#Sodium AU

[cosmoknightchaos]

Kirby AU go brr. Ramble under the cut

(In case it's hard to read, text says Bandana Waddle Dee: Defender of Dreamland)

So nearly a year after I drafted the original story, I've finally fixed up my silly little Kirby AU enough to start posting about it!

It has no official name, though I have been and will continue calling it the Sodium AU (might've mentioned it on here once or twice?). It can be broken into two parts. There's Bandana Waddle Dee: Defender of Dreamland!, which plays kinda like a subgame centered around the titular Dee, and there's Kirby: Heros of the Stars, which plays out more like the main story mode. Though I hesitate to call them the main mode and subgame bc it's more of a Splatoon 3 fake-out situation.

The whole concept of BWD:DoD is that while Kirby was out training* with Meta Knight, a mysterious wanderer by the name of Aeon crash-landed on Planet Popstar seeking help. Since Kirby wasn't there to offer it, Bandana Dee decided he'd step up! The two end up going on a small adventure to find four mysterious artifacts... Though only one is found before Aeon gets fucking murdered and everything goes to shit.

The concept of the Sodium AU in general is a bunch of What-ifs I wanted to mess around with. Mainly, what if we made every single Galactia Knight encounter canon, what if Meta Knight was corrupted by Dark Matter, what if Kirby lost the ability to protect his home and friends, and what if Bandana Dee finally got to be the main character of a subgame. And he doesn't just get a subgame. He gets the entire AU with him as the main character, which would be great if it wasn't completely post-apocolyptic and everyone he ever knew and loved was dead, possessed, or secretly trapped in a basement in a cage in a castle on a Dark Matter infested planet waiting for their inevitable death where Dark Matter will possess them therefore causing the destruction of the galaxy as we know it (cough cough Kirby). There's a lot more to it than just this, as I also go more in depth on the Heros of Yore, Morpho Knight, and a bit of Magolor and Bandana Dee's relationship during BWD:DoD (slaps roof THEY CAN FIT SO MUCH TRAUMA). Arguably there is also a prequel that involves Magolor and Zan Partizanne, but I'm still working on it and it may get scrapped or turned into a separate thing. It (somewhat) follows the plotline of Star Allies' Guest Star mode, and involves a lot of arguing, angst, and poor coping mechanisms.

*It's not actually training. It's Kirby getting fucking wombo comboed by Dark Matter

[silvershewolf247]

Sometimes I come up with ideas and then immediately go "fuck they already did that" with fanficition.

[softquietsteadylove]

Hii, how are you?, i have a little idea for the Mermaid Au:

Thena gets sick for the first time, she is feeling really bad and scared but thankfully her boyfriend Gil is there to take her of her.

Thank you so much for all of your writings they are sooo amazing and perfect, i love them. 😃🖤

"Angelfish?"

Thena's groan echoed in the tub as she turned over.

Gil sighed, setting down the tray and leaning on the edge of the tub. He looked at her tail, sitting limply out of the water. "Still not feeling great?"

Thena whimpered, her face still contorted as she rolled over in the shallow warm water to look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were ghostly pale. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Thena," Gil whispered, reaching into the tub to help pull her out. He had even added sea salt to the bath in hopes it would soothe something in her.

At least she wasn't throwing up anymore.

They still weren't sure what she had eaten, or if it was simply a stomach bug going around (humans). But she had never experienced vomiting before, and the sensation had both hurt and scared her half to death.

Once she had completely emptied her stomach, the sickness of it still hadn't left. Gil had immediately called in sick to work. Thena had almost told him not to, but the painful cramping in her stomach made her grateful for his usually comical worrying.

"Come here, Cuddlefish," he soothed, holding her in his arms as he kissed her clammy forehead.

Thena buried her face in his chest, inhaling the scent of him in hopes of soothing her nausea. "Why?"

"I don't know, baby," he cooed, pushing her dry hair away from her temple. "But I'm right here. I promise I won't go anywhere until you feel better."

She sniffled. After all her work to become better at wearing her legs and be more independent from Gil, she was back to lying in his bathtub with limp fins. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," he nudged her to look at him. He kissed the tip of her nose, "you have nothing to apologise for."

She disagreed with that, but she didn't argue. Her head felt foggy (and not in a fun way). Her whole body ached and she was both way too hot and way too cold. She lifted her tail somewhat but it felt inordinately heavy. "Cold."

"Okay," Gil rubbed her back. He knew what she meant every time she uttered just a single word. He moved carefully, letting her lean against the edge of the tub. "I'll bring you some warm clothes, you use a towel to get the salt off you. And have some of that!"

Thena smiled as he rushed off for her comfort. He really had been perfect through all of this. She pulled a towel over her, wiping off the salt in the water that crystallised on her body instead of being absorbed into her skin. At least her legs were a little lighter than her tail, at the moment.

She licked her lips; the drink Gil had brought her was sweet, and it tasted like ginger. He used a lot of ginger in his cooking, although it was usually more subtle. The first time she had seen it, it looked a little like an anemone, or a sea sponge. She had taken a big ol' bite out of it at her own risk.

"Here," Gil smiled as he came back with one of her favourite sweaters of his and some soft pants she had seen him wear. He kneeled down close to her feet, "shirt first."

She pulled it over her head, letting the towel fall into her lap as she did.

"Now these," he held up the pants. She knew how they were worn, but she still wasn't very good at putting them on. "One leg at a time, just lean on me."

She smiled as he turned, letting her brace herself on his strong, warm shoulder as she pulled them up her legs.

"Got 'em on?"

"Hm," she confirmed, giving his arm a squeeze. He turned slowly, careful not to knock her off balance. "Here."

She let him wrap his belt around her hips. Any pants of his had no chance of fitting her, after all. "Soft."

He smiled at her, kissing her forehead between her brows. "They are, huh? Ready?"

She nodded, melting into him as he picked her up. He had carried her around the house ceaselessly since she became ill. It was rather like when they first met. The nostalgia was comforting, through the dizziness.

"I made you something," Gil said gently as he walked downstairs with her in his arms. She buried her face in his neck and hissed. "I know, Angelfish, but you have to try and eat something."

She whined again. She didn't want to experience that expulsion of food anymore. She would rather dry up completely on a hot rock.

"I know," he whispered, trying his best to assuage her fears. "Just a little bit, Thena, please? I'm worried about you not eating."

She pouted as he laid her down on the couch. She knew he was just as scared about her condition as she was. He had called Sersi in a panic, regardless of the unspeakable hour it was when she had first expelled her meal. "Fine."

"I promise, it'll be gentle," he pressed his palm to her forehead before running it over her hair on his way out.

Thena sighed, snuggling back into the blankets he had laid out for her. She had never tried and failed so terribly to retain warmth in her more human body.

"Here we go, Angelfish," he said gently as he walked in with a clay pot he often cooked food in. It wasn't sizzling and bubbling though, steaming gently as he set it down. "This is just rice with a little seafood broth. I even put some anchovies on it."

Thena smiled at the little bowl, her favourite snack sprinkled over the top enticingly. She blinked, swiping at her cheeks with a frown.

"Hey, it's okay," Gil rushed from kneeling in front of her to beside her, swiping away her tears more gently. "It's okay, Thena. I'm right here, sweetheart."

Thena leaned against him, soaking up how warm he was. She pressed her face into his sleeve again.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he rubbed her other shoulder, kissing her hair again as she trembled faintly beside him. "I know this must feel awful."

She pulled away, looking at him with blurry vision. "Will you get sick if you kiss me?"

His brows rose, and she would be embarrassed if she had the energy to spare. He blushed faintly, "uh, n-no, I don't think so."

She pouted.

He smiled, tilting his head at her, "do you...do you want a kiss?"

She nodded, her eyes tearing up again.

Gil just smiled, leaning forward and kissing her so, so gently. She could cry with relief, but she was too focused on kissing him. He pulled back, just barely, his breath hitting her lips as he asked, "better?"

She nodded, feeling a familiar fluttering in her belly that was much more pleasant than what she had been feeling the past few days. She looked down at her food again, "much."

"Good," he sounded quite pleased, watching as she took a tentative bite.

"Hm," she blinked, trying another spoonful. She really was hungry, and it tasted nice. It wasn't as boldly flavourful as some of his cooking, but it was still delicious, and it was nice and gentle on her tongue.

"I think this might help soak up what's hurting your stomach and your throat," he explained gently, gesturing to the broth-softened grains of rice. "There's lots of ginger in it, too, which should relax the muscles that are hurting you."

Thena just nodded, taking another bite. It was good, and she could practically feel her unruly stomach calming. She looked at him, "can I have more anchovies?"

Gil kissed her cheek, "you can have anything you want, Angelfish."

She watched him stand from the couch for more and immediately felt his absence. She shimmied a little closer to his spot, which was much warmer than hers. Once he was sitting beside her again, she would have everything she needed.

[acheterdupentobarbital]

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[movedtodykedvonte]

i have a personal theory that almost all blue ads could reasonably be voiced by danny from GG and I think it works here

Interesting, but can still hear it as I hear banner as soft spoken but certainly not shy, kinda like Danny. Tho I picture his voice being a bit too comforting, Banners gots this specific inflection in my head that makes everything sound pointed or patronizing to an extent.

How would it affect ur thoughts if i said they had a British accent?

[traveler-at-heart]

Lessons of Love - Part 4

Nerd!Natasha x Rogers!F R

Summary: As your relationship with Natasha progresses, you find some bumps on the road.

That was no way to start the day. Natasha had looked everywhere for her notebook, and now she was walking to Advanced Calc without any idea where it went.

Truth is, she could remember most of the things she had written down from lessons. What she regretted the most was losing all the little notes or scribbles you’d leave at random places.

“Looking for this?” she heard you say.

There you were, standing outside her classroom. You had her schedule memorised to know what routes to take to your next class and see her as offen as possible.

“Yes, actually” she nodded, taking the notebook from you. You smiled, leaning forward. To anyone else, it seemed like you two were just talking, but you had your hand on her arm, drawing circles.

“It was under my bed…” you explained, blushing at the memory of the make out session that almost became somethig more. You could tell Natasha was thinking the same thing, as her eyes traveled to your lips. You were about to close the distance for a short kiss when someone called for you.

“Hey, mamacita” it was Jessica Jones, who stayed oblivious to the intimate moment you were sharing with Natasha.

“Hey, JJ” you greeted, turning around and standing closer to Nat, hoping she’d put her arm around your shoulders or something. Instead, she excused herself and went inside the room.

You sighed, disappointed.

“We have Spanish together. Wanna walk with me? Podemos practicar en el camino, muy caliente!”

“Oh, wow. Your Duolingo streak must be on fire”

—-

“Au, K, C, Na” Natasha pulled out study cards, placing them in front of you.

“Gold, Potasium, Carbon, Sodium” you listed all the elements.

“Correct” she leaned back against the headboard, chewing on some M&Ms.

“Where’s my prize?” you said in a low voice, getting closer to her. Natasha blushed and watched as you leaned forward… stealing the candy from her.

“Not fair” she complained, although she was laughing along. You offered her a chocolate to appease her, aware that your eyes followed her movements as she let you feed her.

Obviously, the study session was abandoned for other activities. Her lips were on yours and you had kicked the notebooks out of the way to have more space.

Natasha’s tongue explored your mouth expertly -god, she had gotten so good at kissing- while the other circled your waist. You yelped as she lifted you up, placing you on her lap.

“That was incredibly hot” you commented, licking and biting her earlobe.

Natasha responded by squeezing your breasts over your shirt. You didn’t know what had gotten over her, she was usually shy and let you take the lead, but you were definitely not complainig. Before she had time to hesitate, you took your shirt off, nipples hardening at the cold air and the arousal.

Natasha moaned, burying her face in the valley of your breasts.

“Can I…?” she asked for permission, her hand hovering over the clasp of your bra.

“Yes. Please” you nodded, and a second later felt your bra lose around your shoulders. Natasha pulled at it impatiently, her tongue swirling around your nipple. You jolted forward, moaning and feeling her erection against your leg.

With a cloudy mind, you unzipped her pants and palmed her cock through her boxers. Natasha’s hips went up, as her lips stopped working on your breasts, caught off guard by your bold move.

“I’m sorry, I just got carried away”

“Do it again, please” she asked against your lips, kissing you while her hand took over your nipple. Nodding against her, you continued to stroke her over the fabric, feeling the hardness strain against the underwear. You wanted nothing more than to pull the boxers down and suck Natasha off.

The thought made you squeeze a bit harder, Natasha losing her focus for a second, knowing she’d come any minute.

Your brother’s voice boomed across the hallway.

“Captain Rogers is pulling up the driveway. However’s doing something nasty, wrap it up”

You groaned at that, layind down next to Natasha. Your hair was a mess and you were both out of breath.

“My eyes are up here” you joked when she kept staring at your boobs, your chest going up and down as your breathing evened out.

“I know” Natasha nodded, still looking at them. You laughed, pushing her away as you rolled on your back to put your clothes back on.

“Hey, I didn’t overstep, right?” Natasha asked, kissing your shoulder as you looked in the mirror to fix your hair,

“No, my love. It was perfect” you said, looking at her reflection. Once you were satisfied with your appearance, you turned around and put your arms around her neck. “I liked it way too much”

“I did too” she confessed, smiling as you pecked her lips.

“Maybe we can talk about…”

“Yeah. I know… I’ve been thinking about it too”

“Wait. Are we both talking about marriage?” you said, serious. Natasha’s eyes widened and you laughed. “I’m just teasing you”

“Yeah, that’s what you are. A big tease” she said, kissing you softly.

—

Still thinking about everything that happened the day before, you walked out of Spanish class. It took you a moment to caught up with Jessica, who was talking next to you.

“So, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“I asked you to dinner. Like, a date?”

“Oh” you nodded, and then it clicked. “Oh, JJ, I'm very flattered but the thing is… I have a girlfriend”

“You do? Huh” Jessica said with a smile. “Wait, don’t tell me. It’s Wanda, right? I mean, you guys are together all the time”

“Wanda?” you repeated, confused. It almost felt like you summoned her, because she came out of nowhere, pulling you by the arm.

