#Whoops forgot to color the clasp

[recusant-s-sigil]

You’re the knife and the wielder

couldn’t even save your sister

how does it feel to be without her

sinner beneath the sword

[bluefuckboy]

vampire!Dabi x m!reader

A/N: not enough Dabi x m!reader out there so here’s a contribution with a twist. Reader works at a bloodmobile donation center and receives a late night visitor...

WARNINGS: blood (obviously), non con elements, body horror, very brief references to homophobic slang, implied virgin reader, implied death,

Word Count: 4,276

“Thanks again man!”

“Yeah no problem.”

Except it was a problem. Or rather more of an annoyance, even if you were on the end shift anyway. Protocol was two people for transport back to the hospital, but your coworker was very adamant that if he didn’t get to his girlfriend’s right at 9pm then they were over. You’d neglected to ask how he “forgot.”

You were more than capable of managing the bloodmobile by yourself. It was just a little lonely since the drive back to the hospital was close to an hour. Not to mention the time it took to double check donation storage before you could even head back.

You were midway through the A- donations when you heard a knock at the door. It had been at least twenty minutes since your coworker left. It was past 9pm now and everyone at the donation event had left around seven, so you were slightly wary to go to the door.

Upon peering through the window on the door you saw nothing initially. Just the parking lot illuminated dimly. There were shadows from the trees that made strange shapes on some of the parking spaces. It made you slightly anxious, so you turned to go back to the donations when another rap sounded on the door.

This time there was a man in front of the door. He was tall and lanky, his messy black hair was tousled by the slight breeze. A cigarette was perched between long, pale fingers with black nails and what looked like tattoos that came up to the wrist. His other hand was tucked into the pocket of a trench coat, black of course, which almost reached the heavy duty combat boots he was scuffing impatiently on the pavement.

He tapped on the glass of the door with a knuckle, but didn’t look up, opting to take another drag of the cigarette while casting a bored look in the direction of a streetlight.

Your hand hovered over the door handle. You knew opening the door was probably a terrible idea, but for some reason this guy had piqued your interest. You were curious to find out what the heck he was doing in front of a mobile blood donation center at this hour of the night looking like the long lost member of My Chemical Romance.

You slowly unlocked the door to the bus and opened it a crack. The man turned around and looked up at you. His face was pale, and eerie. There were multiple piercings studded across his cheeks, and up to his ears. The lower half of his jaw was heavily tattooed, the ink winding down to his neck and disappearing below the collar of his shirt.

You cleared your throat.

“Can I help you?”

“I dunno, can you?”

The question was mocking and he ended it with a toothless smile. His tone irked you and you informed him that you were done taking donations.

His brow lowered and he mused, “Donations? I thought this was a late night food truck. I even brought my crazy straw.”

He produced an impossibly twisted black straw from the trenchcoat, holding it up for you to see. You stared at it as you tried to come up with a response.

“Sir, this is a mobile blood donation center, not a food truck.”

The man tutted his tongue and peered past you slightly. You moved to block his view of the inside of the bus. He pursed his lips and crossed his arms, taking another long drag of the cigarette and blowing the smoke a little too close to your face for it to be a mistake.

When he spoke it was almost to himself, mumbling, “I don’t know why I even bother to make conversation.” He chuckled. “And what a waste of a clever joke.”

He laughed again and then sighed, letting the cigarette dangle loosely between his fingers. You were thoroughly confused now. Your confusion turned to disgust and slight horror as he brought the cigarette back to his lips. Instead of taking another puff, he drove the still lit butt into the center of his tongue, putting it out without even batting an eye.

You gaped at him, speechlessly watching as he tossed the butt aside. He was unfazed, despite the fact that he had surely just severely burned his tongue. He was merely stretching now, as though he were getting ready for a workout.

After coming back up from a deep toe touch he quipped, “Nothing like a nice palette cleanser, hmm?”

You blinked at him, and then suddenly he was making his way up the steps casually. You put out an arm.

“Excuse me, sir, I can’t let you in.”

The statement made him laugh.

“Letting me in. How 18th Century. You’re cute.”

He made to come into the bus. You tried to stop him, but suddenly found yourself unable to move. It was like the muscles in you body were cramping all at once.

The man easily slipped past you and there was a strange sense of foreboding building as you tried to move again. Pain shot through your legs and you grit your teeth. You were able to move your eyes and found yourself staring into the face of the man as he stood in front of you.

Up close you could see the dark circles under his eyes, heavy bags that accentuated his gaunt features. His eyes were unsettling, cerulean and dangerous. You couldn’t bring yourself to look away. As you stared at them they seemed to flicker between a darker color momentarily, but it could have been a trick of the terrible lighting within the bus.

You watched as the man shut the door behind him and strolled slowly through the bus. He had his hands clasped behind his back, casually peering at the equipment as though he were looking through a library.

Upon finding the open intake box you had been sifting through, his eyebrows went up and a smile crept across his face. He knelt down in front of it and picked up an A- donation packet. He tucked it under his arm and then shuffled through the other packets as though he were looking through a collection of vinyl records.

“Any AB-?”

The question was directed at you and you were suddenly able to move your tongue again, which had felt like it was stuck to the roof of your mouth.

You tried to keep my voice steady as you said, “Sir I need you to put that down and please leave.”

He looked over at you with an amused expression, then turned back to the donations.

“I’ll take that as a no then. At least you’ve got a couple O-‘s. Always a safe bet, if a little bland.”

He sighed and then did something which would have made your jaw drop if you could have. He stabbed the crazy straw into the bag and then took a long sip of the blood. He swallowed, smacking his lips.

“Decent enough I suppose.”

He took another sip and emptied the bag, tossing it aside before moving on to the one he had tucked under his arm. All you could do was stand motionless and watch as he picked out a few more bags and sat casually on one of the donation chairs.

He propped his boots up on the chair and leaned back, sipping form a bag of B+ plus. You could feel sweat dripping down your back. Your muscles were painfully tense and you could feel fatigue setting in, but you couldn’t relax.

You tried in vain again to move and the man’s unusual eyes flicked up to you. He wiped a bit of blood clinging to his lip and sucked his thumb into his mouth. It was overtly obscene and clearly done to annoy you as he knew what he was doing was not only illegal but downright disgusting.

You could feel your legs starting to shake and were worried they might go out and send you flat on your face. Instead, you found yourself suddenly released from whatever strange force had been holding you hostage.

It was so sudden you just fell to the ground in a heap. The man laughed.

“How graceful.”

Despite the feeling of utter exhaustion that was washing over you, you were somehow able to get up and spin around to face the man. You were a bit larger than him and you needed to get him restrained before making a call to the authorities and figuring out what inventory he had decided to drink.

You moved to grab a strap from the chair he was in, quickly buckling it over the wrist that was by his side. His eyebrows went up, but he didn’t make a move to try and fight as you put the straps at the bottom of the chair over his feet so he was bound by all but the hand that held the bag he was still sipping from.

He swallowed and said, “Do I need to give you may safeword?”

Before you could snap back at him for the sexual comment, he lifted the bound arm up. The restraint broke like a piece of dental floss, snapping in half. The restraints on his feet were broken just as easily and you backed away slightly as he swung his legs over the chair and stood up.

He inspected his wrist, even though there were clearly no marks on the tattooed skin. The bag he had was tossed aside and he looked at you.

“I don’t usually prefer to play with my food, but I suppose if you want to have a little fun we could. I prefer fresh anyway.”

Before you had time to react he was grabbing you by your lab coat, swinging you onto the chair as though you weighed nothing. He practically threw you onto it and you felt you head hit the wall of the bus behind it.

“Whoops,” the man said, cracking a smile.

Your own blood went cold as he parted his lips for this smile. His canines were abnormally long, pressing into the soft flesh of his bottom lip. As you looked into his eyes, you saw they had a reddish tint to them, almost staining the blue, glinting as he leaned closer to you.

Your mind went to the tales of blood sucking monsters you’d heard growing up. But those were just stories and fairytales. This had to be some psychopath or sexual deviant who got off on a kink that had to do with bodily fluids.

The man was inches from you face and you found yourself unable to move again. You were stuck sitting in the chair sideways, your legs dangling over the edge. Your heart was racing, making blood pound in your ears.

You felt a chill run down your spine as the man leaned forward. His breath against your skin as he spoke was almost unnaturally hot.

“Sounds like a marching band, doesn’t it?”

Somehow you knew he was referring to the pounding of your blood in your ears. You felt something wet on your neck and the marching band was a cacophony of sound. His tongue was right at your pulse point.

His voice was almost a whisper.

“I’m sure you say this daily, so hopefully you won’t be too surprised. This may sting a little.”

Your eyes went wide as he suddenly sunk his teeth into the column of your neck. You could feel the two points of his canines drive deep, puncturing your skin easily. Your body spasmed as he pulled the fangs out. Blood oozed from the wound, but it was lapped up before it could drip over your collarbone.

The man went back to the gouges and this time you felt yourself jerk violently as he began sucking. A hand was suddenly on your upper thigh, then another on the opposite side of your neck, holding you there. It felt like receiving the world’s most painful hickey.

You shuddered and the hand on your thigh tightened. The man had a strong grip, and was putting just enough pressure to give a warning. Not that you could move if you wanted to. You weren’t in control of my body anymore.

You were hyper aware of each area of your body he was touching. The skin of his hand against your neck was cold, but his mouth on the other side was warm and damp. You could feel his tongue press into the holes. The sensation was like nothing you’d ever felt before.

For some reason it wasn’t pain you were feeling. There was a strange warmth spreading over the back of your neck and down your shoulders. The man pulled away from your neck for a moment. You could hear him swallow as you felt saliva and blood begin to drip onto your shirt, staining the collar of your lab coat.

He put his mouth on you again, but this time there was no sucking. Just the feeling of his tongue laving over the broken skin. It made your stomach drop and your mind began to feel foggy.

You didn’t know how much blood you’d lost. You could still hear the pounding heartbeat in your ears, but your body felt off. You must have involuntarily jerked again because the hand on your thigh slid upward, almost pressing into the dip of your pelvis.

The man must have been trying to keep you from jerking. But the feel of his thumb at the jut of your hip combined with the pressure of his long fingers around your side was making you feel strange in a different way now.

His lips against your skin was now sending heat to other areas of your body. You felt panic begin to rise in your chest. All the sensations were too much for you to handle and the lack of control over your body led to a response you hadn’t anticipated.

The man pulled back and you were mortified as he glanced down at the obvious bulge in your jeans. He raised an eyebrow.

“I suppose that explains the poor flow.”

He sighed and you could feel cold air rush into the space between him and you as he backed away. There was red at the edges of his mouth. He did a circular swipe with his tongue to lick it away and you felt your pants get even tighter.

Your cheeks were burning and you wanted to cover yourself, but you were still unable to move. The man had put a finger on the side of his face, tapping it in thought. You inhaled sharply as he suddenly swiped his thumb over the twin punctures on your neck, gathering a thick glob of blood.

He put the digit in his mouth and sucked on it in thought briefly before saying, “You humans never change.”

You were able to move your eyebrows down, relaying a confused expression to which he replied, “You’re all driven by libido. Just the slightest stimulation arouses you. It’s rather annoying actually.”

He tutted his tongue and your eyes widened as his hands were suddenly at your belt, unbuckling it deftly. He pulled you toward him, yanking off your pants. You felt your breath quicken even more. You could see your cock tenting your boxers. You wanted to disappear.

However the man had other plans. You nearly jerked off the table as he put the tip of his pointer finger on the head of your cock. He rubbed at the fabric of your boxers. You could feel they were damp.

The finger was moved to the waistband of your boxers. The man tugged them off, not being gentle as he dragged them over your flushed cock. You inhaled sharply and desperately wished you could do something, anything, to stop him as he took you in his palm.

He gripped you, musing, “I’ll never understand the hype over drinking from you virgins.”

The blush on your cheeks spread down your neck and chest and the man laughed.

“I suppose there is the thrill of seeing you come undone at the slightest touch.”

He moved his hand up slowly and thumbed over the head of your cock, which was practically dripping now. You shuddered and let out a pathetic noise as he dug the nail of his thumb into your slit.

“You’re particularity responsive,” the man said, rubbing in a slight circular motion, “Do you perhaps, hmm, what do they call it these days? Bat for the other team?”

The man gave you a ornery smile. You couldn’t say anything. Your tongue was stuck pressed up against your bottom teeth. Even if you could speak it was a subject you didn’t want to talk about, especially with some random psychopath.

However said psychopath was now bending down, pushing your legs further apart, saying, “If you swing that way then perhaps you haven’t found yourself a catcher.” His hooded eyes glanced up at you briefly before he continued in a lower voice, “Or maybe it’s a pitcher you’re looking for, hmm?”

Your whole body spasmed violently as he brushed the pad of his thumb over your asshole. His slang was outdated and embarrassing, but it was obvious he was experienced. The thought excited you more for some reason.

The man grinned and suddenly you were able to move. You gasped loudly as your mouth dropped open. The spit that you hadn’t bee able to swallow dribbled down your chin and you grabbed the edge of the chair to keep myself from tipping over.

You glanced down at the man and was met with a sultry gaze, combined with a vulpine smile. You tried to bring a hand up to push him off, but you had no strength. It was taking nearly all of your energy to try and lean forward and close your legs to try and cover yourself.

He brought the hand not on your cock up to your torso, pushing your shirt up. His fingertips were like ice against your heated skin and you couldn’t resist him as he lightly pushed you so you were lying on your back, legs parted, completely exposed.

You gasped as you felt the man take your cock in his mouth. There was no warning, no tongue teasing beforehand, just the tightening of his throat around you as he took all of your cock in.

Your nails dug into the cheap leather of the donation chair as he pulled off, switching to sucking on the head of your cock while chilled fingers made their way down to cup your balls. You shuddered and then cried out as you felt a finger ghost over your entrance.

The man’s wet maw was on you again, saliva dripping down your shaft as he teased you. You whined slightly as he leaned back after sucking half of you for a brief moment. He was looking at you with lewd curiosity.

You were surprised as he leaned forward so your faces were inches apart. His eyes were definitely tinged red now and his features seemed sharper, the angles more prominent. You gaped at him and then cried out in pain as he suddenly bit you again.

It was a different spot, closer to the junction of your collarbone and neck. The bite was harder, but for some reason the pain was arousing now. He pulled back and you didn’t have time to react as you felt his mouth on yours.

His lips were cold, but everything else was hot. You could taste the copper tang of your own blood in your mouth as he snaked his tongue sinfully past your lips. His fangs tested your bottom lip for a moment before he started kissing you so forcefully it felt like he was trying to devour you.

When you finally parted you were gasping for air. Blood and spit were dribbling down your chin and you could see saliva dripping from the man’s fangs as he gave you a feral smile. Then his hand was cupping your chin, his thumb dragging your bottom lip down.

His voice was husky as he said, “It seems you’re enjoying yourself.” He yanked your face toward him. “Unfortunately I can’t finish eating until we can take care of this it seems.”

As he spoke he pumped your cock a few times, making you squirm under him. He smiled and then you were gagging as he stuck two fingers into your mouth.

“I’ll let you do the sucking for a while,” the man said.

His expression made you nervous so you obediently began sucking, despite the humiliation you felt each time you heard the squelch of spit. When he was satisfied with the amount of your spit he’d gathered on his fingers, he pulled them out abruptly.

He moved his hand below your waist and you jumped as a slicked finger nudged at your hole. The man’s mouth was back on the new bite and it felt like your body was going numb. You could feel him suck at your neck as he pressed a finger into you.

You’d never tried any anal play before, so the feeling of someone pushing their finger into your asshole was so foreign you instinctively jerked away. The finger slid out and the sensation made you shudder.

You shut your eyes and hoped that you might have lost enough blood to pass out. But you could feel every sensation as the man’s finger entered you again. He was relentless in his sucking and now you were beginning to feel dizzy.

Your mind was hazy and when you came back to yourself the man had worked two fingers into you. He curled them upward and you felt like you’d been struck by electricity. It was pleasurable and you could feel more precum drip from your cock as he moved his fingers inside of you.

The man’s other hand was suddenly on your cock, putting pressure in just the right area. He twisted his fingers as he pumped you slowly. It was too much and you cummed so hard you saw white.

Your ears were buzzing and the room was spinning. It felt like you were having an out of body experience, especially as you felt the man’s wet tongue tracing down your abdomen. You couldn’t lift your head to look, but you could feel as he swirled his tongue against your skin.

The wet sensation was gone and you heard him say, “I wonder what the police will come up with as an explanation? After all accidents do happen, but certainly they’ll have never seen a scene like this.”

You felt his nails sink into your thighs. They were abnormally sharp and you cried out. The man retracted his right hand and his face came into view, going in and out of focus as you tried to stay conscious. He caressed your cheek briefly and then the nails which were more like claws, were digging into your scalp.

The man forced your head back and kissed you again. This time the fangs that nipped at your bottom lip drew blood. It rushed into your mouth when he pulled away. There was red dripping down his chin and his fangs glinted as he licked them.

He placed an almost chaste kiss to your bloody lips. When he spoke his voice was almost a hiss, hot air just ghosting over your mouth.

“Such a shame really. A young man with his whole life ahead of him. Oh well. At least we were able to have some fun though, hmm?”

He pulled back enough for your eyes to focus on his face. His eyes were clearly red now, just like the blood that was smeared over his face. The sight was horrific and you felt sick.

Red tinged saliva dripped from his fangs as he opened his mouth to say, “My condolences.”

At those words you closed my eyes and braced yourself. Of course he was going to finish you off. There was no way he’d let you live. If he truly was a vampire like the legends of old, you knew far too much now. Plus you were nothing more than another meal.

You felt his nails rake down your thighs and then he bit into your inner leg. You could hear a scream echo in your foggy mind and you assumed it must have been your own. The man clenched his jaw with so much force, a terrible, wet crunch rang in the air.

He’d gone for your femoral artery. You only knew of it because you had studied it, browsed the pages and diagrams, reading how long it took to die after it had been severed. Was it a minute? Less?

You could feel your heartbeat becoming irregular. Blood, your blood, was seeping into the material of your jeans and your vision was beginning to go dark. What little feeling you still had in your body sent shooting pain through your leg and pelvis. The horrifying crunch must have been one of your bones.

Your vision blurred and for some reason your mind recalled the man’s question earlier regarding the blood types you’d gotten donations of for that day. AB- was what he’d asked for. It so happened that you were AB-, a fact you’re sure he found out as soon as he sunk his teeth into you. He’d gotten what he was looking for after all.

As the world faded away completely, you wondered if it was a cruel irony or almost poetic.

[amajikilvr]

five times you surprised tamaki amajiki and the one time he surprised you

word count 1.3k

reader type gender-neutral

“Amajiki-Kun?”

Their sweet voice makes his heart jolt, its beating rhythm shifts from a casual jog to a panicked sprint. He squeezes his eyes shut when he takes sight of the cheeky grin that quickly spreads across Mirio’s face. He remains frozen until his friend’s foot swings out and nicks him in the shin underneath their usual shared lunch table.

Tamaki’s eyes fly open and his breath catches on the stale cafeteria air like a bur snagging on an exposed sock when he inevitably sees them standing and gazing down at him. It’s a fleeting look, but it’s enough for him to notice the apples of their cheeks puffing out cutely and their whimsical aura of a smile that’s practically blinding.

His throat is bone-dry, but a single word somehow sneaks past his also withered lips.

“Y-Yes?” He’s still staring down at his half-eaten lunch, but they’re so utterly warm, he can easily feel them beside him.

What could they possibly want from him?

Another gentle kick to his lower leg encourages Tamaki to slowly lift his head and turn to them. He’s glad he did because their bright smile is somehow even brighter than before.

“So, hi, I know this is random but....”

They’re absolutely lovely in every sense of the word; from the way they draw out the last word to the breathy little laugh that punctuates their sentence.

“... I was wondering if you wanted this. I made way too many yesterday, but then I saw you sitting over here and remembered how you said you had a sweet tooth during that icebreaker on the first day of school. I just kinda thought “Oh, that’s perfect”, but you definitely don’t have to take it, okay?”

Amid his first stage cardiac arrest, Tamaki had failed to even see the skewer of delectable glistening Dango they’re holding. They offer it out to him and he manages to accept the dessert with a shaking hand.

“Thank you, Y/L/N.” He feels his face bloom with a rather powerful flush.

They nod and make heart-dropping eye contact for a second. “Of course, Amajiki. You’re very welcome. Have a nice day!”

Mirio starts talking before they’re even completely out of earshot.

“You do realize that they probably made those just for you? Congrats, I think someone has a not-so-secret admirer if you know what I mean.”

“Please not right now, Mirio…” Tamaki whines in embarrassment before taking a huge first bite out of his treat.

It’s one of the best things he’s ever tasted.

Tamaki gingerly tears off the little blue butterfly plush that was tapped to the front of his locker. He squeezes the stuffed animal and resists the sudden urge to hug it to his chest.

A single sheet of paper floats out and to his feet after opening the door. Someone must have put these here not that long ago. The realization gives Tamaki an unnerving chest pain and a fluttering crescendo in his stomach.

He carefully picks it up and a faint gasp escapes him as he examines the sparkly multi-colored butterfly stickers that cover the paper and the single sentence scrawled among them.

“I heard that you liked them <3”

Tamaki wants to shove his head in his locker, but before he does, he sees them out of the corner of his eye at the drinking fountain. He’s never seen them in this hallway before…

They finish and apparently spot him, smiling and waving brightly like it’s something the two of them do every day. Tamaki nearly faints on the spot with his heart pattering up a storm.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I forgot!” Nejire squeals and pushes away the textbook in front of her. It’s clear their weekly “Big Three” studying session is about to take the back burner…

“Amajiki, guess what?”

“What?” Tamaki winces, wondering how this could possibly involve him.

Nejire lets out another excited squawk and spins her decorated pen between her fingers. “Y/L/N was totally talking about you! I heard them! Do you know what they said? They think you’re really cute, Amajiki. Can you believe it?”

He can not.

Usually, hearing that others were talking about him would’ve sent waves of unbearable anxiety rushing over him, drowning him, but this whole thing feels a bit different. Don’t get it twisted, he’s still as anxious as ever clutching his pencil like a lifeline. The difference is that there’s a pleasant kind of flickering deep inside his chest.

“You’re joking…” Tamaki groans and jumps when Mirio slaps his back roughly.

“I knew it!” He makes an enthusiastic ‘whoop’ noise. “I told you that they were into you!”

Nejire clasps her hands together, her flowing mass of hair practically vibrating like the rest of her and her energy. “This is so, so adorable! Look how pink his ears are getting!”

Tamaki doesn’t hesitate to cover his face and hide away from his two well-meaning, but overbearing friends.

His savior comes in the form of a still laughing Mirio. “Hado-san, we’ve got to leave him be before he combusts on the spot.”

Tamaki can’t believe he agreed to this. Well, technically he didn’t have a choice in the matter, but still.

He’s selling t-shirts with his face on them. His face! Why would Fatgum ever think this was a good idea for a fundraiser? It’s horrifying, actually. People have already purchased some and he still can’t fathom it as an actual thing. Why would anyone want that?

And then everything goes into overdrive when they walk up to his stand, practically skipping with a winning smile.

He can’t help but gawk at them.

“What?” They tilt their head, an easy laugh masking any possibility of them being as flustered as him.

“I’m a huge fan of Suneater.”

