#Uhh this chapter was meant to be posted a week ago

[pinkytoothlesso11]

Heart of Stone chapter 26

Douxie, Jim and Claire deal with the fact they are responsible for Strickler’s curse, as well as finding out who Deya is and getting back to their own time.

But not before taking part in the Battle of Killahead bridge.

A fairly short chapter, but I hope one that is still acceptable. Likely future chapters are going to be shorter than before, with a few exceptions.

[babyiamperfectforyou]

IT'S YOU

Chapter 9

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Word count: 7.1 k

Warnings: Smut

A/n: Posting at last 😭 Uni is so frickin stressful like wtffff. Anywhoo, here's the long chapter we promised. Also, this chapter contains smut. First time writing smut, kinda nervous, don't judge we don't know how it works, okay? 💀🥲 Also, thanking our bsf L for helping with the smut part. Happy reading!

Xoxo,

G and M

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Y/n knew she acted like a coward, running from them was a bad move but at this point she couldn’t care less.She walked towards the washroom and saw Fabiola coming after her, as to check what she was doing, so Y/N changed her direction towards her cabin. After a few moments, she heard footsteps approaching .She knew from the sound itself that it was not Jenna .Maybe Steffin wanted to meet her or something or... She couldn't finish her thoughts because a familiar pair of emerald green eyes came into view .Her eyes lowered, only to come face to face with an ever so familiar lips . Yeah the same lips she tried to kiss a few weeks ago .

She felt so self-conscious all of a sudden .

"Hey Y/N....I noticed you were not in the cafeteria. I saw Jenna and she said you had left a few minutes ago.Um.. are you in some kind of an emergency or something?"

Harry asked with a polite smile.

Y/N cursed herself for being affected by a guy who didn't even bother to call her beforehand rather than showing up all of a sudden. At least she deserves that much, right? She covered for him in all the project meetings when he was absent.But who was she kidding? She didn't even bother to contact him and ask if he was okay . She was so caught up in her anger and jealousy that she didn't even try to call him. All of a sudden, she felt guilty.

"I…Uhh…No I am not in an emergency... I mean I am ....ughh… What am I doing ? Sorry about the rambling.I kind of am busy but it's not that much of an emergency to worry about. Shit… you get the point", she sighed.

This was why she hated Harry , he made her so nervous that her brain shut down when he was in like 10 meter radius. Harry awkwardly glanced at his hands which was rare for him because he always projected confidence.Y/N thought it was because of their awkward about-to-kiss encounter. Y/N blamed it on herself for making things uncomfortable that day.But what she did not know was that Harry had blamed it on him .

"Yeah, I got it, " Harry said, his face devoid of any emotion ." She knew she didn't have the right to feel hurt but she felt a pang in her heart when Harry talked to her like a stranger. As if sensing her thoughts, he quickly asked, "How's everything going ,Y/N? I know I bailed on you at the last moment, even though it wasn't planned...I really am sorry..." He apologized to her like he meant it .His words with so much emotion overwhelmed her.But it didn't feel like he was apologizing for the project .

"Oh ....no need to apologize for something that isn't in your control .It was an accident and there was nothing you could do to prevent it.So there is nothing to apologize for .I know you well enough to know that you're not the kind of guy who tricks people into doing your work. If anything, you're sincere and dedicated towards your job ....maybe a little too dedicated".She added the last part to lighten up the mood.

Harry's heart fluttered on hearing her words.He stared at her with so much adoration in his eyes and she felt like she didn’t know how to breathe. Breathing is actually too overrated. Who even wants to breathe when Harry Edwards Styles is looking straight into your eyes like he was trying to figure out how to solve the hardest puzzle in his life, like your face holds all the answers for his years and years of quest ?. Suddenly she became aware of another person's presence in that room .She turns around only to find a tall female figure in her office door - that woman he came with. She had a donut bag in her hand. Y/N was surprised to find that it was from her favorite shop .Maybe Ms-hot-girlfriend liked the place as well . She entered the office without much warning.Handing the donut bag to Harry, she engulfed Y/n in a bone crushing hug.Y/n was caught off-guard by the sudden hug .

"Hey Gem ..you can't just go around hugging people like that , at least introduce yourself first". He scolded her.

Why does he have to sound pissed? Maybe he’s angry that his girlfriend is hugging his nemesis?

"Don't get your panties in a twist , Mr. Jealous, I won’t hurt her. Don't mind him Y/N", the woman said and Y/N was surprised to hear the woman call her by her first name.

Harry muttered something close to a curse .

"Y/n, I am sorry on her behalf.She is just being her annoying self. This is my sister Gemma.Gemma, this is Y/n, Planning head of Thomas and Sons designs".

Gemma cuts him off "Ughh save that for another conference meeting Harry, as if I don’t know Y/n . Wow , you're pretty than when I saw you in that photo "

That made y/n curious. She asked, "photo?".

"Yeah, the one mom took of you at Harry's promotion party.That photo didn't do any justice to you.You're prettier in real life "

" Yeah, she is." Harry added quickly like he didn't have any control over his words.Y/n blushed at the sudden compliment.Her heart hammered in her chest like she was about to have a heart attack.She could feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach.Y/n stared at him for a sharp second only to find blush creeping from his cheeks to his neck. She found it really cute.

"Thank you", Y/N replied flushed.She suddenly felt bad for thinking anything going on between the two siblings.She was so caught up with jealousy that she didn't even notice any resemblance which was more obvious now.Harry was the one to break the awkward silence.

"Y/N, I heard that Steffin had submitted our design and it was selected to be presented at the annual Conference .Where is it? New York, right?"

"Wait, what?"Y/N replied confused.

It was at that moment that Steffin entered her office.

"Hey Y/N,How is your day going ?"

"Great so far , I was just thinking about asking you about our project being selected at the annual Conference of Entrepreneurs, which Harry just told me "

"I see you ruined my surprise", Steffin nudged Harry playfully."I was going to tell you today…”

"Oh please not now.I can't focus on anything you guys are saying. Let me please have a chat with Y/N and then you can discuss your boring meetings and whatnot" Gemma said with an exasperated expression.

"Gem, why don't you take a tour around the office while we get this over with?Then you can have lunch with Y/N?", Steffin suggested.

"Jen, I mean, Jenna can help you with the tour .She's in desk 3 .Last right corner."Y/N proposed thinking that it'll be better if Gemma took the tour with Jenna rather than any of the other women at the office.

"Why yes, that's a really nice idea. I'll be back, then " with that, Gemma left, leaving Y/N with Harry and Steffin.

"So Steffin, I think you need to give Y/N an idea about the conference and all the following stuff.I guess you're not planning to leave her by herself at the meeting?"Harry asked anxiously.

"Y/N, like I said, I was about to give you a surprise regarding this project but this rascal, a friend of mine actually, ruined it'' He said with a chuckle,

"So the thing is that the conference will be held in New York next week.Two people can attend the meeting, unless you want to go alone. As Harry won’t be able to accompany you , you can select another person to go with you." Steffin said.

“And yes, everything is paid by the company itself, with an extra day for the team at the place .Go see the city”, he winked.

.She didn't have to even think twice ,"I think Jenna will be great,as she was also a part of the team and helped me in meetings Harry couldn't attend."

"I hope she's okay with this decision," Steffin asked doubtfully.

"Yeah , she'll be," Y/N replied with great enthusiasm.

"It’s settled then, enjoy the rest of your day, Y/N "

Steffin left the office after having a brief conversation with Harry outside her cabin .Harry didn't seem so happy when he came back in. He looked as if he didn't like the decision at all. Maybe he was sad that he couldn't attend the meeting for the project that he worked his ass off for.

“Or maybe he wants to spend time with you?” Get your brain out of the gutter idiot, he does not want you, Y/N scolded herself.

"All the best for the meeting Y/N. Have a great time." Y/n noticed the tremor in his voice towards the end of the sentence.

"Thanks, is there no way you could attend the meeting?” She tried to convince herself that she was not affected by it .But who was she kidding? Harry's absence had proven the fact that she was so used to his annoying presence around her in the office that she found it really hard to be there in his absence.Weeks without him in the office were hell.It's just a thing with some people that we might find their actions irritating and their presence hell but their absence even more dreadful. Harry consumed most of her thoughts during this past week. She is even more confused by this nameless relationship with Harry.

"I don't think I can." Harry answers indifferently but Y/N gets a feeling that there is more intensity to his words than what he is letting out.

"I think Jenna would be perfect for it. Even if I could come along, I don't think you'll enjoy my company. So it's better this way "

"Who told you that I don't enjoy your company?You don't know how hard it was for me to be here with you gone for weeks.You don't understand…You...you...just don't understand".Y/n raises her voice angrily .

Harry's expression softened. "You missed me" It was a statement. It felt like he was saying it to himself."Why Y/N?”

"Why what? " She decided to play dumb, she should not have said that in the first place.

"Don't play dumb with me Y/n .You said you missed me and I am asking you Why ?" Harry asks like he is somehow pleased with the idea that she missed him.

"Sue me for missing you. Just leave it, it was just a moment of weakness, it won't happen again.”

"What won't happen again , Y/n?"

Why does he have to be so smug today?

"You know what I mean" Y/n said irritated.But her expression tells him that she's enjoying this banter as much as he does .

"No, I don’t, you have to use your words, darling ", he smirked.

Why did it feel out of context and perfectly inappropriate for an office conversation?

Suddenly an image of a half naked Harry with his face between her legs passed through her mind.She was too stunned to speak .Why is the air so thick suddenly?

"Why are you turning red Y/n ? What’s going on in that dirty mind of yours, huh?"

Yup, there he was, the old annoying Harry.That smug bastard was utilizing her angry confession.

But her thoughts regarding him were anything but holy.

"Okay then, I will leave you to your thoughts. But I’m warning you Gemma would certainly come to bug you "

She stood there, gathering her thoughts.

Harry reached for the door and stopped immediately.

"Take care Y/N "

She was not expecting him to turn around and come back to her. He stood before her, their faces inches apart and touched her cheeks ever so lightly like she may disappear if he touched her a little too hard.He was so close that she could feel his breath fanning over her face .His intoxicating smell invaded her mind.All the remaining self restraints leaved her body.Suddenly, she felt him leaning towards her. She wanted to lean in and kiss him but she did not want to repeat the kiss incident. So she closed her eyes, anticipating him to get himself out from whatever trance they're in, but instead, she felt a brush of his soft lips on her forehead."Don't worry I missed you too."

He left with a chuckle.

The thought of him missing her and the goddamn kiss brought Butterflies in her stomach .Her heart felt so light .She felt like a giddy teenager being noticed by her crush.Harry had missed her!!!

She could only think about his words.Anything other than him felt insignificant at that moment. She didn't notice Jenna entering her office.

"Deep in thoughts, I see, " Jenna said in a mocking voice.

"What?" Y/n asked confused

'Nothing" Jenna chuckled. "Maybe the unexpected entry of the loverboy is taking away your focus, sorry to let you know that he got a call and he left with Gemma. I like her, she's such a mood" .

"Harry is not my loverboy.” She was being defensive.

"Who said that I was talking about him, huh? Jenna asked .

“Um, well, you know…I..” Y/n trailed off trying to hide her embarrassment but failed miserably.

"Why are you blushing, bitch?" Jenna asked.

"Well, something happened.Harry kind of kissed me." Y/N said, her face getting all pink.

"Oh Damn! When and where ? I need details, Y/N. Wait, let me call Dan first. He'll be thrilled. I'll be the godmother of your children, okay? no offense to your other friends."

"No need to be dramatic, Jen .It was more like a peck, a friendly goodbye kiss. Nothing of the sort that you're implying. "

"Okay but why are you giggling like a teenager then?Wait, where did he kiss you ?

"On my forehead" it was barely a whisper.

"OMG I KNEW IT, I GODDAMN KNEW THAT HE WAS A ROMANTIC BUT FOREHEAD KISSES??? Y/N THAT, PHEW, THAT WAS WAY TOO ROMANTIC."

"Maybe, but I really don't think he has any feelings for me, it was just a goodbye kiss... nothing more ."

She felt a pang in her heart .She couldn't let Harry's thought invade her this time, so she decided to change the topic of discussion.

"Enough about me.How about I share you something a little more interesting?" Y/n asked

"Nothing is more interesting than your best friend's love life .Anyway you could try ." Jenna replied with a shrug.

"How does a two day trip in New York sound? Of Course, it's related to the project but one whole day to tour the city in company expenses.How about that ?" Y/n asks

"Wow, that sounds amazing. Wait wait wait who else will be there? Don't tell me, Fabiola?"Jenna asks with obvious distaste.

"No it'll be just us. The project that we did when Harry was on leave was selected to be presented in the Annual Conference " Y/n replied with a relieved sigh.

"Not even Harry?" Jenna asked.

"No, he can’t make it that day" Y/n tried her best to sound indifferent.

"Oh that's pretty sad, he spent a lot of his energy on this project"

"Sad indeed. I need to book tickets and arrange all the stuff we could do there .If you have preferences about any activities or places to visit feel free to text me the places, we’ll have a blast,” Y/N suggested.

Jenna replied suddenly like she's been waiting her whole life for that single question, "Of course I'll tell you.I need paintball, indoor skydiving and all that stuff couples do, " Y/N wanted to ask her whether she was joking.But Jenna's expression told that she was dead ass serious.

"Anything else ma'am? "Y/N asked in a mocking voice.

"Nope, this will do for now" Jenna doesn't miss a beat.

"You're a bitch", she laughed.

"Thank you for stating the obvious. I gotta go. I have some paperwork to finish,” with that Jenna hurried to her cabin.

The day went smooth after that, except for the jealous looks and murmurs from the trio.What was there to be jealous about her leaving for a project meeting?

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She had booked the tickets for their flight and some other activities.Their flight would take off at 10 in Thursday morning, and the plan was that they would spend 2 days in meetings and one whole day visiting the tourist places and would catch an early morning flight on Monday.Y/N really needed this break after months of hard work .She was anxious and excited. Their hard work was finally getting the acknowledgement it deserved, and she would have a chance to enjoy a day of fun with her best friend.

Days rolled off pretty fast . She had four more hours left before catching the flight.She was double checking her luggage, passport and other stuff when she heard her phone ringing. It was Jenna.

"Hey Jen, wassup? please don't tell me your passport is missing" Y/N asked with concern.

"Um..No, that's not the case.I’m really sorry but I don’t think I can make it today." She sounded genuinely distressed.

"Oh no.. what happened? Are you okay? Are your parents okay? " Y/n couldn't mask her concern.

"No no there’s no need to worry. It's just….uh… I can't explain it now but it's kinda urgent.I better go now. I'll tell you everything once you come back .No need to worry about it, okay? And I canceled my tickets. I'm sorry it's a bit too late, but I'll tell you everything I promise."

With that the call was disconnected leaving Y/n with her trail of thoughts.She was genuinely pissed at her at the same time concerned as well .She decided to leave that topic for later as she has a flight to catch and meetings to attend by herself.The thought brought a lump in her throat.

She had reached the airport and was waiting for the check in only to notice a tall silhouette approaching her.It came nearer and nearer.She noticed the ever so familiar emerald eyes and curls that made her fingers itching to touch them.

"Hey" he was panting as if he was running, he had a slight limp to his leg.Y/N couldn't believe her eyes. Before she could comprehend what she was doing, she ran towards him wrapping her hands around his torso .She could feel the tears in her eyes.

"Hey, you came " it wasn't even a question.She was genuinely happy that he was here . She always cared a lot for some people only to find them leaving her by herself at the very last moment.It was a regular pattern in her life from childhood itself, the perils of being the oldest sibling.Never in her life did she have somebody fight so hard to be with her. But today, Harry is here, really here, even though he was supposed to be resting .She wanted nothing more.

"Yeah, I made it at the last minute. Double the ticket price was a little too much."He paused searching for her face ."But I have this feeling that this journey is going to be worth a million fuckin' dollars."He added looking straight in her eyes . She nodded, feeling like she couldn't move, all of a sudden.They looked at each other for what felt like a lifetime only to be interrupted by the announcement.

The plane journey was fine. Both of them were so tired after the journey and wanted nothing more than to have a nap. And that’s when she realized that she had booked a single room with a king size bed, as Jenna was supposed to be the one to accompany her. Single bed? Are you kidding me Y/N?, she asked herself, but there was no way another room would be available at the last minute.Both of them were tired and desperate to sleep as they had a meeting in four hours.So they decided to let it be.

"I'll take the floor, don't stress out" Harry said breaking the awkward tension.

"No fucking way. Are you kidding me Harry? You were supposed to be resting but still you're here to help me out . How could I let you sleep on the floor after that? Do I seem that heartless to you ? " Y/n asked, completely frustrated.

"Uh..No.. it's not the case .I just don't want you to be uncomfortable", Harry thought that his presence could bring discomfort to her.He was expecting her to tell him get the fuck off when he reached the airport.But her reaction startled him as well.He was glad that she liked the idea of him accompanying her but doesn't want to push her limits.

"Oh great news,I am not " Y/N stated, but her expression says anything but humor.

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Both of them were so jetlagged and tired that they didn't even bother to acknowledge each other's presence after freshening up and quietly slipping onto the bed.Both of them stuck to their respective sides.

Y/N woke up in the morning only to find Harry's side of the bed empty.He woke up early.The sound of the shower stating that he's currently bathing.Y/N's face became hot thinking about a naked harry under the shower head. No,don't go there Y/N, she told herself. The bathroom door suddenly opened, revealing a half naked torso that belonged to none other than Harry fucking Styles. He was dangerously handsome. All those button ups did not do justice to this handsome man in front of her.Tiny drops of water dripping over smooth skin. God forbid, she wanted to lick all those drops from that butterfly tattoo at the middle of his abs all the way to that neck . She wanted to trail her nose through that sharp jawline and bury it deep in the gap between his neck and shoulder and drink in that intoxicating smell of him .

"My eyes are up here, honey " she looked only to find him staring at her with a playful smirk on his face.His expression suggests that the cheeky bastard is satisfied with the idea of her appreciating his half naked body .

"Nothing that I am interested in," she said defensively.

"Oh I saw , you're definitely not interested in my body that you spent drooling over it for the past let me check”, he paused to look at the imaginary watch on his wrist and added,”25 minutes”.

"No fucking way." She shook her head and stomped towards the bathroom door ,"I don't have any time for your childish antics. I have to attend the meeting.If you want to accompany me, get ready instead of walking around naked to distract the whole population."

"Oh so you're distracted. I figured."Harry said smugly .

" I wasn't." Y/N closed the bathroom door a little too loudly.

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The first day of the meeting went smooth, their presentation was the next day. They attended many talks and met a lot of new people.

—---------------------------------

The most awaited day came, she was really nervous and excited for them to present it together with him, she was pretty sure that they were going to impress everyone. Just as expected, the presentation went great and they received a standing ovation from the people who attended the conference.

“We make a good team, don’t we?”Harry asked when they were backstage after the presentation.

“Yes we do”, she gave him a heartfelt smile and a hug. He hugged her back with the same enthusiasm and energy.

After the conference, many people came up to them, saying that they were interested in collaborating with Thomas and sons enterprises, Harry and Y/N redirected them to approach Steffin directly. Some of them even asked Harry if he wanted to work with them but he politely turned down every single one of them.

What was he even thinking? Who would decline an offer from Derande Designs? They were the best in business right now.Maybe it’s just that he was too loyal to Steffin and Mr Tomas or there might be some other personal reasons for him to continue there. But Y/N felt like it had something to do with her, as his eyes darted immediately towards her after the offer .She tried her best to express indifference but she was affected.She was actually a bit scared that he'll leave her . But Harry didn't even bother to think about it further, that he declined the offer immediately.

After a long, tiring and unending hour of talking to people they did not even know, Harry pulled her back by her arm and whispered in her ear, “Shall we get out of here?”

“I thought you would never ask,” she chuckled.

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“Let’s get wasted tonight, we deserve it,” she said while they were on the way back to their hotel room.

“That we do. I know a place here. Karaoke night ?”

“Yup, I’m in”

“ Great. Let’s take a little break and get going then?”

“Yes, sir,” she saluted , laughing.

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“I’m ready to go,” she said as she emerged from the bathroom, after dressing and doing her makeup, she was wearing a little black dress and a pearl necklace, with minimal makeup and a deep red lip shade.

He was practically drooling at the sight of her. She felt his eyes raking up and down her figure. He suddenly shrugged it off and said quickly,

“Yup, let’s go,”

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One shot of tequila turned into two, three, four and more. They danced together and had a lot of fun. He felt like something had changed between them, she was intoxicating, to say the least.

They were drunk and he couldn't seem to keep his hands off of her. He felt like he needed some kind of contact with her body and she didn't seem to mind it.

After the karaoke night at the club, they played a round of beer pong with some strangers they met at the club. They were so tipsy and it was getting late.

The cab arrived and they both got inside. When they reached the hotel, Harry helped her get out of the vehicle and took her hand, leading the way towards the elevator. Even though it was around midnight, the city was filled with hustle and bustle.

They both got inside and pressed the key to their level. They were alone at last and he was trying so hard not to do anything he might regret later. Both of them could feel the tension rise.

He couldn't stay away from her. It was odd, they were so close, yet so far apart. He wanted her, only her. He wanted her to make him forget everything else. He wanted her to tell him he was hers and he wouldn't even look at another woman. He wanted to do unspeakable things to her, he wanted her in the most primal way. Each cell in his body was yearning for her touch, the heat radiating from her.

In an attempt to have her close to him, Harry pretended to stumble and fall and she was quick to catch him, she threw her hand around his waist and helped him steady himself and didn't let go even after he could stand straight.. He tilted his head and looked at her face. He wanted to remember each and every inch of her face as if it was his last sight.

The air suddenly grew thicker and he could see her gulping. He couldn't focus on anything. His heavy gaze flickered from her eyes to her lips.He could hear her staggering breath. She nodded and his heart leapt out of his chest. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or if she had just given him a green signal. He gently leaned forward and was surprised to see her doing the same. They were so close that he could feel her warmth on his cheeks and her breath on his lips.

Suddenly the elevator bell dinged and opened itself, bursting their little intimate bubble, exposing them to the bustling world outside. They practically jumped apart before anyone could see them.

A few people came in and he had to move behind her to give them space. He stood right behind her. He could smell her perfume, she smelled like vanilla and some berry he couldn't quite remember the smell of. He leaned a bit towards her, breathing her in. He could feel her body shifting the slightest bit towards him, which gave him the push to make a move. He felt like he would not be able to get this close with her if he wasted this chance. He leaned closer, his lips above her ear and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and whispered

"You looked gorgeous tonight"

That seemed to work because he could feel her shuffle towards him and tilted her neck towards his face.

"Thank you" she breathed out. Their faces were inches away from each other and she suddenly pulled back, there were people in the elevator.

She relaxed against his body and he gently slipped a hand on her waist holding her close; she hummed lightly. When the elevator came to the next level, a woman and a kid got in and she shuffled a bit to give them some space. He could feel her hips move against his crotch and certain parts of him getting excited. He prayed she didn't notice , but then she moved again and he let out a quiet whimper and felt her stiffen. She suddenly moved away from him and didn't even look at him. After what felt like a disastrous few minutes, the bell dinged again and they got out, walking towards their hotel room door. He trailed after her, embarrassed. He knew it was going to be awkward and humiliating but he had no other choice.

She swiped the card and got in first, him getting in after her.

He knew he had to acknowledge it sooner rather than later. So he started,

"Um about the-"

But he didn't get a chance to finish it as she suddenly turned around, pushing him onto the door and kissing him. He froze, not expecting that at all. For a moment he didn't know what was happening and before he could do anything, she pulled back. He looked at her , his eyes widening in surprise as he took in her image. She looked at him in fear.

"I'm so sorry, I thought that you were… uhh.. I wasn't thinking, you know when we were in the elevator I thought…oh my God I can't believe I did that. For a moment I thought you were interested in me, I'm so sorry I know you don't want to have anything with me God I'm so stupid. I'm really really really sor-"

She didn't get a chance to complete her rambling as she felt a sudden weight knock her breath out. He was kissing her, with so much passion and fervor. She didn't wait any longer to return the kiss. He took his good time, his tongue exploring her mouth as his hands explored her body. He could taste the faint bitterness of the drink she had and the slightest bit of sweetness from the breath mint.

He reveled in her taste, forgetting himself until he heard a little breathy moan break out from her.

He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes just to dip his head down and place a few pecks on her lips.

"How can you even think that I don’t want you?” He seemed offended by that.

Taking her hand in his, he brought it down to his crotch.

“See? This is what you do to me.”

She groaned and after hearing that, he couldn’t help himself. He kissed her with avidity and an urgency, as if he would never be able to do that again. He pulled away and looked straight into her beautiful eyes and asked her with a smirk adorning his lips,

"As much as I like kissing you, I would give anything to fuck you right now. Can I fuck you, Y/N?”

Her breath got caught in her lungs, she nodded. “No, use your words,princess, I need to hear you say it”, his voice was serious.

“Yes, God yes, Harry”, she breathed; he didn't waste his time and picked her up to their bedroom.

He could feel his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he sat on the bed, her straddling him. Was all this just a fever dream? Would he open his eyes soon and realize all of it was just a reverie? Well, he could enjoy it while it lasts.

He wanted to have her under him, chanting his name as she falls apart under his touch. But his insecurities began creeping in, what if she thinks that it was a mistake? He did not want to force her into doing anything she did not want to do.

She was undoing the buttons of his shirt as fast as her hands would allow her. He stopped her movements by grabbing both of her wrists in his grasp. That made her look into his eyes.

" Are you sure you want to do this, Y/N? You can still back out ", even though he was serious, a part of him desperately hoped that she'd want to do it with him.

The answer was a scoff, she ripped up his half buttoned shirt and started kissing him, trying to undo his pants.

He didn't waste a moment in reciprocating her actions, he tore up her buttoned blouse but in the process, he had accidentally hooked his finger under the chain of her necklace and it snapped, the pearls flying in a million directions but she didn’t seem to care. Soon, both of them were sat on the bed in their undergarments. She started kissing the underside of his jaw, gently moving back and forth, testing the waters. Her doubts vanished when gripped her hips and started moving her with a bit more force. She guided her hungry lips back to his. She kissed him languidly, not at all in a rush. She gently swiped her tongue across his bottom lip and earned a whimper from him. He opened his mouth and she did not wait a moment to explore it. She started pecking his lips, moving towards his jaw and chin. She could feel how hard and ready he was for her. Her lips moved from his jaw to his neck, her hands moving to the waistband of his boxers. Pulling away, she took in the sight of his body and the tattoos that adorned it. She traced her fingers through the butterfly and moved her trembling fingers to the ferns on his hips. She looked into his eyes asking for permission and he nodded, his breathing pattern suddenly changing. She moved her fingers south, down his happy trail, pulling his boxers down. He could see her eyes widening, seeing him for the first time."Fuck…No wonder why you have a big ego", she said, giggling, and took hold of him, stroking gently. A hiss was the answer.

She increased the pressure slightly and he moaned,

"Fuck, don't do that, I won't last, baby please"

Hearing the pet name, she smiled. She pulled away and stood up stripping down the rest of her clothing. She could feel his eyes on her, looking at her as if she was a goddess. The way his jaw dropped, destroyed any insecurity she had over her body. He was lying on his back, propping himself up by the elbows.

"God, you're gorgeous", he muttered and she smiled, walking towards him and pushing him back to the headboard.

