to study together regularly during the week, allowing you to both get work done while also spending time with each other. 

You sat across from him at the table, pen in hand as your eyes dragged over the textbook in front of you. Gazing over towards Goshiki, you giggled to yourself as his expression - his teeth had a firm grip on his lower lip, and his eyebrows where tightly knotted together as he stared down at the page, furiously scribbling answers, before crossing them out again. Reaching over, you brushed your fingers on his knuckles, grabbing his attention. 

“Take it easy, do you need a hand with a question?” You asked, still trying to hold back your smile as his cheeks flushed a little. 

“Uh, yeah. I don’t know how to solve this equation,” he muttered, pointing to a string of numbers and letters on the page. You were about to lean over to look, when your arm suddenly spasmed, launching your pen across the room, hitting the floor with a loud clunk. It continued to jolt a couple more times, before your body relaxed. 

Goshiki looked at you with widened eyes, unsure of what to do. “A-are you ok?” He asked timidly, watching as you looked away. 

“Yeah, m’fine,” you murmured, getting up to grab your pen, however he stood up first, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“It’s ok, I’ve got it,” he spoke, picking up the pen and passing it to you. Sitting back in his seat, he noticed the way you fiddled with your pen and kept your head down, avoiding looking his way. 

Taking a deep breath, he reached forward and grabbed your hand. “You don’t need to worry about it, it doesn’t bother me at all.” His voice was quiet but you could tell he was genuine, especially by the squeeze of his warm hand on yours.

Sugawara - Complex Focal Seizure:

Lazy days were a common date for you two - spending your day huddled in each others arms watching movies, talking or playing games. You had both been craving cookies, so you made your way to the kitchen, shuffling through the cupboards for ingredients to bake your own. 

Sugawara was in charge of handing you the ingredients as you stirred and sifted them into the bowl, dipping your finger in every now and then for a taste, giggling and ducking away as he tried to reprimand you. 

“Ok, just the chocolate chips left,” he spoke, turning round to hand you the bag. As his eyes found you, you dropped the spoon, bringing your arm close to you and tightening your hand into a fist. Your other arm fell to your side, fiddling with the edge of your shirt as you looked ahead in a daze.

Gently, he placed the bag down and slowly walked towards you, calling your name quietly before allowing his hand to settle on your lower back as to not startle you. With his other hand on your hip, he brushed soothing circles on your skin while whispering to you, reminding you he was there and taking care of you.

As you started to come around, your body released its tension and you could feel his strong but delicate hold on you, keeping you steady. 

“Let’s sit you down for a moment, you’re doing alright my love,” he spoke, guiding you towards the nearby chair and sitting you down. When you became aware enough to look at him, you found his crouched in front of you, holding your hands in his, massaging your cramped palms as he smiled up at you. “Are you doing ok?” He asked, concern showing in his voice despite his calm exterior. You gave him a nod, attempting to smile back at him in your, still, foggy state. He sat with you until you settled down and felt back to normal, before helping you get up and carry on with your backing, although, this time, keeping an eye on you a little more. 

Aone - Tonic Clonic Seizure

Aone was sat on the sofa, flicking through the movies on the TV before finally settling on one to watch as you were in the kitchen preparing snacks. With the movie ready, he unravelled the blanket by his side, draping it over the seats and arranging the cushions ready for you both to snuggle up. 

Footsteps became louder as you walked in, placing the bowl of popcorn and bags of treats on the side table next to your boyfriend, bending down to press a kiss on his cheek that left them tinged with warmth. 

He lifted up the edge of the blanket, as if an invite for you to crawl in, holding out a hand to pull you closer. As you were about to walk round to him, your body tensed, your limps hardening before you fell to the ground. Aone quickly jumped out of his seat, catching you before you hit the floor and slowly lowered you down as your body shook. 

With one hand softly brushing over your hair, the other tugged a cushion from the sofa, sliding it under your head for comfort. His face twisted, eyes sharp as he watched you jolting and heard the distressing sounds of you heavy breathing. The next few minutes seemed to last for hours as your body continued to shake, and it broke his heart that all he could do was watch by your side, wiping away the spit that trailed from your mouth. 

Slowly, your body grew still and your breathing quietened down. You looked up at him with tiredness overcoming you, blinking slowly as your muscles relaxed. His large hands scooped under you, lifting you to lay on your side and allow your body to recover. His eyes only left you to grab the blanket from the sofa, before covering you and caressing your cheek with his finger as you calmed into a slumber. The movie was long forgotten as he sat by your side, watching over you and comforting you as you slept, not leaving for even a moment.

[btsficsforthehumble]

adj.: 1. Modern, unfamiliar, or different

2. Not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed

pairing: reader x ot7

genre: college au; angst, fluff, smut, poly, ot7

Summary: You begin your first year at a prestigious university, set out on achieving your academic goals when a series of men step into your life that change the way you view the definition of love.

Part Four

Warnings: explicit language

Word count: 2k

Your alarm forces you out of a deep sleep at eight on the dot. Groaning, you blindly press the snooze button and flip your face into your pillow, not quite ready to deal with a new day. You let yourself doze for a few minutes, longing for the dark pull of sleep to take you back.

Now, you had to be at your class in under an hour and you were stressed. Seeing how much time had passed in your drowsy state allowed a fire to be lit under your butt, encouraging you to quickly jump in the shower and get ready for the day. All the while, all you wanted to do was answer the call of your abandoned bed.

After rushing around your apartment, you finally stepped out in some light brown corduroys and an embroidered blouse tucked into the waist. A light jacket thrown over top, you felt put together enough to start your day. Even with the rush, you managed to grab a couple of your million muffins from your baking spree yesterday and a to-go mug of coffee. You learned your mistake yesterday, when you showed up to morning classes without caffeine to push you through.

Walking across campus, you watch other students scurry off to their own morning classes. It still being the first week of the semester, most people hadn’t lost the motivation to go to their early classes just yet. You really hope that you won’t fall victim to that… you can’t afford to skip in a class you struggle with.

Once you arrive at your classroom, you head to the same spot you sat last class, and plop your bag down as you get your muffin out to eat before class. Setting it out, you sip your coffee and scroll though your phone, checking your inbox that had accumulated honestly way too many emails overnight.

Your eyes glued to your phone, you don’t even notice when a large hand swipes the muffin right off your desk.

Still absorbed in an email about volunteering for a local animal shelter, you hear someone sit loudly in the seat behind you. Ignoring it, you continue to read though the details of the email --- it looked like the animal shelter for your city, Autumn Leaves Adoption Center, was accepting new volunteers and was looking for students from your university specifically. You had always had a huge soft spot for animals, so you were excited at a chance to spend time helping out.

You glance up from your phone when you finish, and immediately notice your muffin missing from it’s spot on your desk. Bewildered, you begin to search around the classroom with your eyes to locate the stolen baked good. Not finding it with anyone on your sides or in front of you, you swing around to check out the suspects hiding from view.

Ding ding ding!

You found it. Well, you found half of it. The attractive boy that had pestered you yesterday had the other half of your precious muffin stuffed in his cheeks like some sort of squirrel. Caught, he gives the best grin he can with his mouth full, including his eyes crinkling and his eyes shining with mischief.

“Excuse me, you can’t just steal people’s breakfasts right off their desks! Who raised you?!” you whisper yelled. You could feel the blood rush to your cheeks from being flustered, and hoped he couldn’t see.

“Wuh yahr warn ehten et,” he replied, cheeks still full.

“Ugh, at least swallow first you animal!”

“Well, you weren’t eating it,” he flashes a grin.

“Um, excuse me sir, who allowed you to go around stealing people’s food the second you deem them to be not interested in it,” you snapped.

“Oohhh, can you say that again?” As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow while his eyes traveled up your body.

“Say what?” Your flat tone gave away your high level of irritation at him.

“Call me sir again, sweetheart. I think you and I both liked it,” he leaned forward as he spoke. His gaze was challenging, almost to see if you were able to handle him.

The truth is, if this asshole hadn’t just stolen your goddamn muffin you’d be happy to do so --- outside of the classroom --- anytime. The guy, you remember being named Taehyung, had gorgeous dark curls that anyone would dream about pulling on. His dark eyes were enigmatic, and by every definition intense. Tanned skin, clear and smooth only made him seem more ethereal. HIs natural looks, coupled with an artistic and sophisticated fashion sense, made him look like a character of a k-drama.

But, this guy had some audacity if you’ve ever seen any. So, you weren’t going to give into his charm as easily as he wanted.

Slowly, you lean forward on his desk, allowing him to get a good view of your tits while you lift a hand to his mouth, to swipe away excess crumbs that had been forgotten during his cookie monster moment. You lightly trace his bottom lip with the pad of your thumb, pushing down just hard enough for the flesh to ripple.

His eyes become more hooded, obviously thinking he had won you over with his charms.

“Why would I call someone sir, if they need to clean up after like a child, hmm?” You dropped your voice as you spoke, not only trying to limit prying ears but also to give yourself a more sultry sound.

You lean back and retract your arm. But instead of letting it drop, you raise the hand you had reached out to him to your face, and pop your thumb into your mouth. While your lips are still encircling your thumb, you let your eyes meet his.

Honestly, you weren’t expecting him to look as affected as he does. His eyes are narrow, surely from your jibe. However, you see that he seems to be breathing a little heavier than before, and that his hands were gripping the edges of his desk with more force than would be considered normal. This makes the veins and tendons pop on his already large and beautiful hands and you can’t help but let your eyes linger on them for a little.

“Mmm, I did a good job with these muffins, I can tell even with just crumbs,” you say after popping your thumb out of your mouth.

Catching you off guard, a cheery voice asks from over your turned around shoulder, “Oooo, are you sharing muffins? I love muffins!”

You turn around in your seat quickly in response. “Oh, uh, yeah.” You bend over and grab the other muffin you brought with you, thinking you’d eat it as a snack later in the day. Oh well.

You hand the muffin over, and quickly realize this is the same guy that sat in front of you yesterday, the cute one with the even cuter smile.

“Yay! Thank you so much! You’re my new favorite person!” he declared. He was giving you a smile even bigger than the one that you had swooned over prior, and really looked like the embodiment of sunshine. “My name is Hoseok, but you can call me Hobi.”

“I’m y/n! And don’t worry about the muffin, I have about a million back at home. I went on a bit of a baking spree yesterday,” you giggled.

You hear a surprised scoff come from behind you. Apparently, Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome is unhappy with the heat you gave him, now knowing that not only did you have much more at home, but had another with you. And you gave it away. You can’t help but let out a small smile at his indignation.

“It’s nice to meet you y/n! I hope I’ll get to have more of your treats in the future, this is delicious!” Hoseok says, already taking a bite.

You give him a wide smile in return. “If you want, I can save you one of whatever I make. I love to bake new things all the time.”

Hoseok begins to reply, but is cut off by the professor starting class. His eyes widen a little, surprised at the intrusion, but quickly sends you an apologetic smile as he turns around to face the lecturer.

Prepared for social hour to be over, because frankly, this was way too much for you at 9 am, you pulled out your notes. As you straighten up, you feel a presence behind your ear. Being this close, you could smell a musky, dark, masculine scent wash over you.

“I hope you save some for me too, sweetheart. I’m a growing boy,” Taehyung huskily murmurs, quiet enough to be missed by anyone else.

Cheeks hot at the double meaning of his words, all you manage to get out was a flat, “No promises.” Hoping to appear unaffected by him, you go right back to paying attention to your professor. Hoseok, in front of you, was oblivious to your and Taehyung’s hushed conversation and was busy scribbling away in his notes. You take a deep breath, and follow suit.

Unfortunately, calculus is as hard as you remember. As the professor lectured, you could feel whatever understanding you had previously drift away. You write notes at a furious pace, in hopes that whatever you copy down you’ll understand at a later time.

You sigh after your professor dismisses class. You are feeling frustrated that even during the first week, you seem to be slipping behind in your understanding of the class material.

“Hey are you okay? Class was a lot today, huh.” Hoseok turned around in his chair to speak, seeming to have caught your pitiful sigh. You glace up to meet his eyes, your expression slightly sheepish.

“Yeah, I’m okay, just not very good at calculus,” you admit with a small smile.

He gives you a sunny smile in return. “Do you wanna study together? I actually like math. I know, I’m strange for that.”

Your eyes widen a little in surprise. He barely knows you but is offering to help you with the subject you struggle with the most. It was a no-brainer.

“Oh my gosh, yes! I’d love to have a study partner for this class. I’m so worried about falling behind.” You feel your face fall into a small pout at your confession.

“Can I join? I’m not too great at math either.” You jump a little, completely forgetting about the human pain in the ass behind you.

“Of course! The more the merrier!” Hoseok beams, looking past you to the boy behind. “I’m Hoseok, but everyone just calls me Hobi.”

“I’m Taehyung, nice to meet you.” He gives Hoseok a grin as he introduces himself, seemingly never not up to trouble.

“You too! Do you guys want to meet tomorrow? We can go to the coffee shop around the corner from here,” Hoseok suggests.

You nod, and Taehyung gives a noise of agreement behind you, before asking, “Do you guys want to trade numbers? That way we don’t have to wait to see each other to get help.”

Internally, you sigh, having a feeling he was going to use your number for more than just that. Regardless, you comply. The three of you swap your phones, inputting your contact information, and stand to exit the classroom as a new stream of students enter waiting for the next class to start.

“Bye guys! See you tomorrow!” Hoseok flashes his signature sunny smile as you depart.

“Bye Hobi!” You smile at him in response. Taehyung gives his own goodbye to the boy.

After Hoseok heads off a different direction, Taehyung leans closer to you to give you your own farewell. “Goodbye y/n, see you tomorrow sweetheart,” he basically purrs at you.

You give him a glare in response. “Bye, Taehyung.” After, you swiftly make your exit. That boy was a handful, to say the least. But, as much as you hate to admit it, he was hot. Like really hot. While Hoseok had that ‘boy next door’ quality, Taehyung oozed sex appeal. You were really going to have to train yourself to act normal around those two, if you were going to be spending extended time alone with them. Heading to your next class, you decide that is a problem for later.

[sugar-petals]

Treats For You (M)

↳ PAIRING: yuzuru hanyu × reader

↳ PLOT: You tend to a nervous Yuzu the night before a skating competition.

↳ WORD COUNT: 9k | one shot | domestic au, smut

↳ WARNINGS ⚠️ pwp, dom/sub, feeding yuzu treats, pegging, some very wet oral (m giving), cum play, oh lord it gets graphic, fingering, crying, mommy kink, yuzu’s crazy back arch, rough sex, masochism, aftercare, some asthma talk

↳ CARO’S NOTE: inspired by this juicy gif. PS: since i usually post for other fandoms — if you’re unfamiliar with yuzu, visit this intro post. 

Just two minutes after you switch off the light, he starts fidgeting. 

Repeatedly, all while messing around with his pillow. Soon enough, the blanket you share becomes all disheveled. 

You turn your head towards the window to check. All as usual. The blinds are perfectly drawn to shut out the moonlight. Meanwhile, the humidifier infuses the air in gentle ten-minute intervals. Not even the heater is bumbling tonight. Yuzuru keeps on rustling beside you, still. Some of his plushies fall off the bed, one after the other.

Of course he can’t sleep. It’s daunting, no precaution ever helps. The blanket couldn’t be any more crumpled up at this point.

„I’m so nervous,“ he finally sits up another minute later, causing the duvet to lift. A little sigh follows.

Eventually, you turn in the sheets yourself, now facing him. Or rather, what you can vaguely make out as his crouching silhouette.

„Hey,“ you mumble from your left side of the bed. „You watched all of the performances from last month.“ You pat Yuzu’s pillow, hoping he would sink down on it again. „At least twice. Or more.“

God knows for how many hours he stretched in front of the TV on his spongy blue yoga mat, reviewing mountains of footage with a furrowed brow worthy of a restaurant critic.

Every jump and every turn, analyzed over and over. Down to the millimeter. Even the costume got its fair share of scorn. Too wide there, this detail on the collar could be different, that part gets in the way while doing spins.

„It’s all— I don’t know what I’m lacking these days.“

The silhouette doesn’t look like it’s headed to lie down again for the time being. You reach toward your bedstand’s squiggly designer lamp. After fumbling about in the dark, you find the bulky switch at its bottom. On goes the light again. Perhaps a bit too bright, both of you squint hard.

„It’s not like you’re dropping to second place anytime soon.“

Given how you thought you could call it a day before Yuzu started to fidget, maybe your voice is not fully resonant yet. It still carries a little unspoken ‚…right?‘ with it. 

As soon as you finish the sentence, you feel how he can pick up on it already. The humidifier dryly comments by puffing out a cloud of lavender steam.

„I don’t really know,“ Yuzu retorts twisting, going into a deep shrug. He is completely sunken now.

„Looks like a simple big hug won’t do, hm.“

Yuzuru ends up nodding. It’s more knowing than admitting. But you don’t like the sense of resignation that comes with it, at all. The problem goes a little deeper than just motivating him with the stats he ironically already knows, times better than you, even.

It’s been going on for the entire day. The last time he made such a grouchy face at his videos was around Christmas. Back then, he couldn’t quite get the jumps right at the start of his routine. But now? His scores are just fine. Not to mention the jumps.

„I didn’t think you were lacking,“ you say. „You just fell once during training.“

And that was because he was fooling around during a break, not in the serious exercises.

„Sorry for bothering you,“ he buries his face in the blanket, beginning to ruffle his hair all over the place. Frustrated Friday-evening-Yuzu always does that, but the energy doesn’t seem to go anywhere this time.

The murmur of his stomach isn’t hard to miss either. You lay your hand on Yuzu’s back.

„Is it because you didn’t eat?“

You wonder what he had for dinner.

Only more guilty stomach growling reaches you as a reply. Figures: He skipped it, and lunch, too. His breakfast was so frugal, you don’t even remember whether he had his milk or not. 

Yuzu was already pacing around in the living room at that point. Recalling the tricky parts of the upcoming choreography, treading his feet into the carpet, humming the steady rhythm of his skating program.

„Maybe I’m turning into a snickers diva,“ a muffled little comment emerges from where his chaotic hair sticks out from the duvet. At this point, his face is all buried there.

„I mean. If you allow me to baby you…“

Three minutes later. You rub your eyes, shift from leg to leg. The kitchen floor is as cold as ever so you regret not putting on socks. Meanwhile, there’s no problem raiding the fridge. 

You could go to the grocery store five times a day and buy everything Yuzu’s mouth waters over — it’d still be stacked to the top. Snacks, veggies, particular sports drinks in weird blue colors, Japanese pickled plums, gyoza left-overs, salad, various fizzy drinks, mostly lemonade.

It’s like that with any food. Out of sight, out of mind. He won’t bother getting up from the yoga mat if he’s fixated on the TV.

After making two distinct picks and checking whether the fridge door closes properly, then bustling at the sink with a towel, you trot back to the bedroom. Equipped. In the meantime, Yuzu has recollected his plushies from the floor, gently aligning them next to his pillow. 

They’re all in their strictly defined place again. You enter just the second after he’s arranged them in the usual half-circle order, centered around his favorite, all-time friendly-eyed Winnie Pooh bear.

„Will you look at that,“ you plant your little kitchen conquests onto the bed, rousing approval noises from Yuzuru who sparkles right at the box and plate you brought along. The grouchy face dissolves, curiosity takes its place. His food reactions will always be the cutest to you.

„Strawberries!“

„From the market. Wasn’t too expensive.“

Freshly doused in the sink, plump and very ripe.

„And rice cakes!“

Truth be told, there couldn’t be a bigger comfort food on his list and you shamelessly exploit the very fact.

„Every competition has a victory meal. Here, fruits first.“

After plopping down on the mattress yourself, you pick up one, then two strawberries. Immediately, Yuzu’s little upturned mouth opens wide as if a tiger baby was yawning. 

He chews more eagerly than you thought. If you pass him pretzel sticks while he reviews things on the TV, he barely eats one or two of them.

„I like these,“ he swallows, prying for the next fruit in your hand already. „Sweet!“

„Tastes best with cake,“ you rearrange your sitting position, making sure to park your cold feet next to Yuzuru’s very warm ones. His toes are readily brushing against yours, Yuzuru perhaps not even noticing they do. He’s too fixated on the little cakes. In all things he does— focus incarnate. He can’t help it.

„Yes, I wanna try!“

You rummage in the packaging you brought along, draw forth a first treat. A second one you set aside on the plate. Tiger baby opens his mouth even wider, in goes the first chunk of the rich delicacy. Lord have mercy on his stomach, it’s 11:15 PM. But what’s normal to him, anyways.

Ten more minutes pass. After the strawberry box is two thirds empty and three juicy rice cakes have embarked on their last journey, Yuzu looks a lot more content than before, even if his bedhead arguably makes him look like a mad scientist. Junior professor Yuzuru Hanyu, escapee from his genius lab that exploded in a blaze of smoke. 

You take it as your task to brush the outlaw strands back into their place with your fingers after pulling out a wet wipe — those with the way too astringent citrus flavor— from your bedstand, cleaning your hands off the rice. It’s not like your hands aren’t sticky on the regular.

To your satisfaction, Yuzu looks like a swaying cat, nestled into his blanket. With no more stomach growling audible, gladly. You put the plate on the bedside table, lean forward to kiss his belly, and shoot him a fracture of an ambiguous gaze.

„So… Fancy getting even more stuffed?“

„Sure! Is it a surprise?“ Yuzu looks around, presumably searching for more food you brought along.

The pure soul.

„Well, we already had dessert.“

„Oh, right! But, what’s the food, then?“

A little pause follows. Yuzuru couldn’t look any more thrilled. You decide to go with it.

„You’re too innocent,“ you lower down your pants by an inch, thumbs demonstratively hooked into the hem. You raise your eyebrows into a question that he cannot miss. „If you want. You might wanna grab your spray first, though.“

Only the last part fully registers in Yuzuru’s expression that finally goes from curious to… sheepish. He caught on.

Asthma spray at 11:30 PM is a cue he’s gotten familiar with over the last four months. Not in a million years did he think he’d ever have to use it late at night. Whatever decision process is rattling through Yuzu’s brain right now, it’s a fast one, though.

„Ha— okay!“

„Alright, Yuzu.“

„Just once second!“

Food round number two, it is. You kick off your pants and underwear but make sure they don’t land any place where plushies are. Yuzu is already busy at the other end of the room, visibly at work with shaky hands, browsing the cupboard with meds next to the window.

Now that he’s double nervous, you curse your idea, but remind yourself of the last late-evening time Yuzu had his head between your legs. ‚I dunno, I was just concentrated‘ are the words that stuck with you after asking him how on earth he kept his breath for what felt like 45 seconds. 

Whatever masochist devil has been driving him, it gave your boyfriend skills you never even knew were possible to have out of absolute nowhere. Not to mention how easily it distracted him from anything else in the world.

Maybe that focus is an effect easy to replicate, you think. Anything that can take his mind off the competition tomorrow is worth trying.

Carefully, you move over to the right side of the bed. Then, recline on Yuzu’s pillow — on his explicit wish two months ago, you meticulously keep that tradition — and feel surrounded by plushies already. 

Back then, Yuzu insisted that he shouldn’t be the only one watching out for you when you’re having sex. And that the pillow just smells really good of your hair afterwards. So there you lay, feeling all kinds of horny. Given that Yuzu is already returning to the bed, swiping his hair off his forehead. Looking very refreshed, letting his breath play. Sexy.

And there it goes already. The I dunno, I was just concentrated gaze. You arrange your legs wide enough for Yuzu to settle in the middle, him still sitting upright. His hands are still shaky when they reach around your outer thigh, but his eyes don’t lie to you in the very least.

„Your breath alright?“

A little nod, but he doesn’t heed the question for any longer. There’s gladly nothing that his lung doctor can’t figure out. You count on that, but asking doesn’t hurt.

Meanwhile, Yuzu’s eager eyes are already drawn downwards. Getting bigger and bigger. The surprise he had anticipated in fact now dances over his face, flighty and polite, but nonetheless apparent to you. He’s smiling, and it looks shy in the light of the bedstand lamp.