Their lips are soft and lush when they brush against Tamaki’s burning cheek. He feels so warm, the closest thing that he can compare the feeling to is the sensation of when you dip into a steaming bubble bath. They’re just so close to him and he swears he can hear their heart beating as hard as his.

They pull away, lashes touching their cheekbones and exhaling deeping. Their hand still grips his forearm before that touch leaves him too.

“Bye… Tamaki.” His first name seems to hesitantly seep out and he feels like he’s floating. “See you tomorrow?”

It’s such a good feeling that he can’t even get himself to pay attention to his shock.

“See you tomorrow.”

This is long overdue and Tamaki knows it.

Mirio and Nejire’s encouragement plus his own common sense is pushing him to ask them out right now. It’s just odd that they haven’t done it first already. They were the ones initiating everything, after all. He guesses they’ve just left that up to him for whatever reason.

He’s going to rise to that occasion. He has to.

“I wanted to ask…”

He pauses, taking a deep breath to steady himself. They nod at him to continue. Their smile is gentle, equivalent to a fluffy blanket. Their eyes are sparkling, so glittering and alive. Their hands look soft, tempting to take and squeeze in his own.

“... D-Do you want to go out with me?”

Tamaki glups heavily and forces himself to watch for their reaction.

Those lively eyes go wide and honeyed lips part slightly. Their gaze swiftly falls to the ground and Tamaki’s heart takes a huge drop from several stories. It feels like it’s getting harder to breathe…

Suddenly, they move forward, wrapping their arms around his middle. Their face buries into the crook of his neck. He shivers and embracing them back when he hears, and feels, the words whispered against his exposed skin.

“I would love to.”

────────────────────────

[raunchyom]

Vices, Not Virtues: Humility

[ Chapter 1 ]

[ Previous ] [ Next ]

A/N: I’m leaving it vague as to whether Mc is in a relationship with any of the brothers, similar to the lessons; there’s innuendos and flirting, but no explicit romance on Mc’s behalf. I didn’t intend for this chapter to be so long, it just sort of happened... whoops. The other parts will probably be shorter, but I’m not worrying about it too much. Feel free to read: please reblog or reply; I love knowing what people think of my stuff!

word count: 2.5k || warnings: n/a 

“We need to talk” was never a good thing.

Being summoned to Lucifer’s study was fairly common. He regularly checked on you through private meetings to discuss grades, his brothers, and all manner of things related to your life in the devildom. He also made his fair share of requests for your time as a de-stressor, when he eventually admitted that your presence comforted him. 

He gave out punishments too though, and despite his soft spot for you, he wouldn’t hesitate to call you into his office to remind you of the rules. It was no secret when he was upset, and he would make it very clear what-- or rather, who-- the cause was.

That being said, Lucifer was always straightforward in why he was asking for you. He may not be specific, but he’d at least give some sort of warning. Some mention of grades, his brothers, or your chores. You would at least know whether to prepare an apology or not.

Today though, there was no reason. Well, there clearly was; he wouldn’t call you for no reason. But you only got two texts: “Come to my study after class,” and “we need to talk.”

Anxiety gnawed at your gut. What could he want to talk about? The recent humanities test? You did okay on it-- despite the class meaning something slightly different in the devildom than it did in the human realm-- so it shouldn’t be that. Had you forgotten to do chores? You almost forgot that you were on cooking duty the other night, was he upset about that? Was it how busy you were, not making enough time for him? Or maybe--

Suffice to say, by the time you knocked on his door, you’d already started your mental packing list. If it was serious enough that he wouldn’t even say it over text, you may as well prepare yourself for the trip back home. It would be the best case scenario, even.

“Mc? Come in.” Opening the door revealed Lucifer to be sitting at his desk, the glasses on his face showing that he was doing paperwork before you arrived. At a glance, it didn’t seem like Diavolo was in there, but maybe you didn’t deserve his presence at your exit ceremony. 

“Shut the door behind you.” Lucifer was skilled at conveying a lot in just a few words. It was an unspoken rule that when invited in, you were to enter the room and close the door, then wait for him to tell you what to do next. He knew you were aware of this rule-- rather, he was pointing out your hesitation, and telling you to hurry up.

Lucifer crossed his arms as you carried out his request, watching your movements with an unamused expression. He was impossible to read, but you could tell when you were on your way to the chopping block.

“Come, you may set your things in the chair.” It wasn’t an offer. You tracked the distance using the grain of the floor as you approached, shoulders remaining tense even as you pulled a chair out and dropped your backpack into it. 

Only when the silence felt suffocating did you force your eyes up; they crawled up the desk, over his arms and his chest, until you finally met his gaze. He seemed to tower over you, glaring down his nose, despite being reclined in his leather chair an entire table’s length away. He narrowed his eyes, brows furrowing. Quick to look away again, you decided eye contact was a bad idea.

“You had a humanities test last week.” You flinched, but he continued on, “I know you already got the results back. I recall asking to see your grades from that class in the past. Why haven’t you shown it to me?” Lucifer was a student council member, not to mention had many strings he could pull among the staff-- he could easily get access to your grades if he wanted them. He’d done so in the past, when you dodged his questions about grades one too many times. He was asking you directly because he wanted to see you squirm.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy lately, and--”

“It’s alright,” He said, a smile gracing his features. Your eyebrows shot up in surprise, but the relief was short-lived as his smile turned ice-cold. He leaned forwards onto the desk, clasping his hands in front of him. “You can show me now.”

Another command, masquerading as a suggestion. You knew better than to lie about not having it, so you dug the paper out of your backpack and handed it over. He looked down at the test, then up at you, peering over his glasses as if he were a professor himself.

“Color me impressed.”

“I got lucky, it wasn’t anything special. I guessed for at least half of that.” You crossed your arms, though it looked more pitiful than defensive. As if you were trying to give yourself a hug, though the sleeves of your uniform tightened under your anxious grip.

“Mc, you got the highest score in the class. Ninety-five percent is not the result of ‘half-guessing’.” He replied, deadpan. He’d seen the grades beforehand after all.

“I mean, it’s just human studies, it makes sense that I know a little more about it than other subjects. I have an unfair advantage, is all.” Your reasoning must’ve tired him, because it earned you a sigh. He took off his glasses and set them on the desk, appearing less stern when he looked at you again. 

“Do you know why I asked you to bring me your grades from humanities?” 

You chanced a glance at him, but his face gave nothing away. If seeing your grade wasn’t enough to sate him, what did he want from this? You shook your head.

“Because I wanted to give you something to brag about.” Lucifer’s statement brought your train of thought to an abrupt halt. You blinked back at him, confused. “Your grades have been improving lately, especially in that class. I’ve seen how hard you work to make that happen, and yet you refuse to share your successes with me. I first believed it to be fear of failure, or perhaps of disappointment, but even in your best classes, you didn’t dare to broach the topic. You don’t to this day, despite being expressly asked to!” He gestured at the exam on his desk, exasperated. “Why?”

“I…” It was a lot of things, of course, but none were easy to explain. Lucifer gave you a moment to figure out what to say, surprisingly patient-- until you said, “It’s not worth your time. It’s not that impressive.”

Lucifer’s expression dropped from exasperated concern back into one of irritation. “Are you trying to insult me?”

“No.” You answered meekly.

“Then why would you bother to say you aren’t worth my time? I believe I have made it exceedingly clear that I wish to spend time with you. I ask for your free time and you have none. I ask for your grades and you hide them. I give you my praise and you refuse it.” He stood from his chair, working himself up again. Guilt weighed on you heavily, and though you couldn’t place exactly why-- it was definitely about more than your grades.

“I’m sorry.” 

“Why?” He spoke so quickly that he almost talked over you, leaving you floundering for a reply.

“I… don’t know.”

“Don’t apologize if you don’t know what you’re sorry for.” 

“Okay, I’m sorry.” You replied, earning your second sigh from Lucifer. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to need to find a different approach. 

“Mc, I know the lesser demons talk about you behind your back.” The sudden change of direction was shocking enough, but this was a touchy subject. You fought to keep a neutral expression, retreating to your original plan of avoiding eye contact. Lucifer walked around his desk, sliding himself between you and his work area. He somehow managed to find a position that both encroached on your personal space and allowed him to lean against a portion of the surface that wasn’t covered in papers. “I know it happens when you’re around, too. I know you don’t say anything about it, and you certainly don’t correct them. …I know you agree with them.” The accusations were true, but it didn’t make them any less painful.

“Mc, look at me.” You didn’t want to get into any more trouble, this whole experience was already painful enough. But you doubted your ability to hold it together if he delivered any kind of finishing blow while making eye contact.

A gloved hand gripped your chin, surprisingly delicate, and tilted your face up to look at his. You couldn’t imagine what kind of expression you were making, but it must’ve been pitiful; as soon as you met his eyes he softened his gaze, and his grip on your chin shifted so that he could gently stroke your cheek with his thumb. “I’m not mad at you.”

Well, that would’ve been nice to hear before you walked in the door.

“I’m worried about you.” His already low-pitched voice was soft as he said it, words laced with concern. Your heart broke, and you instantly changed your mind-- this was worse. 

“Lucifer, I…” You struggled to find the words, caught off-guard by his sudden change in demeanor. “I’m fine, I promise.” It wasn’t a matter of lying to him, it was a matter of doing anything you could to keep that expression off his face. It didn’t suit him, and it just made you feel worse. 

“I don’t like when you lie to me.” He called your bluff immediately. “Besides, it’s been this way for a long time, hasn’t it?” His hand fell away from your face, landing on your shoulder. He didn’t need to ask, he knew the answer. “When did you lose your sense of pride?”

It was hard to ignore the stinging from behind your eyes; the best you could hope for was that Lucifer wouldn’t notice. It was a worthless hope to have, but he at least had the decency to refrain from commenting on it.

“You’re allowed to be proud of your accomplishments, Mc. Big or small. Even if it comes easily, you can always be proud of a job well done. It applies all the more if you work hard to achieve it. You are allowed to accept that your effort paid off, and you can brag about it. I should know.” He smirked a bit, but the moment passed quickly. “Moreover, you can be proud of yourself. Who you are, how far you’ve come. You aren’t the same person you were a year ago, that’s a sign of progress. And… you can be proud of the way you look.” At his last sentence, he stood up off the desk, stepping further into your bubble. 

Your pulse quickened, but the flurry of emotions you were dealing with made it impossible to tell which one was responsible.

“Turn this way.” Lucifer used your shoulders to guide you towards a corner of the room. Your movements were stiff, but he maintained his grace, easily leading you to a full-length mirror against the wall that you hadn’t noticed until now. He sought to meet your eyes through the reflection, but you averted your gaze. 

“I’ve seen the way you act around mirrors. I sometimes wonder how you brush your hair in the morning.” He mused, briefly combing his fingers through your locks. “Why don’t you ever look?”

“I don’t like to.” It was barely a whisper, but he didn’t have to hear you. He knew the answer.

“Look again.” It was hard, but you did as he instructed. He brought his head down, breath tickling your ear when he spoke again. “You’re looking at the most attractive human in the three realms.”

Your heart swelled at the compliment, but it wasn’t exactly easy to believe. “I’m not-- I mean, I think that’s an exaggeration…” You amended, careful to avoid going against what he said.

Lucifer snorted. “Do you really think seven of the most powerful demons in the devildom would fall for you at once if you weren’t attractive?”

You couldn’t fight the blush that rose to your face from that one, though it was comforting to see that Lucifer was affected too. He had the slightest tinge of pink on his cheeks; even the brief mention of his true feelings was a momentous occasion for him. He wasn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type.

“Lucifer, I-” You attempted to turn and face him, but his grip on your shoulders tightened and he prevented you from moving.

“We aren’t done, human.” The switch had flipped again, and he was back to bottling up whatever emotion had temporarily risen to the surface. You were back to ‘human’ rather than ‘Mc’, which was another sign. “Look back into that mirror, and listen to me.”

You did as he asked, your eyes drawn to his. You caught him looking you up and down, like he was sizing up his next victim.

“You did not come all the way to the devildom to spend a year being virtuous to a fault. We are going to teach you to sin.” He chuckled at your expression, but cut you some slack; he leaned back slightly, though still held you in place by your shoulders. “Rather, you are going to learn how to enjoy life, from demons. I’ve entrusted my brothers with assisting you in their own ways; they will each get one day to teach you how to better take care of yourself. I’ve elected to go first, for a lesson in humility.” 

You could swear you’d just finished your first lesson. This entire meeting had been torture, and now he was saying it wasn’t done yet? No, not even-- he was saying that it had yet to begin.

“Don’t expect me to let you off easy, either. As we’ve established, you have a long way to go. I may only have one day, but I’ll be assigning homework. If I don’t think you’re keeping up, I will require you to attend study sessions. We can start with something simple: find five things you like about yourself-- no, I’ll even let you start with one-- and tell me about it.” Despite suggesting such a basic self-confidence booster, Lucifer beamed-- well, he wore his favorite smile at least, the one that terrified demons and mortals alike. “You can’t repeat anything I’ve told you today, and you have to believe it. Prove to me that you believe it.”

Your head was spinning. He had just bombarded you with compliments-- albeit oddly threatening ones-- for far longer than you could take, and now he was expecting you to keep the work up on your own? Starting now, and lasting until… when? Did you need to add this to your list of assignments for class? 

“I’m waiting, Mc.”

This was going to be a long week.

[honeywithblueberries]

The Perks- With and Without You

I was not expecting to have this finished this soon. A big thank you to Cimar for proofreading. Hopefully you like it. THIS CHAPTER IS RATED E FOR EXPLICIT. THERE’S SOME SMUT.

………..

“One extra large brownie explosion ice cream bowl, extra sprinkles and whipped cream, three cherries on top!”

Nick shoved his paws in his pocket and grinned smugly at the otter clerk who was rapidly writing his order down. His green eyes pointed refused to make contact with Judy’s as she scowled at him. Dave chuckled, having given the clerk his own complex order, as Gideon stepped forward with a confused look at them.

“Uh, just a chocolate cone for me, please,” he requested politely. Dave put his arm around the other todd and grinned down.

“Gideon, my friend, live a little! Try something new! Crazy! You’re in Zootopia and here,” Dave grinned over at the females who were pulling out their money and passing it to the clerk, “anyone can do anything!”

“Including spending all of their friends' tips on ice cream,” Judy grumbled. Gideon gave her a worried look which had her rolling her eyes with a smile. “Come on, Gid. My treat! Anything you want.” She looked up at the menu and grinned. 

“They have a pecan praline,” she added in a singsong voice. Nick, Dave, and Brook laughed at the other fox’s excited expression. Judy nodded at the clerk. “One Pecan Praline Surprise please. And the Carrot Cake Sundae for me.”

The group stood off to the side to await their orders when a cheerful ringtone came from Gideon's pocket. His phone was dug out quickly, Judy smirking at him and the flush. But he still couldn’t help but smile at the name on the screen.

“It’s Sharla, gotta take this!” He dashed away to answer. Brook and Dave had paired up, leaving Nick and Judy grinning at each other for a moment before falling into a pleasant, not quite so awkward silence.

“So…” Judy began moving closer to Nick and looking up at him, grin still intact.

“Sooo.” Nick’s expression mirrored hers.

“We’re going to have to schedule a re-match on the obstacle course at Precinct One this Saturday.” Her eyes caught the otter who took their order, setting it on the pick up counter. “I think I have a shot at whooping your tail next time.”

“Oh, is that so!” Passing hers and holding onto the other two, they made their way to the table Gideon had claimed, Brook and Dave right behind them. “I don’t know, Carrots. You were pretty confident in your chances the last time. And we all remember how that went.” He smirked at her, but she simply smiled and wagged her eyebrows at him.

“Well, if you’re scared of a rematch, I understand.” His mouth dropped open but his eyes held humor. “After all…” She scooped a bite from her bowl and cheersed him with it. “I’m just a cute, little bunny.” It vanished into her mouth, a smug smile flashed at him before she turned away to take her seat.

Nick studied her for a moment. He didn’t bother to fight his smile and leaned down to her.

“You’re so on, bunny,” he whispered in her ear. Judy looked back up at him and winked. 

“Bring it fox.” Nick grinned and passed Gideon his before taking a seat next to her. 

“But you know,” she gave him a curious smile around her bite as he spoke, “it would be a shame if that’s all we did on Saturday.” He took a bite of his ice cream with a shrug. “It’s supposed to be perfect beach weather. And we really shouldn’t waste our youth being cooped up indoors.”

“The beach sounds fun!”

The bunny and fox both jumped. They had completely forgotten about their friends taking a seat with their ice cream. Brook grinned and dug in while Dave gave Nick his full attention. 

“What time were you guys thinking? Right after camp? Gideon, you in?”

Gideon gave them a thumbs up before turning the phone around to show off the pretty black ewe on the screen.

“Hi, Sharla!” Judy greeted with a wave. Her friend’s mouth moved but no sound came out.

“Sorry,” Gid began, gesturing to the ear bud in place. “She says hi and she misses you, Judy. And are you coming back for the Carrots Day Festival?”

“Oh, I forgot all about that.” She looked over at Nick who watched her with a curious expression on his face. “Maybe. I completely forgot about that.”

Gideon turned the phone back to himself and relayed the information. 

“There’s a whole festival devoted to carrots?” His voice held a lot of pent up laughter. Enough to have the doe rolling her eyes. “A whoooooolllllllleeeee festival…. Devoted to carrots……”

“Just laugh, Nick, we both know you’re going to anyway.”

“I’m not gonna laugh.” The corners of his mouth twitched and a small chuckle escaped him when she flicked a walnut piece at his nose. “What? I wasn’t! I promise.” Everyone at the table gave him a look and the red todd shrugged with a grin. “I was just surprised! I mean…” he looked at Judy again, this time failing to keep his laughter in. “It’s a whole festival devoted to carrots.” 

Judy tried to glare at him when he broke on that last word. But she too joined in after a moment.

“I know!” she laughed. “The town of Bunnyburrow devoting a whole weekend to carrots. Can we be any more of a cliche?”

Brook and Dave shook their heads with smiles before turning their conversation back to their upcoming beach trip. Gideon had since said goodbye to Sharla and was now watching with polite interest as he enjoyed his ice cream. The table fell into companionable silence as everyone enjoyed the food and pre-parade festivities.

“So, when I win our rematch,” Nick looked over at Judy as she spoke with a smug look on her face, “what do I win?”

“Well, when I win, you’re going to have to take me to this Carrots Day festival. Spare no experience.” Nick scooped up another bite and savored it, outlandishly rolling his eyes and sighing with extreme pleasure. “MMM-hum! Victory is sweet.”

Judy gave him a light punch in the arm.  “I’ll take that bet.”

Then she and Gideon exchanged looks and dissolved into laughter. Brook and Dave looked from one to the other, as did Nick who was beginning to look worried.

“What did I just agree to?” he asked them.

The other todd got his laughter under control a bit. “Oh, just a rootin’, tootin’ good time! Nothin' to worry about… much."

Nick looked at Judy, who nodded and took another bite of her ice cream. “And if I win, we still go to the Carrots Day festival. So there's no backing out. She stuck her paw out and he reluctantly shook it. “I promise it’ll be fun!”

Brook suddenly checked her watch and jumped up suddenly. “It’s about to start!” 

Dave followed her, Gideon right behind him. Nick and Judy lingered a moment, smiling shyly at each other as they got up to join their friends. 

“Soooo….” He took a bite and lightly brushed up against her. “What does go on at the festival?”

Their group cut through the thickening crowd for spots, the red todd staying close to the doe. The paws not holding their ice cream dropped to their sides and brushed against one another, before clasping together.  With it, shy glances were exchanged, smiles softer for each other and equally excited. Nick’s tail slightly shielded Judy from the crowd they were pushing through, both keeping their eye on Brook, whose height made a perfect guide towards the edge of the canals. 

“Nothing as crazy as you’re imagining,” she assured with a smile up at him. “We just have some traditions newcomers might find… colorful.”

“Oh when you put it like that, it's farrrrr less daunting.” 

That earned him a wide grin from her, but a response was cut off by a sudden shift in the crowd. Nick was barely able to steady himself. Judy, however, was ripped from his paw after stumbling over someone’s tail. They lost sight of each other when the crowd shifted again.

“Carrots!” “Nick!”

She stumbled again, but was caught by two familiar paws. 

“Careful, there, Hopps!” Judy looked up into the familiar eyes of Kody. He grinned at her while she straightened up. “Wouldn’t want to get crushed, now, would we.”

He was given a polite smile that turned wistful when she noticed her ice cream on the ground.

“Thanks, Kody.” The paper bowl was picked up and tossed in the trash before she turned to leave with a wave. “I guess I better go find Nick and the others.”

“Unless you wanna stick with me?” Kody took her paw before she could bring it down and gave her a charming smile while stepping closer. “I have a great spot and it’s right next to the bathroom.”

Judy ducked her head bashfully.

“Kody,” she sighed and looked at him with a patient smile. He returned it sadly while releasing her paw. “I think you’re great and everything, but I’m just not interested. I actually think I’m being pretty obvious about how much I like Nick.”

The todd blinked before laughing in a defeated manner. 

“Yeah,” he agreed, “you’re being clear about that. I’m not sure why, but if he’s who you want…” He shrugged. “I can accept defeat. Nick’s a lucky guy.”

Judy smiled brightly. “I think I lucked out a bit, too. Well, I gotta go find Nick and our friends. Thanks for catching me, Kody.” 

She bounced away with a final smile. Kody waved back before sighing wistfully and turning away. Natasha rushed towards him looking annoyed. 

"Kody!" He was given a punch on the shoulder. "You were supposed to kiss her-"

"Oh, give it a rest, you psycho stalker!" Kody rolled his eyes. "They're freaking taken with each other."

The vixen looked at him in shock before looking back towards the bunny being greeted by Nick. He scooped her up in his arms and twirled her around, laughing with glee as he did. The bunny joined in before she was set back down. Exchanging fond looks, they turned towards the canals, paw in paw. 

Natasha gave an annoyed roll of her eyes before stomping off after her cousin. 

Hours later, the kits found themselves in Dave's living room, going over the parade and the pictures taken. Judy lay draped over Brook's shoulders, pointing out her favorites while the guys played video games. Once Dave’s mother let Brook know her mom was outside, the females gave the males hugs before leaving. Judy wrapped her arms around Nick’s neck, feeling the slight rumble of his satisfied purr before she pulled away.

“You better bring your A game tomorrow, Carrots. I’m going another round on your obstacle course before we hit the ZPD one.”

She smiled and surprised him by pressing a kiss to his cheek. Her lips lingered a moment, just long enough for him to inhale her scent as he had done at the party. It was still everything he had wanted it to be. Moving away from him, he was given one final smile before she turned on her heel to follow the tigress out of the door.

“I’m not that worried.” The words were said over her shoulder, knowing full well she had his attention, all the way until the front door closed. 

The sound of Gideon making a whipping noise broke Nick from his stupor. He glared at him while Dave snorted with laughter.

“Like that ewe doesn’t have you wrapped around her hoof,” he muttered as he settled back down. “And like you don’t follow Brook around like a duckling.”

“She sets my heart on fire,” Gideon sighed.

“Brook smells like a flower patch,” Dave added wistfully.

Nick gave a small roll of his eyes but still kept his smile. “Judy….” The other two males looked over at him while their video game reset. “She’s better than I ever thought she could be.”

Dave leaned into Gideon. “He’s been obsessed with her for, like, six months. This has been a dream come true for him.”