“Hey, mind if I steal my girl?”

“Wait, that’s not what you think” you tried to correct, but Jessica gave you a thumbs up.

“Happy for you two”

Wanda kept walking down the hallway, her hand firmly grasping yours and you tried to keep up with her.

“Wanda, what’s wrong?”

“Jarvis is coming for the winter break!” she said excitedly.

“Oh, the English lad” you said with your bad accent. The girl rolled her eyes.

“Wait, why is Jessica happy for us?” she stopped suddenly, and you rolled your eyes.

“Don’t worry about it”

Later that day, Wanda came back home with you to tell you all about Jarvis’ upcoming visit.

“I’m happy for you” you said.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean? Nothing, Wands”

“You didn’t even make the accent since I brought it up again”

You rolled your eyes and threw a cushion her way, making her laugh.

“Is it weird that Natasha and I are still keeping everything private? It’s been three months since we started dating, and we’re not exactly hiding but when someone comes to speak to me she just disappears”

“Have you spoken to her?” Wanda suggested, spinning in your work chair.

“I guess we’re due a talk for more than one reason” you admitted, playing with the hem of your shirt. Wanda caught on to your shift in mood and launched herself to lay next to you.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, yesterday, it felt like we almost… you know”

“Really? Oh my God, how was it?” Wanda squealed and you sushed her, fearing your parents would hear. “What? I wanna know everything. I mean, ew, not everything but… ya know”

“We didn’t do… it. It felt like we were going to, but then Dad was home. Plus, I haven’t even told her how I feel. It’s kind of cheap to do it without saying how much I love her”

“Well, just tell her exactly that. It’s not like she doesn’t love you back”

“I don’t know. Anything is possible” you shrugged your shoulders and Wanda kicked her feet in the air, sighing dramatically.

“You two are impossible lesbians. She’s out there looking at you as if you hung all the stars in the sky and you’re moping because Natasha might not love you back”

“Alright, jeez” you laughed. “Then help me tell her in a creative way”

“What are you thinking? Something she likes?”

“Morse code” you suggested and Wanda made a face. “Alright, non binary language”

“Like saying I love them instead of you”

“No, as in 0 and 1 like computers, genius”

“Ugh, you are a certified nerd” she gagged and you laughed. “What’s wrong with some old fashioned bouquet and chocolate?”

“Going back to the basics… you’re on to something, Maximoff”

—

Your mom was on board with your plan the minute you shared it. She’d been the one to arrange a bouquet of flowers from the family garden. It had baby’s breath, white carnations, pink camellias and a dash of red yarrow.

So, there you were, standing outside the Romanoff home first thing in the morning. You had plans later that day and you knew Natasha was going out for her run, but you were lucky enough to catch her before she left.

“Hey” she greeted you as she opened the door.

“Hi…” you began, and then she pulled you by the waist, devouring your mouth in that new found hunger that made your knees weak. “Uh… I…”

“It’s nice to see you first thing in the morning” she said, her nose against yours in a sweet gesture.

“Yeah, especially when you kiss me like that”

Natasha smiled, but let go of your waist and finally looked at the flowers.

“Going somewhere?”

“Huh? Oh, no. These are for you” you extended the bouquet and she took it. “I’ve grown all these flowers myself and wanted to give them to you because I…”

“Achoo!”

“Bless you”

“Thank… achoo!”

Natasha sneezed a few times before you caught up with what was happening.

“Damn it, you’re allergic”

“Nooo… maybe a little” she looked apologetic and you gently removed the bouquet from her hands, placing it behind your back.

“I’m sorry, baby. I had no idea”

“It’s fine. They’re really pretty. It’s the thought that counts” she sneezed one more time and you sighed. “Let me grab my medicine and I’ll be right back”

“No, it’s ok. I’ll come back later, I should take this back home” you held the flowers as if they were radioactive, as far away from her body as possible. “Catch you later for our date?”

“Looking forward to it” she leaned forward to kiss you, but broke apart to sneeze once more.

“Medicine, now” you sighed against her lips.

So, that was a bust. Your mother was ready to take personal offense when you came back with the flowers, until you explained what had happened.

“Well, what’s plan B?”

“A fortune cookie?”

You honestly thought the flowers would work so a backup plan was not even considered.

“We’ll bake cupcakes!” your mother suggested, always a step ahead of you. “Look for ideas while I get the ingredients”

You browsed until you stumbled upon a cute video. With an edible marker, you wrote “I love you” in a piece of sugar paper. Covering it with a food safe acetate and buttercream, you decorated the cupcake as if it was a letter, placing a small red heart on the center.

You prepared a tray with the rest of the cupcakes, making sure to place the one with the note in the middle.

“Good luck, sweetheart” your mother said as she dropped you off later that day on her way to the gallery.

This time, Natasha’s welcome was a bit more measured, since her parents were up and your mom was waving from the car.

“How’s the allergy?”

“It’s all fine now” she promised, leading you by the hand.

“Well, I got you some cupcakes. I’m pretty certain you’re not allergic to those”

“No, especially when you’re the one making them” she admired the work.

“You should eat this one first” you pointed at the one in the middle and she nodded, taking your face in her hands.

“I want something sweeter first” her lips moved against yours and you grabbed her neck to keep her there.

“Right in front of the cupcakes” Yelena complained and you broke apart, eyes still closed as you tried to bring your breathing back to normal.

“Those aren’t for you”

Crap.

Of course, Yelena chose the one with the note. By the time you noticed, she was done with it.

“Uh… you didn’t taste anything weird in it?” you asked, worried about the acetate. Yelena shrugged her shoulders, and picked up another one until Natasha slapped her hand away.

“Get your own cupcake baking girlfriend”

“Is that all she is to you? A cupcake factory? Natalia, that is so rude. Y/N also has a cute butt, why not mention that”

“You know what I mean. And don’t look at her butt!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” you stopped the arguing, sounding a bit hysterical. “Come on, let’s get going, Nat”

You were silent for the entire ride, and Natasha allowed you to take the time you needed.

“We’re here” she announced after parking at the mini golf course.

“Ok”

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to do something special for you and I think I’ve been failing all day”

“You haven’t. Everything you do is special for me”

“Really?” you whispered, blushing at her kind words. Natasha nodded, taking your hand and kissing the back of it. You suddenly remembered a thing you wanted to mention. “Our four month anniversary is next Saturday… why don’t we go somewhere nice?”

“I love that” she agreed and you smiled, eager to shout back and I love you

But you wanted it to be special, and what’s another week? You could wait, and maybe, this time your plan would work.

—

The Science Club was only five people. Peter, Darcy, Shuri, Ned and Natasha, the founding member. It was an improvement from last year, when it was only her and Darcy.

“So, next week we’re getting the guidelines for the Science Bowl, and then we can plan our study sessions” Natasha said, writing down a couple of dates in the whiteboard.

“Are we doing that?” Peter asked, looking around.

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“Well, I thought you would be focused on the Westview Science Fair. Since they have some people from MIT coming each year” Peter explained.

“Well, I’m a sophomore… I’m sure next year I’ll do it”

“Scared I’ll beat you, Romanoff?” Shuri taunted.

Natasha felt like she was under the microscope. Everyone in the club knew how brilliant her mother was, and how ambitious Natasha’s own goals were for her future as a scientist.

“Are you ok? We’ve had the impression that you’ve been a bit distracted” Ned said in a soft tone, as if he was afraid to upset her.

“I’m fine” Natasha lied, turning to Darcy. “See? Lewis is texting someone while we meet. Bet she’s more distracted than me”

“Hey! I’m just talking to Y//N”

“Why are you talking to Y/N?” Natasha snapped. Everyone in the room shared a look.

“Because we’re partnering for a Biology project. And then I’ll ask her out”

“I heard she has a girlfriend” Shuri intervened, saving Natasha from throwing the marker to Darcy’s head. “No idea who she is, though”

“Well, that won’t stop me” Darcy smiled, going back to texting.

“We’ll do the Science Bowl and I’ll work on the Westview Fair, so that’s thqt” Natasha returned to writing on the board.

“Wow. You’re doing both? Isn’t that a lot?” Peter said. Natasha shrugged her shoulders.

For the rest of the afternoon, her thoughts spiraled, filling her with anxiety. She had gotten distracted and lost focus and now her entire future was jeopardized over it.

It wasn’t until later, when she heard a knock on the door that she snapped out of it.

“Go away”

“You sure about that?”

Another thing she had forgotten; you had plans. She felt guilty, and wished she had cancelled before making you come all the way here when she was in a sour mood.

As she opened the door, you leaned forward to kiss her but she turned her face.

“You ok?” you said, confused at her cold demeanor. Walking to her desk, you placed a gift box and sat on the bed, looking at Natasha. She was tense, and avoiding your eyes.

“Fine. Just busy”

“Oh, ok. Well, want me to just wait until you’re less busy? I can go bother Yel”

“It’s gonna take a while. You should go back home. I’ll text you later”

“Nat? What’s wrong?”

“Why were you texting Darcy?” she finally snapped, picking a fight over something she knew meant nothing.

“How did you know?”

“So you didn’t want me to find out”

“I’m texting her because we’re doing a presentation for class. She asked me to be on the same team”

“You could have said no” she said, turning her back to you.

“I don’t have any reason to be a total bitch and say no to a group project, Natasha. If it bothers you so much you could tell her we’re dating. I told my friends, unlike you”

“That’s not the point” Natasha said, looking at the card that came with the gift. It was a simple equation.

“Then what is?”

“I don’t have time for this. You want me to do your homework too?” she threw the card on her desk and looked at you. “I’m behind, I totally forgot about the Science Fair and now I have to come up with a really good project in less than three weeks”

“Why are you making it sound like it’s my fault?”

“Because” Natasha stopped herself from saying it is.

But you knew.

She saw the hurt in your eyes and regretted everything that had just happened.

“Don’t worry. I won’t get in the way of your stuff anymore, Natasha” you stood up, walking towards the door.

“Wait! No, I didn’t mean to…”

“Yes, you did” you went out of her room, Natasha staying rooted to the spot.

She was a coward.

—

You had avoided Natasha all day. That’s how she finally realised that all those moments where you met and spoke outside of her classroom or in the hallways were because of you, going out of your way to see her.

During English class, you sat at the front, as far away from her as you could, and spend the entire period taking notes. By the time it was over, you were the first person out the door. Natasha tried to catch up with you but wasn’t even sure how to begin to apologize.

Natasha’s texts, as well as her calls went unanswered. Today was a Saturday, and you’d usually spend time together in the evening… she could try going to your place, or to your mother’s gallery. She had to find you and tell you how sorry and wrong she was. You were the best thing that had happened to her, and it was none of your responsibility if Natasha had too much on her plate.

Yelena walked past her in the living room, wearing her cheerleader uniform.

“You don’t have practice today” Natasha turned to her.

“It’s the end of the football season so we’re meeting today and tomorrow. I’m late” Yelena answered without looking at her sister.

“Wait! I’ll drive you”

Yelena rolled her eyes, but waited in the car nonetheless. She spent most of the time looking out the window, until she couldn’t hold her tongue anymore.

“If anyone had spoken to me the way you spoke to Y/N, I would have broken up with them, on the spot”

“Jeez. Thanks?”

“She’s kind. And she’s in love with you. You’re always so caught up in your world of science like mom. It’s great that you’re so smart but you’re so damn stupid sometimes, Tasha” Yelena said and left the car as soon as she arrived.

Natasha sighed, looking for you in the field. You were speaking to Pepper, smiling as she showed you what the next move would be. Your eyes landed on Natasha and your smile faded. Still, the redhead waved at you and you walked towards the bleachers.

“What’s up?” you said in a casual tone that made Natasha’s heart drop.

“I tried calling you”

“I had nothing to say” you shrugged your shoulders. “And you have a lot going on so I figured you could use your time back”

In that moment, Natasha’s phone rang and she ignored the call, without checking who it was.

“I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I was unfair to you because I had a bad day”

“Honestly, Natasha? I’m not sure if it’s just that”

“What do you mean? Damn it” she complained as her phone rang again. The sound was begining to irritate you.

“What I mean is… you’re very smart and I’m just me. I have no idea what I want to do with my life and I’m ok with that, because I’m 16 and feel like I have time. But if you have everything figured out, and you feel like it should be your priority, I won’t hold you back”

“You’re not holding me back” she promised, taking a step forward. “I just don’t know how to balance everything. I lost focus…”

“Because of me?”

“Because I… I’ve never been in a relationship before”

“Well, that sounds like something you should figure out on your own” you cut her off, starting to walk away.

“That’s not fair. You can’t expect me to feel bad because I know what I want? I’m sorry. But being in a relationship won’t get me into MIT”

“I never said that!” you groaned, frustrated as her phone began to rang again. Natasha didn’t ignore the call, and this time the noise made you even more upset as you both kept arguing.  “Pick up the damn phone”

Taking the phone from her hands, you answered the call.

“Hey, Natty. I’m waiting at your house but your mom said you’re out”

You recognized the voice. Jane Foster.

“Don’t worry. We’re done here” you threw the phone at Natasha, turning to walk away.

“Wait, it’s not what you think. Jane was only going to help me with the Science Fair project”

“Today was our fourth month together, I made a reservation and everything. And I kept it with the hope that we could make things right. But go be with Jane, take her out. Forget about me, us. If this relationship is a burden, you’re not in one anymore”

“No, Y/N, wait, please”

“Goodbye, Natasha”

You left her standing alone, as you walked into school. Yelena followed you, glaring as she walked past her sister.

“Nice one, Natasha”

—

Natasha didn’t know how to fix this mess. You were never alone at school, and she was sure it wasn’t a coincidence.

Pietro or Wanda were consistently by your side, even when their classes were across the school. Bucky glared at Natasha the only time she dared come near you, but you elbowed him and walked away as fast as possible.

You didn’t hate Natasha, nor did you expect anyone else to be mean to her. You were just heartbroken, feeling like everything she had said was confirmation of how unlikely it was for someone as smart as her to love you.