" Wait, I don't have a condom", he said.

" That's okay, I'm on birth control", she said. "Unless, you don't want to go on with it? " She asked, a little unsure of herself. He shut her up by pulling her onto his lap and kissing her hard, showing her that he wanted nothing more. She straddled his lap and hovered over him, lining him up with her throbbing core. She looked at him again, to ask if she was reading it right and he nodded again, this time a little desperate. She gently sank down, hissing at the slight pain, adjusting to his size. He gently gripped her hips, holding her close to him. She was trying hard to take all of him at once, he tilted her chin towards him and cooed,

" Hey, hey… no need to rush, we have all the time in the world, yeah? " She nodded. Soon, they formed a rhythm, her hips grinding into his, both of them moaning at the sensation.

"Yes…just like that… That's my girl", he whimpered. The praise seemed to turn her on even more, if it was possible. She increased her pace and not long after, he started whining

"God I'm coming" He choked out,

"Can I come please, Y/N?", his neck veins straining,

"Baby, please? "

"Come for me, love, go on" She encouraged and it was all he needed before surrendering himself to the pleasure that sent shockwaves through his body.His face reddened and his toes curled ,he moaned out, his veiny hands gripping the white satin sheets tight . She felt a surge of pride as she saw what effect she had on him, it was a boost to her ego. He was panting, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead. She decided to slow down her movements as she thought he needed a bit of time to recover.

Harry felt bad as she hadn't gotten her release. He was surprised by the effect she had on him, it was one of the best orgasms he ever had. He wanted to return it, he wanted to give her the best orgasm she ever had, he wanted to worship her, to please her like no other, to watch her come undone under his touch. With a sudden sense of determination and an undying desire to give her what she deserves, he flipped them over, hovering above her. She was surprised at the sudden movement. Without wasting a moment, he pressed his lips onto hers, before gently pulling out and thrusting himself into her. She whimpered at the sudden movement,

"Did that hurt? Do you want me to stop? " He asked, concerned.

" No, keep going please" She moaned.

He smirked and ground her hips into hers over and over again, hitting the sensitive cluster of nerves inside her. She gasped, raking her nails through his shoulders and back when he bent her knees and planted her feet on the bed. Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt her pleasure building, but then he stopped moving. She was irritated, to say the least,

"Wha-"

"Look into my eyes, princess, or I'll stop", he was serious.

The sudden dominance taking over him worked her up even more.

" Yes, yes…now keep going please", she begged.

He chuckled, and started moving again, his beautiful green eyes boring into hers. She did not dare closing them again as she was again slowly reaching her climax. She gently tried to slip her own hand down to add to the pleasure but he suddenly grabbed her wrists with a hand, pinning it above her head,

"No touching" , he growled.

She whimpered at the rough tone, arching her back for more friction and he obliged, still not letting go of her wrists. She could feel the pressure building up and he moved his lips to her neck, sucking a love mark onto the skin, the slight pain paired with the pleasure he was giving her pushing her from the edge. Her body combusted in pure bliss, her eyes were shut close, a few years escaping.He came too, feeling her clenching around him in the most sinful way. He could see that she was holding back her moans, he waited a moment so that they could catch their breaths and come down their high. As they rode their waves together, his head was tucked in the crook of her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

"Ready for another round, love?" He asked and a giggle was the answer.

"But this time, I don't want you hiding all those beautiful sounds from me, darling, I want the whole world to hear you screaming my name, I want them to know that you're mine. Will you give me that, huh? "

"Yeah", she mewled.

"Turn around then, ass up" He commanded.

She let out a heavy breath, spinning around and assuming the position he demanded.

"Good girl, doing so good for me, love" He purred.

He slowly stood up and walked towards her, standing behind her, and slowly caressed her back.

“God, you have no idea how long I’ve dreamed about this”, he murmured, bending down to place a kiss on her lower back.

“Okay, you ready, sweetheart?”, he asked again

“Yes”, her reply was instantaneous, almost desperate.

He lined himself and in one swift thrust, entered into her warmth. She whimpered in pleasure and he quickly realized that he’s going about it the right way and started picking up speed.

“Oh, Jesus fuck, right there…oh my God yes just like that”, she moaned and he slammed into her again and again until both of them reached their highs, losing their rhythm as the climax crashed on them like a wave. She had muttered his name like it was a prayer, so sacred and heavenly. They both gasped when he finally pulled out; he held her close and both of them lay there in a comfortable silence, he placed little kisses on her forehead.

—-----------------------------------------------------

Harry walked over to the bathroom and came back after cleaning himself up, and bringing a washcloth to clean her up. He changed the sheets by the time she came back after changing into her pajamas. They both got into the bed and he pulled her close to him, her the little spoon and him with his face nuzzled into her neck from the back. Soon, she was out like a light in his warm embrace. He kissed her on the cheek again and whispered in her ear, “I love you,Y/N, more than my life, more than anything… I hope I could tell you that when you’re awake but I don’t know how you feel about that, so for the time being, I’ll just love you from afar, I just wanted to let you know that my heart belongs to you and only you.”

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Jhdhklffdsdhjdtdhysfjk there it issss. What do you think about it? Come talk to us❤️

Thank you for reading 💗 Feedback is appreciated ☺️❤️

Masterlist

Please let us know if you want to be tagged in the next part.

Taglist: @mendesblurb @violetsandfluff @reveriehs @a-strange-familiar @swiftmendeshoran @daphnesutton @f-folkwhore @buckybarnessimpp @drwho06 @faith-in-midnights

[causticsunshine]

Heyy whatcha been getting into lately? Alternatively, what have you been enjoying being a hater of lately?

okay first hello i love how this question is phrased hajdks very on brand for me and two uhhh oh boy a lot of stuff tbh!

so to preface. over the years i’ve had many phases where i get out of some irl person based media (usually 1d or some random tv show) and back into animated series, then the inverse happens, the cycle repeats, etc.? so i’m currently back into animated stuff as well as fully leaning into kpop everywhere instead of what i was doing before, where i was trying to limit my posting in general or limiting it to twitter under the guise of trying to seem slightly Normal™️ but now i’m fully leaning into whatever makes me happy and inspired and if that makes me annoying so be it

anyway—in terms of animated shows i’ve been watching one piece for almost a year now as for some reason i couldn’t get into it when i was younger and then was deterred by the series length, but i’m really enjoying it! i’m about to start the long ring long island arc if that means anything to anyone lol. i’ve also been watching and loooving dungeon meshi, and i’m currently reading it as well! i tried reading it a few years ago and stopped a few chapters in (idr why) but now i’m hooked and am struggling to pace myself…. i might try and do some fanart soon 👀

with kpop mmmm i’ve actually been a casual fan since like 2010 (listened to some 2008-2009 but it was mostly early shinee and random kpop compilations on youtube lmao) but have gotten in and out of it several times? now though i’ve been pretty Involved consistently since 2019/2020, although the groups i follow the closest are ateez, oneus and nct (127)!

i saw oneus in seattle last month after missing them twice and had such a good time (i still haven’t finished sorting my pictures though and haven’t posted like. any oops) and i am tryyyying (like. praying on my hands and knees lighting candles talking to the moon levels level trying) to get my hands on VIP1 tickets for ateez in tacoma and tickets go live next week so wish me luck as i will definitely need it with how pricey it’s likely to be… but also i will proudly commit heinous deplorable acts for ateez barricade sooo either way i’m determined to get my way? aka: i want and need my own y/n moment ahfksksn

also to clarify i’m not a shipper or whatever when it comes to kpop! i may enjoy the odd fic or will cringe read things with my friends but it’s nothing like HL for me; it’s a very different dynamic overall and i don’t get those kinda vibes in a serious way from any groups i follow? although with ateez… i can kinda see why they attract some of those kinds of fans i’m ngl

and on the side, i’ve actually been working on original content again! the one group of ocs i tend to pick up and put down has been temporarily sidelined for a pair i dumped a few years back but am currently reworking and actually have a story for now! idk if i’ll do anything proper with said story as comics are exhausting so rn i’m mostly word-vomming into docs and trying to nail down my character designs. when i’ve got things worth sharing though i do plan to share here as well, if anyone would be interested 👉👈

alternately when it comes to my haterism… i still greatly dislike and am exhausted with miss swiftie for numerous reasons and my god my art twitter is swathed in h*zbin h*tel content?? like actually plagued?? otherwise though there are just things i wish i saw less because i’m simply just not interested right now (aka 1d stuff) or in general and don’t want to start disliking those things because i’m seeing them too much

ok def rambled more than i meant to oopsie doopsie but yeah uhh that’s kinda it! anon i hope you are well and enjoying yourself in whatever you are doing rn 💕 and feel free to share if you feel so inclined to!

[i-drew-artz]

Since the fic progress is going slow due to a lot of other things happenin rn i decided i should maybe post a snippet of the next chapter to hold you guys over (its 2/3 of the way done guys i swear it will be out before the end of the month dont worry)

Engineer gathered up the Men from room one and plopped the ingredients on the table. "Scout, you cut the vegetables. Demo, coat the goods. Sniper, Fry. Ill prep the chicken" Engineer stepped on top of a stool to announce the roles everyone would play in the Kitchen. "AH DAMMIT" Scout yelped as he sucked on a wound. "Mate, ya gotta cut the veg like this" Sniper placed his hands considerably further away from the knife and made slight sawing motions before slamming the knife downwards and cutting a clean slice of tomato. Scout dissapointedly looked at his squished slices before muttering "Why dont you take over then?". "If ya never get the chance to improve, ya aint never gonna get good at slicin veggies" Sniper smiled and pointed towards the tomatoes. Scout sighed and tried to remember what Sniper did. Scout began to whisper to himself "Okay… Uhh. Hands far away from the knife.. Saw a lil bit at the start before.." The knife slammed down with an audible thud, creating a slightly less messy slice than before. "Good job there mate" Sniper smiled at Scout, which made him feel happy. Sniper finally received his first bit of coated chicken. He plopped the sucker in the pot of oil and patiently watched the thing crisp into a golden brown. Demos hands were starting to hurt from all the chicken he was coating. The wetness of the eggs combined with the flour to make his hands all slimy and gross. His hands would become uncomfortable everytime he placed his hands into the bowl of corn cereal. But then again, seeing his team having fun and sharing cooking expertise was enough to keep him going. Engie was about to finish seperating the last chicken. He lightly disconnected the wings and drumsticks from the bird and finally carefuly cut the breast. He handed the last few peices to Demo, who was releived to almost be done with coating. Sniper inhaled the savoury smell of the chicken as it fried; draining and seasoning the meat with pepper before placing it with the rest of the chicken. "Salads done!" Scout sighed with a proud smile on his face. The mercs put the meal on the table ready for the team to eat. "Hold on just a second there boys! I know the chicken looks mighty tasty right about now but we cant have a special chicken dinner without the Cohnager Special Sauce. Engineer chuckled as he carried a tub of delious looking light orange sauce to the table. "Whats in it?" Sniper asked Engineer, drooling from the mouth. Im afraid its a family secret he chuckled again as he clapped and hollered the team to dinner.

Okay guys back to procrastinating on stuff i was meant to submit a week ago but got an extension till the 15th (yipee)

[slytherdor-artfics]

MHIYH Chapter 3: Shopping!

Sorry for the incredibly late upload everyone! I've been busy since college is coming up :)

I do have some art for you all! I have tagged it down below as well as posting it on my Masterlist.

TW: harassments (trying to push themselves onto someone else), hinted past bullying, Karen

I hope you enjoy today's chapter!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Masterlist

Chapter Summary: You decide to go on a shopping trip to the mall with your hybrids! You go through a few setbacks but... by the end of it, the trip was completely worth it.

(F/F): Favorite food

(F/D): Favorite drink

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It’s been almost a week since the… incident with Todoroki. Since then, he hasn’t bothered me but he also hasn’t approached me.

I wasn’t bothered by it though, I wanted him to understand that I wouldn’t do anything to harm him. But he wasn’t the only one who hasn’t approached me- Bakugo, the quick-to-anger Pomeranian hybrid has said extremely few words to me. Usually constricted to “Move, extra.” or “stupid human” grumbled under his breath. I’m not entirely sure what I could do for him to get used to me, but I didn’t want to approach him without thinking it through.

Kirishima, on the other hand, has been extremely friendly to me. He grew on me rather quickly, and I would do anything to protect him (not that I wouldn’t protect the others of course). He’s the first to say good morning to me and the last to wish me good night. His bright smile and bright eyes are incredibly adorable to see first thing in the morning.

Shinso, Aizawa, and Midoriya are somewhat in between. Not coming around often but not completely ignoring me.

Recently I have been researching the best hybrid-friendly shops in order to get their necessary bedding, clothes, and anything else they might have.

“If you look too close at the computer for too long, you’ll ruin your eyes.” I look back to see Aizawa shuffling into the room before plopping next to me on the couch. His tail curled up next to him as he glanced over at me with tired eyes, “What has hogged your attention these days?” He almost purrs in that deep voice of his.

I quickly turned my eyes back to my screen as my face heated up, “A-Ah, I’ve been trying to find the best hybrid friendly stores. I meant to go shopping a few days ago but then I realized that not all ship owners would be the… friendliest about hybrids. I have found a good list of shops we can stop at so you all can get toiletries, clothes, and whatever else you might want.”

I scroll through my self-made list before tensing. I felt a warm breath on my cheeks, long hair tickling my neck and face. Aizawa’s chest was pressed up against my arm as he hummed, ears flickering in different directions.

“You didn’t have to go through so much trouble. Thank you.” He nuzzled his nose into my neck, before pulling back with a slight tilt of his lip.

“I-It was no problem… I just want the best for you all.” I begin to mumble under my breath.

“Hi (Y/N)!!” I squeak, almost dropping my laptop in fright before turning to Kiri.

“Sorry for frightening you…” he laughs sheepishly before sitting next to me. Once he sat down, a frown quickly took over his face and leaned over to sniff my neck.

“You smell weird…”

Weird?! I tried to secretly sniff myself before frowning, “I shouldn’t smell… I just took a shower this morning.”

“Hmm…” Kiri pouted before looking at Aizawa, and then he lit up.

“You scented her!” Kiri’s pout deepens, his ears pulled back in distaste.

Aizawa only shrugged with a smirk, strutting away from us as his tail swayed in content. I watched in confusion before turning to Kiri, “What’s scenting?”

“Uhh… It’s where us hybrids mark you with our scent! Hybrids tend to do it to owners that they like, but most of the time owners don’t let us scent them… Usually it shows that the hybrids take mutual ownership of their owner as well. Unfortunately only one scent takes at one time and it seems Aizawa has taken that spot.” He pouts more before leaning over and sniffing my hair.

“Owners tend to have their own scent too! Sometimes it changes based on how they’re feeling. We can also tell if they’re lying based on their scent!” I hum and look up at Kiri, who returns the gaze with big red eyes.

“What do I smell like then?” Kiri smiled, his tail thumping against the couch.

“You smell like Peaches and honey! Very sweet.” I laugh and run my fingers through his hair, leaning into my touch.

“What do you think about going shopping today?” He seemed to light up at the idea, his tail moving a mile a minute.

“Yes! Can we shop for weights and punching bags? I want to get stronger!” He flexes his arm and I laugh in response, “But you’re already strong Kiri! Look at those manly muscles!!” I squeeze his bicep and he smiles.

“You think? I want to get super strong so I can protect you!” He scratches the back of his head and I almost cry at his reasoning.

“That’s so sweet of you. Thank you, but you don’t have to protect me, okay? I want to protect you all as well. I want you all to know that I am here for you, you all deserve to finally be happy and safe.” I cup his face and run my thumbs over his cheekbones.

“I know but… you’ve done so much for us already- so much more than other owners have done for us! So I want to give back, okay? Let me help you!” He puts his large hands over mine, gently squeezing them and I only nod, not trusting my voice to waiver.

After the very heartfelt moment, I finally rounded up all the hybrids to let them know we were finally going shopping.

“I did some research and found some hybrid-friendly shops! So the first store we are going to is the ‘The Wardrobe Press’ to find some clothes and collars for you all. Then we will go to ‘Uphealth’ for toiletries and any other things you might want. Then after that, it is up to you! Kiri, I know you wanted to go to shop for some fitness things so I did find a store for you. But if you find a store that you like just let me know and we can go inside!”

I smile at the hybrids, who just looked back at me with a blank look- save for Kiri. Surprisingly, Bakugou stomps up to me and takes a huge whiff of me, before grunting.

“You smell like shit.” He looks away and I punch his arm playfully.

“Kiri said I smell like peaches! I even took a shower this morning.” He scowls down at me, his red eyes almost glowing.

“Well, you still smell like shit, dumbass.” I hear Aizawa huff with a smirk on his face.

I sigh and shake my head, before pushing Bakugou in the direction of the garage.

“O-OI! Stop pushing me you fucking shithead!”

“Stop yelling and get moving! The more time you spend judging me the less time we have to shop!” After finally making it to the garage, I opened the front door.

“Who wants to sit in the front-”

Before I could finish, Shinso slammed the door closed, already inside the car. He looks at me with a blank look, raising a brow that almost says ‘Well?’

“Okay, well I guess that’s solved. Okay everyone else get in the back!”

After about 15 minutes of driving and Bakugou growling at Midoriya, we finally arrived at the mall.

“Okay! We are finally here. So I don’t really have any rules except to please stay near me, unless you tell me you want to explore. I just don’t want to not know where you are and accidentally lose you.”

First heading to the Wardrobe Press on the second floor, we were greeted by a Sugar glider hybrid. Short wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes, they smiled at our group.

“Welcome to The Wardrobe Press! My name is Jamie and if you have any questions you can just ask me!” I smile, “Thank you, Jamie. Okay, everyone you can just spread out and find whatever clothing you want. I’ll be looking around.”

And off the hybrids went, the majority of them heading towards more muted toned clothes.

“(Y/N)! What do you think about this?” Kiri called over to me, and I walked over to where he was. He was holding up a dark red tank top that had a black trim along the neckline.

“That’ll look good! Maybe with some black basketball shorts? And make sure to get your size. You’ll be on the larger side since you’re… bigger than the average hybrid.” A smile lit up his face and he added the tank top and a few similar ones to his pile.

I walked around and found Midoriya staring at a plain shirt that read ‘Shirt’.

“Thinking about getting it?” He squeaked, jumping almost a foot off the ground.

“I-I thought it was okay… I don’t really have a sense of fashion so I thought…” his voice quieted the long he poke, trailing off into mumbling.

I smiled at the adorable behavior, “If you want it, you can go ahead and grab it. They have some All might merch if you-“

“W-Where?!” He shouted, startling me as I pointed to the corner of the store. He snatched the shirt and ran over to the corner.

“Stupid nerd.” I turned to Bakugo, who held black, grey, and red clothing. His piercing gaze moved to me and he smirked, “Short.”

My jaw dropped at his smug observation, and before I could even respond he walked away, his tail swaying smugly.

“You should close your mouth before you get flies.” I pouted, turning to Shinso who held soft hoodies, cargo pants, and sweaters.

“Almost done, Shinso?” He purred, looking down at his clothing.

“I think I have a good amount of clothing… I saw a few collars I was interested in… can you come give me your opinion?” He looked away, rubbing the nape of his neck nervously.

“Of course! I would love to help.” I smile at his growingly-pink face, leading me over to the collar rack.

“I was in between these two…” He pointed to two place collars, the first one was a simple band and a silver hoop in the middle. The second one was a silver band with small silver chains hanging off it.

“You should go with this one,” I pointed to the first collar, “There’s less of a risk of it getting caught on something and hurting you.”

He pulled it off the shelf and added it to his pile, “Okay, I’m done now. You can go and see how everyone’s doing. I think Aizawa is done as well- last I saw him he was near the back.”

He leaned down, and I ran my fingers through his hair.

“Thank you Shinso.” His chest rumbled with the praise as I walked over to where Aizawa might be.

I found the man with his back to me, shuffling through sweatpants before pulling out hot pink ones. I could hear his purring at the article of clothing before adding it to his pile.

“You’d look good in those, Aizawa.” I softly smile once he turns around, blood filling his cheeks with embarrassment at getting caught.

“A-Ah, we’ll they’re just very soft and I think it’s loose enough where it won’t make me overheat. It’s the only one I could find like those so the color doesn’t bother me all too much. Ah, I also got a collar.” He held up a cream colored collar that had silver buttons on either side of where the name could be etched on.

“May I see?” He nods, handing me the collar. I ran my hands over the almost silky fabric then handed it back to him once I was done.

“I think it’s perfect for you.” He stared down at me before nodding and started to walk back in the direction of the register, lightly pushing his hand on the small of my back so I could walk with him as well.

“Everyone is done.”

“Oh! So quick.” I say as I rustle through my bag to pull out my card. Once we got to the front of the store, I saw a stout middle-aged lady with brown hair trying to drag off Bakugou and Todoroki.

“You ought to come with me, you two seem lost.”

“The only one lost is you, hag.” Bakugo yanked his arm out of the lady’s grasp. She gasped, seeming appalled at his behavior before turning to me.

“Hello! Are these two your hybrids?” I raised a brow at her rude tone.

“Why do you care?”

“Well! They have the absolute worst behavior I have ever seen! Have you even trained them?! This one needs to be muzzled and the other one needs to be punished for the absolute horrible way they treated me! I hope you teach them to treat humans better than this!”

Rage filled my being at this lady’s remarks, and before I could even tell her off she huffs, placing a hand on her pudgy hip.

“How about I buy them off of you? You clearly can’t take care of all of these things so how about I lighten your load, hm? The red and white one seems really pretty, but the blonde one needs to be thoroughly trained though…” She tried to sweeten her voice, but I could easily tell the kind of owner she was.

“Absolutely, fucking, not. I think they did great, telling off an absolute bitchy hag like yourself. Has anyone ever taught you not to go around putting your hands on others? You could get arrested for harassment, y’know. By the way, the next time you try to come around us, I won’t hesitate to deck you. I did not buy them to train or abuse or show them off. I bought them so they could get away from absolute horrible people like yourself. Before you need to go around butting your nose into other people's business, you need to figure out your own issues.” I ranted, my body growing at the anger that continued to fill my being.

Her pudgy round face grew red and she went to attack me, but before she could get a step Todoroki stopped in front of me.Though, she barely made it a step before the shop security stopped her.

“We will have to ask you to leave, Ma’am.” An officer asked her, and she whipped around so fast I was surprised she didn’t fall.

“Did you not see the way she threatened me?! She was being violent!”

“She is not the one in the wrong here, Miss. Please, leave.” She scoffed, stomping her little feet out of the store, chucking her pile of clothes on the floor.

The officers walked over to us, and Todoroki hissed at them to stay back.

“Todoroki, it’s fine. We’re okay now.” I almost went to place my hand on his arm before stopping. He turned his head, and for the first time he hadn’t looked at me with loathing. His eyes were soft, pupils rounded, and a relaxed tail . He turned to face me, placing his head on my shoulder, purring into my neck.

“Thank you… for what you did…” He mumbled quietly, and I could feel his soft cheeks warming up.

“I would’ve done it for any of you, and you all deserve it. Thank you, officers, for what you did.” They both nodded and walked out of the store, and Todoroki finally backed off from me. He held up a light blue velvety ribbon, and I smiled at the pretty fabric.

“Is this your collar?” He nodded, a little flustered with being so open for the first time. His ears twitched nervously as he awaited my answer about what I thought of it.

“I think it’s lovely. We can etch your name with a darker blue, how about that?” Todoroki nodded softly, a purr emitting from his chest.

“We’re so sorry about her. We’ve had complaints about her but this is the worst it’s gotten. We’ll take 20% off your purchase today for the disturbance and all your collars and their etchings will be free.” The young black-haired cashier softly said, bowing apologetically.

“Oh thank you so much. Everyone, you can go ahead and place your stuff on the counter.”

“(Y/N)! Look! Do you think my collar is cool?” Kirishima bounded over to me, holding out his crimson collar with soft-ended spikes around it; a metal hole in the front allowed for a dog tag to hang off.

“Yours isn't even that cool shitty hair! Mine is way cooler!” Bakugo grinned, showing off his gums and canines. His collar was grenade patterned, an army green plus two poppy orange dots next to where his dog tag would be.

“My hair isn’t even that different from yours, Bakugo.” Kirishima laughed, an ikr mark forming on Bakugos forehead.

“I think they’re both very very cool, okay?” Bakugo huffed, turning away from me as Kirishima smiled brightly. Midoriya, the last to show me his collar, nervously walked over to show me a forest green collar, with red back and two crepe stripes outlining where his name would be etched.

“Yours is also very cool, Midoriya!” I ruffled his fluffy hair, a bring blush covering his slightly chubby cheeks.

“Deku’s is super shitty.” Bakugo muttered under his breath as the cashier rang up my order.

“Okay… so normally your order would be 27557.75 ¥, but with the 15% off… plus the free collars… it would come to 22006.20 ¥.” She said smiling, picking up the collars.

“Write down your names and which collars are yours so we can etch it properly. Also, we would like your address to be put on the inside of the collars.” After quickly writing down the address, I passed it to Todoroki who still stood near me before paying with my card.

“Okay… so it’ll take an hour and a half to finish the etchings. We will call you once it is done!”

“Thank you so much again!”

“It was truly no problem!” We all walked out of the store and I hummed, “Okay… next thing to do is go get some decorations and toiletries at UpHealth. Does anyone want to get something to eat now or do we want to get something on our way out?”

“Can we get cold soba? On our way out?” Todoroki’s eyes almost glow and I almost melt at his childish expression, “Of course! There’s this great little place that makes some great food on the first floor! We can stop by and get some stuff on our way out.”

We headed to the next store, which was a little ways away from The Wardrobe Press. Once entering, we quite easily went down aisles to get appropriate stuff for the hybrids as well as some comfort stuff (blankets, weights, etc.). We decided to split up once more, since I saw a soft sweater I have had my eye one for quite awhile.

Unfortunately, I did not realize that there were two men coming up to me.

“Hey, are you here all by yourself, cutie?” I turned around, grimacing at their creepy looks.

“No, I’m not. Now can you leave me alone?”

“Awe don’t be like that! I’m sure those… things can’t satisfy you like humans can.” His friend said, looking me up and down as his eyes darkened.

“I said No. Leave me alone before I decide to castrate you.” I scowl, reaching to grab my pepper spray. They only looked at each other before going to each for me, but two hands stopped them.

“OI, you shitheads. They clearly said no. So why don’t you take the hint and scram.”

“Yeah, it’s not very manly to try and force yourself onto others.” Kirishima and Bakugo both had dark looks in their eyes, scowling deeply.

“How about you two run off like good little toys and let the real people talk?” Bakugo growled lowly, walking closer to them. Finally realizing just how large the two hybrids were, the two men paled.

“You want to say that again, punk?” Kirishima’s teeth showed off in his scowl, pointed teeth gleaming in the light.

“F-Fine! Ugly ‘n fat bitch anyway.” They walked off, the comment stinging me even though they were douchebags.

“You alright?” Bakugo grunted, turning to me.

“You don’t.. think I’m ugly or fat… right?” I know I wasn’t skinny and pretty/handsome like other people but…

“Oi! Look at me.” Bakugo gently put his thumb under my chin, raising my head to look him in the eyes.

“Don’t listen to those fuckin’ jerks, kay? You're gorgeous, idiot. Don’t listen to what society tells you what you have to look like either. As long as you love yourself, no one else matters.”