Gideon released a guffaw and focused back on the game. Nick’s brain was still paused on Judy and the kiss she had given him.

She likes me, he thought to himself with a slow grin. She walked away from that stupid Kody, right to you, held your paw, and kissed you.

You’re the luckiest todd in the world!

…………………..

It was the second morning that Jack woke up to the slide of a leg across his hip. Only this time, the sun just barely peeked over the horizon and he wasn’t wearing pants; the sensation of fur on fur was waking up every part of his body. He smiled when he felt lips and gentle, yet sharp, teeth nibbling his ear. Her scent surrounded him, the delicious smell of arousal mingling with his own. 

I could get used to this, he thought, his eyes opening just in time for his vision to blur as she pressed against him. 

Skye moved to straddle his hips again. Her movements shifted the sheets cocooned around them, their activities the night before having knocked them onto the floor of his bedroom. Blue eyes met blue eyes just as her hips shifted to take him once more. Jack’s paws went to her hips and his teeth ground together, his climax embarrassingly close. But Skye, noticing his struggle, only smirked and rocked her hips again.

A breathless laugh escaped her when he fell back against the floor and tried to last.

“Skye,” he gasped, gripping her thighs as she kept up her pace. “I- I can’t-”

“Don’t hold back, Jack,” she breathed, moving faster. She bit her lip as pleasure hit her like a bolt of lightning. “I want this.” His eyes closed and jaw fell slack, submitting to her. “I want you. Gods... I want you….” Everything went white as she lost herself in their lovemaking. Jack came with a strangled gasp, pulling her onto him as deep as he could go and grinding his hips upwards, toes curled against the floor. One of her paws gripped the fur of his belly, while the other massaged the sensitive nub between her thighs. “Gods,” she murmured again, slumping over his body once her climax burned out.

They panted together, aftershocks of pleasure leaving them sated and feeling alive. Jack was still smiling when he opened his eyes, his vision obscured by white fur. 

“That was one hell of a wake up,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. She pushed her head up and grinned down at him. “And I thought the other morning set the bar high.”

She laughed and rocked her hips one final time. “Think you can handle it, Agent Savage?”

That had him sitting up and crushing his lips to hers, taking control of their position and rolling them till he was on top. He pulled back while his paw traveled down one of her long legs, hooking his elbow under her knee and thrusting hard. Skye gasped as he thrusted again.

“You bet your ass I can,” he growled.

An hour later, they had migrated back onto his bed. Early morning light filtered into the room and warmed the couple whispering and giggling together. Nuzzling under his chin, Skye breathed in his scent before pushing herself up to look at the time. Seven am. Flopping back down, she sighed and snuggled closer .

“I need to get up and get Nick in a bit.” Her voice was muffled against Jack’s fur, but he still caught every word. 

“Noooooooo,” he protested, tightening his arms and moving his paws to convince her to stay longer. “Stay here, with me. I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Jack,” she protested weakly, “I can’t.” His lips and teeth found her sweet spot on her collarbone and she became jelly. “I have to go.” She shuddered with desire but stamped it down, refusing to get sucked into another round with him. No matter how tempting it was. “I have my little brother I need to look after.” Her paws went to his face, his lust filled eyes meeting her own but still giving her his full attention. “And you have a little sister you need to think of.” A kiss was pressed to his lips before leaving his bed with great effort.

He groaned with displeasure but watched with interest as her nude form moved around the room in search of her clothing.

“You’re teasing me right now,” came his dry comment. 

Skye looked over to the bed where he sat, naked still, looking mouthwateringly sexy with his fur tossled and eyes half lidded when they met hers. His eyebrows lifted at her suggestively, his arms resting in his knees, trying to entice her clothes off and back into his bed. Skye's jeans were pulled on but left undone, fastening and adjusting her bra. Moving back onto the bed, she walked on her knees towards him. There was no way any sane mammal would let him get away with not being kissed senseless. Looking the way he did in that moment, she really wanted to make him moan like he did last night. But duty called. And Nick would be waiting for her.

“Don’t act like you’re not enjoying it, Agent Savage.” He whimpered as she moved away from him. Fixing her pants, she turned to face him again before she strode over to his closet. Jack’s ears and head cocked in curiosity when the doors were pulled open and a shirt of his removed. His ears went ram rod straight when it was slipped over her head onto her body. With a smug look in her eyes at his reaction, she snuggled into it and inhaled deeply. “I want your scent on me all day long.”

Jack’s arousal reared its head. It took everything he had to not tackle and drag her back into bed. But she was right. The blankets were flipped back and he dragged himself out. He was keenly aware of her intrusive gaze on his own naked form and VERY aware of the sweet scent of her desire. 

“Careful, Agent Skye,” he began with a smirk of his own, pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms, “a bunny could get ideas with a reaction like yours.”

They shared a laugh, Jack reluctantly following her to the front door, paws on her hips the entire time. But it was quickly shut when the sounds of the morning rush from downstairs hit their ears. Both exchanged nervous looks.

“Ready for all the looks and taunts?” he asked her. Skye looked towards the door then back to him. She shook her head earnestly. “Fire escape.”

“Good idea.”

Together they went to one of the living room windows that faced the alley. It was slid open and Skye carefully crawled out with Jack right behind her. Jack breathed a sigh of relief when the metal ladder was lowered to the ground without a sound. Once fully extended, she smiled at him, meeting him halfway for a kiss.

“I’ll see you in a few hours?” he asked when they separated, his paws framing her face. His thumb brushed over her bottom lip, the vixen nuzzling into his paw when he did.

“See you in a few hours,” she confirmed. He was given another quick kiss before she hurried down the ladder. With a final wave, she was gone, leaving the buck with a sense of loss in her absence. 

After a moment, he crawled back through the window and set about straightening up his home. Picking up his pants from the day before, laying next to the door of his bedroom, his cell phone fell to the ground with a clack. He scooped it up and pressed the unlock button. A sigh was repressed when it didn’t light up.

“Damn…” It was plugged in and turned on, almost immediately lighting up with notifications. His brows furrowed in confusion. “What the hell? Eighteen missed calls and…” he clicked on his text messages. “Three hundred texts!”

His thumb scrolled through all of his messages.

Jason: Is it true?!!?!?!?!?!?

Kelly: OMG I CANT BELIEVE YOU RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frances: you freaking badass! I’ve been chasing one for years and you ACTUALLY scored with one! You my hero, bro! how was it? was it amazing? was she freaky? DID SHE BITE? please say yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Natalie Carrets: I can’t believe I ever had a crush on you! So gross!!

Jack kept reading, dread and confusion filling him, only to be interrupted by a video chat request. Part of him wanted to screen the call. But he knew how relentless Bonnie Hopps could be. His stomach dropped and nerves went haywire when he answered. 

"Hey, Mom!" He greeted with a bright smile, trying not to let her cold glare throw him. "What's up? What are you and dad up to-"

"I'm only going to ask this once," she began. The normal twinkle of love in her purple eyes was missing, replaced with a cold glint of fury. Her normally chipper tone was hard and sent cold chills down her son's spine. 

Jack's ears fell. His heart pounded in his chest and his eyes watered, knowing all too well what was about to happen. 

"Are you -or are you not- SCREWING a fox that you just hired and bringing her around your sister?"

"M-m-mom," he stuttered, trying to keep his smile intact while a tear slipped out and down his cheek,, "it's… it's so much more than that. It's-" 

"Answer the question, Jack Edmund Hopps."

The buck's slightly desperate smile fell. Maintaining eye contact for a brief moment before his gaze fell to his lap, he gave a sharp nod and looked back up. 

"Yeah," he confirmed, nodding again. He cleared his throat of emotion and took a deep breath. Jack straightened his back and looked his mother in the eye. "It's true."

If possible, the thin line of her mouth became thinner. 

"And I thought I raised my children better than that." The statement sparked annoyance in Jack. 

"Better than being able to see a wonderful mammal who makes me happy and treats my family well regardless of species?" Jack scoffed at his mother's shocked expression. "Yeah, now I'm starting to question where I got it from."

She considered him with a look of patient anger before she matched her son’s pose.

"You're breaking up with her. Before or after firing her. I don't have a preference. Just get her out of your life and do it TODAY!"

"You have ZERO right to ask me to do that," came his indignant response. "I get she's not who you pictured me with, but she's perfect. And you're out of your godsdamn mind if you think you're going to intimidate me into leaving her-"

"Honey, I'm going to make this very simple. You're going to get this vixen out of your life. Today. If not, I will drive up there myself and take my daughter home." Jack's jaw dropped but Bonnie wasn't finished. "And going forward, you will not be welcomed in Bunnyburrow. EVER."

"You-" he felt his brain crash. "You can't do that. You can't just banish me from town. You can't keep Judy from me. Bunnyburrow is my home and we're family. I have the right to visit whenever I want and Judy is old enough to decide if she wants to see me."

"Try me." Her icy gaze bore into him. "You know how big our family is and your Uncle Terry was just re-elected mayor. Our burrow is the biggest and most widespread and, what’s more, Judy is a minor. Her father and I will decide who can be around her and who can't. So far, her brother who jumps into bed with random predator whores and parades his conquests around her is not making the list." Her expression suddenly softened, but Jack was feeling far too shaken to respond or notice. "And it would break my heart to never see you again.” She sighed and made her face stern again. “You have until closing time tonight and I have ways of knowing if you didn't or if you try to lie about it."

Jack was silent for a moment.

"Mom," he began with a slight choke in his voice, "I love her."

"Sweetheart, you have no idea what love is." Bonnie didn't wait for a response before she hung up. 

For a moment, Jack sat in silence, staring at the now dark screen of his phone. A picture of him and Judy displayed on the entertainment center caught his eye. Judy's thirteenth birthday. Hanging off her brother's back, pausing midway through their outing to snap a photo in front of the turtle tank at the aquarium. She would forgive him, wouldn't she? Skye's scent was still soaked into the apartment, making it difficult to argue against the decision. 

Unlocking his phone again, he called Jon and lifted the phone to his ear as he answered. 

"Hidy-ho, boss! What can I do you for?"

"You haven’t seen Judy yet, have you?”

“No, not yet. Why? What’s going on?”

Jack’s eyes found the picture again as he thought of a response. “Just curious. If you see her before I do, send her to me, Okay? I’m going to be doing some work up here for a bit but call me if you need anything.”

“Sure thing, boss! Just don’t wear our GM out too badly! We’re going to need her.” Jack forced a laugh before the pair disconnected and he flopped back onto the couch. All he felt was misery, something he hadn’t imagined just twenty minutes ago. It felt like everything was starting to fall into place... and now… 

With a sigh, he pulled himself up to get ready for the day. Fetching his clothing from his room, he paused to breathe in the lingering scent of Skye. It filled him, calmed his anxiety, and lifted him high. It was just as well.

No matter how he chose, he was going to crash before the day was over.

…………

Judy came into the cafe with a grin. It had been a great night and a great morning and it was going to be a great day. Bouncing through the front door of the cafe, she called out a greeting to everyone before carrying on to the stairs to drop off her overnight bag. A hello died on her lips when she found the apartment empty. Judy called out for Jack, having not seen or heard him downstairs, and realized that he was completely out of the building.

The stairs were taken two at a time before continuing to the kitchen. Once again, she paused, blinking in confusion. Never in all her visits had Jack been completely absent. His presence in the cafe was a constant and now the place seemed barren without him. Jon’s voice cut through her reverie.

“He wandered out of the building about two hours ago,” he explained, passing a bus bucket to her along with an apron. “Said he wasn’t going far. But no sign of Skye.”

Her purple eyes narrowed in confusion, accepting both. “Huh.” She shrugged and turned to work just as Jon turned back to his bake list. “I hope he’s okay. That’s not like him.”

Bobby gave her a look of agreement before clearing his throat as Jack appeared in the door’s window. The buck paused with his paw over the handle, hesitating before pushing it open. In the brief moment it took for him to enter, his blue eyes zeroed in on her and filled with something she couldn’t place. He gave her a strained smile.

“Hey, Jude.” 

“Hey, Jack,” her brows furrowed in concern and she dropped the bus bucket to go to him. “Are you okay?”

He gave her a smile and nod, though neither seemed very reassuring. “Yeah. I was just wondering if we could talk really quick.” He stepped forward and gestured towards the stairs.

“Umm, sure.”Stomach dropping, Judy gave him a look as she stepped past the bar and towards the apartment. His footsteps were light as they followed her, but she couldn’t help but notice the weight behind each one. “This is beginning to feel like the time Mom explained what goldfish heaven was when I was six.”

A strained laugh had her ears falling as they entered. While Judy moved further into the room, he closed the door. Turning to face her, he leaned against it and took a deep breath. 

His mouth opened….

12 YEARS AGO

“Come one! Come on!”

“Come to me, Quintin! Come to your big brother, Charlie!”

“Let’s go, Brook, sweetheart! Do it for your uncle Barry!”

“Nope, Silene has everyone beat!”

“Come on, Judy! Stop playing with the police car and at least try to walk!” The fifteen year old silver bunny doe sighed and looked over at her thirteen year old brother reading on the couch not far away. “I blame you, Jack. You just had to get her that stupid police car toy!”

Jack rolled his eyes and kept them on his book. “Technically, I bought that for Tom’s pet bird. He forgot it in the living room and she’s been playing with it ever since. So if you wanna blame someone, blame him.”

She narrowed her eyes and looked back at her baby sister. The tiny bunny was alternating her attentions by gazing around her cheering family, looking at her littermates steel themselves for their first steps, and rolling the police car around. To her big sister’s utter disappointment, Judy showed no interest in the competition. 

“Still,” the sullen doe muttered, sitting back and giving up. She crossed her arms and glared at the others as she practically heard herself losing twenty bucks on this event. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she turned back to Jack. “Will you at least take it while I distract her, please.”

“Five bucks,” came his clipped response. His sister rolled her eyes again.

“Fine!” 

Jack snickered at his victory and set the book aside. 

“Judy, sweetie!” Their sister called. “Look at me! Hi, sweetie!”

Judy turned to her for only a moment before they went back to the car in her paws. A few whacks on the floor with it with some baby babble to voice her approval and it was a day well spent in her mind. Light footsteps caught her attention. She paused her game to look up at her big brother creeping across the carpet. Her big purple eyes met Jack’s and her face split into a grin.

“Dak!” she shrieked. He stumbled to a halt, his eyes going wide at that. “Dak!”

Nearly everyone in the room paused to look at her, then Jack, who was staring at his baby sister with absolute shock. Judy flopped over to her front and pushed herself up into a crawl before standing on two very unstable legs. 

“Dak!” With a final shriek of his name, she barreled towards him as fast as she could go. 

On instinct, he opened his arms and caught her, falling on his bottom as he did. She laughed with happiness only a baby like her could have. Jack sat up with his sister in his arms and smiled down at her.

“She said my name! Mom! Dad! Judy’s first word was my name!” Jack stood up with her balanced in his arms, grinning and bouncing her, giving her head the occasional kiss as he did. 

Everyone else had gotten over her first word (something many of them- him included- had experienced several times already) and now were grumbling over the results. His older sister was singing their praises as she collected her winnings. 

Jack, however, smiled at his little sister, finally setting her down and accepting the police car she offered him. Judy clutched his leg, looking up at her big brother with adoring eyes.

“Dak!”

PRESENT DAY

“Jack?”

He shook his head and focused on his baby sister.

“Jack?” She took a step towards him. “Is everything okay?”

He took a breath…

“I was just wondering….” 

Judy’s eyebrows rose expectantly. 

“What do you say about doing a ski trip before school starts back up?”

Confused, Judy looked at him with incredulity.

“Uh, sure,” she agreed with a nod, a smile forming on her muzzle. “Yeah, that would be cool.” She giggled a bit. “No pun intended.”

Jack smiled again, this time less strained, but still tense. “Okay, great! I’ll do some research and we’ll set a date.” Still facing her he turned the knob and opened the door again. “Now get back to work. I need to find something up here, so I’ll be down in a moment.”

“Okay, weirdo! I can’t believe you were so stressed over that!”

He laughed. “I just know how you’re not fond of Tundratown.”

With one last grin, she was out the door and down the stairs. He waited for her footsteps to fade before closing the door and leaning against it. Against his will, realizing what he had just done, he began to cry.

…………

Water poured over Skye’s body, her paws and claws moving through her fur, working the shampoo into a lather and rinsing thoroughly. Her thoughts lingered on Jack. Considering how tender she was between her legs and how sore she felt from last night, she was amazed she was even able to function. Jack had felt better than she had expected and it was a pleasant surprise finding out rabbit bucks could go multiple rounds without going soft. Had she known that, she would have skipped out on the two todds she dated and hunted him down when she first turned eighteen.

“Skye! We’re going to be late.”

Nick banging on her bathroom door had her jumping. She had completely forgotten he was here. Easy to do when he had spent their walk from David’s home in thoughtful, comfortable silence followed by a quick race through her apartment to get ready. Other than a cheerful hello and happy smile, neither had a lot to say.

“Be right out!” The water was shut off and her fur hastily toweled off. She was still damp when she slipped on fresh underwear and grabbed the jeans she was wearing. Jack’s shirt fell from where it had been resting on top of them. Skye smiled and scooped it up, bringing it to her nose and inhaling deeply. It still smelled like him. Fresh and soothing. Holding it close, it soaked into her. Satisfied and eager to see him again, she tossed it onto her bed and grabbed her black button down.

The walk back to the Perk was almost completely silent. Brother and sister chatted about their afternoon and evening from the previous day and speculated on what their mother could be doing that moment. Skye edited her version of things for Nick's sake, but the younger fox was regretfully able to figure out what she and Jack were up to all night. But he was thankfully spared when the Perk came into view. Her paw pushed the door open and they were greeted by an enthusiastic Judy. 

"Ready to get your tail kicked, Slick?"

"I'm ready to see you try, Carrots."

The vixen laughed and glanced around. "Play nice, kits."

Skye grinned as soon as she saw the striped buck. Giving Nick a hug before he went to Judy, she strolled over to Jack sitting at the table with his head in his paws. He jumped slightly before relaxing when her paws landed on his shoulders. Her thumbs found a sore spot where they pressed causing him to tense his in discomfort before sighing in pleasure. But she was only there for a moment before he reached up to stop her ministrations. 

"Skye," he began in a quiet voice, " we need to talk." 

Her eyes grew concerned as she walked around to look at him. He kept his eyes on a spot in the corner of the window and her paw trapped in his.

“Are you okay?” A paw went to his face to bring his gaze up to hers, only to be stopped by his other paw. “Jack? What’s wron-”

“You’re fired, Skye.”

His words were cold and his expression completely blank. Nick and Judy, who had begun to joke and banter with each other, paused, both moving their stricken gaze towards the buck, and their jaws dropped. Jack’s eyes found Judy’s and watched as they filled with confusion and hurt. He stayed on her even as her own moved back to Skye.

The vixen felt a chill set in.

“Wh-what?” Her question, small and weakly asked as it was, did not pull his gaze from his younger sister. She tugged her paws from his grip and backed away. “Ar… are you serious?”

She looked over at Judy who looked back, horrified, before turning her tear filled, purple stare to her brother. Skye looked at him again, watched as he took a deep breath and stood, facing her, with eyes she couldn’t quite read. 

“It’s over,” he said in a voice just barely over a whisper.

“Jack?” Judy’s voice cut through the myriad of emotions Skye was feeling. “What the hell are you doing?”

His mouth opened but words didn’t come out.

“He’s breaking up with me.” Skye met his gaze head on, her eyes filling with tears and refusing to spill them. “I get it.” She backed away slowly, trying to keep her emotions in check. “Bunny does are easy lays. He was hoping I would be more of a challenge.” The cafe staff had paused their work to look at the scene in the lobby. Nick’s face held no expression as he looked at his sister, ears and tail on alert. Skye stood straighter and nodded at the rabbit buck in front of her. “So sorry to disappoint.”

Without another word, she turned and left, her tears spilling over once her back was turned. All eyes turned from the fleeing vixen to the striped buck who watched her leave. His own eyes seemed unfocused and his expression detached. Judy let out a huff of disbelief before turning to Nick and grabbing his paw.

“Come on, Nick, we gotta-”

Nick ripped his paw from hers and growled; her ears dropped in surprise.

“What sort of sick game are you trying to pull here?”

“Nick, I- I didn’t know-”

“This had nothing to do with her, Nick. I promise-”

“Oh, excuse me if don’t exactly trust you and your stupid, fucking promise.” He glared at him before turning his anger towards her. Judy moved towards him and he suddenly turned away and stormed for the door. “Fuck both of you!”

“Nick, please, I’m nothing like him! I swear!”

“Yeah, sure you're not! I'm just supposed to trust you won't want to be just like your hero. Go find Kody, if you're so eager to experiment. I'm sure he was next on your list of foxes to try!”

Nick shot her a final glare over his shoulder before leaving. He was deaf to her when she called out again and already down the street when her feet remembered how to work and she dashed after him. Jack remained where he stood, staring blankly at where his sister had vanished. Only to refocus once Judy returned looking defeated and sobbing. He moved towards her, the action drawing an expression he had never seen before. Or at least he had never seen directed at him.

“I hate you,” she stated, simply. Vhemonately. 

“Judy, I-” He took a step, only for her to step back.

“I don’t want to even look at you,” she spat, backing away from him towards the stairs. He looked from her to Sandra, Jon, and Bobby watching them with slack jaws. Tears stained his cheeks when he looked back towards his baby sister. “I wanna go home. I’m not going to spend another second with you. You’re exactly like them! You horrible, disgusting jerk!” Jack started towards her, the explanation on his lips when she turned away from him and ran upstairs. 

“Judy, wait!” But she didn’t.

The walls of the cafe seemed to vibrate when she slammed the apartment door. Jack could only stand in his spot and take several deep breaths to keep his thoughts in order. He just needed to explain. To tell her so she would know what had really happened today. Just as he started to move towards the staircase and everyone awkwardly began to restart their work, the door opened again. He looked up as her footsteps hit his ears. She stormed down, her backpack on and small suitcase in paw.

“Wait, Judy!" He dashed after her as she reached the front of the cafe and stormed out, past Gideon and Daisy who were just about to enter. “You can’t just leave! Please, let me-” His paw had reached for her arm only for it to whip out of his grasp and her other paw slapped him across the face, suitcase clattering to the ground. He staggered back and blinked down at her. She fought her tears and backed away from him.

 “That’s for ruining everything.”

A paw stayed pressed to his cheek even as the sting faded away. He watched his little sister vanish around the corner, choking back tears before he pulled himself together long enough to dig his cell free from his pocket. Vaguely he heard Daisy say she’ll go with her with Gideon agreeing while the pair rushed away. Watching them vanish, he sent a quick text to Bogo, asking to keep an eye out for Judy at the train station. Another was sent to Bonnie, letting her know her daughter was on her way home, but didn’t elaborate any further. 

For a long moment, he stared in the direction everyone had left in before heading back inside. The buck kept his head ducked as he reentered, but raised it up once he realized all eyes were on him. A hush fell over the cafe as he gathered as much of his dignity as he could to walk towards the kitchen. His head was held high, but not his eyes, which struggled to stay off the floor. Several times his ears and chin threatened to fall, the urge fought off as he passed through the coffee bar into the kitchen.

Almost robotically, he put on an apron, took up the next order, and paused to focus on it. Materials were taken up and put to use as he set about his work. Tension was thick as nearly every pair of eyes were on him. But still, he paid them no mind, tuning them out, and focusing on his task.