Wednesday seemed like the only chance to actually talk to you, but to Natasha’s bad luck, you skipped Chemistry class.

“No Miss Rogers today?” Fury asked in the middle of practice. Natasha shrugged her shoulders. “This exercise was her idea”

“Borax crystals?” Natasha looked up. The professor shrugged his shoulders, copying Natasha.

“Said she wanted to use the pipe cleaners to do some fun shapes. I’m guessing hearts”

Natasha thought about it for a second, while Fury gave her a knowing look.

“Crystal hearts” Natasha repeated.

“She also showed me an equation to check if it was correct, then wrote in something that looked like a card. Very mysterious”

“Yeah” Natasha nodded, going back to her notes. Feeling someone was looking at her, she raised her eyes and met Wanda’s murderous glare.

“Stop it” Pietro told his sister, while Natasha turned pale. Wanda could be scary.

Fury chuckled and walked back to his desk, hoping whatever was going on could be solved outside of his classroom.

For her part, Natasha wanted to skip the rest of her classes and go home. She was sure the card Fury mentioned was the same you had given her the day she acted like a total ass.

By the time she got home, Natasha went straight to her room. The gift box had been hidden in her closet, because she couldn’t stand seeing it all the time.

“Screw it” she muttered, opening the closet and taking it out. Natasha ripped the paper, trying to figure out what the box had.

Lego flowers.

So you can always have flowers without the allergies, a note inside said.

She didn’t deserve you. Natasha dropped the box in her bed and sat on the floor. How could she know so much about science but not be able to figure out how to fix this?

There was a knock on her door but she didn’t care to answer.

“Sweetheart?” Melina said, opening the door. Her eyes widened when she saw her daughter so defeated. “Tasha, what’s wrong?”

“I’m an idiot” Natasha shook her head, the tears finally rolling down her cheeks. She had tried to avoid it, because Natasha hated crying, hated feeling helpless more than anything.

But right now, she hated the way she had made you feel even more.

“Oh, you’re definitely not an idiot, sweetie. Come here” Melina sat next to her daughter, hugging her. Natasha felt like she was five again, but held on to her mother’s arms. “Is this about Y/N?”

“Yelena told you, huh?”

“No. I just noticed she hasn’t been around and you’ve been hiding in your room. Wanna tell me what happened?”

“I was a jerk. All of the sudden I realised I was gonna have all this extra work from the Science Club and the Westview Fair and blamed it on her, as if she was distracting me on purpose”

“Oh, I see. You’ve never been good with stress, after all”

“I’m not good with people” Natasha shook her head. “She’s better off without me”

“Natasha, darling. You’re so smart. But you put so much pressure on yourself. I sometimes blame myself for it”

“What do you mean?”

“I worked so hard when I first came here because I had to prove myself. Had to be ten times better than anyone else to be seen as more than just the strange girl from Russia. I don’t want that to be your life. Choose a path that makes you happy”

Natasha nodded, wiping away the last tears.

“I don’t know how to fix it” she confessed.

“Say how you feel. Speak from the heart. And be better next time. That’s all you can do” Melina said, squeezing Natasha’s shoulders. “We’ll leave in an hour, the last game of the season is today”

As Melina left her daughter’s room, Natasha gathered the courage to open the card, curious to see if it had the equation that Fury mentioned.

She went over it a couple of times, and then sat, writing it down on her own notebook to solve it.

9x - 7i > 3 (3x - 7u)

9x - 7i > 9x - 21u

- 7i > - 21u

7i < 21u

i <3 u

“I love you” she read, her heart beating out of her chest.

Natasha stood up and tried calling you, but it went to voicemail. You’d probably be at the field, practicing with the rest of the team. It would be nearly impossible to get close to you, and Natasha didn’t want to wait until the end of the game.

She had to speak to you now. Natasha called someone else.

“Peter. I need a favor”

—

As it was to be expected, the school parking lot was packed. Melina walked with an arm around her daughter’s shoulders.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes” Natasha nodded. “I’ll catch up with you. I have to meet with Peter real quick”

“Alright” the woman said, going to the bleachers to find a spot for them.

Natasha walked to the school library, looking anxiously around the building.

“Hey! I’m here, sorry” Peter said, carrying the mascot suit. “This is a very weird favor to ask, Nat”

“I know, trust me. But I need to get to the field now” Natasha examined the suit, accepting Peter’s help to put it on. Once the body was zipped, Peter placed the lion’s head, making sure Natasha was adjusting it.

“How does it feel?”

“How can you even see in this thing?” Natasha’s voice came out muffled.

“Yeah, I can’t. You’ll get used to it, though. Come on, I’ll walk you to the field”

He took Natasha by the hand (well, paw) and she almost backed out of the plan. It was hot and dark in there and she might pass out.

But then she thought of you and the three words she wanted to tell you, and her resolve strenghtented.

By the time they reached the field, Pepper dragged Natasha out, not even noticing that Peter was by her side, instead of inside the suit.

“We change the routine’s speed so you better catch up”

“Wait, I don’t even know it”

���Stay there” the girl ignored her. Natasha looked around and walked with her arms reached forward.

“So, how are you feeling?” that was Yelena’s voice. Natasha walked towards it, hopeful.

“I’ve had better days” you admitted with a sad smile. “I miss Nat like crazy”

“If it helps she’s been very miserable” Yelena said and you laughed.

“She’ll be fine without me. Though I’ve been trying to avoid her, because I know she wants to break up and I cannot take it, not right now”

What? She never wanted to break up with you. Natasha struggled with the head of the suit, but stumbled against her sister.

“Hey, watch it” Yelena said, but turned as Pepper asked everyone to take their places. “Come on Parker, you know what to do”

“I’m not Parker. Y/N, wait!” Natasha screamed, but between the music and the cheers from the crowd, you didn’t hear her. Natasha stumbled around as the cheerleading squad began their routine. She crashed against some of the girls, and by the time she found a quiet corner to go unnoticed, they were pulling her back to the field, almost carrying her to the center of their circle.

Pepper pushed Natasha towards a trampoline, and the girl jumped a few times on it.

“Go, Lions!” the girls cheered as someone threw a ball to Natasha’s head. She flew in the air, losing her footing and the head of the suit at the same time. The redhead landed on her back, the padding helping a bit with the fall.

“Natasha?” you said, rushing to her side. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Are you ok?”

“I’m fine” Natasha said, breathing heavily and finding comfort in your closeness. She had missed you so much.

“Are you sure? Does anything hurt?” you insisted, checking her head with a gentleness that made Natasha swoon. Without thinking about it, she closed the distance, kissing you softly. You tried to protest, but gave in a moment later, shutting your eyes and pulling her closer.

You missed her so damn much.

People cheered and then it dawned on you that you were putting on a show for the entire school. You looked at the crowd, your cheeks turning pink.

“Maybe we should…”

“I love you” Natasha said, unable to wait any longer.

“You… do?”

“I finally opened the card and the equation… it was a perfect gift and I’m sorry, I was an idiot. I love you so much and I never meant to hurt you. Please, believe me, Y/N. You’re everything to me”

“Well, how can a girl resist a love confession like that?” you laughed, pulling her up. When Natasha stood up, she lifted you in her arms, spinning you around.

“I love you” she said one more time, kissing you softly.

“I love you too” you smiled against her mouth, not caring about the crowd anymore.

—

Now that you had made up (and made out) in front of most of the school, you and Natasha were inseparable. You walked to classes together, holding hands in the hallway and talking about your day. During break you’d eat together and at the end of the day hung out for a while with Wanda and Pietro, or only the two of you, sharing a few laughs and kisses.

Oh, the kissing.

First thing on Monday, when the school was still buzzing with the gossip of your relationship, Natasha came up the stairs as you entered the school. Her lips met yours, in that hungry way she usually saved for the privacy of your room, and you broke apart, blushing and smiling.

“Good morning”

“Uh-huh. I’ll say” you laughed, taking her hand, aware that some people were staring.

It became a habit. Most times it was innocent, like a kiss on the cheek while saying goodbye before your classes. You’d be talking by your locker and she’d end up leaning you against it, your hands on her waist as you enjoyed being trapped by her body, looking at her lips until the conversation died down and you kissed her, a bit possesively.

It made Professor Harkness warn you about “no funny business during class” and Fury talking about wanting no distractions if you kept working together.

Both of your friends were the most crossed by this, because more often than not, they’d interrupt in the middle of some make out session.

Like today. The Science Club was preparing for the competition, and they met to study at the end of each day. Since it was Friday and you had no classes left, you decided to tease Natasha as she waited for her teammates.

“I’m having trouble with something” you said, sitting in one of the tables.

“With what?” Natasha said, organizing the flash cards and not picking up on your mood.

“I’ll show you”, you asked, pulling her flush against you as she stood between your legs. “I can’t stop thinking about my girlfriend”

Natasha smiled, allowing you to take the lead with the kiss, her hands going to your legs to make them wrap around her waist. She groaned when your tongue darted out.

“If this is how we’re studying today, I’ll pass” Darcy said as soon as she walked in on the room. You broke apart, noticing how Natasha didn’t let go.

Knowing she was jealous of the time you and Darcy were speaking, you placed a small kiss on the corner of her mouth and spoke loud enough for her friend to hear.

“Gotta go. You need to study. I love you, baby”

“I love you too” she smiled, kissing you one last time. You ran into Peter and Ned at the door and Natasha called out for you. “Don’t forget our date tonight. I gotta make it up to you for that dinner we missed”

You blushed as Ned and Peter whistled, nodding and waving goodbye.

All in all, life was good.

—

Comfortable and cozy. That’s what Natasha said you should wear. You had no idea where you were going, but felt excited.

“You look beautiful” your mom said as you went down the stairs. Your father turned as well.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know”

“What do you mean you don’t know” he snapped, removing his glasses. “That is not safe. You’re staying here”

“Dad, it’s a surprise” you tried to ease his nerves, hugging him. “Plus, it’s not like you don’t track my phone”

“I…” he turned to glance at your mother, who looked ready to murder him.

“Joseph Rogers, that is an incredible invasion of privacy! Do you track my phone too?”

They were so busy arguing, they never noticed the doorbell. You ran to greet Natasha.

“Hi” she said, kissing your cheek. She pulled something behind her back, handing it to you.

“I’m allergic to flowers so I thought I’d compromise here” she smiled, giving you a cactus.

“Thank you, darling” you smiled.

“I’ll take that. You two have fun” your mother said, inspecting the plant. She was probably planning where to place it.

“Alright, don’t wait up” you winked at your parents, making Natasha blush.

“Young lady, that is not funny!” your father said. You laughed, walking with Natasha to the car, while your mother shushed him, still upset.

“Relax. He knows it’s a joke. Now, take me to this super secret date, huh?”

“We have a different ride today” she pointed at a pick up truck that you had seen on her dad’s garage.

Natasha opened the door for you, and extended her hand, as the climb to the seat was steep.

“It feels like we’re in a carriage” you joked as she turned it on and drove you. Reaching a gated park, a security guard opened the door for you two and you were pretty sure Natasha handed him a twenty dollar bill as you drove past him.

“This looks like the country club”

“That’s because it is. We’re just sneaking around the back” she winked at you.

“Well, we can go through the front, you know we have the membership…”

“Detka, trust me, I know the perfect view is this way” she squeezed your leg, leaving her hand there for the rest of the short ride.

“What does it mean?” you asked and she looked confused. “Come on, I don’t know how to say it. That Russian word”

“Detka? It means baby. Sort of”

You blushed and squeezed the hand that was resting in your lap, hoping Natasha would use it again very soon.

Natasha encouraged you to jump, holding you by the waist until you landed against her. She moved aside to show you what she meant, and you gasped as you saw the lake that was away from the courts and the restaurant.

The ground was usually reserved for parties, but it was luckily empty. As you kept staring at the lights reflecting in the water, Natasha uncovered the back of the truck to reveal it was full of pillows, blakets, food and her laptop.

“Hope you’re hungry” she helped you up, holding your hand while you steadied yourself in the back.

“Starving” you said, finally picking a corner to sit in and making room for her. Natasha sat next to you, her arm around your shoulders. “Nat, this is lovely”

“You deserve it, and more”

“I love you” you kissed her, leaning against her side until you needed to catch your breath.

“Love you too. Now, here” Natasha opened up the picnic basket. “We have lasagna and soda, chocolate cake for dessert, popcorn and gummies in case you want more snacks”

“What movie are we watching?”

“About Time”

“Yes!” you cheered, appreciating her choice. You knew Natasha complained about the time travel inaccuracies, but it was one of your favorites.

As the movie progressed, you came closer to Natasha, seeking her warmth when the air became colder.

“Here” she covered you with a blanket and you came closer, sinking in her arms.

“You make me really happy, Natasha” you looked at her, appreciating how soft she looked under the fading light.

“And you’re the best thing that ever happened to me” she leaned forward, pressing her lips against yours. As your hands went down her arms, you sank further into the pillows, until you landed on your back with a squeal. “Are you ok?”

“Yes” you laughed, pulling Natasha down. Her body was on top of yours, and you appreciated feeling her weight. The kissing became more frantic, with your hands exploring the skin of her back while she bit your lip and then kissed your neck.

“Oh, my” you gasped, as literal fireworks lit up the sky. “Did you do this?”

“I could lie and tell you I did, but I’m guessing there’s a party down at the restaurant”

Enjoying the free show, Natasha hugged you as you looked up.

“Hey” you called, squeezing her hand.

“Hi” Natasha smiled, kissing your temple.

“I know there’s a lot going on right now and it may be too soon… but. You know that thing that almost happened two weeks ago in my room”

“Mhm” Natasha nodded against you.

“Well… I’d love it if you… if my first time could be with you. And like I said, now’s not the time and all, but it’s just a step that I’d take only with you because I trust you and I love you”

Natasha smiled, surprised that you of all people were rambling.

“I would love that too, detka. We’ll know when the time is right, don’t you think?”