“But even then… sometimes those comments hurt..” tears well up in the corners of my eyes, memories resurfacing from past years of bullying.

“Hey. We can’t stop words from hurting us, but just know that we’ll defend you, kay? You took care of us and we will take care of you. We’ll protect you from those jerks forever.” Kirishima softly smiled, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb.

“Thank you… you two.” I squeezed the sweater in my grasp, my heart swelling in happiness.

Luckily, nothing else bad had happened for the rest of the trip. We went back and received their collars from the store then headed downstairs to get some food.

“Okay, let me know what you guys want and I’ll order it!” After they told me all of what they wanted, I headed over to the register. Filling out the hybrids orders plus a (F/F) and (F/D), I went back to the table where the hybrids patiently waited at.

“Did you guys enjoy the trip? Other than the crazy lady…”

“Why didn't you tell us you were harassed?” Aizawa cut me off, looking over at me with stern eyes, concern laced over them.

“Oh-” I was surprised by the sudden statement, I glanced at Bakugo who looked right back at me.

“It was something that everyone deserved to know. You can’t take care of us and then try to hide your own problems from us. How do you expect us to fully trust you, dumbass?” I sigh, looking down at the table sadly.

“I just… didn’t think it was much of an issue, y’know? You and Kiri saved me so it didn’t worsen.”

“But that doesn’t matter.” Aizawa cut me off again, leaning over and taking my hand in his.

“We want to know about anything or anyone that is hurting you. If you want us to tell you when we are hurting, isn’t it only fair that you tell us when you are hurting too?” He raised a thin eyebrow, rubbing a thumb over my knuckles.

“Yeah… I understand.”

“We only care about you, (Y/N).” Shinso says, tired eyes gazing at my form from across the table. Before anyone else could say anything, the buzzer went off. I quickly grabbed the buzzer and walked over to the counter to pick up our order. I exhale slowly, struggling to pick up a bag. Though, before I could even take a step, all of the bags were taken out of my hands by the hybrids.

“Let us take the load off for you, okay?” Todoroki gazes down at me softly, and I nod.

“Okay.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Word Count: 3894

A/N: Although this chapter isn't as heavy as some people write theirs, I want you all to know that you are all beautiful, handsome, and amazing. I know there are people out there who will put you down for how you look or what you like (trust me I know), but just know that you can always talk to me if needed. Just to vent- I am here to listen. Although I'm obvi not a licensed person I can't say I can give feedback, but just know YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE CHERISHED. YOU DESERVE HAPPINESS.

Shinso Art + Y/N

Todoroki hybrid art

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Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

[t0shii]

% pretty hands

.! timeskip! tsukishima, kageyama (sep) x gn!r

.! fluff, not proofread, mention of food in tobio's

.! this is like a pt 2 to my other "pretty hands" post, check that one out also!

tsukishima

it was common for you to sit or lay in tsukishima's lap while he read aloud for you. originally, he wasn't fond of reading out loud for you. he thought it was weird and awkward but one night when you just couldn't sleep, you'd asked him and he agreed, saying "if it'll help you sleep.... i guess so."

tonight was one of those nights, it was storming horribly and try as you might, you just couldn't sleep. tsukishima had grown irritated at your tossing and turning, "turn the lamp on, i'll get my book." you're not sure if you should be happy he's going to read to you or upset he's only doing so to stop you annoying movements, nonetheless the do as told, the now lit lamp beside your side of the bed just barely illuminates your room and you look to your boyfriend for further instructions. "c'mon then." he holds and arm out for you to climb under and you do just that, your own arms clinging to a penguin plush he'd gotten you at an aquarium a year ago.

he'd been reading for ten minutes and you still weren't budging. he pauses and takes a breath, "you sleepy yet?" you look away shyly, your answer barely audible "...no" he frowns at this, "i'll finish this chapter then find a different book." he mumbles, adjusting his glasses. truthfully, you hadn't been paying attention to the book at all, instead, your mind (and gaze) wandered to his hands instead, they were so pretty. pale and slender, worn-down baby blue nail polish on this nicely trimmed nails from where he'd let you, to your surprise, paint his nails one night many weeks ago and a dainty blue and white bead bracelet with your initials you'd made for him adorning his wrist, to which you had the match of with his initials instead.

he begins reading again but you can't stop looking at his hand- "so as he- what are you doing?" he looks at you confused as you take his free hand in yours, " kei, did you know you have really pretty hands?" you look up at him, "well... no? no one's ever told me that." his cheeks dust a light pink as you continue to inspect his hand, "well you do. they're so soft too, and way bigger than mine, look." you press the palm of your hand against his. of course he already knew his hands were bigger than yours, it didn't take much to notice the difference. you play with and compliment his hands for well over twenty minutes until your eyelids get droopy and eventually, you fall asleep. all this time, tsukishima never knew he had such pretty hands.

kageyama

it was routine that every tuesday evening you and kageyama had a little self-care night. face masks while taking a bubble bath together, movies, and of course take out from your favorite restaurant.

bubble baths were reserved for any thoughts or concerns the two of you needed vent out and the other would comfort you accordingly so. one thing to note about kageyama is that he's a hand talker not only this but his hands are beautiful (a compliment he's received from you many times before) as your boyfriend rants on about how his coach was making him sit out of a match they were having in a few days because his wrist was feeling off, he flicks some soap in your eye. really, you hadn't meant to be so dramatic with your, "AH tobio, be careful!" and you almost felt bad as he curses at himself. "oh shit, baby i'm sorry." he blows gentle, cool air onto your eye, "is it better?" after making sure his hands were free of soap, he gently rubs his thumb over your eye, "no, it stings really bad, tobi." you pout.

even with only one eye open, you can't help admiring your boyfriends hands. how nicely trimmed his nails were with a silver band around his ring finger that you'd gotten him for his birthday almost a year ago that he refused to take off, a mole on his wrist (which he hates) and a freckle in the shape of a heart right beside it. his hands were just pretty, they weren't too large but definitely not small. you take his hand in your own two, removing from your eye, "why are you wearing your ring in the bath?" you furrow your eyebrows at him, "uhh i never take it off. only for volleyball because coach yells at me if i don't." "oh."

you inspect his hand, fidgeting with his fingers and he lets you. "you trim your nails earlier?" "mhm" "i can tell. where'd this bruise come from?" "bumped it on the corner of the dining table." "ah. did i ever tell you that-" "yes, you've told me my hands are pretty. almost everyday, actually." you giggle at him, "that often huh?" "yep." "well, i mean it every time." you mumble, kissing his knuckles, "i know you do." he retracts his hand from yours, hooking a finger under your chin to force your face up, "you're eye looks better."

[purrincess-chat]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Remix CH19

People weren’t happy with how things went down with Alya in the original MDCSP, so I hope this version suffices. ;)

Previous     First      Next     AO3

---------------------------

Chapter 19: Miss Missing You

Alya chewed her nails, pivoting back and forth in her desk chair as Lila settled on her bed. Her thoughts raced too fast for Alya to make sense of them, and Lila’s grave expression did little to calm her nerves. When Alya told her about Adrien and Chloe, she insisted on meeting up. Maybe this way they could both talk to Ladybug, but something was off about Lila. Her jaw was a little too tense, and those green eyes swirled with an intensity Alya couldn’t place. What was going on?

“Is Ladybug on her way too? We have to let her know what they’re plotting,” Alya said, but when Lila remained quiet, she asked, “What?”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Lila said. “This is going to be hard for me, but I trust you over anyone else.”

“What’s wrong?” Alya asked, and Lila shifted her weight, tucking a strand of long hair behind her ear.

“Well, Ladybug and I…we kind of had a falling out.” Lila lowered her gaze to her lap.

“What?”

“Remember when Chloe tried to impersonate her to make everyone hate me? Well, I told Ladybug about it, and that she shouldn’t trust Chloe anymore, but then last night she gave her back her Miraculous without consulting me.” Lila recounted. “I tried to talk to her and understand why she’d trust Chloe again after what she did to me, but Ladybug freaked out on me and told me not to question her judgment.”

“For real?” Alya gasped. “That’s not like her.”

“I know,” Lila said, “and after what you told me on the phone, I definitely think something weird is going on with her.”

“You don’t think Chloe is manipulating her, do you?” she asked.

Lila pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Not Chloe. I think that…well, I’m sorry, but I think Marinette is behind all of this.”

“Marinette?” Alya shot a glance at the Ladyblog pulled up on her computer, a sinking feeling in her gut.

She hadn’t posted about Queen Bee’s return—couldn’t bring herself to. Something was definitely off with Ladybug, but was it really all Marinette’s doing? Marinette wasn’t one for petty revenge, but maybe she had changed since she left. Or maybe Alya just never knew her like she thought she did.

Alya thought back to the night she was akumatized, the distant look in her bff’s eyes. She’d seemed tired, like all the fight had been drained from her. She didn’t even argue when Alya suggested they stop being friends, a fact that had haunted Alya ever since. Why had Marinette abandoned her so easily? Surely if her stories were to be believed, she would have fought harder, right? Wasn’t the truth worth fighting for?

“You said so yourself, Chloe and Adrien said they were going to get Ladybug to talk about me for Marinette. I think she’s manipulating all of them to get back at me because she can’t let go even after she’s been gone for a month now,” Lila said.

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would Marinette do that? When I last spoke to her, she didn’t want anything to do with you or anyone here really,” Alya said. “Well, except Adrien, I guess, but she’s always been head-over-heels for him.”

“She’s obsessed! She’s never liked me, and I never understood why. The only thing I’ve been able to figure out is that she didn’t like me talking to Adrien, so now she’s lured him over to her side and fed him all kinds of lies about me. I don’t even like him that way, but she’s just so insecure and jealous that she thought Adrien would fall in love with me because of all of my accomplishments.” Lila hugged a pillow to her chest. “Now she’s taken one of my best friends away from me too!”

Alya crossed the room to sit beside her on the bed, draping an arm over her shoulders. “I’m sorry, girl. Maybe we can talk to Ladybug and convince her not to do that interview tomorrow.”

“I don’t think we can,” Lila whimpered. “She hasn’t responded to any of my calls ever since the Queen Bee thing. She’s on their side now.”

“Are you sure? I’ve met Ladybug a bunch of times, and she would totally pick up on it if something fishy was going on,” Alya said.

“Watch the interview tomorrow. If Ladybug says anything about me that sounds like them, then you’ll know I’m telling the truth,” Lila said.

Alya pursed her lips but didn’t argue. Lila’s story was just as probable as theirs at this point, and she was right. All they could do was watch the interview and see what happened. For their sake, she hoped that Chloe and Adrien’s plan failed, and Ladybug never mentioned Lila. But a heavy pit was already forming in Alya’s stomach, filling her with dread for the coming day. How had she gotten herself into the middle of all this drama? And how long would it be before the truth was finally revealed?

♪♫♪ Don’t Blame Me ♪♫♪

“How long before we give up?” Adrien asked the next afternoon. He leaned against the railing while Chloe manned the spotlight beside him.

“It’s hasn’t even been 20 minutes, Adrikins. I’ve sat up here for entire akuma battles before.” Chloe chided.

“Sorry, I guess I’m just nervous,” he said, letting a breath pass his lips.

Chloe spun on him with a scowl, jabbing her finger into his chest. “Oh no, you are not backing out this time. We’re doing this, so just think about Dupain-Cheng’s awful split-ends or whatever it is you need to keep you motivated.”

Adrien pursed his lips as Chloe turned back to her bee signal. She was right. No backing out this time. Lila was going down once and for all, then Marinette could finally be free. Marinette…

His heart fluttered, warming his cheeks. It would be obvious after today that he was helping Chloe take down Lila. Being intentionally cruel wasn’t in his nature, but he’d do anything to protect the people he loved. To protect the girl he loved.

It had taken him longer than it should have to realize his feelings for her, but now they burned so brightly, he had to wonder how he’d ever missed them. Marinette was a wonderful girl and a dear friend. If ever there was a person to fight for, it was her. She’d understand why he did all of this. It was all for her—always for her.

His heart ached with longing. Now that Marinette went to a different school, he couldn’t see her as often as he used to. Sometimes they went several days without seeing each other, and his heart grew heavier the longer they stayed apart. At least when he loved Ladybug, he got to see her every day when they fought akumas or patrolled the city, but even that wasn’t enough.

Adrien had spent too much of his life alone. Couldn’t the universe give him just one person to cure his loneliness? Missing Marinette was torture. What was she doing right now? Was she thinking about him?

He pulled out his phone and typed a simple message: what’s up?

Ugh, no, that was lame.

Hey cutie ;) what are you up to?

No, too forward.

I was just thinking about you

Too clingy. He backspaced over his message again, eyebrows knitting together in concentration. Why was flirting so much harder as Adrien? If he were Chat Noir, he’d just drop a few cat puns and tell her how pretty she was, but that might be a little abrasive coming from Adrien. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off. After all, she almost kissed him in the garden too. That meant she loved him back, right?

Pressing his lips into a determined line, he typed another message and hit send without overthinking it.

Hey, how’s your day been?

A minute passed before his phone buzzed with a reply: busy. I’m finalizing my designs for Clara. I present to her next week and im super nervous!

Aww don’t be clara is gonna love them.

I hope so! she replied. So what are you up to today?

Uhh im working on a school project with chloe. He lied. We have to interview someone we look up to, and shes demanding we interview ladybug so weve been standing on the roof with her bee signal for like 30 minutes.

Wow ladybug huh? I hope she shows up for you guys. Anyway these designs aren’t going to finish themselves so ill talk to you later! Bye!

good luck!

He smiled down at her messages. Marinette was always running a million miles an hour working on some project or another. She was so driven and passionate—something Adrien deeply admired. Clara would love her designs, and he and Chloe would definitely take down Lila this time. Then he and Marinette could be together without having to worry about anything. They could move to the suburbs and buy a cozy home for their three kids, a dog, and a hamster named-

“Looking for me?” Adrien and Chloe spun around, and Ladybug cocked a hip. “What’s the emergency?”

“Uhh,” Adrien stammered.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “We have to interview one of our personal heroes for a school project, so we picked you. Isn’t that right, Adrikins?” She nudged him with her elbow.

Think about Marinette. Everything was for Marinette. The tears she’d spilled, the pain she’d suffered… Adrien was going to take it all away. Lila would never hurt her again.

“Yeah. Do you have time?” Adrien asked.

Ladybug glanced between them and smiled. “I have a few minutes. Make it quick.”

“Excellent.” Chloe clapped her hands together and paced toward the stairs. “Everything is set up in my suite.”

Adrien took a deep breath as Ladybug fell into step beside him. A month ago being so close to her would have sent his heart into overdrive, but now his heart was pounding for a different reason. Ladybug hated liars. Deceiving her was a direct betrayal of her trust. Even if his feelings for her had changed, he was still her partner, and manipulating her like this didn’t feel right.

“Wait.” He stopped abruptly and caught Ladybug’s wrist. Chloe was already through the doorway to the stairs, and he sent her a silent apology just in case his next words ruined everything. “Chloe and I lied to you. This isn’t for a school project.”

“Then what’s all this about?” Ladybug asked.

“It’s…” Adrien took a deep breath and continued. “You remember Lila, right? She lied about you saving her and how you two are bffs?”

Ladybug sobered. “Yeah?”

“Well, her lies have gotten out of hand, and she hurt someone important to me. Chloe and I planned to trick you into admitting you two were never friends, so that everyone can finally see the truth about her. The interview was just a coverup,” Adrien explained, hanging his head low. “We shouldn’t have lied to you. I’m sorry.”

Ladybug eyed him with pursed lips, those blue eyes working out a solution like he were one of her lucky charms. She seemed to come to a conclusion, her face softening. “Thank you for being honest with me.”

“If you don’t want to help us, I won’t blame you. I know it’s wrong to seek revenge,” Adrien said.

A knowing smile spread across her lips. “That friend of yours must be really special to you.”

“What?”

“For you to resort to something like this, you must care about your friend—the one Lila hurt—a lot,” she said, then with a sigh added, “I don’t normally condone revenge, but I know how dangerous Lila can be. I’ve almost lost my Miraculous because of her several times, so I think you’re right. It’s time everyone learned the truth about Lila Rossi.”

Adrien blinked. “So, wait… You’re going to help us?”

“I made a promise to keep Paris safe, and if we continue to let Lila go unchecked, she’s only going to put more people in danger,” Ladybug said. “It’s time someone put her in her place.”

“Hurry up, you two! I have a hair appointment this evening, and I do not want to be late!” Chloe shouted from the doorway.

Adrien held Ladybug’s gaze, and she gave him an encouraging nod. “Uh, coming!” he called.

He gestured Ladybug ahead, following close behind her, cheeks hot. This was really happening. Ladybug was going to help them stop Lila. After today, everyone would know the truth, and Marinette would be free. They all would.

“Ladybug, you sit on this side.” Chloe directed. “Adrikins and I will sit on this side.”

“Okay,” Ladybug said, sliding onto the couch smoothly.

Adrien took the seat across from her, wiping his palms on his jeans while Chloe barked orders at her butler. Satisfied with the camera angle, Chloe sat beside him and fixed her hair in her compact before calling “action.”

Chloe’s butler—Adrien couldn’t remember his name—started the Instagram live, broadcasting to all of Chloe’s followers. There was no turning back now.

“Hello out there, my little worker bees. Your queen is here with some very special guests today,” Chloe cooed in her token attention-seeking voice. “My favorite people in the whole world besides myself, obviously—Adrien and Ladybug!”

“Hi.”

“Hey.” Adrien waved.

“As you all know, I helped Ladybug defeat another akuma last weekend. Being Queen Bee again was such an honor, and I admit, even I have people I look up to,” she said, flipping her ponytail. “So, Ladybug, thank you for allowing me to become a superheroine. Queen Bee is truly an inspiration.”

“Uh, sure.” Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Chat Noir and I always appreciate help from our allies.”

“You heard it here, everyone! Ladybug values my help,” Chloe said, and Adrien cleared his throat. “Now, onto the topic of today’s livestream. People everywhere are inspired by superheroes like me and Ladybug, so today we are going to give you all the inside scoop on what it takes to be a hero.”

“That’s right, Chloe,” Adrien piped up. “I don’t have superpowers, so I have to ask: what’s it like being a superhero, Ladybug?”

“Well, everyone thinks that having superpowers is all fun and games, but in reality, Chat Noir and I have a huge responsibility. Defending Paris every day requires sacrifice, and we know the whole city is counting on us to succeed. It’s a lot of pressure,” Ladybug said.

“Of course, I know what it’s like being a superhero myself, but can you tell everyone how overwhelming it is to save the day all the time?” Chloe prompted.

“Yeah, totally. It’s a lot of work fighting akumas. Sometimes Hawkmoth makes supervillains at the worst times, and I have to drop everything to go save the city. Leading a double life is challenging, and sometimes it even impacts my day-to-day life. School, friends, family—I’m always rushing all over the place juggling two lives.” Ladybug admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “But I’m happy to do it. Paris is my home, and it’s an honor to defend it. Besides, when the going gets tough, I know I can count on my partners to have my back.”

“So, when you pick a new partner, what qualities do you look for in a person that makes them a good fit to work with you?” Adrien asked.

“I look for people with courage and good intentions. Often times, the people I pick are ones who have stepped up to do the right thing, even if it’s hard. They’re people I know I can trust,” Ladybug said.

“Would you say you consider your allies close personal friends?” Chloe beamed, flashing the camera a wink.

“Well, I don’t know all of them in real life like you, Chloe,” Ladybug said with a cautious glance at the camera. “Sometimes they are people I meet during a battle that impress me, and who prove themselves to be trustworthy.”

“And how do you know if you can trust someone?” Adrien asked. “Do you consult anyone for recommendations, or do you operate on the fly?”

“Most of the time when I give someone a Miraculous, it’s because they’ve demonstrated their character to me. Every person I give a Miraculous to has earned their right to wear it either by helping me or showing that they’re willing to sacrifice to save others. The decision about who gets to wear one and who doesn’t is deeply personal to me,” Ladybug answered. “Not even Chat Noir knows the identities of our allies. It’s something I don’t share with anyone.” She shot Chloe a stern look. “Under normal circumstances.”

“So, you pick the allies by yourself?” Adrien followed up.

“Yes. In the middle of a battle, I wouldn’t even have time to consult anyone if I wanted to.”

“In other words, if anyone were to—I don’t know—claim that they help you choose your partners, they’d be a liar, right?” Chloe added.

“Yeah, I don’t talk to anyone about who I pick.” Ladybug shook her head.

“Ya know, Ladybug, there are some people out there that claim to be your best friend. How do you feel about people lying about knowing you to make themselves more popular?” Chloe asked.

Ladybug locked eyes with Adrien, the weight of their mission heavy on both of their shoulders. She clasped her hands together in her lap and said, “As I’m sure both of you are aware, there will always be people who use your name for their own selfish gain, but I want everyone out there to know that I take my job very seriously. Protecting all of you is my number one priority.”

She took a deep breath. “Being a superhero is dangerous, and that’s why, with the exception of Chat Noir and my trusted allies, Ladybug doesn’t have friends.”

“So, anyone who says they’re your friend is a liar, right?” Adrien asked.

“Yes, and they’re putting themselves in danger. Hawkmoth will stop at nothing to get my Miraculous, so please, if you’re out there… Do the right thing, and tell the truth.” Ladybug pleaded to the camera.

“It’s utterly pathetic when people lie about who they know just to get attention,” Chloe sighed in disgust. “You heard it here, my little bees! Chat Noir and I are Ladybug’s only friends.”

“Well, I’d consider you more of an ally than a frie-”

“And as one of Ladybug’s bffs, I want all of the losers out there to buzz off! Ladybug has much more important things to do, like spending time with me,” Chloe said.

“Right.” Ladybug’s yoyo beeped, and she glanced down at it briefly. “I should really get going. A hero’s work is never done.”

“Of course. Thank you for your time, Ladybug,” Adrien said, shaking her hand.

“No problem. It’s important to me that everyone in Paris knows I’m doing everything I can to keep you all safe, and the people I choose to fight beside me are people I truly trust. We’ll all keep fighting hard to protect this city,” she said, waving two fingers. “Bug out!”

“Well, that does it for this livestream, little bees. Your queen will see you all again next time. Bye-bye!”

♪♫♪ Impossible Year ♪♫♪

“So, anyone who says they’re your friend is a liar, right?”

“Yes.”

Lila was right. They really had gotten to Ladybug. Alya had done her best not to think about Marinette since their falling out. Remembering her old bff was too painful and confusing. Everything Alya thought she knew changed the moment Lila came to their school. The person she trusted became a stranger overnight. Alya wanted to believe that Marinette would never align herself with Chloe or orchestrate a hostile takedown just because she was jealous, but Alya had seen her do crazier things to win Adrien.

“I’m doing everything I can to keep you all safe, and the people I choose to fight beside me are people I truly trust.”

How was Chloe more trustworthy than Alya? All that was necessary for the triumph of evil was that good people do nothing. She’d known from day one that Chloe was evil, so why couldn’t Ladybug see it?  Why would Ladybug align herself with the queen of all evil over someone who dedicated herself to doing the right thing? Was this really all Marinette’s doing? And why?

Was Marinette really that desperate to win Adrien? Did she hate Lila so much that she’d willingly team up with her worst enemy to get back at her for stealing attention away from the boy she liked? From where Alya was sitting, it looked like Marinette already had him, and Lila had always been clear that she wasn’t interested in him that way. Why go through all that trouble to get Ladybug to denounce Lila just to win a boy? But if Marinette was involved with Ladybug…

It all made sense now. The reason Ladybug had picked someone else to wield her Miraculous. How long had they been plotting all of this? And how could Ladybug trust Marinette’s word over Alya’s without even trying to hear her side of the story? Or Lila’s? How could Ladybug not see that she was being manipulated? She was a hero, and one of the best Alya had ever seen. So why was she fighting for the wrong side?

Her head spun, and she gripped the side of her desk for support. Someone needed to tell Ladybug the truth.

“You want to save Ladybug from those you deem evil. Let me help you, Ladyblogger.”

Alya jumped at the sinister voice in her head. She smoothed her thumb over her phone screen, now glowing with dark energy. A cold feeling washed over her, all of her pain and confusion bubbling to the surface. In the center of it all stood her determined resolve, driving her to give in.

Someone needed to tell Ladybug the truth. Someone like her.

[wild-flower-art]

The Old Guard- Andy x Reader (F/F)

Guess who’s back and betta than evaaa? I’m so sorry it took me almost 2 whole ass months to post the 3rd chapter. With school starting up again, the part of uni I work at got fuckin hectic. Luckily that part of my life has settled a bit (for now), and now it’s time to get back on track in other parts of my life...writing being one of them. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 – Help us (I think I’m sticking to 3rd-person POV-- 2,975 word count)

Darkness engulfs (y/n) as she enters the house, only able to see and follow the light from her flashlight. Her suit is weighing heavily on her body, her helmet obstructing her vision but protecting her all the same. She does her best to get out as quickly as possible, the SCBA tank only allowing for at least 30 minutes to get in, do her job, and get out. Some of (y/n)’s team are trying to extinguish the fire that just won’t let up, and the rest of them have been sent in to get people out. (Y/n) sees there’s a basement door in the kitchen. She radios in to her team that she’s going down. She can hear screams. Girls crying out for help. The further down into the basement she goes the darker it becomes. This is where the fire started. She reaches the bottom of the stairs and can hear the screams even louder now. Her flashlight shines on another door. That’s where they are. (Y/n) tries to calmly yet quickly get the door latches unlocked with her bolt cutters. Their screams are getting louder. They know they’re being saved. Before she can get the door open there’s an explosion behind her, knocking (y/n) forward…

She awakes with a start, having almost rolled off the bed. Her heart is racing, blood running cold through your body, left side of her torso throbbing with pain. (Y/n) is damp with sweat, soaking through her shirt. She searches for her lamp, but then remembers she’s not at home. She then reaches for a candle and lighter, flinching slightly at the sight of the flame.

It was just a dream.

…But it really wasn’t. It’s a memory that not even sleep can help her escape from. Before she can focus too much on what she did wrong, and what she could’ve done better, she hears a light tapping at the door. Her breathing hitches in her throat, but then releases itself when she realize it’s Nile, the light from the main room illuminating (y/n)’s—no, not her room—the guest room, probably. Not at all decorated or welcoming. It looks like a room used for storage, not being meant for personal use.

Nile whispers, “Hey, are you okay? I thought I heard crying.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Nile. Thank you. Just a….bad dream.”

“You have those often?”

“Yeah, too often.”

“You’re not the most peaceful of sleepers then, huh? As an ex-Marine I know how that feels.”

“An ex-Marine?”

Nile stammers, “Oh, yeah, uh I was in for a few years before I got injured, and was uhmm discharged.” She tries to hold eye contact, but then looks away after a beat. (Y/n) feels like she overstepped a line she didn’t know existed.

“Oh…I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s okay. It was for the best, I’m sure. Maybe. I don’t know. Soooo....can I ask what you dream about?”

(y/n) sighs, “Before moving here to England I used to be a firefighter back home. We had been called out to the scene of a possible trafficking house the feds had been keeping an eye on. It had caught fire rather quickly, so we had to move just as fast, if not faster.”

(Y/n) looks down at her hands that she didn’t realize were clenched into fists. She inhales slowly so as not to cause more pain to her diaphragm, and on a shuddery exhale (y/n) releases the tension in her hands and shoulders. Fuck, my body hurts.