Jon, for the first time in his job at the Perk, was completely speechless. He opened his mouth and took a step towards his boss. But a paw on his arm had him pausing. His eyes met Sandra’s and he understood her silent order to leave the kitchen. Jack kept his back to everyone and piped the decorations for the order in front of him. She approached him cautiously and opened her mouth to speak.

“Say anything and you’re fired.” Her mouth closed briefly before opening again. “And if you think I’m kidding, today’s not the day to test me.”

Sandra’s eyes watered a bit but she nodded and backed away. Returning to her position at the counter, she picked up where she left off, the others following her lead. And so the day passed in tense silence, Jack too far removed from everything to notice anything happening around him.

And out of respect, no one mentioned the tears running down his cheeks.

………………………. 

Skye didn’t even realize Nick was next to her until she stopped at a crosswalk. He came to a stop beside her, paw going to her elbow. She instinctively jerked away before seeing who it was. As soon as she met her brother’s eyes, she broke. He dove into her arms and held tight as she sobbed into his shoulder and hugged him back.

“Let’s go home, Skye,” he mumbled after a moment. 

His paw firmly guided her past her apartment, towards their mother’s. Vivian Wilde may have been out of Savanna Central, but there was a comfort in going back to her childhood home.

Nick navigated her there, thankful they had not stopped rushing away from the Perk until they were closer to the Wilde residence than Skye’s. Through the building lobby, up the stairs, to the front door, and greeted by Greg lounging on the couch in his usual position. His legs thrown over the back of the couch, with the rest of him upside down, he tapped away at his phone and grinned at the sound of the door opening.

“Welcome home, kits!” he called out with a happy grin. “Our camping trip got rained out, so I’m home early. SURPRISE! How was your da-....” His eyes finally looked towards his brother and sister and he fell silent at their expressions. “Day?” Legs were swung down and he maneuvered himself into an upright position before standing.

“What happened?”

Nick looked up at his brother then back at his sister, before casting his gaze to the ground with an angry shake of his head. Greg took her in his arms and walked her towards the couch, waiting for Nick as he made for the kitchen. Skye’s sobs had tapered off, leaving her in a shocked silence. Her breath came in pants and eyes stared blankly at the floor.

Returning with a mug in his paws, Nick came to sit next on her opposite side, passing the mug to her. It was accepted quietly and sipped from, but she still didn’t speak.

“I’m guessing,” her eyes moved to Greg as he spoke, “Jack?”

Of course.

Skye still reeked of him. Her nose had gone blind to it; Nick, too, apparently. But it was very prominent to any other mammal.

“Let’s draw you a bath,” Greg suddenly announced. That seemed to pull her out of whatever daze she had fallen into.

“What?” she asked, positive she heard incorrectly.

Nick grinned and jumped up. “Great idea, Greg! I’ll get started on it.”

“Mom has that Musk Mask Bubble Bath. I think it’s under the sink and it’s a eucalyptus… something. Add some of it, will you?” His little brother left for the bathroom, leaving just the two of them. Skye looked at her little brother and gave him a watery smile.

“Thank you,” she murmured, hugging him. He hugged her back tightly.

“Anything for you, sis.” 

Hours later, after the sun had set, wearing pajamas stolen from her mother, she sat on the couch and thought.... 

Nothing.

Looking at her, one would assume she was a flurry of emotions, rabid thoughts, and feelings. Even she was surprised. Skye had assumed she would still be in intense pain. But she felt nothing. It took convincing to get her brothers to believe she was fine on her own, but when they finally did it was a great relief. 

Now….

Now she could reset. Her eyes looked down at her phone. Seven missed calls. Seven voicemails. More texts than she had ever seen. All from Jack, all ignored and deleted. He had flooded her inbox, too. All emails from him were now auto sent to a separate folder. She looked at the screen and pressed confirm.

‘Your Number Has Been Changed.’

With a sigh and fresh wave of tears, Skye turned her gaze out the living room window and waited for morning.

………………..

In his room, Nick lay on his bed with tears streaming down his cheeks. 

Dave, Finnick, and Brooklynn had been messaging him non stop asking about what happened. Brook had gone to get a drink and muffin from the cafe and visit with her friends only to find no Judy, Nick, or Skye, Jack deaf to everyone and thing, and a very dismal staff. So of course, she called Judy to find out what happened. No doubt she was calling Nick to get his side of the story. Or yell at him. Either way, he wasn’t ready to face them just yet. He picked up his phone and unlocked it. Pressing a thumb to his call log, he selected his voicemail and listened to the message again.

“Hey, Nick,” Judy’s voice greeted in a small tone. It made him close his eyes and breathe deep. “I just wanted to say I’m so sorry. Again. Please, believe me, I had no idea he was going to do that, I swear. If you could, you know, just call me back. So we can talk and maybe… I don’t know. What do you do in a situation like this? I still owe you ice cream! Remember? Maybe we can get ice cream?” She gave a sad chuckle. “Anyway…. Call me.”

Nick was tempted. Very tempted. He already regretted what he told her and he knew that family wasn’t always just carbon copies of the same mammal. But every time his thumb hovered over her number, Jack’s face popped up. That tone, that expression…

How heartbroken Skye was….

If that’s what love was, Nick was better off without it. He exited out of the call screen and moved to set his phone aside. If his eyes stayed open any longer, they would go cross. As he did, a message from an unknown number popped up.

Unknown: Hey, it’s me Natasha. Finnick gave me your number. I just heard what happened! I’m so sorry, Nick. Bunnies are just so awful! It's better you found out sooner rather than later. I hope you’re doing okay…

Annoyance filled him knowing his ‘friend’ was giving his number out to vixens who couldn’t take a hint. Nick was ready with a response as indignation filled him. 

How dare she talk about Judy like that!

But the message was never typed. 

Was she wrong?

Wasn’t this why the term crush was coined?

If loving someone could end with this much pain, what was the point?

Nick sat up and opened his gallery. His green eyes stared down at the picture of him and Judy at the party. The way her nose was adorably scrunched as she glared at him. It was exactly what he was hoping for when he said she looked cute. With a quick swipe, the picture changed. This time it was one he snuck of her in the Museum. The lights were dim and the stars faintly reflected onto the ceiling. And onto Judy. Her eyes were wide in that picture. Full of wonder and amazement, with a hint of excitement. His favorite part was remembering two seconds after he took it, she turned that gaze to him. Nick was only thirteen years old but he knew that was the moment he fell in love with her.

Nick exited his gallery and reopened his messages.

Thanks, Natasha. That means a lot.

……………………….

Judy was tucked into a compartment, her legs folded under her, staring down at her phone. She had tried every way she could to get ahold of Nick, to explain that she had no idea Jack would do what he did. But he had yet to respond. Her messages were on read and occasionally a thought bubble would pop up. It only lasted a few moments before it vanished.

Now it was just silence.

Silence suddenly broken by Brook calling her. Judy jumped in surprise before she slid her thumb over the answer button. 

“Judy, what happened?” she demanded before the doe could speak. “I just stopped by to visit you and Nick and you’re not here! Sandra said there was a big falling out and you left for Bunnyburrow. What happened? Are you okay? Did something happen to Nick? What’s going on with Jack? Aren’t we supposed to go to the beach this weekend?”

When Brook was finally questioned out, Judy took a shaky breath and opened her mouth to explain, only to burst into tears. Brook listened in stunned silence as she sobbed out the story. It really was a testament to their friendship that she even understood what was being said to her. Brook listened without interrupting until Judy fell into hiccupping silence broken by the occasional sniffle. 

“Judy, Nick’s a jerk.”

The statement shocked her for a moment. “What? What do you mean?”

“He just took all of his anger out on you!” The tigress declared. “I totally get being pissed at your brother. What he did was terrible! But you had nothing to do with it! It was in no way your fault! And he needs to stop being a dick and grow the fuck up!”

“Brook, you don’t understand. Jack-”

“Fucked up. Yes. I know. I get it, Hopps. But the simple fact of the matter is, Nick had no right to blame you for Jack’s actions. That dumb fox should consider himself lucky a female like you was willing to even look at him, let alone be willing to date him! You deserve to be treated better and if you can’t see that then you really are just a dumb bunny!”

And with that, she hung up. Judy kept the phone to her ear for a moment longer before it fell to her lap. At a loss for words and with much to think about, she turned her gaze to the window and watched the platform for Bunnyburrow station come into view. 

“Now arriving at Bunnyburrow station. Please exit to the right and mind the gap.”

She stood and took her bag and backpack before heading towards the exit. And there waiting for her was her mother and father, beaming happily as she drew closer. Bonnie rushed forward and scooped her up in a hug.

“Oh!” she squealed. “I’m so happy you’re back, baby! And I’m so sorry about Jack and your summer. I know how much you were looking forward to it.”

A few tears leaked out as Judy hugged her back. “Thanks, Mom.” She pulled away to look up at her with watery eyes. “Can I sleep in one of the guest bedrooms? I’m not up for being around the litter.”

“Well, thankfully, everyone was moved out into their own bedrooms. We left your stuff there, though.” She was given another squeeze. “The room’s all yours.”

Judy buried her nose into her mother’s fur and cried silently. “Thank you, mommy.”

Stu smiled and embraced her before grabbing her things and heading to the truck. One bumpy truck ride and several hours later, she sat on her bed, a fox plushie in her paws. Gideon had given it to her as a gift for her last birthday. Now that she was really looking at it, she was reminded of Nick. A thumb brushed over the button eyes before it was brought to her chest for a snuggle, tears falling a bit harder. 

Brook had given her a lot to think about and while she knew she was right, it still hurt knowing Nick hated her. Almost as much as seeing her big brother, her hero, the one who was as odd as she was…

A light tap on her door and she looked up to see Quintin peeking in at her.

“Hey,” he began with concerned eyes. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and looked back down. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Super crazy about Jack, huh?” Her brother came to sit next to her, bouncing her as he did. Judy only nodded. “I can’t believe Mom and Dad did that to him.”

Half way through another nod, she stopped and looked up at him questioningly. “What?” 

“He didn’t tell you? Everyone in the burrow is freaking out about it. It’s practically divided everyone.” He looked up in thought. “I don’t think I’ve spoken to Mom or Dad since this morning. I’m actually going to do some part time work for the Fleece family tomorrow for money so I can get my food and shit from somewhere else. It’s been pretty fucked up around here.”

“What? What did they do?” 

Quin studied her for a moment before he answered. “Mom told Jack that he either he leaves that vixen or he says goodbye to you and Bunnyburrow.” His paw grasped hers with sympathetic eyes. “I’m sorry he chose her over you.”

Judy looked away, feeling floored. “He didn’t. He broke things off with her and Nick was so angry, he broke things off with me.”

Quin's eyebrows shot up. “Well, at least it must be nice knowing he chose you, right?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Now I just feel worse. I still feel so angry at him, Quin. It’s great he chose me, but I wish he had talked to me about it first. If he had, we could have figured it out together. Like we always do. I would have come back here and found a way to get Mom and Dad to change their minds. But…" She shrugged. "He really is just like everyone else.” Quin studied her in confusion until she continued. “He doesn’t think I could handle anything on my own. He had zero faith in me and what I can do. Jack made the choice for me and I don’t think I can forgive that.”

She looked up at him and he gave her a sad smile. “So… Everything’s gonna suck for a while. Huh?”

“Yup," Judy agreed. 

And together, the siblings sat in silence, waiting for the moment and feeling to pass.

……………………….

Jack listened to the other line ring and ring. This is what happened now. It was only a few hours since he had broken things off with Skye and now there was just this-

“Hello?” The voice, while feminine like Skye’s, sounded much younger, with a hint of confusion and fear.

He cleared his throat to clear it of the drunken slur he knew he would have and tried to not to be thrown. 

“Hi, yes, is Skye there, please?” Just because it wasn’t Skye who answered didn’t mean she wasn’t nearby.

Right?

The young female just sounded more confused, though the fear was gone. “No, I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong number.”

“What?” Jack pulled his phone away from his ear and looked down at the display picture and name. Skye beamed up at him, her name in bold across the top of the. He brought it back to his ear in disbelief. “I- I guess she must have changed it. So sorry to have bothered you. Have a great night.”

He hung up before she could respond and his paw fell to his lap, phone still clutched in it. Numbness. That’s what he expected to feel. What he wanted to feel and was aiming for with the bottle by his feet and drink in his paw. The pain he had anticipated to be overwhelming was exactly that. 

And he felt every. 

Last. 

Bit. 

Drinking deeply, he sat at the foot of his bed, every light in his apartment off. The room reflected the light of the bar behind the ally, illuminating it enough to highlight how empty it now was. Judy was gone. The cafe was dark and silent. The apartment was dark and silent. Skye was gone.

Jack was completely, and utterly, heartbroken.

[octbrsaturn]

REPENT - ARVIN RUSSELL

note: hi friends ! so this is my first time posting on tumblr (i normally just post on wattpad haha) and also my first time writing for arvin ever, so please be nice !! i changed a few things in this (for example, arvin lives with emma and everyone, but they’re still in the same state, instead of moving states) sorry ! i’ve not seen any black!girl pairings for arvin so i decided i’d start it ;) i hope i did it well. 

anyway, please enjoy !

warnings: contains harsh language against black people (one time), harsh language, blood, violence, (mentions of) death, protective!arvin

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PART ONE

A lot of major things happened in 1945. Truman became president after Roosevelt died. Hiroshima and Nagasaki surrendered to the United States. Hitler died.

And Y/N M/N Lewis was born.

Y/N was born in May of 1945 to William and Marie Lewis, first-time parents. The second she popped out, Y/N was the light of their world. Everything about her was perfect - her gorgeous espresso skin was smooth, with no blemishes or marks. She had curly black hair on top of her head, even right when she was born. Her eyes were a dark, dark brown - almost black. But if you looked close enough, you could see that her eyes were indeed brown.

William and Marie moved to West Virginia in 1948, their now four-year-old daughter in tow. They were originally from a small town in East Tennessee, and they'd moved to West Virginia for work. Despite the move at such a young age, Y/N was still a great little girl. She didn't argue very much, she was always polite to everyone, and she had a constant smile on her face. People tended to comment on her Appalachian accent that she already had despite her young age.

The house that the Lewis family moved into wasn't very big. It was two rooms and two bathrooms, which was perfect for a small family. William always said that they didn't need much - all they needed was to be together, and they would be alright. Y/N always listened to her father's words - she practically hung off of every syllable. The way her father spoke was so eloquent and melodic, Y/N could sit and listen to him talk for hours. So when her father said those words, she agreed wholeheartedly, and never forgot it. She didn't know what she would do if she didn't have her mommy and daddy with her.

A few hours after freshly moving into the house, William decided to pack Marie and Y/N in the car and drive them up the road to the neighbors. Of course, he was wary of the idea. He didn't want to piss off any white folk and put a target on his and his family's back. But he decided to be nice and give a quick hello, tell them that they won't be any bother, and drive back down to their home.

William pulled up into the dirt driveway of the house, seeing a man sitting on a rocking chair on the porch, a beer in his hand. He stood up slowly and put his beer down on the brown, wooden porch before making his way over to the Lewis family, confused as to why they were there.

William stepped out of the car, telling Marie that it would only be a moment. Marie nodded and prayed to God that these people were kind and not ignorant. She'd already been through a lifetime of ignorance and hate. She didn't want it anymore. She watched as William walked around the car, starting to tell the man his name and their reason for being there.

Y/N watched with nervous eyes, cowering in the corner of the back seat as she watched her father talk to this scary looking man. Her parents taught Y/N to be careful when first meeting people.

Willard put a hand out for William to shake. He did so, introducing himself as William Lewis, the new neighbor down the hill.

"Willard Russell," Willard replied, giving the man a nod. "Pleasure to meet ya."

"That there's my wife, Marie," William turned to Marie, who gave a soft wave to Willard. "And in the back is my very own pride and joy, Y/N Lewis."

Willard Russell's eyes traveled to the back of the car and through the window to see a shaking little girl. Willard was confused for a moment, thinking that it wasn't too cold out, not yet. After a moment's thought, he realized that she wasn't cold - the poor girl was scared. Willard took a better look in the car, stepping closer and bending down so he could be seen through the window. He gave a soft smile and stuck his hand in through the window. "Hello, Y/N. Nice to meet ya, baby girl."

Y/N looked between the man's hand and face. Marie turned in her seat. Y/N’s eyes shifted over to her mother, asking if this man could be trusted. Marie nodded with a soft smile. "Go on, baby. Shake the man's hand."

Y/N looked back at the man as he stayed there, waiting for her to take his hand. Willard's hand didn't falter. He needed to show this girl that he could be trusted. "I won't hurt ya."

Y/N slowly put her hand out, grabbing him and shaking it softly. Her hands still shook, but not as much as before. She looked into the man's eyes and realized that he wouldn't hurt her - his hands were gentle, despite the callouses and blisters. Y/N looked back at the man's eyes. He gave her a small wink with a smile. She smiled back softly, a giggle escaping her lips.

The door of the house opened. A woman walks out with a boy on her hip, him playing softly with her short, red hair. She walked over and stopped by her husband. "Willard? What's goin' on, honey?"

"Baby," Willard let go of Y/N’s hand and turned to the woman. "this is William, Marie, and little Y/N. They took over the Roger's old house down the road." Willard explained as the woman put down the little boy. Without a moment's thought, the boy walked over beside his father and leaned on his tip-toes to see inside the car. He had a blue baseball cap sat on his brown hair. Y/N couldn't see his entire face very well - just his cap, a pair of brown eyes, and lightly freckles cheeks. The boy didn't talk. He just looked into the car. And Y/N just looked right back.

"Oh, how nice! It's nice to meet y'all, I'm Charlotte, and right there's our Arvin." Charlotte introduced herself. Arvin was still staring at Y/N. His eyes hadn't moved away from her's once.

It was hard for everyone to understand what Arvin was thinking at that moment. He'd never been the most social kid. He tended not to share his feelings unless he truly needed to. Nobody, not even Charlotte or Willard, could tell you what Arvin had running through his mind.

Arvin couldn't take his eyes away from her. Even at four years old, this boy knew that Y/N was going to be one of the most important people in his life.

"Arvin!" Willard shouted, snapping the boy out of his daze. He looked up at his dad, peeling his eyes away from Y/N. "It's not nice to stare, boy. Be polite."

"Hello," Arvin said, looking back at Y/N, still standing on his toes to see in the car and peering into the window.

"Hi there," Y/N answered back, finally speaking. For some reason, she felt like Arvin was the only person here that she could talk to - even at only four years old. He looked very nice and looked like he was a good person to play with. "I'm Y/N M/N Lewis. I'm four."

"I'm Arvin Eugene Russell," Arvin replied. "I'm four, too! Wanna play with my Lincoln Logs? My daddy just got me some."

Y/N looked over at her mother, who gave her a short nod, telling her that it was fine. Y/N looked back at Arvin and let out a happy, "Yes!"

Arvin opened the car door and stuck out his hand, just like his daddy taught him to. Y/N grabbed it without any hesitation and Arvin helped her climb out. He kept a hold on her hand and dragged her into the house to show her the new toys his dad had gotten for him.

The Russells and the Lewis' watched as the two ran off, all understanding that they those were going to get along just fine.

And they were right.

At age nine, Arvin and Y/N were starting the third grade. Their schools had just integrated, letting colored kids and white kids go to school together. When Arvin had heard the news, he jumped around the entire house with joy, letting out whoops and hollers of happiness. His dog, Jack, ran around with him as well, howling as if he was happy, too.

William was nervous, knowing that Y/N was about to go through one of the hardest things in her life. He knew that the kids at school weren't going to be happy about the integration. He had talked with William about it, asking him to talk to Arvin. He wanted Arvin to keep a lookout for the girl and let William know about anything Arvin saw, so he could talk to Y/N about it. But Willard, as always, took it a step ahead.

Willard had grown to love the girl as if she was his own. He always let her over to their house whenever she wanted (She didn't have to knock before entering anymore), he would teach her little lessons like he did Arvin, he even once took her hunting with them. Hell, he even took her and Arvin out for ice cream when she hit her first buck. Y/N was pretty much a Russell at heart.

So when Willard realized that their schools were integrating, his heart was filled with dread.

Not because he didn't want the schools to integrate - of course not. He fought in the war for people to progress, and realize that skin color doesn't and shouldn't separate anyone. Willard Russell was more scared for Y/N to start school with the other white kids, whose parents were raised on the belief that colored kids were less than them. He knew how awful kids could be - they'd be ruthless towards her.

So Sunday night, the night before Y/N first day, Willard took Arvin by the arm and took him out to the prayer log. Arvin didn't understand why his father was taking him out there, but he didn't dare ask. He just waited until he was on his knees with his hands folded, ready to pray for whatever his father told him to.

"Arvin," Willard said slowly, staring at the log. "Tomorrow is Y/n’s first day of school with you."

"Yes, I know, daddy!" Arvin said happily. He noticed that his father's hands weren't clasped and he didn't look like he was about to start praying. So Arvin turned to his father more, sitting on his bottom with his back against the log. "I can't wait to show her around."

"I can bet," Willard laughed, ruffling his son's hair. "But I need to tell you some things. This may not go as smoothly as you'll hope."

"What do you mean?" Arvin asked. Truth be told, Arvin was incredibly excited for his best friend to start school with him. He couldn't wait until he got to show her around his school, show her to her classes, eat lunch with her, play on the playground with her. But his father looked scared, so now Arvin was feeling a little scared. Come to think about it, whenever Arvin talked to his mother about it, she'd always give a small, close-lipped smile, say "Yeah, baby ..." and nod.

"I ain't never raised you to take this into account," Willard stated, sighing. He moved to sit beside his son, with his back against the prayer log as well. "But you and Y/N technically ... y'all ain't the same."

"I know," Arvin nodded. "She's a girl and I'm a boy. But I don't care, daddy, she's still my best - "

"Not like that," Willard stopped him before he could go into one of his famous 'we're best friends and ain't nothin' gonna change that' tangent that he got into whenever it came to Y/N. "I know y'all are best friends. That's perfectly fine and dandy. But what I'm sayin' is ... is that Y/N ain't look the same as you. Her skin ain't the same."

"Oh ... I noticed that," Arvin shrugged. "I 'on't care, though."

"That's good," Willard nodded, happy that he was getting somewhere. "You shouldn't care. Because you know that her mommy and daddy are amazing people, right? And sunshine is an amazing girl?"

"Only I can call her that," Arvin said to his dad (referring to the nickname he started calling her when they went out in a field once and Y/N’s skin glowed in the sun like he ain’t never seen before) before nodding and agreeing. Willard nodded, knowing his son was a little protective already. "But yes. They're all good people."

"Others ain't gon' always think like that," Willard said quickly. "Others ain't gonna give Y/N a chance like you did. They're gonna see that she don't look the same as them, and they're gonna be mean to her for it."

Arvin could feel his heart drop into his stomach. "Mean to sunny? Why? She's ain't never mean to no one. She's never been mean to me in my whole entire life. She ain't do nothin' wrong, did she, daddy?" Arvin asked, his eyebrows furrowed. It didn't make any sense to him - why would anyone be rude to Y/N Lewis? She was the best person on the planet - even better than Arvin himself. Only people who are mean should be hurt. Not nice people.