„I, ah…“

It’s as if he hasn’t seen you naked before, every time. For whatever reason, Yuzu always reverts to virgin mode with his first glance. You admit it’s flattering and amusing alike, but also — leaves you with Hitchcock level suspense. 

Yuzuru has proven himself to be an expert in summoning a beginner’s zeal, an almost childlikeness. That keeps you on your toes and promises an intensity that routine and pragmatic energy management could never give you.

After letting his eyes linger a little more, his lips become visibly impatient. He’s already licking them. You’d promised food, and he takes it seriously. That Yuzu’s fingers stroke rather weirdly at your thighs does not escape your attention either. They’re practicing.

„Help yourself, touch.“

The stroking ceases. Yuzu doesn’t hesitate to reach down with his left. How he touches you sends a row of tingles down your legs. His fingertips are amazingly dainty and soft. He explores. Then, soon keeps on caressing about, leans his head forward, all still from his seated position. It doesn’t take too long until he goes straight to getting you off with his right hand.

„This is, wow,“ he mumbles to himself, already immersed in rubbing your clit. Going in circles, taking his time. Alternating between index and thumb.

„Yeah. That’s the spot,“ you shift in the pillow, eventually finding a good position to relax. You exhale, focus on his hand.

„So smooth,“ Yuzu traces his joining left hand up and down your labia.

„Maybe someone wants a taste?“

You were right that he would forget practically anything else. The yoga mat worry brow is blown off his face. Substituted by— appetite.

„Not just maybe, actually.“

Spreading your legs a little more is invitation enough to have Yuzuru lower his head onto your pubic bone, tongue already searching for its favorite place. Your fingers gently interlace in his hair as soon as he starts sucking. Keeping his bangs out of his eyes.

How unafraid to bury his face he is you soon get to witness. You can feel the bridge of his nose glide from lip to lip, and the feathery light brush of his lashes at the base of your inner thighs. 

Yuzu’s tongue has always been cheeky, but today, it feels particularly adventurous and slippery. He can’t help but fumble about with his hands simultaneously. Beginner’s zeal, you knew it’d come.

The bucking of your hips comes too naturally to be controlled. Nor does Yuzuru know just how to hold his head back from thrusting. This little shit. Whatever is in those rice cakes, it made him a new level of keen. Soon enough, his tongue has riled you up plenty, and his focused eyes have become entirely monotone. Only preoccupied with one thing and one thing alone. 

Just how much he dedicates his attention has to be a thing for the books. You feel like blowing up and moaning like crazy at this point, but manage to at least puff out. He knows you’re way too close. There’s a little smile you feel in the way he eats you.

„So that mouth gets a cum filling,“ you twist your fingers out of Yuzu’s wild hair. It’s all tangled again. The return of the mad professor. He has all the space in the world to bop his head as much as he wants now. One, two, three plushies fall over and tumble around the mattress. He doesn’t notice.

The warmth between your legs has been growing ceaselessly. Now, ready to brim. With Yuzu’s agile tongue slipping back and forth over your clit in erratic intervals, you feel like losing your mind with every lick. The way his lips excite you gives off the lewdest sucking noises. All wet, and resolute like a chess player not to drop you off that high. 

He keeps his laps consistent, leans in more, and eventually— tips you off the edge with a fast sequence of letting his tongue dip under the hood of your clit. And letting it stay there, all until your legs start twitching. You groan out.

Yuzu gets a big. Fat. Cum filling indeed.

Your breath goes short, you grab his shoulders. Growling, cursing. Trying to ride the wave, but the contractions catch you harder than you thought. You can practically feel how much you ooze out and ruin his face. 

Bratty he is, Yuzuru forms his mouth all kissy and pecks your clit through every throb. Until the shockwaves subside, letting your shaking thighs off the hook eventually.

Too fucking intense. The surge of pleasure keeps on making your mind hazy long after your orgasm is over. To add fuel to the fire, Yuzuru rubs his belly, as if he just had two happy meals for the price of one.

Pulling off, his face is all bright and slobbery in its remaining smile. His lips are cum-glazed, and more than just plain sweat trickles down his nose. Nothing better than a facial right in front of twenty plushies. Who knew Winnie the Pooh himself would ever be eye witness to Yuzu’s sporty head game. 

Friendly bear he is, it doesn’t seem to bother him. From unsuspecting comfort teddy on Yuzu’s lap 23/7 to live-action porn audience. First row, no popcorn though, but HD sound quality and claims to free spit. The guy is living his absolute best life, isn’t he.

„You… growling. That was pretty hot,“ Yuzuru says. His jaw is hanging all loose and most of his speech is slurred. Yuzu looks all satiated. In your mind, you pat yourself on your own shoulder. Boyfriend corruption: almost complete.

„Like being spoiled? I want you to clean that up.“

Yuzu squeaks out giddy in reply. A moment later, he goes back to lean down again, swallowing and licking up cum from your drenched, swollen lips. His slurping noises are indulgent, wet, and desperately slutty. He succeeds in cleaning you up, but keeps on messing up himself even more. Yuzuru delights in rubbing his whole face into your dripping pussy until his eyebrows are sticky, his lids and cheeks are damp, and you feel capable to get up from the pillow.

Despite not being underneath the blanket, you notice that your feet aren’t that cold anymore.

He sits on the bed like a mermaid, huddled close to you. Normally, he would visibly sort his thoughts like that, but now, all he does is blink and nuzzle up against you with his forehead. 

Settling, Yuzuru doesn’t seem to know where to put his hands and you take it as a chance to pepper them with kisses. The back of the hand, the palms, the wrists. It calms you, and it calms him.

You feel entirely drenched, refreshed and relaxed at once. How Yuzuru cuddles against your legs makes your heart warm, and the moment is blissful.

One lavender steam cloud later, you feel like moving again. Maybe there are two restless people in this relationship. The thought of it is funny.

„We could go on a little more,“ eventually, you pat his head. „With something different if you want.“

„Do you still have energy?“ he asks. His breath is somewhat slowing already. It feels hot against your leg.

„More than before, actually.“

He sits up. Looks like you surprised him again. Little does Yuzu know how much he shakes you up.

„Really?“

You nod, twirling at his bangs now.

„I have an idea. So… you remember what’s been waiting in a box for a month.“

You can tell he knows exactly what you mean. No doubt he didn’t take very long to recall it, either. That tells you something.

„Can we use it?“

That answer was fast.

„It’s what I’ve been thinking.“

„We’ve been putting this off but I’m still curious.“

And your guess was correct. It’s definitely been on his mind.

„Yeah, you’re right.“

Promptly, you direct your eyes to the bedroom cupboard to your far left. The one containing various kinds of skating blades in slender packagings, tracksuits in dark colors, fan presents, and mail orders. Among them, a larger jet black box—

That neither Yuzu nor you dared to open given it was a product of a reckless button click at 2 PM.

Admittedly, after Yuzu passed you a way too expensive bottle of sake that he got for his birthday. Since he’s allergic to alcohol, somebody thought she could give it a sure try instead. Pouring $200 into the sink would have been the better option.

Said black box soon sits between the two of you, wide open to reveal the truth of what sake can do.

„Oh man. What have I done.“

That button click comes back to bite you big time.

„This looks, I think, realistic—?“

At least on the surface.

Of course, you drunk fool had to order the ‚sculpted, real-life imitation‘ version. You couldn’t be any more embarrassed. No more alcohol in this flat, that’s for sure. What else to do but take it in stride now that the box is already open, though.

„I uh, think so. At least with the veins.“

„It’s… it is really big.“

At least three times Yuzu’s flaccid size if you don’t hallucinate right now.

„I don’t know how I’m not gonna tear you apart. How many inches are these, 12? My drunk self is too ambitious.“

Maybe you shouldn’t have used that word and said ‚reckless‘ instead. Because ambition surely and habitually triggers a prancing and posing Shia LaBeouf shouting ‚do it!‘ in Yuzuru’s athlete brain. You can see it in his eyes and already regret thinking out loud.

„We can still try.“

„If that’s a good idea or not we will probably see,“ you begin to inspect the contents one by one up close. „I think I bought a weapon.“

„Now I know why they call guns a strap,“ Yuzuru equally peaks over the edge of the box, looking like his future just flashed before his eyes.

„Next time I pass the sake to your coaches or something,“ you end up pulling out the red harness kit that glaringly lays on top of the contents. All looking very adjustable indeed. „That’s what my midnight fantasy seems to look like.“

„Uh—huh!“

Yuzu snakes his hand into the box himself now. Pulling out a transparent, orange-pink 13 oz bottle with a bubbly-looking fluid inside. Gaudy stuff, but a generous amount.

„Mister Lube. My new best friend,“ he says, laying the bottle aside and then pulling off his black PJ shirt. Although he strips quite leisurely, you can tell that Yuzuru is a little tense in his torso. That you will attend to in a minute, you think. But beforehand, you let your eyes roam for something else.

„They probably have something to clean it with in there as well. Let me see.“

You find that even if you might have ordered all this pretty tipsy, the toy set does have its quality. Just before you want to ask Yuzuru to warm up, he visibly ponders, then cleans his pajamas off the bed to make space for a little area.

„If you don’t mind, I stretch my muscles,“ Yuzuru puts aside a couple of plushies, too, but keeps Pooh close, assuming his typical pre-training stances.

He knows himself. That’s good.

„Tell me if you need help for the thigh stretching.“

In the meantime, you ease into the red kit and arrange the box contents on the bed. There seem to be fifteen things going on at once. If this would be public in the slightest, you believe the two of you must look like a bunch of eccentrics to anybody who’d watch you.

Ten minutes later, Yuzuru might just be in Olympic shape, has downed almost half a liter of spring water in one go. You know that he could probably deliver a quintuple jump on the spot if he wanted. The strap-on is all assembled, clean, and you have stored away the practically empty box of sake sinnery.

„I’ll skate cross-eyed and cross-legged tomorrow,“ Yuzu stares right at your crotch, face buried in his palms. Only his eyes peek through the fingers. „Godspeed to my ass.“

You sure as hell won’t disagree. This strap is a threat.

„I don’t know why I had to order supersize out of all possible things. You need a prayer circle after this. Where’s Mister Lube?“

„Here, over here,“ Yuzuru passes over the bottle, shaking it.

„I’ll relax you as good as I can, okay. Before I get arrested for possession of weapons without a license.“

And annihilating Yuzu’s insides with that XXL dick that he sure as hell doesn’t just want halfway in. Lord have mercy. You can only shake your head at yourself for buying this.

„Honestly though. Does it really fit in?“

Yuzu leans his face toward your hip, now on all fours, taking the sight in. He still can’t believe his eyes.

„We’ll see. Let your body decide, not your pride okay,“ you poke the tip of the strap-on into his left cheek. Hoping that it takes away some of the tension, at least. „And you can still tap the mattress.“

„Okay. Tap the mattress.“

He nods quite avidly. Same protocol as always. No spoken safewords, only something that Yuzu can make use of with his reflexes. Speech? Nothing you can both count on as soon as horniness kicks in. 

You tried that for the first two weeks and quickly settled for tapping instead. Especially because Yuzu likes to have fingers in his mouth every so often.

„I mean. You just did like five splits, didn’t you. Warm-ups always help. If your ankle doesn’t fall off?“

That mini workout was more than just impressive, in fact. And still, you eye Yuzuru’s notoriously injured foot. The slim little fella has a long history of recovery behind him.

„The ankle is decent, the usual stuff.“

„I wish we had a smaller toy to start out with,“ you scratch your head. That might be the one thing that’s been missing from the box. „We still have Mister Lube, anyway. Watch this,“ you pick up the orange bottle, flipping the cap open. „It’s actually scented! Worth ruining the bed if you ask me.“

On goes the fluid, you rub it all across the length of the dildo. Must be cherry flavor or something. Yuzuru sure makes big eyes.

„I knew I could count on Mister Lube.“

„Yeah, we use lots. And I’ll be very gentle.“

The cherry scent is gladly much less tacky than the bottle itself, not too artificial-smelling either. You squeeze out a second load and distribute it over the strap-on just to be sure. Yuzuru’s breath goes faster.

„Can I ask something beforehand?“

„Go right ahead.“

„I wanna suck first if you…“

Who knew. The lube probably made his mouth water.

Being honest, you think that it might be a good idea to get this going. Better than blowing his pretty back out right away and making a mistake, even if he is much less tense now.

„I don’t mind, Yuzu. You already have some chapstick on, right? Here.“

You level your hips to line up with his mouth more easily. You can tell that Yuzuru, after some heavy blinking, eventually braces himself. There’s nothing more telling than his tunnel vision plastered all over his face. His eyes, lids heavy, are hypnotized and seem darker. Yuzu’s bedroom gaze is the best in the world.

„Okay, I’ll start.“

A first kittenish lick. A second. A third. Then, brave lips — enclosing the tip. He audibly nips and swallows.

A few more licks, and repeat. Mister Lube seems to taste pretty good. You bless the shady company that manufactures the black box of sin for once. 

You let Yuzu explore, pump his hand around the shaft, lick from all directions he fancies. Compared to his wrist, the dildo doesn’t really fall short in diameter, but with Yuzu’s face up close you are relieved it’s not a complete David versus Goliath match. 

Soon enough, he musters the courage to open his mouth a little wider, cramming a bit more in than just the tip. You can’t deny you’re getting turned on again with the way he slurps and hums around your dick. With the minutes, he becomes bolder, moving his head.

Even if the lube gathers at his chin and seeps down to the bed, he keeps on sucking, now with a first pearl of sweat lingering on his forehead already. You’d never think it’d make him break a sweat. To be fair, he just did fifty jumping jacks in the warm-up.

„Want me to move?“

Two nods. You glide in, let your hips do the work how they want to. You don’t trust your online shopping choices, but your tempo, at least. Yuzuru is making all choked up noises trying to gobble up all the girth he gets, his fingers entangled in your harness. It keeps him in a steady place.

You can work from that, angle a few superficial thrusts into his mouth to get the saliva flowing. The blotch on your bed is already pretty nasty. The slow pace is apt enough to fill Yuzu’s mouth with spit bubbles that begin to foam out bit by bit.

After two more minutes of light back and forth, Yuzuru pulls off to speak.

„Please do it stronger. I don’t mind being hoarse.“

Not a second later, all he does is slurp up a very dripping shaft again. With difficulty jamming it in past the first few inches, but determined, anyway. You didn’t expect anything else.

Yuzu’s lips and eyes are all glossy by now. The portion of lube-infused spit has accumulated at his jaw already, soon to travel down to his throat. 

Stronger, he says. Why not.

„Okay, get ready.“

„M—hm!“

An abrasive jab follows a shallow one. If it wasn’t for the lube, your dick would scrape right down his upper throat. But this way, the first dip goes in with sufficient slip and slide, not leaving Yuzu with too much dick in his neck for long. All your strap-on does is bounce right back.

What you do hear is Yuzu’s gag reflex… claiming its rights. Still understated, but nevertheless there. After three more thrusts, you decide to stay about halfway balls deep, watching Yuzuru squirm, even try to shove in about an inch more by pressing his head forward. His breath is clean and deep through his nose. You put a checkmark on the my-boyfriend-has-asthma list in your mind.

„You look good with a dick in your mouth.“

What is supposedly a ‚thanks‘ ends up as gargling and choking. Yuzuru starts getting wet eyes at this point. Even a little bow of his head is something that doesn’t slip past your attention. Mannered guy, isn’t he. 

That praise makes him do the horniest noises is also something that you make a memo of. Along with seeing how it’s rendering him all aroused. You’ve seen those neck veins and red chin spots come out plenty of times to know.

A couple more thrusts are not a bad option, you decide. Although it seems that Yuzuru had the idea to hollow out his cheeks that very moment. The vacuum first makes your cock plunge in a little too fast than intended, then naturally pulls Yuzu’s head forward once you move your hips back again. 

It’s why the second thrust catches him off guard, flattening his lips and making your dick slide into his throat with air going in. Yuzu ends up choking hopelessly. It doesn’t look like he’s retreating his head in the very least, however.

Instead, you feel his hands grab at your either hip to secure himself in place. A glance from above, slightly angled sideward, shows you just how hard and throbbing Yuzu’s own dick is, tipping against his stomach. 

Once again, you make an impressed-my-dear face that he doesn’t overlook. His cheeks go hollow again and he keeps up the indulgent speed. Increasingly getting rougher and more pain-craving. Messier. Desperate. 

Yuzu opens his mouth wider not to have his teeth get in the way. It’s serious business now. His throat makes the most disgusting, grunting noises. Oh. Shit. Yuzu’s greed and sloppy lips make your body burn up. Soreness is the very least he’s headed for.

„Wow, Yuzu. Wow.“

It’s not something you didn’t know already. This man is without a singular doubt a lunatic. You whisper more praises to him, your hands grabbing hold of his head to sustain the movement rhythmically. 

Yuzu’s gag reflex has proven to only rebel every other thrust so you can pound away, at that time already giving up even the mattress that must be sopping wet to its core with Yuzuru drooling all over it. Too late for a towel altogether but fuck it.

Yuzu takes the choking well. He’s leaking spit all over, surrenders to your hands. Even if he doesn’t manage to deepthroat the entire length of the dick, he manages an awful lot of inches. By now, he’s gotten the hang of not letting too much air in. All while relaxing his muscles. 

Beautiful hums, chokes, little whines. Too bad your phone isn’t close by. Recording this has to be your very next bucket list entry. You’re glad he asked about this.

You go on thrusting for a few more times until you feel your hips going tired. Once his nose starts getting all runny, you naturally slow down even more. Eventually, you help Yuzuru pull his head off. His lips are all puffy.

„B—woah,“ it’s all he can moan and splurt out, and you help him wipe the glob of saliva and snot from his chin with your sleeve. 

Your pajama shirt might be ruined, but not as much as Yuzu’s tonsils. Who knows just how many times you were deep and fast enough to make them throb from all that friction. Seven, eight times? His food for tomorrow can be a light soup at best. Not even you were as sore after riding and sucking every last drop out of his dick last Monday. 

You’re glad he has the rice cakes going through his system right now. Poor onlooker Winnie the Pooh is probably traumatized by now. There’s only so much crazy dicksucking a bear can handle watching. And still, he gazes at the two of you— in good spirits as ever, cheeks big and bright. In a way, he looks like Yuzu in this very moment.

„How you like it?,“ you softly caress his pinkish lips. „I need to know how many stars to leave on the website.“

It takes a few moments until he can form words again. His speech is fast. He’s still staring at the dildo.

„It was in so deep and, and on my tongue. The dick veins, I could feel them. They were like, like, it was massaging my lips. And I almost thought I could swallow it.“

You raise your brows. Lord knows how deep your cock was inside his brain, but he still picks these things up.

„Attention to detail. Nice.“

Maybe 4.5 stars are a fair deal. At least for throat fucking. The rest — remains to be seen.

„Did I do well?“

His eyes widen. The question is genuine. It’s not something you’d think he would ask. Whenever he trained, he would always rely on his own judgment.

„Ask yourself first, you were the one feeling it.“

That’s not the answer he expected, and he ends up getting red cheeks.

„I liked it,“ he stammers. „Was really hot.“

„It’s what I saw, too. Good job, babe.“

He’s blushing even more now.

„Ah— I think I tried my best.“

You smile and cup his slobbery face. So you’ve taken his throat virginity in the most spit-heavy way possible. He looks cuter than ever.

„Listen. You’re a champ. If I could, I would cum deep inside of you.“

„I think, that would be romantic,“ his wet lips break into an upbeat smile. Yuzu’s eyes get all crinkly.

„You bet.“

A big doting kiss for Yuzu’s forehead is the only thing your brain can conjure up at this point, so you briefly lean down to do it. Maybe Shia LaBeouf is not just exclusively at home in Yuzu’s imagination. 

What you have to admit is that Yuzu’s overflowing athlete’s spirit has easily taken over your hips. You didn’t think you could move properly for that long. Maybe you still have some energy reservoirs left.

„And, and now?“

„I can stuff you with more dick. Up to you. Mister Lube didn’t run out yet. And if Pooh still likes watching.“

By instinct, Yuzuru’s hands snake behind his back to grip his ass, stroking what he knows is your delightful next target. You can tell by his eyes that there are a thousand scenarios going through his head.

„Pooh likes this… very much. He’s never seen something like that before. I think he is curious.“

It doesn’t take a Sherlock’s mind for you to know that he means— himself.

„I mean. I was surprised. If that monster fits into your little throat,“ you add, „anything is possible.“

That’s the final straw.

„I’ll do it,“ he says, moments later on all fours, face lowered and then rested sidewards on the bed, spreading his ass cheeks. Decision making when it comes to strap stuff is Yuzu’s forte, you jot that down in your invisible sex life journal. Not one bit of hesitation. By the looks of it, a very twitching entrance is waiting for you.

Testing period is over.

„Alright. I got something to drive home.“

Now that you think of it. If his ass is already only half as naughty as his mouth, you’ll need the help of a higher power.

„Shit. I think, it relaxes.“

At the expense of your mattress and blanket getting even more greasy with lube, you ease in the tip after massaging it into his sphincter. Yuzu’s ass still has to deal with that new sensation given how his leg muscles are going all bonkers. But indeed he’s grown receptive.

„Comfy like that?“

„B—big…“

„Attention, just a little tweak before I go on. Here.“

You softly press down on his spine with your palm entirely flat, and his back obliges immediately. His arch is leaving you breathless. 

Yuzu’s head and chest are snug and soft against the bed while his ass is far, far up. He smiles seeing you venerate his back, he didn’t miss your reaction in the least. No surprise a third of your cock gets sucked into his ass just moments later. It caught you off guard.

Judging by Yuzu’s little yelp and his eyes rolling back, the way you went right into him has found pleasure. The bedposts creak a little because Yuzuru’s legs are shivering. As is his voice.

„I love it, I lo-, please, my, my ass!“

„Can I move?“

„Yes, please!“

The arch did the trick. You love your boyfriend. What follows is a slowly plunging series of rewards, ten, eleven times, pulling at his gripping asshole until it surrenders into going loose. Yuzuru has almost accommodated a third of the length you’re engraving into his ass. You’ll definitely keep using that brand of lube.

„Here, babe. I got a present for your prostate.“

Yuzu is making your favorite lawless face when you hit the spot, controlling the base of the dildo with two your fingers going around it like a cock ring. He looks as if someone just handed him a trophy too big to carry. From his perineum, a thread of lube comes dripping down with a squelching noise. The poor sheets. It’s another virginity taken.

In the meantime, Yuzu grabs hold of the duvet with unsteady hands. His entire torso is nothing but a shaky mess. So erratic. And sweaty. And docile. And beautiful. You want to award him plenty, your little present from above, the jittery boy underneath you.

Pounding away and making him grit his teeth is worth heading for a mean cramp, you don’t care. Watching how your cock is plowing in and out of him at jerky angles with the absolute lewdest, bubbling noises recompensates for anything. 

Yuzu’s rolling eyes have become spaced out and teary, making him look like a crying saint about to enter the golden gates of heaven. Who knew angels had black hair.

With every stroke, his ass becomes every bit accepting to the point of almost glaring open to let you thrust in. Thank God. You compliment yourself on not falling short of the arguably lofty promise to relax him. Moaning Yuzu’s little ass is swallowing it all. 

By the time, his rectum is going hollow and sticky, welcoming every move of yours by giving you ample right of passage. During some thrusts, you don’t even see his sphincter hold on to the dildo at all. His ass is almost as dilated as his loose mouth itself. Your thrusts are working on their own again at this point. What instinct is propelling you, who knows. 

You love the sight and the happy squeals. You tease him with more speed. Not without effect, your hips lunge and aim deep all the more. You penetrate him far enough to start an excavation for ancient relics next Monday. With the tempo increasing, so does the chesty volume in his voice.

„It’s,“ he cries out, „in my belly! Ah! Ah, shit! Shit...“

You see Yuzu let go of the duvet with his left hand. It promptly darts way down to his abdomen where his fingers grope around.