“I had gone down to the basement where I heard the screaming of young women and girls…kids…” A lump forms in her throat she tries to swallow down before continuing, “I was so close to getting them out, but then something went off behind me, knocking me forward. It felt like I was being tackled by a large animal or something, knocking me out cold. My dream usually ends there.”

“What happened after? In real life, I mean.”

“My team was able to get me out of there, the girls weren’t so lucky. The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed about a week later. I quit shortly after when I heard the traffickers who had the girls in the house weren’t caught. I felt like I owed it to them to keep future girls from being victimized like that. I followed them here to England, but the trail ran cold about a month ago. I’ve been teaching self-defense classes to women, young girls, and non-binary kids since I’ve arrived here to be of use and pass the time, maybe make some money…oh shit, speaking of, where’s my phone? I need to contact my classes and cancel.” (Y/n) starts patting down her pockets and aimlessly checking the sheets and under pillows for her phone.

“Oh, uhm…I don’t remember you having a phone on you when we brought you. Maybe it fell out at the building?”

“Fuck. Well, I’ll contact them tomorrow when I leave from here.”

“Leave? No, you shouldn’t leave. You should stay until you’re healed up.”

“I don’t think your friends want me around for too long. I was gonna suggest I go to a hospital, but looks like you know your way around a bandage and sutures.” She says, examining her wound.

“Yeah, well, it helps to know those things out in the field. Anyway, please stay. We insist. And I’ll help you contact your class tomorrow. In the meantime, you should really get some rest. You look like shit.” She says the last part half-heartedly and with a smirk.

“Aw gee thanks, jerk”, (y/n) chuckles.

Nile starts to exit the room before (y/n) stops her. “Hey, Nile? I mean it, thank you.”

She smiles and nods before closing the door behind her. (Y/n) falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow and she closes her eyes, her body welcoming rest once again.

Nile makes her way up the stairs to her bedroom that she’s sharing with Andy since Andy gave (y/n) her room to recover in. That downstairs bedroom and couch in the livingroom give her easy access to the front and back doors in case something is amiss. It takes Andy too long to get settled, not used to resting in a room so far away from where possible intruders can enter. She starts to roll out of her makeshift bed to head downstairs, but Nile makes her way into the room, stopping Andy dead in her tracks.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asks, hands on her hips.

“I can’t sleep in here, Nile. I’m sorry. I have to go downstairs and keep watch.”

“No, you don’t. Nicky and Joe agreed to take turns staying awake tonight. You need to learn how to relax. You can’t heal yourself the way we can anymore, so you need to give your body some time to rest so you don’t burn out. We’ve been over this! Any less sleep and you’ll look as exhausted as (Y/N). Jesus! You’re like a stubborn old person, too set in their w—“, before she can finish her reprimanding rant a pillow smacks her square in the face, earning a laugh from Andy, pleased that she caught Nile off guard.

“That’s not funny”, she says throwing the pillow back in Andy’s direction.

“Well, if it’s not funny then why am I still laughing?” Andy says between giggle fits. It’s becoming a common occurrence to see Andy like this. Lighthearted laughs and jokes that the guys said hadn’t ever happened this often, not in a long while, so Nile smiles and lets her have her moment before she has to dampen the mood.

“(Y/N) asked for her phone.” Andy stops laughing and instinctively reaches for the phone that lays in her coat pocket.  “She teaches a self-defense class and needs to cancel for the next few days, maybe even weeks.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That I don’t remember seeing a phone when we brought her here and that she probably dropped it at the building…She doesn’t know who or what we are, so why are you keeping it?”

“You can never be too careful, Nile. She can’t just update people on where she is and expect people not to look for her. She might not know who we are, but we need to limit her access to the outside, at least for now.” This earns her an incredulous look from Nile. “Just trust me, okay?”

“Alright, boss. Now, can you please lay back down and get some sleep?” Nile asks as she gets into her bed.

It takes Andy a while to get settled, but when she finally does she can’t seem to manage to quiet her racing thoughts.

“I can hear you thinking, Andy! What is it?”

“You said if I didn’t get sleep I’d look as exhausted as (Y/N). What did you mean by that? Was she awake when you went downstairs to lock up?”

“Uhh, yeah. She was having a nightmare about something that happened when she was a firefighter. Just before she moved here her team was sent out to a burning building, turns out that was a trafficking holding house, possibly run by the same people who run the one we raided last night. But that’s just me putting two and two together. She said her trail ran cold, so she’s been keeping busy with her classes.”

“How much does she know?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think to ask. She looked so tired and sad, I just needed to get out of her hair so she could rest. Now, sleep!” Nile tosses a pillow at Andy’s head this time.

Andy turned on to her side so Nile wouldn’t see her still awake. I should pick (Y/N)’s brain on what she knows about those people who set that house on fire. Maybe she can help us.

(Y/N) slept through the rest of the following day, not giving Andy time to ask her what she knows, but, instead, giving Andy time to talk to Nile, Joe, and Nicky about (Y/N) and if they think she’d be willing to help.

“She’s come this far to find out who hurt, and continues to hurt, those girls. I’m sure this will give her more purpose to continue on her journey”, Joe speaks up from behind his cup of coffee.

“Should we have Copley do some digging on her? Just to see where she comes from, and maybe find any paper trails to where she’s been following those disgusting human beings through?”, Nicky says as he makes his way back to the dining table, pulling a seat from across Joe and next to Andy.

“I contacted him earlier, he’s on it. He said he’d get back to us by the end of the day. Should be hearing from him any moment now.” Andy turns her head to look at her bedroom door. Still no movement. They’ve done multiple checks on (Y/N) throughout the day. Each time they were either met with groans, signaling them to go away, or with light snoring. With drool lightly dribbling from her mouth, she’s obviously getting the kind of rest Nile wishes Andy would allow herself to get. I’ll rest when I’m dead. Reminding herself and the team that she is on borrowed time, and she doesn’t want to waste whatever time she has left worrying about menial things like resting. Though (Y/N) makes it look so comfortable.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so peaceful while sleeping.

She’s shaken from her thoughts as Nile scoots out of her chair to stand. “Well, I’m off to bed.”

“We’ll head in for the night as well.” Joe says, getting up and wrapping his arm around Nicky and then rubbing the middle of his back.

“Goodnight, boss” they call out in unison as they head up the stairs.

“Night.”

It’s maybe about 45 minutes after the rest of the team has gone up to bed, and a couple of glasses of vodka later, that Andy receives a message from Copley with several attachments of what he found on (Y/N).

Here’s all I could find. Hope this will suffice.

Got it. She quickly types in response. She’s curious to open the files, but it’s getting late and she wants to look at this new information with the team. She double, triple checks and locks the doors, and makes sure the windows are all securely latched. She and Nile would be taking turns watching over the house, and she has first watch. She turns off all the lights, except for a lamp in the kitchen, and makes her way upstairs to grab a few things to hold her over for the next few hours. She isn’t upstairs for more than 5 minutes when she hears a door open and close, some carefully placed footsteps, and another door squeaking open before being lightly shut. Barefoot, Andy quickly and quietly grabs her labrys from its case, shoves a gun in her pants, and swiftly makes her way downstairs and out the front door.

She stops suddenly when she realizes it’s (Y/N) walking down the driveway. She runs over to her, fearing she might be in trouble. (Y/N) turns around in shock and almost screams, but grabs at her left side and hisses in pain, having twisted her body around too quickly.

Short of grabbing her arm, Andy quietly yet sternly asks, “Where the hell do you think you’re going? It’s dark out! You could get hurt! Do you not have any sense to just stay put?”

(Y/N) all but ignores Andy and turns back towards the driveway to continue walking.

Andy walks past (Y/N) and stands in front of her. “Hey, I’m talking to you! You’re not going anywhere until we know you’re okay!”

Trying in vain to push past Andy, (Y/N) replies, “I said I’d be gone as soon as I’m feeling better, and obviously I’m feeling a lot better, so if you don’t mind—.”

Andy scoffs and puts herself back in (Y/N)’s way and gently pokes at her upper left side just over her ribs, causing (Y/N) to wince and hiss in pain. “Yeah, obviously.”

“What the hell?!” (Y/N) grits through her teeth. “Do you treat everyone you help like this?”

“No, just the stubborn ones I believe have the ability to help us in return.”

(Y/N) squints at Andy incredulously, “Help you with what?”

“Help us find the guys who burned down that house with all those girls stuck inside.”

(Y/N) stands stock still and dumbfounded. “How do you know that?”

“Nile told us about your nightmares. I also had someone do some digging on you, so I’m sure those files will tell me the same thing.”

“You had someone ‘do some digging’ on me?! You guys are crazy! Now, please MOVE!”

(Y/N) shoves her hand against Andy’s shoulder and tries again to maneuver around her, using Andy’s height against her to juke her out. It almost works, but Andy is too quick to turn around and put her leg in front of (Y/N)’s leg to trip her and hook her arms around (Y/N)’s waste to keep her from falling forward. (Y/N) groans in pain and frustration as she places a heavy heel on Andy’s bare foot. With her heel still digging into Andy’s foot, (Y/N) leans her body back and shoves her hands up into the small space between her body and Andy’s arms. With a grunt she pushes her arms out, freeing herself from Andy’s grip as Andy falls backwards. Pleased with herself, (Y/N) quickly limps away from Andy, all the while Andy is on the ground smiling, trying not to laugh at the sorry sight in front of her. She gets up and half jogs up to (Y/N), catching up with her in just a few strides. To add insult to injury, Andy keeps a steady walking pace next to (Y/N), who has broken out into a sweat.

“So…where are we going?” Andy asks, trying not to laugh at how (Y/N)’s brows furrow with frustration.

(Y/N) responds with a roll of her eyes and a huff before pleading, “Please just go away and let me leave.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, (Y/N). We need your help and you clearly need ours. Please just come back to the house and get some rest…Do you even know where you are?”

“No idea.”

“Then how do you know where you’re going or if you’re going in the right direction?”

“I don’t, but if I keep walking I’ll get somewhere away from you guys.”

Andy picks up her pace and places herself in front of (Y/N) again, this time placing her hands on (Y/N)’s shoulders and meeting her (e/c) eyes. “Please. Help us find those girls.”

That’s all it takes for (Y/N) to give in. She puffs air out of her mouth and looks down at their feet. She notices a small bruise forming on Andy’s foot where her heel pressed down just a moment ago, a few scrapes marking her own. She feels a pull in her stomach, an obligation to those girls who needed her and a new obligation to the girls who still need her. She feels pressure building behind her eyes, her vision blurring, and her bottom lip slightly quivering. Fuck.

When she finally looks up her eyes are glossed over with unshed tears. Now’s not the time. She clears her throat and swallows hard. “Okay”, she finally whispers. And with that she turns around and walks back towards the house with Andy following close behind. They walk in silence until they reach the door. As (Y/N) reaches for the door handle, Andy places her hand over (Y/N)’s. Their eyes meet again as Andy whispers, “Thank you.” (Y/N) nods her head slightly before entering the house.

[laws-yellow-submarine]

Together With Fruit Ch. 9 (Snippet)

Omgomgomg I actually finished something omg

Obviously this is not the full chapter, but it’s a pretty major chunk of it, and because I’m just so proud of myself and happy that I actually got something I set out to write forever ago FINISHED, I am posting this snippet here as a one-shot (it’s...more than a snippet really, it’s like 4000+ words, and it’s mostly unedited so...ye’ve been warned lol)

Word Count: 4199 (yikes)

Enjoy! Hopefully I’ll have the rest of the chapter finished within the next week or so!

“We’re finally nearing the Grand Line…” Nami muttered, pointing at a spot on the map. “It looks like the only way into it is through Reverse Mountain here.”

“Reverse Mountain?” Hazel murmured, peering over the girl’s shoulder at the point where the seas intersect.

“What a pain. Can’t we just sail straight through it?” Zoro groaned, glaring from where he sat leaning against the rail. Sanji shook his head.

“Nope, from what the geezer told me, that’s the only way boats can enter.”

“How come?” Usopp asked.

“Cause it’s supposedly dangerous.”

“But how come?!”

“I don’t know any more than that!” Sanji yelled, glaring at the sniper. 

“Boys, please…” Hazel scolded, trying to stop any fights before they could occur.

“The reason for that is-”

“Alright! I got it!” Luffy interrupted Nami, pointing at the map. “Then let’s head straight into it!”

“Are you even paying attention?!”

“But it sounds fun!” Luffy insisted, grin never wavering. “Plus it’d feel way better going straight into it!”

“Fun or not, I’d like to actually make it to the Grand Line before we die,” Hazel told him, side-eyeing her brother’s enthusiasm. Nami shared the sentiment.

“Talking to you makes me feel like I’m gonna go crazy…” the navigator whined, palm to her forehead in exasperation. Luffy soldiered on, ignoring the women’s concerns.

“Anyways, let’s stop at an island first and get meat! Meat! Meat!” Nami reached a finger out to point at a spot on the map, and Luffy and Hazel both peered closer at the paper.

“There’s a famous city on this island...Loguetown.”

“Loguetown?” Luffy asked, puzzled look on his face as he tried to think. “What? Is it famous for its meat?”

“Also known as the city of the beginning and the end…” Zoro chimed in, thoughtful look on his face. “I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that before.”

“It’s where Gold Roger, the former Pirate King, was born,” Hazel supplied, appearing somber, “and where he was executed.”

“The town where the King of the Pirates died...” Even Luffy’s voice was tame, contemplation clear in his eyes. Nami swung her gaze to meet his, sly smile finding its way across her cheeks.

“Wanna go?”

“Yeah! I wanna see it!” As he spoke, his voice grew more excited, though it never lost its reverence. “I wanna see the town where the man who got the One Piece - everything this world has to offer - was born and then died!” Luffy stood up, grin fixed firmly back in place. “Nami! Set sail for Loguetown!”

As the crew scrambled to set their course, Hazel smiled at her brother’s excitement, though she didn’t share the enthusiasm. She didn’t really harbor any opinions on the former Pirate King, good or bad; there just wasn’t enough information available on who the man truly was. She had asked her grandfather once, considering what she knew about his connection to Ace, but after hours of pestering the only thing he’d told her was “don’t believe everything you hear”. Other than that cryptic statement, she knew about as much as anyone else: he was born in Loguetown, he circumnavigated the entire world, then turned himself in (to her grandfather, no less), and was executed in his hometown. For someone who was so famous, you’d think there’d be more to know about him.

Hazel looked down at the notebook in her hand, blank since Shells Town except for the notes she’d taken. She wasn’t going to let Luffy fall into that same level of anonymity. Sure, the boy couldn’t care less about the fame; his views on being the Pirate King weren’t shared by most other pirates, though she found his ideals to be more admirable. What she really didn’t want to happen, though, was for her baby brother’s name to be smeared by the media, with nothing to counteract it.

Which meant she had a lot of work to do.

“Well, before we get to Loguetown, I have to get to work. Which means I’m shutting myself in my room until I’ve finished writing about our adventure so far!” Hazel stated for all to hear. She ignored the odd looks sent her way. “So no one bug me, ok?” When she’d received satisfactory nods, Hazel made her way to the girls’ room, shut the door, and plopped herself down at the writing desk. She ripped out her pages of notes so she could refer to them easily as she wrote, then opened to a blank page, her pencil hovering above the paper.

An hour later and the page was still blank.

Hazel’s pencil had moved, at least. It’d been set on the desk, balanced on her nose (a failure on her part, but no one could see it so she wasn’t too pressed), twirled between her fingers, tucked behind her ear as she stretched in her chair (and changed position at least three times; currently she had her feet on the back of the chair with her head leaning on the desk). She’d doodled little pictures on her note pages; tiny flowers and crude renditions of her crewmates (note to self: hide these so Nami doesn’t see). There’s a reason she hadn’t decided to illustrate this book.

Another hour later and her legs hurt from how much she’d been bouncing them. The page remained blank, her mind void of ideas, and her eyes were fixed on the picture frame hanging on the far wall. Maybe some food would help? She didn’t think she ate much at breakfast…

As Hazel made her way on deck, she couldn’t help but smile at the sight that greeted her. Nami was lounging in the sun on the top deck, being served some fancy drink from their newest member. Zoro was, surprise, napping beneath the mast, his swords propped in his lap. Luffy sat on the other side of the ship, watching Usopp practice with his slingshot. Oh, that could be fun!

“Whatcha guys doin’?” Hazel asked, sneaking up behind the sniper, causing Luffy to laugh at the boy’s frightful shriek. “Oops! Sorry, Usopp!” He just glared at her in return.

“Usopp’s practicing his slingshot! See? We set up some targets against the other side of the deck, he’s really good!”

“Well, you see Luffy, I’ve been using a slingshot for at least 25 years,” Usopp boasted, ignoring the fact that he was only 17. “Which of course makes me an expert sniper!”

“25 years, huh?” Hazel snarked. “Well, mister “expert”, whaddaya say to a little contest? The closer to a bullseye gets you more points. Whoever gets the most points wins.”

“Uhh, ok, Hazel. But where are you gonna get a slingshot?” Hazel just pointed to Luffy. Specifically his arms. “Hey, now, wait a minute! You can’t use him!”

“Why not?” Hazel and Luffy asked, both with blank looks on their faces. The sniper spluttered.

“Because-! He’s not-! And you-!”

“Ok, look - we’re not going for power here, just accuracy, so it’ll still be a fair contest. And we’ll use the same ammo, ok?” She left no room for him to argue back, immediately grabbing one of the pellets from his hand and positioning her brother. Usopp rolled his eyes behind her, but sidled up next to the two, aiming his own slingshot at the first target.

“Ready...aim...fire!” Usopp let the pellet fly, smacking the target right in the center.

“Hey, nice job Usopp! But I’m gonna tie it up right here!” Hazel ribbed, tying Luffy’s fingers together to form a sling. She pulled them back, tongue poking out between her teeth as she aimed carefully. When she felt confident in her position she nodded, waiting for Usopp to give the signal, and then let go.

The target shattered to pieces.

“Oh fuck-!”

“WHAT ARE YOU THREE DOING?!” Nami’s shrill voice called, causing all three to wince.

“Luffy did it!” Hazel immediately yelled while Usopp checked the ship for damage.

“No I didn’t!”

“Now, Luffy, you know you shouldn’t lie.”

“I’m not-!”

“ENOUGH!” Nami yelled again, interrupting the siblings. “I don’t care who did it, you’re just lucky the ship didn’t get damaged! You and you-” she pointed to Usopp and Luffy “-clean this up! And you!” Nami pointed at Hazel, making the older woman feel suddenly small. “You’re supposed to be writing right now! Not breaking things!”

“Well...you see...the thing is…” Hazel trailed off as Nami continued to glare at her. Huh. She didn’t like being on the receiving end of this. “I was hungry…?”

“Then ask Sanji-kun for a snack and get back to work. You told us not to bother you and we’re listening, take advantage of that!” At Hazel’s huff Nami smiled. “If you’d like, you can sit in the tangerine grove. I find it very relaxing when I need to focus.”

“Hmm...a change of scenery may be helpful. Thanks, Nami,” Hazel smiled, rolling her neck. “I better go bug Sanji.” But Nami held up a hand to stop her.

“Nope! You go sit, I’ll get it. I don’t want you to get distracted again.” The orange-haired girl walked away without another word, and Hazel was forced at that point to just listen to her. She made her way to the upper deck, finding a nice spot under the trees to nestle in. She reopened her notebook to the still blank page, and tapped her pencil against her chin as she tried to focus. The breeze up here was nice, as well as the sounds of her crewmates (Luffy and Usopp had made a game out of cleaning up her mess). The smell of tangerines wafted over her, muddying her senses. One of her curls was tickling her forehead.

She’d made zero headway by the time Sanji appeared with a snack. 

“Hazel-chwan!~ I’ve brought you a plate of delicious sandwiches, and a fresh glass of cabernet sauvignon,” the man said, brandishing a platter on one hand and a glass of deep red liquid in the other. She looked to the glass curiously. Despite having practically lived in a bar half her life, she’d never actually tried wine. Her alcohol tended to be of a rougher variety.

“Oh, yeah, alcohol. That’ll help,” Hazel muttered, hoping Sanji didn’t think her rude. For all she knew, it would get the creative juices flowing, so to speak. “Thank you, Sanji.” She smiled at the cook, his feet practically floating off the ground in happiness. He turned to leave her, and Hazel tentatively took a sip of the wine...only to immediately cringe when the bitter liquid hit her tongue. She glanced around in panic, hoping the blond didn’t see, and snuck the glass behind her back, hidden under the trees. “Ooh! Sanji, wait up!” she called, wine forgotten as she grabbed her plate and ran after him.

“Yes, my love?” Sanji asked, twirling around to gaze at her through heart-shaped eyes.

“I just realized that I never asked about what happened at the Baratie! After we left?” The cook’s expression had switched to confusion at her question. “In fact,” she continued, following him into the galley, “I don’t actually know that much about you. Tell me, what’s your dream? Your motivation? Your tragic backstory? Spare me no detail!”

For the first time since they’d met, Sanji wasn’t looking at her with adoration. In fact, he almost looked a little scared. His eyes darted around for half a second while she pulled out her best pout, gray eyes shining like a puppy begging for table scraps. Later, she’d chide herself for being so mean. After all, she used to practically torture Ace with that expression. But for now, she needed answers.

“Well…” Sanji started, pulling himself together before all the blood rushed out of his nose. “I am merely a humble sea cook, mademoiselle. I fought valiantly for my former home, and for the chance to gaze upon your lovely visage once again.” He flourished into a low bow.

“Uh huh,” Hazel chuckled, an amused smile on her face as she raised a brow. “Definitely humble.” Sanji rose back to standing, an easy grin in place at their shared humor. “Come on, lover boy. Sit with me awhile and tell me a story.”

The two sat and talked for a time, Hazel’s pencil scratching across the pages of her notebook as Sanji divulged all the details he felt comfortable sharing: how Luffy had bartered with Zeff for his freedom, the way he’d swatted projectiles with a single kick. She had a feeling he may’ve been embellishing his actions a bit, but having seen the way he’d toppled part of a building at Arlong Park, she knew it wasn’t all bluster.

He told her of Pearl, the man who’d covered himself in armor, only to lose his mind (and catch fire, apparently) at the first drop of blood. How Gin, the man he’d helped, had taken the old man hostage, and how he’d been willing to die to save his mentor’s dream. Hazel filed away that note for later, planning to ask about the clear devotion Sanji had for the old man, even if the blond tried to hide it behind snark.

She tried not to laugh when Sanji told her Luffy destroyed part of the ship. From what he was telling her, it was actually a brilliant stroke on Luffy’s part, and definitely contributed to Sanji’s outlook on the situation; but the way the blond’s curly brow furrowed over his eyes at the memory was, in her opinion, hilarious. 

“So, wait,” Hazel started, pausing Sanji’s tale of his fight with Gin. “How did you come to the Baratie in the first place? Zeff isn’t your father, is he? Why so devoted to preserving his dream?”

Discomfort crossed the cook’s face, as it had earlier, but whether it was his dedication to please the woman in front of him, or because he’d already come this far, he gifted her with the reason. “He saved my life,” was the simple answer. The follow-up nearly brought tears to her eyes. 

Hazel reached across the table, covering his hand with her own, and she sent him a soft smile. A light blush dusted his cheeks, and she allowed him to turn away to light a cigarette; she even grabbed the ashtray off the back shelf for him.

Just as they were about to continue, the door to the galley swung open, a rubbery body bouncing its way inside. “Sanji!! Food!” Luffy yelled, head turning frantically before his eyes finally settled on the cook.

“You just ate, you damn animal!” The cook scolded, and the somber mood was broken as Hazel burst into laughter.

“But I’m hungry! Food!”

“I’m busy!” Hazel took that moment to step in.

“It’s alright, Sanji. I can get the rest from you later. If you don’t start dinner soon, we may not have a ship to sail on anymore,” she laughed, drawing Luffy’s attention. The boy leaped onto the bench in front of her, taking Sanji’s place, and glancing at the notebook for a second without reading.

“Whatcha talkin’ about? Whaddaya need Sanji for?”

“He was telling me about your fight with Don Krieg, since I missed it.”

“Oh! I can tell you! There was a boom! And a woosh! And then I went ‘Gum-Gum Bazooka’! And then there was poison gas, but we’re fine, and then everything went boom boom boom boom! And then I got poked a lot! And then-” Hazel tuned out as her brother continued telling her all about the fight with as little detail as possible. Sanji shot her a confounded look over their captain’s shoulder, and the girl replied with a nonchalant shrug. When Luffy finally finished, he looked to his sister expectantly, proud grin wide across his face.

“Thanks Luffy, I’ll make sure to write that down.” The boy nodded, then looked back at her notes from Sanji’s story.

“Looks like you’ve gotten a lot done!” Hazel flinched, grimacing into her palm.

“Yes and no…” Luffy just looked at her, confusion in his eyes, and Hazel gave a heavy sigh. “To be honest, Luff...I don’t really know where to start.”

“At the beginning. Duh.”

“Wow, I never thought about that,” Hazel deadpanned. “And get your finger out of your nose!” As Luffy stuck his tongue out at her, something struck her. Hazel’s eyes widened, an invisible energy urging her hand to move across the paper. “Actually, Luffy, you’re a genius! Thank you!”

She vaguely heard him say something in agreement, but her mind was too focused on the idea it had. Start at the beginning...she was surprised the thought hadn’t occurred to her earlier; after all, she’d only just told the story a week ago.

--------------

Foosha Village had always been a peaceful town. Even when pirates had settled their sails at its docks the year previous, the villagers had yet to deal with much past the occasional bandit or two. Our lives had been much the same, short as they were; filled with fun and laughter and play. Then one day, the stuff of legends became real, and peace would be known no more.

The sun had shown brightly that morning, though my brother and I had already been up for hours. We always had trouble sleeping the closer to Shanks’ departure. In only a short time, the red-headed man had wormed his way into our lives, and our hearts, and my brother especially was determined to join him this time.

So it was that we stood on the deck of the Red-Hair Pirate’s ship, the hustle and bustle of supplies and crates being loaded around us. A few of the men were singing songs - definitely inappropriate considering the children in their company - but we’d already spent the last seven years in a bar. There was nothing in those songs we hadn’t heard before.

I had been listening to Benn Beckman’s tale of their last voyage when Shanks’ voice had called our attention to the figurehead. Standing atop the dragon’s maw, my brother Luffy stood glaring down at our pirate friends. Unfortunately, none of us had taken his declaration of strength seriously. Not until he drove the knife beneath his eye.

--------------

The paragraphs flew quickly out of her hand, the day in question clear in her mind. Hazel took a moment to shake out her wrist, feeling stiff as she read over her work so far. She liked it, she really did. Now to keep up this momentum.

The door opened once again, and Usopp and Nami wandered in, talking about something she couldn’t hear. Hazel was still glaring at the page, chewing her cheek as she thought about how to word her next sentence. She heard Sanji mention dinner would be ready soon, Luffy’s excitement sounding through the room, then Usopp’s hiss for him to be quiet.

“Don’t distract her! She’s scary when she’s mad!” the boy whimpered out, much to Luffy’s amusement.

“No she’s not!” he laughed, drawing the sniper’s ire.

“You didn’t think that when she made you take a bath!” Hazel stifled a snort.