"It's like I told you, son, they'll take one good look at the color of her skin and decide that she's not equal. There's a lotta no good sons a bitches out there." Willard said. "But I need you to listen real close-like, okay? She's still your best friend. And I'm gon' need you to protect her with everything you've got, alright? Don't let nobody touch her. Don't let her get hurt. Do you hear me?"

Arvin nodded. He'd do it. He swore it. Not just to his father, but to himself. And to sunny.

The first day of school came quickly. Arvin was up all night, punching the pillow that he had taped to the wall to prepare for the next day. Arvin didn't get picked on at school. Some of the kids knew him as the boy who was friends with the colored girl, but he never really minded it.

So Arvin stayed up all night, planning out his entire day. He would grab Evelyn's hand the second that she was by him. Then, whenever someone looked like they wanted to hurt her, he'd pull her behind him so he could protect her. He practiced everything he'd say to the mean people - 'get away' or 'leave her alone' or something. Arvin fell asleep that night somehow. His mind was too busy racing with the thoughts of tomorrow.

The next day, William walked Y/N up to the Russell's house so Y/N could get on the bus with Arvin. Despite his nerves, Arvin still smiled at the girl. She had her thick hair in twists and in pigtails on both sides of her head. She had on a pretty yellow dress that went down a little past her knees. On her feet were white socks with frills on the ends and nice, black shoes. She had a gray backpack that looked a little worn, but still got the job done. Y/N skipped up to Arvin with a smile, gently nudging him when she reached him.

Arvin immediately held onto the girl's hand and didn't let go, just like he'd planned. Y/N and her father had talked the night before, so Y/N knew that she was going to get picked on for what she looked like, but she knew that if she had Arvin with her, then she'd be fine.

William stood beside Willard as Arvin and Y/N talked to each other, still holding hands. "Do you think they'll be okay?" William asked.

"Your girl will be fine," Willard answered. "She's the strongest outta all of us. And Arvin's got her back. He ain't gon' let nothin' happen to her."

William nodded, watching as the school bus made it's way around the corner and right in front of the Russell's home. They watched as Arvin gently led the girl onto the bus, never once letting go of her hand.

The bus was silent for a moment. Arvin looked around for an empty seat. He eventually found one near the back and walked the girl towards it. Once they made it, he stepped aside and let Y/N sit in the window seat. He knew she'd like it, but he also knew that if she sat on the inside, people couldn't mess with her as easily.

The bus ride was pretty okay. Nobody teased the girl - they just asked her name and how old she was. Arvin could tell that they knew he meant business - he wasn't gonna let nothing slide by him.

The bus pulled into the school and everyone was let off. Arvin grabbed a hold of Y/N’s hand and walked her around the school, showing her things like the cafeteria and the gymnasium. Everything was going great. People just stared at them, not saying rude things. Y/N seemed to be okay, and Arvin was more than happy to show her every nook and corner of the school. Eventually, though, he was stopped by Dean Cooper.

Dean Cooper was known for being the kid that never let anyone breathe. He messed with everyone, despite looking like he couldn't hurt a fly on the outside. He had nice brown hair that was always done well, with stormy blue eyes and tan skin. He had a dimple on his left cheek, Arvin figured it was from all of the evil smirking that he did.

"Little Arvin Russell," Dean said with that exact evil smirk. "How's it going?"

"Leave us alone, Dean," Arvin said lowly, hoping to go through the whole day without getting into another fight. His black eye from earlier was just starting to go away, and he didn't want another one. When Y/N saw his black eye, the poor girl cried her eyes out. Arvin could've sworn that she was hurting more than he was.

Dean's eyes flitted over to Y/N. She took a step closer to Arvin, holding onto his arm, starting to get scared. Arvin kept a hold on her hand and pushed her further behind him, hoping that Dean would focus back on Arvin, rather than Y/N.

"Who do we have here?" Dean asked with a fake grin, one that didn't look like he was truly asking. It looked like he wanted to know just to mess with her.

"Leave us alone," Arvin repeated himself, not backing down from Dean.

"I heard the rumors, Arvin," Dean laughed, stepping around to see Y/N shaking in fear. Arvin could feel her trembling - it broke his heart. He hated to see - or feel - her like this. Gripping his arm with all her might, trying her hardest to be brave. Arvin didn't care how scared the girl was - he'd always be brave for her. He decided that last night. "But I never figured they were true."

"What rumors?" Arvin practically growled.

"That you're a nigger-lover."

That day, Arvin came home with a bruised eye and two bloody knuckles. The truth was, he'd gotten off amazing compared to Dean Cooper, who had a bloody nose and a deep gash on his cheek. Y/N had a bloody elbow from being pushed over by Dean, which sent Arvin into a fit of rage that got Dean his bloody nose.

Arvin felt awful for Y/N - he couldn't believe that she'd gotten knocked over. He was upset that he let it get that far. He should've punched the boy when he first called him that name - when he called her that name. But he was pretty happy with how Dean ended up. His father was also proud, telling him to always protect Y/N because it was what she deserved. Arvin agreed with his dad wholeheartedly.

Years later and this was still the case. It was now the year 1963. Y/N and Arvin are both eighteen years old and seniors in high school. For the most part, people had gotten used to the fact that coloreds were allowed to share rooms with the whites, even though they were still pissed off about it. Y/N was now on the cheer team. She had practice every day (that Arvin would pick her up from). She still wasn't one to fight anybody. She mostly kept to herself when it came to school, never looking for trouble.

Arvin was still her best friend. The two were never apart. He always looked out for her, no matter what classes they had. He always had an eye out for her, making sure that nobody was causing her trouble.

Y/N was more grateful for it than he'd ever know.

The two were something. Sure, best friends, but everyone around them knew that there was something under the surface, something they couldn't see, but knew was there.

What they didn't know, was that Arvin Russell was now absolutely in love with Y/N Lewis. They didn't know that he thought about her every day, that she was the first thing on his mind in the morning and the last thing he thought about before bed. They didn't know that there were times that he couldn't eat because he was too busy thinking about Y/N, hoping that she was okay, especially after everything she'd gone through the last couple of years.

What they didn't know was that Y/N Lewis was also completely infatuated with Arvin Russell.

The final bell rang at three o'clock, as it always did. Arvin and his step-sister Lenora walked out of the school and towards his car, so Arvin could take her to see her mother's grave, just like he always did. It was just a few turns to get there, not a long drive at all.

After Lenora was done with her mother, Arvin dropped her off at their home with their grandma Emma and uncle Earksell.

"Thanks, Arvin," Lenora said to her brother before stepping out. She leaned in through the window, watching as Arvin lit up another cigarette and placed it in his mouth. "You goin' to get Y/N now?"

Arvin nodded. "She had that big math test. I think I'm gon' treat her to a shake, so I'll be home a little later than normal. I'll see you, Lenora."

Lenora waved goodbye and walked inside.

Y/N stood outside of the highschool by herself. Arvin was a little later than usual, but she didn't mind. She was forever grateful for the boy always giving her rides that she couldn't complain whenever he was late - she'd feel too awful.

About thirty minutes after normal, and Arvin pulled up in front of her. He was ready to get out and search for Y/N when he noticed that she was already there, waiting for him. She walked towards the car with a smile on her face. Arvin opened the door from inside and watched as she sat inside. He grabbed a cigarette and quickly lit it, letting out a long breath. The smoke went out of the window.

"What'd I tell you about waitin' outside for me?" Arvin chastised the girl after she shut the car door behind her. His lips held a frown that others would cower at, Y/N only gave the boy a funny look.

She rolled her eyes and looked out her window while Arvin drove off. "It's not a big deal, it was only like ... I dunno, forty-five minutes, maybe?"

"Forty-f - sunshine, you cannot be outside all by your lonesome for that damn long! Do you know what coulda happened to you in all that time?"

"Arvin, you're freaking out over nothing again."

"You know what Dean Cooper would've done if he knew you were out there by yourself? He wouldn't hesitate." Y/N replied, his heart starting to beat faster at the simple thought of Dean Cooper.

The boy was still around, and he was still a problem. Most of the time whenever he saw Y/N, he also saw Arvin, so he'd leave her alone. But that didn't stop from the constant rude words from the back of the class, or the laughing in her face as she walked down the hallways. Sure, Y/N was strong. She'd kept her head up through the integrating of schools across America - but she still had feelings. A lot of the time, the girl would cry in her room by herself. But Arvin didn't need to know that - he had enough on his back, the last thing she wanted to do was burden him with more of her problems.

"Dean Cooper went home early!" Y/N laughed back. "He ain't even here!"

Arvin piped down at this. His mouth snapped shut and he nodded softly at the road. "O-Okay, fine. But still. If I'm late, then you stay inside - "

"Stay inside a bathroom until you come and find me, I know," Y/N grumbled, leaning back into the seat. She didn't like Arvin's rules, but she knew that they were ultimately for the best. She knew that no matter how hard she tried, there were still people who weren't going to like her. That was something that took her a long time to cope with - that there wasn't one thing on Earth that would make some people like her. She'd gotten over it for the most part, but sometimes she still got sad.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe." Arvin glanced at the girl with sorry eyes. She looked back at him with a smile and grateful eyes.

"I know," Y/N answered. "And I love you for it. Thank you." She leaned over and kissed the boy on the cheek. Arvin felt his cheeks heat up, but he ignored it. He gave the girl a smile back after taking another puff of his cigarette.

"You're welcome," Arvin replied. After a moment's silence, he continued. "So, you had that big math test today, right? How'd that go?"

"I passed!" Y/N said happily, digging out the paper from her bag and showing Arvin the big red A+ that was circled on the top of her paper. "I am no longer failing arithmetic!"

"I knew you could do it! See, I told you that Trevor Wilkinson was the best tutor on God's green Earth!" Arvin laughed, taking the girl's hand and giving it a happy squeeze. He brought her hand up to his lips and gave her knuckles a small kiss before letting her hand go. "I'm so happy for you, sunshine."

"Thanks! Maybe you can go out and order some food from a diner and we can see a drive-in movie tonight," Y/N offered with a smile, hoping that she'd get more time with Arvin this weekend. Since he lived a few towns away from her, the two didn't get to see each other as much as they could when they were kids. And since her mother had died, Y/N’s father has been a little off-putting. Y/N didn't have as much fun with him as she used to.

"I'm fine with that," He agreed, slowing down his car and pulling into the diner. "But before that, I've already decided that I'm gonna get you something else, too."

Y/N shrieked happily. "A shake?"

"What flavor you want?" Arvin asked, putting his car in park and turning to look at the girl. He already knew the answer, but he liked to give her the option just to see if she'd choose something else.

"Um ... " Y/N pretended to think. "I think today I'm gonna go with ... Butter pecan. Just to switch it up." She ordered the same flavor that she always did.

Arvin chuckled and shook his head before getting out of the car. "I'll be right back."

"Hurry back!" Y/N said jokingly as Arvin slammed the door shut. She watched as he tipped his blue cap at a few girls that stood outside. They giggled among themselves as he opened the door and walked inside.

Y/N looked at the notebook in hand. She grabbed a pencil and began sketching random things: a tree, a bird, a butterfly, Arvin's dog Jack ...

A body made its way in the window beside the girl, causing a shadow to be cast over her. She looked up with a smile, expecting it to be Arvin, but she could tell immediately that it wasn't. This person was taller, leaner. Y/N’s eyes squinted, trying to see the person's face. It took her a second for her eyes to focus. Once she could tell who it was, her heart felt like it dropped into her stomach.

"Hey there, Y/N,"

Dean Cooper.

[fancyfearful]

Terms of Service (Celia Lede x Gender Neutral! Reader)

(Happy International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month, y’all! Please enjoy some quality fun time with a true girlboss.)

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WARNING/DISCLAIMER: Mature/Explicit themes, and ‘potential simp behavior’ are in this fic. Celia is a queen, idc.

Word Count: 2,042

(Edit: I forgot to tag @gatobob​ , who owns this character, whoops!)

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            You were scared at first.

            After all, you had gone from being naked and terrified in a dimly lit showroom, to waking up several hours later in a rundown, abandoned office building located far away from your home. A pair of handcuffs kept your wrists bound behind your back, but whomever kidnapped you had been 'generous' enough to dress you in semi-casual office clothes, though they were a bit too loose on your body.

               The only thing you knew was that the person responsible for bringing you here had the voice of a matured woman. However, the sound of sharp heels clicking against the ground warned you of their arrival, seconds before she entered the small breakroom where you were being kept.

               Upon meeting the well-dressed, businesswoman for the first time, you learned a few things. Her name was Celia and she was noticeably taller than the average woman, even with her heels on. But if looks could kill, then the mocha-colored eyes that looked over your body would've ended your life in seconds. You weren't sure if she was tired, irritated or both but regardless, Celia staring at your body made you feel uncomfortable.

               During her 'introduction', Celia informed you that your new purpose in life was to be her personal stress reliever, and that resistance of any kind was unacceptable, including trying to escape. She also pointed out something you had somehow missed earlier; an ankle bracelet attached to your leg. With a knowing smirk, Celia informed you that it came with a built in GPS to make sure that you wouldn't be able to leave without her knowledge. The brunette before you also mentioned something about several other 'secrets' that you'd find out about later, which did nothing to calm your nerves as she casually reached into the hidden pocket on her overshirt.

            Celia pulled out a thin, bright red dog collar, dangling it between her fingers before making her way over to fasten it around your neck. She had made it a little too tight on purpose, and when she stepped back to see how it looked, the brunette couldn’t help but scoff.

             “There, now you look like the dog you are. I hope for your sake you’ll be easier to train than the last one. It’d be a shame if I had to put down another pet…” Celia warned, dropping her voice to emphasize her point.

                 “Now, how about we teach you some new tricks?”

*****  

               The next few days had gone by faster than you expected, thanks to Celia’s rigorous training.

            Most of your time was spent acting as living footrest or chair, while she took her sweet time reading through and answering important, work-related emails. If Celia had a good workday, you’d play games like fetch, where she’d reward you with cookies shaped like dog biscuits if you did well. But if you didn’t retrieve an item fast enough, your cruel captor would deliver punishment by whipping your back and torso with her chain flogger. And on bad workdays, you’d be subjected to a game of ‘cat and mouse’, where Celia gave you a few seconds to hide before hunting you down; if you were found in six minutes or less, she would beat you to the point of bruising with the nearest blunt object in the room. The stapler was quickly becoming one of her favourites items to carry around, and even a good workday couldn’t save you from whenever Celia felt the urge to watch you squirm. Her eyes practically lit up whenever she subjected you to several new piercings on your arms or legs, a high only the most forbidden of drugs could provide.

            But today—or night, you couldn’t exactly tell what time of day it was down here—was different.

           The familiar, yet haunting, sound of heels clacking along the ground was replaced by something that sounded firmer, and heavier in comparison. And for the first time since your arrival, you were worried that someone or something even worse than Celia would find you here.

             However, seeing the familiar face of Celia suddenly appear in the doorway of the shabby office that had become your bedroom was bittersweet. But instead of her usual business attire, she donned a skin-tight, black body suit with thigh-high stockings, and her trademark red heels were replaced with thick, black wedges. Sure, you had noticed her figure from time to time, but the sudden style change made it even harder to look away. Instead, you tried to focus on the medium sized bag she was holding in her left hand.

                 “Ah, there’s my favourite dog. You look surprised to see me.” Celia says, making her way into the room before plopping herself down onto the desk nearby.

            Her tone sounded lower than usual, and the end of her words were a bit slurred. If you had to guess, she had probably had a few drinks before coming here, something that wasn’t uncommon. Whenever it happened, Celia was a bit of a wildcard. She motioned for you to come closer, making you gulp nervously as she reached into her bag to retrieve a long chain with a clasp at the end. Sheepishly, you avoid eye contact while Celia attaches it to the collar around your neck, grinning proudly before she roughly tugs on your new leash.

            “Now you’re really starting to look like a proper pet!” she comments, only to pat your head in a condescending manner. “And so well behaved too, isn’t that right?”

            You nod slowly, feeling your cheeks burn in shame. This wasn’t right. Her backhanded compliments shouldn’t have affected you like this, but these moments with Celia were the only times you could interact with another living being. It was better than trying to keep a stray pill bug for company again, only for it to end up escaping.

               “You should be grateful, you know. I turned you into something useful, something with value…” Celia adds, keeping one hand on your chain while the other tightly cupped your chin. “I saved you from being someone’s pathetic plaything. And yet I still have to tell you when to say ‘thank you’. How is that fair to me? Shouldn’t you know better by now?”

          You nodded again, only to be struck across the face with a harsh slap.           “Answer me!” Celia snarled, her face scrunched up in annoyance. She was losing her patience, and that was the last thing you wanted her to do.

                “Y-Yes, miss Celia. I’m sorry for not knowing better.” You replied. “Thank you for giving me value.”

       “Good! See, that’s what I like about you. You’re a quick learner, but there’s still something I’ve got to put to the test.” The brunette murmured, letting go of your chin before she pointed to the floor. “On your knees, pet. Let’s see if that face is as comfortable as it looks.”

               You were visibly confused as you tried to process her request. Did she mean what you thought she meant, or--?

“Are you deaf? Because I’m pretty sure I just gave you a task to complete. And if you can’t do it, then I’ll replace you with someone who can...” Celia commanded, her voice booming and steady. It was the kind of tone that could melt you within seconds or break you without warning.

               As quickly as you could, you dropped to your knees, trying to the ignore the dull ache that came with having them hit the floor too hard. Celia wound the excess length of your chain around her hand a few times, before yanking you towards the space between her parted legs. A muffled grunt escaped you as Celia’s legs wrapped around your neck and shoulders, keeping your face pinned against the smooth leather of her body suit while she kept an iron grip around your chain. The sweet scent of a strong smelling body spray invaded your nose, and although you wouldn’t admit it out loud, the fragrance was alluring.

“Well, pet? I’m waiting. Show me how grateful you are to be here.”

 It was at that moment that you started to think she was right. Not because you didn’t miss your old life, or your freedom but because in a weird, twisted way, serving Celia gave you a purpose. And all things considered, your kidnapper could’ve been much worse; she kept you fed, clothed, and even though the building was falling apart, it still provided shelter from the elements.

               And with this in mind, you started to kiss along her inner thighs, turning your face and neck as much as Celia’s grip would allow. She wiggled a little, smirking as she watched her current pet creep closer and closer towards one of her most sensitive areas, making the brunette smirk deviously.

With a shaky sigh, Celia pressed her hips forward, testing the waters of her new toy by lightly grinding her crotch against your face. The combination of your tightened collar, Celia’s thighs, and the added pressure of that damned leash was making it difficult to breathe, but Celia didn’t care about your declining oxygen supply. If anything, your struggling only made her legs clench even tighter, and you could barely make out the twisted pleasure on her face as she slowly tried to suffocate you, her eyes twinkling in delight while she leaned back a little.

          Your tongue pressed itself up against the thin fabric covering over her body suit, earning an unexpected moan from your mistress before you closing any distance that remained between you two. Any other time, Celia would have punished you for touching her without permission, but in the heat of the moment, your hands wrapped themselves around her thighs, digging your nails into her stocking as your mouth worked to pleasure her as best as you could. 

         Paying attention to the sounds she made was paying off, making it a little easier to find her sweet spots, but you didn’t dare to move the dampened leather covering over her opening. Not without her say, at least.

         But the loud moans and high pitched whines coming from your captor were enough to awaken something in you as well; a small part of Celia was at your mercy, and this was a chance you couldn’t pass up. And so, you doubled down on your efforts, licking, kissing, suckling, and nibbling on every ounce of flesh and fabric between Celia’s warm, plush thighs, using your tongue to express the gratitude that she craved.

           Eventually, your efforts paid off in the form of a loud, breathy moan from Celia as she shuddered, clenching her legs around you so tight that your vision went black for a second or two. The bottom of her body suit was absolutely soaked with a mixture of her own juices, your saliva, and a bit of sweat between you both, yet the pleased chuckle Celia let out calmed your nerves. She only made that sound when something good happened.

            “…Ooh…Haven’t done something like in ages…” she sighed as she relaxed her grip.

            You were able to catch a glimpse of her face, her cheeks tinted bright red as she moved lose strands of hair away from her eyes. The firm, hardened expression typically worn by Celia had been temporarily replaced with a softer, more inviting expression. If it didn’t put you at risk to get kicked, you might even have kissed her. Nothing serious, as it just would have a quick peck on those plump, dark colored lips.

               “Don’t look so lovestruck, dog. Just because I had a few drinks before showing up and felt like trying something new doesn’t mean that you’re walking out of here anytime soon. You’re mine for as long as I want you to be.” Celia huffed, yanking on the chain to remind you of your place. And with a sheepish smile, you nodded.

            “Yes, miss Celia. Of course. Thank you.”

                        How you ended up in her possession was irrelevant. It didn't matter.

           What did matter, was your value. Your worth. It was about what you could do for Celia, not the other way around. It was about acknowledging your rightful place under the command of a superior entity, and that entity was her.

[thorsweek-blog]

The Five Times Thor Found a Family in the Avengers and the One Time He Didn’t

Day Two: Family By: @thorbiased on AO3 Summary: Basically what it says in the title. Heavy on the angst, whoops. A/N: Just an FYI, I’m the same author of “Glitter and Ribbons”, I just forgot to add my name to the last submission. Oh well. Also, I’m on mobile, so if the italics are messed up, I’m sorry. 1 Team

Tony noticed it, they all did. The way Thor, usually so energetic and full of life, eager to learn about earth and everyone, was closing himself off from the team. It was the first time he’d been back on earth since what went down in London. He’d showed up at the tower with a small smile and quite the story that he hadn’t really been able to get through without crying. The Avengers had sat together at the table, sharing concerned glances, when Thor was forced to get up and leave the room. He had come back with red eyes. Since then he hadn’t spoken much to anyone.

Thor had been back for three days when Tony decided to do something about the problem. He just couldn’t stand the sight of Thor moping anymore. (And okay maybe he understood exactly how the guy felt. Losing everything? Shutting everyone out? Ring a bell, anyone?)

“Thor!” Tony shouted, a big grin on his face. He stood at the elevator with a twelve pack in one hand and the entire Star Wars series in the other. “My man. How’s life treating you?”

Thor’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Stark?” he asked, taking a step forward out of the elevator. He looked past Tony for the others, all of whom were sitting on various pieces of furniture in the common room, wrapped in blankets and equipped with popcorn. “What is this?”

“Team bonding night,” Clint informed him, tossing a kernel in the air and catching it between his teeth.

“I appreciate this, my friends, but I’m really not feeling up to ‘team bonding’,” Thor said, dejected. He wandered to the kitchen. “I only came down for sustenance.”

Steve held up a few bottles of beer, giving Thor his signature half-smile. “That’s what this is for.”

Thor felt the corners of his lips turn up for the first time since he arrived. “Then I suppose I can stay down for a while,” he said, taking a seat next to Bruce on the couch.

“Oh, you’re staying up all night, actually,” Tony said matter-of-factly. He shook the movies at him. “See these? These are Earth culture. Midgardian fare.”

Thor peered at the DVD cases. “Are these the Star Wars? Jane has spoken highly of them.”

“Have you seen them?” Tony asked, hopping over the back of the couch and plopping down on the front, much to the concern of Thor.

“No,” Thor assured him, watching his friend closely to make sure he wasn’t injured. “We planned on it, but dealing with Asgard…m-my brother…”

Tony nodded, and seeing that his friend understood, Thor didn’t speak again.

“The movies are good,” Natasha said, changing the subject not so subtlety. She could tell Thor appreciated it.