„I can feel it,“ he whines, „It’s rubbing there, it’s a big bump!“

You sure won’t deprive your own hand from that sensation and reach right down, too. Which means leaning forward— and stuffing your strap even harder into his guts. Yuzu gasps out loud. Both your hands meet fondling about, cupping the sensitive area in search for the imprint of the dildo.

What Yuzu says is not understated. His slender little belly is all bulged out in the bottom quarter. Since he’s so thin, it’s almost scary how much your cock just dents him out and twists around.

„Jesus, Yuzu,“ you let your hand roam next to his, even lightly squeezing the area. It’s what really riles him.

What you thought was the maximum for him to take turns out to be nothing but a mere start. Yuzu is so obsessed to feel the bulge more that he starts bucking his ass onto your cock with the most unbridled voice cracks.

You can’t lie. His moans make your jaw drop. His usually so controlled body on the ice is now wrecking and writhing itself to get more dick. 

A thin line of sweat goes on a pilgrimage down his spine already. He impales himself more, gyrates his hips more, whines out more. You wonder how he keeps it together and doesn’t spritz all his cum over the bed and the floor tiles.

It’s the sheer force of will. Always hungry for the next level. You can’t help but admire how enduring he is. And that’s just the first time.

Yuzu’s feet have become agitated on the sheets, responding to every thrust by dangling and swishing around. Yesterday, his right ankle was all stiff and even a bit swollen. Now, it’s moving all over the place. Looks like doggy style is putting all the tension off the ligaments. It’s something else you take deliberate note of.

After five more thrusts and hearing his whimpers getting all drawn-out, eventually, you retreat for a break, letting your cock rest on his left ass cheek. Yuzu inhales, gathering himself. He looks at you with big, glazed bambi eyes. Maybe even a bit incredulous.

„Am I, am I gaping?“

You don’t have to check twice to know.

„All lose. If you knew how far I can see inside of you. Hole new world.“

„Y/N!“

He can’t hold eye contact now.

„Naughty, huh. But I like what I see.“

Goddamn great ass. You firmly smack Yuzu squarely across his right butt cheek. He twitches, clenches, bites his lips more. They tremble.

„Ah! You tease!“

„Want me to put it in again?“

Wild nodding. Looks like Yuzu’s usual voracity on the ice does an easy, albeit not entirely seamless transfer to bed, too. He still ogles what is about to stretch him out again with due respect. He still can’t fathom something this massive was inside of him, you can tell.

Once you start moving again, you notice his feet and thigh muscles violently jerking. His prostate has gotten all sensitive. Probably all spongy and large by now.

You decide to angle yourself differently and take a deep breath. Impossible to draw this out any longer. From the vicinity of Yuzu’s pillow, you grasp the Winnie Pooh plush toy and maneuver it into his awaiting embrace. He holds it tight in an instant.

With impatient hands, you fumble around the bed for the lube bottle until you find it next to his right foot. Two, three, four generous squeezes onto his asshole, not very accurate at all. Several fine, oily traces end up trickling down his inner thighs. You don’t even bother closing the bottle properly anymore. Too much adrenaline.

„Grab those sheets and Pooh, Yuzu, grab hard.“

„I got it!“

„Time I fuck you up. If you’re ready?“

„Yes, make me cum, make me cum! Please break my ass,“ he’s whimpering. So badly. „I want it! I want it all inside.“

Mister Lube has a last job to handle.

Yuzu has crammed three fingers into his mouth once you get a hold of his hair and deliver the last hard movements. He takes the blows all babbling and sucking himself off. How his ass is not completely falling apart by now is a miracle of nature. Or maybe, just the blessing of his daily training.

The room is heavy with the scent of sweat and cherries. He’s loosened his core so much that sliding in is not a question of you avoiding a cramp anymore, but technique. You feel focused to zero in and not miss the sweet, tender spot. It makes him mewl the first time you push your dick tip right into it. 

The second time, his eyes get big and fluttering.

„Please. Please, hurt me,“ he salivates, then eventually, grabs his plush harder. „Hurt me bad. I’m really begging you.“

Fast to oblige, you claw your hands around his waist and pull his body backwards. The ten nails digging into him are only the last needed set-up. The last jab comes in crisp, landing a severe and punctuated shock. Yuzu’s ass smacks up hard at your loins. The pain quickly snakes right up his spine and leaves his face contorted.

„Oh fuck…!“

Small, shaking Yuzu cums like fifty fireworks going off at once. Not even releasing his screams into the duvet really helps to mute out the heaviness of the first waves. You keep your cock right in place and let it buffer into his prostate at will. 

Yuzu’s legs kick and tangle under you like pasta in boiling water. He cries and groans and curses, and cries out even more. You can see his entire back muscles at work now, going like clockwork. His moans each sound so ecstatic, it registers as a different language to you. He spirals far into his orgasm, sobbing, and it looks beautiful.

„Amazing, Yuzu.“

His semen lands all over his sternum and the sheets, shooting out in several bursts, one more pumping than the other. It’s almost as if all that strawberry juice converted nicely into a blotchy, white fluid. 

His dick is still tensing up completely sensitive. Releasing cum, up until his legs stop going all over the place. Yuzu doesn’t let the sperm cool for twenty seconds that he already reaches down to pick it up, jerking his cock a last dozen times, only to bring to his mouth what his fingers collected. He sucks up all of it.

„Delicious, baby?“

„M—hm!“

„So nicely milked.“

His relished expression. You imagine that this must have been how the gods first tasted nectar.

While he licks away, Yuzu goes limp head to toe with you carefully pulling out your dick. Inch by inch. Not pulling. Only gliding.

Once you’ve removed the tip, he collapses into a sniffing, giggly puddle of serotonin. Crying, even when you lend him both your hands to lay his face into.

He’s so gorgeous. 

Breathing hard, sweaty, drooling and messed up. His body is so steamy and loose, splayed out all the way before you. His entrance has turned all pink so beautifully. Hot. As. Fuck.

Most psychologists would envy you for being able to gaze this far into Yuzuru Hanyu’s innermost clenching being. How his ass is going to close until tomorrow’s competition, you don’t know. 

Time to pray he won’t digest these savory cakes too fast. Then again, he didn’t eat properly at all. His body is probably soaking up all the fruit and rice in their entirety. 

You pat his lower back gently, making sure to lay him down into a sleeping position already. Pooh is right by his side. Yuzu’s legs are still so dangly.

He’s really let go completely. You’ve not fucked his ass, but his soul.

You want to thank him for trusting you so much. Beside the shady black box manufacturer. 

The bed is a glorious mess.

Removing the strap-on harness makes you feel just how loosened your own limbs have become, too. Come to think of it, this might be your new heavy-duty workout. None of your friends know you do this kind of cardio involving the best ass in the whole city as your personal trainer.

Yuzu’s butt has turned you into a drenched, wobbly homo sapiens that will probably look in the mirror by tomorrow and proclaim herself a bodybuilder from those sheer muscle burn gains. 

When the two of you show up at the rink tomorrow, you both need hunky guys carrying you in by the armpits or something. 

And the whole world will wonder how Yuzu’s wonky ankle magically recovered overnight but he can’t sit.

Changing the duvet at quarter past twelve with an unmovable Yuzu on top of it seems like a thing of the impossible. It’s soiled, it’s sweaty, it would probably make it to the first page if a reporter ever got hold of it. 

But you take it pragmatically and opt for sleeping on Yuzu’s cleaner side of the bed intertwined. It’s surprisingly dry there. Big laundry day tomorrow, anyway.

The only thing you manage to do is reach for the window to open and to grab a glass of water from the bedstand to share. He’s chugging the remaining half down in one go. His hands? Oh wonder.

More than steady.

He calmed completely. After he puts down the glass, you scoot closer to him.

„Your foot — better?“

„Oh? I didn’t even think about it.“

He wriggles his left leg back and forth underneath the blanket, then concludes with a surprised face:

„It’s turning pretty well? I think you hit a nerve. Maybe you should split me in half more often.“

He shrugs. Yuzu’s serious face while saying that so dryly makes you laugh.

„Looks like it,“ you draw out the open lube bottle from beside you, finally closing the lid. „Do you… need a towel?“

„I just need you. I have to be disgusting for once.“

„I’ll scrape that all off tomorrow before we leave. Hot shower, five tons of shampoo. I’ll be breaking out the stuff you clean your skates with if I have to.“

That makes Yuzu chuckle. In fact, he beams a little.

„Sounds like something to look forward to.“

„I hope you can walk, anyway. Is it painful?“

Your biggest sorrow at this point. Taking his mind off was easy, but now he’s got boneless legs. Your conscience nags you for dicking him down out of all possible things.

„You have your weapon license now. I gotta admit… the last one…“

…was ass destruction 3.0, you complete his sentence in your mind. It’s nothing a normal human being could have stomached. „I’ll manage, though. I still feel my legs.“

„God, how does he do it.“

A smug „He’s Yuzuru Hanyu, that’s how, aw yeah!“  is what you imagine God’s answer to sound like. But instead, all you get is a little smile. Very well, from the little God in your bed.

„Pooh did this. When I squeezed him, I knew I could take it.“

He reaches to the middle of the bed. Five consecutive head pats for the bear plushie and Yuzu looks content already.

„Winning medals with just one working ankle is the same as doing it with a demolished ass to you, huh.“

„It’s not demolished, it’s improved and overhauled,“ he smiles. „Never felt any better. It was really good how you did this.“

It’s his strangest sport philosophy yet. But if you know one thing, it’s that Yuzu’s bizarre body hacks have gotten him the podium every time. You can already see him asking for another strap round before your mind’s eye. Before the next competition, at least.

„You honestly blow my mind.“

„And your dick, tomorrow night,“ goes Yuzu’s cheeky winner grin. There it is. Insatiable how you love it. You already feel the need to google ‚hip thrust strengthening exercises’. 

Maybe, if science advances to that point one day, you honestly clone yourself so double your capacity. And so that you can spitroast him. Maybe you order another dildo from the website and pin it to the wall, anyways.

„Must be Mister Lube who did all of this.“

„I want to buy more of it tomorrow. Any other groceries we need, anyway? I’ll be cleaning the floor, too. I hope I’m not too worn-out after skating.“

„We’ll do one thing after the other, alright. There are still rice cakes left for breakfast, those will get you through the day.“

You’ve seen how much of an energy burst the cakes gave him. 

„I really like those,“ he mumbles, then nuzzles into the pillow, sucking in your hair’s scent. Oh, it’s the moment you waited for. „Snickers diva… happy.“

A very cheery, puffy face slowly comes to rest beside you now, hair going in all directions. Infallible and ever-returning: Professor Yuzu’s explosive hairdo. Pooh is all clingy at his chest. A little worn from all the squeezing, but still with an amicable chuckle. You smile from ear to ear. It’s the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen.

You kiss Yuzuru’s little nose and lips until he’s making sleepy sounds. Either this is a late-night mirage created by your very moan-tested ears, or he is actually purring. You make sure the Pooh plush resting at his chest faces him correctly, then clear away the remaining strawberries, shut the window, arrange the blanket, put on your pajamas properly.

The humidifier whirrs in the background while tiger baby does one last big yawn before drifting off. In a matter of two minutes, maybe even less than that. 

Just as you reach toward the bedstand to switch off the light, Yuzu’s hand curls into your shirt from behind. You turn, he is all dozed off. Not one leg fidgeting. However, talking in his sleep with his hand nestled into your PJs.

„Big hug please, Pooh mama.“

© 2017-2020 submissive-bangtan. all rights reserved. do not repost.  for entertainment purposes only. all portrayals fictive.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Protea (Part 12)

She finds that she can quite effortlessly muster up enthusiasm. The flower shop does bring her a unique brand of delight. A delight that would have probably made Azula happy as well; it has a simple sort of charm that Azula finds relaxing.

Snapdragon strokes her thumb over the pink-purple petal of a foxglove.

“I brought you some snacks.” Mai’s lips quirk into a smile as she arranges a few marigolds upon the counter.

Azula truly does hate to admit it, but she didn’t exactly hate the taste of marigold stems. And Snapdragon finds them quite delectable. So when Mai turns to fetch the sunflowers, Snapdragon takes a single marigold and pops it into her mouth. She lets it dangle between her lips until Mai turns around and grumbles, “it was a joke, you weren’t supposed to eat it again.”

She quirks a brow and takes a bite. Mai ruffles her hair and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Neither Snapdragon nor Azula can seem to get used to the affection. She isn’t sure which part of her the tummy flutters come from.

She finishes eating the marigold as their first customer walks up.

“Mohi!” Snapdragon grins.

“Are ya eatin flowas again?”

She clears her throat and replies, “no” as Mai says, “yes.”

Mohi sighs. “How’s the palace been?”

Snapdragon isn’t sure how to answer this so Azula does it for her, “insightful.” It only occurs to her that this isn’t something that Snapdragon would say after she sees the quizzical look on Mohi’s face.

“They be teachin’ you ta speak like a noble?”

“I picked up on things.”

Mohi nods. “Ya jus’ watch yaself there. ‘N don’t ya go ‘n let ya fingas wanda, that’ll git ya in trouble if ya get caught.”

“We already talked about that.” Mai assures her. “She’s been strictly sticking to things that people don’t want anymore...or things that she was told she could touch; she’s made herself comfortable in Azula’s room.”

“Ya watch ya’self. I can’t protect ya from that one if ya find trouble there.”

A lump forms in her throat. She hadn’t considered how Mohi might take to finding out that she’d been caring for a princess she thought ruthless and cruel. Decidedly she has to be more careful around Mohi, lest she lose her too.

.oOo.

Mai clips at and arranges her flowers as Snapdragon and Mohi catch up. She thinks of inviting the woman and her sons to stay at the palace too, but really the palace isn’t hers to be extending invitations to.

She supposes that all is well enough, Snapdragon will get the best of both worlds. Tonight she is going home with Mohi. It will be drab without her company in the palace. Though it is probably better if she does go back to her own home for a while; Ami hasn’t been taking kindly to her in the slightest.

“The palace is no place for a crude and dirty little cretin.” She’d lamented to Mai. “You had no business bringing her here. You don’t even have a love for your Fire Lord.” She rambles on and on, “or any of the royals, why stay in the palace if you hate the royal family?”

Really, she can’t be bothered to answer the woman. She is there because she needs a place to stay, nothing more and nothing less. Once she gets the shop truly up and running she will get a place of her own and never have to deal with upper ring drama again. Truly, it’s exhausting. Snapdragon is such a refreshing break.

By noon, she doesn’t have much time to dwell upon palace drama; the grand opening of the shop has drawn in a very generous flow of people.

“Can you give me a hand, Snapdragon?”

The woman looks up from her conversation and flashes her a smile and a thumbs up.

“Hold these leaves out of the way while I clip some of the thorns off.”

Snapdragon carefully lifts the petals out of the way and watches Mai pune away the thorns. She sets the clippers aside and Snapdragon lets the leaves fall back in place and set the roses on the window sill.

She sits herself upon the now mostly cleared counter. She reaches for Mai’s hand and Mai takes it.

Mohi clears her throat. “Behave yaself! I’ll be at home waitin’ when the ya shift’s through.”

“M’kay,  Mohi.” Snapdragon answers. She waits until the woman has left to wrap her arms around Mai’s neck and her legs around her waist.

Mai rolls her eyes, “I’m not going to lift you up and carry you if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

Snapdragon shakes her head. Mai is beginning to think that the girl just wants closeness. She pats her back and replies, “we’re going to have to do this after work.” Though she isn’t entirely pleased to have to cut off the woman’s cuddles. Her embrace is warm and pleasant. “Here, have a flower instead.” She takes one of the marigolds and tucks it behind Snapdragon’s ear.

Snapdragon leaps off of the counter. “I can’t believe that your aunt was able to afford this.” She gestures about the store.

“I had Zuko pull a few more strings.” She loathes to admit it.

“He sure helps you out a lot.” She looks almost nervous. “He still loves you don’t he?”

“Well that’s unfortunate for him.” Mai shrugs. “Because I found someone else who is much easier to be around.”

“Who?”

Mai rolls her eyes. “You, Snapdragon.”

Her face flushes. “Oh, yeah. Me.” She tilts her head. “I’m easy to be around?”

“You’re one of the only people I’ve met who isn’t afraid to express yourself.” She wishes that she weren’t so afraid herself. “It’s refreshing, Snapdragon. It feels authentic. Sometimes I think that you’re the only person in the Fire Nation who isn’t full of lies, deceptions, and ulterior motives.”

.oOo.

Snapdragon thinks about it the whole way home. About lies and deceptions. She doesn’t think that she has any ulterior motives. She thinks that she only wants to have an old friend back. She doesn’t think that, that is so terrible and yet it feels all wrong.

She pops into the house to call out that she is heading to her factory. She needs to clear her head. She knows that the factory will help Snapdragon do so and she knows how to clear Azula’s mind.

She is alone in said factory when she tries firebending for the first time in a very long time. It dawns upon her that she likely could have done it this whole time had she not given up so easily after a few failed attempts and some teasing from Zenyul and Kaz.

She lets the fire come to her hands as she has done so many times. It feels right, natural. It curls and laps at the air with fingers of blue and for quite a while Snapdragon only watches it. Mesmerized by that which she created, that which she had grown familiar with and then became a stranger to one more.

She stares at it until the connections are formed in her mind and it becomes an extension of herself once again.

Only then does she take up a stance. This too feels second nature and foreign all the same. She doesn’t exactly recall each and every step in the kata but they come to her as she moves her way through it.

She doesn’t have to think too much. She doesn’t have to think at all. And she is bending.

Bending as she always had in her life before this one.

“Snapdragon?”

She goes completely tense. “Kaz, what are you doing here?”

“It’s gettin’ late ‘n Mohi sent me to git you.” He pauses. “Snapdragon were you…”

She can’t deny it, he had seen it very clearly. Even Azula can’t lie her way out of this one.

“Your fire is…” he sputters. “It’s blue.”

She bites the inside of her cheek. She could accuse him of imagining strange colors where there was only orange. She could accent the accusation by bringing orange fire to her palms. “I just learned to do it.”

“Sure didn’t look like it. It looks like you been doin’ it fer ages.”

She could tell him that Zenyul has been teaching her but she can’t remember the last time that the brothers were apart. She tries to speak but she finds herself at a loss for what to say. The truth is as unbelievable as the lies--perhaps more so even. So she only manages a soft, “don’t tell Mohi.”

She doesn’t think that he is listening. “Blue. Fire.”

She swallows.

“Blue. Fire! Snapdragon, you know who else has blue fire!?”

She knows very well. She knows that there is no ‘who else’, that there is only one person. She just hopes that Kaz won’t arrive at the same conclusion. She doesn’t get to hope for long at all. He stares at with wonder and curiosity. With delight and with hesitance.

She doesn’t expect him to reach out and touch the small scars on her cheek. Doesn’t expect him to run his fingers through her hair, “how’d you do it?”

“How’d I do what?”

He gestures to her face. “I heard rumors that Lady Ursa was able to change her face…”

Her blood runs colder than she thought possible for a firebender. “Kaz…”

“They’s lookin’ for you at the palace ‘n you’ve been there the whole time?”

Perhaps partially so, she had been. “Kaz, I don’t want to go back.”

His brows furrow. “Then why’s you been goin’ back?”

She doesn’t want to go back as Azula. Snapdragon decides that she doesn’t want to be Azula again. Not yet. Snapdragon is happy. Snapdragon is carefree and fun. Azula is not. “Because Mai is there.” But she likes it here. Absently, she takes a step back and leans against the cool metal siding of the building, “I like my factory too.” He wouldn’t take that away from her would he? But, Agni, the bounty reward could buy he and his family a place in the cheaper end of the upper ring.

“Kaz, don’t take me back there.” She doesn’t want to hurt him. She can’t hurt him. She realizes that she is going to lose her family either way; if she lets him run off and tell them who she is Zuzu will come to collect her, Mohi will resent her. If she causes him any sort of harm, Mohi will hate her tenfold.

She takes a deep breath, she will let him run. It occurs to her that they wouldn’t believe him anyways. Snapdragon hasn’t ignited a even a spark, she only has to play ignorant. And it isn’t as though he can simply pry a mask off or wipe away layers of makeup; Snapdragon’s face is her own. She doesn’t have to tell him that no one will believe him. She thinks that he knows. Somehow she thinks that she is being cruel.

“Why would you wanna stay here in this slobby slumtown?” He inquires. She doesn’t think that he wants an answer for he continues, “it isn’t fair; you can leave at any time and you choose to stay here. And I’d like nothing more than to get out of this dump and go somewhere that mama deserves! But I don’t have a choice! We’re stuck in this trash heap ‘cause of you.” He pauses, breathing heavily. “Mama said not to say it because she didn’t want you to blame yerself, but it’s true! We was well off ‘for we took you in.” And in one last burst he adds, “‘n you ain’t even need it!”

But she did need it. She does need it.

She may not need a place to stay, but she needs people to love. The hatred in his eyes only reaffirms what she knows to be true; that she has to be more careful. That Azula can’t come back.  “Please don’t hate me, Kaz.”

[serararku]

Rime and Reason Pt 2

They had to make their way on foot from Falcon’s Nest. Before the last rays of sunlight gleamed on the snow dunes, before the giant ravenous polar bears rose from their caves to begin their night hunts, they ventured out into the bitter cold in single file; how anyone could live beyond the safety of Ishgard and settle down in this unforgiving frozen hellscape- or why- remained a mystery. 

Osric was first in line. As the tallest of the group and the only one who knew where he was going, it was only natural he led the party forward. The torch in his grasp was triple-wrapped with linen and triple-dipped in tar, a blazing orange beacon that remained their only source of light and warmth out here in the Coerthas Western Highlands. S’mira followed closely behind, blinded by the howling wind and snowfall and guided only by clinging to Osric’s belt. Then came Dawn and S’era, who both shuffled to push as much snow out of the way for the final member of the party; Conobharo would have been buried alive if it weren’t for his taller companions paving the way for him.

"This b-b-benighted bauble'd better be worth it!" The Lalafell groaned through chattering teeth as he hectically analyzed the rear front. He could handle wild animals, but the thought of a wyvern swooping down on the party for an easy snack had him on edge. "Any sign o' Bleakpoint, twin-spear?"

A scoff came from the front of the group - though given Conor’s size and location, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hear it. “There’s not much of a sign of anything, excluding snow. With this weather we probably won’t see anything until we’re there.” Osric tightened his cloak around his shoulders before turning briefly to make sure everyone was still there. “But we’re moving in the right direction, and if we keep this pace we’ll make it before dark.” Gaze scanning the seemingly endless expanse of white out in front of them, he scowled, his grip on the torch tightening. “And we need to get there before dark.”

"R-r-reason bein'?" He pried his eyes from the horizon to shoot a glare at the Dragoon; if S’era wasn’t busy stomping down fresh fallen snow so Conobharo wouldn’t vanish in the cold dying light, she would have bopped him on the head for asking such a silly question.

There was another quick glance cast over the Dragoon’s shoulder. “I can hear your teeth chattering from up here, Conor. Do you really want to be caught out here, in the middle of a snowstorm, with no shelter and no viable source of heat - excluding those traveling with you, overnight? Unless you want to be a Lalafellin popsicle, it’s best that we reach Bleakpoint before dark.”

The presence of conversation seemed to soothe the lad. "Hah. I was f-figgerin' 'is place after sundown'd be all 'at c-cold an' darkness, plus some nocturnal beasties what eat yetis an' shite voidsent. As ye were, t-t-torch-bearer." Bringing his overactive imagination to heel, he returned his eyes to the wasteland, one gauntleted hand ready at his greatsword's hilt.

Dawn, arms around S'mira looked back as she rebutted, “S-some sh-shelter is better than n-none! Even a b-battered building would be b-better than being out in the open like this!” 

S'mira silently obliged as she led Dawn on in the strain as the group trudged on until she finally said something, breaking herself from that quiet set of self mantras and self motivating to address Dawn, “Best to keep moving, if we stop we might not get back up and moving.” the Miqo’te chattered.