“Speaking of which,” Nami chimed in, holding a hand to her nose. “How long ago was that?”

“Actually, Luffy, you are due for one. Zoro too,” Hazel said, looking up at her surprised crewmates. What, did they think she couldn’t hear them at all? “Why don’t you go wash up before dinner. Please?” Luffy groaned, glaring at the navigator, but dutifully made his way to the bathroom. Despite what he said, he didn’t want to push his sister. Again.

Hazel took that moment to stand up, stretching her back with a loud pop, grabbed her notebook, and made her way outside to tell their grungy swordsman his bath was after dinner. She couldn’t see him at first when she stepped outside, but after glancing around for a moment, she finally spotted him. She blinked when she saw his bare back, mesmerized for a moment at the way the muscles rippled as he did push-up after push-up. A second later, she blinked the distraction away, and walked down the steps to the grass-haired man.

“Hey, your turn for a bath after dinner,” she told him, practically hearing him grit his teeth at the notion. “Dinner’s actually almost done, by the way, so you may wanna wrap it up here.”

“Not done,” he grunted, prompting her to raise a brow in his direction.

“Well find a way to be done. We’re hungry, and you’re sweaty.”

“If I’m gonna get stronger, I can’t cut training short. I need more weight.” His gray eyes swung up to hers, and Hazel got the distinct sense he was sizing her up.

“What do you want me to do about that?” She regretted asking the instant she said it. Zoro gestured to his back. His extremely sweaty back.

“Climb on.”

“Excuse me? What are you insinuating here?” She crossed her arms, trying to decide if she needed to hit him for calling her fat or not. She caught him rolling his eyes.

“You’re all muscle, it’s heavier. Climb on.” Hazel chewed her lip, weighing the pros and cons. Then, deciding she had nothing to lose except her hygiene (and really, she could do with a bath herself), she stepped closer to him, cautiously sitting down when he paused for her. He reached his arm around, causing a startled squeak as he adjusted her position, then he resumed his training, a new strain in his breath.

While he worked, Hazel puzzled once again over her notebook. Disappointment flowed through her as she stared at the four lone paragraphs, the struggle for where to take the story next staying her hand. She’d gotten nothing done today, and it was difficult not to take it to heart.

“What are you sighing about up there?” her cushion grunted below her. Hazel rolled her eyes, but decided to humor him by answering anyway.

“I’ve been working on this all day, and somehow I have nothing to show for it.” Zoro was silent except for his heavy breathing, but for some reason she pushed on. “What kind of record-keeper am I? What kind of storyteller can’t tell a damn story? I don’t even have to make it all up, it’s all stuff that happened…” A puff of air escaped her as her eyes began to sting. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this…”

She hadn’t meant to say it, at least not out loud, and was startled when her chair suddenly stood up. She cried out as she fell, but before she could hit the floor, Zoro’s arms came out to steady her. She looked up at him in shock, affronted at the small glare he sent her way. “Read it out loud,” he said, pointing to the little book in her hands.

“Eh?!” Hazel shrieked, appalled at the very notion of any living being actually hearing her work out loud.

“Read it out loud,” Zoro said again, shrugging his shirt back on. “Then I can tell you if it’s shitty.”

“No way! It’s not ready for human consumption yet!” she yelled, glaring as he sat below the mast. “Besides, who are you to tell me if it’s shit? You wouldn’t know good literature if it waved a sword at you and said ‘boy, speak your name’!” Zoro rolled his eyes at the reference, but leveled her with a steady gaze as it dawned on her the trick he was trying to pull. “Stop it, it’s mine. Why should I share it with you?”

“Because I like the way you tell stories.” He said it so simply, like it didn’t carry nearly the weight for him that it did for her. Hazel felt the blood rush to her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. Something held her gaze on his, something she couldn’t possibly name.

“So how does me reading it aloud help me write it?” Her voice was so quiet, she was surprised he could even hear it.

“Just write it how you’d say it,” he answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And when he said it like that, it did seem obvious, and Hazel could kick herself for not thinking of it sooner. Before she knew it, she felt herself nodding, sitting beside him beneath the sail.

“Foosha Village had always been a peaceful town….” she began, reading from the beginning, and surprising herself when her voice continued past the last paragraph. He’d heard the story before, but still Zoro sat, listening with rapt attention. Her voice slowed as she wrote, not allowing herself to forget what she’d said, what phrases she used that flowed from her mouth like water.

At one point Hazel glanced beside her, surprised to see the swordsman’s eyes shut. She let out a sigh, finishing her sentence, but not continuing on. She found herself rolling her eyes at the sleeping swordsman, irked that he apparently found her so boring.

“You stuck again?”

Hazel turned to him again, meeting his gaze through half-lidded eyes. She let out a half chuckle, shaking her head in amusement, before diving into the next paragraph.

It was only Luffy’s call of “Dinner!!” that finally drew the two inside.

[hallelujah-lockandload]

Sweet Venom 2

Here is a link to the first chapter on here

The Wattpad link that has more chapters. I take a while to post here since AO3 and Wattpad give me more feedback :c

The first three days of school went by fast which is nice. Now it's Friday which means sleepover with Mikey! It's something we’ve always done the first week of school but also because we are literally best friends and my parents don’t care enough to realize I’ve slept over his house multiple times. The Way’s mom is always really sweet and makes us leave the door open cause we’re “teenagers and teenagers are horny”. She didn’t say that to us but I already know that's what she thinks and I’m also the only girl allowed to stay the night at all at their house unless it's a group sleepover.

I got up as usual and dressed in some black bottoms today and a smashing pumpkins tee. Walking down stairs to an empty kitchen is always nice, it means I get to take my time and actually be somewhere in peace that isn’t my room. I got breakfast ready and sat at the table scrolling through my phone texting Mikey.

y/n/n: Sup loser.

Mikey: morning punk. 

    u excited for tonight?!

y/n/n: OF fuckin course!! 

    Watchin movies and complaining and catching up

    Even though i see you all the time

Mikey: I still look forward to our yearly first week of school Shit Talk Sleepover

y/n/n: SAaaammme!

Mikey: Gotta watch some shitty hs movie this time

cause its your last first week shit talk

y/n/n: I don’t know mikes I still got college and youll be a senior

Mikey: tru

As I ready Mikey’s “tru” I finish my breakfast and then head up stairs to finish getting ready. I put on my usual makeup and brushed my teeth. My hair looks decent so I’m leaving it, no one will tell I didn’t brush it unless they run their fingers through it so whatever. As I reach the bottom of the stairs I hear a car honk outside my house. I go to the door and peek out and there’s Mikey and Gerard to pick me up. I wave and go grab my shoes and check my phone to see if Mikey said they were coming at all cause I didn’t think they'd be here. 

Mikey: we be picking u up early loser. (timestamp 5 minutes ago)

Of course the one time I don't check my phone so they have to wait a few minutes for me to tie my hightops and grab my bag. I lock the door as I close it behind me and head to the back seat of Gerard’s kind of beat up black Corolla. It's an older used car but it works for getting us all places. 

“Morning guys” I say, throwing my backpack into the back seat and stepping in.

“Morning y/n/n. You were late” Mikey said while Gerard just hummed in response to my greeting. I closed the door and off we went.

“Yeah well I didn’t see your text jerk” I said hitting Mikey’s shoulder lightly. It's too early for being rough. Mikey just laughed and we rode in silence to the school with Gerard’s playlist coming through the speakers.

~ 

The school day passed slower today than the last few. Probably because I was excited for the sleepover tonight with Mikey. I looked over at him in math and it seemed like he felt the same way. Once classes were out for the day I went to grab my stuff from my locker.

“Hey cutie” I turned to look at Patrick.

“Where’ve you been all day, jerk?” I laughed as I pushed him away from me. 

“Places…” He smirked turning to lean against the lockers. “Mostly hiding from Carry which meant I couldn't hang with you cause I knew she would look for me there.”

“Dude.” I said staring at him.

“I know, I know. I just need to find her a new boy to crush over”

“Fast,” I added, closing my locker.

“Hey guys!” I turned to see Pete and Mikey heading our way. 

I leaned over to Patrick, “I'd say point out Pete to her but that would just be cruel.” I laughed and so did he.

“What are you two idiots giggling about?” Pete said, stopping next to us.

“Nothing.” Patrick and I said together. We looked at eachother and just cracked up even more. 

“Ugh” Pete groaned and turned to Mikey, “Control your bestfriend.”

“You first” Mikey responded with a smirk. 

Pete rolled his eyes, “Lets get the fuck out of here, schools been out for like 10 minutes.”

“Oh that's so long” I said sarcastically as I fixed my backpack on my shoulder.

“Shut up.” Pete said smiling as we started to head out of the hallway and make our way to the front of the school. 

“Hey Mikey how's operation Sweet Poison going?” Patrick said over my head.

“I’m working on it.” Mikey mumbled giving Patrick a glare.

“Oooooh! What's Sweet Poison?! Let me help!” I said turning to Mikey.

“You can’t help cutie, it's a secret” Patrick said next to me.

“Yuup. Only us boys get to know” Pete said. I glared at Mikey who was looking everywhere but me. Looks like I’ve got some secrets to get out of Mikey now. Mikey keeping a secret from me is new and only a bit concerning. 

“Alright,” I said, shrugging and turning back around, “Keep your secrets. I’ll just assume it's about your crush then.” I smirked as I walked over to the cars seeing Gerard leaning on the hood of his car talking to Frank and Ray.

“Do not,” Mikey rushed up behind me.

“Yeah it's actually not concerning Mikey’s crush for once. Plus isn't that one called operation Heart Eyes?” Patrick said.

“Oh yeah!” Pete nearly shouted, “Fuckin forgot about that. Gotta get moving on plans for that.” Mikey’s face was turning red, which is ahh sweet revenge for keeping me out of the loop.

“Hey guys” Ray said, waving as we got to Gerard’s car.

“Sup Toro-saurus” I smiled at him as he pulled me into a side hug laughing at my usual greeting. 

“So any plans for tonight?” Pete asked the group.

Frank and Ray had a consensual nope and Gerard said sort of. But question? How do you sort of have plans? That's so weird but no one questions it. Patrick says how his only plan is to come up with a plan to get rid of his ex-girlfriend Carry. We all laughed at him but also gave sympathy cause who knew she was the obsessive type? 

“Y/n and I are having our annual first week of school shit talk sleepover” Mikey said.

“We are going to roast all of you behind your backs” I added with a smirk.

“Thats so fuckin rude” Pete said knocking his shoulder against me chuckling. The others laughed lightly too. We chatted for a little while longer before everyone was sick of being on campus and there was almost no line of cars trying to leave the campus. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. 

“You guys can drop me off at my house and I’ll walk over later. I gotta pack for tonight and make sure my parents remembered.” I said as we drove back to our houses. Thankfully Mikey only lives like a five minute walk from my house so I never feel weird walking there even at night. 

“Okay” Mikey said. Gerard just hums and continues to drive. He never talks to me much. I literally have no clue what happened to make him not like me. We have been in the same grade since like 6th grade, I mean he’s older than me cause he got held back in like elementary school but Mikey and I are 90% sure its cause he didn’t want to leave Mikey behind. Which is actually really sweet. But Still! Why the hate? Or dislike. Whatever it is, it kind of makes me sad because we probably could be awesome friends like Mikey says. One day I’m going to figure it out. Or like ask Mikey what the fuck is up. But its not at the top of the to do list just yet. I’m fine with the awkward ignoring for now. Well I mean… for the past 3 years. This will be 4 if things don’t change.

We pull up to my house and I thank them both for the ride, “What time am I coming over Mikes?” I say before closing the door.

“Uuhhhhh idk 7?” Mikey said looking over his shoulder at me.

“Did you just say idk out loud?” I ask him, chuckling with a smirk.

“Shut up. See you later bye.” Mikey says turning around. I laugh and say bye again then close the car door. I walk up the steps, unlock the door and turn around and wave at the boys goodbye to signal I am safe and can get in my home. They always wait to make sure I’m safe, Mikey is a good friend.  As I step in I drop my backpack on the table by the door and kick my shoes off before heading to the kitchen to get a snack. I plop down in a chair as I eat some dried fruit and sip at my water while sending a text to my mom telling her I was having a sleepover tonight. 

Mom: Okay. Be safe. Love you.

Y/N: I will. Love you too.

I put my phone down to finish my snack and think about what movie I wanted to make Mikey watch tonight. Maybe Carrie, I mean it's fitting since Patrick was talking about his ex Carry. Or maybe Mean Girls cause it's a classic. Maybe even High School Musical just to fuck with Mikey. We shall see. I smirk to myself thinking of how mean I’m feeling like being to Mikey. I mean he is keeping a secret from me soo.

Once my snack is done I head upstairs to change into more comfy clothes for the day. But I kinda realize I should shower first cause school is fricken gross. So I grab a pair of black leggings and a baseball tee cause uhh no one needs to see my butt thanks, even if it is just Mikey and Gerard. I spend probably too long in the shower singing and just enjoying the heat but it's not like I don’t have the time. After I get out I brush out my wet hair and throw it back up in a dry towel to help get more moisture out. (real tip right there, double towel dry) I pull on my clothes and head out of the bathroom back to my room. I grab a bag from my closet for sleepovers and pack some pjs, an oversized New Jersey Devils shirt and a pair of shorts along with a pair of pants cause sometimes Mikey’s room is a fricken ice box. Then I grab some shorts and a shirt for the next day just in case we decide to get dressed and go somewhere. 

After I finish packing I head back to the now aired out bathroom to dry my hair and put some much needed moisturizer on my face. No makeup cause it's Mikey and we’ve seen the worst of each other in the past that I don’t ever feel pressured to wear makeup around him. Plus my skin has been looking nice lately. I head back to my room and throw myself onto my bed. The clock next to me reads 4:15, I’ve got enough time to try and take a nap so I can stay awake later tonight. I set an alarm on my phone for 6:15 since I know I might just end up watching tv or playing on my phone but I need to make sure to eat a snack because pizza probably won't happen till 8. I lay down, put on some calming music before setting my phone down and closing my eyes for a bit. 

~

The sound of chimes wake me up. Where the heck am I? What time is it? I look around and realize I’m still in my room. Damn I actually fell asleep, who knew I could nap? I turn off my alarm and slowly pull myself up out of bed. I rub my eyes and grab my bag and some socks to bring down stairs with me so I don’t have to come back up after my snack. I walk down the stairs to a semi dark house. The sun is going down and neither of my parents are home. Cool. I turn the porch light on and drop my bag and socks off at the front door before heading to the kitchen for some snackage. 

y/n/n: we still good for 7??

I text Mikey to double check. Sometimes he forgets when we are supposed to hang out and goes to do something before realizing he’s now late for our hang out. I grab a pb and j sandwich from the fridge and sit on my phone for a bit as I chill down stairs. I check the time after my second pb and j… they are so good I can’t just have one! It’s 6:50 which means I’m allowed to go over and bother Mikey early. I check my phone and still no reply so I send a quick text letting him know that I’m on my way. 

Grabbing my socks and shoes I sit on the floor by my bag taking my time just in case Mikey says not to go over yet. Once my black vans are on I stand up grabbing my bag and keys and checking my phone one more time. It's 6:53 and still no response so I’m heading over anyway so I can bug him. I head out my door, locking it behind me and taking a shortcut through my grass to the side walk. It's only a five minute walk and the sun is setting so it's still nicely lit, plus our neighbors usually stay inside at this time cause it's like family dinner time. I head to the Way house and check my phone at least three more times but still nothing. What a bitch. I think at Mikey, if only telepathy worked with us. Coming up on the Way residence I see the down stairs lights on but Mikey’s light isn’t on in his room. He better be downstairs and not out of the house right now. 

I knock on the door but there is no answer which means Mikey isn’t downstairs or he has headphones on again. I use my spare key, Thank you Mrs. Way, and open the front door.

“Honey I’m home” I say sarcastically as I close the door. Still nothing. I peek around into the living room and no one is there. Odd cause the lights are on. The Way parents are out at dinner at the moment with some clients or something is what Mikey told me during Music Theory today. Next I head to the kitchen but still nothing. I head over to the staircase to go find Mikey upstairs.

CRASH

I jump at the sudden sound nearly dropping my phone, my heart racing and I have to take a moment tocatch my breath. I look toward the basement door that leads to Gerards room. I hope he’s alright. I look back up the stairs and  the nonexistent light of Mikey’s bedroom. Mikey’s light wasn’t on, maybe he’s with Gerard in the basement and they are just messing around. I leave my bag at the bottom of the stairs and kick my shoes off too before heading to the basement door. Why are basements always so creepy? Or is it cause no one is up here that it makes it worse than usual. I’ve been in Gerard’s room before but only to borrow comics and Mikey took me down there. I open the door and listen for a moment before doing anything. There’s just silence and if I didn’t know this house as good as my own I would be feeling way more scared but I still feel like I’m in a horror movie right now. I open my phone up and dial 911 just in case I’m about to be fucking murdered in my best friends basement. 

The lights are on down there which is better than anything else so I start to head down the stairs slowly. As I make it down the stairs I scan the room for the boys hoping they are just fucking with me and are trying to scare me. Reaching the bottom step I look around and notice a person laying on the floor by the open window. 

“Oh shit! Gerard?!” I ran over to him once I recognized his black greasy hair. He’s slumped on his side and groans as I approach him. “Are you okay?” I reach out and grab his shoulder turning him to lay on his back so I can see his face better. I suck in a breath as I notice blood dripping down his chin and also the dark stain at the top of his blue sweatshirt which is probably more blood. 

“Oh fuck!” I jump up and run to his bathroom grabbing a towel and running back crashing down next to him to stop the bleeding wherever the hell it's coming from as fast as I can. I press the towel gently to his face to try and wipe away some blood when his eyes snap open. Oh shit. In an instant I’m on my back, wind knocked out of me and towel still in my left hand with Gerard pinning my arms to the side of me while hovering over me with red eyes.

[artificialqueens]

Chamomiles, Chrysanthemums, and Everything In Between [Gigi x Nicky] - ChaosKatya

summary: In which Gigi’s a florist, and she’d like to think she usually has a pretty good head on her shoulders. That is until a new tattoo artist starts shifts in the studio opposite and well, now Gigi’s not quite sure what’s going on with herself anymore. Everyone else seems to know, but Gigi sure doesn’t.

a/n: first full chapter ive ever posted! again, let me know what you think @chaoskatya <3

“Gigi… Earth to Miss Goode? Gigi. GIGI!”

Jaida claps loud, startling Gigi from her trance. Bolting up from where she was leaning on the counter, she turns so quickly to face her coworker she nearly knocks her iced coffee flying. She stumbles for it, saving it from tipping over, smiling sweet like nothing happened.

“Yes, Miss Hall?”

Jaida laughs softly. “Do not Miss Hall me. Girl I was talking to you for a hot minute before I realized no one was home up in that pretty head of yours.”

“Rude. I was nodding and everything?”

“Uh huh. And what was I talking about?” Jaida props her hand on her hip, waiting for an answer.

Gigi wracks her brain, and comes up empty. She at least tries to smile to make up for it. “Uhh, the schedule for the succulent shipment arriving tomorrow?”

Jaida laughs, loud and brief. “Ha! Nice try. Wrong.” She swipes for Gigi’s drink, taking a hearty sip to cement her new ownership.

“Hey–!” Gigi tries to protest, attempting to grab for it but Jaida just holds up a perfectly manicured nail at her.

“Nu uh. You don’t deserve this. ‘Sides, it was totally half melted from how long you were spacing out there. What’s on your mind, girl?”

“Nothing! I’m just. Distracted, that’s all,” Gigi sighs, and can’t help but flicker her eyes out towards Wallflower’s storefront.

Jaida doesn’t miss it. She follows Gigi’s eyes out the window, and raises her eyebrows in understanding. “Mmhm… I’m sure you are,” she smirks and walks away, sipping Gigi’s coffee loudly for punctuation, “Make sure you finish your orders for pickup today before you chase your french fantasy, ma cheri.”

Gigi opens her mouth to argue, then just makes a frustrated noise in defeat. Jaida’s not wrong, she just hates how obvious it’s become. It’s been getting worse, now only 10 am and her head’s already in the clouds and she has yet to actually start working on any of the arrangements she’d meant to have started almost an hour ago. Tying her long hair out of her eyes, she stands at her work station for a good while, staring at the order forms handed to her this morning. All small individual orders, mostly early Valentine’s arrangements for folks looking to beat the inevitable price hike or gifting early to work around prior plans, or some highschoolers probably asking people out to prom since the season’s coming up. Relatively simple and easy for Gigi’s skill, but she still can’t get herself to focus. When nothing comes to her, probably from the lack of coffee, she decides not to linger and gets up to check on the displays.

She goes over a checklist in her head for things she could do that’s still considered productive but isn’t at her actual arrangement station. She checks soil moisture in the succulents, watering the drier ones, prunes some of their smaller flowering shrubs that are getting a little bushy, and double checks the temperatures on the floral coolers.

She’s wiping down the leaves on a large monstera in the houseplant section when she smacks herself on the forehead, realizing she’s subconsciously navigated herself towards the front of the store and is now conveniently right beside the front window. Still, she can’t help herself, and tries to peer across the pedestrian street in hopes that at least seeing her today will temporarily get her out of her system.

It’s been a week since Harmonize, the tattoo studio across Wallflower, had filled in their vacancy and signed on their newest artist. The two stores are fairly friendly, when Gigi was hired over a year ago the owner Widow had brought over fresh baked bread to introduce herself, and it was one of their artists Crystal whom Gigi chose to ink the small piece on her rib. In fact, the two grew pretty close and she’s hung out with Crystal as many times as she’s hung out with Jaida who’s her actual coworker, the three of them often grabbing lunch or a drink together if time permits. It was her understanding that even before Gigi had joined the team, all the stores on their little promenade area were relatively familiar with each other. It was a small shopping district, all pedestrian walkways and local establishments, not fairly common anymore with the rise of larger malls. This meant the stores often knew and supported each other for solidarity, and that it wasn’t odd for people from other stores to pop in and introduce themselves.

That being said, it’s been a week since the new girl had started shifts and Gigi still hasn’t worked up the courage to talk to her. She’s only caught glimpses of her, either walking out with Crystal after locking up or stepping out in the middle of the day for a smoke break. Gigi knew of them needing a replacement after Dahlia had moved coasts, but she remembers how when actually seeing her in person for the first time her breath completely hitched in her throat and she had to run to the break room to hide for a bit.

Luckily for Gigi, unluckily for her work still left unattended, the walkways meant not a considerable distance between the two storefronts and she’s immediately able to catch a glimpse of the mystery girl inside leaning against the front desk. She can visibly see her short, slicked back platinum hair looking as pristine as always, and today she’s got on a red lip that looks so, so good. She barely knows anything about her, doesn’t even know her name, but by god would it be a lie to say she isn’t pretty enamoured.

Crystal’s obviously her coworker, but no amount of pleading texts will yield her any information. Jaida’s spoken to her already on her own but also refuses to tell Gigi anything, apparently because she thinks Gigi’s refusal to go alone is funny, other than that she’s French and hotter up close and that her accent was “delicious” which was incredibly not helpful. Gigi contemplates how this accent might sound when instead it’s her boss’s voice that suddenly appears next to her.

“She is pretty hot. I think I have a crush on her too.” Jackie says plainly into Gigi’s ear.

Gigi yelps and jumps again for the second time this morning, this time a lot more embarrassed thanks to being caught by her boss not only clearly slacking off but openly staring at the store opposite. And that she can’t even cover up Jackie knowing exactly why she was staring.

Jackie just laughs good naturedly and shoves an iced coffee into Gigi’s hands, holding another two against her chest.

“I was on the way when Jaida texted me saying she drank yours and to pick you up another one, so I got some for all of us. Something about you needing the caffeine, and I can see why,” she looks out the window to Harmonize, then back at Gigi, “finish those orders first, yeah?” She smiles knowingly at the younger girl, then heads to the back room where Jaida is probably counting stock.

Jesus christ, she was too preoccupied with her own thoughts she didn’t even hear Jackie come in. Their door has a fucking bell and she was standing right beside the front window. Well, nothing like a mountain of work and some fresh iced coffee to shake off a morning of embarrassment.

All things considered, Gigi loves her job. It’s something sacred to her, something guaranteed to ground her, soothing her senses and pulling her into a focused zone like nothing else. She loves the feeling of stems in her hands, watching an empty vase or paper wrap build into a living work of art that tells a story. She was never that big on plants as a whole, Jaida and Jackie tend to cover the succulent houseplant and herb territory better than she ever could, but she’s always had a soft spot for the flowers. She’s built up her craft and made a niche for herself in Wallflower very quickly, there’s nothing more enticing to her than mixing and matching colors, textures, shapes and sizes until her perfectionist ass is satisfied with the outcome. She always jokes that none of her work comes out short of instagram perfect, well worth more than just their price. She’s even taken to studying up on old flower meanings in her spare time, and while she thought they were silly at first she did grow a little attached to the convolutedness and intricacy that goes into working meanings into her arrangements.

She’s got a couple of standard bouquets up first- Wallflower provides a ‘cheat sheet’ of pre-determined arrangements for customers not particularly picky or familiar with what goes into their bouquets. She holds a sunflower in the center of the vase to build upon, surrounding it with a smattering of simple pink and red roses. She fills the shape with baby’s breath and green heather for texture, before filling whatever gaps are left with myrtle sprigs for more greenery.

She goes over the meanings in her head while she ties off and trims the stems and decoratively wraps the arrangement in delicate, pink paper and clear cellophane- adoration, happiness, love, innocence, admiration, love. It’s incredible to her how many flowers basically mean the same thing, but she supposes it’s hard to offer something as beautiful as a flower and not convey some form of affection.

She’s a couple of arrangements in before her phone buzzes in her back pocket, pulling her out of her groove. She wipes her hands down her apron and pulls it out to see a groupchat message from Crystal.

Clown Whore 🤡👅 just got off a client but LMFAO totally saw u staring @ N u aint slick @Gigi Goode

Gigi can’t help but widen her eyes a little and type her reply back a little frantic.

Goode, Gooder, Goodenest Gracious! 🌼 her name starts with N????? Nina? Natalie? Naomi? is Naomi french enough to count as a valid guess?

Clown Whore 🤡👅 LOL u know we aint tellin u its been a week. JUST TALK TO HER U DUMB ASS LESBIAN

Goode, Gooder, Goodenest Gracious! 🌼 :( ya’ll are mean. why are you my friends. Michelle’s for lunch? @Jaida @Crystal

shoulders & attitude (and not much else) 🌵🌵 lol im down

Clown Whore 🤡👅 breaks in 30. come to yall then :))

Gigi takes note of the time and puts her phone down sighing. She loves her friends with all her heart, but they’re also assholes whose favorite hobby is bullying poor Gigi especially when it comes to Gigi’s ability, or lack thereof, to deal with cute girls. Still, she wouldn’t trade the world for them (not that she would ever say that to their faces, she has some pride).

She continues her arrangements, hitting a snag on a particular one that for some reason requested a fairly large centerpiece, “all whites, minimal greenery- romantic but no roses” but at the same time “nothing too funeral-y or wedding-y”. She’s built and torn apart the arrangement around 6 times and is close to ripping her hair out when Jaida materializes in front of her station.

“You good, sis?” she laughs, picking up the order slip to examine herself.

Gigi looks around and realizes her station looks a hot mess, whites and greens strewn haphazardly everywhere. “Yes, you’re looking at my personal funeral. We good to go?”