“So do you want to watch these chronologically or the right way?” Tony asked, spreading out the DVD cases in a line on the coffee table.

Thor looked them over before turning back to Tony, his gaze confused. He arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t chronological…the right way?”

“Well, sort of,” Clint said with a shrug. “But these—“ Clint gestured to the prequels with a bit of disgust. “—came out after these.” He then pointed at the three three originals. “So, you can watch these first and then these, but most people watch these and then these. You feel me?”

Thor stared at his friend in utter confusion, his lips slightly parted in shock. “Uh…”

“We’ll watch these first. I like these better anyway,” Natasha said, picking up A New Hope and walking it to the player. He popped it in and told Jarvis to play.

“So…what are these Star Wars about?” Thor asked, his big blue eyes, eyes that soaked up everything around them like the ocean they shared their hue with, when Bruce returned to the couch.

Tony broke out in a grin. “There’s this guy named Luke…”

Three movies, too many questions, and twelve shared beers later, Thor was slumped against the back of the couch, his arm, slung over the cushioned top of the couch, his eyes still locked on the screen. Tony had passed out during Yoda’s death, and was now drooling on Thor’s thigh. Bruce was snoring on the arm of the couch, having dropped off sometime during The Empire Strikes Back. Steve’s snores had come during the last scenes of that same movie. Natasha was asleep on an equally unconscious Clint’s chest. They’d lasted the longest, and had only just nodded off during Vader and Luke’s last battle.

The final movie was coming to an end, with Luke standing in the Ewok forest amongst the ghosts of the friends and family he’d lost along the way. Thor couldn’t help but feel a pang of familiarity at that. He was jealous of Luke. At least the Skywalker could see visions of his loved ones. Frigga and Loki were simply gone.

Suddenly it all hit him. His mother was dead. His brother was dead. They weren’t coming back no matter how badly his heart ached for them to. They were gone. Silent tears rolled down the god’s cheeks like the rains he commanded. He tried to keep still; no one needed to wake for this, but he couldn’t. Sobs wracked his body, his shoulders shook. Thunder crackled outside, jolting the team awake.

“Thor?” Bruce mumbled, rubbing his eyes like a sleepy child. It took him all of two seconds to realize Thor was sobbing. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?”

Thor couldn’t speak. He wrapped his arms around himself and leaned forward. He hadn’t really meant to find himself in Tony’s arms, but Tony couldn’t let his friend cry alone. As Thor wept, Bruce rubbed circles into his back.

“They’re gone,” Thor managed, his deep voice broken. “They’re not coming back.”

No one had any words for Thor because Thor’s words hit hard, knocking him back to their own hardships after their parents’ deaths. Thor had lost his mother and his insufferable brother. Tony had lost his parents, along with Steve, Bruce and Natasha. They were the same, it seemed, in this.

“You know, and I have no authority to say this because I’ve done the same thing,” Tony said, making sure to clarify, “you don’t have to shut yourself off from everyone. We’re your team, Point Break.”

Thor pulled back, finally coherent enough to speak. He ran his fist across his nose and sniffed. “I know, Stark. Thank you.”

“I understand what you’re going through,” Bryce admitted quietly. “I get it. When my mom died, I had a hard time.”

Thor nodded. “It gets better, doesn’t it? I won’t hurt forever, right?”

Tony couldn’t help but think that Thor reminded him of a child then. He asked it so hesitantly, so hopeful. He almost looked scared of the answer.

“Yeah. It gets better,” Tony said, clasping his friend on the back and grinning. “Now, come on, we’ve got three more movies to watch.”

Thor laughed and sniffed again. He leaned forward and picked up one of the DVD cases. He tilted his head. “You know,” he said, tapping at the image of Padme, “She reminds me of Jane.”

Clint leaned over, studied the image with a pensive expression, and shook his head. “No, I don’t see it.”

2 Natasha

The Widow was missing. It was concerning, if not uncommon. The Avengers hadn’t been sent in to look for her yet—it had only been a few days since she’d gone off the grid—but that hadn’t stopped them from worrying. (It also hadn’t stopped Clint from going after her.)

The mood of the common room was dreary. The crackling fireplace, the silly framed pictures lining the walls, and the Hallmark movie on the TV did nothing to boost morale. Steve sat, slumped back in his chair, staring through the TV. Bruce tapped on his computer, “coding”, he’d claimed. Tony, usually so energetic, could only sit and stare at wall, tapping anxious fingers against the arm of the couch.

Thor, however, paced by the window. Moving helped him think, and right now, he desperately needed to think. His blue eyes watched the sky grow cloudy as his mood grows even worse. The fact that he’d been the last one Natasha had talked to was not helping his mood either. He thought back on their last conversation, digging for clues that could lead him to her.

They’d been talking about something innocent, favorite breakfast cereals or the last movie they’d watched. But, she’d disappeared only an hour later, and he couldn’t help but think there was something more to their conversation.

Thunder shook the windows, and the team jumped. Thor just kept staring at the storm brewing outside, trying and failing to get it tamed.

“Thor…you’re not going to find her by flooding Manhattan,” Tony sighed, slinging an arm over the back of the couch and giving him a sympathetic look.

Thor groaned and dragged his hands over his face. Tearing his eyes away from the skyline, he looked back at the team. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I just can’t help but think she left a clue or something.”

“Natasha is a trained spy,” Steve said, “If she wanted to be found, she would’ve been found. And since she hasn’t been found, she doesn’t want to be.”

Thor rolled his eyes. “Wonderful,” he grumbled, “What if she’s at gunpoint right now, and you think she doesn’t want to be—“

The elevator dinged.

Everyone flew from their spots to rush to the corridor where the elevators let out, Thor leading the charge. They huddled around the doors, holding a collective breath. The doors slid open, revealing Natasha.

Her auburn hair was long and straight when before it had been short and curled, her makeup (which she normally kept simple) exaggerated her features and brought out her colored contacts. She started, stepping back from the crowd that greeted her with wide eyes.

“Uh, hey,” she said, her brows furrowed. She wrapped her black pea coat around her arms. “Can you move?”

The boys shuffled like a herd of sheep out of her way, and she stepped into the corridor. Four pairs of eyes locked on the spy as she casually made her way into the common room. She tossed a cross body onto the couch, kicked off snow boots, and slid her coat off. Just like she was coming home any other day.

“Stop crowding me,” she muttered, pulling up a stool to sit at the bar in the kitchen. She tousled her hair, and leaned back with folded arms. “I guess you’re all wondering where I went?”

“You could say that,” Bruce huffed, standing at the end of the line of concerned superheroes.

Natasha looked each one of them in the eyes before taking a slow breath. “I was fine, that’s all you need to know.”

And she wasn’t telling them anything more than that, or at least, that’s what she’d claimed before stalking up to her floor without another word. Thor, still a little shaken and concerned, wandered up to her a few hours later. He found her sitting on the floor her ballet studio, the one with the floor to ceiling windows.

She’d pulled her hair up in a bun and changed into a black tank top and tulle skirt. She didn’t seem to be dancing, so Thor crept in and sat beside her without a word.

Natasha’s lips pursed, and her eyes (blue once more) shimmered with unshed tears. “I’m sorry if I scared you guys,” she whispered, nodding to the view of the city. The lights of New York bathed them both in a flickering glow. “I saw the storm.”

“I just wanted to know you were safe,” Thor said gently. He took a breath. “Where did you go?”

Natasha’s eyes flickered down to her hands, folded delicately in her lap. They cupped something Thor hadn’t noticed before. She unfurled her fists and revealed a crumpled photograph. A man and a woman, the latter with bright red hair. Thor knew it immediately; her parents.

A single tear rolled down Natasha’s cheek, like raindrops down a window. “They’re dead, like I thought,” she choked out, her voice no longer wanting to work.

Thor didn’t hesitate, wrapping her tight in his arms. A broken sob worked its way from her throat, the first of many. The dam broke, spilling all over Thor. His hands rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles.

“Why am I sad?” she asked him. He was older, surely that made him wiser? “I knew they were dead. I’ve always known.”

Thor shrugged. “Knowing and believing are two different things,” he explained, “When my mother died, I watched it happen. I knew she was gone, but it was weeks before I believed it.”

Natasha leaned back just enough for her head to rest on Thor’s shoulder. “You never talk about that,” she prompted, clearly wanting to steer the conversation back to him.

Thor understood, so, as hard as it was to talk about, he gave her that distraction. He took a shaky breath. He hadn’t had the heart or maybe the guts to say it out loud yet. “I’m the reason she’s dead.”

Natasha pulled back, immediately shaking her head. “That’s not true.”

Thor nodded, his face growing hot. “I didn’t figure out Malekith’s plan quickly enough,” he insisted, “I was too late to save her. I should’ve gone straight to her, not the prison.”

“You didn’t know,” Natasha gripped Thor’s wrist, her brows folded. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Thor swallowed the lump in his throat. “I wish that were true,” he murmured.

Natasha didn’t try any more to convince him. Self hatred was an old friend, one she knew well. It would take more than her words to shake it loose of Thor. “We’re a pretty messed up bunch, aren’t we?” she asked.

“Me and you?”

“Us,” she repeated, “The Avengers.”

“You think of us as family, do you?” Thor asked, a bemused smirk on his lips. “The elusive Black Widow, part of a family.”

Natasha laughed once. She turned her eyes back to the city. “Well, if I’m part of a family, I’m glad it’s this one,” she said. There was a beat. Her words settled over the two of them, their implications growing roots. “It’s nice.”

Thor nodded. “New York is indeed very nice,” he agreed, looking out over the city.

“No, our family. It’s nice.”

Thor patted the soft tulle that covered Natasha’s knee. “It is.”

3 Tony

The lab was never quiet, so when Thor entered it to find it completely silent, he was understandably concerned. Weaving through the discarded supplies and haphazard tables strewn around the floor space, Thor searched for Tony. He’d been down in the lab for hours on end, and according to Jarvis, he hadn’t eaten since the morning before. The bite of déja vu gnawed at Thor. Loki used to do the same thing, holing up in his study for longer than he should have without sustenance.

“Stark?” he called, peering around the shelves, “You in…”

The words died on his lips and were replaced by an amused grin. He came closer to the mechanic, who lied on his table, covered by blue print paper and pencil. Quiet snores filled the air. Tony wore an old sweatshirt and pants, and was covered in oil and grease. His always impeccable hair was tousled and messy, and there were dark circles underneath his eyes.

The image knocked another memory loose in Thor’s mind. When Loki was younger and just beginning his studies, Thor would often find him in a similar position to Stark’s. Covered in ink, snoring, and utterly exhausted.

A soft smile tinged with grief on his face, Thor gently lifted Tony into his arms. He was unsurprisingly light and easy to carry, just like Loki had been. The genius didn’t stir. His head slumped over and rested on Thor’s chest. Thor chuckled under his breath, careful to keep quiet.

Thor maneuvered the two of them back to the elevator, and Jarvis opened the doors for them. The AI took them up to Tony’s floor. Thor stepped out into the corridor that housed the elevators.

Tony’s floor was just as messy as his lab, littered with sketches of ideas for new armors and food wrappers. But Thor didn’t notice that, he saw the pictures along the walls. There were so many, in big and small frames, lining every wall in the place. There were pictures of Tony and Pepper, Tony and Rhodey, Tony and the team. Thor laughed at a few of the shots that looked like they’d been taken by Jarvis. Game nights and sushi lunches, a beautiful image of Clint crying over Marley and Me.

Warmth spread through Thor’s chest. He thought back to what he and Natasha had discussed a few weeks earlier. About the Avengers being a family. Those pictures were testament to that. The snoring man in Thor’s arms was testament to that. Had he not been comparing him to his brother only minutes earlier?

Thor kept going, taking Tony straight to his bed. Guided by Jarvis’ gentle instructions, Thor found the bedroom. It was surprisingly simple. Just a big bed in the center of the room, a dresser and a nightstand, a closet. Thor placed Tony in the bed and tucked the covers around him. Tony, to Thor’s surprise, never even stopped snoring.

Thor left and came back with an apple from Tony’s half kitchen. He left it on the nightstand, along with a note. “Sleep well, Stark. If this apple isn’t eaten when you come back down, I swear on Valhalla, I will strike every car you own with lightning.”

(When he woke, Tony didn’t know whether or not to take the note seriously, so he presented a satisfied Thor with an apple core a few hours later.)

4 Steve

One of Thor’s favorite places on Midgard was the training room in the tower. It was sleek and modern, but worn enough to make it seem like home. He came down there often to clear his head or just get in a quick work out.

It was three in the morning when Thor entered the training center. He gently shut the door behind him, keeping quiet even though he was sure the room was empty. He crept to the dumbbells, and lifted the heaviest one he could find. It wasn’t hard, but it gave him something to do.

Thor fiddled with the weights for a little longer, but he nearly dropped one when he heard the door slam. Arching an eyebrow, he peered around the side of the shelves of weights. Steve marched straight to the punching bags, a scowl on his face. Thor watched him for another few moments, frowning slightly. The Captain didn’t even bother wrapping his knuckles before he slugged the canvas bag.

Thor tiptoed out, planning to let him have his privacy, but a sound caught his attention. Steve was crying.

Thor turned around on his toes, looking at Steve’s hunched shoulders with pity. He bit his lip, considering. “Steve?”

The sniffles and the smacks stopped. Steve’s shoulders straightened immediately, and he turned to look at Thor with a forced smile. “Hey, man. Why are you up so early?”

Thor gave him an unamused look, raised eyebrows and flat lips. “Drop the act, Rogers. What’s wrong?”

Steve’s lips trembled ever so slightly. “Nothing.”

“Steve.”

“Thor.”

Thor crossed his arms like Heimdall used to do to him when he was a rebellious teenager trying to sneak off-world. “You don’t have to be strong all the time,” he pointed out.

Thor wasn’t sure why, but that seemed to snap something in the soldier. Tears slipped down his cheeks, and he let out a choked cry. “It’s nightmares,” he wept, “It’s always the war.”

Thor closed the gap between him with quick, sure steps. He clasped his hands on Steve’s shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. Steve stood still in Thor’s arms, resting his forehead on his chest. “What’s wrong with me?” he asked.

“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Thor held Steve at arm’s length. “Come with me. There’s better ways to work out your issues than ruining your hands.”

Thor led him up to the rooftop. The air was shockingly cold, and it cut right through the thin layers Steve and Thor were wearing. They walked over to the edge and sat with their legs hanging over the side.

“New York looked nothing like this when I knew it,” Steve said, his artist’s eyes drinking up every glittering detail of the city. “The buildings were nowhere near this tall.”

Thor listened patiently while Steve described the New York that had been his home. He shut his eyes, trying to imagine it. Steve could paint a picture with his words as easily as he could with ink and paper.

“When I left, I knew there was a possibility of me never coming back,” he said, his voice growing thicker with each word, “I never considered coming back…but to a different home.”

Thor patted Steve’s shoulder. “I wish I had some words of wisdom, my friend,” he said, “All I can suggest is to try and find some semblance of familiarity in this world. Find home.”

Steve was silent for a moment. “I didn’t have much family left when I went in the ice,” he whispered, “I have that now.”

Thor smiled. “Natasha told me that same thing once,” he revealed, “I believe you’re both right. This team is special.”

Steve huffed a laugh. “You can say that again. I’m sitting seventy years in the future with a god. This team is more than special.”

Thor chuckled. “I suppose you’re right. What’d you say we head down to the training center? I’m feeling up for a spar.” Thor threw his legs back over the side of the building, and Steve did the same.

“When aren’t you up for a spar?” he joked, but he nodded anyway. “I think tonight I might finally beat you.”

“I don’t think you could come close, Captain.”

“Oh, is that a challenge?”

“Perhaps.”

5 Bruce

Thor sat at the window of the Statesman, his eyes mapping out the constellations, trying desperately to find one he recognized. They’d been lost for a total of two days, which was coincidentally the same amount of time they’d been off Asgard. Food was running low, water even lower. Morale among the refugees was dismal.

One good thing had happened, though, and that was the return of Banner. Thor guessed the Hulk just wasn’t a fan of cramped space ships and had decided to let Bruce deal with it. Whatever the big guy’s reasoning was, Thor was glad to have the scientist back. They could use one more mind to help them figure out the mess they were in.

Speak of the devil. Thor heard the unmistakable shuffling footsteps of Bruce and turned to face him. He gave him a tired smile. “Hello, Banner. Trouble sleeping?”

Bruce shrugged. “You can say that,” he said, crossing the bay to stand above Thor. “Whatcha working on?”

Thor gestured lamely at the scattered maps and papers forming a halo around him. “Trying to find a way home. I could use some help, if you’re up for it.”

Bruce took a seat beside the king and picked up the paper nearest to him. He lifted a bushy eyebrow. “Are these supposed to be Earth’s stars?”

Thor glanced over at the map in Bruce’s hands. “No,” he said, shaking his head, “That’s the stars around Nidavellir.”

Bruce blew out a breath. “Do you have an idea of where we are?”

Thor looked back over to the stars outside the window. He held up his map, comparing its stars to the ones in front of him. “I believe we’re still in Asgard. But, the outskirts. We need to be in Midgard.”

“How far are we from Midgard?”

Thor tilted his head. “About 60 jumps, if my math is right.”

“That’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Bruce sighed. The two men were silent for a moment. What could they say? They were hurtling through space in a ship with too many people and not enough food. They didn’t know where they were or how to get home. Really, Thor didn’t have a home and neither did the people on that ship.

“I’m sorry about your dad,” Bruce said finally, picking at the hem of some Sakaarian pants they’d found in a closet. “I know that must be hard for you.”

Thor took a shaky breath and gave Bruce a tight lipped smile. “Thank you, Banner,” he said, “I haven’t had much time to mourn, I’m afraid.”

“Take it from the king of repressed feelings,” Bruce joked without humor, “You need to work through that. Five stages of grief, and all.”

Thor nodded. “I know. I think I should get my people somewhere safe before I do that, though.”

Bruce shrugged. “Maybe. If you ever need to talk, though…I’m here. And a break would do you good.”

Shoulders slumping, Thor let his maps fall to the floor. “You’re right,” he admitted. He paused, gathering his thoughts before he spoke again, “Am I wrong to be angry? My father…he did horrible things. He hid things from me, including my own powers. I used to want to be just like him, but now? Now I live in fear of doing just that.”

Bruce’s eyes were wide when Thor finished. He’d expected “I miss my dad”, not the emotional roller coaster Thor was going through.

“That’s…really…” he started awkwardly. When his words fell flat, he simply patted Thor’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to say to that, man. Other than, it’s totally normal to not want to end up like your dad. The last thing I want to be like my father.”

Thor pinched the bridge of his nose. “I idolized him,” he said, shaking his head, “I idolized a murderer.”

“Hey, you didn’t know,” Bruce said. “Maybe he’s not the best role model, but I’m sure he loved you.”

“He held me back because he was scared of what I could do,” he muttered, rolling a spark over his fingers with a frown, “Just like Hela. You know, when I was a child…my powers terrified me. And frankly, they still do. Now, to learn that my father was just as afraid as I am? It…Bruce, I’m so lost.”

Bruce watched as Thor sniffed and wiped a tear away from his eye. He took a breath. “You’ll get through it,” he said gently, “I know that it sucks right now. And you’re confused. But, you’ll figure it out. And you’ve got your family, remember? The Avengers, and Loki and Brunnhilde and Heimdall. You’re not alone.”

Thor smiled. “That’s true. No matter what happens…I’ll always have my family.”

+1

Thor was angrier than he should’ve been. They’d all been through so much that he didn’t really have the right to be angry. But, the heart wants what it wants, and right then, Thor’s heart wanted to be angry.

He struggled to keep a lid on it as he sat around the table with what was left of the team. What was left, since Tony was missing and even if he wasn’t, they weren’t a team anymore. They’d broken that news to him a few hours ago. That was the source of his anger.

And oh, was he angry.

“I think,” Steve was saying. Thor hadn’t been listening, caught up in an internal rant against all of them. They’d called themselves a family. Did Midgardians know nothing? “I think we should lay low for a while. The public isn’t going to like us very much.”

“I disagree,” Rhodes said, shaking his head, “They’re scared. They don’t know what’s going on. They’ll want an explanation.”

“They’ll want someone to blame,” Natasha countered, “The governments of the world are already working to explain what happened. We just fight the battles.”

“So, we leave them alone? To take what the government says as word and go on with their lives?” Bruce asked. “Uh-uh. They might not like you guys, but at the end of the day, they trust you. We were the last line of defense, and we failed. At the very least we should apologize.”

Thor felt himself nod, but perhaps his emotions were clouding his judgement. They were clouding the sky, too. He could feel a storm pulling at him outside, brewing in response to his own fury.

Steve clenched his jaw and looked at Thor. “What do you think?”

“I’m with Bruce and Rhodes,” Thor replied, “They deserve an explanation. People just watched their loved ones turn to ash, and they don’t want condolences. They want to feel vindicated.”

“And if they want revenge?” Natasha asked, tilting her head.

“We all want revenge,” Thor said, “Thanos took everything from me. Thanos took everything from you, and you, and you, and you. Everyone is angry. They want someone to be angry with, not at.”

Steve shook his head almost subconsciously. “I disagree—“

“You do that a lot, don’t you?” Thor snapped, unable to stop his bitterness from turning to words. He set his jaw. “All of you…you love to fight with each other, don’t you?”

Natasha huffed. “That has nothing to do with this.”

“It has everything to do with this,” Thor insisted, “We were a team, a family. Now look at us. This wouldn’t have happened if we were together. You said it yourself, Rogers. If we lose, we lose together, but it wasn’t true.”

Thunder cracked across the sky, loud enough to make the table shake. Thor couldn’t do anything to stop it, try as he may. He pushed back from the table, scowling. “I have nothing left,” he tried to snarl, but it came out broken instead. Rain fell to the ground outside, gentle and melancholy. “You know what I thought, when I realized that my family was gone? I thought, at least I have the team. But now…I don’t even have that.”

No one said anything. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Their gazes trained on anything but Thor.

“Let me know what you decide,” he muttered, turning on his heel and marching towards the elevator, “Don’t come after me.”

The storm didn’t stop. Violent and furious, destructive and heartbreaking. The argument downstairs had turned into awkward silence as everyone weighed Thor’s words. Deep down, everyone knew he was right. What happened two years earlier never should have. No matter which side they were on. It was a painfully long hour before Bruce spoke.

“I’m going to get him,” he announced, looking at his friends, “Who’s coming with me?”

Steve didn’t look up from his lap. “I think we have to.”

Natasha just stood, expecting the rest of them to do the same, which they did. “Where is he, Friday?” she asked, turning her eyes to face the ceiling.

“The training center, Miss Romanov.”

The training was on the bottom floor. It was a large glass walled room with every piece of work out equipment available. To the remaining rogue’s surprise, it was still fitted to their own tastes. With batons and ballet equipment for Natasha, old canvas punching bags for Steve.

They shared a look. Thor was growing more and more right by the second.

Rhodes led the way, heading straight for the high impact stuff. Thor was there, as expected, pounding out on some poor dummy. Lighting was wrapped around his fists, and no one could tell if it was on purpose.

Bruce shivered. If he had to guess, he’d say Thor’s powers were making the room colder. He stepped in pace with Rhodes, but they had all stopped a few feet away from Thor. Bruce looked back at Steve and Natasha.

“Should I?” he mouthed.

They both nodded.