S'era lifted her straw hat and took in a deep breath; she almost suffered a brain freeze, but the rich aroma of salted meat sizzling in an oven was unmistakable. "Gods… do you smell that?! We must be close! We have to be!"

Hard-packed snow gave way to loose rocks and solid stone, with the sudden steep incline taking them out of the snow entirely; before they knew it they were back on the road like it had been under their feet this entire time, the freshly-fallen snow turning to steam when they neared the enchanted cobblestone pathway. With nowhere else to walk, they followed the crevasse with six feet of snow on either side, until they took a sharp turn between some withered trees and under naked branches to find themselves staring down the familiar- and welcome- sight of a village.

Bleakpoint was larger than any of them anticipated. Two dozen buildings were visible at first glance, with possibly twice that many further along the path that cut the village straight down the middle. Chimneys were billowing smoke from lit fireplaces, lanterns swung and shook in the frigid wind, and the aroma of cooking meat wafted along their noses, beckoning them closer to the tavern near the start of the village. Yet there was something off about Bleakpoint; the fires were lit, the lights were on, but… “Where is everyone?” S’era blurted out, squinting her eyes to see through the fogged windows. All five of them stood on the edge of the perimeter- in a relatively safe distance.

"May'ap they're all gathered in the pub for a town feast?" Conobharo found it difficult to focus on anything other than the aroma of food, yet the icy bite of the climate kept him lucid. "But… 'ow's a town like 'is get a reputation for bein' poxed by the damned? Summat ent addin' up 'ere. Fink we should 'ead in an' investigate?"

“I’d suggest approaching with caution. The village didn’t get its reputation by being hospitable.” Osric’s eyes narrowed as he looked over the village - loosening his cloak before handing it back towards Dawn. “You need this more than I do - and it’ll only get in the way if fighting breaks out. I suggest everyone stay close and keep an eye out - there’s...more to this town than may meet the eye.” The healer welcomed the additional warmth, clutching the edges of the cloak near her neck.

The Plainsfolk nodded with a grunt, retrieving his weapon from its rime-coated sheathe. Immediately S’era placed her hand on Conobharo’s shoulder to stop him. “Whoa-ho-ho-ho, buddy. Easy there… five foreigners walking into a village with their weapons drawn isn’t exactly a good look.” She gave everyone else a glance for confirmation. “Let’s be careful… but let’s not jump the gun, okay?”

Dawn arched a brow, “Look, it’s freezing outside so it makes sense no one is about, let’s not all get suspicious at everything…” she commented flatly. Everyone aside from her seemed to be a seasoned adventurer, perhaps she was wrong, or perhaps they had dealt with too many worst-case-scenarios. Regardless, in the moment, she felt that there was some level of overreaction without having assessed the situation further. “Maybe we should knock on some doors and ask around if we don’t see anyone else as we get to the center of the village. But… either way… we should probably find a place to stay at least...”

"Ugh...fine, fine, I'll keep me steel at me back… fer now. But keep yer 'eads on swivels. I ent hesitatin' if'n the locals try anythin' fecky." Conor's gaze fell upon the inn. "What say we pop in an' see who's cookin'?"

While the lot had been busy chatting and debating, little-ol'-S'mira had already wandered up to one of the doors and gave the cold wood three loud knocks, tucking her hands under her arms for warmth as she awaited a reply, perhaps some motion within. The tension was palpable and even S'mira found herself readying to draw chakram at a moments’ notice. Dawn considered perhaps it was this very intuition they all held that separated her from the rest of the group- they were wary and on guard; she just wanted to get out of the cold.

Creeeeaaaaaaaak….

The door slowly swung open with a loud whine, hanging off one hinge and just about ready to fall off. A burst of that succulent aroma and the warmth of a fireplace rushed out to caress their faces, but it was uncomfortably dark inside. S’mira and S’era naturally went in first, the Miqo’te deciding it was best to put their sharpened senses of sight and hearing to good use; slowly but surely they checked their corners and stepped over the threshold, finding themselves before an untouched banquet. As S’mira kept along the walls to keep herself from getting ambushed from behind in the dark, or from above on the rafters, S’era cast her mudra on her uchigatana and set the blade aflame. Both Miqo’te almost had a heart attack when they saw the twinkling eyes of the Elezen barkeep standing behind the counter and cleaning a glass like it was a slow Tuesday.

“Come in, come in!” He gave them a wide grin, setting the glass he was cleaning down and beckoning them closer. “Feast! You must be hungry after traveling so far? Have your fill! It’s on the house!”

Osric, Dawn, and Conobharo hurried in once they heard the stranger’s voice. They gawked at the giant polar bear gutted and roasted on the long table, surrounded by apples, melons, and other unrecognizable fruit. There were already plates set for a party of two dozen, and the rich scent of salted meat was almost too tempting to ignore.

"Sweet mother Tutuli, I ent seen a feast like 'is in years!" Conor caught his enthusiasm by the tail, remembering that he was still in an allegedly blighted town.

“You… made all this?” S’era asked, dipping the edge of her sword in a nearby oil lantern to illuminate the tavern better. “Are you expecting company?”

“Weary travelers like yourselves must be exhausted.” He continued, turning to grab five mugs to set on the counter. “And thirsty. Can I get you something to drink? Ale? Rum? Wine? Scotch?”

Dawn giddily bounced ahead of the others, her voice laced with hopeful optimism, “Oh! Do you have hot chocolate?”

“Of course! Hot chocolate, and ice cream, and coffee, and tea! Anything your heart desires!” He began to shuffle into the back of the tavern. “I’ll be right back with some!” He called out, vanishing into the darkness.

S’era eyed the banquet with suspicion. “How many taverns do you know that just… give food and drink away like this for free? Especially when they had no idea we were coming…”

"The right bleedin' odd kind. I advise ye lot against eatin' a scrap 'at bizarre bugger gives ye." Conor had watched the barkeep until he was no longer in view, then ambled over to the fireplace.

The healer tapped her cheek, “Isn’t this a blessing? We were cold, I’m sure some of us were hungry…” she could hear S'era’s stomach growling. “I mean… it was weird that it was so dark inside but maybe they didn’t want to burn extra oil or attract anything dangerous, especially since there were no customers inside there would be no reason to keep all the lamps lit, right?”

“Mmmn… I suppose that makes sense…” S’era slowly slid her sword back into her scabbard and warily approached the table. “... but he was just… standing there in the dark. He didn’t even say anything until we spotted him…” It smelled good, real good, and the thought of feasting on exotic bear was making her salivate. Gingerly she reached over with the carving knife and sliced herself off a piece, taking another sniff of her plate before glancing over her shoulder at the group. “We should ask him about the missing travelers to this place. He might know something.”

“I mean… did you want him to startle you in the darkness first? Oh! Yes. That’s a good idea.” 

S’era was still suspicious, but by the third deep growl of her stomach, she couldn’t resist the free meal any longer. She pulled out a chair and sat down, helping herself to the juicy bear flanks and all the fruit she could fit on her plate. She took another sniff of her meal before biting down, causing her ears to flatten along her head and a low purr rolled from her throat. “Godsh… sho good…!”

Conor stared daggers at the Miqo'te. "Godsdamned fool…" he muttered beneath his breath. He had half a mind to smack S'era one good, but elected to watch things play out, folding his arms.

Watching S’era was enough to make her stomach churn as S’mira witnessed the other Miqo’te woman chow down. She hadn’t forgotten the conversation on the way here. Conor speaking about the ‘some void-touched shire’, S’era and the others suggesting curses and it being haunted. Stilling at the back of the room S’mira seemed to observe where she could even against the small rumble in her stomach that begged for a nibble.

“Ah, you like it?” The barkeep returned with a long glass of chocolate milk. He scooped whip cream from a bucket beneath the counter and spiraled it out on top before setting it down next to Dawn. “Dig in, everyone! Enjoy! Can I get you something to drink, ma’am?”

“Wine pleash!” S’era joyfully raised her hand, her cheeks puffed out with food.

Osric kept his lance firmly in his grasp, along with the torch. “People have ventured out here only to disappear.” He watched the barkeep like a hawk. “Do you know anything about it?” The hot chocolate almost reached Dawn’s lips before she heard the Dragoon, pausing to listen at his somber tone.

“No one’s come by in a few weeks. Maybe they got lost out in the blizzards that have been going on and off all year.” He popped open a bottle and poured crimson wine into another tall glass. “Come, eat! Don’t you want to join your lovely companion? I know you must be hungry, eh? Don’t be shy- have your fill!”

He smiled across the room at the Lalafell, who glowered at him a moment before stating, "I ent got much of an appetite."

The Dragoon rubbed at his chin thoughtfully; it would be rather unlikely to find any corpses frozen in the snow with how much they had to dig through, but not a single person made it to the village? “Can I get you some wine as well, friend?”

“Aye.” His scowl never left his face, but the barkeep was clearly unarmed, so he didn’t have to worry about getting attacked- not by this man at least. He gave another glance in S’era’s direction, who was purring loudly as she stuffed her face. Keeping his gaze locked on her, he leaned his lance against the counter, reached out, and firmly took the offered cup. “My than-” His eyes drifted down to the crimson wine; it was murky and thick, more like watery ketchup than the wine he was expecting. “What kind of wine is this?”

“A-ah, an old vintage.” He gestured for Osric to drink it. “Won’t you try it? I assure you it’s the smoothest wine you will ever taste!” He raised the glass up to his lips while he stared at the barkeep, and held it there for a few seconds before extending his arm as an offering. 

“You first.”

“What? Me?” The barkeep pointed at himself. “No thank you, I… swore off the stuff myself. B-besides, it’s bad business to drink your own wares, don’t you agree?”

“You said this feast was on the house.” Osric gestured for him to take the glass again. “Isn’t that bad for business too? Go on, tell me how it tastes.”

“I-is everything alright Osric?” His grim countenance and tone concerned Dawn as she watched the tense interaction. He didn’t answer, instead the Dragoon stared at the man in a chilling silence. Even in the dim light from the lit lanterns he could see small beads of sweat glistening on the Elezen’s forehead. The Lalafell's hand drifted toward his weapon.

“Drink.” He repeated, pushing the cup into his hand.

A horrid realization came over the healer as her eyes widened, turning to look back at S’era. Slowly the Miqo’te stopped chewing, her eyes darting between the exchange before settling on Dawn.

Slowly the barkeep opened his mouth to speak, but his face grew paler each passing moment, and he was trembling in his boots. “Y-you look h-hungry… g-go on… eat the f-f-f-food…” Conor's fist clenched upon his hilt.

Without hesitation Osric snatched his lance from the countertop and stormed straight to Dawn; with a raised gauntlet he slapped the drink out of her hands and tossed her plate across the room away from her, before turning to S’era, his eyes flashing in the lantern’s light. “SPIT IT OUT! IT’S POISONED!” She gawked at Osric in a stunned stupor, her eyes growing wide with fear. He didn’t waste any more time- he quickly stepped around the table and yanked the glass of ‘wine’ from her hand before tossing its contents onto the floor. S’era spit out everything that was in her mouth, but Osric still grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved his finger into the back of her throat; everything she ate since waking up this morning came spewing out onto the table, splashing on the roasted bear and dripping down the tablecloth. 

“No…!” The barkeep let the cup slip from his hand as he slowly made his retreat into the back. “No no no…! You could have been taken painlessly in your sleep… now you will feel every tooth and talon…"

Dawn snapped out of her shock and stupor, reaching for some vials inside her pouch, she started talking to herself, symptoms and treatments for different ailments aloud to focus and calm her nerves. She finally clacked a vial into an injection device she kept on her person and without warning stabbed the generic antidote into S’era’s neck. “Twelve… I hope this works.” She uttered an incantation in an attempt to increase efficacy. She held onto the injector and S'era, “Beneficent wind, please bless this unworthy child with a sliver of your healing grace, Esuna!” The grind of a blade being loosed hummed from beside the fireplace. 

“After him!” Osric commanded, but by the time he looked back, the man had vanished. S’era slumped over on Dawn, coughing and gagging on spit and vomit as she desperately tried to catch her breath. “Where did he go?! We have to go after-!"

"AAAASHOOOL GOOORRRRAAAAAAUGGGH THUUUUUMMMM!"

The floorboards shook from a deep guttural roar below. Something huge in the basement stirred from the dark and began slamming against the floor beneath their feet. The party exchanged wary glances, but the following silence only lasted a moment.

The floor beneath the feast swelled and cracked, sending splintering wood and dust into the air as the table slid down toward S’era and Dawn to smash them between the back of the tavern and the banquet. The Miqo’te had just enough reaction time to sweep Dawn’s legs out from under her and flatten them against the floor, letting the table slide over them harmlessly. Then just as the bulge reached its peak, it collapsed into itself, causing a sinkhole to form in the center of the tavern. “Go! Go go go!” Osric shouted over the rolling growls coming from below. Conobharo cleaved through a sliding table and leapt out of the nearest window while Dawn carried S’era toward the window closest to them as well, allowing the Miqo’te to smash it open with her blade as they hobbled out into the dark. S’mira took a few calculated steps back, before dashing forward to launch herself clear over the sinkhole and into Osric’s outstretched embrace; the Dragoon wasn’t about to wait around and find out what was making that ungodly noise, and with a heavy kick to the old door, he ripped it out of its hinges and dove into the snow outside.

---

Collaborated with: @hadriel-ffxiv​ @osric-slater-ffxiv​ @smira-asah-xiv​ @conobharo-cobharo-xiv​

[darlinvandijk]

It’ll be okay

Concept: request where “reader is struggling a lot with her mental health and cries a lot at night when she’s alone. Kinda based on his song “unsaid””. So trigger warning, this will involve anxiety, depression, and overall struggle with mental health. This is an extremely personal piece for me, if it’s personal to you too, just know I love you. Things get better. Sorry this took me so long, it was hard for me to write. i hope you enjoy

Another day passed, another blurry, and grey day. Today was just like the rest of my days lately, numb and pain filled. It might sound like an oxymoron, being able to feel pain while being numb, but trust me it’s possible. Everyday has been filled with emotionless conversations on my behalf, fake smiles and laughs, but no one seems to notice the endless amounts of suffering I’m going through alone. They haven’t even seemed to notice how this whole holiday break, I’ve been “busy” everyday they tried to meet up. I wish they would notice, because the lord knows I won’t ask for help. Maybe it’s better they don’t notice, I wouldn’t want to be a burden to my own friends.

Every day I wake up, feeling nothing but a heavy sense of dread weighing me down. My body just being dead weight that I carry around throughout the daily tasks that I can barely bring myself to do, majority of my day spent in and out of sleep. All I do is sleep, it’s the only way to avoid the real world, and even then I can’t always avoid it when my problems follow me into my dreams. I don’t even think I dream that much anymore, my brain not even being able to muster up the energy to do that. The little bit of energy I have is used up most nights by the sobs that silently shake my body, usually trying to be as quiet as possible to not alert my parents, or it’s used up by the more frequent than ever panic attacks. They use up more energy than I have, leaving me a shaky tear streaked mess, too terrified to even move after having one. Let’s just say these past two weeks we’ve been on break,have only lead to everything becoming worse, all I can do is stay in my room and let these words in my head tear me down. I’m broken.

I sit on the floor of my room, music softly filling the space as I lean against the wall, ignoring the tears that seem to never go away. I silently watch my phone, the endless stream of texts and group chats getting blown up, not being able to find it in me to respond to them. Not like they’d notice if I replied anyways, too enticed with the bottomless amount of party invites. I let out a choked sob, wishing I could feel the happiness they feel, envying the way they get to experience life. I don’t want to be envious and jealous of them, but when your brain is wired a certain way, making even the smallest things a struggle, it’s hard to not be a little green towards your friends. I feel all these emotions running through me, my tears just streaming down my face, yet I’ve never been more emotionally detached and numb.

I stare at my phone as it lights up with an incoming call, instantly tensing when I see the name that pops up across my screen, one of the many people I’ve distanced myself from again. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves and steady my uneven breathing, hoping I can hide my pain filled state. I lift the phone shakily to my ear, “Hey rueloff, what’s up” I cheerily spit out, feeling the fake emotions drip off my words. I hear him take in a breath on the other end, before letting out a light sigh, causing me to freeze at the underlying disappointment radiating off of him. The one person I never wanted to disappoint or bother. All I can seem to do is disappoint people.

“I’ve tried to give you space the last two weeks, but I’m done letting you ignore my calls and texts. What’s going on with you?-” Ruel questions instantly, leaving no room for argument. I sit there silently, completely unsure on how to get myself out of the mess I’ve made. I start trying to pathetically defend myself, only to be interrupted, “don’t give me that bullshit, you haven’t been busy. You always tell me that everything is fine, but you don’t have anywhere to hide now, and you know that.” He snaps out. I feel my eyes get watery at the frustration he feels, even though I know he’s not mad at me, he’s just frustrated that I’m not letting him in. He’s frustrated that I’m going down the same path again, the same path I’ve been down many times before.

“I’ve just been tired lately, not in the mood to socialize and stuff, that’s all..” I mumble, my words left hanging in the air as they pierce through the heavy silence. It’s quiet for a few more seconds, just enough time for my bottom lip to wobble, tears yet again filling my eyes to the brim. I squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my lips tight together, trying to cut off my emotions. I try to take in a quiet breath to even my breathing out, only for it to come in staggered, causing Ruel to instantly hold his breath. The silence was deafening.

“Why don’t you ever wanna talk about it? Can’t you see that I’m trying my hardest here, I’m trying to get through to you, but you always fucking find a way around it. Please just let me help.. please” he quietly lets out, the crack in his voice causing a sob to rack my body. Knowing I’m hurting those around me, when that’s the one thing I’m trying to avoid, is tearing me apart. I don’t want the people I love to be hurt, I’m not worthy enough for them to care that much anyways. I never wanted to hurt the people around me and I never wanted to disappoint them. I never wanted to end up like this.

I sit there silently, my phone laying on the ground next to me on speaker, listening to the sound of Ruels shaky breathing. I hear him take a deep breath, causing my quiet sobs to pause as I listen, knowing he’s about to say something. “I’m coming over. I can’t let this just hang over my head anymore.” He states, ending the call before I can even object to his plans. I sit there against my wall, numbly staring straight ahead, unable to even find the motivation to get up and try to tidy my room up. I mean fuck, I don’t even have the motivation or energy to get up and brush my hair. It’s not like there’s even a point in trying to look better and clean my room, he already knows the truth, he already knows it’d just be a facade to hide the actual state I’m in.

I get the energy to numbly shuffle across my room to change my clothes, I’ve been in them for about 4 days now, and the least I can do is make sure I’m in something clean. I slowly undress, not even realizing what I’m doing, my body just going on autopilot. I grab one of Ruels hoodies off a hanger, pulling it over my head, before shakily putting on a pair of shorts. My legs slightly wobble as I make my way to my bed to sit down, feeling weak from my lack of food lately. I’ve lightly snacked on a few things my mom has brought me over the past couple of days, but just couldn’t bring myself to fully eat anything. It wasn’t even that I didn’t want to eat, it’s just that I couldn’t bring myself to even move in order to do so. I haven’t showered. I’ve barely even brushed my teeth. I haven’t brushed my hair. I haven’t done anything. I don’t want to do anything. I can’t do anything.

I don’t even realize the time that has gone by until I hear footsteps leading up to my bedroom door, snapping my out of the thoughtless trance I was in. I’m sitting against my headboard, knees pulled into my chest, as my door is slowly pushed open. Ruel enters the room, his eyes wandering over everything, before they rest on me. He stands with his back against my now closed door, watching me with a observant gaze as he tries to read the situation. I silently stare back, not having the confidence to make the first move, especially when I’ve never been confident when it comes to talking about my mental health. Especially when it comes to talking about it with people close to me, it’s too intimate and leaves me vulnerable.

He slowly walks to the bed, slipping his shoes off, before climbing up and sitting next to me. We both stare at the wall straight ahead of us, shoulders pressed against each other. Surprisingly it’s not an awkward silence, but rather one filled with understanding, since he seems to know that this situation is a lot harder for me than I’ll ever admit. We sit in silence for who knows how long, our shoulders rising and falling together with our quiet breaths, my music softly playing in the background. As we sit there together, I feel my throat start to tighten up, the anxiety for what’s to come next finally reaching surface. I continue to look at the wall, feeling my bottom lip quiver, as tears start to fall down my face in a never ending river. A choked sob brutally makes its way out of my throat, disrupting the silence we had been sitting in, and shifting the air around us. Ruel continues to stare at the wall, but softly reaches his hand out to intertwine it with mine, putting as much reassurance into it as he can.

“Sweetheart, you need to let me in. I can’t help you if you don’t let me... what’s going on?” He whispers to me, pulling me into his chest. The tears continue to steadily stream down my face, my back pressed against his chest, and my hands clutching his arms that are wrapped around my chest. He holds me tight against him, his own eyes watering a little as he feels the sobs rip through my body, knowing there’s nothing he can really do to make this all go away. I feel my anxiety and anguish rise at his question, because I have no real answer for him. I don’t know why this is happening, I don’t know why I feel this way, and I don’t know how he can help me. All I know is that it hurts. It hurts so fucking much.

“I-I dont know. I don’t know why this is happening or why it keeps happening... I don’t want it to keep happening-“ I whimper out, hiccuping as I try to keep going. Ruel starts to slowly rock us side to side, having felt the way my body tensed up as I tried to explain my feelings. I turn my head to look at him, his eyes clearly showing distress as he takes in my shattered expression, which only break more as I keep going. “How is anyone s-supposed to help m-me when I can’t even h-hell myself. I-I want it to s-stop. I don’t want to feel like t-this anymore, it hurts. I-it never gets better. I-it just keeps hurting me... it hurts” I sob out, my cry for help clear as day. A few tears fall from Ruels eyes down his cheeks, his heart breaking as he realizes everything I’ve been going through alone, as he realizes just how much it’s truly breaking me.

“I promise you won’t feel like this forever, it feels like it right now, but it won’t always be like this. We’re gonna get you help, yeah? We’re gonna get you help, so that it stops hurting, and you’ll be able to see just how important you truly are.” He promises me, holding me as tight as he can against him. I want to believe him, I truly do, but I’ve felt like this for so long that I just don’t have hope anymore. Ruel notices my lack of reply, deciding to instantly start pleading with me, “No, you can’t give up on me. You promised me when we were little, that you would be by my side forever. You don’t break promises. We’re going to get you help and I’ll help you too. I won’t quit until that day you can fall asleep at night without crying or feeling alone, because you’re not alone. So many people care about you” He whimpers out. I grab his hand with both of mine, holding it as I clutch it to my chest, feeling all the pain I’ve been pushing away rise to the surface.

“If so many people care about me.. then why do I feel so alone. All I do is hurt everyone around me. You wouldn’t feel like this if it wasn’t for me..-“ I choke out, his hand instantly gripping both of mine as they stay clutched against me, neither of us taking notice to my playlist coming to an end. I hear him take in a breath, but cut him off before he can say anything, “I just want to feel normal. I don’t want to keep hurting and keep wondering what I could change about me to be better.. why can’t I just be good enough” I whisper. It almost echos in the now silent room, leaving a haunting feeling behind, my words holding a heavy meaning as they linger. I hear his shaky breathing and feel it against the back of my neck, his arm tightening around me.

“Don’t say that. You are good enough, you’re more than good enough. Without you I would have never experienced some of the best moments of my life, I wouldn’t be who I am without you. I’m not me without you. You’re the biggest blessing in my life.” He mutters into my ear, feeling my sobs start to subside, leaving me resting against him with his hand still gripped between mine. He presses a light kiss to the side of my head, not knowing how to fully express his feelings, especially when it comes to a topic this hard. “You’re not alone, you’ll never be alone, because you’ve got me for the rest of our lives. I promise.” He states, a tone if finality in his voice. I give him a shaky nod back, wanting more than anything to feel whole again, even if I don’t fully believe it right now.