“Yes. And please keep calling me that. It’s the best thing in the world” you nudged her side and she laughed against you.

“Anything for you, moya lyubov”

“Oh, come on! That’s not fair” you complained, your heart skipping a beat at those new words. “Keep doing that and I’m losing my virginity right here in the back of this truck”

“Oh” Natasha let out a surprised squeal, turning red. Yeah, that was the Nat you knew.

“I love you, baby” you laughed at her sudden shyness. “And I’m kidding, of course”

“Right”

“The back seat is probably more comfortable”

“Incorrigible” she mumbled, kissing you softly and laughing with you.

“But you love me”

“Yeah. I really do”

[hamsterclaw]

Fic Library: Yoongi (Pt 1)

My ult bias, it makes sense that there were too many to fit into one list. All of these authors capture the essence of my favourite tsundere king, check these stories out and show them some love.

Pause by @whatifyoulivelikethat. Music producer MYG x reader, domestic abuse. The first time I ever slid into an author's DMs was after I read this, to let them know how much I loved this story. It's unexpected, and profoundly beautiful, and re-reading it now takes me back to where I was when I first read it.

Like Butter by @bonvoyagenoona. Photographers MYG x reader, director KNJ x reader. Set in the setting of a magazine production team, and featuring a very sexy scene with our fave maknae and a scheming Park Jimin.

Countermelody by @bonvoyagenoona. Producer MYG x shopgirl/musician reader. A gorgeously rendered enemies to lovers story that's as much about life, love, new starts, self belief as it is about Min Yoongi and his beanie. IYKYK.

Moonlit throne by @hobidreams.Joseon king Yoongi x reader, historical AU. The seminal Joseon dynasty story told in a non-linear timeline with a perfectly characterised Yoongi and incredible attention to detail.

Three Tangerines by @kithtaehyung. Fuckboy Yoongi x f! reader, brother's best friend AU. 3tan makes it onto almost every fic rec list I've seen, and deservedly so - the dialogue slaps, the writing's sharp and this Yoongi's irresistible.

Bet on it by @minisugakoobies. Quizzers Yoongi x reader, featuring a super competitive reader and Yoongi with a blonde undercut. Hot, fun and hilarious.

Perpetual Datejust by @jiminrings. Model Yoongi x manager reader. A very sweet, romantic read, with a devoted reader and a healthy dose of angst.

Sodium Vapor by @miscelunaaa. Yoongi x f! reader. An atmospheric, wistful read about a chance meeting that also has Em's signature raw honesty.

Man of the year by @raplinesmoon. Single dad Yoongi x gn reader. A sweet, heartwarming read, and Yoongi's relationship with his daughter is adorable.

Look down on me like that by @here2bbtstrash. Co-workers Yoongi x reader, enemies to lovers. There's nothing better than Yoongi being an asshole, and he's written so perfectly here, as are reader and cute and endearing babystarcandy JK.

Teardrop by @hesperantha. Yoongi x reader, road trip AU. I read sometimes just for the pleasure of how a writer puts words to paper, and this is one of those stories - there are so many truths woven into the words, subtle and beautiful.

Moving day (Explicit) by @here2bbtstrash. Yoongi x reader, domestic AU. Sweet, sexy smut involving Yoongi tying up his hair. I repeat, Yoongi tying up his hair. The visual still gives me chills.

Proof by @illneverrecover. Yoongi x reader, strangers to lovers. A confident reader approaches an equally confident, sexy Yoongi with the added bonus of Joon and Jin as supportive besties.

Quiet Kitten by @thatlongspringnight. Professor Yoongi x college student reader - a smutty read with a fiercely sexy, stern Professor Min.

Straight Shooter MYG x reader, cyberpunk AU by @snackhobi. A perfectly characterised Yoongi, a dystopian futuristic setting and a subtle and gorgeous love story that I've read and re-read more times than I can say. The story that pulled me into BTS fanfic that I still have so much love for now.

Punch Drunk MYG x reader, boxer AU by @joonbird. From memory there's an open ending but that hasn't stopped me from re-reading. A troubled Yoongi's depicted so beautifully here.

Greedy MYG x reader, mafia AU by @xjoonchildx. Ana knows how much I love this - this Yoongi breaks my heart every time and I love how the relationship develops between him and reader.

Close Call by @xjoonchildx - a follow up to Greedy that's just as stunning as the OG story. I can't tell you how much I love this. Yoongi's a provider, and he takes care of his own, and there's nothing sexier.

All the wrong places by @mrworldwideshoulders. Yoongi x reader, strangers to lovers, in progress. An intriguingly irritable Yoongi covers the tab for reader at a bar.

Interlude: Sundown by @eoieopda. Part of the Darksided series, featuring Yoongi x reader in an established relationship. Hot, smutty, intimate goodness.

Angel by @sailoryooons. Mafia Yoongi x sex worker reader. I started reading this and couldn't stop - the writing's sharp and riveting and the pacing is perfect. A sexy, smutty, captivating read with a sexy, dangerous Yoongi.

Part 2

[not4simp]

3rd Times The Charm

Paring: Jason Grace x reader Highschool Au! Summary: Confess? Not a success!

You're in your senior and to your luck you had classes with none of your friends.

One day after class a blonde dude came up to you, from the small scar on his lips you recognized him as one of Annabeth's and Percy's friend as they would frequently post him on insta. He asked you if he could see your notes cause he accidentally fell asleep and you guys had a test for it the next week.

Being the kind hearted person you are you gave it to him without a second thought.

From then on sharing notes with each other became a habit of you two and it evolved to studying in the library after school.

Whenever you guys were discussing his eyes would be on you. All his attention? On you. It made you nervous the first time but over time you got used to it.

Jason Grace was known for being a gentlemen and they did not lie. He always opened the door for you, you can't even remember the last time you open one when he was around.

Anyone would've fallen for him if they were treated this way and so you developed feelings for him

It's a good thing that you guys had mutual friends. Percy was delighted to know that you guys were familiar of each other.

You, Jason, Percy, and Annabeth would hang out any chance you got.

One day you were eating lunch with them when Jason got up to grab some napkins leaving you with the lovebirds

"So when are you gonna tell him" Annabeth nudged you

"Tell who what?" You replied confusion evident in your voice while your gaze still focused on your food

"Jason that you like him duhh" Percy continued in a teasing tone

...

You immediately looked at them to see if they were joking but with the smirks painted on their face it was clear that you were busted

Before you could reply Jason had returned

After you were caught by Annabeth and Percy there was no escaping it. They pestered you like mosquitos always nagging you to fess up!

After a full week of them tormenting you, you dreadfully agreed.

But every time to you tried someone was always interrupting.

Attempt 1: Class hadn't begun and students were still roaming around the hall so you decided this moment was the time. Earlier in the morning you even gave yourself a pep-talk to yourself in the mirror. You walked over to Jason as he was grabbing books from his locker. You greeted him as usual, "I have to tell you some-" Your words were cut off as Drew decided to join in the conversation. It was clear she was here for Jason cause every time you tried to get in a word she talked over you.

Attempt 2: You guys were currently having chemistry and you paired up for today's experiment. So you thought hey what better way to confess your feelings with a cheesy chemistry pick up line?! at least if he didn't reciprocate your feelings you could play it off as a joke. Here goes nothing. "Hey Jason" you called out. He looked at you waiting for you to continue. You pulled out your best charming face "Do you have 11 protons? cause you're sodium fin-" Before you could finish your sentence a classmate of yours had somehow accidently blew up a Bunsen burner causing the lab to catch on fire. Ugh so close!

Attempt 3: Okay you thought this was the last of your attempt and if it goes south you were just gonna give up this whole confessing ordeal.

It was after school and you and Jason were currently in the halls.

Here goes nothing, "I feel strange whenever you're around"

He stared at you for a moment and you can feel yourself turning into a tomato

ohmygoshohmygosh you instantly regret saying that perhaps you should've worded it better, welp no turning back now.

"Do you have a fever or something" he finally replied a worried expression on his face. Jason put his hand on your forehead. Considering your hot red face you decided to just go with it.

"Yeah I think so" he told you to go to the infirmary but you declined. He wasn't taking no for an answer so he grabbed your arm and dragged you.

Somewhere in the distance Percy saw your red face and Jason dragging you away so he thought that you managed to profess your love to him.

As you were inside the infirmary Jason was out in the hallway grabbing you a drink from the water dispenser.

Suddenly someone slapped him on the back and was congratulating him. He turned around to see Percy.

Percy was going on about he can't believe y/n actually did it, Jason's confusion was unbeknownst to him and he kept on rambling.

"y/n's been crushing on you for ages took you guys long enough to do something about it"

"y/n likes me?"

Percy: ☝️😦🧍🏃

Jason just kinda stood there dazed

Until you came out of the infirmary "Good news the nurse said it was nothing serious" cause it wasn't you were just a blushing hot mess

He gave you the water and just blurted out "you like me?'

Obviously you were caught of guard and you were like "ahahah where did that come from?"

"Percy said so"

silence absolute silence

then you ran

Was it a coward move? Yes Did you care? No

He chased after you

See the thing is he's on the football team so no matter how hard you tried you couldn't outrun him

So he finally caught up to you and held you firmly by the shoulders "Y/n" reluctantly you looked up at him "do you like me?"

Oh how you were gonna roundhouse kick Percy when you see him

You nod muttering a small "yeah I like you"

You expected a sorry i don't feel the same but instead he laughed

"Gee it's fine if you don't reciprocate my feelings but no need to rub it in my face" you sighed

" No, no, no " Jason waved his hands defensively, "I'm just glad because I like you too"

You smiled like a fool. A fool in love!

You guys lean closer to each other, faces just inches a part

Every second you guys leaned closer, closer and-

"WOHOO Now y/n actually did it!" Percy yelled out from behind us

Moment: Ruined

A/n: man I love Jason

[beemynumberone]

Pictures are from Pinterest.

Sparks Fly

(You light up my world)

-> pairing: HS Akaashi Keiji x Female Reader

-> Soulmate AU (literal sparks fly when you touch)

-> genre: fluff, the tug-at-your-heartstrings-kind?

-> format: oneshot

~ Part 2 of A Haikyuu Soulmate Series (Ushijima)

You’re in the chemistry laboratory when it happens. You reach across the table for the sodium hydroxide at the same time Akaashi does.

“Oh sorry, you go first.” Akaashi, ever the gentleman, gestures for you to take the bottle.

And so you spurt the solution into your wellplate, according to the strategically-placed instruction sheet between you two.

You hand the bottle to Akaashi on your right without looking, feeling his slender fingers ghost over yours. Next thing you know, you hear a sizzle.

You swivel to the source of the noise.

Oh sparks shucks

Sparks fly from where your hands touch, jumping down onto the unfortunate instruction paper below. The paper is set ablaze.

Your heart drops to your stomach.

“Everyone out!” Your chemistry teacher commands.

The class scurries out, murmuring about the sudden evacuation. You stand next to Akaashi, whose gunmetal blue eyes look as confused as you are.

“What just happened?” Akaashi whispers to you.

“I don’t know,” you whisper back. “I handed you the bottle and then sparks started flying out of our hands. You saw it too right?” Akaashi nods in response.

The next few days are a series of awkward manoeuvring.

During physical education lesson (aka. supervised playing), you opt to play table tennis with him instead of your usual recreational two-men basketball.

In the cafeteria, you sit diagonally opposite each other. You keep your legs bent away from him and Akaashi does the same.

And the next week, Akaashi is seated firmly across the laboratory from you.

You suggested these changes to Akaashi after the last lab incident. He agreed, worried that another touch may lead to more accidental fires.

But now, seated across the room, Akaashi felt…empty. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He just knew that his heart ached when he saw you being so distant from him.

When he saw your genuine smile given to another classmate.

And when you helped that same classmate to light up their Bunsen burner. (He used to ask you to help him light his burner, claiming that his lighter wouldn’t work. You knew it was a fib - he could always ask to use yours, but you helped him anyway.)

He tried to shake off the feeling.

Get it together Keiji. You know why she’s treating you this way.

And so days went by with you two spending less time together, with Akaashi suppressing his feelings. The volleyball season was also approaching, giving him something to think about.

It is at a match that Akaashi truly sees you again.

Fukurodani is up against Nohebi. Both teams are at a stalemate in their second set, 30 for Nohebi and 31 for Fukurodani. Akaashi is panting. They’ve been going at this last set for close to an hour now.

He sets. The spiker hits. The ball bounces past the Nohebi players. Akaashi rejoices. Finally.

“Sir, the spiker touched the net! That’s a foul, it’s our point!” A Nohebi player, with the most annoying voice Akaashi’s ever heard, calls out.

The referee dares to even look convinced. Akaashi cannot believe the guy. He’s tired, his team is exhausted and he can’t blame them. He knows he won’t be able to draw out their potential like this.

Then, he hears a voice from the Fukurodani spectator section. Your voice.

“No, it’s not! The spiker touched the net after the ball made contact with the floor. Read the rules dude!”

Akaashi watches, dazed. You pluck the phone out of the hands of a spectator who was recording (with their consent of course) and stomp down to the referee, demanding that they rewatch the moment.

Akaashi is so grateful. You care, and you still have his back like the old times.

The referee (probably tired of the game), counts the point as Fukurodani’s. So they win! You cheer in elation with the supporters.

After the match, Akaashi offers to walk you home. You accept. And somehow, you end up next to the school pond. Somewhere you guys used to meet up when Akaashi was overthinking and needed a listening ear.

Maybe due to the adrenaline from winning or that he now knew that you cared, Akaashi decides that it’s the perfect time.

He begins by asking so politely for permission to give you a letter.

And you accept, knowing the potential consequences.

He hands you a brown envelope then gingerly brushes his fingertips against the back of your hand. You two hold your breaths, ready to dunk yourselves in the water (you hoped it was clean) if need be.

And sparks fly

Again, but they don’t destroy.

You shove the envelope haphazardly into your pocket. Akaashi wraps his fingers around yours more firmly this time, and you slide both hands securely into his in affirmation.