“Yeah, ‘bout that. Crys texted that she’s gonna take a smoke for a bit and I’m gonna join her, is it alright if you go ahead? We’ll catch up, it’s all on me” Jaida says cheerily, handing Gigi her card.

Gigi raises her eyebrows in suspicion, idly wondering why Crystal didn’t just message their chat, but takes the card anyway. She’s not passing up free lunch. “Sure, the usual for everyone?”

“Yep, see ya in a bit, girl!” Jaida waves brightly, already on her way out the door.

Weird. But Gigi doesn’t think much of it.

The walk over to Michelle’s is short and uneventful, only being about 2 blocks away, but the small local joint is by far their favorite go-to. It’s arguably a diner, complete with the red leather booths and black and white tiled flooring to match, but it’s become a local staple in the district for being so much more than just a diner. They’ve got a wide variety of comfort foods of all types, plus it’s got halal options for Jackie and vegetarian ones for Crystal. Gigi walks in to the sound of the bell above the push glass door and is immediately greeted by not only the rich smells from the kitchen, but the owner Michelle at the counter. A matronly figure with a heart of gold, she’s made sure to know all of the district regulars by name and face and the girls at Harmonize and Wallflower are no exception. It’s a little past lunch rush, lots of people sitting at the booths and the counter but no one in line.

She greets Gigi as she enters and Gigi’s listing off the usuals for everyone, takeout for Widow and Jackie, when a husky voice pipes up from behind her.

“Oh, actually, Jaida said takeout for everyone. And an additional ceaser, s'il vous plaît.”

Gigi whips around, heart leaping out of her chest, and finds N smiling right behind her. Gigi stammers a bit, definitely fumbling for something to say, and tries her best to get her bearings. “Ohmigod, hi! Shit, hi! Gigi, from Wallflower,” she says quickly, nerves evident, “I haven’t met you yet! Oh my god, you’re N-?”

The blonde just laughs politely to cut her off, perhaps to save her from her fumbling. “Nicolette, but please call me Nicky. Crystal sent me over, says her and Jaida can’t make it and to bring everything back?” Nicky smiles wide, and her smile makes Gigi think her heart is stopping a little too many times today.

Gigi crumples a little in realization. Of course Jaida would offer to pay for everything, she wouldn’t bother unless it came alongside personally torturing Gigi for fun. Well, nevertheless, it’s not like Jaida can avoid payback. Gigi asks Michelle to upsize everyone’s drinks but Jaida and Crystal’s and adds an extra side of ice cream to her own. Michelle swipes Jaida’s card, hands Gigi her small cup of ice cream, then lets them know to sit at a booth while they fix up everyone’s orders.

Nicky and Gigi sit at the booth nearest the door, and Gigi’s glad for the cup of ice cream to keep her busy because her brain’s running in circles trying to think of something to say while also subtly trying to finally get a good look at her. As Nicky settles into the seat opposite, turning to lay her purse next to her, Gigi can’t help but eye some design on her arms before it’s covered once more by the long sleeves of her blouse. Her platinum blonde hair’s slicked back into a short length, now she realizes it goes a little past her chin, and her makeup is impeccable, sharp smokey eyes and red lips. She’s even more gorgeous up close, and it does absolutely nothing to settle Gigi’s nerves. Gigi’s hands fidget with her small plastic spoon, and she’s hyper aware of how she’s now looking anywhere but the girl sitting across her. Thankfully, Nicky leads the conversation.

“I am sorry it’s taken us so long to meet, I have been having a little bit of a hard time putting myself out there” she says with a drop to her voice, and Gigi instantly feels guilty.

“No, no it’s my fault! I should’ve gone over, I had the chance I’m just,” Gigi breathes when she realizes she’s sped up again, and Nicky’s looking right at her earnestly, “-pretty bad at meeting new people.” She drops Nicky’s gaze and rubs the back of her neck, staring directly down into her ice cream. She realizes she’s coming on very weirdly, and she feels very hot all of a sudden. Stupid Crystal, stupid Jaida, this is exactly why she can’t be trusted alone with a pretty girl. Either Nicky doesn’t realize or realize exactly, either way Gigi’s glad she doesn’t bring up how awkward Gigi’s acting.

“Well, no matter,” she interrupts Gigi’s thoughts with a smile, “I’m glad to have met you now. I heard you were the one who had done the arrangement Jackie brought me on my first day, thank you, it was quite beautiful.”

Gigi softens. “Oh, it was my pleasure! Again, I’m really sorry I hadn’t come along to meet you sooner.”

Nicky waves her off, “Please, stop apologizing, it’s alright, we were both busy. Let’s move forward now, yeah?” She smiles brightly again, and it eases Gigi’s heart in a way she could not explain, nor does she want to confront any time soon. But for now, this is nice.

Gigi smiles back and opens her mouth to respond, when Nicky’s phone suddenly rings from her purse. Nicky quickly swipes it out to check the screen.

“Oh, one moment, it’s a client, I’m so sorry” she says, standing up and stepping out of the booth. Gigi tells her no worries as Nicky steps out of the diner to take the call.

Gigi uses this opportunity to breathe, at the same time finishing her melting ice cream and checking her own phone. She’s got a string of messages, all from the culprits.

shoulders & attitude (and not much else) 🌵🌵 LOL

Clown Whore 🤡👅 GO GIGI!!!!!!

shoulders & attitude (and not much else) 🌵🌵 USE YOUR WORDS BOO ure killin it!!!

Clown Whore 🤡👅 what did we say about the accent? :))) plus isnt she so nice shes a whole ass sweetheart

shoulders & attitude (and not much else) 🌵🌵 omg ice cream u bitch k we deserve it

Clown Whore 🤡👅 oooo yall look like youre on a date already :))

shoulders & attitude (and not much else) 🌵🌵 wtf who callin? she got a man?

Goode, Gooder, Goodenest Gracious! 🌼 YO WTF FUCK YALL WHAT WAS THAT :((( WARN ME, ASSHOLES? I WASNT READY also are you here?? how do you know???

Clown Whore 🤡👅 michelle’s texting us LMAO

Gigi whips her head up to see Michelle at the counter across the diner, phone in hand, typing away. She meets Gigi’s eyes and sends her a wink, laughing mirthfully.

Goode, Gooder, Goodenest Gracious! 🌼 is my whole life snitches and traitors???

Clown Whore 🤡👅 💖💖

shoulders & attitude (and not much else) 🌵🌵 💛💛💛💛

At this point Michelle comes around to the table and carefully sets down the stacks of takeout containers bundled in two plastic bags, but not without patting Gigi on the back and whispering you got this darling. Gigi just groans in exasperation.

Clearly, everyone has it out for her in this life. But she decides that hey, maybe that’s not so bad. They’re her friends and her friends care and they bully her a little but that’s what friends are for. Care enough to call her out on her stupidity and force her to act. What exactly she’s acting on, she’s not quite sure, but things are certainly happening. And she’s finally met Nicky, who is intimidatingly gorgeous but also kind and nice and she’s happy for that. Sure, she’s extremely attractive, but part of her doesn’t even remember why she was so afraid to talk to her in the first place when her presence now seems to both scare and ease Gigi in a way she really can’t name. And while she may not really understand all that she’s feeling maybe, just maybe, that’s okay too.

Nicky steps back into the diner and turns back to Gigi, eyes bright and smile wide.

“Let’s get back to the shops?” she says cheerily, and sticks out her hand for Gigi to hold.

Gigi takes a deep breath, smiles, and takes it. “Yes, let’s.”

[nazezdha321]

i saw this and thought it looked fun and @bobbimorseisbisexual tagged “whoever sees this and wants to do it” so <3

name: z

fandom(s): agents of shield, mcu, firefly

where you post: ao3

most popular oneshot: Side by Side (as it was meant to be), a morgan stark & peter parker oneshot i wrote a while ago lmao

most popular multichapter fic: We May Not Have It All Together (but together we have it all), my au where may and coulson get de-aged into toddlers

favorite story you’ve written so far: honestly? i’m living for i threw stones at the stars (but the whole sky fell), my victoria hand character study, right now

fic you were nervous to post: uhhh all of them lmao. i’m always scared to post things. you and me and in between, the huntingbird soulmate au, was definitely a big one. i love it with all of my soul now so i’d say it worked out well. i’ve even been considering a part two

how do you choose your titles: it depends! the more recent ones have been song lyrics, or song lyrics i changed so they’d work better, or half of song lyrics that i added onto, that sort of thing. i do run my own title-hoarding mafia, though. i have like, pages and pages of potential titles. i have more titles than i ever will write something for lmao

do you outline?: uhh sometimes? i outline for character studies, just sort of what format i’ll use, and what i want to include. for multichapter fics, it really depends, but my two main wips, in some other time and toddlers (mentioned above), both have outlines. toddlers has a chapter-by-chapter outline, and isot has a general story outline for three “sets” of characters that i consider my povs in that story, if that makes sense? 

complete ao3

in progress:

We Lost Everything & Found So Much More: @here-for-huntingbird and i’s secret service au with bobbi as the head of daisy’s detail when she’s kidnapped. i haven’t actually written anything for it yet as v wrote the first chapter. i think we’re considering starting this one up again, but it’s not definite

There’s No Light At The End Of The Tunnel (so we’ll set it on fire ourselves): i meant to update this wip... and then it just got pushed to the side when life got in the way. it’s basically “what if lila survived instead of clint in infinity war/endgame” but i really want to pick it back up. i don’t think i will till 2021, though. 

When Everything We Fought For Was A Lie (doesn’t that make us liars?):  on the last chapter but i wrote this when @aleksandrachaev and i were in our little angst war. lots of killing, lots of death, set in season 5. i don’t love this one but i learned a lot from writing it. 

We May Not Have It All Together (but together we have it all): my “what if may and coulson got de-aged into toddlers and the team had to take care of them.” this is another one that fell off the rails when i underwent crisis #924879457934, but i have plans to update it in a few weeks. 

in some other time: written before the finale of season 7, in which maisie fitz-simmons meets isabelle shaw aka morse-hunter but she’s not allowed to say that. full of nine-year-olds being absolutely chaotic as they grow up. didn’t update for a while for reasons above, but i am (hopefully) updating next wednesday!

coming soon/not yet started: 

too many fics to list ajkdkhfkd

although i will say that i’m (hopefully!!!) posting a huntingbird sick fic that i’ve been working on for an anon prompt today

do you accept prompts?: i do!

upcoming works you’re most excited about: lots of things! i have... so so many upcoming works. i’m really excited to see what you guys think of the huntingbird sick fic so :) 

tagging: @marvelflavoredgelato @genderfluid-and-confuzled @a-biochemist-not-a-bird and anyone else who wants to <3

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Confessing the truth to the rest; Queen x teen reader

*Author’s note*

Okay gang so here is the first filer chap. of my Rock Angel series. This oneshot takes place right after Protective Taylor which you can read on the link for the title. I hope you all enjoy this little filer and I hope to have the next chapter up sometime soon as soon as I’m done with school and finally graduate. It maybe another filer chapter where reader meets Jack’s family over their first Christmas not only with each other but as a couple. 

Anyways so if I had to express any warnings it’d be mentions of abuse (just mentioned not really detailed but it’s mostly verbal and a bit physical but not on the reader), parent deaths, graveyards/cemetery, angst, FLUFF.

Taglist:

@psychosupernatural​

@plethora-of-things​

@ixchel-9275​

@waddles03​

@platawnic​

@queendeakyy​

@onebigfangirlworld​

@mr-badguymercury​

@naturalswifty89​

@kairosfreddie​

@starswin​

@dj-lowkey​

@isabella-bby​

@labessieisallama​

@geek-and-proud​

@5sos-wdw​

@bohemiansweede​

______________________________________________________

It was almost a week since I had told Roger the truth about my parent’s death and what my real homelife was like before I got the internship with the guys.  And I was so fortunate that he kept the secret like he promised, if ever the other three wanted to bring the conversation back to what happened a week ago, Roger would redirect the question back to a song they needed to work on or just tell them straight forward to drop it.

I was currently finishing up some of Miami’s papers that needed his attention and was about to head on up to his office to give them to him, when I felt Roger wrap his arms around me from behind in a hug.

“Hey Rog.” I said.

“Hello lovie.” I felt him kiss the back of my head. I turned towards him and he rubbed my arms up and down. “I’m sorry about the interrogation earlier, I tried to get Brian to drop it—”

“It’s okay. Though couldn’t you have gone a little less protective?”

“Hey. No one tries to interrogate my girl but me.”

“Oh and why must it be you that can only do that?”

“Well isn’t it obvious? You’re an official Taylor. And if my sister can be interrogated by me, than so can you.” As he said the last part of his ‘royal decree’ he gently bopped my nose with his index finger.  I smiled up at him and he grinned down at me.

It was then I also began to notice that Roger had that solemn look in his eyes.  The look that just showed he was hiding a heartbreaking secret.

“And……I know what it’s like.”

“What do you mean?” he sighed and said.

“Come with me.”

“But I—I need to get these papers up to Miami before he flips.” He took them and called for another assistant to come and take care of it. Before I could protest, he took my hand and guided me over towards the wreck room and we went inside a pantry closet. “Uhh Rog, why did you bring me to a pantry closet?”

“Sorry, it’s the one place I knew where we’d be private when I tell you this. Because—not even the boys know about this. Not Deacy, not Brian or even Freddie.”

“Roger what is it you’re scaring me.” I asked worriedly. He took a deep breath in before exhaling out.

“I know—what it’s like. To be on the opposite end of—an abusive family figure.” No, not him.

“You—you mean you were……”

“My old man was—strict. About everything. What he wanted in life, how the house should be done, how his children should behave and act. He was more like a drill sergeant than a father. Most of it was directed at my mum. Mostly verbal stuff like your aunt and uncle did to you. But get a drink in him and he—” I immediately hugged him.

God never, ever, ever, ever did I think in a million years that the Roger Taylor, drummer of Queen, Mr. Too beautiful to be a man, was just like me.

A victim of domestic abuse.

“I’m so sorry Roger I—I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing you can say lovie. But I do appreciate the gesture.” He said as he hugged me back and squeezed me as emphasis on what gesture he meant.  “Once my mum filed for divorce I knew we were finally free of his control. Back then I—thought I was the only one who went through shit like this. That something had to be wrong with me for this abuse to happen to my family. But then meeting you, and Prenter forcing you to see our expressions as he told us your family secret……..”

“For years I’ve been trying to turn myself into their puppet. To perform the way they wanted me to. But even when I thought I succeeded, I didn’t succeed by their standards. I felt so alone after my parents died, they never once comforted me after it happened. In fact my aunt said she was glad to hear that her sister died, said it would teach her a lesson.”

“Who the fuck says that to a child?” he snapped.

“I wish I knew Roger. It was hell living with them. And when they kicked me out after I told them what I really wanted to pursue in college I—I thought from then on in I would be alone.”

“Well you’re not. Because you’ve got me. And Freddie, Brian, Deacy, Miami, our wives. You’re now family to us (y/n). From the day you walked in those doors and we saw you playing the piano, you became family to us.”

“Thank you Roger. You guys—are my family too.” He smiled and he leaned his forehead against mine and gave my nose a gentle kiss which made me smile wider.

After having our special little talk, Roger and I walked out and that’s when I said.

“Hey Rog.”

“Hmm?”

“Since you guys are now technically done with the album, do—do you think you and the rest of the guys could come meet me at my place?”

“I’m sure we could. What’s the occasion love?” he asked.

“I think it’s time they knew. But I—I also wanna show you guys…..where they’re buried.” Roger’s eyes widened softly and he said.

“(Y/n)…..love you don’t have to—”

“I want to Roger. I—I need to get this off my chest once and for all. I mean it’d be unfair for just you to know the real truth and let the other three be kept in the dark. Especially if Paul tries to blab about it again in front of them.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I am Rog. Promise you’ll back me up in case things get—you know.” He smiled and wrapped an arm around my neck pulling me close.

“Of course lovie. We’re family.”

“Thanks Roger.” I said with a soft smile.  He nodded to me and pressed a kiss on top of my head.

“What time shall we come over?”

“Probably 8-9am. It’ll be a 2 hour drive so the sooner we leave, the less likely we’ll be stuck in traffic on the way there.”

“I get it, autumn traffic is a bitch.” So after that, we headed back towards the recording room and I helped the boys finish up the rest of their album and soon the day ended there.

The next morning, I was eating some cheese on toast when I heard the doorbell ring right at 8:30.  I took a few more bites and headed over to the door to see Brian at the door.

“Hope we didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

“No, just finishing up breakfast.” I said as I took the toast out of my mouth.

“Well we can come back when it’s convenient for you love, you know we don’t have a problem with that.”

“No, no, no it’s fine. Like I said I’m almost done. Give me about five minutes okay?” he nodded and I asked him if he wanted to come in and he accepted the offer.  While I went back to the kitchen to clear off my plate, I saw Brian in the foyer looking at all the pictures of me, Adam and a few of our friends.

“You know I never really did ask you (y/n), what exactly are you studying in University?”

“Mostly songwriting and music accompaniment. I wanted to get a better understanding of what it took to make a song and how to choose the perfect accompaniment based on the song you’re writing.” I answered as my plate was finally clear and I ran it under the tap in the dishwasher.  “And what of you Bri? I mean I know you were a scientist of some sort.”

“Astrophysics actually.” He corrected me.

“Oh right sorry. Now didn’t Freddie once say in an interview that your thesis was on stardust or something?”

“Interplanetary stardust. I wanted to prove whether the motion of dust was responsible for zodiacal light.” Damn. No wonder why he’s the clever one and always wins at the Scrabble games while on the tours or on breaks during rehearsals.

“Impressive. Guess that makes you the clever one out of the other four then?”

“Yeah I suppose it does yeah.” He teasingly bragged which made me roll my eyes and giggle as I put my dish in the dishwasher with the other dirty dishes.

“Okay, now let me make a quick note to Adam.” I took one of the post-it notes and quickly wrote down where I would be for most of the day. And to remind him that it was his turn to start the dishwasher and take out the garbage and to NOT. FORGET. IT this time. “Okay that’s it. Shall we head out?”

“Ladies first madam.” He said gesturing to the door. I playfully curtsied and the two of us walked out of my apartment.  I locked it up and we walked down the steps and across the short walkway till we reached the car.  I sat in the back with Freddie and Roger while Deacy was at the wheel and Brian sat in the passenger seat.

“So (y/n), where to now?”

“Glenfield, Leicester.” It was at that point I saw Deacy look at me through the rearview mirror.

“Glenfield? Why there?”

“Well that’s—where I was born.”

“Unbelievable.” He muttered.

“Why’s that?”

“Because it’s just 20 minutes from where I was born and raised. Oadby.”

“Really?” I asked amazed.

“Well my darlings it seems as if you both were meant to meet each other. Two Leicestershire siblings coming together at last.” Freddie proclaimed dramatically.

“I must say though (y/n), for someone who was born there, you don’t quite have Deacy’s accent.”

“Well believe it or not lads. While I was there no one else spoke like me.” Deacy stated as he began to drive off.

“Yeah you’re a special case, but we love you anyways Deacy.” I said reaching over and kissed him on the cheek and patted his shoulder.

As we drove onwards, Roger was twirling his drumsticks while making up a random drumbeat.  Freddie was working on a new sketch, I was listening to my Walkman which was playing a mixtape one of my friend’s made for me and the song that was playing now was Rubberband man, and Bri was doing a crossword puzzle.

“So darling why make us go all the way to Glenfield?” asked Freddie as he looked at me. I removed my right headphone aside asked.

“What was that Fred?”

“I asked why are we heading all the way to Glenfield?”

“Well I—uhh…..Just thought you’d all kinda like to see where I grew up.”

“I wouldn’t mind that. Maybe we could even meet your parents.” Stated Brian. At that point I saw the glare behind Roger’s shades but before he could do anything, I stopped him and I said.

“Possibly. I just—hope you guys are ready.”

“Any parent who could raise such a clever, intelligent and strong young woman must be equally strong and determined. I’ve actually been waiting for the day to meet the lovely darlings.” Freddie said as he softly nudged my arm.

“Yeah.” I said solemnly.  I felt Roger take my hand and I looked up at him.  He lifted my hand up and kissed my palm and pressed it to his chest over his heart.  From that point the conversations died down after that, probably from either sensing my depressing mood, or fearing the angered look in Roger’s eyes that hid but they could feel behind his shades.

After over 2 hours of driving, we finally arrived at my childhood hometown.  The place I hoped that I would never see again ever since my aunt and uncle kicked me out of the house.

“Okay so, where exactly do you want to go first?” asked Deacy.

“Can we drop by the flower shop? Go down this street and at the third stoplight, take a right.” I told him the directions and Deacy willingly followed.  Once we reached the stoplight and Deacy made the right, I told him to go straight till we reached Lennon Dr. to the left, then another right until finally we reached Ms. Viola’s flower shop and bouquet.

“Any reason why we’re here first love?” asked Brian.

“All will be explained soon enough. For now just stay in the car. I’ll take care of everything here.” Roger then opened his door and got out first before helping me out and then hopping right back inside the car.  I walked towards the shop and took a deep breath in before exhaling out and finally entering the flower shop.

And boy it hadn’t changed a bit.  Various of flowers and plants hung and were displayed everywhere.  Bags of fertilized soil were packed up in the corner of the shop inside some containment shelves.  And there at the front desk with her now long graying hair was Ms. Viola’s.

“How can I help—(y/n)? Little (y/n) (l/n)?”

“Hey Ms. Viola, long time no see huh?”

“Oh honey come over here and give us a kiss.” I walked over to her and she gave me a big hug and a kiss.  “Oh you’ve gotten so big since I last saw you, how have you been?”

“I’ve been—okay. I’m sorry I hadn’t visited the shop lately.”

“I know honey, Mr. Issacs told me what your uncle and aunt did. I never did trust them, but never did I think they’d do something like that to you.”

“Yeah well they’re radical thinkers, only want the most money and to be the perfections of high society.” I bluntly stated.

“So—the usual arrangements?”

“Yeah.” She nodded and then prepped my usual bouquet of yellow carnations and lilies. “The usual payment?”

“Actually, this one’s on me.”

“No I—I couldn’t do that to you.”

“(Y/n) it’s been years since I’ve seen your face in this town. Please take the offer and think nothing else of it. Next time you come around, you can pay me then.” I softly smiled and said.

“Thank you.” I nodded goodbye to her and she waved bye to me as I left the shop.  Freddie opened the door for me and I came inside.

“Oh darling yellow carnations. What’s the occasion?” asked Freddie as he took one of the carnations out of the bouquet and admired it.

“Head back the same way we came but instead take the left at the second light. And head on down to Hoover St.” I simply said. Deacy nodded and proceeded to drive on ahead.  About 10 minutes later we finally arrived at our destination.

GLENFIELD PUBLIC CEMETARY.

“Uhh (y/n)?” Brian started.

“Brian don’t.” Roger snapped firmly.  He then opened his door once again and helped me out of the car.  Deacy shut off the engine and soon the rest of the guys followed and I led them inside the cemetery.

We walked along the cobbled stone path further and further passing grave after grave till finally I saw the two familiar graves standing side by side each other pass the old willow tree.  I walked up first wiped the leaves away from the tombstones that had my parent’s named engraved in plaques.  Then I set the lilies down by my mother’s grave and the yellow carnations on top of my father’s.

“(Y/n) darling, are—are you okay?” Freddie asked concernedly.

“The real reason why I brought you guys all the way here is so that I could tell you the real truth about the girl you’ve allowed in your circle.” I stood up and walked behind the two gravestones and said. “Queen, This was my mum (m/n) (l/n) and my dad (f/n) (m/n) (l/n). They both died in a car accident one rainy night on April 16th, 1970.”

At that confession, all but Roger were stunned and I saw that familiar look of sympathy shining through their eyes.

“(Y/n) I—I’m so sorry. Had I know that—” Brian said.

“But you didn’t. So there’s nothing you need to apologize for Bri. I—didn’t want any of you guys to know where I came from. What my life has been like, but now—after what happened last week I’m ready.” At that point Roger came towards me and took my hand in his and gave it a gentle and comforting squeeze.  

“You mean the incident with Paul?” asked Deacy.

“Yes. What I’m sure roger probably expressed his anger about towards Paul, it—it was true.”

“So—”

“Guys let her fully explain. Don’t interrupt her, it’s hard enough to let her relive it as it is.” Roger spoke defensively.

“It’s okay Roger. No need to get hissy with them.” I assured him as I stroked the back of his hand with my thumb trying to relieve him of his anger.  “My parents were—the kindest, most strong people I ever knew. They loved music so much that they themselves tried to make it big. But all they could afford was pub gigs and small gigs at hospitals or openings. When they had me they—kept up their work but of course it didn’t always pay the bills, so they had to work real jobs at either a coffee shop, restaurant or the library. Well…..when I was 8 years old, they went for a drive to their first official gig they hadn’t had in years since I was probably 4-5 years old. It…..was pouring down so hard they could barely see the road and they…..didn’t make it to the hospital to be saved. They were pronounced DOA.”

I took a shaky breath in as I tried to keep the tears at bay until I got through everything.

“After the funeral, I was taken into the custody of my aunt Johanna, my mum’s older sister, and uncle Graham. And they—were the absolute worst people to ever walk the planet. Every day was a living hell. They verbally abused me, told me that I was worthless and that I would never amount to anything. Even when I thought I had succeeded like graduating secondary school with a 3.50 average, they still saw me as a failure because I didn’t graduate as Valedictorian or get a straight up 4.00 with the highest level of my grade. But the worst thing was when I told them what I planned on studying at University……I……they kicked me out.”

“They what?!” all three of them chorused out.

“When I said I wanted to study music, they were beyond pissed. We fought for hours and hours on end till it was dark. Then next thing I knew, my uncle packed all my things and tossed them out before he and aunt Johanna both said ‘get out of our lives you witless bitch! And never do we want to see your face again!’. So I—bought myself a ticket and came all the way up to London and struggled to find a housing. I had no support from them throughout my first year of university. But then again I never wanted their help even if they offered. But for nine years I struggled with depression and self-confidence because of everything they’ve said to me for over a decade of living with them.”

I don’t know when exactly it must’ve started, but I felt tears dripping down my face.  I wiped them away from my face and held in a sob.  That was until I felt Roger bring me close to him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried myself into his chest.

“Then last week Paul had to reopen those wounds when he went through her files and somehow got her aunt’s and uncle’s phone number and told them about this internship.” Roger explained as he rubbed my arm comfortingly.

“That son of a—” Brian started out with a huff.

“Next time I see him I’ll wrangle his neck with my bass strap.” Threatened Deacy.

“Darling we are so sorry. I’ll talk to Paul about it tomorrow when we get back into the studio.”

“It’s alright guys.” I sniffled.

“Are you sure love?” asked Deacy.

“Yes.” I then gently got out of Roger’s embrace and wiped my tears away and took a few deep breaths.  “But can I ask something of you four?”

“Yeah. Name it poppet.” Said Brian.

“For years not only did I have to deal with the abuse from my aunt and uncle, I also had to deal with my friends and random strangers giving me sympathy. Everywhere I went, they always went ‘oh there’s poor (y/n). Treat her specially, poor dear lost her parents she did’. After a while I got sick of it. That’s why I didn’t want you guys to know because I refused to be given sympathy when they don’t know how I feel. So please guys, if any of you fuss about me or look at me differently, or worse of all give me more sympathy then you’re just wasting your time. Because all I want to do is help you guys make your music with the time I have for this internship.”