“I just don’t want to hurt anymore.. that’s all I want.” I softly plead, hearing the desperation lacing my voice. Ruel completely pulls me into him, holding me as desperately as I’m holding him, both of us gripping for any sort of comfort. I turn to him and stare into his lightly red rimmed eyes, uttering anguish filled question, “can things ever truly get better?” I whimper out. He instantly places his hands against my cheeks, pressing his forehead against mine, giving me no option but to stare into his emerald eyes.

“Yes. Things can and will get better. All you need is a little help, because even the strongest people need help.” He confirms, watching the way my hesitant eyes regard him. I can feel his hands shaking as they keep their firm grip on my face, my own hands shaking as I hold onto his forearms. We stay in this position, foreheads against each other, and hands holding onto one another as he waits for me to reply. As he desperately pleads and prays in his head for me to pull myself out of this dread filled fog that covers my brain. It’s not that easy though.

“If things get better, why doesn’t it feel like it? Why doesn’t it feel like I’ll ever be okay again.” I barely manage to get out before my face is in the crook of his neck, and he’s holding me firmly in his arms. He presses soft kisses to the top of my head, wanting nothing more than to take away my pain, but knowing this is only the start of a long grueling process. The start of a process that’s going to have more ups and downs than anyone could possibly imagine.

“Because your brain isn’t ready to accept it yet, which is why I’m here. I’m going to be the encouraging and strong part of your brain to keep you going, until you can do it on your own. I’m going to fight for you to get better, until you can fight it on your own, with me on the side cheering you on. I’ll take you to whatever appointments and sessions you have to go to until you feel like you again.” He promises, my breath hitching with emotion as I truly take in how much he cares about me and is believes in me. Before I can reply to him, he starts talking again, “recovery isn’t an overnight process love, it’s fast for some people, but long for others. It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be stressful, but I promise you’re going to do it. You’re the strongest girl I know and I love you.” He concludes. I nod against his neck, gripping onto him as he slowly slides us down my bed, stopping once we’re fully laying down with me resting on top of him.

“It’s hard for me to truly believe everything you’re saying right now, but I promise I’ll try my hardest. I want to get better, I want to get better for me, and for all of you-” I mumble back, feeling my eyes start to droop as the exhaustion from today’s events finally kicks in. He slowly starts combing through my hair with one of his hands, the other tracing patterns into my lower back, neither actions helping in my fight to stay awake. “Thank you for not giving up on me. I love you more than anything. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I just wish I could fly through this recovery thing, because it hurts Ruel. It hurts to keep feeling this way everyday” I sleepily mutter. He softly sighs out, knowing that I’ll be okay one day, but also knowing it’s going to take awhile till I get there.

“It’ll be okay. I promise.” He whispers, his words hanging in the air as we both drift off into a well deserved night of sleep, holding each other with nothing but love in our hearts.

Everyone deserves happiness and peace, everyone deserves to live a full life, and everyone deserves to see what the world truly has in store for them. One day I’ll believe I deserve it too.

[feathers-and-fisticuffs]

Surprise Visit...

[chapter list here]

Basil held Rose’s hand under the table, good leg bouncing nervously as he tried to keep up with the conversation.  Everyone was talking so quickly, and there were so many numbers, and terms, he couldn’t keep track of them all.  He hoped Rose wouldn’t try to ask him to add to the conversation, he was completely lost.

Rose gave him a quick smile and squeezed his hand as someone else started to talk, reassuring him that it was going well, and he was doing a good job.

“Yes, I agree.  I think that if we were to--”

Rose’s thought was cut short as the door slammed open.  “Chairman Rose, Sir, I -- “  Bede stepped inside confidently, until he realized he was interrupting, and his shoulders hunched.  “I’m sorry, Chairman, I didn’t realize...”

Roses’s smile never faltered, but the look in his eyes quickly changed.  “Young Bede... You’re interrupting.  Where are your manners?”

“I’m sorry sir.”  He stared at the floor, sulking over at Rose’s beckon and taking a seat on his other side silently.  Basil watched him hide his face in the collar of his coat, the eyes of the board members all on him.  He straightened up his posture and looked back towards the group at the table.  If he wasn’t on his best behavior, Oleana would punish both of them for this...

Bede held the letter in his shaking hands, severe eyes barely making it past the first line before he was overcome with the urge to rip the letter into a million pieces and never look back.  But he knew he wouldn’t do that.  He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He took a deep breath, and started the letter over.

Dearest Bede,

I hope this letter finds you well.  I know must not mean much coming from me right now, but it is the truth.  You have been at the forethought of my mind since our argument at Stow-on-Side, and I will be eternally grateful to Opal for opening her home to you, and seeing to it that you’ve been safe in my absence.  It warms my heart to have seen how far you’ve come as a trainer, and now a gym leader.  I always knew you’d find your place in the world.

I know It’s hard to understand, but believe me when I say, things are better this way.  For you, and for Basil.  I want you to remember me as someone who did everything I could to keep you safe.  Everything I did, I did for you.  For Galar.  Sometimes in life, we have to do the right thing, even if that makes us the villain.

I’m not asking you to forgive me.  I’m not asking for your pity.  I only wish that you know how much love I have, for you and your brother.  From the bottom of my heart, truly, I am sorry.

Your loving father,

Rose

Bede was gripping the fancy paper so hard it was starting to crumple in his grip, anger coursing through him like boiling water.  How dare he?  The nerve!  He abandoned them!  He can’t just drop them like they were nothing, only to come back when he wanted something!  He scanned the letter again, searching for a clue of what possible motive could be behind the sudden letter.  Why now..?  Why...?

He was brought back to the present by a sharp stab to his chest.  He looked down, smiling slightly as his Rapidash nudged his chest again with her horn, looking concerned.

“I’m alright.  There’s no pain there you’ll be able to heal...”  He pet her mane gently, though he didn’t think the healing energy his Rapidash tried so often to use could heal a heartbreak, the act of trying was healing enough.  He leaned back against her and shoved the letter in his pocket.  “I know, I know.  You’re worried.  You’re always worried about me, sweet thing...” 

He laid his head back against her flank and looked up at the stars, listening to the sounds of his team running and playing as they camped in the deep, dark center of the Glimwood Tangle.  Sylveon hopped up into his lap and curled up, licking his hand.  

“You’re worried too, huh?  Is it that obvious?”  He chuckled.  “Well don’t worry about me.  I’ll be okay.  If you’re gonna worry about someone, worry about... Basil.”  He sighed.  “Arceus, don’t send him a letter Rose... Don’t do this to him...”

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

“KABU!”  Basil kept an arm up, trying to shield his face from the whirlwind of sand making it impossible to see a thing.

“It’s okay, keep going!”  Kabu called through the swirling debris.  “Keep going!  Trust in your pokemon!”

A maniacal laugh tore through the blinding storm, and Basil turned towards it.  “There!  Go!”  He pointed, and Scorbunny and Nickit dissapeared into the storm too.

There was a quiet sound of confusion, but he didn’t hear the sound of an attack being made,  Suddenly, it was quiet.  Too quiet.

“Scorbunny?!  Nickit come back!”  He called, and in the same breath let out a cry as two claws grabbed him under his arms and lifted him into the air.  “HELP! NO!”

The storm began to clear, revealing two very confused looking Pokemon looking dazed and lost.  On the other side of the gym stood the Dragon Tamer himself, hands on his hips, laughing at Basil who was now dangling in the air, being held up by Raihan’s Duraludon.

“Close!  You almost had me that time kiddo!”  He teased, stepping up in front of him and poking his stomach with a grin.

Basil kicked at Raihan’s hand.  “Stohop!  Tell him to put me down!”  He pouted.  “Kabuuuu tell him to put me dooown!”

Kabu laughed from the sidelines.  “You didn’t trust your Pokemon enough!”  He called, which made Raihan laugh again. 

 “Okay, you’ve had your fun you can put him down now.”  He ruffled Basil’s hair, laughing as a dust cloud poofed up from him.  “You’re gonna need a bath after today!” he teased.

“Ugh...”  He dusted himself off.  “I’m never going to be able to do this...”

“Sure you will buddy!  Just keep practicing!”  Raihan encouraged.  “You’re a strong trainer, you just need to trust yourself more.  Don’t second guess yourself!”

Kabu pat his back.  “Head for the showers, kid.  You did good today.”  

Basil smiled at the praise and grabbed his cane.  “Thanks Mr. Raihan...”

“Any time kiddo!  Always up for a good spar!”

Basil waved shyly before rushing out of the gym with his Pokemon following close behind.  He was in an exceptionally good mood today, the excitement of the exibition matches happening over the weekend were already getting to him, the chance to meet the rest of the gym leaders was exciting enough as it is, but knowing that Bede would be in town, and that they’d get to see each other in a few days?  That was what excited him most.

The doorbell rang, and he detoured to the front door, trying to brush himself off enough that he was looking presentable if someone was calling for Kabu.  He opened the door and prepared to give his overly polite, generic greeting when he was almost knocked over by someone rushing him at the door and wrapping him in a big bear hug.

“Oof--!  Bede?!”

He hugged back immediately, melting into Bede’s hug.

“I missed you little brother...”  He squeezed tight.  “How have you gotten even shorter than the last time I saw you?”

Basil giggled.  “I didn’t get shorter you got taller you big jerk!  What are you doing here?”

“Bede has decided to come stay with us for a few days, until the exhibition is over.”  Kabu explained over his shoulder.  “Won’t you help him up to the spare room with his bags, Basil?” 

Basil already had an armload of stuff, hurrying  down the hall.  “Come on Bede!  I’ll show you where your room is!”  He limped, leaving his cane at the door.

“Hey!  You know you’re not supposed to be walking without your cane!”  Kabu called.

“It doesn’t hurt!  It’s okay!”

Kabu sighed.  “Basil, you know what the doctor said, I’m not going to tell you again.”

“I don’t need it!”

Bede grabbed the cane from the floor and followed Basil with his other bag.

“This is great!  I was worried I wasn’t gonna see you at all!”  Basil bounced all over happily, and Bede grabbed his shoulders and sat him down on the edge of the bed.  “I know.  That’s why I’m staying.  Also... Opal thought it would be good for me to spend a little time here with you and Kabu.  She thinks I’ve been spending too much time alone.”  He smirked, and there was a twinkle in his eye.  Basil couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Bede look this happy.

“So what’s she like?  What’s it like being a gym leader?  Tell me all about it!”

Bede flopped down beside him and told him all about life in Ballonlea, and about Opal, and all the hell she’d been putting him through.

Basil listened intently with wide eyes.  “She sounds awful!”

He giggled at that and nodded.  “Oh, she’s the absolute worst.”  Bede agreed.  “But... I have to admit.  It’s done me so much good.  And... sometimes I think she really does care about me.  And she wants me to be better.”

Basil hugged him again.  “I’m so happy for you Bede... I’ve been so worried about you... I’ve missed you so much...”

“Enough about me, tell me about you!”  Bede hugged back.  “I want to know everything!”

Basil gave him a tour, running around with excitement while pulling Bede along, telling him about all of the interesting new people he had met, and his new pokemon, and how nice Kabu had been to him.  Bede laughed at his stories and tried to keep up with him, and pretty soon he, Basil, and Kabu were in the living room having tea and snacks.  Bede and Kabu were talking cordially to each other, albeit a little coldly, Bede still hadn’t forgotten about the humiliation he had suffered at Kabu’s hands, and though Kabu knew the boy couldn’t have known, he hadn’t forgotten the humiliation that Rose had put him through later in payment.

Neither one of them noticed when Basil snuck out of the room and back upstairs.

“We normally don’t eat fast food, but I think tonight is a good night to order some delivery.  What do you think, Basil?”  Kabu glanced over finally and noticed he was gone.  “Basil?  Where’d he go?”

Bede frowned and shrugged.  “Maybe he went to take a nap.  He did just burn off a lot of energy...”

Kabu nodded.  Of course.  That made sense.

“Why don’t you go get settled, Bede?  I’ll order some food, and come get you when it gets here.”

He nodded in agreement, keeping his eyes narrowed and his shoulders tense as he stood, trying to look as mature and menacing as possible.

Kabu only smiled, sheepishly, wishing he could go back and fix things.  “Uh.  Sorry.”  He muttered.  “I know I... I mean.  You know.  I’m sorry.”

“Don’t mention it.”  There was a bite to Bede’s tone.  “Ever.”  He turned on his heel and marched to his room then, and once he was out of sight Kabu exhaled.  That was awkward.

***********

Kabu set the table, humming to himself, before stepping out into the hallway.  “Boys, food is here!  Dinner is ready!”

He washed his hands and sat down at the table, waiting patiently.

Bede looked as if he had just woken up from a nap, hair sticking up in more odd places than usual and clothes wrinkled on one side.  “Where’s Basil?”

“He should be down soon.  Basil!  Dinner!”

They sat in silence a few beats, before Kabu frowned and stood.  “Don’t wait on us, go ahead.  Eat up.  I’m sure you’re hungry.”  He gave him a friendly but forced smile before excusing himself to Basil’s room.

The door was closed, and Kabu made sure to knock this time.  “Basil?  Is everything alright in there?  Dinner’s ready...”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Bede is waiting for you.”

“I don’t care.”

“Can I come in?”

Silence.  Kabu opened the door to find Basil curled up on his bed, holding his leg.  His face was red from crying, and one look told him he was fighting not to start again.

“You hurt your leg, didn’t you?”

Basil’s shoulders jumped with stiffled sobs and he nodded.

“Let me see.”  Kabu helped sit him up and straighten his leg, being gentle, careful not to do anything that might hurt him or make it worse.  “Tell me if this hurts...”  He started pressing around with his fingers, looking for out of place bones or other alarming issues.  Basil winced when Kabu’s fingers dug into the muscle, but that was all.

“I warned you, Basil.  You’re lucky, you’ve just knotted up some muscles, but if you aren’t careful your leg might not heal.  The doctor said as long as you give it time, you can make a full recovery.  But you have to be careful.  And use your cane.”

“I hate it!”  He cried.  “I hate it it isn’t fair!”

Kabu sat down beside him then and rubbed his back.  “I know it isn’t fair.  But it isn’t a punishment.  You want to get better, right?  It’s no different than using a cast for a broken bone, or medicine for a fever.  It’s to help you heal.”

Basil hiccuped.

“You understand don’t you?”

“I don’t want Bede to see.  He’s doing so much better now, I want to be better too.”

“You are!  Are you kidding?  You’re doing great!  You caught your own Pokemon!  And you learned how to fold laundry really fast!  You’ve made new friends, and you don’t have to use crutches anymore!”

Basil looked up at him then.  He hadn’t really thought of it that way.

“Where’s your cane?”

“I don’t know.”

“We’ll find it later.”  He put his arm around Basil and lifted him up a bit.  “Hold on to me, let’s go get some food.  Food fixes everything.”  He smiled.

Basil wrapped an arm around him to keep himself upright and limped along beside him, trying to keep his weight off of it with Kabu’s support.

“I think Bede’s still mad at you.”  He whispered once they got out into the hallway.

“That’s alright.”  Kabu soothed.  “He’s allowed to be mad.”

Bede was sitting at the table when they got back, and though he hid it well enough from Basil, Kabu could tell that his eyes looked red, like he had been crying.  He didn’t bring attention to it.  Bede would let them know if something was wrong, pressing would only upset someone.

Their meal was peaceful, and delicious.  Bede held Basil’s hand under the table when he wasn’t using it, and Basil didn’t fight it.  He squeezed tight, thankful for the comfort.

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

Kabu tucked Basil into bed, giving him some medicine to help soothe the pain in his leg and making sure he was set up for the night.  “You need anything else?”

“Another blanket?”  He asked shyly.  “It’s kind of cold tonight.”  

“Of course.  The warmest blanket I can find.”  He smiled and left the door open a crack as he left.  Basil relaxed and closed his eyes, not opening them when he heard the door open again. 

“Thanks, Kabu.” 

He didnt’ hear a response, which was weird, so he opened his eyes and turned to look at what he was doing.  The door was open, but no one was there. 

“Kabu?”

“BOO!”  Bede pounced on him, startling him with a cry.

“BEDE?!  Don’t do that!”  He shoved his brother hard, trying to avoid his hug.  “Youre a jerk!”

“Oh come on it was funny!  Don’t be such a stick in the mud!”  He moved around his arms and hugged him.

“What do you want!”

Bede’s smile fell a bit.  “I dunno.  Couldn’t sleep.”

Basil scooted over then, giving him room to crawl up further and sit.

Kabu returned with blankets, and two mugs of warm milk and honey.  “Hm.  I had a hunch you were gonna need these.”  He handed each of them a mug and distributed blankets to them.  “I’m going to bed, if you need me, wake me up.”  He ruffled Basil’s hair and kissed his forehead gently.  “You too, kiddo.”  He looked over at Bede, who looked only slightly jealous of the attention.

“I’m not a kid.”  Was all he could think to respond.

“Goodnight.”  He smiled and closed the door then, leaving the two alone, sipping their warm drinks and talking about the past.

“Remember the last time we had a sleepover like this?”  Basil yawned.  “You were afraid Oleana was gonna punish you for interrupting a meeting, and I told you that I was gonna protect you and I stayed awake all night waiting for her.”

Bede laughed.  “No you didn’t!  You fell asleep before I did!”

“Well i tried to stay awake all night!”

They both laughed then, lapsing into comfortable silence.

“Do you... ever miss Rose?”  Bede asked after he had sat his mug aside and curled up under the blankets.

“No.  I hate him.”  Basil said seriously.  “I never want to see him again.”

Bede nodded.  “Yeah.”  He thought about the letter in his pocket again.  

“Do you?”  Basil asked cautiously.

“I... Don’t know.”  Bede admit.  “I’m still so angry... but part of me wants an answer for what happened.  But I know that no answer could ever be good enough for me.”

“He used us.  That’s your answer.”

Bede sighed and closed his eyes.  “Yeah.  I know.”

“We don’t need him.”

***********

Kabu cleared the last dish at the table, still rubbing the beginnings of sleep from his eyes.  It had been a long day, it was past his bed time, and all he wanted to do was crawl under the covers and sleep.  Something about this state he was in had him feeling venerable, so when there was a loud knock at the door, he practically jumped out of his skin.  

“Heavens!  At this hour?  I swear..!”

He stormed to the door and threw it open dramatically, putting on his fiercest scowl he could muster in his state.

There was no one there, he scanned the horizon looking for tricksters, but if they were out there, they were hidden well.  He glanced down before shutting the door, almost missing the bouquet of flowers on the doorstep.  He grabbed it, scanned the horizon one last time, and closed the door.

The flowers were beautiful, orange and red and yellow like a raging fire, with a note attached.

I’m sorry.  I was wrong.  Give me one more chance to make things right.  I won’t let you down.

Nanu

Kabu rolled his eyes and chucked the note into the trash.  Until he could talk to him face to face like an adult without getting defensive, he could stay sorry.

The flowers were beautiful, though.

[bombtimer]

Day 13: On excitement

There have been many excitements in my lifetime. They range from (as one of my friends think of me) superficial things to perhaps philosophical ones. Here we go.

1. Entering the bookstore

While one of my earliest excitement going to the bookstore was in Gramedia Sudirman, Yogyakarta, there is no less joy when I have to spend money in a bookstore. I remembered my aunt bought me an illustrative book of volcanoes while my cousin got the earthquake one, and we ate Dunkin’ Donuts afterwards. There was also a new bookstore opening, called Social Agency Bookstore, when upon its opening, they have many discounts, particularly on manga. I prefer Gramedia to Gunung Agung, as I think the latter’s collection is less. But the favourite retail bookstore in Indonesia has to be Togamas. Not only does it give you discounts, they also provide free plastic cover for the books you’ve just bought. I developed admiration for mas mbak penyampul since they work so fast and neatly. I tried to cover my books several times but they don’t come as perfect as ones done by mas mbak Togamas.

During my undergrad, I might have not immersed myself with books. I can only remember reading Murakami’s Norwegian Woods and 1Q84 (which is arguably one of the best romantic novels ever). And, of course, Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google. These books might motivate me to read books again after high school, and sure, I tried several Goodreads Challenges every year.

In the UK, I have Waterstones just in the corner of my campus. It is a four-storey building. All floors are carpeted so you will hear people trying not to stomp and walk quietly. Books related to my field are located on the third floor, where there is no lift. But there is a small spot when you could read there and even work on assignments. It is a quiet corner where you can see people taking a smoke outside the Faculty of Engineering. There is also a cafe with delicious cinnamon rolls on the first floor.

Second bookstore that captivates me is Cambridge University Press Bookshop. I was roaming on the streets when it started raining and accidentally I was just on the outside of this gem. The building is three-storey, and it is quite small for what is one of the prominent press bookshops in the world. It is also no wonder to not see a rack dedicated to urban planning, though surely it contains the geography section.

I was definitely left in awe when I visited Blackwell’s in Oxford. Another friend told me that I should go there since the collection is humongous. And when finally I went there, I thought it’s the biggest bookshop that I ever visited and it contains a specific floor for social science. The Oxford University Press Bookshop is even smaller than that of Cambridge, and I remember I was questioning how come this university does not have what I am looking for. Yet in Blackwell’s, even two bookshelves are dedicated to urban planning and Southeast Asia. I also found Pisani’s Indonesia Etc., along with workpieces of Sir Batty. I spent almost £120 along with a tote bag that shouts for “Yes, I’ve been to Oxford but no I’m not a student at Oxford Uni”. Maria and I spent a solid 2.5 hours wandering in silence looking for what we like; she even spent £200 on five books which cover all the possible materials for her dissertation. All hails Blackwell’s.

2. Going places with close friends

The memory started in 2014, when my undergrad friends went to my hometown and tried Dieng for the first time. It was in January, so we didn’t catch the sunrise at Sikunir. Though Wonosobo has a scenic view, it’s not much to do around here except eating and talking. 

I also consider the trip going back to Bandung with Bohokism after failing to say goodbye to Mira before she embarked for Stuttgart back in 2017. We had a really deep conversation where I finally did acknowledge my darkest times. It was also a start of something great because thanks to them, I also got motivated to be where I am today.

In the UK, I’m blessed to be surrounded by kind people. The one of trip memories started with a Bristol-Bath trip during the reading week in the first term. I happened to get acquainted with Hana and Aska, with Maria and Gineng also joined in. I remember the Cornish pasty that was so good I brought one to go. We wandered around Bristol and noticed the unicorn lightning rod on top of a building, and bought some Indomie and eggs to eat at our oh-so-comfy AirBnB. Afterwards we strolled on the dock and enjoyed the night breeze. The following day we went to an all-you-can-eat restaurant that gives a student discount so we could eat only for £10. We also had a photo session down in Bath Spa, as Hana is good with her camera. I also remember the bus going back to London when we sat by ourselves and did some Netflix and reading (clearly not me).

The next trip would be the Scotland trip. Some said that enjoying the highlands is better in winter (as in going to Morocco), and indeed it was true. We arrived in Edinburgh and climbed the hills and stopped by the Department of Theology of Edinburgh University and realised that every university in London doesn’t have a similar ambience. We also checked in to every Christmas market or Winter Wonderland in every city we’ve been to, as Marwa really loves mulled wine. Our mandatory photo was taken at a photobooth but we just didn’t print it.

We then proceeded to Glasgow and headed to the highlands. Like whoa. I have been seeing the mountainous scenery as I always live in the highlands but that doesn’t compare to what Scotsman see everyday. I also lived my childhood dream as finally I saw the mighty Loch Ness. It’s a sad thing that I couldn’t go to Isle of Skye, but that's alright since I remember having a really deep talk with Agita, Marwa, and Punyu at a hostel near Dundee city square. I couldn’t find Indomie so I had to eat local instant noodles which tasted horrible. We basically just read the Book of Questions and yeah I think that is what is making us closer afterwards. 

There were a lot of trips in between, but I have to emphasise my Cornwall trip with Albert, Maria, and Hana in September 2019. We were dying to enjoy the beach in the southwestern part of England. We rented a car with no insurance, where only Hana and Maria were able to drive the car smoothly. We packed lots of snacks and cooked in our small but comfy AirBnB. We went to St. Ives and enjoyed the beach and the drizzle. And the famous fish and chips. I always asked to stop for a chocolate twist and Maria and Hana would just sighed. Albert is always that curious guy who would end up falling but he didn’t. We also hung out at a beach bar where it was a family night, where the three of us had cider or beer while I stuck on soda and lime. We cooked every time and had only all-you-can-eat when we stopped by Portsmouth on the way back to London. We realised that we were so lavish that during the 3 days trip we spent almost 200 quids each.