So you two stand there holding hands, wisps of sparkly smoke cascade from your intertwined hands and swirl into the air around you.

Akaashi feels at peace. Standing with you, all his doubts and worries simply evaporate.

And at that moment, he realises - you’re his soulmate. His spark, here to burn those meddlesome thoughts and to create something beautiful with him.

Looking into your eyes full of curiosity and wonder and love, he knows that you think so too.

Here’s Bokuaka with sparklers!

[cosmoknightchaos]

Doodles I did during the streams :)

How we feeling Magolor fandom

[streaminn]

Enid from she's the man definitely does dumb science pickup lines because Wenclair are biology partners

Like!

Enid grinned and Wednesday can't help but inch a bit back at the intensity.

"so... Wednesday," he starts, leaning on his arm.

"yes, Enid?" Wednesday says back and the twinkle in those blue eyes grow all the more brighter.

"I'm pretty sure that you have eleven protons," Enid wonders and Wednesday's confidence of his grades in this class plummeted. But he didn't seem dettered at the absolutely confused look she gave him, instead continuing with slightly flushed cheeks. "because you're sodium fine."

The silence between them was deafening before Enid pressed his hand onto his beet red face.

Wednesday continued to stare, her mind taking a moment to process what she just heard.

Sodium fine? Is this truly the line that makes her heart skip a beat for a tiny moment?

Unbelievable.

"that was stupid I'm sorry-" he rambles before shutting up when Wednesday narrowed her eyes.

"that was pathetic," she dryly states and the confident werewolf slumped at that. Its quite adorable, the way he's so dependent on her words. "in a way that I cant help but see what else you'll do."

With her words said and done, Wednesday faced the board, quite aware of the way Enid perked up immediately with a little fist bump.

"yes!" he whispers before pulling out his notebook and scribbling down.

The effort was commendable and flattering.

-

Btw she's the man au is based on the movie she's the man! Enid has to pass as her brother in this school so when I write other people's POV outside of Enid, she'd be seen as he/him

[unholyhelbig]

Can you do spider!person x Kate Bishop with a soulmate AU?

[A/n: I've never been a massive fan of Soulmate au's but, for some reason this one really got under my skin and helped with some writers block, so, thank you!]

Title: Magnetic

Ship: Kate Bishop x gn!reader

Disclaimer: I did not proofread, if there are mistakes, I'm sorry!

Main Masterlist | Ao3 | Request Prompts

Summary: Reader is a spider!person from earth-2099 and Kate Bishop is curious about why she's so drawn to them.

The piano stood in the center of a restaurant that seemed to harvest the warmth of every candle. They were unscented, casting a deep yellow glow that shaded the patrons’ faces and stretched them in shadows. You had figured that you could be no true judge of character when those around you were bathed in untrustworthy light.

Having live music was part of the charm, or so you had been told. Classically trained and playing the same sonatas over ivory keys for left over bread and mistaken orders. People would send food back for the slightest hint of sodium, too much cilantro, too little portions. Of course, you could keep your tips at the end of the night, sometimes they would brim the elegant glass jar on the hood of the piano.

Sometimes, you’d see nothing but a brass quarter that a man who smelled too thickly of tobacco would drop to its basin. He’d tell you the story of the general carved into the front, a confederate, you had no doubt. And you would nod, your fingers doing all the work to keep up the quiet ambiance of the lobby.

At one point, you remember enjoying playing the piano. Of course, that was before you mastered it. When you were a novice, it was fun, you’d ply each note and double down on the pedals. You’d take risks. But the restaurant did not want risk. They wanted sub-par entertainment.

You knew you were good, better than good, you were perfect. You’d had all the time in the world to get to this point and you’d lean on your talents if it meant a good meal and something to do. It distracted you from your own discontent with this world. With 616.

The clinking sound of a piece of copper against a glass pulled you from your thoughts. Your hands were gliding along the keys all the same, undeterred from the distraction. Though, you almost caught yourself ‘C’ sharp.

Kate Bishop stood in front of you, leaning against the side of the Kawai, it’s black finish reflecting her pensive stare. In all the universe, she still had the same slightly-infuriating, adorable face of determination that she wore now.

Of course, she had an evening gown, and of course she dressed the part. She wore something emerald, green, reflecting from her gray, storming stare. Kate’s lips were painted red, her skin like snow. You caught a whiff of Rosemary, and was that mint? It was freshly tilled from the ground.

“I have questions.” She said.

She showed no signs of leaving, and you didn’t’ want her to. Though, she obstructed your view of the hostess and therefore, your manager, Gary. So, you gestured, asking her wordlessly to take a seat on the bench next to you.

Kate’s confidence faltered, but she delicately lifted her dress from the floor and lowered herself onto the bench next to you. There was a certain heat about her, one that you could feel as she stared down at the keys, at your touch moving across them with ease.

You could feel her stare on the side of your face, burning, making your stomach do flips that threatened your composure. It didn’t’ seem to matter which universe you were in; 616, 2099, 219 and hundreds more- Kate was always there. She was always disarming and part of that infuriated you.

“Do me a favor, will you?”

Kate furrowed her brow but lifted her chin. There was a quiet contemplation about her, one that warmed your skin. She looked magnificent in that dress, show-stopping. Each wandering eye from the patrons of the restaurant had nothing to do with you, or the music. She had captivated everyone in the room.

“Slowly- F sharp, then B flat and C.”

Kate scoffed “I can’t keep time.”

“I’ve seen the callouses on your hands. You can keep time. What is it? Violin?”

“Almost, the cello.” Kate pressed the first note, and then the other two. She listened to what you played and matched the rhythm with one hand. The other ran over the stitching of her dress. “I didn’t come here to play, Y/n.”

“And I didn’t’ come here to talk, it seems that we’re at an impasse.”

Kate clenched her jaw. You gave her a smirk and settled into the last notes of the song. A few seconds to pull your shoulders back and you began to shift the mood of the room with the soft crescendos. “Alright. Ask your questions. I’ll answer them.”

“Truthfully?”

You hummed “If I can. Silence will speak wonders.”

“Right. Okay. Fine.” Her voice lowered to nothing but a whisper, a warmth against your cheek. “You’re Spiderman.”

“That is not a question Kate. That is a statement.”

“I’m getting there. You’re Spiderman, but Peter is Spiderman. I’ve lived with him for three years, that’s not something you can hide. And then suddenly, there you are, in a really… I mean, the suit is nice, the colors are- wow- but you’re not Pete.”

“I’m failing to see the question.”

“You’re infuriating, you know that?”

You smiled at her “Yes.”

She grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest, drawing in a deep breath before she continued. Gary was eyeing you from the host stand, a furrow to his brow. You nodded at him, and he moved his attention down to his clipboard.

“Have you ever considered different worlds?” You asked.

“I’ve interacted with a talking raccoon who is surprisingly adept at disassembling a cherry red 1970 Dodge Challenger. Nothing surprises me anymore.”

You laughed, and her cheeks matched the exterior of the car for just one moment before she grimaced and returned to her composure. She stared at you expectantly as you finished the last of your song. Your hands lingered on the keys, but you didn’t start another one. Instead, you stood, took the jar off the top of the piano.

Kate watched you expectantly as you held your hand out to her, lifting both eyebrows. Your shift was over, and even if it wasn’t, you were sure you’d leave with Kate if she asked you to. Explaining something like this, you’d done it a million times to a million different Kate’s but it always made your heart scream inside your chest all the way to your fingertips.

She took your hand, the warmth was overwhelming. You led her outside, the jar tucked under your arm and the city lights boring down on wet pavement. For a few moments, the two of you walked aimlessly- much too overdressed for your surroundings. There was too much in the air, and somehow, never enough.

“Every single decision that we make has consequences, has chain reactions. And each time we make a choice there is a world out there that plays out in succession.” You shoved your hands into your coat pockets, breath steaming in front of you. “There’s a world where we are still sitting together at the piano. There’s one where my manager Gary fired me for talking to you in the first place.”

“I think I get it.” Kate nudged you with her shoulder, “But that doesn’t explain how you made it here. Isn’t there some type of cosmic consequence that comes with this kind of thing?”

“Typically, yes. If you were to meet the Kate from earth 20368, then things are bound to explode. She was a nice girl, by the way. Kind of reckless. But things don’t work the same way for me. I’m an anomaly. There’s only one of me.”

“You’ve lost me.” Kate stopped, pressing the tips of her fingers against her temple. “We’ll circle back to the ‘was’ you threw in there.”

“I’m sorry” You chuckled, “I’ve done this hundreds of times, and it still doesn’t get any easier. I’m originally from Earth 2099. It’s a reality that’s much like this one, but sort of… Frankensteined from all of the other earths. There was a man there, a scientist, a geneticist, that flew a little too close to the sun. Hence me. Hence my whole family.” 

Kate parted her perfectly painted lips to say something, but you didn’t’ give her a chance. Instead, you dug through the change in your pocket, forking over two crumpled dollars to a greasy looking man behind a peddled cart. You could smell the salty aroma of hotdogs topped with sauerkraut and mustard.

“Thank you, Benny” you said, passing Kate one of the hot dogs, wrapped in a coffee filter. She took it without question and you dropped the rest of the change in your pocket into his tip jar before the two of you fell into a perfect silence.

“I can’t tell what bothers me more. The use of Frankenstein as a verb, or the fact that you talk in riddles. It’s all very confusing.” Kate took a bite of her hotdog and moaned with pleasure “Jesus, this is a delicacy.”

“I don’t mean to talk in riddles, you know? The answers you crave aren’t straight forward. There’s still a lot of that I’m trying to figure out too. A lot of unspoken rules. Things that I would have changed if I had the chance.”

You took a bite of your own hotdog, chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. Kate was watching you, her deep stare moved to the corner of your lip. She tentatively, gently, used the side of her thumb to wipe away a bout of condiment. It took everything in you not to sigh into her touch, to pull her in for a lengthened hug and breathe I her scent.

There was a pressure below your eyes, a sadness that you at to blink away. There was a sudden interest in your shoes and the way they weren’t built for the wet streets of New York. You whispered “You’re not my Kate.”

“I’m sorry, I overstepped I shouldn’t have-“

“No, no. It’s fine. Really.” You drew in a cold breath, one that burned your throat “On my earth, the one that I’m meant to be in, the one that I was created in, there was a Kate Bishop. We grew up together, laughed together, cried together, loved together.”

Kate’s voice was nothing more than air “what happened to her?”

“She died, in my arms she died. Was stubborn until the end about it too.”

 You frowned and threw the rest of your food into the nearest trashcan, not having much of an appetite anymore.

“I was engineered in a lab, much like my brother and sister and every single person around me. I wasn’t meant to fall in love, but you made it difficult not to. I had a falling out with my father, and he’s a man of science over anything else.”

“So, he killed me? Her?”

You swallowed the cold lump in your throat again and nodded. The tips of your fingers were numb with the weather, so you shoved them back into your pocket and watched as the beginning of rain began to fall. It distorted the reflection of traffic lights against the pavement.

“You have to understand, Kate. I ran away from 2099, stole the tech from my father’s lab and ensured that he couldn’t track me. My plan, it was to hide out in whatever world it took me to. I would grow old and die in solitude, have a normal life that I wasn’t engineered to have.

“But you were there, and there was color to your cheeks, and you were smiling. After I got over the shock, I decided to leave, go to whatever earth the device spits me out into. And there you were again, and again, until finally- I realized that wherever I went, some version of you would be there, and the same version of me was still hopelessly, undyingly, in love with you.”

“This is…” Kate frowned, got that same crease between her brows that you wanted to smooth out each time. “A lot to process, and that hot dog is about to make a second appearance.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I know.” You groaned, for a moment, staring up at the stars that mixed so delicately with the falling rain. “When I told you on Earth 181 you threw up over the side of the Brooklyn bridge.”

“Oh, nice. After that?”

You shrugged, looking back down at your feet “After that you pretended like none of it mattered. Which I’m not expecting you to do. Trust me, I’ve tried avoiding you, Kate. In every universe I’ve jumped to, I do everything in my power to keep myself away from you.”

“Thanks, that makes me feel fantastic.”

“You know what I mean. There are times when I think, I know that your life would be better without me in it. Meddling, existing. But during those times where I didn’t seek you out, you would find me. Kind of like tonight.”

“I… Couldn’t help myself.” She resigned “I’ve seen a million different masked heroes and have no desire to lift those masks, to find out their secret identities and insert myself into their lives. But it was different with you. It was magnetic.”

“I know, I get it.”

“So, what do we do now, then?”

“You do nothing.” You told her, lifting your chin. You watched the way her eyes moved with confusion and curiosity, the way her chest rose and fall with each breath she took. She was cold, so you pulled your jacket off and draped it carefully over her shoulders. Kate seemed to sigh into it, content for only a moment. “And I leave.”

[frxxxncx]

3:00 a.m - j. wonwoo

»best friend!¡wonwoo x fem!¡reader.

»Summary: wonwoo’s phone rings religiously at 3 a.m. every night.

»Tags: gore, nicknames (pretty doll, darling), nonidol au, blood, mention of edged weapons, management of sulfuric acid, wonwoo is two years older than reader, reader15¡!, wonwoo17¡!, yandere behavior, wonwoo is an instigator.

nota: Super hyper mega late spooky season little thingy because wonwoo looked so cute on today’s gose.

note 2: Any typo or incoherence that you might find was completely intentional, it’s for the sake of learning about my mistakes.

»Words: 1.3k

The ring of the phone filled the room, making an echo in the wall and vibrating over the table.

Wonwoo looked at the phone rumbled over the nightstand, not moving a muscle, still sitting on the edge of his bed.

Ring, ring, ring.

"Ah, y/n?" He asked you as he answered the call, not paying attention to the name of the caller in the phone.

An affirmative sound was heard on the other end of the line.

"What happened?" He asked with a soft voice "You calling at this hour..."

Your blank yet sweet tone interrupted him "Oppa, can you come over, please?" you asked impassively.

"Right now?" Wonwoo queried with a smile in his tone.