They nodded in agreement.

“Done.” Freddie said.

“And—even though you said you don’t want to be given sympathy, can we—still give you a hug?” asked Roger.  I smiled and said.

“From you guys? Anytime.” And it was then the guys came up to me and had me in the middle of a group hug.

Being surrounded by warmth, love and support from 4 rock gods was something I never thought I would happen to me, but I’m honored they were and are willing to give me the support and love I needed.

Feeling their hands gently ruffle or pat my head, rub my shoulder and back, and feeling the occasional kiss or two.

“I love you guys.” I said as I smiled and a tear of happiness fell from the corner of my eye.

“We love you too (y/n). You’ve become more than an intern or helper to us, you’re family now. And we always protect our family.” Brian said.  I looked up at him and said.

“You mean that?”

“If you’d like to be a part of it, we won’t question it. Even after the internship is over, we’ll still need you.”

“Brian I—nothing would make me even happier.” He pressed his forehead against mine, nuzzling our noses together in a gentle Eskimo kiss.

After being in the group hug for what felt like forever I was then surprised to see Freddie kneel down before my parent’s grave and he said.

“(F/n), (M/n), my darlings, you don’t have to worry about your little girl anymore.”

“You’ve done your best to watch over her, but now you both no longer need to worry. Because now we’re here.” Roger continued for Freddie as he now knelt down beside him, specifically kneeling before my father’s grave.

“You both raised an incredible daughter. And I know you both must be very, very, very proud of the woman she’s become.” Said Deacy as he knelt on the other side of Freddie.  Then Brian knelt beside Deacy and he finished.

“You both can rest easy now. We can look after your daughter, if you’ll allow us. She’s—” he looked right up at me and softly smiled as he took my hand in his. “She’s become more to Queen than we could possibly imagine. You both have fussed over her long enough, allow us to continue that in your stand.”

I smiled and shook my head as the tears once again fell down my face.  I then knelt down between the two guitarists of Queen and as they both rubbed my back comfortingly, I choked out.

“I’m okay now mum and dad……You can trust these boys. They may seem crazy but—I love them. You both can rest in peace knowing I’ll be okay.” The soft autumn wind blew through our hairs gently and I know it sounds crazy but I swear I thought I heard my mum and dad’s whispers along the wind saying.

Thank you Queen.

[argylemnwrites]

It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment - Chapter 17

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (Canon Divergent from Book 2, Chapter 15)

Word Count: ~5100

Rating: R (language, implied inability to consent)

Summary: Drake goes to Ramsford while he figures out his next steps, Leo has something to ask Liam, and Hana is at her wit’s end

Author’s Note: I’m just gonna throw a trigger warning here that there is an interaction in this chapter where a man is clearly looking to engage in sexual activity with a woman who is not able to consent at that time. There is no actual sexual assault or violence, but it’s the type of thing that may hit close to home, so I thought I’d give some warning. It’s in the third and final “section” of this chapter if you wish to avoid it.

This series diverges from TRR canon, where instead of waiting to discuss his relationship with Riley until their last night in NYC, leaving her a note while Liam is proposing to her, Drake tackles this topic as soon as possible after Tariq makes his statement and Riley’s name is cleared. To catch up on this series, you can find the previous chapters in my masterlist (link is located in my bio).

“Hello?” Drake called out, glancing around as he stepped into the foyer of the Ramsford estate. He wasn’t surprised that there wasn’t any staff to greet him, given the Beaumont’s current financial situation, but he figured he should announce his presence somehow. Not just lurk around until someone found him. He was pretty sure he was the only person invited for dinner tonight, after all.

He hadn’t really wanted to come for this dinner, but when Savannah had called him, excited that he was still around and inviting him over now that she was settled at Ramsford, he just couldn’t bring himself to say no. He’d seen so little of his sister over the past couple of years, and even before then, he’d always found it hard to tell her “no.” So here he was, hoping that Maxwell and Bertrand had enough whiskey to get him through the evening.

“Drake, is that you?” Maxwell’s voice called out, echoing through the halls as he rounded the corner, “Hey, glad you could make it!”

“Yeah…” Drake trailed off as Maxwell came over. Maxwell was clearly going in for the hug, but thought better of it when he saw the look on Drake’s face. 

“So, yeah. Dinner might be a bit yet. Savannah is cooking but Bertrand has decided to ‘supervise’ as this is ‘their first dinner party’ as a couple or whatever. I wandered through the kitchen about 20 minutes ago, and it was not exactly going great.”

Drake just shook his head, “I hardly qualify as a dinner party.”

“Yeah, well… try telling Bertrand that. Do you want a drink while we wait for whatever the hell we’re gonna get for dinner at some point?”

“What do you think?”

“Right, stupid question. Come on, I’ll get you some whiskey.”

Drake followed Maxwell through the halls to the private lounge and took a seat on one of the couches as Maxwell wandered over to the bar cart and preparing a whiskey on the rocks and a glass of white wine before he joined Drake on the opposite sofa.

“So, has Riley been having a good time with Hana?”

“What?”

“Hana told me they were going to check out Riley’s favorite place for Chinese take out today and that she was going to see how it stacked up to authentic Cantonese cuisine. I was wondering if you’d heard the final verdict.”

“Maxwell, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Hana’s in New York,” said Maxwell, squinting slightly as he took a sip of his wine. “Drake, did you not know that?”

“No, she uhh… didn’t tell me that.” Drake downed his whiskey in one, pushing himself up off the couch and stalking over the liquor. That information warranted another drink.

Hana was in New York with Riley. Riley couldn’t be bothered to text him, but she was taking Hana out and keeping Maxwell posted about everything they were up to, apparently. It just was him she wanted nothing to do with. 

It was like every other time, and this time, he knew it was his own damn fault that she left him. He’d fucked everything up. He drank his second glass in one swig. He just wanted to go back to his quarters and be alone with his pain, but he could hardly duck out of a family dinner where he was the only guest. Pouring himself one more whiskey, he took a deep breath and rejoined Maxwell. He was gonna have to get through this night somehow.

Maxwell glanced up, tapping his finger on the side of his wine glass as Drake sat down. The silence was tense for a few moments before Maxwell broke it. 

“Drake, I wasn’t trying to pry, I swear. I’m just worried about Riley and I thought maybe-”

Drake jerked his head up and stared at Maxwell, “Why are you worried about Liu?”

Maxwell tensed for a second, “Look, I’m not trying to butt in where it’s not my business or anything-”

“Really? Since when have you had any sense of boundaries?” Drake snapped

“Hey! I’ve given you plenty of space! I get that you and Liam had to work through your… issues, or whatever. But she’s like my sister, and I have a right to be worried about her, too!”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s all my fucking fault. I already feel like shit about it so-”

“Oh come on, that’s not what I’m saying at all.”

“Then what’s your fucking point?”

Maxwell let out a sigh, “I’m just trying to make sure that both of my friends are doing okay and not isolating themselves and being all lonely and mopey and deciding that it’s better if no one knows that they are actually hurting.”

Drake took a deep breath, “Since when did you get so fucking insightful?”

“My greatest strength is that everyone underestimates me. It let’s me see things,” he said with a shrug.

“Huh,” was all Drake could muster, taking another sip of his whiskey.

“So, if you can promise not to jump down my throat, I’d like to ask how you are.”

Drake grimaced, “I’ll be fine. It just sucks right now because all I can do is wait for the other shoe to drop.”

Maxwell frowned at that. “What do you mean?”

“Well, as you could probably guess from my reaction, Riley’s basically ghosting me. I’m just waiting for the inevitable breakup text.”

“Or, she’s mopey and isolating herself, you know, like I said,” countered Maxwell.

“I don’t know. She won’t talk to me.”

“So go back and talk to her. The people behind the attacks are behind bars and you, Liam, and Olivia all said that things are looking good from that standpoint. You took care of what you needed to here, time to go take care of things with one Riley Liu.”

Drake shook his head, “It’s not that simple, Maxwell. I don’t even know if she wants me there.”

“I never said it would be simple. But you don’t know what’s going through her mind right now, right? So maybe she wants you there with her or maybe she doesn’t. There’s really only one way to find out.”

Drake bit the inside of his cheek, willing himself to keep calm. He couldn’t let Maxwell know that he didn’t know if he could deal with the possibility of face to face rejection from Riley. Not now, after he’d come to think that she might be the one woman who would stay. When Savannah left, it had nearly broken him completely. If he had to watch Riley leave him, too… well, he didn’t know if he could handle it.

“Hey,” called out Maxwell, forcing Drake to divert his attention away from his spiraling thoughts, “for what it’s worth, I don’t think she wants to leave you. But even if she does, wouldn’t it be easier to move forward knowing you did everything you could to try and make things right?”

After a few seconds, after processing the fact that Maxwell could apparently read him like a book, all Drake could say in response was, “Damn, you’re right.”

Maxwell smiled, “I’m fucking insightful, remember?”

Drake laughed at that, raising his glass to clink against Maxwell’s.

After taking a sip of his wine, Maxwell pulled out his phone, “Speaking of being insightful, what do you think the odds are that dinner preparations have completely fallen off the rails?”

“I’m going with about an 80% chance.”

“My thoughts exactly. So shall we preemptively order some pizza?”

Drake smiled and nodded as Maxwell called the restaurant he always used for late night sustenance at Beaumont Bashes. It was strange to think that Maxwell was now a close enough friend that he felt okay about talking with him about anything he was feeling. More than that, he realized that he had misjudged Maxwell a lot over the years. But if the past year had taught him anything, it was that Maxwell had pretty decent awareness when it came to a lot of things. He’d seen the value in Riley before any of them, after all. 

Drake knew he probably should apologize for some things he’d said in the past, both to and about Maxwell, but maybe bringing up his past intolerance of the man was not the best way to go. So instead, he waited until Maxwell finished placing the order and hung up the phone before he got up and walked over to the liquor once again.

“You need a refill, best friend roomie?”

The subsequent shriek of joy was loud enough to bring Savannah and Bertrand running.

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

Liam sighed, rubbing his eyes as he scanned through the final reports on all the interrogations. Starting tomorrow, some the initial hearings were happening in public court. Liam had pushed for expedited trials, knowing that the people had been through enough with these attacks and didn’t need the court proceedings to drag at a glacial pace. Of course, this meant he was giving himself less time to develop a firm grasp on the details of the three men whose trials were starting this week for when the press inevitably asked for comments. Still, he knew the prosecutors had it worse, and he was grateful the team of attorneys had agreed with his plan yesterday, even agreeing to meet with Bastien’s agents on a weekend.

He’d slept in his office last night, reviewing the files well past midnight. When he woke up with his head hanging over the arm of his sofa, he’d scurried off to the Monarch’s Quarters, quickly getting freshened up before heading back to his office. He chose his desk this time, hardly able to risk drifting off to sleep again, but it was still hard to stay focused. The reports were full of so many conflicting details, it was hard to keep who said what straight, and he’d been at if for hours at this point. He was about to get up and stretch his legs for a few minutes, but heard a couple of knocks on the door. Before he could call out a greeting, the door swung open, Leo walking straight in and over to the side cupboards.

“Why hello, Leo. Please, come in.”

Leo paused to turn to Liam. “Why, thanks brother!” he said in an exaggerated manner, winking as he looked back towards the wall units, “I was thinking of fixing myself a drink; would you like one?” 

Liam glanced at the clock on the wall. “Leo, it’s not even noon,” he chastised, “and you won’t find the whiskey in that cupboard.”

Leo stopped rifling through to cupboard and walked over to Liam’s desk, a wide grin spread across his face. As he plunked himself down in one of the chairs facing Liam, he raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. After a moment, Liam sighed and opened the bottom drawer of his desk, pulling out the Highland Park whiskey and two glasses.

“Keeping it close at hand, nice. I have to say, I like your style. Dad always kept his booze tucked behind the books. Your way is much wiser,” Leo said, accepting the glass from Liam.

“So what brings you by my office? We haven’t seen much of you around the palace the past couple of days.”

“Well, it seemed like things were pretty hectic around here. I thought I would give you some space while you dealt with all the official business. Besides, the casinos worry that something has happened to me if I’m around for more than two days and don’t make an appearance,” he joked. “Anyway, I just came by to let you know I’m flying out tomorrow.”

Liam took a sip of whiskey and nodded. He’d been expecting this since the funeral. He was actually kind of surprised Leo had stuck around Cordonia as long as he had. “Where are you heading this time?”

“I’m spending the next week in Havana, then it’s on to Rio.”

“Of course. Well, you know you’re welcome back anytime. Keep in touch, okay?”

“Yeah…” Leo said, trailing off and looking down at the surface of the desk. It seemed odd to Liam. Usually, when Leo said he was leaving, he appreciated a light-hearted goodbye. Liam figured years of Father attempting to guilt him into staying had taken their toll, so he always tried to show Leo that he understood his need to explore, to go elsewhere. But today, that seemed to bother him, and Liam wasn’t sure why.

“Is something wrong, Leo?”

Leo paused for a moment before he spoke, “You’re doing okay, right?”

“Of course.”

“I mean, you’re okay with the fact that I don’t spend much time in Cordonia, right?”

“Where is this coming from, Leo?”

Leo shook his head, “You don’t have to pretend you didn’t hear what Drake said to me the other day. I know you overhead us.”

Liam nodded slowly. He hadn’t heard everything, but he’d heard enough. And while the fact that Drake had mentioned being torn away from his life had been of more interest to Liam at that time, the fact that Drake had told Leo that he was a bad brother was also something that had stuck in his mind.

“It didn’t seem like the type of statement you’d put much stock in, if I’m being honest.”

Leo tensed at that. “He called me a shitty brother, Liam! Of course it stuck with me! Do you think so little of me that you thought I wouldn’t care about that?”

“Of course not. I just thought that you knew better than to hold Drake’s anger as a source of universal truth, not to mention you never seemed to mind being told you weren’t living up to expectations in this building.”

Leo gave Liam a small smile, “So, you don’t think I’ve been a bad brother to you?”

“No, I don’t feel that way.”

“But Drake was right. I haven’t really been around, I tend to get caught up in my own interests. I definitely have failed you in some ways.”

Liam shook his head, “I don’t expect you to care for me in the same fashion as Drake. He has his way of doing things, you have yours.”

“He called me your drinking buddy.”

Liam chuckled at that, “That’s an interesting perspective. It lacks some nuance, but yes, I suppose you do get me to let go of certain stressors temporarily by encouraging me to indulge in a variety of vices. It’s helpful at times, so I wouldn’t be so dismissive of it.”

Leo just shook his head, “Come on, you don’t need to shield me. If you need to get pissed at me, I get it.”

“Why would I need to get pissed at you?”

“I abdicated, for Christ’s sake! I left you with all the responsibility.”

“And didn’t I encourage you to take that course of action?”

“Yes, but Drake said-”

“Forget what Drake said. His interpretation of our relationship is highly irrelevant, and Drake is going to think what he’s going to think. I am telling you, I do not resent you for abdicating. Being Crown Prince was killing you; you were miserable. I love you, and I want to see you happy. How could I ever hold you taking an action that greatly improved your happiness against you?”

“But I want to see you happy, too.”

“I know you do. I presume that’s why you are very willing to take the full blame for indiscretions conducted by either of us.”

Leo scoffed a little, “Sure, when we were little.”

“And now. I heard Regina had some choice words for you after our night of drinking before the funeral.”

“She said she was amazed that after all this time, I still found a way to be a bad influence on you,” Leo said with a little smile.

“Exactly, and you let her believe that. Leo, you’ve always shown you care about me in your own way. I’ve never felt like you didn’t love me just because we want very different things out of life.”

“Still, the weight of the crown-”

“Is something that I don’t see as a barrier to my long-term happiness. It’s a responsibility, sure, but I am honored that our people trust me as their leader.”

Leo stared at Liam for a few seconds before throwing the whiskey back and finishing his drink. “You’re a good king, you know that right?”

Liam smiled gently, “Thank you, Leo. I appreciate that.”

“And I don’t just mean better than I would have been. You are a good leader. Cordonia is lucky to have you.”

“Thank you. But I think you would have been a better king than you give yourself credit.”

Leo just laughed, “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that point.” He stood to leave and strolled over to the door, but before he opened it, he spun back to face Liam.

“Do you mind if I give you a piece of advice?”

Liam inclined his head, “I would be a bad king if I couldn’t handle friendly advice.”

“Right, well this more personal than professional.”

“If it’s about Madeleine, give your history, that seems like a rather awkward topic-”

“Nah, it’s more general than that. Just... you need to be selfish sometimes. Not often, let’s say once a week. But you need to do something, no matter how small, that’s just for you.”

“Leo…”

“Promise me you’ll at least consider it. Remember, I love you, so that means I like seeing you happy. And I know you well enough that you might forget about your own happiness if things get hectic. So add it to your schedule or something, but remember, once a week, one thing, just for you.” And with that he was out the door.

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

Hana felt... well, the only way to describe it was gross. She knew that her plan for the evening was not something that was completely acceptable, morally speaking. But she hadn’t known what else to do.

All weekend, Riley had been completely uninterested in talking about anything of substance. She’d listened to Hana just fine and told plenty of amusing anecdotes. However, anytime Hana asked her how she was doing or if she needed to talk about anything, Riley had just brushed her off, saying she was fine before suddenly remembering a story about a funny customer or something of that sort. It was always lighthearted and superficial. There was never one iota of depth to anything she said. It had been shopping and restaurants and tourist attractions before Riley scurried off to get ready for work both Saturday and Sunday, and Hana was done with it. 

Maybe she wasn’t being fair. Both Saturday and Sunday evenings, when she’d been alone, trying to devise a strategy to encourage Riley to open up, she’d come to the realization that most of the weight that she’d felt in their friendship had come from her opening up, not so much the other way around. While Hana had discussed her distorted dynamic with her parents, her failed engagement and romantic inexperience, and her very lonely and isolated childhood, there was very little Riley had told her. She briefly mentioned that her father was long gone and her mother dead, but it had been Maxwell who told her that her mother had died of a heroin overdose. She wasn’t even sure if Riley had any family beyond that, any aunts, uncles, cousins, or grandparents. And Riley certainly hadn’t confided in Hana about her growing feelings for Drake at any point during the social season or Liam and Madeleine’s engagement tour.

The fact that her friendship with Riley appeared to be fairly lopsided filled her with both pain and guilt. It certainly hurt knowing that the first person in her life she saw as a best friend had probably not felt so connected with her. But more than that, she felt guilty for depending so much on Riley for emotional support and strength without offering anywhere near enough in return. But tonight, that was going to change.

Hana had tried being friendly and open. She’d tried asking gentle questions. She’d point blank asked Riley if she’d heard from Drake while they were at the Guggenheim. But Riley had deflected every single attempt. So tonight, Hana was getting her drunk. She hated thinking of it that way. It sounded so predatory, so malicious. But her intent was merely to use a bit of alcohol to help Riley feel comfortable enough to actually let her guard down and communicate openly. 

Her plan had been simple to execute, at least initially. Riley was off Monday, and given her apparent desire for all things fun and frivolous, it had been very easy to convince her that while in New York, Hana really wanted a little taste of the nightlife. Riley had been thrilled, offering to lend Hana club wear and taking them to a small little lounge after dinner before they headed to a nightclub. She hadn’t been out dancing in ages, apparently, and was very enthusiastic about the idea.

At first, it had gone exactly as Hana had hoped, with Riley downing vodka sodas while Hana just sipped on an amaretto sour as they sat in a little booth at the lounge. When they’d paid the cover to enter the nightclub, the bass from dance tracks resonating through Hana’s entire body, Riley appeared to be tipsy. Hana figured a couple more drinks, an hour or so of dancing, and then they could head out and actually talk.

What she hadn’t accounted for was the swaths of men who didn’t seem content to let them dance without butting in, invading their personal space without even saying hello. All of these men came with offers to buy them drinks, and while Hana always declined, Riley seemed keen on taking every single one of them up on it, wandering over to the bar time and time again, dragging Hana along with her.

Currently, Hana was standing there, watching as a tall man with very blond hair ordered Riley yet another Long Island Iced Tea. Riley was well passed the point of tipsy and was incredibly intoxicated, leaning heavily against the bar, the words she was practically yelling over the loud music slurred into a giant mess. The man in question didn’t seem to mind at all, though, handing his credit card over to the bartender.

“Excuse me!” Hana called out, the bartender pausing to look at her.

“Sorry!” yelled the blond man, leaning close to Hana so he could speak directly into her ear, “I didn’t know you were drinking. What do you want?”

Hana just shook her head and rolled his hand off her shoulder, leaning over the bar to speak directly to the bartender, tugging her skirt down as she did so. The length was not something she was used to, and she was feeling self conscious of how high it would ride up her thighs with her movement.

“Cancel that Long Island Iced Tea, please. She and I are leaving.”

The bartender glanced between the three of them, but after just a couple of seconds, he nodded with understanding. Hana then spun towards Riley,  hoping that she would be a cooperative drunk.

“Riley, sweetie,” Hana said, leaning to speak directly in her ear. 

Riley spun to face her, stumbling slightly on her heels as she moved, grabbing Hana’s arm. “Yeah?” she said, a concerning glazed looked to her eyes as she seemed to struggle to meet Hana’s eyeline.

“It’s time for us to leave.”

“I think she can decide if she wants to leave for herself.”

Hana rolled her eyes. She had hoped that the blond man would have moved on, but it seemed like he had set his sights on Riley. Ignoring him, she linked her arm through Riley’s and started to navigate them toward the coat check, but the man grabbed Riley’s wrist and tugged her back towards him.

“Riley, why don’t you tell your friend you’re having a good time and that I can get you home.”

Riley just looked dazed, her gaze unfocused, so Hana stepped forward and tugged her towards her side. “Riley, come on,” she said before looking at the man, “You are a disgusting excuse for a human being if you think that she is in any state to go anywhere with you.”

“Bitch!” the man spat out, but he seemed to decide that having this fight with Hana was not worth his time as he turned away and walked away from the two of them, probably looking for some other woman to ply with alcohol. Shaking her head, Hana wrapped her arm around Riley and moved them towards the exit. When they were waiting for their coats, Riley seemed to gain a little awareness of her surroundings.

“Where’d Peter go?”

Well, Hana had a name for the blond man with ill intentions now. “He had to go, and so do we,” she said, trying to guide Riley’s arms into her jacket.

“Oh,” said Riley, “Is Peter, I mean, where’s he, yeah, you know?”

Hana just blinked, not really having any clue what Riley’s drunken ramblings were supposed to convey. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get a cab back to my hotel.”

Hana was able to shepherd Riley out onto the sidewalk, but when she attempted to flag down a taxi, Riley batted down her arm, almost falling into the gutter in the process.

“No taxi, only three blocks,” she slurred, stumbling away from Hana and down the sidewalk with surprising speed.

“Riley, wait!” Hana cried out, “Where are you going?” But Riley didn’t give any response, so Hana took off after her. Any efforts to redirect her were met with groans and slurred grumbles and complaints, so after a few attempts, Hana just followed along. Riley was clearly on some sort of drunken mission, and Hana was going to be along for the ride, apparently.

It was a tricky route to wherever Riley was going. There were numerous other bars, clubs, and restaurants in this part of the city, and even though it was after midnight, there were still many people on the sidewalk, many of them just as drunk as Riley. Trying to prevent collisions, dodging cat callers, and keeping Riley upright was taking a lot of effort. Hana barely felt like the sidewalk was any less of an overwhelming place of noise and bodies than the dance club. Her ears were ringing and she was exhausted. She just wanted to get Riley safely into a bed and then go to sleep herself.

After a couple of blocks, Riley stopped in front of a small market, veering towards a side door. Hana was about to correct her that not only was the market closed, but that she was trying to enter what was clearly an employee entrance, but Riley fished a set of keys out of her pocket and fumbled with them, trying to unlock the door. At that moment, Hana realized that this door wasn’t to the market, it was to Riley and Drake’s apartment building.

After a couple of tries, Riley got the door unlocked and open, so Hana followed her into what appeared to be a mailroom for the building and then up a flight of stairs. Hana didn’t know what she had pictured for where Drake and Riley lived, but it certainly wasn’t this. She was trying hard not to be judgemental, but she’d never been inside a building so run down. It had probably been an adjustment for Drake compared to living at the palace.

As Hana trudged up several flights of stairs behind Riley, catching her from falling twice, she couldn’t help but think about Drake and Riley, not only living in this building, but in this neighborhood, in this city. Riley she could kind of imagine, out at a different bar or restaurant everyday, trying new foods and drinks, charming different people left and right. She was so bubbly and outgoing and had a definite wild, impulsive streak.

But Drake? Nearly agoraphobic, routine loving, scoffed at the new and unknown Drake? She just couldn’t see it. He would have punched at least five people on their walk back from the club alone. Try as she might, she couldn’t picture him in a place that was so loud and with so many different people. It seemed like the type of thing he would avoid at all costs. She didn’t know what to make of that. Did Drake have some secret, social side that he only let Riley see? Or was he just miserable and surly all the time? Hana felt like it was probably the latter. It made her sad to even think about. Here he had made a grand romantic gesture, moving to be with the woman he loved, and it was probably draining and stressful beyond his wildest dreams.

Eventually Riley turned down a hallway and made her way to a door labeled 4B. She tried to use her keys, but was struggling to figure out which key went into which lock. After a few seconds, Hana stepped up to grab the keys herself, but before she could even offer her help, Riley started crying, sinking to the floor.

“Riley!” she cried out, crouching down and grabbing her shoulders and rubbing circles against them. “It’s okay; I can unlock the door. It’ll be okay.”

“S’not that,” Riley mumbled. “I jus’ wanted t’forget t’night… T’not feel so bad…”

“Shhhh,” hummed Hana, sitting down on the floor next to Riley, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m so lonely. But no one cares,” Riley slurred, head thrown back against the door, “He’s never coming back and I’m gonna always be alone.”

“Riley, plenty of people care about you,” Hana said, trying to provide words of reassurance, but it was like Riley was just giving some sort of emotional speech, and she just kept mumbling the same thoughts over and over again. That she was alone. That she had no one. That everyone would always leave her. So Hana did the only thing she could think to do. She sat there with her, letting her ramble and release her pain. She wasn’t going anywhere, and hopefully that fact would provide at least a little comfort.

Permatag: @mfackenthal @lilyofchoices @thequeenofcronuts @jamesashtonisbae

The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir: @kingliam2019  @sirbeepsalot  @texaskitten30  @princessleac1  @ladyangel70  @dcbbw @yaushie @octobereighth

Drake x MC only: @jovialyouthmusic @iplaydrake @gibbles82 @drakewalkerisreal @riley–walker @notoriouscs @butindeed  @addictedtodrakefanfic

It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment: @wickedgypsymoon @thesumofmychoices @cosigottahavefaith @thequeenchoices @katedrakeohd  @feartheendlesssummer  @ao719  @ooo-barff-ooo​ @sunnyxdazed

[hockeybabestars]

New Year, Same Us - Auston Matthews - Six

a/n: yall our girls spill the tea in this chapter. also i did not just make up the wags account, i’ve actually seen some different ones like this on instagram but i don’t know the @ so just a heads up lol, enjoy.

July 28, 2018

“Uh (Y/N)” Steph said from the living room. “You might wanna see this!” 