In the end, I agree that it’s not about the destinations as they will be just them. It’s always about the journey, the talk, the snack, the “e e awas awas!”, the “pake duit lo dulu dong”, and the memories, particularly with these chaps.

3. Getting called upon the stage

One thing I just realised that I will have to lower my expectations if I want to get an award or something alike. I remember seeing my seniors getting called and put in front of all students and their parents during the national exam results in junior high. Ten students were called along with their parents. I thought, at that time, like whoa they are smart. In high schools, only the top three students from natural science and social science class got called to the stage. Along with opening the result of SNMPTN and Chevening. I was thinking that I’d just be having a real good time along with my friends during the graduation when suddenly I heard my test number getting declared. I remembered that I couldn’t believe that fact and saw Eriska just congratulate me. I thought I was done after delivering a speech as I was an ex-OSIS guy, but I have to say that that day was quite specially wrapped.

Another case is when I went to Shah Alam by myself, presenting the research findings back in November 2017. I was the only Indonesian presenter there. The faculty members of the university holding the conference said that they knew some of my lecturers. As the conference was about research methods, I wondered why several presenters didn’t emphasise the novelty of their methods. But among six key tracks of the conference, I was awarded The Best Paper in Urban Planning and Development track, where I also just couldn’t believe it yet I couldn’t contain my excitement of getting my work noticed. I remember Maria putting it simply “Gue tau lo pengen karya lo yang diliat orang, bukan nama lo. Like let your works speak for yourself”. And yes, she was obviously right.

[katatede]

VERSE: GRANBLUE

Ibaraki douji is the primal beast of carnage, created by the astral Shuten Douji and the sole remaining so called “Oni” derived of his experiments. Monstrous in appearance but missing his right arm from the bicep down, this terrifying primal fought bravely in the War. however, during a terrible battle, Ibaraki lost an arm, and due to his injury, failed to strop Shuten from taking a terrible blow. Both badly wounded the two became separated. That was last Ibaraki ever saw him.

Ibaraki came to believe he had been abandoned by his creator, since he never returned for him, and grew to be full of hatred and sorrow and self loathing. Despite that, he made his home in isolated island populated only by animals and beasts, and resided in an ancient, ruined temple in the centre of the isle. Away from humanity’s influence the wildlife flourished into lush jungle full of dangerous, but happy creatures. Despite how beautiful the place was, a heavy, dark energy hung over it, malicious, hateful, bitter….Lyria senses the primal here has many negative emotions swirling within and ruling his being. Hatred. Grief. Rage. Betrayal. but underscoring all of that, a deep, terrible longing for something…or someone….lost.

When the crew finally made it the ruined temple in the centre of the island, they came face to face with the primal of carnage for the first time. Unable to overcome his terrifying bloodlust and rage, all hope seemed lost for the intrepid skyfarers.

                   “We can’t lose here! we have to make it to Estalucia to find Gran’s dad!”

Vyrn’s plaintive cry, however, caused the terrible beast to stop mid attack.

Before anyone knew what had happened, ibaraki was lifting Gran off the ground by his shirt. But much to the party’s dismay, rather than attack, the beast spoke.

“You will take me with you. To Estalucia.” he snarled.

Long moments of silence stretched, all parties too shocked to speak.

Gently, Ibaraki set Gran back on his feet. “I have something you need.” He said as he released him. Holding out his hand, a piece of the skymap materialised there. Gran reached for it but Ibaraki’s monstrous hand quickly closed around it. “No. You cant have it. Take me with you, and I will give it to you when the time is nigh.”

“Oi oi! Why should we trust you?” Rackam demanded of him.

“Because.” He said seriously. “I am also looking for someone. Someone who may be on Estalucia.”

Lyria’s eyes widened as she felt that terrible longing swell intensely within the Primal. “It’s okay.” She said to the others. “He really…wants to find that person!”

“Tch…” Ibaraki scowled deeply.

A bit warily, Gran agreed to accept Ibaraki into their crew. Seeking desperately to find his creator, if he still lives, Ibaraki travels with them in search of Estalucia.

More detailed information and history about Primal Ibaraki below the cut.

History:

Ibaraki was originally created as one of many “Oni” as Shuten dubbed the results of his experiments. In order to determine which of them were successes and which were failures, Shuten ordered them to fight each other. However, determined to be the one who would remain at his master’s side, Ibaraki killed every single one of his opponents outright, leaving him the soul remaining Oni.

Despite that  ibaraki knew he was simply a weapon and tool, his master never made him feel as if he were only that. Ibaraki never strayed from Shuten’s side, And Shuten, a hedonist, made sure Ibaraki enjoyed all of the things he partook in. Despite sidelong glances from some other astrals, Shuten took ibaraki as his lover, and Ibaraki’s devotion to him was completely boundless.

During the War, Ibaraki sustained a grievous injury and had his arm cut off, which prevented him from being able to block a terrible blow to his master. In a terrible turn of events, the two became separated, and Shuten was taken back to Estalucia for healing, never able to find where Ibaraki ended up, or if he was alive.

Ibaraki, unknowing of this fact, hunkered down on an island to await his master. However…

He never came.

Convinced he had been abandoned, maybe even deemed failed due to the loss of his arm and his inability to protect his master, the primal grew to hate his master as much he hated everything else. He hates the skydwellers. He hates the Astrals. He Hates the other Primals. And he Hates Shuten Douji. However, despite that, he also still adores and loves him more than anything, leading to a deep inner turmoil within him and causing him to give a chaotic energy to those who can sense such things.

Ibaraki is still not sure if shuten is alive or dead, but he knows if he is alive, he will be on Estalucia, which drives him to seek the ends of the skies with the crew.

Personality and motivation notes:

In the beginning ibaraki is very aggressive and rude to all other cast members, however as time passes slowly Lyria is able to get him to warm up to her, Gran, and some of the others. In general he has a habit to disregard mortal life and look down on those he deems weaker than him. He always speaks his mind, which leads to him saying things that often seem shocking or horrible to others. However, despite that, he is fiercely protective of those he cares about.

He has always been kinder to Lyria than any other crew member.

He seems to also be very kind to children, and secretly likes cute things. He loves animals.

Ibaraki is deeply terrified of being deemed useless, unnecessary, or failed, and once again cast aside or abandoned because of this. This is why he refuses to give his piece of the sky map to gran, feeling that as long as he has it, he is needed. he is afraid once he gives the piece to gran he will be no longer necessary, and cast aside once more. This is revealed in one of his fate episode, where Lyria tries to convince him to give it to them, and reluctantly, he explains this to her.

            “ That’s why, not even for you, Lyria…can I give it up. Not until the last moment.”

other notes:

Ibaraki is a skilled cook when it comes to meats.

He is easily swayed by delicious food and can be bribed or won over with food. He seems always be hungry and will eat an unbelievable amount of food when given the opportunity. he especially love junk food and savoury snacks.

He loves tea.

He loves to drink.

Skilled in the handling of animals and beasts.

Secret weakness for cute creatures.

Highly protectively of children or those who look to him for protection.

In battle ibaraki can inflict a unique debuff called “Disembowled.” It deals plain damage foot 3 turns, with higher damage the lower the target’s health is.

As a summon ibaraki grants boost to type’s ATK and fills the charge bar of all party members.

He is a Dark type unit.

[airquietworks]

Hearts vs. Heroics or: How Uravity Surpassed the World’s Greatest Hero (IzuOcha) (Epilogue)

Previous parts: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 Her desperately gasping lungs and the heat pooling at her forehead could do little to quell the fire roaring deep in her belly.

Ochako's gaze was fixed on her two feet in front of her, continually pushing against the leg press, straining to lift all the weight loaded onto the device. She had to push her left leg a little harder than her right, the muscles there unbalanced by weeks of limited use. But she kept lifting her legs upwards, heedless of the straining protest of her limbs.

"Eleven…" she muttered under her breath, her legs practically screaming at this point, as she let them fly back down along the machine. She grit her teeth and lifted once more, faltering once but managing to complete the last repetition. "Twelve."

She did her best to gently disengage her legs from the machine, pushing them off and working to catch her breath. She tried to press down on her left foot, but the leg shook under even a minimal amount of pressure. She frowned, knowing she would have to call it in for that day, unable to do her usual fourth set.

Ochako sighed, letting her vision move up to the bright lights on the ceiling of the U.A. training gym. They were a familiar comfort as she worked to get a hold of her breathing. The low thrum of the air conditioning and the distant sounds of metal clangs were peaceful to her now, in their own way.

A buzz sounded from her nearby phone, disrupting the tranquillity of the moment. Ochako scrunched her forehead and instinctively reached out for it, glad she had the forethought to keep it next to her this time. With a few tired swipes of her thumbs, she read the message she had been expecting — and dreading.

"We're ready here. You coming? :D"

Mina's text was less bothersome than usual but still caused Ochako to take a bracing breath. She still wondered how Mina had gotten her to agree with this. Shaking her head, she tapped her fingers quickly on her phone screen to reply.

"Be there in a half hour."

Her workout was cut short with Deku being busy with some kind of super-secret training with All Might. Without her familiar sparring buddy, Ochako resigned herself to hitting the showers early and walking into her scheduled torment.

But she would need her legs for that, which were still a little shaky. She grabbed a water bottle near her and took a healthy chug, letting the water's coolness course through her system.

This was her breaking point.

Ochako collapsed onto the crumbling tile of the arena, legs giving out, quirk no longer able to lift her. She puked, spilling her guts out, unable to rein in the reflex. This position was all too familiar, and she pounded her fist into the ground at that fact. She tried desperately to find another second wind, using her arms to lift her up. Deku, her parents and all her friends were out there rooting for her. She had to find a way to keep fighting. "You're done." She looked up to see Bakugo there, staring coldly down at her. Other than a large mark on his cheek from where she had successfully landed a fist — but had been blown away the instant before she could have tapped him with her thumb and sent him flying — he looked little worse for wear. Ochako desperately wanted to prove him wrong. To stand up and kick his butt out of the ring. But her legs refused to budge. Her stomach churned and tugged in a way that told her she would be heaving out the remnants of her stomach if she tried to use her Quirk again. It was frustrating. She knew — or at least told herself she did — that she could win if she was closer to 100 percent. But her fight with Deku had taken too much out of her. She was not as agile as she needed to be to keep out of reach of Bakugo's explosions. "You never stood a chance," Bakugo stated, nothing but disdain in his voice. "It would have been better if you lost last round." It made her blood boil. She shook as she sent a defiant glare his way. As unconsciousness started to creep across her mind, she managed one last sentence. "I will...surpass you."

Ochako's eyes flew open as the aggravating scene played in her mind once again. It had haunted her dreams, both day and night, for weeks. Every bedridden moment had thus infuriated her, eager as she was to throw herself back into training to start making up for that humiliating defeat.

Unfortunately, her injuries forced her to pace herself. She stood up, grimacing at the pain that shot through her legs. But they managed to hold her weight. Her arms dangled loosely at her sides, worn from an early section of her workout. With little energy to go on, Ochako shambled over to the facility's locker rooms.

As she walked through the quiet facility, Ochako found her mind turning once more to the Summer Sports Festival and her failure to reach the top. Todoroki had gone on to defeat Bakugo in the finals, but that had done little to assuage her grief when she heard about it afterwards.

Despite the pain and the tears shed over the loss, Ochako chose to use it as motivation. She redoubled herself into her hero training, working her arms with dumbbells Deku had snuck in for her while she was bedridden. As soon as she could walk steadily again, she had gotten back into the swing of hero classes and working out at the gym.

It had taken a lot of time to work down that frustration. Her victory over Deku had still gotten her a fair bit of notoriety. But she wanted to prove she could do more. To open up even more doors. She used her defeat as fuel to rededicate herself to training.

Deku was much the same, and was often enough lifting weights right alongside her. Fortunately, the romantic edge to their relationship had only made training slightly more awkward. Sparring had even gone smoothly, once the opening jitters were out of the way. Her heart panged a little at missing him today — both for training and beyond. But she was somewhat reassured by the meeting she would have with him tomorrow.

There was not a lot of certainty to her life these days beyond her drive to train and get better. She was happy — ecstatic, even — to be with Deku. But he was a big part of that uncertainty, the two of them struggling to navigate the first steps of their new relationship together. Nevertheless, she found herself regularly seeking his company.

Ochako closed her eyes for a moment as she stood on the threshold to the locker rooms. The dull throbbing of her muscles cried out for the relief of a hot shower and a soft bed. It hurt, but it was a good, satisfying kind of hurt.

As she had learned, love had not quelled her thirst for self-improvement.

That was perhaps one fear she need not worry about. But there were new terrors that had taken its place.

After a shower and a quick change of clothes, Ochako walked slowly back towards the U.A. dorms. She was in no particular rush. She stretched the distance, taking time to appreciate the pleasant warmth of the midsummer evening.

Ochako tried to use the glorious hues of the summertime sunset to find a measure of peace. Her lungs relished in the fresh air, delighting in the brief reprieve from more strenuous activities. It would be nice if she could just sit out here for a while.

But she knew she had no choice but to keep walking toward her doom.

As she finally arrived into the dorms and entered the class 3-A building, she found herself ambushed by hands. She could not keep track of how many as they grabbed hold of her tightly, preventing any hope she had of escape. Before she knew what was happening, she was getting yanked along deeper into the facility.

"Took you long enough!" Mina exclaimed, unable to contain the enthusiasm bursting in her voice. "Come on, we're all waiting for you!

Ochako groaned, wanting to protest, but let herself get pulled along limply. She looked up and realized the other hands dragging her along helplessly belonged to Tooru — who was waving her free arm rather excitedly — and Tsuyu, who sent a little apologetic smile her way.

They passed by a few of their male classmates along the way, their quick gait raising more than a few eyebrows and earning a passing scolding from Iida. But soon enough — too soon for Ochako's liking — they found their way to her room. She was pulled in unceremoniously by her friends for the "fun" to begin.

The image before her was perhaps less horrific than Ochako might have originally imagined. Momo and Kyoka were rifling through her dresser, a few of her outfits placed on her nearby desk for consideration. There were also more extravagant clothing choices in the pile that definitely did not come from her wardrobe.

Her eyes were next drawn towards the teetering piles of girly fashion magazines strewn about her bed. Tooru hands quickly disengaged from Ochako to start rifling through them. The invisible girl held a couple of choices up in her hands, the magazines appearing to float quickly from side to side. Ochako imagined Tooru was probably grinning widely at the prospect of subjecting her to the contents within.

Finally, she saw plenty of snacks gathered around her small table, from Pocky to sponge cakes to chocolate. Ochako's eyes were immediately glued to the snack food she tended to spurn for budgetary reasons, and her stomach growled at the prospect of digging in.

Mina perceptively grabbed a box of Pocky and shoved it in Ochako's hands, before pushing towards Momo and the clothing piled up on her desk.

"You can eat while we work on your outfit," Mina suggested with a beaming grin. "Let Operation: Date Preparation commence!"

With that, Ochako quickly tried to scarf down a couple of Pocky sticks while Momo pulled her in front of a full-length mirror — undoubtedly brought in from Momo's room — and started holding outfits in front of Ochako's chest.

"You don't really have a lot of clothes," Momo observed, holding up a white blouse from Ochako's wardrobe. "Do you have anything else in another suitcase somewhere?"

"Spoken like a rich kid," Tsuyu teased from Ochako's bed, sending a blush running into Momo's cheeks.

"I'm just asking, that's all!" Momo protested.

Ochako cracked a smile, but shook her head at Momo's question while chewing on her Pocky. The theatrics of this was too much for her personal taste, but she knew her friends were coming from the right place. In fairness, she had no idea how she was supposed to approach her first-ever date.

Just the thought of it made Ochako's cheeks a little rosy as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her reddening face did not go unnoticed.

"Well, we'll find something nice for you to wear for tomorrow," Mina stated matter-of-factly, creeping up behind Ochako and holding a tiny little red shirt that was definitely not something she'd ever have in her own wardrobe. "Something that will make Midoriya's jaw drop."

"I am not wearing something like that!" Ochako exclaimed between bites, shaking her head and reaching a hand out to push the shirt away. Mina responded by yanking it out of her grasp, like a matador battling with a raging bull.

"I just want something...something simple," Ochako continued after swallowing her mouthful of Pocky. She eyed the white blouse that had been discarded into what she guessed was a "no" pile and pulled it back in front of her. "What's wrong with this?"

"Well, it's kind of something you'd usually wear, isn't it?" Tsuyu observed, putting an elongated finger to her cheek. "Isn't this supposed to be something special, ribbit?"

"It's your first date! Live a little!" Tooru piped in, piling on the peer pressure.

"I would suggest trying to wear something a little different. It's a good idea, from what I've read anyway," Momo noted, giving a gentle smile as she pulled the blouse out of Ochako's suddenly weak grip. "Don't worry, I'm not going to try to get you in anything you're not comfortable with," she assured, sending a threatening glance Mina's way.

"This stuff is way too complicated," Kyoka muttered, leaning against the desk while idly flipping through one of Tooru's magazines, eyes wandering around the room.

"You're telling me," Ochako said, frowning as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had never been particularly self-conscious about her appearance — she had much bigger problems to worry about than that. But the world of dating brought with it a whole host of unexpected little pressures she was struggling to come to grips with.

Being involved with Deku romantically had been mostly wonderful. Their interactions usually started a little on-edge with the romantic dimension added onto their relationship. But it would normally not last long, and they would fall back into the easygoing camaraderie they both treasured. Only now, Ochako could actually act on her occasional urges to touch and lean against him. It had been a lot of fun seeing him react and be so flustered as she gently poked at the first steps into a physical side to their relationship.

The emotional side of things had also been slow and tentative. They were already close confidants, but there was plenty neither was forthcoming to share with the other. Ochako had tried to be a little bit more open about her frustrations, venting frequently about her loss against Bakugo. It had felt better than she would have thought. Deku was a wonderful listener.

Despite the progress, the two had put off the date to allow for her leg to heal. When that excuse was out of the way, Ochako had found herself suddenly scrambling to ready herself for a promised day out. The nerves had gotten the best of her, and before she knew it, Mina had roped her into a girls' night to prepare, which Ochako had very quickly regretted agreeing to.

"Come on, this should be fun!" Mina retorted. "You're going to be going on a date with your lover! Isn't that exciting?"

Ochako felt her cheeks heat up at Deku being referred to as her "lover."

"Not really…" she replied, touching a hand to a pinkish cheek. "I'm just...is that how I should feel about this?"

"That's up to you," Tsuyu stated in her usual monotone, sitting by the snack table with a bag of chips in hand. "None of us would even know what that's like, except for Tooru."

"Well, I know I was excited!" Tooru exclaimed, the sleeves of her pink shirt pumping upwards. "I practically couldn't sleep the night before my first date!"

"Yeah, but you've been planning your first date since you were seven," Kyoka noted dryly, wearing a smile while rolling her eyes. "Not all of us are into this kind of thing."

"Well, Ochako has to be at least a little into this, considering she said yes to Midoriya," Momo observed while holding a yellow sundress over Ochako's chest. "This could work, couldn't it? Want to try it on?"

"Sure, I guess," Ochako said, hesitantly taking ahold of the dress she imagined was more expensive than anything in her wardrobe. "I guess I'm glad to be going on a date with him. But I'm more nervous than anything else. Am I supposed to act any differently? And all this preparation...do I really need this?"

"Yes!" Mina and Tooru shouted in unison, causing Ochako to jump slightly in place.

"People do tend to get a little dressed up on dates, after all," Momo added, nodding in agreement with their group's hyperactive pair. "But it doesn't have to be stressful. We're here to help, as girlfriends do!"

"Tell 'ya what. How about you say why you wanted to go on this date with him?" Mina suggested. Ochako noticed how all the girls leaned forward a little at the question, even Kyoka.

Ochako bit her lip at being suddenly put on the spot. "Well, I just...we had just confessed to each other and I just felt really...happy in the moment. And when he tried to ask me out, he was so nervous and stuttering and it was just really...really cute."

"Awww…" Tooru sighed, flopping her back down onto the bed while clutching a pillow.

"And it was actually pretty easy to say yes," Ochako recalled, a smile blooming onto her face as she remembered. "It was just...a really good moment."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Mina shouted, clapping her hands together. The pink girl popped in front of Ochako and grabbed her shoulders. "That's why you're doing this! Just hold on to that feeling and have fun with it!"

"If you're glad about going out with Midoriya, then getting ready should be happy too, shouldn't it?" Tsuyu added, affixing Ochako with a rare smile.

Ochako eyed herself in the mirror, appreciating the wide smile on her face. A happy moment. Right. That's why she had said she'd put herself through this romance in the first place, wasn't it? To pursue her own form of selfish happiness for a change.

Mina winked in the mirror from behind her, as if reading her thoughts. The pink girl leaned in again, placing her head right next to Ochako's right ear.

"It'll be great," Mina said, her voice surprisingly soft, but her smile no less exuberant. Ochako got a little tingle down her spine from the proximity of Mina's voice. "I promise."

Ochako scanned the room and the grinning faces of all her friends. As grating as their peer pressure could be sometimes, she was happy they were there for her as she prepared for this uneasy foray into romance.

The pursuit of happiness was one best walked with friends by your side, after all.

Was her heart supposed to be ready to start running out of her chest?

Ochako asked herself a variation of that question for the third time in five minutes as she awaited her... .boyfriend (her thoughts still paused to dwell on it every time she considered Deku that way).

The simple yellow sundress she and her friends had agreed on suddenly felt tight on her skin as she sweat under the hot summer sun and her own nerves. The anticipation of an imminent date brought all of her anxieties to the forefront.

What if this goes wrong? Is this a good idea? How am I supposed to act? Was this the right outfit? What should I say first?

The advice of her friends got lost within the questions spiralling out of control in her mind. She looked up at the windows of the U.A. dorm building. She idly wondered if her friends were there, watching from above as she awaited her first date.

She quickly stomped the question out of her mind. Of course they were.

Ochako idly pulled out her cell phone and looked at the clock yet again. 11:01 a.m. She blinked at the display. She frowned at the numbers, idly tapping her foot as she considered them. She had never seen Deku be late for anything before. She did not really mind if he was late now — not yet anyway — but she could not help but wonder what his tardiness might mean.

As if on cue, she heard the quick patter of footsteps as Deku burst from the entrance door to the dorms. He was sprinting with his quirk, causing him to rush past her at first. It took him a moment to realize before he suddenly stopped himself and turned to run back towards her. His quirk-enhanced speed sent a strong gust flying Ochako's way, causing her to close her eyes and dig her feet in a little in reflex.

"Sorry! I...I lost track of the time and I'm sorry!" Deku blurted out in a panic between panting breaths, bent over slightly to grab his knees. Ochako opened her eyes to consider her date. He wasn't wearing anything flashy — a simple black shirt with shorts and his trademark red shoes. His green hair and freckled face were just the same as ever, too. The average, every day, plain-looking Deku.

She tried to think like that to keep herself calm, but her racing pulse and dry throat betrayed her. Love did funny things.

"It's alright, Deku!" she replied brightly after letting him catch his breath for a moment. "You were hardly late at all. But did something keep you?"

"Well I...um...well...you know…" his stare was wide upon her, and his mouth went slack between his multiple false starts at answering. She regarded him with a smile, which sent a heavy flush to his face, much to her delight. Her friends had assured her he would probably be more of a nervous wreck than she would be during this. She was counting on it to help keep her grounded and remind herself they were taking these first steps together, each as clueless as the other.

"Know what?" Ochako asked, leaning in just a little closer. She had to admit, it was fun getting Deku to react like this, now that she was actually looking for it.

"Just...getting ready!" Deku managed with a little too much volume, before reaching out suddenly and holding his hand in front of her. "Would you like to take my hand?!"