"Yes, it is extremely important, I need your help to load some things" you answered with a very sweet tone.

"Okay, I get it" he said, confirming what you needed "Which place?"

•||

"Y/n?" He called your name at the entrance of the old house, looking for something in his bag. "I'm coming in," he warned, closing the squeaky door behind him.

Wonwoo walked slowly in the dark corridor of the house carefully to not touch anything nor bump into anything, until he got to the back door. He gasped at the sight of you sitting beside a girl with the same uniform of your school, but when he saw your smile, even if your face was splashed with blood, it calmed him.

"It looks like this time you made it very extravagant too, pretty doll" your friend said giggling softly.

"I'm sorry for calling you so late," you said, insecure, making weird figures on the floor with the splattered red fluid, due to the cute nickname.

In fact, it was three in the morning, but you were there in front of him with your face painted in carmine just like your clothes, and you also had a small ax in your right hand, covered completely in the thick substance, Wonwoo thought to himself that you matched perfectly the ungodly hour.

"Don't worry, it doesn't bother me, because it’s you" his voice caressed your ears like honey while he was still looking for something in his bag.

A victorious sound came out of his mouth when he finally found it "Take here" he said lending to you a plastic bag with clean clothes "You have to change your clothes, I brought you some of the things you have on my house"

"Ooh, thank u, Wonwoo '' you went to hug him, but he stopped you.

"Go take a shower, I'll clean here" he demanded, putting on gloves.

You nodded and went quickly to take a bath. Wonwoo fixed his scarf leaving the ends in his back so they wouldn't get stained, he looked closely at the dead girl and finally remembered her, she was his desk-mate in chemistry, understandably he didn't recognize her at first glance, the fair skin of her face was covered in cuts and scratches.

That day... he helped her carry some papers to the principal's office, probably you didn't know her. He looked at the girl with a tired expression and opened his mouth.

"Y/n!, what do you think is faster!?, clean everything with water or get it all out through the back door!?" He shouted high enough for you to hear him.

"I would only use a bucket to do it" you yelled in response and Wonwoo could help but chuckle.

"Of course you would" he mumbled getting out of his duffle bag a container with sodium peroxide, he got up and exited the house, grabbing the bucket beside the tap that was sticking out of the house, the water was freezing cold, he continued, putting a layer of the yellowish powder in the water.

He entered once again, still hearing the shower upstairs, he knelt and started to clean, the ceramic was starting to look more and more white, making Wonwoo feel proud, and at the same time, the girl's body was starting to become a hindrance.

•||

"Uff" sighed the man zipping the black duffel bag.

The chirp of the wooden stairs makes him notice that you finally had finished washing.

"Welcome back" Wonwoo said brightly, while you finished putting your glove in your right hand.

"I'm wrapping up here" he commented grabbing the huge bag where the body was hidden, he lifted it and put it in his shoulder, and you looked at him with your mouth shut

"Let's go"

You were walking in the little forest behind the house, stepping through the trees, sticks breaking below your feet, you couldn't stop biting onto your lower lip nervously.

"Oppa, I'm sorry" your tone was solemn, and the older heart ached a little.

"Hm? Because...?"

"You know… for always being like this” you answered looking at your fingers.

"That's okay, Darling, I'm good with tough work, besides if you carry something so heavy you would become shorter" he joked with a beautiful smile getting close to you to caress your damp hair.

Both of you continued your stroll until you got to a familiar place, it was remote and isolated, very deep into the forest.

"Hey, y/n" he called out, dropping the hefty bag on the floor, now grabbing the shovels that were being held by you, "perhaps, do you like me?"

"I'm not sure" you didn't know what your feelings were, for all you know when you looked at him, you just wanted him to be yours, and only yours.

"I see," Wonwoo whispered with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, both starting to dig in the floor.

You kept digging and digging in silence until the hole was deep and vast enough to fit the body in, once the now naked body was in the improvised tomb, you talked again.

"You definitely hate this part of me, right?" You muttered sadly, looking from the corner of your eye how Wonwoo opened a gallon of sulfuric acid -that he had stolen as from his chemistry lab- and poured it onto the girl's body, putting emphasis on her face.

Jeon hurriedly left the container on the floor and went straight to you.

"Not completely" his calloused hands stroked your cheeks sweetly, his honeyed voice was serious, eyes shimmering with adoration.

"I love you"

"Only you"

"I love you desperately"

The red invaded your face, your flesh was burning under the soft touch of his hands, a timid smile slipping from your lips.

"Okey" you stumbled feeling tender at his words.

Wonwoo grabbed your chin and cupped your lips with his own, the warm embrace making you moan happily, lips dancing and melting together.

•||

"Fuck, it's pouring rain, don't you think?" He said, making a pouting while you looked at him with a big smile.

His eyes fixated on a girl who was classmates with one of his friends, she looked sad at the rain, whispering to herself something about having to stay there all day due to the heavy rain.

"Where's your umbrella?" Wonwoo asked you, with curious kitty eyes.

Your face had a question mark painted on it, and you looked at your bag.

"Is here" you moved your bag jokingly, still smiling .

He smiled at you nodding and went to the blonde girl.

"Excuse me" he called out to the girl whom saw him with intrigue.

"Yeah?"

"You can have my umbrella, my friend and I live in the same neighbourhood, so there is no problem, you can lend it back later" his voice was sweet and the cheeks of the blonde were tinted in a cute shade of pink.

You saw them, and the smile that was brightening your face was nowhere to be seen, eyes glaring at the girl, when you saw your friend turn in your direction your face moved quickly to keep watching the rain.

"Y/n, I don't have an umbrella, mind to share?"smile favouring his pretty face.

"It's okay" You said in a mutter, barely perceptible. 

Wonwoo was there, once again, sitting on the edge of his bed, phone in hand, smile drawn in his face while looking at the dark screen, eyes dropping off instantly in the clock on his bed-site, 3:00 a.m screaming in a green fluorescent light.

His phone vibrated in his hand, an obnoxious melody filling the room annoyingly.

"Hello, y/n?"

[biglittleluobo]

🧑‍🔬🧑‍🔬🧪🧪 Chemical elements (化学元素) 🥼🥼⚗️⚗️

I have learned something amazing which is that the Chinese word for sodium (Na) is … 钠 (nà)! If only they all matched like that!!

Ex: 低钠酱油 (dī nà jiàng yóu) - low sodium soy sauce

Sometimes you may see the word 卤 (鹵/滷，lǔ, halogen or salt) used to describe dishes or sauces, such as 卤肉饭 (lǔ ròu fàn, braised pork rice), 打卤面 (dǎ lǔ miàn, noodles with thick gravy), 卤虾油 (lǔ xiā yóu, shrimp sauce).

Here is the first three rows of the periodic table!

Hydrogen (H) - 氢 (qīng)

Helium (He) - 氦 (hài)

Lithium (Li) - 锂 (lǐ)

Beryllium (Be) - 铍 (pí)

Boron (B) - 硼 (péng)

Carbon (C) - 碳 (tàn)

Nitrogen (N) - 氮 (dàn)

Oxygen (O) - 氧 (yǎng)

Fluorine (F) - 氟 (fú)

Neon (Ne) - 氖 (nǎi)

Sodium (Na) - 钠 (nà)

Magnesium (Mg) - 镁 (měi)

Aluminum (Al) - 铝 (lǚ)

Silicon (Si) - 硅 (guī)

Phosphorus (P) - 磷 (lín)

Sulfur (S) - 硫 (líu)

Chlorine (Cl) - 氯 (lǜ)

Argon (Ar) - 氩 (yà)

And a few more useful ones:

Iron (Fe) - 铁 (tiě)

Gold (Au) - 金 (jīn)

Silver (Ag) - 银 (yín)

Examples:

地铁 (dì tiě) - subway; short for (地下铁道, “underground iron path”)

金银 (jīn yín) - gold and silver, can be used to refer to ancient currency

穿金戴银 (chuān jīn dài yín) - to be dressed in gold (clothes) and silver (ornamentation) (idiom)

Radical practice

Notice how all of the above (except gold) have a radical based on 金 (钅, metal, gold), 气 (air, gas), or 石 (stone). Makes sense based on each element right? ;)

[minhyebindery]

I fell in love with the fic Liquid Gold by @sodiumazideandothertoxins (with art by many talented artists) and I kept rereading it, it's a gentle fic with the ineffables (human au) falling in love. I wanted to have a paperback copy and so it was my first personal bind. I reached out to Sodium and I also got to bind a copy for them and compiled it with a few of their shorter fics too, I highly recommend all of them!! I loved the process of choosing the style of the cover, the collaboration with them to create this book and sending it off in the mail. Thank you for this opportunity.

(also thanks for supplying the photos SodiumAzide cause I forgot to take any before sending it off)

[f1tyreslightmyfyre]

Immortal Artistry - Ch. 9 - Destroy It

Series Main List

A Vampire AU F1 Fic Featuring Charles Leclerc x Fem!Reader, George Russell x Fem!Reader, hints of Max Verstappen x Fem!Reader, Lestappen, Sebchal, and Sainzell (or Russainz?)

Also on AO3

Ch. 9 Warnings: Sexual content; language; vampire blood violence

A/N: Thank you for reading this fic! Hope you enjoy this option 😄❤

Ch. 9 - Destroy It

2023

Balling your hand into a fist, you summon your nerve before reaching out for the pen. Tucking it close to your side, you push up from the conference room chair and head for the door. Your heart hammers in your throat as the walk down the hallway suddenly seems endless.

But as your fingers finally graze the cool metal handle of the rubbish chute, you work a hard swallow down your throat. Drawing a deep breath, you quickly pull the chute open and throw the pen in before you can rethink it. It clunks off the chute’s metal walls as it falls, and your eyes sink closed as a wave of relief washes over you.

It’s done. And now… now, it’s over.

Now perhaps Charles, George, Carlos – hell, even Max – will all leave you alone. They can continue to duke it out over eternity - to move their chess pieces around the board in hopes of achieving checkmate – and you can get back to your life. Such as it is, at least.

Perhaps you’ll be assigned a new boss soon. Perhaps you’ll have some new engrossing case that you can immerse yourself in. But perhaps, first, you’ll need a bottle of wine to help you forget the madness of the last four days – or even just this morning of having a vampire-chef’s  hamburger for breakfast.

The thought teases an incredulous smile to your face as you return to your office. Exhaling deeply to help calm your mind, you return to the open email you tried to write earlier and find the words flow easier now. You continue to work through the other items in your inbox, even taking the time to actually focus on reading an article and looking up a couple of references. Tension bleeds from your shoulders as your body relaxes against your desk chair with a strange sense of ease and freedom. 

Because now you are free. Without that pen – without that film – there’s nothing that either Charles or George could want from you. And while part of you may always wonder what else they’re up to in the world, the rest of you will be grateful not to be involved.

Hours of peaceful productivity pass until the sun settles low in the sky. Powering down your laptop, you reach for your bag and glance out the window at the last rays of twilight. A prickle of fear runs down your spine even though it shouldn’t… there’s nothing more that you have to fear from the undead, and you certainly can’t live the rest of your life scared to go out at night.

The elevator descends to the parking garage with a dull hum, opening to the elevator lobby that buzzes with the distant sound of the sodium-vapor lamps. You squint against the monochromatic color that bounces off the concrete surroundings as you push out into the humid night. A sparse collection of cars surrounds yours and your heels echo off the concrete surface – until gravel crunches and echoes from the distance, followed by a low scuffing thud. 

You freeze, eyes widening as every survival instinct jumps to high alert. Gripping your bag tight, you dart your gaze around, seeking out any sign of a shadow or movement. But nothing looks different… and you still appear to be completely alone. Your mouth goes dry as your heart pounds and an eerie feeling creeps down your spine.

Just because you can’t see anyone sure as hell doesn’t mean that you’re alone.

“H-hello…?” You call out, trying to keep the concerned quaver out of your voice. “George…? … Max?”

Only the ubiquitous buzzing of the light fixtures greets you. Maybe it was just some other employee on a lower level… or a stray cat or a mouse…? Or maybe you are just slowly losing your mind. Hell, if the security guard is watching you on the camera feed, they probably certainly think you’re crazy.

Wetting your top lip nervously as you continue to look around for anything suspicious, you decide to go for broke. “I don’t have it.” You say clearly. “I destroyed it, and now… now, no one has it.”

You have no idea if anyone is even in earshot or if you’re talking to the wind, but it marginally helps you relax. Even just saying it aloud – especially if someone does lurk unseen in the shadows – helps calm your unease. It reminds you of the finality of your decision and there’s nothing anyone can do to reverse it.

Exhaling shakily, you continue to your car and slide into the driver’s seat – quickly locking the door behind you. The engine revs to life and you take off into the night, heading straight for your apartment. Your unease fades the closer you get to home, and after killing the engine, you don’t think twice about exiting your car. Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you reach for your keys as you approach your apartment building.

A strong hand wraps around your upper-arm, dragging you close against a tall, lean chest. You gasp as your eyes connect with George’s handsome profile in the streetlight, his face a mask of hard determination as he falls into step with you. Or at least, he tries to, but your feet forget how to move as he all but drags you along.

“Come along now, darling.” He purrs softly, tucking you closer against his side in parody of a couple’s embrace. “We have much to discuss.”

Your mind spins as you try to keep up, to possibly understand what he’s doing here. “We – there’s nothing more to discuss.” You shake your head, trying to keep the fearful stammer from your voice. “I-I destroyed it. Did you… did you already hear me say that?”

He gives a reprimanding shake of his head, squeezing his hand in forceful encouragement as you all but stumble up the stairs. “This is hardly the place.”

“And w-why not?” You grip your keys tighter as you steadily approach the building door. “It’s done – it’s over.”

“It’s hardly over.” George counters, nodding towards the door. “Open it.”

Fear courses down your spine as your heart races. “I don’t want to.”

George turns towards you with a cold expression mirrored in his glacial eyes. “Either you do it of your own free will, or I’ll make you. Your choice.”