“Hold on give me a sec!” I grabbed my mitts and pulled the rolls out of the oven, placing them next to the chicken on the stove, and ran into the living room plopping down next to Steph. 

It was a girls night, which meant that Paige, Steph and I were making dinner and watching movies while the guys played video games at Mitch’s with some of their other teammates. It was nice catching up. I had been setting up for a fall internship in my department at school and was getting all the details ironed out before I went back. I hadn’t seen the girls in a hot minute.

“I usually don’t look at stuff like this, but it popped up on my explore feed.” Steph was sandwiched between Paige and I, as we looked down at her phone.

It was an Instagram post with pictures of Auston and I either from each other’s instagram page or pictures it looks like people have sent in from spotting us in public. One of which we are holding hands. “Gimme that.” I make grabby hands at her phone and she hands it to me. I scroll through the multiple photos of us again, and then look at the actual account. An NHL Wags account which has more than 10k followers. Holy shit. 

I click on the Leafs highlight. It’s a bunch of listings of players and girlfriends/wives with the date of the most recent update. The first one has TAKEN next to Mitch and nothing next to Auston’s. But then the one from last year has TAKEN next to Auston’s. And the most recent one, which was updated a couple weeks ago, still says TAKEN.

I went back to the post of us and read the caption. “Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and (Y/F/N)! These two are adorable! All photo credits go to submissions and their instagrams.”

Under it were probably 50 plus comments. 

“So cute!”

“They’ve been together since day one, just look at their accounts they go wayyyy back and the captions just get flirtier. We love an otp”

“Why tf would he go for her?”

“He could do better.”

And at that I shut it down. I knew people said horrible shit about me for being his friend but I chose not to directly look at it and I wasn’t about to start feeding the beast.

“That’s uh, interesting.” I said handing Steph her phone back. “And weird.”

“Wait why?” Paige asked looking confused. “Obviously not the fact that they have the info but like aren’t you guys together?”

“I forget you’re new.” I laughed, “I swore I told you-“

“I just assumed-“

“It’s not a big deal, literally everyone thinks we’re together at first.”

“So you’re not?” She raised a perfectly sculpted brow as I shook my head, “damn. I swore you guys were. Kappy never told me otherwise so I just thought- wow.”

“If it helps she wants them to be.” Steph shrugged and I glared at her. “What? Better to be honest and upfront. I don’t know why you two haven’t just come to terms with it all and told each other how you’re feeling.”

The timer dinged on the oven for the Mac and Cheese and we all made our way back into the kitchen. “Yeah that would be great and all but Aus doesn’t feel that way about me. And even if he did you see the girls he goes for. Polar opposite of me.” I pulled the Mac out of the oven as Paige started putting the salad together.

“Babe,” she started, “that boy is in love with you. I think he just hasn’t realized it yet.”

“Yeah,” Steph chimes in, “I don’t know if you realize but like, he never even mentions said girls to the guys when they ask.”

“Yeah but that’s just cause I’m around the majority of the time.”

“No- not even when you’re not there. Mitch asked him if he went home with a girl when we went out the other week? Ya know when you were busy sorting out that internship?” I nodded. “We went home early that night but Auston and Willy stayed out.  You know what he said? He didn’t go home with anybody. And you know who he started talking about instead? You.”

My cheeks flushed, “All he went on about is how proud of you he was and how he wanted your internship to go well for you.” 

My stomach was in knots, “you’re telling me that Auston didn’t go home with anyone that night? That’s so unlike him.”

I had thought about it before. Around the time that we first got to Toronto. That maybe he had the same feelings I did, but then it was a new girl every game and I figured that I better get over it quickly before my heart broke. I didn’t. 

I guess I wanted to believe that if he really did like me then he would just come out and say it, or at least he wouldn’t sleep around. And he never did say anything. But he’s hot. And a professional hockey player. And a damn good one at that. He was sleeping around in high school. And it’s nothing to shame him for, it just sucked when I was harboring those feelings and I didn’t want our friendship to change if he didn���t like me back. I wasn’t ready to leave and give him up if that were the case.

“Sis he hasn’t been going home with anyone for like the past 3 months.” 

“There’s no way he hasn’t had sex in that long. That’s just not realistic.”

“That’s what Mitch told me.”

“You live with him.” Paige said, fixing herself a plate, “wouldn’t you know?”

“We never bring hookups to our apartment. I’m always asleep when he gets home on those nights. I don’t wanna know how long he’s been gone. And even if I was awake I keep my door shut at night anyway.”

“Have you like, got any recently?” Steph asked wiggling her eyebrows and putting an unhealthy portion of Mac and Cheese on her plate. 

“Uhh I hooked up with that hot bartender, but Aus doesn’t need to know about that. And also a guy that I had some classes with from last semester, I think about a month ago? But that’s about it. I went out on a limb with those, I’m not one to just hook up ya know? I would rather be in a relationship.” They nodded and I went on, “It was good with the guy from school but as soon as he found out Auston and I were friends it got weird. It was the one time I brought someone over because Auston was out of town. So after we hooked up, this dude was going through our kitchen cabinets at like 1 in the morning with just boxers on while I was asleep and Auston walked in. That’s how he found out I lived with him. That’s how he fucking met Auston.” 

They were damn near cackling at this point and I just started making myself some food.

“What did Auston say to you when it happened and then like after?” Paige poured us some wine.

“He had just come home from a road trip and was so confused. He asked the guy to leave, but I guess he was awestruck that Auston Matthews was in my apartment and I kid you not, asked for a damn autograph.”

They were dying. “Glad I can amuse you ladies at my expense.” I laughed a little too. 

“The whole thing was such a shitshow. Auston obviously said no and kicked him out. Then he knocked on my door. And like there I am with just a t-shirt and panties on. I was so fucking embarrassed. He wanted to talk then and we worked it out. But he was acting kind of weird about it. Honestly he seemed a little butthurt.”

“Of course he did. He was pissed off some kid at your college could get with you when he’s known you all of a semester and Aus can’t seem to catch a break after 20 years.” Steph stated.

I laughed, but Paige added, “Damn right!” She raised her glass and Steph and I did the same. 

“To good friends.” I started, “I needed this, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you guys. So here’s to us!”

“To us!” They said at the same time, glasses clinking.

 And it felt good.

[captainmeowvelwrites]

You Times Two (Ch.4)

Pairing: Marinette/Ladybug | Adrien/Chat Noir Words: 4208 Summary: Ladybug knew this was necessary. She was the Guardian. He had the Cat Miraculous. But when his suit evaporated in a glow of pale green, she sure hadn’t expected him to have something far more precious: her heart. Cross-posted: AO3 and FFN

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ...

Recap: Previously, on You Times Two… To the dismay of everyone here, Mari’s Multimouse shenanigans mostly fooled our precious bean. But praise be, at least he and Kagami aren’t official. Not to him. Not yet. After a cheeky eavesdrop on our two favourite kitties, Clumsy Girl fears Sunshine Boy’s onto her. And of course, of all the times Papagreste could let his son have a social life, he does so in the midst of our girl’s existential crisis. Will Hotstuff stay single? And will Marimoo do something silly with her newfound suspicions? Read forth to find out!

---

Chapter Four

Marinette collapsed into her hot pink office chair, heaving a sigh. "What a day, Tikki." Using her feet, she launched herself toward her desk, the wheels of her chair whirring on the wooden floor. "Maybe I really wasn't exaggerating when I called this the apocalypse." She slammed her head against the desk, a stray pencil wobbling near her ear.

"Don't be silly, Marinette," said Tikki, hovering over her shoulder. "You've been through trickier situations than this before."

Marinette held up a finger. "I called him Chadrien," she garbled, her cheek squished against the desk. "As Marinette and Ladybug."

"Well," Tikki drawled, "things could always be worse."

Marinette groaned, peeling her cheek from the white wood. "But you heard him, Tikki. He suspects I'm Ladybug." She buried her face in her hands, peeking through her fingers to pout at her kwami. "I can't risk him knowing who I am before I even know if he should!"

Tikki tilted her head. "So, what are you going to do?"

Marinette's hands dropped from her face to reveal hardened eyes, now shining with purpose. "I'm going to keep our interactions to a minimum," she said, slicing a decisive hand through the air.

Tikki blinked at her owner like she'd sprouted antennae. "How do you plan to do that? You see him every day at school. He sits in front of you in class. He'll be at Alya's tomorrow. And let's not forget, he's Chat Noir!"

Marinette giggled. "I don't plan to avoid him as Chat Noir, silly. I know that's impossible." Her eyes wandered toward the ceiling as she placed a pensive finger to her lips. "But avoiding Adrien… surely I can manage that for a while?"

A smirk crept across Tikki's lips. "How long is a while?"

"Tikki!" Marinette cried, snorting back laughter as she tickled her kwami's belly. "Not for two seconds, if that's what you're thinking." Laughter continued to line her words. "Just until this whole Marinette might be Ladybug thing blows over, however long that is." She pushed off the desk and slumped into her chair, lips pursed. "Maybe I need to throw him a bone? Or should I say catnip?"

Expecting her kwami to giggle, she was surprised to instead find a worried frown on Tikki's face.

"You know, Marinette, I don't think avoiding Adrien will be as easy as you think."

Marinette slapped the air with a dismissive hand. "Come on, Tikki. How hard can it be to avoid the busiest boy in school?"

Three knocks bounced off the hatch in her floor. "Marinette?"

The girl in question nearly fell off her chair.

"It's Adrien." His voice was muffled through the wood. "Are you in there?"

Marinette flew from the chair so fast she sent it spinning. "Adrien," she squeaked, arms whipping in front of her as if to shield herself from an incoming train. "What are you – Uhh – Hi! I mean, what?" She slapped her forehead. "I mean, err… just a sec!" She pried her side bag open, watched as Tikki zipped inside it, and snapped it shut in an instant. Her steps were fast and heavy as she hurried to the hatch, almost tripping on the edge of a round rug.

Lurching the hatch in the floor aside, she found a pair of green eyes smiling up at her. "Hey Marinette!" He briefly let go of the stair railing to wave at her, drawing attention to a paper bag that crumpled as it swayed from his left arm. She glimpsed a golden emblem upon it and knew it was from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery.

He looked uncomfortable, hunched on the stairs to her room and unable to reach his full height. And yet he continued to smile as she gaped like a weirdo.

Finally, a giggle hiccupped in her throat. "Adrien, hi." She mirrored his wave with a little too much vigour. "Fancy seeing you here. In my house. As opposed to, uhh… school."

Adrien peered up at her from through his bangs, which remained a ruffled mess from this morning.

To her, they were like a giant neon sign on his head that read "I AM CHAT NOIR".

The sight of them had eased her a few times today.

Now, not so much.

"Sorry…" He rubbed at his neck, his cheery smile shrivelling into something more reserved. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" His eyes travelled over her shoulder, as though searching for someone. "I thought I heard talking and I—"

"Talking? Like, with another person?" Marinette shot ramrod straight. "What? Notally! I mean totally. I mean no, you totally weren't hearing that. I was just, uhh…" She managed her best take on Tikki's high-pitched voice, and sounded more like a pre-schooler with a really bad cough. "I was just talking… to… myself." She quickly gave up on her imitation of Tikki. It was already itching her throat, not to mention Adrien was blinking at her as though she had three eyes. "Yeah, so I was just… conversing… with myself. Y'know, like I said I do this morning. Some of the time. Not, y'know… all the time."

"Uhh… Okay then?" Adrien showed a smile, despite the confusion that riddled every inch of his face. "Well, in that case, I—"

"Oh, how silly of me!" Marinette held a hand out to him. "Come on up!"

His eyes twinkled, first at her and then at her hand, which he reached for willingly.

But something caught her eye.

And surprisingly, that thing wasn't the many photos of Adrien that had once littered her walls. She'd taken those down a few weeks ago, save for a couple on the corkboard above her bed, which were spritzed amid pictures of her other friends.

Ahead of her sat the trunk that housed Adrien's birthday presents (now for the next forty-eight years). And upon that trunk was Master Fu's phonograph.

Terror tainted her face. What if he recognised it?

Before he could accept her hand, she slapped it to her chest. "Actually, no. My room's a mess. It's super embarrassing." She ducked through the hatch and gripped his shoulders, coaxing him down the stairs. "Let's talk somewhere tidier."

Wait.

Had Adrien even been to Master Fu's?

She didn't think so.

Marinette ripped her hands from his shoulders, instead grabbing his wrist. "I mean, uhh. It's not that messy. Come on up." She took two steps toward her room, before screeching to a halt.

What if he had been to Master Fu's and she just didn't know?

"That'd be a disaster," she breathed.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"

She bolted upright. "Uhh… My room. It's a total disaster. Let's talk downstairs!" Her hand remained around his wrist and before he could even open his mouth, she was all but dragging him to the foot of the stairs. She didn't miss the line that had etched between his brows.

In fact, it had her biting back a groan.

Maybe she should write a book: How To Look Stupid In One Minute Or Less.

What genre would it be? A comedy? A horror? Maybe a tragedy?

She couldn't decide.

All she knew is it wouldn't be a self-help book.

"So, umm…" Marinette tapped her pointer fingers together, her lips wiggling in thought. "What are you doing there? I mean here. In my house." Her shoulders seized. "Which I totally mind, by the way. I – I mean, which I totally don't mind." She faked a long yawn. "Sorry, I'm being a freak—I mean, it's… uhh… been a long week. Yeah, that's what I meant."

Adrien held up a hand and smiled. "It's okay, Marinette. I know you didn't sleep well last night." He slid a familiar pink bag from his back and she barely resisted the urge to smack her head against the nearby bookcase. "That's probably why you left this in class. I was stopping by the bakery anyway, so I thought I'd return it." He held the bag out to her, still wearing that warm-hearted smile of his, and she accepted it with rigid movements.

"Th – Thank you, Adrien." She pulled it over one shoulder and peered up at him, a blush grazing her cheeks. "That's very curious—I mean sweet of you."

And it was.

But why not just leave it with her parents?

Surely that would've been way easier than delivering it to her in person.

Marinette sucked in a breath. What if he was trying to figure out if she was, in fact, Ladybug?

That would involve being around her more. And annoyingly, it also happened to sabotage her own plans to avoid him.

Suspecting she was Ladybug due to her word vomit was one thing. Didn't he know better than to actively seek out her identity?

She hoped so.

Maybe she was just reading into this too much.

Adrien had always been thoughtful. This might've just been one of those times.

"Oh, it was nothing," he insisted, tearing her from those thoughts. "You've done far more for me since we met." Remembrance lit up his eyes like the flick of a switch, and he glanced at the paper bag around his wrist. "That reminds me." He strode over to the kitchen, set the bag on the counter and dipped his hand inside. "Your father mentioned his pear and pineapple cheesecake is a favourite of yours. And if your designs are anything to go by, you have really great taste." He pulled out a small carton that brandished the same golden emblem as the bag. "So, I thought you might like a slice."

"Adrien, I…" She gaped, first at him, then at the carton. "You – You didn't have to! Thank you." They exchanged smiles as she accepted the carton, and placed it on the nearby counter.

"Again, it's nothing." Adrien waved his hands out before him, as if to emphasise his point. "Honestly, I was there to get something for another friend anyway." He glanced at the paper bag, now containing two neatly stacked cartons rather than three. "But it looked so delicious, I just had to get myself a slice. And there was only one left after that, so… I thought it might make a nice start to your weekend."

Marinette felt resistance as she swallowed, her throat closing. The other slice of cake must've been for Kagami.

"That's—" Her voice cracked and she hoped he hadn't noticed. "That's, umm, really thoughtful of you." Her eyes sunk to the counter as she smoothed her hand across it, its surface cool against her palm. "I, um – I hope Papa didn't make you pay for my piece."

He gave a half-smile. "Worse! He insisted I have it for free."

She giggled. "Yup. That sounds like Papa."

Adrien set his hand flat against the counter, as though mirroring her stance. "In the end, he settled for giving me a discount."

When he leaned in close and revealed a sly smirk, her first thought was that it should've come with a warning. Chat Noir had done this a million times, but Adrien? Only once that she could recall – after Troublemaker – when he'd leaned into her personal bubble and teasingly accused her of lying about why his face was all over her room. In hindsight, that had been a very Chat thing to do.

Again, how had she been so blind?

Adrien’s voice snapped her back to the present. "Don't tell your father," he whispered behind his hand, "but I may have slipped a few notes in the tip jar when he wasn't looking."

Before she could stop herself, Marinette snorted with amusement. "I won't tell him," she said, a twinkle in her eyes, "but only because you're bribing me with cake."

"You're too kind," he actually teased—and for a second, she stopped breathing. Heck, she even snuck a glance at her arm, just to make sure she wasn't transformed. When had this become an exchange not unlike the ones shared by their alter egos?

Adrien fished his sleek smartphone from his school bag and spared it a glance. "Well, I should probably get going. I've got fencing in less than half an hour."

"Sure," said Marinette, watching as he plucked the paper bag from the counter. "I'll see you out then." She led him to the front door, opening it to reveal the dimly lit stairwell beyond. "Thanks again for bringing my backpack, Adrien. And thanks for the cake. You really didn't have to."

Adrien held up a hand. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record player, it really is nothing." He tugged the strap of his bag a little higher on his shoulder. "And I hope you enjoy the cake. It was made by the best baker in Paris"—he winked—"so that shouldn't be hard."

Marinette giggled. "I'll pass your compliments onto the chef." She glanced at the paper bag on his arm, and drooped as she eyed the two cartons within it. "Well, you'd better not keep Kagami waiting." In that moment, she was reminded of the lacklustre way she'd reacted to his new girlfriend joining them tomorrow for video games. "Uh – Actually, I – umm – I just wanted to berate—congratulate you on, well… you and Kagami." As her grip on the front door tightened, she could only hope her smile seemed sincere. "You guys… You make a cute couple."

"Oh, I – Thank you, Marinette." His eyes dropped to his feet, but not before she caught sight of the thought that hazed their depths. She recognised that look; Chat had worn it just last night, when gathering his words.

Marinette remained silent, as Ladybug had, and allowed him some time to think.

Only a few seconds ticked by, both of them still and quiet in the doorway. "Hey… err…" His eyes inched up to meet hers. "Remember the advice you gave me about Kagami?"

Marinette stiffened. "I – Uh. About the ice rink? Yeah. I remember." She laughed, but there was no real joy to the sound. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Adrien drawled, pink painting his ears, "I was kind of hoping you could give me some more advice about her… if that's all right?"

At this point, she was stiffer than the mannequin that lived in her bedroom. She hoped and hoped and hoped he wasn't wanting her to tag along on another date. She was all for helping him out, but in hindsight, that trip to the ice rink had been agony—and that was before she knew he was the cat who'd been incessantly asking her out for over a year.

"I... uhh..." Her voice sounded as though it'd been shoved through a strainer. "Sure. Um. Go away. I mean, fire ahead. No – uh – go ahead." If he hadn't been right there, she would've smacked her forehead for sure.

Adrien pressed his hands together, his eyes sinking down and to his right. "Well, you see"—he looked back at her—"despite what the media are saying, Kagami and I aren't actually official yet."

Shock flashed across Marinette's face. "Really?" She shot straight. "I – I mean, uhh… carry on."

"The thing is… Kagami thinks we are official, but I'm, well…" He looked back at the ground, his bangs falling across his eyes to frame his steadily flushing cheeks. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Marinette smiled. "Of course not."

Adrien peered up from the ground. "Honestly, I'm kind of a hopeless romantic." She bit back the urge to burst out 'same'. "So… I've always imagined getting a girlfriend would go a lot differently than this."

She bit her lower lip, as thoughts of a black cat on a Parisian rooftop affronted her mind. "You mean things like"—she practically squeaked her next words—"love poems and roses and candlelit dinners?"

His eyes shot wide. "I – Yes. Yes, exactly like that, actually." His brows gathered, light fading from his eyes—and her insides twisted at the sight.

Was he thinking back to that rooftop dinner date he’d put together?

Of all the times Ladybug had rejected him?

All the times she’d rejected him?

"Anyway," Adrien said, that light re-sparking in his eyes, though a little dimmer than before, "I guess the thing I want to ask you is, well…" He bit his bottom lip, something that shouldn't have been so darn cute given the circumstances. "If you were Kagami, what would you want me to do? Should I tell her what I've just told you? Or should I just… I don't know… go with the idea that we are official?"

Her heart hammered in her ribcage, so hard its every beat seemed to pop her eardrums. Maybe her luck really had run dry back on the Eiffel Tower. It had only been a matter of time, right?

"You can't tell her," she finally said, only to backtrack. "I mean, you should tell her. I – I mean…" She stopped to draw in a breath, taking a moment to reclaim her composure.

Right now, Adrien deserved the guidance of a friend—and he'd chosen her. Even if her heart was coming undone at the seams, she’d never let her kitty down—and she refused to start now.

"If I thought we were already together, I'd still love it if you asked me properly." Her words flowed with a surprising level of ease. "Maybe you could even ask her during that candlelit dinner. And even better, you'd get what you were hoping for from the beginning and you'd clear things up all at once."

Adrien had hung from her every word, his face steadily brightening with each syllable that left her lips. "You're right," he said, purpose filling his voice. "Thanks, Marinette! You're always the girl with a plan."

Marinette threaded her fingers in front of her, a shy smile lining her lips. "Yup, that's me." Her smile twitched. "Oh and I hope Kagami destroys—err, enjoys the cake!"

Adrien rubbed the nape of his neck. "Actually, it's for someone else." He gripped his chin, guilt straining his next words. "But now that you mention it, maybe I should've gotten a piece for her too."

"Oh. Well, umm—" She scoured her brain for a solution. "Why don't you just… uhh, give her mine?"

He shook his head. "No need, Marinette. It was meant for you." Smiling, he held up the paper bag around his arm. "I'll just give her mine. Problem solved."

Her eyes went round. "But you have to try Papa's pear and pineapple cake, Adrien. It's delicious!" Tenacity transformed her face. "Come with me." It was a statement, not a suggestion—and before he could protest, she'd grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the kitchen.

"Marinette, you don't need to—"

"Yes, I do." She plucked a small plate from a nearby cupboard and a knife from a drawer. "There is no way I'm letting you leave without your own slice of Papa's cheesecake."

Marinette sliced a sliver from her cake and shifted it to her plate. The larger piece, of course, stayed in the carton, while the plated piece was stowed in the fridge. She soon faced him, the carton gripped within two pale hands; it nearly slipped through her fingers when she saw his smile—so light, so familiar, so full of fondness. When being stubborn, Ladybug often found herself on the receiving end of it.

It was such a Chat Noir smile.

And in that moment, she realised it was such an Adrien smile too.

"Thank you, Marinette." That smile didn't once waver as he placed the carton in the paper bag, atop the two others. "You didn't have to trouble yourself like that."

"Hey, it was a piece of cake." Marinette immediately knew what she'd unleashed and quite frankly, she didn't care.

Awe filled his face. "Was that a pun I just heard?"

She held a hand to her lips, hiding the way they quirked up at the corners. "Mhm. And a pretty sweet one, if I do say so myself."

"Puns and baked goods. Isn't this just the icing on the cake?"

"I guess today you get to have your cake and eat it too."

Adrien laughed, loud and hearty. It was a laugh she rarely heard, and cliché as it may be, that sound was like an entire symphony to her ears. "Wow, Marinette," he said, a grin bright on his face. "I never realised you were so punny!"

She shrugged. "Well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me." The phrase came innocently enough, but the moment it sunk in, a strangled croak crept up her throat. "That is, err… things like, what I ate for breakfast this morning or – um – what my favourite kind of potato is and – uh – my second favourite colour. Yeah, things like that. Y'know?"

A chuckle shook his shoulders. "Well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me either,” he said, a spark in his eyes—it was snuffed within a second. "Err – By that I of course mean…. uh… things like my least favourite food or my… favourite flavour of macaron."

"Hey, isn't it pass—" Marinette slapped a hand to her lips, heat rising to her cheeks. "Uhh… Past the time you wanted to leave by?"

Recollection flared in his eyes. "Oh – Right! Thanks for reminding me." He glanced at the time on the nearby microwave and sucked air in through his teeth. "Okay, I definitely need to get going." He rushed from the kitchen to the entrance, his right hand gripping the shoulder strap of his bag as his left reached for the bronze doorknob.

Marinette beat him to it, pulling the door aside with a smile he returned without hesitation.

"By the way," he said, just as he stepped into the stairwell, "whenever you've got any puns in the oven, feel free to throw them my way."

"I'll keep you roasted."

He slipped her a side glance, his smile crossing into smirk territory. "Oh and don't think I didn't notice you gave me the bigger slice."

Her lips seemed to move of their own accord. "I'm sorry. Can Mr Teen Model not handle all the calories?"

For a moment, he seemed incapable of forming words, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. And then he simply beamed at her. "See you tomorrow, Marinette."

She nodded, her eyes gleaming. "Enjoy your cake!"

"I'm sure I'll enjoy every single calorie of it." And with another of his classic winks, Adrien left.

Only when Tikki spoke up, peeking out of her side bag, did Marinette realise he was long gone and she was still holding the front door wide open, a goofy smile across her lips.

"I thought you were planning to avoid Adrien."

Marinette could almost hear her kwami's unspoken 'not flirt with him'. She slapped the air, a pained laugh prying her lips apart. "Pffft. Ha! No. Don't be silly, Tikki. I was just—"

"Keeping his calorie intake in check?" Tikki said, fluttering her eyelashes dramatically.

"I – I didn't look like that!" Marinette shoved the door shut, a pout on her lips. "I – I was – He was—" Unleashing a groan, she slumped against the door and sunk to the ground, the wooden floorboards cold against her bare calves. "He was acting like Chat Noir and… I don't know… the Ladybug in me just… just took over."

"Uh huh," Tikki drawled, mirth thick in her voice. "So, you're still going to Alya's tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Marinette said, throwing her hands out for emphasis. "I already said yes to her days ago. And it's not like I expected Adrien's dad to say the same to him. He never lets him hang out with his friends!" She chewed at her bottom lip, thoughts of tomorrow dragging her down from her Adrien-induced stupor.

Tikki floated out of her side bag and hovered at eye level. "Well, you have a joint patrol tonight. At least you can get some more practice at acting normal around him." There was a glint in Tikki's eyes and a cheeky smirk on her lips. "Though by your flirting just now, I'd say you're already well on your way."

Groaning, Marinette hid her face behind a hand. "I'm pretty sure talking to Adrien like that is not normal."

"You're right." Tikki's smirk stretched as she zipped closer to her owner. "But talking to Chat Noir like that is."

"Tikki!" Marinette shrieked, leaping to her feet. "He has a girlfriend! Well… a not-girlfriend. Or a… might-as-well-be-girlfriend. I… You know what I mean. And besides, I'm kind of… I dunno… sort of seeing Luka?"

"I know, I know." Tikki giggled as she floated onto her chosen's shoulder. "I'm just teasing."

A small smile soon painted Marinette's lips as she tickled Tikki's belly. "What am I going to do with you?"

Tikki giggled in her ear, remaining on Marinette's shoulder as she scaled the stairs to her bedroom. Her latest encounter with Adrien raced through her mind, bringing with it a thought she'd previously dismissed. "My reaction last night as Ladybug must've really freaked him out if he's bringing cheesecake to patrol." The light of clarity brightened her eyes and she snapped her fingers triumphantly. "But that gives me an idea."