Ochako stared down at the offered, scarred appendage. She slowly glanced up to see Deku, sweating profusely, mouth stuck in a hard line. She looked back down to see his hand start to shake in place.

Try as she might, she could not help it. She burst out laughing.

"Sorry, it's just….you're so serious!" Ochako said between chuckles, trying to assuage his evident distress. "You're too cute, Deku! Did Iida suggest that?"

Deku averted his eyes at the question, reeling in his hand and putting it back to his side. "...Maybe."

"So…" Ochako replied, shaking her head. "I take it you were dragged into some preparation too?"

Izuku sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well...kind of. It was mostly just a lot of arguing. Not a lot of guys in class actually have a lot of experience with this kind of thing. How'd it go for you?"

"A little better, I think," Ochako said with sincerity. "They actually helped me out a lot."

"That's good." He smiled at her, but it ran quickly from his face as he looked at her again. He put his eyes downward and scratched at his blushing, freckled cheek. "Um...you look really nice, Ochako."

The compliment was simple. But she still found herself sucking in a breath, rendered speechless. The heat on her brow felt just a little bit more intense.

"Ochako?" His soothing voice penetrated the silence as she tried to gather herself.

"Oh...um….thanks, Deku," Ochako replied. She took a deep breath and tried to collect herself.

What should she say here? She should try to respond in kind, right? That's what Tooru's magazines said, anyway.

"You look...good too…?" It was true, but Ochako's voice had no certainty in it. It almost came out like a question. Fortunately, the remark nonetheless sent Deku sputtering.

"I don't...well...thank you," Deku replied simply, eyes glued to the ground, his mouth furrowed inward as if to prevent himself from saying something more.

An awkward silence struck between them, neither of the two willing to look at the other. Ochako frowned as she tried to think of what she should say next. A part of her desperately wanted interacting with him to be as easy as when they were just friends.

She idly roamed her eyes forward to his right hand, offered to her earlier. She seized upon an impulse, wanting to push things forward.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all.

When her hand met his, the touch was electric. Far too much so. Deku jumped slightly as if he was shocked, eyes bulging comically as he realized her sudden proximity.

"Well...I would be happy to take your hand!" Ochako gave him the best smile she could muster, trying to mask her nerves. In spite of his flushed cheeks, Deku gave her a shaky smile in kind.

"Thanks. But...um...Ochako?"

"Hm?"

"I'm kind of floating."

"Floating?"

Ochako's eyes widened in alarm as she realized Deku's feet were no longer touching the ground.

"Oh, shoot, sorry!" Ochako said, immediately letting go of her hold on his hand to touch her fingertips together.

Deku plopped back down on the ground, maintaining his balance. Ochako smiled sheepishly at him, letting her hands fall slackly down to her sides. She wanted to crawl under a rock. How had she messed up something so simple?

But she found the steel within herself and reached out again, slowly and more carefully. Deku actually met her halfway, intertwining his fingers with hers. The slower speed allowed her to better appreciate the feeling of his scarred flesh on her fingertips. His hand was coarse, uneven, and calloused, not unlike her own. But his hand was gentle and pleasant to clasp nonetheless.

"Third time's the charm, right?" Ochako suggested. Her spirits were lifted slightly by his humoured snort and his accompanying smile. His face had not gotten any less red, but at least he was no longer shaking.

"Right," Deku agreed. "Who knew holding someone's hand could be this difficult?"

"Not us," Ochako replied in good humour while shaking her head. "But...I guess we'll figure things out."

"Together." There was a surety in his voice, a familiar one that stabilized her own resolve.

"Shall we go, then?" Ochako suggested, stepping forward and pulling his arm along.

"Lead the way."

The trek to their designated cafe, where they agreed to have a light dinner, was fairly uneventful. They filled the space between them with idle chatter, each trying to give a degree of normalcy to the situation. It was not as difficult as Ochako had imagined it would be.

But a degree of romantic tension remained. Their hands remained clasped, to the point where it had gotten a little awkward walking through a crowd to get to their destination. But whenever they broke apart, they tried to join their hands once again. It had become a strange, unspoken physical connection between them, one neither of them was willing to break.

The cafe was a little crowded, but not enough for things to be cumbersome. As they took their seats, hands finally disengaging, Ochako busied herself with the menu in front of her. She looked a little mournfully at the pricier options, wishing she could splurge but settling for something more in line with her budget. The two had been here enough times with friends to at least know there were options for two broke high school students.

With orders made and drinks served (they both settled for water), there was nothing left to distract themselves except occasional sips from their respective glasses. The silence between them started to stretch, but despite that, Ochako did not feel uncomfortable. It was similar to any other day out with Deku. There were just fewer people they knew around them. People that she knew of, anyway.

"So...uh...how has your internship been going lately?" Deku asked suddenly, trying to spur conversation between them. His delivery was a little awkward, but Ochako did not mind.

"Pretty well, actually," she replied cheerily, smiling as the memories surfaced within her. "Ryukyu and I busted a jewelry store robbery while on patrol yesterday."

"That's great!" Deku spoke with such a genuine enthusiasm, one that naturally burst out of him whenever the conversation turned to heroics. It was one of his more endearing qualities. "I didn't see anything about it online though. Did Ryukyu not use her quirk then?"

"Just enough for a claw. It's a little weird to look at, but effective."

"I bet."

There was a beat of silence as Ochako started to fidget a bit in her seat. She wanted to say something more, but she was worried about how Deku might take.

But today was a day of firsts. If she could have enough courage to hold Izuku's hand, she could summon the gumption to get the good news off her chest.

"She offered me a job. For after I graduate." Ochako's eyes rolled down to the table, and she tried to control the smile widening on her face. Thinking about it still made her giddy, but she figured she should try to control it around Deku. He might still be sore over his lost opportunities, after all.

"THAT'S AMAZING!" Deku shouted, face beaming. His volume drew a few eyeballs in their direction, prompting him to fly a hand to his mouth. He waited until the attention was off them before continuing. "I'm so happy! You earned it! What kind of deal did she offer?"

Ochako was a little caught off guard by his unbridled enthusiasm, but she rolled with it. His delight was infectious, and she was glad to release her own joy at the news.

"More than I expected. Five million yen annual salary to start off," Ochako said. She rested her head in her hand, her head heavy at the prospect of it all. "And she thinks I can get a sponsorship deal within a few months to add to that."

"Holy…" Deku's eyes widened at the figure, his mouth going a little slack. "That's way above average for something just out of high school. That's incredible!"

"She said she wanted to make sure to put a good offer so no other agency would steal me away," Ochako recalled. It was still hard for her to believe — that she would actually be fought over by hero agencies. It was not something she would have dared to dream of even a few months ago.

"What did your parents think?"

Ochako sighed wistfully as the quick phone conversation came to mind. "They wouldn't stop crying about it. Or saying how proud they were of me. It was nice."

"Your hard work is paying off," Deku observed, his voice softening. "So...did you accept it?"

"Well, I was really tempted, but I'm going to wait and weigh my options. Maybe something better comes along," Ochako said. She looked up and sent a confident smile Deku's way, raising a fist upward in front of her. "I've got to make sure I get the best deal and make the most money possible. I'm not going to commit to anything until I'm sure I have it!"

"Wow, Uraraka. That's...that's really cool." Awe rang through every decibel of his voice. The wonder with which he looked at her was peculiar, but touching. She wondered if that was what she looked like sometimes when she was watching him in action.

"So...how have things been with your training?" Ochako did not specify, but she hoped he would divulge a little about what he was working on with All Might. The duo had gotten rid of a lot of the pretense of their one-on-one training over the years, but there was still a mystique about what exactly the two's training entailed.

"It's going well!" He spoke with a smile on his face, but he did not sound quite as enthusiastic as he did when speaking about her career. "It's gotten pretty tough lately. But it's all starting to come together. Although perhaps it is taking longer than I wanted…"

His eyes went out of focus. He was once again looking at something beyond her. She put a smile on her face, but was not sure how to feel about the secrecy.

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're way too smart not to."

"Oh!" Deku said a little loudly, startled out of his distant thoughts. "Uh, sorry about zoning out. And...thanks."

"Don't worry about it," she assured him. She was tempted to reach a hand out to emphasize her point, but decided it might be a little forward. Or maybe it wasn't, but she would rather not take that chance.

A brief lull in their conversation allowed a line from the distant drone of a nearby television set within the cafe to capture their attention.

"In hero news, we have an exclusive for you today. We've acquired footage of Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods kissing after a mission. Hero enthusiasts have long speculated about their relationship, and now we are happy to be able to confirm it! Let's roll that footage now."

Ochako watched bemusedly as Deku clambered out of his seat to stand and get a better view of the news report. She still followed him though, quite curious about it herself.

Lo and behold, the hero world's most famous couple were indeed caught in the act. The shot was pretty distant and fuzzy, but the two were unmistakable and definitely executing a mouth-to-mouth in an alleyway. It looked a little strange to see Kamui Woods with the bottom half of his mask off and their extended passion was a little embarrassing to look at. 

"I knew it!" Deku exclaimed, raising a fist in front of him in excitement. No bit of hero news escaped his attention — even romantic news, apparently. But his smile quickly faded and he pinched at his chin in thought.

"I wonder what's going to happen to them now. They're probably going to have a lot of attention on them for a few weeks."

Ochako frowned a little at the thought. There were very few publicly known hero couples out there. Most known romantic partners of heroes tended to be people outside the profession. She imagined it was hard enough having one person in a relationship dealing with the strains of heroics, let alone two.

As a result, speculation on the "Mt. Woods" pairing had garnered a lot of media attention. Even she had caught wind of it, despite not really following hero gossip. It would be a top story for at least a few days.

Ochako glanced sidelong at Deku, who seemed to be lost in thought. He was mumbling, but it was low enough that she could not make out what he was saying. As if by automation, he turned to clamber back into his seat. She followed his lead.

"It must be really hard to be in a position like that…" Deku stated with more volume, eyes locked downward, gazing into nothingness. "Not being able to just be with the person you like without the paparazzi going after you."

"Yeah, for sure." Their profession had its drawbacks. Villainy was restless, and so too was heroism. It was hard to find privacy if you reached the top. The world would constantly scrutinize them.

Though they walked it together, their fledgling love was an uncertain road. Those were the storm clouds on the distant horizon.

They both understood that.

"...You know, before we...talked. After the fight, I mean. All Might came over to talk with me first."

Ochako looked up at him quickly, snapping out of thoughts. That was not something he had mentioned before.

"About what?"

"Well, a lot of things. How I fought, how I lost, and…" Deku finally looked up at her again, eyes bright and mouth suddenly turning upward. "And about how to handle what you told me."

"Oh…" she responded sheepishly. How else could she react? There was no way his mentor could have been happy about how she won that fight. "What did he say?"

"Well, I guess he was quiet for a while. And he asked me how I felt about you. I said...well…" his cheeks immediately reddened and he stopped his tongue. Ochako smiled at the adorable reaction. "I was honest with him."

"And how did he react?"

Deku straightened his posture and puffed his chest out a bit, evidently trying to mimic his idol.

"If you feel that way, then tell her," Deku dropped his voice an octave, managing a surprisingly passable impersonation of his hero. "Don't worry about what anyone else has to say. Don't worry about what might happen tomorrow. You're young. You should live."

Ochako did not have time to respond before Deku was suddenly reaching across the table to grab her outstretched hand, squeezing it.

"I don't want to worry too much about the future right now." He spoke with his heroic conviction, his blazing eyes sending her heart into a hammering pace. "I just want to live. With you."

Her heart started running fast as a freight train. Ochako gulped and tried to stomp down hard on her flightier reactions. She felt torn between urges to either jump for joy or crawl underneath a bed to hide her blushing face.

But she wanted to control her feelings — in a positive manner. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and squeezed his hand back.

"I want to stay with you too, Deku." She tried to match his conviction, flashing him with a sunny smile. "Whatever may come. I'm ready to face it."

Their ferocity for themselves and each other momentarily cast aside their nerves. The sweet sincerity of the moment, of their determination to continue on this winding path into the unknown, warmed Ochako to her core.

But the moment could not last forever.

"Um…I mean live with you. Like we are now. Not necessarily in a domestic sense. Probably a little early for that." Deku slowly retracted his hand as he spoke, quickly burying his face into his palm as he tried to address a meaning not taken.

"Oh, right! I didn't take it that way, don't worry!" Ochako tried to reassure him through her own fire raging across her face. She scratched the back of her head and hoped they could both learn how to make romantic proclamations without wanting to cower in fear.

Fortunately, the arrival of their orders helped break the tension and made for an easy pivot into small talk.

They silently agreed to try and settle back into a more easy-going conversation. They chatted about homework, training regimens, the latest antics of Class 3-A, and even some shared mirth about their respective date preparation sessions. It was like any other conversation she might have had with Deku before their mutual pinings made it all so much more complicated. But she was relieved to still be able to talk with him like this — even on something as nebulous as a first date.

With their bellies full, they walked out into the busy streets, bathed under the light of an orange sky. They did not hold hands this time, quietly electing for a reprieve from that particular gesture. But their spirits remained high as they walked side-by-side back towards the dorms.

"This has been a wonderful time, Deku." She spoke honestly, hovering close enough to him to be audible over the bustle of the street. "I'm glad we did this."

"Yeah!" He nodded with vigour, an open-mouthed smile upon his face. "There's one more thing I wanted to do, though. We'll have to wait until it's dark. Is that okay with you?"

Ochako blinked at the question. They had not discussed anything beyond going out to grab a bite. The idea that Deku had something else planned, something that could only be done under the cover of darkness, was intimidating.

But their shared meal had made her spirits soar. And she wanted to see what the next leap of faith might have in store for her.

"Sure!" Ochako replied, not missing a beat. "I haven't got anything planned, so why not?"

"Great!" Deku replied, his smile growing a little wider. "I can't wait to show you."

"Show me…?" Ochako asked, but Deku shook his head at the question.

"Just wait. You'll see."

Curiosity piqued, Ochako tried to start guessing what he was up to. But Deku was unshakable in his secrecy, quickly causing her to run out of steam.

When the two finally arrived at the U.A. dorms, Ochako was surprised when Deku gestured them off the beaten path. She quietly followed behind as he took them along the grassy landscape, around the side of the facility.

"This should be decently out of the way," Deku stated as he looked up one of the towering corners of the main building. Ochako followed his gaze, looking up at the endless windows stretched above them.

"I did get permission to set something up. We could take the stairs but…" Deku turned his gaze back to her as he pointed towards the sky. "It's a little high up."

"On the roof?" Ochako guessed. Deku answered with an eager nod.

"I think I can probably leap up there with some care, but it'd be a lot easier with the help of your quirk. Mind giving us a lift?

Ochako glanced up again, the dorm building's height a little imposing from this far below. She looked back down to Deku, his eager smile unwavering on his face.

She boldly reached out and grabbed his hand, grinning back at him. "Not at all."

With that, Deku channelled his quirk into his legs and leapt up high, pulling Ochako along with him. The initial rush of air around her ears startled her, and she instinctively clung to his arm, not wanting to end up falling below him. But the speed slowed quickly and left them hanging gently in the air, the grass and trees below them blending together as they soared into the sky.

When they reached the peak of their arc, well above the dorm facility itself, Ochako shifted her gaze in front of them. The central, flat part of the roof — the only place they could logically land — did not appear to have anything on it from this height. But she trusted whatever Deku was planning would be more visible once they got their feet atop it.

She finally chanced a glance toward him. His eyes were intently focused on sticking their landing, surprisingly unphased by how tightly she clung to his arm. The wind danced the hair across his forehead, and his focused expression was captivating. Be still, my beating heart, she thought to herself as she loosened her hold around his arm slightly.

The two landed smoothly, Ochako disengaging her quirk a little above the roof to ensure they both stood on their feet. She quickly let go of his arm, glancing sidelong to see his reddened cheeks, as if he just realizing she had been holding onto him tightly.

"So...what have you got planned?" Ochako asked again, keeping her attention focused on him. She watched Deku shake his head a bit as if shaking off unruly thoughts. He turned to smile at her before pointing over to the edge of the roof, near the back of the building.

It was a little hard to make out, but Ochako could tell what it was. Small, cylindrical, and directed upward toward the darkening sky, the telescope looked puny atop the massive rooftop. There was a thick-looking book beneath it, undoubtedly filled with information on astronomy.

"I remember you mentioning something about going out to see the stars with your parents last summer…" Deku murmured, scratching at his head. "You seemed really excited about it. I just figured we could maybe try to watch some stars here."

His voice wavered as his explanation went on as if fearing his idea was not going to work out.

Ochako did not have much experience, but she knew this was certainly a weird choice for a date. Most people would stick with something like a movie or an amusement park — the wholesome activities media tended to associate with dating. Night sky viewing on an empty rooftop was certainly a unique, and rather nerdy, choice.

But she loved it.

One of the things she disliked most about moving into the city was how hard it was to see the stars under all the light pollution. She tried to find places that might give her a fleeting glimpse of the night skies she treasured at her rural home, but it was no use. She had enough on her schedule without trying to squeeze time in for astronomical whims.

But now Deku was serving it up for her on a platter. She was eager to dig in.

Without letting Deku ramble on, Ochako grabbed his hand again and pulled him over to the telescope.

"Let's see what we can find!" Ochako shouted, unleashing her enthusiasm in a show of unbridled passion.

Ochako immediately plunged her face toward the eyehole of the telescope, fiddling with its alignment to see what she could see. With dusk still hanging around, the sky was not quite dark enough for stars. But there were a few bright spots starting to appear in the sky. A crescent moon was also in view, and Ochako peeked around the telescope to try to adjust it toward that direction.

She could hear Deku move around the other side, leaning down to pick up the book on the ground.

"It's too bad we can't see much with the city lights, but we can at least see a few bright spots," Deku said encouragingly as he flipped through the pages of the book. "I heard that Venus is going to be really bright tonight. Let me just see where it's supposed to be…"

Ochako focused in on the moon, admiring the beauty of it up close, the shadow clearly visible with the help of the telescope.

"That's so cool…" Ochako sighed breathily, letting herself get loose into the wonder of it all. "You should come check out the moon, Deku!"

"Oh, sure," he replied quickly, shuffling the book under his arm and stepping forward to take a peek. He accidentally grazed her hand as she let him have some room. The fleeting touch was pleasant, but Ochako determinedly did not allow it to phase her.

"Thank you for this, by the way. It was really thoughtful."

"Oh…you're welcome," Deku replied, suddenly thrusting his eye into the telescope with a little more vigour. "I wasn't too sure, but I'm glad you like it."

"It's been too long since I just looked up at the stars like this." There were only a couple of bright spots in the sky, but they were enough to put a smile on her face. "I've always felt…peaceful, watching the stars with someone I care about. You know what I mean?"

"I can't say I've really done much stargazing." He pulled his head away to look at her, flashing her a smile. "But I think I get it."

The two took turns glimpsing up at the night sky, slowly pushing their telescope to look at every corner they could. There were only a few bright spots to see, such as Venus and Sirius. But they were still able to enjoy each other's company, flipping through pages in the astronomy book, making excuses for fleeting contact and teasing plans to watch a real starry night sky together in the countryside some day.

Ochako was idly fiddling with the telescope's calibration when she saw it, flashing across the sky. A streak of light flashed across her vision, brighter than she would have expected through the lens of the telescope.

"Woah!" she naturally exclaimed, pulling Deku's attention.

"What is it?"

"Shooting star!" Ochako replied excitedly, her hands pointing to the sky as she looked back up at her date.

"Oh, really? That's awesome! I'm sorry I missed it." He directed his naked eyes toward the night sky, hoping another star might fall. "How big was it? Was it only one?"

"Pretty small. Just the one." A warm feeling overcame her as she thought about it. "Still cool, though. I've never seen one in the city before."

"That's pretty lucky," Deku noted, taking his eyes off of the sky to give her a knowing look. "So, are you going to make a wish?"

Ochako almost balked at the idea. She had not made a wish on a shooting star since she was a little girl. The magic of the idea was lost when her childhood wishes for her parents' financial well-being were never granted.

But tonight felt different. Tonight felt like maybe there was a little more magic than usual in the air, silly as it sounded in her head.

"Maybe..." Ochako's soft voice was non-committal. She took a step away from the telescope, trying to focus on the question Deku posed. "I'm not even sure what I would wish for."

"Me neither," Deku responded while stroking at his chin. "I mean, you already gave me the only thing I would have wished for lately. There's always world peace, but that's not going to—"

"What was that?" Ochako asked, blinking and straining to make sure she was hearing him correctly. She was his only wish?

Deku stopped his rambling, his eyes widening and face flushing as he realized what he accidentally let out.

"Uh…well, I didn't mean it like that! Well, I did mean it, but not in a weird way. Is that weird?"

He looked pleadingly toward her, lips trembling in search of a lifeline.

Ochako let out a giggle at his awkward fumbling through what could have been a good romantic line. Deku would never be able to maintain much in the way of suaveness, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's fine. A part of me had wished for this for a long time too, after all," Ochako said honestly, waving a hand at him reassuringly.

Deku breathed a sigh of relief, smiling in thanks at her. She smiled back as familiar, warm butterflies flew about in her gut.

He really had helped her fulfill so many of her hopes and dreams. She still had a long way to go to accomplish her goals of becoming a pro and helping her parents, but Deku had undoubtedly helped set her on the right course for that. Her self-doubts were slowly fading as she trained every day and built upon the resolve she found facing off against him.

There was not much she could realistically wish for because she knew it was not enough to wish. You had to take reaching your dreams — and your happiness — into your own hands.

There were a lot of things she wished for. But there was one thing in front of her she could grasp now.

"I think I know what I'd like to wish for, actually." She approached him with a mirthful tone, sliding up before he realized what was happening.

His throat bobbed as she rose up to meet him face-to-face. She could count the freckles on his cheeks again. But she was much more drawn to his widened eyes, mysterious new embers buried deep within those green depths.

"What would…that be?"

For just a moment, she was sure she was amongst the stars.

AN: And that is a wrap!

Thank you to everyone who read, edited and supported this story! It means so much to me that this got the kind of attention it did and it helped spur me on for my largest fiction writing project in years. You all rock. ^_^

Apologies that this took so long to get out there. Real life and writer's blocks got in the way. But I hope it was worth the wait.

Special thanks to the amazing kate7h, who completed an incredible commissioned comic of the climactic finish to Deku and Ochako's fight. Please, check it out here: https://kate7h.tumblr.com/post/178346038567/of-hearts-and-heroics-heres-a-work-turned

As for what's next, I cannot make any guarantees, but I have a few ideas floating around. I hope it will not be long before you hear from me again and you will join me for my next endeavour.

Please, leave a kudos and a comment if you enjoyed this story!

Until next time, I bid you farewell. =)

[comeandreadawhile]

Congrats, It’s a Spider-Boy

Marvel MCU

3,735 Words

While trying to help explain electrophoresis, Tony and Peter don’t quite get the results they’d expected to receive.

Pepper had, like most nights recently, been thankful for having bought enough groceries to prep another batch of the recipe used for dinner.  While teenagers were known to be voracious eaters, she was quite sure very few boys in the world found themselves as in need of calories as Peter.  She enjoyed having him and his aunt over for dinner, or any meal really, and seeing Peter eat his fill.  

She took another bite of her own food while thinking back to how livid Tony had been when told the boy had nearly fainted at eight stories up because Peter had been too busy to grab either breakfast or lunch that day.  Pepper also recalled calling May Parker in her own fit of concern following being informed of Peter’s hazardous decision to still patrol, and quite quickly the boy found himself with a snack pouch in his suit.  

Looking back up to see the two heroes discussing Peter’s day, special attention being awarded to his advanced biology class, she couldn’t help a small smile that tugged at her lips.  The two could’ve been related with how similar they looked; while Peter’s hair may have been lighter by a shade, it still reminded her of how Tony’s looked on the days he forewent any styling products.  She could pinpoint similarities in the sharp edges and rounder curves of their faces; most similar were the brown eyes.  