Your mouth goes dry as your heart threatens to beat out of your chest. Fighting to steady your trembling fingers, you jam the key into the lock and the door falls open to reveal the pleasant hallway within. The old building isn’t grandiose by any means, but now the lack of a front desk and night guard strikes you as a poor decision. 

The strength of George’s grip tightens as he ushers you inside and down the small hallway, leading you straight to the narrow staircase. Your stomach sinks to your feet as he drags you up the stairs - knowing just exactly how to get to your apartment. “George,” you breathe, trying not to sound too desperate. “Please, let me go… I have nothing for you.” 

“Oh, we both know that’s not true.” He says as you both step out into the second floor hallway. 

You debate screaming, or clawing at his perfect features - something, anything to bring the neighbors running. Perhaps if they outnumber him, that would be too much exposure for him. Or perhaps he’d just kill you on the spot before making his escape. A tear stings your eye as you try to stall the movement of your feet, but the increased pressure on your arm tears a whimper from your throat. 

Up ahead, a door opens - and thank God for Paulette Masterson. You’d never had any strong feelings about your older neighbor across the hall, but now, you think you might love her just a little bit. Your eyes meet hers, and her face brightens with concerned alarm.

“Oh, my god!” She cries in a heavy French accent, glaring at George. “You - you unhand her this instant!” 

Your bottom lip trembles as you draw a shaking breath. “Paulette, please-” Your voice chokes up in a pained gasp as George’s grasp tightens in silent warning and he lunges forward. His other hand snatches Paulette’s jaw and he looms over her with his impressive height. 

“Look at me.” He commands in a velvety purr as Paulette stares back at him as if stunned. “That’s right.” His words sound in a steely whisper as he stares her down and her eyes turn glossy. “Now, return to your apartment and forget that you ever left.” 

“N-no!” The shaking word leaves your lips before you can stop it and a tear leaks down your cheek. Wordlessly, Paulette turns from George’s grasp and shuffles with zombie-like motions back to her own apartment. The front door closes behind her with a thud that resonates like the final nail in a coffin - your coffin - as George urges you down the hallway to stop in front of your door. 

You clutch the keys tight, refusing to give him the final satisfaction. 

His grip tightens again to the point of pain as his fingers curl and nails dig into the soft skin of your arm. “I don’t know why you insist on trying my patience tonight - and here I thought you were a good girl.” 

“Only to those who I deem worthy.” You hiss as frustrated anger starts to build in your chest. “And you, George? You play nice when really you’re… you’re just a wild thing pretending to be tame.” 

He regards you for a long moment before the corner of his mouth lifts, revealing a sharp pointed canine. “And what about you, darling?” He purrs, leaning in close and hitting you with a wave of cologne that has no right to stir sparks in your blood. “You’re just a wild thing trapped inside a cage… and if you don’t open this door,” his hand squeezes your arm and another whimper chokes off in your throat. “Then, I’ll take away your power to decide if you stay in that cage or not.” 

Another hot tear burns down your cheek as your arm throbs - no doubt severely bruised - and you swallow a sob as your vibrato falters and you fumble for your keys. The door opens after a few attempts, and the familiar interior of your apartment offers you little comfort as the door closes behind George. But at least he finally releases your arm, and you instantly bring your other hand to protectively cover the abused skin. 

George steps further into the shadows of your apartment, and his fitted, black turtleneck and trousers complement every angle of his lean frame as he keeps his gaze fixed solely on you. He moves through your apartment like he owns it, and you wonder just how many times he’s been here. Your stomach sours to think that he potentially watched over you while you slept. 

Slowly, you shake your head and draw another trembling sigh as you move away from him in the living room. “I already told you that I don’t have it - and it’s not a lie.” You try to moisten your mouth with a swallow. “I don’t have the treasure map that you want.” 

George’s gaze narrows with piqued interest. “A treasure map, hmm? Is that what Carlos told you it was?” 

Your frenzied mind tries to think back to this morning - and fuck, that was just this morning that Carlos stood in your kitchen. You try to recall who used the words ‘treasure map’ first, but the details elude you. “I-I don’t think that's what he exactly called it. He showed me some article, he said that Toto told you, and t-that you take Toto’s word as gospel… but it is a map, right?” You say as your mouth runs away with you. “It had a compass rose, it had roads, a-and… what looked like an ‘x marks the spot’.” 

George’s mouth curls to a wide, dazzling smile. “Oh, darling - you have just made my night.” He laughs in victory. “I knew your curiosity would get the better of you. I just knew that… even though you say you destroyed it, that you looked at it before you destroyed it.” 

A cold wave of fear shoots down your spine. “That doesn’t mean that I remember any details or anything…” Your words trail off as you take a step backwards, suddenly feeling way too trapped for your liking as Geroge advances. “I-it was so small… on microfilm or something.” 

“Oh, now don’t play modest,” George coaxes as he moves on silent steps and you continue back away from him. “You said that there was a compass rose, and roads, and even an ‘x marks the spot’. Sounds like you remember it all just fine.” His lips curl to another blood curdling smile that gives his handsome appearance a dark menace. “Now, you just need to tell me a couple of names and I’ll be on my way.” 

Your heart leaps at the prospect. “But I don’t… the writing was too small to make out any names. I can’t - couldn’t read them.” 

“Tsk-tsk,” he clucks his tongue, shaking his head with disappointment even as he moves towards you and you run out of room to run away. “I know you can do better than that.” 

Your back connects with the solid surface of your apartment wall, and you try to summon an image of the tiny map in your mind’s eye. The black lines had been drawn in mostly straight lines, intersecting in various places, and the red x in the corner… but the words are jumbles of squiggles and letters that you can’t conjure. Trying to keep your breathing steady, you offer a dejected shake of your head. “I don’t… I just - I couldn’t make out the words! The writing was just too small, I swear!” 

George stares back at you for a heart-pounding minute as he takes the final step, staring down at you as anxious fear grips you. He hums low in his throat. “Well, if you say so,” he whispers softly with deadly calm and firm resolve. “Then, there’s just one option left.” His chilly fingers find your jaw, tilting it up - just as you’d seen him do to Paulette in the hall - and you instantly slam your eyes shut.

“N-no! George, please.” You plead, trying futility to break free of his hold. “I’m telling the truth - I didn’t see any names. I won’t be able to tell anyone else!” 

“Not that I doubt your sincerity, but this situation has stood for too long to leave it to chance.” His voice holds a chilling, ominous note. “You’re merely just another mortal caught in the struggle of eternity - never able to appreciate the true beauty of the world around you until you just open your eyes… so open your eyes.” 

You bite your lip, steadfastly refusing. His fingers on your jaw tighten with bruising pressure as his blunt nails dig into your skin. A whimper chokes in your throat as you struggle to breathe through the pain, and you just squeeze your eyelids tighter together. 

“Well, if looking at me isn’t enough,” George growls. “Then, let’s change the scenery, shall we?” His strong hand abandons your jaw to land on your shoulder, effortlessly peeling you away from the wall and dragging you forward. The sound of shattering glass makes your eyes fly open, and your mouth falls open to see your living room chair half-protruding from the broken remains of your balcony fire-escape window. 

Your heart rate ratchets higher as he pushes you towards the sea of broken glass. “You can’t - you… you’re not going to throw me out of the window, are you?!” 

“Don’t be so silly.” He coos breezily as if he’s not propelling you towards certain death. “Once I have what I need, there won’t be much of your mind left anyway, so it won’t be a problem for it to end up scrambled on the pavement.” 

A terrified gasp escapes your throat as you claw at him, trying to fight back, trying to escape. But his supernatural strength prevails and the humid night breeze hits your face. “C-can’t you just…” your words trail off in a panicked hiccup. “I-I thought you would use your teeth.” 

He chuckles low and disconcerting as he pushes you out onto the balcony, holding you tight. “Come now, darling - that’s mildly offensive. Not to mention racist. Drained bodies leave too many questions. But an accidental fall from a balcony? Now, that’s not too hard to believe.” 

Another tear burns down your cheek as you feebly struggle. “P-please George - I didn’t… I don’t -” 

“Oh, George,” another voice slices through your terrified mind. A heart-achingly familiar voice with lilting Monegasque syllables. “You disappoint me, mate.” 

A relieved sob punches from your chest as Charles’ words echo above the blood pounding in your ears.

Nothing in George’s immobilizing hold eases as he pivots around to turn you back towards the darkened interior of your apartment. Charles stands like a dark avenging angel, eyes narrowed with resolve as he oozes effortless confident control. Another sob rises in your chest at the sight of him, and you want nothing more than to dissolve in the safety of his arms. 

Charles’ glittering green eyes find yours. “It’s alright, cara mia.” His gaze turns to George, hardening with displeasure. “Let her go, mate. Haven’t you distressed her enough for one lifetime?” 

A chuckle rumbles in George’s chest. “That was rather the point, you see. She positively reeks of you… it’s a wonder that you didn’t fuck her when you drank from her.” He nuzzles along your neck and you try to turn away in disgust. “She smells absolutely divine.” 

Charles shakes his head in disapproval. “Then why upset her when you know that it would attract my attention?”

A sharp, harsh laugh punches from George’s chest this time. “Isn’t it obvious, mate? I want you to be here. To bear witness.” He jerks you tighter in his grip as he takes a step back towards the edge. “To see the high price of this game that you insist we keep playing even 80 years later.” 

“Killing her isn’t going to change anything.” Charles simply says, taking a measured step forward. "She destroyed the map - we’re even. No one has the advantage.” 

“Do you really think I’m that much of an idiot? To think that you haven’t got a backup copy? Or to think that maybe when she says she couldn’t read the writing that you could and the knowledge still exists in the world?” He gives a slow, resolved shake of his head. “No, Charles. Nothing good can come from that map if it’s not restoring the wrongs that have been allowed to stand for the last 80 years. And you would know that if - just once - you could understand how wrong you’ve been since Austria.” 

Charles says nothing as he stares back at George in tense silence. Your overwrought nerves threaten to give out as you grow still in George’s strong hold and more tears leak from your eyes. 

At length, Charles wets his top lip and tilts his head. “Wrong, you say…” He trails off with a soft hum. “I suppose you had the luxury of missing out on the war’s early years. The first retreat, the Nazi’s ravaging the countryside, the mass conquering…” He shoves a casual hand in his pocket as his tone sharpens with a steely edge. “You don’t get to stand there and lecture me on what’s right and what’s wrong - and if you can’t understand that, then we’re done here, mate.” 

George huffs indignantly. “Glad we agree.” He takes another step back. “Then, I’ll just toss her over the edge, shall -” His words cut off in an undignified, startled scream as his balance falters. George’s suffocating hold loosens in his shock, and you trip over your own feet in a desperate escape attempt. The sounds of a sharp fight resonate behind you, but you’re too blinded by relief and fleeing instinct to turn around. 

Sobs shake your frame as you stumble back into your apartment - and the comforting embrace of Charles’ arms catches you. You cling to him, crumbling as the last of your strength abandons you.

Charles rocks you gently as he sinks to the floor, encouraging you to burrow his chest. “There, there, cara mia,” he coos gently, resting his cheek atop of your head. “It’s over now. He won’t hurt you ever again.” 

You dissolve against him, drowning in the strength of his arms around you. “I-I didn’t think… I thought destroying the pen would end it, that it-”

Charles shushes you quietly. “You did end it, cara mia. It’s over… and for what it’s worth, you did the right thing.” His lips brush a tender kiss to your brow. “No one needed the knowledge that map possessed.” 

Glass crunches under strong footsteps behind you, and Charles shifts against you to look up. A hum of approval rumbles his chest before he speaks softly. “Thank you, Max.” 

Another body draws up behind you, and everything about the strong embrace of Max’s arms, bracketing you between him and Charles feels so right. You cling to both of them, grateful to be alive and overwhelmed. “W-what about George…?” You choke out through gasping breaths. 

“Don’t worry about him.” Max’s words hold a firm edge despite his gentle tone. “He won’t ever hurt you again.” 

A rush of terrified memory overtakes you, and you cling closer to Charles and Max, letting them hold you in the dark interior of your apartment. Something warm and safe blooms in your chest as they surround you, and Charles presses another kiss to your brow. “In fact,” he coos softly. “No one will ever hurt you again.” 

2026

Excitement buzzes in your veins. After weeks of counting down, today has finally come. 

“If eternity is your choice, cara mia - then it’s something worth celebrating.” Charles clarified. 

Max chuckled softly as he encouraged you. “Sure. Think of it like… like your undead birthday.” 

Charles’ eyes shone with reassuring adoration. “That day will be the start of the rest of your life.” He reached out for your hand and a shiver of anticipation rippled across your skin. “A life with us, for as long as you want.” 

The force of your smile threatened to split your face as you glanced between him and Max. “So, then… that’s really it? That’s all it takes?” 

Max shrugged a dismissive shoulder. “It’s not a complicated process.”

The implications of the words stunned you, their offer overwhelming you. Immortality at your fingertips with Charles and Max by your side? Had there been anything else that you’d ever wanted more over the course of your life? 

Slowly, you nodded and squeezed Charles’ hand. “Then, yes - I choose eternity. With you.” You turned your gaze towards Max, holding out a hand and taking his chilly fingers between yours. "And you.” 

Charles’ face lit with a bright, satisfied smile. “Then, you shall have us, cara mia. And we shall have you.” He dipped his head to place a lingering, tantalizing kiss on the back of your hand. “Let’s find a date, and we’ll - oh! I should have the ballroom prepared.” 

Your brow furrowed. “Ballroom? Seriously…? Your home has a ballroom?” 

Mischief twinkled in Charles’ gaze. “This house is certainly old enough, so, yes - it does have a ballroom. Come, I’ll show you.” With your hand still in his, he stood and you followed, tugging Max along with you. 

The Dutchman bit back an annoyed sigh - something he still hadn’t managed to shake even as an immortal. “Or maybe you shouldn’t show it to her, Charles,” he said even as he squeezed your fingers. “Why spoil the surprise?” 