The scientist took a deep breath. “Thor?” he asked, wringing his hands together.

The steady thud of his fists hitting the cotton and leather stopped. Shoulders heaving, Thor turned to face the visitors with a scowl. “I told you not to follow me.”

“You’re right,” Steve said, standing a little straighter. “We’re a family, and what happened…it wasn’t right. We were all—I was at fault.”

Thor shook his hands at his sides, to clear the lightning or to ease the pain no one could tell. “It’s just…your lives are so short. Why do you fill them with fighting?”

Steve glanced at his boots. “I don’t know,” he admitted quietly.

Thor unraveled the messy tape on his knuckles. “It’s just not worth it.” He tossed a balled up piece of tape over to the side, then gave the four of them a half smile. “But, you can’t change what happened, can you? And I know…what happened was a mutual thing. But, promise me something, okay?”

Natasha nodded before he’d even finished. “What?”

“Promise me we’ll always be a family,” Thor said, his voice breaking slightly, “I know it’s childish, but I can’t lose anything else.”

There were five Avengers standing in that training room. Unbeknownst to them, a sixth and seventh were mourning elsewhere (be it Titan or a quiet farm). Four of those Avengers shared a look, one of forgiveness and a vow to stick together, and they chorused, “We’ll always be a family.”

[spdersilk]

Melancholy

Summary: steve broke up with you several months ago because of the responsibilities of being an Avenger the two of you shared. but that ends up biting him in the ass.

Pairing(s): steve rogers x enhanced!reader

Requests: open!

Word Count: 1.9k

Warning(s): bit of angst but still fluffy :)

Note: there’s no set time line here lmao i mentioned nanotech but steve still has his shield so um whoops-

The cool metal pricked Y/N’s skin and she winced, cursing at the artificial accessory. Earrings were never her thing. Wanda had persuaded her into buying a couple pairs just in case an occasion rose. And well, it did.  She carefully slipped the hoop through her piercing and backed away from the mirror. The yellow sundress seemed a little too bright and the nude lipstick seemed a little too...bland. She scrunched her nose. First date in several months and you already look like a tarnished version of Emma Stone on the front cover of Cosmopolitan. She sighed and strapped on her wedges.

The compound had been eerily quiet for the past month. No mission reports. No unaccounted HYDRA bases to investigate. No rogue scientists with a burning passion to end the world. Nothing. It made her skin crawl with anticipation. Y/N eyed her watch with unease. Tony had gifted her the watch last month as an early birthday gift. He had equipped it with nanotech, allowing her quick access to her updated suit.  She latched the small watch onto her wrist. Better safe than sorry.

The kitchen was surprisingly empty. She had anticipated the loud laughter from Sam and Bucky or the quiet chatter between Tony and Bruce. But no one was there. Frowning, she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

“Headin’ out?”

Y/N let a small shriek. Steve stood perched against the granite counter. An amused smile adorned his rose colored lips and he cocked his head to the side. Y/N swallowed. It had been several months and she still couldn’t shake off the butterflies.

“I’ve got a date.”

The phrase felt foreign on her tongue. Steve’s expression didn’t change and Y/N couldn’t tell if she was happy with that or not. She thought, after a moment, that it was good. It meant progress. It meant that he had already moved on and that he was okay with this. Whatever this was.Y/N swallowed hard and set the bottle on the counter, avoiding his gaze. She had missed the slight jut in his jaw and shift in posture. She had missed the momentary forlorn expression. She had missed all the clear indications that contradicted her thoughts. Steve cleared his throat.

“It looks like it might rain in a bit. Clouds are lookin’ a bit gray. You might wanna carry an umbrella.”

 Y/N smiled at him fondly, ignoring the sad tug on her heart. Always one to look out for others.

“Thanks but I think I’ll be fine. I should be home by then.”

Steve nodded and it was quiet again. The silence was plagued by awkwardness. Steve’s mind swarmed with half formed regrets. Her yellow sundress reminded him of their first date and how she had yellow frosting on her bottom lip. He recalled her embarrassed laugh when he lightly swiped the frosting from the cupcake away. He remembered having her scarred hands press against his chest as they swayed to the dingy restaurant’s Walkman. He remembered the way her laugh resonated when he whispered about his favorite memories with the Howling Commandos. He remembered the soft kiss she pressed against his cheek and the light squeeze on his bicep when he led her back to her room in the compound. Steve pressed his lips into a fine line.

“Take care.”

Y/N graced him with a small smile before shrugging on a coat. He could feel the familiar rush of blood to his cheeks. He missed her smile. 

“I will.”

Steve turned on his heel, deciding to not let the stuffy silence encompass the two of them again. He had to move on. It was his fault for leaving her after all-

“Ouch!”

“Y/N?”

It appeared as if Y/N’s face was stuck to the strap of her dress and it took a great amount of restraint for Steve to not laugh.

“It’s this goddamn earring. Tell Wanda that she and her earrings can fuck off.” Y/N hissed, frantically trying to free her ear lobe from the cloth.

“Okay okay hold on. You’re gonna get yourself hurt. Let me do it.” 

Steve gently pried her fingers away from her face. Y/N stared at him wide eyed, now aware of how close he was. His fingers ghosted against her cheek momentarily. 

“Got it.” 

His voice was incredibly soft, barely above a whisper. His fingers deliberately brushed her cheek and he momentarily stopped. 

���Steve?”

He didn’t respond, his fingers trailing dangerously close to her lips. The feeling was so familiar,Y/N felt a small tug on her heartstrings and she closed her eyes.  

“Sorry. Just uh-no-sorry.” Steve had seemingly jumped at least three feet back, clasping his hands together. Y/N blinked at the sudden loss of contact. She ducked her head in shame. 

“’s all right.”

Steve watched her leave, swallowing the painful thick lump lodged in his throat.

***

Julian Gilford was nice. He smelled like magnolias and wore a pressed suit, despite the rather colloquial date. He smiled a little too wide and breathed a little too deeply, but he was nice. Y/N played her cards right, smiling at the right moments and laughing at his corny jokes. She tried to like him. She earnestly did. But his hair was a shade too dark for blonde and his build was too lanky and she couldn’t stop herself from comparing Julian to him. Y/N grit her teeth, grasping the menu tightly.

“Are you alright?” Julian peered at her from his menu. She exhaled sharply through her nose. His eyes weren’t the right shade of blue.

“Great! Have you tried the garlic and rosemary foccacia? I heard it’s too die for.” 

And so the rest of the date went like that. Bland references to bland jobs. Y/N had felt terrible. 

“-and I said John, it’s the phone book you’re looking for!” Julian said, clutching his chest as he burst out laughing. Y/N forced a laugh before pausing. Her wrist throbbed with a sudden jolt. Furrowing her eyebrows, she peered at her watch. It began to flash. Incoming. 

“If you’d excuse me.” Y/N nearly bolted towards the bathroom, shoving her ear piece on. 

“Tony? What’s going on?” 

Y/N tapped on the watch. Her black suit spread on her skin  quickly like paint  dripping on a white canvas.

“Phone book puns? Really?” Steve’s voice crackled on the intercom and Y/N froze.

“Have you been eavesdropping on me, Rogers?”

“Not at all ma’am. Just keepin’ a check on the civilians.” There was amusement laced in his voice and Y/N couldn’t hide the smile that began to form on her lips or stop the butterflies in her stomach.

“Nat reported sightings of two HYDRA henchmen with blueprints of some unidentified project. Strike ‘em and grab the papers.” He muttered. Y/N stealthily made her way out of the restaurant.

“Damn, you were right. It’s pouring.” Y/N grumbled, sprinting to the nearest corridor. The pouring rain made it difficult for her to spot the familiar blonde. 

“I warned you. If you listened to me once in a while-”

“Not happening.” She mused before freezing. The familiar tingling in her chest heightened as she etched towards the end of the alley. He must be here. 

“This reminds me of the mission dates we used to go on.” Steve muttered. Y/N held her breath. The intercom was momentarily quiet before she could hear his short breaths.

“Yeah but you’d have always had to have it your way.”

“Maybe-agh-that’s why-umph-we broke-argh-up. Son of a- he doesn’t even have the blue print.” Steve panted. Y/N held her breath. She could almost feel the heat from the HYDRA agent’s body. He must be here now. Quickly, Y/N grabbed the nearby pipe. The figure’s shadow came closer and closer before she could make out his features.

“Julian?!”

“Julian?” Steve echoed in the intercom.

The dirty blonde froze momentarily. Y/N studied his suit, looking for the familiar HYDRA patch before catching it underneath his breast pocket. X Ray illuminated. Y/N grinned, despite the situation. He’s smart.

“You know me?” He asked bewildered and Y/N forgot about the mask her suit came with. Without a second thought, she struck at his sternum before drop kicking him. Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, she pounced onto the nearby light pole and swung herself away. 

“I’ve got it. Where are you?” Y/N huffed. 

“Next to the telephone booth on your left. Is Julian your date?”

Y/N rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. She made her way towards the super soldier and tapped twice on the watch. Her sunflower dress now clung to her skin as the rain pounded harder.

“Yeah. You go on a date after several months only to find out he’s a HYDRA agent. What are the odds.” She chuckled, attempting to press herself into the booth. Steve raised his shield above her head and smiled.

“May not be an umbrella but sure as hell works as one.”

 Y/N hummed in response, laying her head on his shoulder. She would have yanked herself away if it weren’t for how calm she felt at that moment.

“Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

Steve felt his throat close up on him. The familiar weight of her head on his shoulder reminded him of their past dates and he felt his heart begin to race. He could smell the jasmine perfume he loved so much. 

“I-” He swallowed, inhaling deeply.

“What do you say we try things out again?”

“What?” She removed her head from his shoulder and glanced up at him. His bright cerulean irises were now dark and heavy with emotions she couldn’t identify.

“I want to do this right. I know it wasn’t right to tell you that we should call things off simply because of our day job. I know I shouldn’t have pushed you away like that. I know this seems like I’m just saying this because I’m jealous of you and Julian- which I am not by the way, if you’re happy with him, even though he’s a HYDRA agent-”

“Steve.” Y/N said sternly, placing her hand on his free arm. He shook his head, taking a deep breath.

“What I’m trying to say is. You’re so amazing, Y/N and I’m so dumb for letting you go and God, I just- I am so in love with you.” Steve bent his head down, staring at the wet concrete. He felt the familiar numb feeling of his heart ache. 

“So in love with you it hurts. And I’m so dumb for letting you go” He whispered. Y/N froze. She felt her heart swell and the blood rush to her cheeks. With a shaky hand, she softly cupped his jaw, urging him to look at her. 

“You know how long I’ve been waiting to hear that? It’s been several goddamn months Steven, you took your time.” She quipped and grinned as she watched a small smile form on his lips. Tentatively, she placed her lips on his and hummed. A sense of familiarity flooded her body and she couldn’t help but smile, tugging his body closer to hers. Steve sighed against her mouth, the familiarity of her soft lips easing the ache in his heart. He felt almost drunk with the feeling of her body this close to his. Slowly, Y/N parted away for breath. She felt giddy with the sudden rush of adrenaline. Steve’s swollen lips formed into a smile as he rested his hand on the curve of her hip.

“Are you in the mood for cupcakes?”

“Glad you asked Cap, I was thinking we should hit Clementine’s.”

[cedarmoons]

this is @saturnsage’s fault. portia practice. portia/asra.

She isn’t expecting to find the magician Asra—at least, she thinks Asra’s his name—in the gardens when she decides to head back to her cottage, but find him she does, sitting on the lip of the fountain. His pants are rolled up to his knees, his heeled boots are tossed in the grass, and his feet are in the fountain.

His head is in his hands, fingers clenched in his hair, and his shoulders are shaking.

They’re all still waiting for Ilya to—to wake up. And Asra, she knows, has been instrumental in those efforts, working right alongside the apprentice. It may be that he’s the one who ends up saving her brother’s life.

“Hey,” Pasha says, softly. Asra doesn’t startle: he lowers his hands and takes a breath, looking up at her with a slight smile. Pasha returns it, though it feels hollow, and sits down beside him, lowering her hand to feel the water run between her fingers.

“Hey,” Asra says, watching her. “You’re... Portia, right? You’re Ilya’s sister.”

“That’s me!” Pasha agrees. “Portia-Ilya’s-sister!”

It feels nice, saying it out loud. She loves secrets and snooping as much as anyone else, but she hasn’t enjoyed keeping that from Countess Nadia—she hasn’t enjoyed being terrified all the time that someone might find out about what Ilya means to her, that someone might use that against her or, worse, against Nadia. It’s a weight off her shoulders, and a welcome one to boot. 

Pasha puts her hands in her lap, watching Asra carefully. “Are you okay?” she asks. “Because, well, you didn’t look so great a few minutes ago.”

Asra laughs, roughly. “I wasn’t feeling so great a few minutes ago,” he admits. “It’s...” he sighs. “It’s been a rough few days.”

“Tell me about it,” Pasha says, crossing her arms. “Half of our problems are because of my brother, I bet.”

Asra laughs again, far more genuinely than before, and Pasha smiles at his clear amusement. “I was about to start dinner at my cottage,” she says. “You’re welcome to join! I never say no to company.”

Asra looks wistful, but he looks behind her, back toward the palace, clearly indecisive. “They’ll come get us if he wakes up,” Pasha says. “It’s been two days. I don’t... I don’t know if...”

Her throat closes up and she presses her lips together, looking away. She can’t think like that, can’t be negative. Ilya will come back. He will. Otherwise she’ll find this—this Hanged Man and make him give her back her brother herself.

“I never say no to free food,” Asra says.

“Oh, it’s not free,” Pasha says, cheerfully. Asra’s eyes widen, and she grins, unable to hide her streak of mischievousness. “All you have to do is show me some magic tricks. Simple, right?”

“Simple enough,” Asra says. He’s smiling again. Good. Pasha stands up, and Asra swings his legs over the lip of the fountain, quickly putting his socks and boots back on. “Lead the way.”

Pepi is waiting for her, mrowing the moment she opens the door. Her cat rubs against Pasha’s legs, still yelling for food, and Pasha rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “I fed you two hours ago,” she tells her. Pepi looks up at her, yowling, tail flicking back and forth behind her.

Asra comes in as she lights the gas lamps, and she gestures at the cottage. “Come in, take a seat, make yourself at home! I’ll get started on dinner, after I feed this one first.” She shoots a half-hearted glare at Pepi, who is now sitting expectantly in front of her feed bowl.

Asra chuckles. “It’s not a problem,” he says. “Thanks for inviting me. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“If you could set the water on the stove,” Pasha says, finding some fish in the icebox and bringing them to Pepi, “I would really appreciate it.”

“Sure. Pots?”

“Second cabinet on the right, above the sink.”

Asra’s already moving. She straightens, wiping her hands on her apron, and finds Asra pulling a pot down, setting it under the tap. Pasha maneuvers around him, rifling through her cabinets until she finds her basket of dried noodles. “So,” she says, setting the noodles on the counter and kneeling down to rifle through her icebox, “what’s it like, being a magician?”

“Huh,” Asra says. She holds up two eggs and he takes them from her, putting them beside the noodles. “I don’t know. What’s it like having red hair?”

Pasha blows a strand of hair out of her face, fallen from her headband. “Oh, so it’s like that, is it?”

Asra laughs again. She’s growing to like that sound, she thinks. Pasha smiles, grabs her butter and cream cheese, fresh this morning from the dairy. She tucks the hair behind her ear as she straightens, setting everything out on the counter.

Asra isn’t in the kitchen anymore; he’s in front of the mannequin she uses for her outfits, examining her Masquerade dress. She hasn’t really had a whole lot of time to work on it—she still needs to add the lace fringe to the hem and the cuffs, and cut some fabric for a matching headband—and she knows it isn’t anything fancy, but—

Asra touches the sleeve of the bright yellow dress, looking back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. “You’re going to the Masquerade tomorrow?”

Pasha feels herself blush and turns around, checking the water. Still simmering, not a boil yet. She’ll need to add the salt to the water still, though. “I, uh, yeah,” she says. “That’s tomorrow, isn’t it? Wow, I completely forgot. Ha, silly me! It’s just, you know, milady gave us all tomorrow off so we could enjoy the festivities, so I thought, you know, well, why not, right? But with Ilya, and milady’s sisters, I just, whoops, it just slipped my mind. I don’t even have a mask, really...”

He doesn’t reply. She sneaks a glance over her shoulder to see him standing with his back to her, holding a deck of cards in his hands. She creeps forward, looking around his arms to see the card he’s looking at. It’s a striped golden cat, its fur the same color as her dress, holding a jug and pouring water into a stream. A cluster of stars on the card catch the gas lamp’s light, looking like they’re glimmering above the cat’s roses-crowned head.

Huh. Weird. Magic stuff, maybe? Pasha glances over at Pepi, who had jumped up onto the table after devouring her dinner. Pepi looks back at her, tail curled over her paws. After a moment, she ducks her head and starts grooming herself.

Pasha goes back to cooking. It’s still a while before she hears Asra take a breath, as if coming back to himself from... whatever that had been. She looks over her shoulder and sees him slip his deck back into his bag, slung over the back of a wooden chair.

“I’m also going tomorrow,” Asra says. “Would you save the first dance for me?”

“Fuh — first dance,” Pasha says, looking over her shoulder. He’s sitting at her table, hands clasped, watching her with a slight, enigmatic smile. “I wasn’t... uh.” She holds his gaze. His expression is a little pinched with, what, worry? Why would he be worried about the Masquerade tomorrow? Unless it had something to do with Ilya.

Don’t think about Ilya, she reminds herself. He’ll be all right.

“Sure,” she finally says. “Tomorrow. First dance.”

Asra grins at her, cheeks dimpling. “Can’t wait,” he says.

Pasha can’t help but be curious, both at his sudden invitation—asking her to dance, as if she knew anything but a few Nevivon jigs! She’d stick out like a sore thumb in the ballroom, probably—and the worry he can’t quite hide, hidden behind the mask of his (very nice) smile, tucked in the corners of his eyes. But it’s not a secret she knows, and it’s not a secret he’s probably willing to tell her, which means she’ll just have to find it out on her own. After the first dance, maybe. If he’s serious about that.

Decision made, Pasha smiles at him and turns back to dinner.

[haikyuu-writes]

HI ITS MEEEE! May i request a scenario where the vball team is taking turns kissing Kageyama’s future s/o’s cheek just to get him to confess? Thank youuu! 💙

HEEYYY it’s my first ask!!! thank u so much for sending this in ❤️ i hoped i did this cute request some justice ;;

It was no big deal. No, it wasn’t. Just a simple loving gesture between two friends. Yeah, that was it.

Kageyama huffed angrily as he gulped down from his water bottle. He stared at the sight far off from him, his blue eyes taking in every little detail. His mind went over every single rational and reasonable explanation for the scene that just happened. He then tracked back to the beginnings of this afternoon.

“Yo, Hinata!”

Kageyama’s head turned to the source of the voice and there you were, standing by the gymnasium doors awkwardly. But still adorable. Kageyama didn’t mull over that last bit too much; he was starting to think it more and more which was just too dangerous. No, no. This was a simple crush. Just that.

Hinata bounced over to you. “[Name]-chan! What brings you over here? Are you here to see me do some awesome spikes?”, he excitedly exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet.  

You giggled at his cheeriness. “I brought over these”, you reached your hand out to him, fingers clasped over his notebooks. “You forgot them on your desk. Again. You know we have a quiz tomorrow, right?” You gently reminded the boy. Hinata grumbled in shame. Of course, the idiot had forgotten and if it weren’t for you, he probably would have gotten another zero.

“Thanks for bringing this and reminding me, [Name]-chan!” He exclaimed.

“Okay, no problem. I’ll get going now!” You started to step back, when Hinata grabbed your wrist. “Wait, why don’t you watch us for a bit? I’ll show you a cool new move of mine!”

You seemed to ponder over the idea, and eventually gave in. “Alright, I’ll stay for a little while but only if your captain and coach say it’s okay!”

Hinata nodded excitedly. “It’ll be alright! You’ve already helped us so many times, you’re like a manager now anyway!”, he replied. Which was true, Kageyama thought. You were friends with Yachi, and she employed your help making onigiri for the boys whenever they had serious practice matches. And being friends with Yachi also meant lending notes to the ‘freshman idiot duo’, as Tsukishima oh-so-kindly put. He amazingly passed that English test because of your organized reviewers. On top of that, you also had a fondness for volleyball as you played it yourself a few times and gave your input to Kiyoko about taking down data on combinations and future opponents whenever needed. Not to mention, your energy jived with Tanaka and Nishinoya and you even started giving cool nicknames to their moves.

But the onigiris were probably the most memorable part. Kageyama smiled in memory of the first time he tasted them. Because that may have been the point where his “oh, they’re really pretty” thoughts that often gathered in class turned to “oh, they’re really adorable and kind and cute and fun” thoughts that gathered in all known times of the day.

Kageyama watched as Hinata walked over to where Daichi and Ukai-sensei stood. After a few minutes of explanation, he got permission and turned to you to give a big thumbs-up. You then walked over to where Yachi and Kiyoko were, getting nearer to him by the second.

“Hi, Kageyama!” You greeted him. He stilled for a second. “Hey, [Name]-san.”

“I’ll be here to watch you guys for a bit! Hope that’s okay?” You smiled at him. He quickly turned away, trying to hide the inevitable blush in his cheeks. “Sure. Do what you want.” He walked away, his hands clutching the ball too hard. Oh god, now he sounded too cold. He mentally hit himself, already practicing how his future conversations with you would and should go.

From the other side of the gym, orange-colored eyes observed the scenario. Hinata sighed. Oh, how his stupidly rigid setter needed some serious help in the love department. And with this, a brilliant idea popped into his head. He turned to the gray-haired male beside him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Neh, Suga-san..”

Practice started soon after and Kageyama pushed his thoughts of you away. He breathed in and let his concentration fill his mind with game play. Three hours passed by in a blur and soon after, they were taking down the nets and gathering the balls littered on the court.

“That was amazing, Nishinoya-senpai! I thought the match was over, for sure!” You excitedly stated. Nishinoya hummed, smiling widely. “You flatter me, my dear kouhai! But what Guardian Deity am I if I couldn’t save that?” He laughed out loud.

Kageyama bit down a smile as he watched you play along with his senpais.

“Oh, yeah, [Name]-san.” Sugawara approached you and Nishinoya. “I was meaning to ask you if you could make some onigiri for us again? We’re going to Dateko in a few days for a match and we could use some of your snacks!”

You nodded. “Of course, Suga-senpai! I’d be honored!” You huffed your chest out in pride and gave him a thumbs-up.

Kageyama was too busy staring at just how cute that little action was to notice Suga’s sly smile with Hinata.

“Yeay, thank you!” Sugawara exclaimed and quickly, he bent down and kissed you on the cheek.

Wait.

Did that just..

Kageyama froze in shock. Did his senpai really just… kiss.. you?!

Your eyes widened, mouth slightly open as the feeling of Sugawara’s lips remained on your cheek moments after the incident passed. “Hey, Suga-san! What are you doing?!” Nishinoya and Tanaka yelled. Sugawara chuckled. “It was to thank [Name]-chan for always being so supportive of us!” His eyes then quickly filled with worry as he looked over at you. You had been quiet after all this time. “Ah, but was that too forward of me?! Did I offend you, [Name]-san?! I’m so sorry!!!”

You shook your head. “No, senpai! I was just shocked, that’s all. Besides, I didn’t really mind it. It was cute!” You giggled, a wide smile appearing on your face.