Peter’s were the same earthy shade of brown as Tony’s, but as she’d been told, the boy had inherited his eyes and their shape from his mother, Mary.  Glancing over to where May was also quietly enjoying her food and the boys’ banter, Pepper could see the fondness in her eyes for her nephew.  She could agree; it was hard not to be enamored with such a sweet kid.  As Peter rattled on about what his class had been learning in way of DNA and its analysis, she could see the positive effect the boy had had on Tony’s mood just from how the billionaire looked at him.  Pepper realized she must’ve been spacing out when May’s voice broke through her thoughts and the boys’ conversation.

“What does that big science word mean, exactly?” it was evident from her grin that May didn’t take any offense to being left out of the conversation, but Peter’s cheeks and ears turned pink anyway.  

“Something to do with electricity?  We aren’t going over it until Tuesday so I don’t really know.”

Tony took a sip of water before chiming in, “Electrophoresis basically means ‘stick this sample in some gel, electrocute it, and it’ll break up the proteins and such so new mothers and the police can find out who did what’.”  

Peter nodded, though looking curious of the process before adding on, “Yup, what he said.  Exactly that.” His statement received a snort from Tony.  

“I can have a machine delivered in a couple days; you can come back up and I’ll show you how it works and how to read the bands somewhat accurately.”  Peter’s entire being seemed to light up at the proposal, and the vigorous nod he gave was all the answer Tony seemed to need before telling F.R.I.D.A.Y. to place an express order.  Both women chuckled and shook their heads fondly before turning their attention back to their plates.  

 Happy had been less than pleased where upon delivering Peter to the lab a few days later he’d also been asked for a small blood sample.  ‘For science, of course,’ he mocked, all the while still taking the lancet and Tony’s offer of the rest of the day off.  

Peter did homework while waiting for Tony to finish prepping the samples for the smaller-than-expected machine on the next table over (while still explaining what he was doing), all the while finding some humor in his and Tony’s matching racecar Band-Aids on their fingers; he didn’t fail to point out when given the bandage that ‘of course Tony Stark has racecar Band-Aids’.  “Why not enjoy the small things in life like fun Band-Aids?” Tony had responded, to which Peter could only nod his assent.  

At the sound of something on the machine shutting, Peter perked up to see Tony pressing some button and stepping away from the table.

“And now we wait.”

Peter cocked his head to the side, “So why did we have Happy give us a sample?”

Tony clapped his hands together, “Imagine, if you will my little Spiderling, our dear Mr. Hogan finds a limited edition box set of every season of Downton Abbey in his local second-hand store,” Tony pauses to allow Peter to let out a snort.  “Now, for some reason he has none of the salary he earns and cannot simply leave this treasure for someone else to have, so he takes it.  Upon making a mad dash for the exit because an employee saw him, he crashes through the automatic door before it fully opens and glass goes everywhere.  Happy cuts himself, all the while keeping a tight grip on the box set, and peels out of the parking lot without anyone catching the license plate; therefore the police must resort to matching the blood left on the glass and some convenient spit on a used glass cup to catch our period-story loving thief.”  

Peter gave a slow clap for the on-the-spot story, “Alright that was pretty good.  Now what about my sample and yours?”

Tony pulled up a chair to the other side of the table, “We’re going to compare ours; say I’m suspicious as to the source of your boyish charm and impressive IQ so I want a paternity test done to see if I owe May over a decade’s worth of child support.”

Peter flipped his pencil between his fingers, a small smirk pulled at his mouth, “How do I know that isn’t the double motive? Help me with a biology concept and make sure you aren’t actually responsible for creating yours truly?” Tony gave him an amused side eye for the question.

“When were you conceived, again?”

The question elicited a chuckle from Peter. “Funny enough, May told me my mom came to her to tell her the good news about a month after my dad got back from a long research trip.”

Tony rose from his chair to cross around the table, “Few trimesters later and one of the finest young men I’ve ever known is born, right?” he says, ruffling Peter’s hair.  “I’m gonna go ask Pepper if she wants a pizza delivered; let me know when F.R.I.D.A.Y. says the machine is done doing its thing.”  

The end of a breadstick poked out of Tony’s mouth as he split up the results from the tests, Peter looking over his shoulder as he did so.  Taking the half-eaten breadstick from his lips and gesturing to the identical bands of proteins to their left Tony started, “So, as we can see, the two samples from the blood and the spit on the drink prove that our dear Happy is now the forehead of box set theft.  Now looking over at our sadly negative paternity test…” He trailed off, gesturing toward the other set of results with the breadstick before taking a bite from it.

Peter squinted, not from not being able to see but from confusion, “Okay so…” he began, “They don’t look terribly different. How can you tell that it’s negative?” Looking back up at Tony, Peter saw him look more closely at the results, lifting a finger to point out differences before freezing at seeing how many bands matched.  Suddenly, Peter saw the older man’s eyes widen a fraction, and an almost imperceptible shiver shook his frame.  “Mr. Stark?” A cold weight started to settle in Peter’s stomach from Tony’s silence.  

Peter almost didn’t hear his answer.

“Because it’s not…” Tony muttered out before taking a shaky breath.  “I think I might owe May that child support…” They both jumped when F.R.I.D.A.Y. took that moment to speak up.

“Congratulations, Boss.  It’s a boy!”

When Tony addressed the A.I., Peter thought he sounded on the brink of losing composure.  “F.R.I.D.A.Y. check any time around nine months before Peter was born that I would’ve been in proximity to Mary Parker.  Cross reference those results with any times Richard Parker was documented to be away on trips longer than a few days; get back to me with what you find.”

“Yes, Boss.”

A cold wave of realization started to wash over Peter that this wasn’t some sort of prank, as Tony wasn’t one to neither play them nor act this emotional for any he did.  DNA didn’t lie, but denial still rooted itself firmly in the front of Peter’s mind despite the holographic bands of proteins halfway matching between the two samples.  He vaguely registered F.R.I.D.A.Y. speaking again.  “Around the time Peter would’ve been conceived, you and Mary Parker were both speaking at a multidisciplinary, scientific conference in New York.  The conference occurred three weeks after Richard Parker departed for a research trip to Europe, and two weeks before his return to the country.”

Peter could feel his heart pounding in his ears; there was no way F.R.I.D.A.Y. would lie about this, as blunt as she was.  The implications of what she said started to merge with the holograms beginning to burn his eyes, the bright blue neon becoming less like distinct shapes and more a blurry haze.  He distantly registered Tony had begun pacing behind him; trying the stave off what Peter guessed was panic.  

His heart nearly leapt out of his throat when a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his middle, and Peter could feel Tony shaking against his frame.  The normally confident man sounded so small, even so close to Peter’s ears.

“Peter, I’m…I didn’t know, I swear, I…”

“Mr. Stark, I—“, Peter was cut off, suddenly turned about face.  Tony held him tight, and Peter’s chin rested just on Tony’s collar.  He felt the older man shudder, and heard something akin to a choked sob.  

“I swore if it ever happened, I’d be better than my dad.  I always thought the mother would come forward, I—“ Tony’s rambling briefly cut off to allow for another shaky breath. “I can’t believe I missed fifteen years!”  The apology and self-directed anger dripped from the exclamation.

Peter felt a hand move to the back of his head, and he was pressed even tighter into Tony’s shoulder; he could smell the pizza they’d ordered for dinner, and Tony’s signature cologne; a smell he’d gotten used to finding comfort in lately.  Peter wasn’t going to point out that Tony shouldn’t have been sorry for something neither of them had known about, but then the fact hit Peter that most of his life has essentially been a lie.  Not that blood really mattered but still, he had believed for his entire life that he was Richard Parker’s biological son, and yet here was the evidence in its bright blue holographic glory that he wasn’t.  He and May technically weren’t related anyway, but she was the closest thing he’d ever had to a mother that he could remember.  A terrifying thought came to him at the realization.

“Do I have to leave May?” Peter tried not to think about how choked and small his voice sounded.  He found relief in the fact that instead of pulling away from him, Tony only held him tighter.

“I’m not about to take you from the only stable parent you’ve had for the last decade.  Moms are important.  We need to call yours about this soon…”  

Peter gripped the sides of Tony’s tee-shirt as he pulled away from him.  The older man sniffed and used the hand that had been on Peter’s head to wipe what beginnings of tears there were in his eyes, before using both hands to cup Peter’s face.  “Fifteen years…”  Peter could see Tony trying to brighten his expression, “You think I could get May to send me pictures of you growing up or would that be creepy?”  

A wet laugh shook Peter’s frame, and he could feel calloused thumbs running under his eyes; he hadn’t realized he’d been tearing up.  Suddenly Peter felt the weight of Tony’s chin atop his head, and once more he was settled into Tony’s shoulder.  “I’m gonna make up for lost time, I swear.  I’m gonna be here for you.  If you thought I was overprotective before you just wait, young man!”  Peter could feel the vibrations of Tony speaking where his ear pressed against the older man’s throat, and he hummed at the promises made.  

“You mean it?” Peter had said it jokingly, and wasn’t prepared for how deadly serious Tony’s tone turned.

“Peter, I swear on my life I’m going to do everything I can to be a proper father to you if you’ll have me.”

Tony felt Peter clutch onto the back of his shirt, and nod furiously into his shoulder.  He felt the fabric on his shoulder get wet and warm, and he chocked it up to Peter being overwhelmed (he was too) at a third father in his life. Tony knew he wasn’t the ideal role model, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to make an effort to make up for missing this kid’s childhood.  Maybe in a different life Mary would’ve realized who the father of her baby was, and maybe he’d have seen Peter born, and learn to speak, and hold his hand as he took his first steps.  But that was then, and here and now he had proof that the kid he pretty much accepted responsibility for as his own was in fact his baby.  

Peter was his baby.  Although a bit out of his character, as Peter continued soaking his shirt with tears, Tony pressed moved the boy’s bangs and pressed his lips to Peter’s temple.  “I’m gonna do right by you, I promise,” he said, returning his chin to the crown of Peter’s head.  As the shock of discovery slowly waned, Tony could feel the growing warmth of affection spread through his core, stronger than it ever had been previously.  

“I should call May…” As he reluctantly began to let go of Peter, the boy suddenly stopped him.  

“Mr. Stark?”

He’d been trying to tell Peter he could call him Tony for several weeks, but with their new discovery the formal title seemed ever more distant and hollow.

“Yeah?”

“Does this mean I get to call Vision ‘little brother’?”

The snort he let out turned into a deep laugh, and the grin Peter sported showed he was quite proud of himself.  

“Absolutely, and I want you to make sure F.R.I.D.A.Y. gets a recording of Vision’s face the first time it happens.” He pushed Peter back toward his unfinished homework, knowing full well the boy wouldn’t be able to work seriously on it at the moment, as he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed May’s number.  After a couple rings the other line picked up.  

“Tony?  It’s kinda late, is Peter alright?”  

Tony let out a good-natured scoff. “I’m sure you’ll find that debatable, but I can assure you the little darling is just fine.” He could hear an amused sort of confusion enter May’s voice.  

“And what does that mean?  Did something happen?”  

Tony could feel his stomach drop a little; he couldn’t put into words just how perfect it seemed that Peter was his, but declaring that to his aunt (really his mother, the ‘aunt’ title was essentially a formal technicality) made it so much more real, and the elated jitters were sobered and the responsibility facing him took hold.  “May, before you call me crazy I can have F.R.I.D.A.Y. send you everything.”

“Um…alright?  Why do you say that?”

Thinking it better to just be frank and rip off the proverbial Band-aid, Tony took a breath. “That electrophoresis demo that Pete came over for, uh, well we did a sort of DNA matching paternity test so I could show him how to tell it was negative and explain what a positive would look like.  Problem—wait, no, it’s not a problem because it’s great, at least for me but anyway it wasn’t negative.”  Tony waited with baited breath as May’s end of the line stayed silent.  He quickly thought to add on, “F.R.I.D.A.Y. cross referenced my whereabouts in reference to Peter’s mother and Richard about when Peter should’ve been conceived and our times and places matched.”  

Tony knew with his advanced senses Peter could hear May’s end of the line, or rather the lack of sound on it.  After what seemed to be at least a few minutes, May spoke up.  

“Not that I don’t believe you, because this doesn’t seem like something you would make up, but I would like F.R.I.D.A.Y. to send me what you’ve got in way of evidence.”

“Of course!  F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“On it, Boss.”

Tony looked over to where Peter was sitting on one of the workbench’s stools, dangling his feet with a somewhat content look on his face.  Tony’s eyes drifted to the holograms when May piped up.  

“So…what?” She sounded a bit upset; Tony supposed she had every right to be, with her nephew not being the child of her late brother-in-law but of the man that until recently she’d not been at all fond of.  “Are you going to take him?”  Although he’d already answered that question, Peter still perked up on his stool.

Tony shook his head, knowing full well May couldn’t see it through the phone.  “I’m not gonna take Peter out of the only constant home life he’s had for the last decade, May, and I’m not about to take him from a parent that knows what they’re doing.  But I’m going to make up for lost time if you’re alright with that.”  He heard May make a sound of affirmation on her end of the line before continuing. “Not that I wasn’t planning on it anyway, but leave paying for college to me.  I don’t wanna cause court drama over this but I’d like a guaranteed weekend a month with Pete, in addition to every other week during the summer and every other holiday, but only ones Peter doesn’t mind spending with me.  Oh, and you can expect quite the hefty child support check; if you want to stay completely out of court on this just give me a number and it’s done.  Food, rent, school fees, whatever, I’ve got it.  Nights you have to work, he can stay with me and Pep, not that we wouldn’t be happy to have him anyway.”  Finishing off, he sent a wink Peter’s way, and the boy flashed a grin.  

He heard May let out a laugh thinly laced with disbelief, “You’re serious about all this?”

“May, I have been so serious about very few things in my life.  Peter was already filling this role before tonight, now I just have evidence to get my name on his birth certificate and schedule his doctor’s appointments.”  He heard Peter snort on the other side of the room.  “Actually we might just call Bruce so our darling baby boy doesn’t get taken away for being a spider mutant.  Yeah, Bruce is a good bet…”  

“Are you planning on claiming him publicly?”

Tony paused, that question wasn’t one that had gone through his mind yet.  “I don’t want you guys to have to deal with paparazzi all the time, or God forbid someone tries to get Peter to get to me, and not to mention either scenario could out him as Spider-man.  But, I would still claim him and let the world know he’s mine.  Let’s let this one simmer.”  

After May agreed and they each promised to discuss this in person the next time they met to exchange Peter, she and Tony hung up.  The billionaire looked over at Peter, who was doodling on a notepad corner, and a fond smile etched itself across his face.  Strolling over, Tony lifted a hand and ruffled Peter’s hair.  

“I’m sure I can fight off whatever bad guys try to take me if you want to claim me publicly.” He could see Peter was filled with that same fuzzy warmth that his own body was flooded with.

“No doubt, but the point is you shouldn’t have to.”  Tony watched as Peter flipped the pen between his fingers, contemplating something.

“You know, I’m still not used to calling you ‘Tony’.  ‘Dad’ is a whole other can of worms to open.”  Peter didn’t look uncomfortable, not really.  More like he was just trying to solidify that this new reality wasn’t a dream. A smirk replaced the fond grin on Tony’s face.  

“Oh, I am so taking advantage of this newfound fatherly power to give you pet names.”  Peter made a face of feigned disgust, and that was all the prompt Tony needed.  “Peter.”

“Yes?”

The billionaire lowered his voice an octave, “I AM YOUR FATHER!”

“NOOOOOOO!”  

The night wore on with comfortable silence, just two people trying to accept a shifted reality and being content with the outcome.  Eventually, Peter had started to nod off and with more warmth than amusement in his voice Tony said it was past the spiderling’s bedtime.  

Peter had taken up residence in the bedroom he’d once refused along with Tony’s offer to become an avenger.  After he’d changed and flopped on his bed, Tony came in with a glass of water and set it on the bedside table.  

“In case you get thirsty in the middle of the night.”  

Peter had thanked him groggily, and said he was looking forward to their weekend they’d decided to take together in a few weeks before snuggling into his pillow.  Tony felt a small sigh leave his chest, and before he could think to stop himself he drew the teen’s Star Wars printed blankets up to his chin and ruffled his hair.  “Night, son.” It was spoken with a tenderness he didn’t care to hide; it felt natural to address Peter such a way.  They weren’t quite at the ‘goodnight-forehead-kisses’ stage, not for a while, Tony thought, so he straightened to leave for his own room.  Just as his hand reached the doorknob, he heard, “Goodnight, dad” and that warm fuzzy feeling bloomed in his chest once again.  He looked forward to being a father. 

(There will be a chapter two coming...)

[paganinpurple]

MariChat May 2018 - Day 22: The Real MariChat aka Mari and Plagg interactions

Just 1 maybe 2 left to do. Had a burst of motivation tonight so hope it continues tomorrow and I finally finish this.

MariChat May 2018

L'âge de L'amour - Days  6 / 7 / 12 / 16 / 13 / 8 / 11 / 9 / 10 / 17 / 15 / 19 / 22 / 2 / 14 / 20 / Finale

Sweet Tooth - Days  4 / 5 / 1

Other Days - 3

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Marinette couldn't help but gasp as the sudden flash of light enveloped her. Despite the fact that she had been expecting it the second Chat had asked her to turn around, she had been shocked. She knew it would only take a few seconds for him to put on his new mask to protect his identity, but she was still struck by how easy it would be to turn around and catch sight of his face before he had a chance to hide - not that she ever would. He must have known it too, and yet he still trusted her implicitly. Her face felt warm yet again. Was there no end to the amount of blushing she did because of this boy?

“You can look now,” he said as the light faded out with a glow behind her and Marinette turned slowly in place, almost afraid to see him. Would the mask work? Would he still be Chat Noir or would he now be just a boy in a mask without the extra magic to keep his identity secret from her? Not for the first time she found herself wondering if she would recognise him.

As she finished turning to face him, she realised she needn't have worried. He was still Chat and not any more or less recognisable without his transformation in place. Sure, his hair was neater (was it actually a little shorter?) and he was wearing skinny jeans and a dark long-sleeved t-shirt, but really the only obvious difference was his eyes. She was so accustomed to seeing different shades of green in his eyes that the white sclera were a slight shock. She lifted her hand to run across the space beneath one of his eyes as she remained silent and awestruck. As she stared in wonder, his fingertips lifted to her face gingerly, sweeping across her check in return.

“Look, I don't want to be that person, but do you think you two could shelf this for a moment so I can get something to eat?”

She jumped in place, turning and very nearly poking Chat in the eye as he also turned his head to glare at the little black cat floating in the air beside them. Of course, she realised quickly calming down again, how could she have forgotten his Kwami?

“Okay, I lied. I don't care if I'm that person. I need food! I'm so hungry!”

Quickly getting over her reaction to seeing the little God, Marinette looked at Chat, schooling her expression into one of pretend confusion since he had no idea that she already knew what the little creature was.

“Marinette,” he said while still staring daggers at his miniature partner-in-crime and gesturing to him, “this is Plagg and he will have to make do without because I don't have any cheese with me.”

“What!?” Plagg whined, “You must have. How do you expect to get home unless I recharge?”

“Cheese?” she interrupted, sensing this might turn into a full blown argument if she didn't do something to head it off, “He needs cheese?”

“He certainly does!” Plagg said, flying over to hang in the air upside down in front of her face, “Do you have any Camembert? It's my favourite!”

“I don't think so. But there are some Gougeres downstairs. Papa made them with Emmentaler I think.”

Plagg seemed to consider it, his arm coming to rest under his chin as if he were holding his head up despite the reverse gravity of his position. “Hmmm. It'll have to do. It's not the worst type I've ever had to eat before.”

Marinette was quick to fetch him his snack in order to return to her initial idea of holding hands and whilst Plagg was preoccupied, her boyfriend took full advantage of the opportunity to explain what part he played in being Chat Noir. She listened attentively as he explained things he didn't realise she was already aware of, and she made the appropriate noises and asked the right kinds of questions to keep up the facade until he seemed satisfied he had covered everything. Meanwhile, Marinette watched the tiny cat eat and couldn't help but mentally compare the little creature to the boy sitting next to her.

Chat always loved to show his boundless enthusiasm for life on the surface but clearly hid away his pain and loneliness behind a smile. Too many times he had tried to pretend everything was fine and play the part of the jokester until Marinette would call him on it and remind him that he was allowed to be sad, and encouraged to open up a little in her company. Far too often she'd watched him trade a grin for tears as he worked through whatever was making him feel so badly.

In a similar way, it looked like Plagg was just as deceptive with his internal feelings. The way Chat spoke about him, he was usually the definition of a sour-puss – having no regard for anything more important going on in the world around him. If she believed him, all Plagg wanted was to sleep and eat and avoid any and all drama. But she suspected by the way Plagg watched her boyfriend from the corner of his eye the entire time he was supposed to be dedicated to his beloved cheese, that he cared deeply about his chosen one. Whenever Chat's explanations veered into vague stories about Plagg's mischief, she noted they often had Chat being disappointed by something as the catalyst to the tiny Gods actions. And when Chat made an off-hand comment about his after-school job his father insisted upon, she spotted Plagg rolling his eyes and immediately joining in the conversation to change the topic. Yes, the Kwami of destruction might like to play the grumpy disinterested old man, but she could see it was mostly an act to distract Chat from his own mind.

After he had eaten, Plagg joined in with their chit-chat and was quickly confirmed as good company in her mind -a fact that was clearly a surprise for Chat based on his slack-jawed appearance. Never once did she share her observations about Plagg and his behaviour, but instead she cooed over him and did her best to inflate his ego until she felt confident enough to start to ask him the real questions she was curious about without him becoming too cheeky.

“Do you purr?” she asked eventually, the tiny ancient being now sitting in the palm of her hand, while Chat rested his chin on her shoulder, arm flung around her waist in an attempt to win back her attention -movie long forgotten by both of them.

“Sure,” he said, a lot more co-operatively than she had expected based on what she had worked out about him, “for the right person.”

She watched as he made eye contact with Chat over her shoulder and she turned to try and catch his reaction as his eyes widened ridiculously behind his mask. They watched Plagg reach down and rub his face against one of Marinette's curled fingers, giving a low rumble as he did so. Giggling and redirecting her attention to the tiny kitty, she reached out with her other hand and began to scratch the top of his head with her pinkie and heard the rumble intensify. The more she scratched, the louder he seemed to become and before she knew it he was lying collapsed in a puddle in her palm, her whole hand vibrating slightly as he smiled toothily.

“Thanks, Princess,” he said, voice distorted by the rumbling as he lazily opened one eye to smirk at Chat again. She really did try but she just couldn't hold back another snicker at his antics. He really knew the best ways to rile up her boyfriend.

She felt Chat move away from her shoulder at the same moment she heard him speak, “Plagg, claws out!” and Plagg was already moving from her hand, speedily demanding that his chosen wait as he was sucked away. She turned her body around in time to see Chat become Chat again, blinking up at him in surprise. Surely he wasn't that irritated that Plagg seemed more comfortable around her than him?

“Sorry, but I don't know how often I'll be using your mask. I mean, if that's how annoying he's going to be every time then...um...sorry.” He looked sheepish and scratched at the back of his head ashamedly. A flicker of further recognition sparked in Marinette's eyes as she remembered how rashly she'd acted when Lila had been hitting on Adrien all that time ago. She smirked as all the opportunities to flip his teasing back on him suddenly occurred to her. She stood up and moved towards him. “Oh my God. Are you jealous!?” she asked eagerly.

“What? No! I don't know what you're talking about!” He looked so embarrassed. And he was so unbelievably red. Nobody blushed that hard when they were accused of something they weren't guilty of. She smirked wider.

“Oh wow. You are. You're jealous he was acting all cute with me. And that he got more attention from me than you did.”

“Okay. It's late. Ihavetogohomenow,” he sputtered out in a hurry, his words tangling into one incomprehensible noise. Instinctively she grabbed at his tail as he moved away and when he froze from the contact she wrapped her arms around him from behind, snuggling into his tensed shoulder-blades.

“Don't worry,” she told him, “You're still my favourite kitty.”

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