“Because - despite everything she’s seen - I don’t think she believes me, and I won’t have her questioning my sincerity for such an important decision.” Charles answered as they walked down a side hallway that you’d always considered unremarkable. Though, as Charles dropped your hand to throw open the innocuous double-wide doors, you would have to rethink that assessment.

Two magnificent chandeliers dripping in crystals and coated in dust dominated the elegant room. A piano stood lone sentry with only a scattering of plush chairs along the room’s periphery. The long, heavy curtains framing the windows showed their age despite the drawn shades, and the rich wood floor was desperately in need of some polish. But still… you’d never seen such a sight. At least, not outside of a fairy tale. And let alone in someone’s home. 

You glanced around the room, still unable to believe it. “This is just… incredible. How did I fucking not know that this was here?” You took a step into the room, dropping Max’s hand and studying your footprints on the dusty floor. 

Charles smiled with obvious pleasure. “Hmm, maybe Max was right. Maybe I shouldn’t have showed you yet…” he glanced over at Max with fond affection. “I think we might have created a monster.” 

“None of this ‘we’ stuff,” Max countered gently. “This is all your doing, mate.” He nodded over at you as you took a few gliding steps across the floor. 

Dust kicked up in your wake, tickling your nose and you bit back a sneeze. Coming to a stop, you raised a hand to brush your nose as you turned back towards Charles. His phone had materialized in his hand and his fingers scrolled elegantly over the touchscreen. He glanced up with a curious smile. “Shall we say the 19th? Our next sale should close by the 17th, and then, we’ll have even more to celebrate.” 

Oh, God, yes. That lost Vermeer would fetch another 400 million for Charles’ bank account, and… fuck, you could pinch yourself. 

Spending eternity with those two handsome men and not having to worry about money or food or disease ever again…? It sounded like an absolute dream come true.

And it still does. Even as you answer the knock on your apartment front door, surprised to find a courier bearing gifts. A garment bag and several boxes end up on your sofa despite your confusion as the courier presents you a blood red envelope before leaving. Closing the door in his wake, you flip it over and your heart flutters at the wax seal bearing a familiar crest. At first, you thought the lion and spider motifs were not only creepy but far too cliche for a clan of vampires, but now, you look forward to calling that crest your own. Perhaps they’ll even consider updating it for you - once you decide what animal you want to be. Or do they decide that? 

Your cheeks flush as your mind spins, and goodness… you’re getting way too far ahead of yourself. Reaching for a kitchen knife, you slice under the seal to reveal the thick cream cardstock within. 

A beautiful occasion calls for only the best - and the best deserves every opportunity to feel the most beautiful. Please choose what you will and we hope the gifts satisfy. 

C M 

A wide grin splits your face as you run your fingers over their simply signed initials, each in their own handwriting. Sighing incredulously, you turn back towards the packages and the contents take your breath away. Five designer gowns, all in your size and colors to complement your skin tone. Each fits like a glove, accenting your best features as you twirl to study your reflection in your bedroom mirror. Silk whispers around your ankles and against your legs - and god, any of them would be perfect for dancing. And, of course, the neckline of each gown leaves your neck prominently on display for the evening’s main event. 

A thin ripple of fear works down your spine as the gravity of it hits you - and shit… officially speaking, you’re going to die tonight. The realization should probably frighten you, should engage your every last survival instinct… but you know it’s not the end. Charles and Max are living - but not quite - proof of what awaits you on the other side, and you can’t wait to join them. 

After opening a box to reveal several pairs of gorgeous heels to match the selection of gowns, only one small, black velvet box remains. Popping the lid open, your mouth falls agape at the sight of a ring adorned with a large, luscious ruby surrounded by an array of diamonds. You didn’t know precious stones could come in such a large size - and fuck, would your fingers even be able to hold the weight? 

Still stunned, you pry the platinum band from the velvet cushion and study the refracting light in the gem’s facets. Your heart flutters as you slide it onto your right ring finger, dismayed to find it won’t slide past your knuckle. Swallowing your disappointment, you work the band a little harder, but it’s just too snug. Is it possible that they got the size wrong? But no… if Charles and Max have the exact measurements of your dress and shoe size, then they know your ring size. 

Wetting your top lip, your breath catches as you try the ring on your left hand finger to find a perfect fit. Is this the start of more to come? A proposal? Or merely just the first taste of everything you want with Charles and Max? 

With only hours to go, you slide the ring off and set it on your dresser before indulging in a luxurious bubble bath. You take the time you need for your hair and makeup, hoping it looks good enough for such an occasion. The silk of your chosen dress slides back on your body with delicate whispers, the heels add such poise, and the elegant ruby ring completes your classy, gorgeous ensemble. 

Low simmering arousal heats your blood as you hope that Charles and Max won’t be able to keep their hands off of you. Even now, the phantom memories of Max’s strong hands as he holds you against his broad chest and Charles’ nimble fingers as his lips tease your neck race a blot of desire down your spine. God, what will it be to learn their touch as an immortal? 

As the clock strikes 2200 hrs, a black sedan pulls up in front of your building and you descend the stairs. The driver meets you on the sidewalk with one last gift - a velvet cape in a deep scarlet color for your bare shoulders on a cool night. The heavy decadent fabric settles against your skin, and you swear you can just breathe in the intoxicating scent of Charles’ cologne. 

The thrill of anticipation hums along your skin as the car cuts through the night, taking you ever closer to the house that you’ve grown to love. To the house that will soon become your home. It makes your smile widen as the car glides to a stop and the driver assists you out of the car. Crossing up the steps to the front door, Charles and Max both stand in the foyer, dressed in impeccable tuxedos cut in tailored lines that should be illegal. 

“You look absolutely beautiful, cara mia.” Charles purrs, leaning in to buss your cheek. “I am pleased to see that our gifts were well received.” 

“God, it was almost too much.” You reply, sliding out of your cape as Max stands behind you, leaning down to press a tender kiss to your neck. “But really, I cannot thank you both enough. It’s just… everything is just gorgeous and perfect.” 

Max hums in obvious approval as he nuzzles your skin. “And you look it.” 

Your skin warms under Max’s touch as your gaze rakes down Charles’ lithe form. The dark lines of his tux hug his body with precision tailoring, and you debate just pouncing on him right now - and dragging Max with you, of course. But Max steps away to hang your cape in the foyer closet and Charles moves further into the house, holding out a hand in invitation. His gaze finds yours, glittering with the glow of soft light. “Are you hungry, cara mia?” He asks gently. “Or did you already eat? One last meal, so to speak…” 

You shake your head as Max falls into step beside you. “I already ate… especially since we’re dancing and celebrating, I needed the energy.” 

Charles’ mouth curls with an amused smile. “I wish I could tell you that you won’t have that problem after your transformation,” he says breezily as you approach the ballroom doors. “But, well… without sustenance, even we go weak.” 

“Sustenance…” you repeat softly as your heels echo off the marble. “You mean blood.” 

“Yes,” Max answers bluntly. “That can be a bit of a mental adjustment afterwards, though, depending on the strength of your mortal construct.” 

You arch a quizzical brow. “My mortal construct…?” 

“Yes,” Charles clarifies as he and Max push open the ballroom doors. “Everything that gives you your current sense of right and wrong, of forgivable and unforgivable - even your sense of time.” 

Charles’ words fade in your ears as you stare around the transformed room. Light gleams from the spotless crystal chandeliers, reflecting off the floor’s brilliantly polished surface. The curtains have been redone in a tasteful brocade that harkens back to an age long past. Hell, even you feel as though you should be dressed in a Regency style gown with a dance card looped around your wrist. But the grand ballroom hosts just the three of you, and another delicious shiver races across your skin. 

You shake your head, unable to hold back your appreciative smile. “This is so gorgeous - it’s a shame that you don’t use this room more often.” 

An almost shy edge comes to Charles’ smile. “I’m afraid we don’t really entertain… difficult to do without gaining attention.” 

“And too much attention draws unwanted questions.” Max confirms as he steps further into the room. “And you’ll learn that soon, too… so much for you to learn. And then,” he glances back at Charles from under his neatly combed hair, ice blue eyes mesmerizing in the glittering light. “She will be the young one. Not me.” 

Charles’ smile curls with amused fondness. “That’s not my nickname for you, and you know it.” He looks at you, shaking his head. “I think he’s just bitter that despite being born three weeks before me, he was transformed after me, so that officially makes him younger than me.” 

You chuckle softly. “Well, compared to when I was born - you both outrank me, so if calling me younger helps, then that doesn’t bother me.” 

Overhead, from unseen speakers, a low bass note sounds and a haunting voice follows with familiar words. 

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream 

Your breath catches and your heart sings as your favorite song by Lana Del Rey fills the ballroom. Glancing between Charles and Max, a wide smile splits your face. “You remembered… which one of you was it?” 

Max moves on silent footsteps, coming to a stop in front of you. “Charles has all the musical knowledge and taste in this house. Though, maybe that will change once you join us…” He holds out his hand, and you don’t hesitate to put your hand in his. 

Admittedly, you don’t have much any practice with the waltz, but following Max’s lead, you fall into the elegant 1-2-3 rhythm. His tux does nothing to diminish the broad strength of his shoulder as your hand comes up to rest, and your dress flows in elegant waves as he twirls you around. 

And I know it’s true, that visions are seldom all they seem 

Extending his arm, you spin out and find yourself suddenly in Charles’ arms. He gracefully falls into the rhythm, and your hand slides into his as he takes your waist to sweep you around the dance floor. His cologne clouds your senses as he holds you close before turning you out for another elegant spin. Max’s cool hand finds yours as you extend, and as you spin back into Charles’ embrace, Max follows you. Your mind spins as you tuck close against Charles’ chest with the strong press of Max against your back as the hypnotic rhythm fills your ears and keeps your feet moving with theirs. 

But if I know you, I know what you’ll doYou’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream 

Your heart races as liquid heat burns between your legs. These two men are everything you want, and you don’t care if they can smell how desire ignites your blood, how arousal makes you drip with want. If this is to be your last night as a human - if this is to serve as some sort of wedding night and birthday in one - then you have no reason to hold anything back. Especially as you continue to move intertwined with them in a synchronous flow and the desire for them to claim you - to make you eternally theirs - burns fiercely. 

The music draws to a soft, haunting close as their steps slow. Your breathing comes in trembling gasps as you hover on the edge of anticipation and relief, still held in the cocoon of their bodies. Evey nerve thrums with need, an aching pulse that only Charles and Max can satisfy. Words crawl up your throat to beg them to fuck you here, one last time before they drain you of life. 

But Charles lowers his head, skimming his lips along your racing pulse and brushing his cool nose against your flushed skin. A gasping moan passes your lips as Max bends down to the other side of your neck, dragging the sharp points of his elongated canines against your skin with delicious promise. A strong cool hand finds your hips, pushing you back against Max’s body as Charles presses ever closer. 

Charles skims his lips along your jaw, hovering just above your lips with the promise of a lifetime. “One last chance, cara mia,” he whispers with a velvet rumble. “Do you take us?” 

You sigh heavily as everything within you burns. “I do,” you moan, torn between tilting your head further against Max or further into Charles. “I take you both, yes.” 

Max strikes first, his sharp teeth slicing through your skin with familiar ease. Another moan pitches in your throat, choking off as Charles’ teeth find your other main artery, hot blood dribbling down your neck as his lips seal against your sin. When they both hollow their cheeks for a long draught, your mind abandons your body as the pleasure-pain sensations overwhelm you. You cling to them, desperate to never let go, to have them always. 

Blackness eats the corners of your sanity and your vision turns dizzy. Your breath comes in shallow gasps as your life drains away, stolen by their lips. Your fingers lose their strength as you fall slack in their embrace, and this… 

Your heart slows to its final rest. 

With a wet suck, Max pulls his teeth free and Charles gathers you in his arms. Dropping to a knee, he lays your lifeless body on the smooth, polished wood. The last drops of your blood form a puddle on the floor as Charles stands back to his full height. A trail of your blood stains his skin, soaking into the collar of his dress shirt as he stares down at you. 

At least until Max steps over your dead body and hooks a strong arm around Charles’ waist. Charles turns his mercurial eyes to Max’s, smiling with relieved ease as he melts into Max’s embrace. Moving to a tune that only Max knows, he gently guides Charles in slow, easy steps. Your blood sings in both of their veins with immense satisfaction. “You know, I ought to be really annoyed with you.” Max says softly through his own blood-stained lips. 

Charles arches an indignant brow. “What? How could you possibly?” He licks the corner of his mouth still stained crimson. “I told you that we would spend our anniversary together, and here we are.” 

“For starters, you told her that we weren’t exclusive.” 

Charles chuckles softly. “That was a long time ago, mate. And the more accurate word is eternal.” 

“And then,” Max continues, undeterred as he leads Charles around the room. “You invited her to spend our anniversary with us…” 

“You knew it had to happen.” Charles counters softly. “It always does every time someone gets close and learns more than they should…” 

Max hums gently, leaning in to brush his blood soaked lips to Charles’ cheek. “For a while, I really thought you would keep her… she lasted longer than most of the others.” 

“But it wouldn’t last - she wouldn’t last. Any mortal who chooses immortality…” 

“I did.” Max reminds him. 

“No. You chose not to die… that’s different.” 

The corner of Max’s mouth lifts with vague amusement as he leans in to meet Charles in a deep, languorous, blood-soaked kiss. One borne from decades of familiarity and devotion and adoration. One that defies words and stirs every part of their primal, undead, immortal existence. 

A low, delicious hum pitches in Charles’ throat as he pulls back, regarding Max with near pitch black eyes. “Happy 80th anniversary, mon amour.” 

Max leans forward for one last kiss - at least here before they retire to their bedroom. Keeping his arm around Charles’ waist, he turns them both towards the ballroom doors and casts one last glance down at your still body. “You had the floor waxed and sealed appropriately, yes?” 

“Of course,” Charles confirms as he, too, pays you one last parting glance. “And tomorrow, we’ll see to her interment in the crypt. Along with adding her ring to the collection.” 

Max reaches for the lightswitch on the wall and the room falls dark as the double doors close behind them. 

Fin 

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