“Then, would you mind if I did that, [Name]-chan?!” Nishinoya asked curiously.

You pursed your lips in thought. “Hmm, not really~” You chuckled as Nishinoya whooped in joy.

Kageyama’s lips soured down into a frown unconsciously. He wiped off his sweat, and without a word to the rest of the team teasing you, he left the gym, grabbed his things in the locker room and went home.

And if that sight wasn’t enough to torment him, what happened the next days was just pure and utter torture.

“The new Volleyball magazine?! Sweet! Thank you, [Name]-chan!” *Kiss*.

“Thanks for helping me with receiving practice, [Name]-chan! I’ll treat you to ice cream later!” *Kiss*.

“You saved my life with those Japanese literature reviewers, [Name]! I even got a 23/30! Thank you!” *Kiss.*

“As expected, your onigiris are the best!” *Kiss.*

“Hey, [Name]-san. Thanks for always helping Shimizu with the notes. We owe you one.” *Kiss.*

And if Tanaka, Nishinoya, Hinata, Suga and even Daichi weren’t driving him insane enough, that bastard Tsukishima just had to join in!

“[Name]-san. Thanks for the towels.” *Kiss.*

And it was a kiss to the forehead too! It had been cute as hell, and Kageyama hated himself for even admitting to that.

After practice ended that night, Kageyama angrily grabbed his things and made a dash for the locker room again. He stomped down the stairs and walked towards the school gates. He was too busy wrapped in his own thoughts to hear that you called out to him.

“KA-GE-YA-MA!” You hit him on the shoulder, running up beside him.

“WHAT?!” He turned to the person who even dared to touch him at this moment. But he quickly apologized when he saw it was you. “Oh. Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“Are you mad at me or something, Kageyama?” You asked directly.

“N-no.. Why would you ask that?” He replied, his voice lowering down.

“Well, whenever I’m at your practices, you’re the only one who doesn’t talk to me, which is weird because we’re classmates! I thought we were friends!” You pouted, glaring at him.

“I’m not mad at you..” He grumbled.

“Then why have you been avoiding me?”

Kageyama grew silent, not really knowing what to say. “I don’t know, you seemed happy with the others, anyway.. Especially with that kiss thing…” His voice was barely a whisper now, as if he both wanted and did not want you to hear him.  

“Yeah, but you’re my friend too! And that’s just a stupid thing we do for fun!”

“But still.. it’s your cheeks.. and they’re kisses..”

You stopped in your tracks. “Hold on.” You grabbed him by the hem of his shirt. “Are you… jealous?”

Kageyama froze. Oh, shit.

“I’m not!!” He insisted loudly, glaring at you. “What dumbass would get jealous over that?”

“Hoooo, if you say so~” You ended the conversation with that, and walked out the school with him uneventfully.  

Minutes had passed by uneventfully but Kageyama’s mind was working into overdrive. Here he was, walking home alone with you in the evening and you were standing way too close that his hands kept on brushing against yours. The metals in your keychains chimed with every step you took and the scent of your perfume wafted into the air and oh god, all the details were too much for him! It would have been heaven any other time if it were the past month or before, but every single kiss that had happened since the incident with Suga kept on replaying in his mind instead. Every ‘thank you’ that led to lips landing on your skin..

And he knew. That he couldn’t possibly ignore all the little pangs his heart sent his way for each kiss anymore.

I can’t believe I’m saying this.

“W-what if I was..?” He softly said, reddening by the second. His blue eyes were downcast, hands stuffed into his pockets in shyness and his shoulders hunched a little too tense.

“What?”

“What if I was jealous..?”

In that moment, your lips broke into a smile. “..I’d be really happy, then.”

He looked up in surprise and his eyes met yours. “What..?”

You laughed softly. “And here I thought you hated me because you kept ignoring me. Aaaah, Kageyama, you meanie~” You hid your face in your hands.

Kageyama couldn’t believe it. All this time, you liked him back?

He reached out and slowly pried your hands off your face. He bent down and looked at you straight. “Does this mean… I can tell the others to back off now?” He asked.

Your eyes darted to the side, lips pursed in a smile, before looking back up to him. “Yes.”

“Good.” He kissed you on the lips, and the harsh memories of the past days quickly faded away. All he could remember at this moment now was the feeling of your lips on his.

“WOO-HOO! FINALLY, BAKAYAMA!” Hinata’s loud voice shattered the good mood and Kageyama glared at the boy who bounced over to the two of you. “It has been a good ten days, [Name]!” He grinned at you.

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “What?”

“Took you long enough, Kageyama. We were starting to get worried you’d never get jealous enough to do something about your crush.” Sugawara supplied, walking up to you with the other members of the club. They all had similar mischievous smiles.

As the realization of the truth set in, you laughed out loud. “All that was because of him?” You pointed to the guy standing beside you. Kageyama was frozen, jaw dropped in disbelief.

Hinata came up to him and slapped him on the back. “But at least, Suga-san stole [Name]-chan’s cheek kiss first, right?!” He grinned widely. And with that, Kageyama was brought back to reality in an instant. Not to everyone’s surprise, the wing spiker nursed a lump on his head for the next week. But what was a bruise after all, when he just became the best romantic mastermind in Karasuno? 

and there u have it!! our tall bb birb deserves sum good ass kisses now hehe

[kagetsukai]

kissing day prompt! SURPRISE KISS. one of those "i've always liked you and you look super cute tonight and something AMAZING just happened to my football team and i just gave you the BIGGEST SMOOCH on impulse because i was so excited -- I'M SORRY I JUST LOVE MY FOOTBALL TEAM also oh my god I JUST KISSED YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME, HOLY SHIT" surprise kisses. :D

I’m a turd, so I’m not going to do American football (which I don’t understand) and substitute it with what you know as soccer (which I grew up with). I hope you enjoy this fic - it was a lot of fun to write, even if this isn’t my usual pairing :D I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!!

Pairing: Carver Hawke/Merrill

Prompt: Surprise kiss

Title: Playing for the kiss

Read on AO3

It was entirely too late in the season to be attending outdoor games, but for some odd reason the others had insisted they all went. That’s how Carver found himself sitting in the bleachers, dressed in a warm jacket, wrapped in a thick grey-and-blue scarf and sporting a floppy hat. The scarf had been a handmade gift from a certain dark-haired girl he fancied and he would sooner die than admit to how much he liked wearing it.

“Move to the left, Junior!” Varric grumbled from the bench behind. “Your head is so large it obscures the entire field!”

Carver grumbled, rolled his eyes and shifted a little closer to Merrill. Isabela, who sat on the other side of her, seemed to ignore the decrease in space.

“Sorry, the dwarf seems to have trouble with his eyes,” he mumbled to the girl. “Let me know if I’m squishing you, or whatever.”

Her incredibly green eyes zeroed-in on his face and a bright, gentle smile spread on her face.

“It’s fine. I like being squished, it’s warmer that way.”

A blush immediately prickled against his neck and cheeks, so Carver did his best to stick his face into the oversized scarf and hope the color didn’t seep any higher. He turned back to ‘watch the game’ and grunted something unintelligible in reply. It made him sound like an unbearable ass, but he felt it was better than trying to withstand the endlessly inquisitive gaze of the elvhen girl next to him. He was terrified she would see right through him and his ill-conceived feelings.

The Kirkwall Raiders continued playing against Wycome Sylvans as if they were playing against Frostback Nugs and Carver did his best to keep his curse words to himself; before they left home, Garrett told them to draw as little attention to their group as possible. Still, he grumbled under his breath as he watched both teams lumber around the field, clearly pretending to know how to kick a ball.

“Are we losing?” came a quiet question from his left.

Carver took a steadying breath and leaned in closer to Merrill; he reached out towards the field and started pointing out players.

“That guy over there runs around the field like someone put silverite in his shoes, that one can't keep a ball rolling even if his life depended on it and our goalie looks to be asleep,” he recited and huffed. “We haven’t lost yet, but yeah, we’re losing.”

Merrill frowned. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“That’s fine, it’s not your fault,” he replied with a shrug. “This game isn’t exactly a part of the league rankings so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

Long silence greeted his comment and looked to the side, curious. He noted that Merrill kept frowning and staring down at the field with concentration he usually associated with her casting magic.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She sighed and her face finally smoothed out. “I don’t understand the game”

It was Carver’s turn to frown.

“What? But why did you come, then?”

Merrill smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes and it made her whole expression look sad. “It sounded better than sitting at home, staring at the empty walls,” she quipped.

Damn, Carver felt like a humongous asshole, no matter how he looked at it. He stared at Merrill for several moments and made a quick decision.

“I can explain the rules, if you’d like?”

The smile that bloomed on her face was the biggest one he’d seen all afternoon.

“Yes! Learning new things is a lot of fun!” she exclaimed.

Carver chuffed at her excitement and once more leaned in so he could explain how the sport was played. He kept pointing to different player positions, gesticulating, and detailing various general rules, while Merrill silently followed every move and word, her green eyes staying on his at all times. Perhaps it was his thick clothing, or all the flailing he was engaging in, but the warmth that spread through his chest was delightful and comforting.

“Ugh, will they ever score?” Varric’s voice trailed somewhere behind them.

“Probably never,” Carver grumbled in reply.

No matter how he looked at it, the game had been completely uneventful and even if one of the teams attempted going for a goal, they would probably get intercepted by the other's defense. Thankfully, this wasn’t a qualifying game or they’d be sitting here until another Blight.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw movement and turned to watch Merrill rub her bare hands together.

“Are you cold?” he asked inanely and tried not to roll his eyes at his own stupidity. Of course she was cold! She was rubbing her hands together and--

“A little,” she admitted and puffed some air into her clasped palms. “I didn’t think it would be this cold or I would have brought gloves.”

Carver frowned in concentration and ran a few solutions in his head. Without much debate, he unfurled the majority if his scarf and draped it around her tiny hands, and gave a few rubs just for a good measure.

“Does that help?” he asked.

For the first time since he could remember, Merrill actually broke eye contact and looked away. As Carver watched, fascinated, her cheeks turned a lovely pink color and her lips plumped with the way she worried them with teeth. She was such a perfect picture of feminine beauty, he forgot for a moment that he was supposed to be warming her up and just stared, flummoxed.

“Merrill, I--” he started, not sure what his mouth would say next.

“Hmmm?”

That’s when the noise erupted around them and they turned their attention to the field. One of the Kirkwall players had managed to intercept the ball and was currently running towards the opposite goal posts. Carver rose to his feet along with everybody else, though he made sure he still held Merrill’s hands in one of his, pulling her up with him.

“C’mon, Johnson!” he screamed towards the field. “Get it done!”

Next to him Merrill bounced in place with enthusiasm and it warmed his heart that while she hadn’t completely grasped the finer points of the game, she was still excited when their home team was doing well. With that thought in mind, he watched as the offensive team finally woke up from their coma and executed a play that was near-perfect and resulted in the first - and only - goal of the game.

“YES!” Carver roared his approval and the crowd around him erupted with cheers.

Next to him, Merrill whooped louder than he had ever heard her be and he turned to watch. It didn’t take long for her to notice, though, and she impulsively jumped towards him, throwing her hands around his neck. He easily caught her in his arms and held her tightly.

“We won!” she squeaked in excitement and smiled a huge smile.

The energy of the crowd must have gone to his head, because he kissed her then; pulled her closer into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. She stilled against him, but only for a breath, and then she was kissing him back, her mouth incredibly soft and pliant underneath his. Carver had a vague sense that people were cheering again, but he could not bring himself to care, he was so lost in her taste and touch.

Once they parted, he quickly became aware that they were the only two people still standing in the bleachers and their friends were unabashedly staring, their grins both satisfied and knowing. He gently set Merrill down on the ground and cast a look around; his brother sat two seats behind and kept grinning like a maniac.

“The game isn’t over. You’re blocking the view,” Garrett said with a smirk.

Carver immediately plopped down to his seat, but before Merrill could do the same, he pulled her into his lap and pressed her close to his chest.

“I’m not interested in watching the game,” he murmured into her neck.

She shuddered visibly and shifted, pressing her forehead against his.

“Okay,” she whispered.

They kept kissing long past the end of the game and endured a multitude of teasing on their way home; Merrill’s sweet expression after every kiss he bestowed upon her lips made it all worth it.

[rogerdvies]

okay but imagine if they hadn't cancelled quidditch in gof and just had an informal tournament instead and rON PLAYING QUIDDITCH WITH VIKTOR

hello nonnie !! before i start fawning over this entire idea, this ask inspired me to create this edit of my two favorite quidditch boys. i hope you are happy with yourself. and that you like it because you inspired it.

now. onto the headcanon at hand. quidditch not being cancelled. i love anything to do with quidditch. let’s say, like, hogwarts was going to cancel quidditch completely for the time of the triwizard tournament, however both of the other headmasters claimed that quidditch could bring the schools together, give the students something to participate in side-by-side – so instead of completely cancelling quidditch, hogwarts decides to cancel regular quidditch, but create an informal tournament of quidditch, where teams were made up of any students from any of the schools.

harry, of course, wants to join in but after being chosen for the triwizard tournament decides not to– yet he convinces ron to try out, for the fun of it. after all, it’s just an informal tournament. ron, who has never really allowed himself to believe that he’d be good enough to be on a quidditch team, lacks the confidence to believe in himself. he reluctantly agrees to harry’s suggestion. yet his anxiety remains. 

on the day of try-outs harry, hermione, neville and the others are there to cheer ron on – and, in the case of hermione (though she would never admit it), fluster and confound ron’s adversary. ron’s confidence, though shaky at best, builds enough throughout the try-out that he is able to perform adequately as a keeper. 

ron is selected to be keeper on the same team as seeker viktor krum (perhaps because the judges thought that putting a player who had never played keeper before on krum’s team may give the other teams a chance). 

he’s too nervous about his own performance to take in being on the same team as viktor krum until the man himself, chosen as captain of their team, approaches him after a gentle nudge from hermione. catching ronald weasley alone was surprisingly easier than krum had thought it would be: an overcast day led the bulgarian to catch the weasley by the lake while on his morning run. so preoccupied in his thoughts the weasley didn’t notice the bulgarian until viktor was sitting next to him, wiping sweat from his forehead. when he did notice viktor, he was so surprised that he stumbled out an introduction, which the bulgarian returned politely, before getting down to business – wasting words was never something he was fond of doing. 

he’d seen ron on the pitch playing as keeper during the try-outs – he’d sat in the stands after his own try-out to watch everyone else, the familiar sounds of bludgers hitting wood and chasers calling out to each other providing a sense of familiarity that hogwarts lacked. while the ginger was not the best keeper he’d seen on a pitch, the ginger had something that many of the other players had lacked – emotion. most players made the game about winning, about victory, and forgot the emotion behind it – the love for the sport, the want to be a part of it. but viktor had seen it in the rigid posture and uncomfortable way ron had sat on his broom – he wasn’t used to the sport, but something had urged him to try out regardless. 

ron’s hesitant admittance (he was talking to viktor krum, of all people, about this !!) that he’d always wanted to play quidditch yet never thought he was good enough because of his older brothers legacy brought a nod from the bulgarian, who reminded him that he’d made it on his team now, of his own skill. hearing the bulgarian seeker speak of his skill brought a flush of embarrassment to the weasley’s cheeks, yet pride warmed his chest. his head nodded on its own accord, accepting the bulgarian’s words while his mind still raced to process them, and before he could fully wrap himself around it the bulgarian’s large hand was clasping his shoulder and saying he would see the weasley at practice the next day.

the few practices that the team managed to get in before their first scheduled game were full of krum’s chasers, all experienced, practicing their routines, his beaters hard at work, and the seeker forgoing his own practice to help hone ron’s aptitude as keeper. turns out throwing a quaffle through a hoop was a lot more difficult than viktor had thought – they both learned together those days.

while most of their words were shouts traded while drenched in sweat, foreheads wrinkled in concentration, propped on on brooms high above the ground, calling out plays and tips to each other, a bond began to form between the two of them. a deep sense of trust from ron in his captain, and a pride from viktor in seeing ron flourish with his training. 

on the day of the first match, a smile cast across the pitch was krum’s encouragement to his nervous new keeper, coloring the ginger’s cheeks with a soft blush that was hidden by a head quickly bowed and a broom quickly mounted. the match began, fast-paced as players hailing from all three schools, two teams, raced to work together to beat their opponents. the seeker’s eyes, though he knew better, strayed to watch his keeper between moments looking for the snitch. his keeper who never once looked up at him during the match, who kept his attention wholly focused on his task, who blocked nearly all the quaffles and who let out whoops of joy each time he did.

while viktor had been the one to catch the snitch and win the game, his pride wasn’t in himself – it was in his keeper. as he lands after the match, shaking the other team captain’s hand for a good game, surrounded by three schools of students and congratulations, his eyes are on the weasley who had surprised everyone – nobody more than himself, yet everyone but viktor. 

ronald weasley is positively glowing. the confidence he had built in his training with viktor burned in every movement he made, every handshake he exchanged with his friends, every step he took as he made his way through the crowd towards his seeker. the ginger is drunk off of his own happiness. 

ronald weasley’s state of euphoria is contagious. viktor’s hand gets caught in ron’s shaggy hair as he reaches to rub the back of his keeper’s head and pull him in closer, hoping to speak to him over the ruckus around them. yet a friendly congratulations turns into something closer as ron moves in a way the bulgarian wasn’t expecting: head bowing with the weight of viktor’s hand, sweaty hair pressing into his neck, arm circling around his back as a hand comes up to rest between viktor’s shoulder blades in a half-embrace and all viktor can think is – oh, he can feel the boy’s laughter against the crook of his neck. 

rumbling through the body pressed up against his side, it escapes against viktor’s collar bone and reverberates through his bones, obliterating the world around him as his congratulations smile stays frozen on his lips, eyes downcast to stare at the halo of ginger hair below his chin and – ron’s head lifts, the corners of his eyes crinkled, cheeks flushed with exhilaration and – oh, he’d never noticed how the corners of the boy’s lips tilt up like that when he’s smiling. 

viktor’s smile can’t help but mirror it; his pride in the other boy burning through his veins. ron was far from the best player that he’d seen – but ron worked far harder than most of the other players he knew, was full of more life, more passion, more drive for improvement. ron was contagious. he looked forward to playing quidditch with ron through the remainder of the tournament.

[geekymistymelanin]

First encounter

AN: Hey y’all, just going to warn you I suck at writing. I just want to let you know I tried my best and sorry if the writing disappoints. Also sorry for any typos, grammar or misspelled words. I’m also sorry if I didn’t translate right.

——

First day of kindergarten

 “Madre, no quiero ir!” ( Mom I don’t want to go!)

“ Tony…Por que?” Mrs. Padilla looked down at her son with curiosity. 

(Tony why?)

“Quiero quedarme contigo Mama!” Tony whined grabbing his mom’s leg as they stopped at the doorway in front of the classroom.   (I want to stay with you, Mama!)

“Sólo intente un día y ver si a ti te gusta?”   (Just try one day and see if you like it?”) Mrs. Padilla grabbed his hand from her leg and clasped it in hers. They slowly entered through the doorway of the brightly colored classroom and was met with a short blonde woman.

“Hello! What’s your name?” She asked gently but excitedly.

Tony looked up at his mom to see her nod in approval and smile down at him. He turned back to face the blonde woman and looked her in the eye.

“Tony.” 

As soon as he said his name the blonde woman’s features brightened instantly. “Nice to meet you, Tony! My name is Mrs. Jevvers! I’m going to be your Kindergarten Teacher!”

Tony’s face brightened a little.

“I already set up everything and you’re free to go around the classroom and find your desk! It should have your name on it.” She exclaimed with a bigger smile.

 He gave her a small smile and turned back to his mother who gave him a smile.

“See, you’ll be fine hijo.” She said as she gently hugged him.

Tony nodded but, he could feel his throat getting tight and his eyes start to get prickly.

She exited the embrace and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

“Adios Hijo, te amo.” (Bye son, I love you.) She cooed and waved goodbye as she exited through the door.

Tony swallowed a big lump in his throat and wiped his eyes.

Mrs. Jeevers looked down at him, sadness in her eyes.

“Tony are you ok? Your mother will come back don’t worry!”

Tony rubbed his eyes with his sleeves and nodded.

“Why don’t you go find your desk and I’ll start class soon!” She smiled trying to brighten his mood.

“Yes, mam.”

He left the blonde teacher alone and went over to where the desk where on the other side of the room. He glanced for his name as he made his way around the groups of desks. His eye instantly caught the bold red name tag with the letters TONY written in neat handwriting.

He pulled out his chair and sat down next to a bigger brown haired freckled boy.

The boy looked over at him and smiled. 

“My name’s Jonathan, what’s yours?”

“Tony.”

“COOOL! Like Tony Stark from Iron Man?!.”

Tony hesitated and nodded.

“WICKED!”

The brunette proceeded to talk about Iron Man as the rest of the kids entered the classroom to get dropped off by their parents.

When all of the parents were gone Mrs. Jeevers clapped her hands to get the classes attention.

“Hello class, I'm Mrs. Jeevers and I’m going to be your teacher for the rest of the year!” She said with a big grin.

The class giggled and grinned.

“I’m going to call each of your names off so I can do attendance and when I do call your name I want you to stand up and tell us something fun you like to do!”

The class whispered and nodded.

“Adrian Hall?” She called.

“That’s me! I like to play with my legos!” A freckled red headed boy raised his hand and smiled showing off his toothy grin.

Mrs. Jeeveres smiled and continued calling names. Tony zoned out until he heard his name get called.

“Tony Padilla?”

He raised his hand.

“And what do you like to do Mr. Padilla?”

Tony thought as hard as he could until he figured it out.

“I like to play with cars!”

Mrs. Jeeveres smiled and checked off his name.

Mrs. Jeevers continued to call off names until she was done.

“Did I forget anyone?” She asked looking around the class.

“Mrs. Jeevers, you forgot me.” A quiet sheepish voice called from behind Tony.

Tony turned around till he was in eye contact with a small brunette boy with blue eyes.

“Whoever said that could you please raise your hand?”

The small brunette boy slowly raised his hand embarrassedly as all eyes in the class were on him.

“What’s your name, young man?” Mrs. Jeevers asked with another one of her bright smiles.

“Clay. Clay Jensen.”

Tony quickly realized he was still staring at the brunette and quickly flashed his eyes somewhere else in the room in embarrassment.

“Nice to meet you, Clay! What do you like to do for fun?” She asked calmly.

Clay hesitated to get the words out of his mouth.

“I like to um…um..watch TV!.” He blurted out.

Everyone in the class except Tony giggled at him.

Clays cheeks slowed turned from a rosy red to a deep scarlet.

The teacher also giggled at him.

“I like to do that too Mr. Jensen.” She beamed as she made a mark on the attendance list.

“Anyone else?”

No one in the class answered.

“Ok that should be everyone!”She replied quickly.

“Could everyone please go sit around the chair? I’m going to read you guys a story!”

The class whooped in excitement and stampeded over to the rocking chair. Tony got up to follow them but stopped when he noticed Clay was standing little ways away from the group of chatty kids. The small hispanic boy quickly took notice of how the other boy fidgeted in his spot and looked over to the group in nervousness and proceeded to stare down at his shoes.

Tony thought about his options. He scratched his head of hair and made up his mind. Tony went away from the group and up to the shorter boy. He stuck out his hand.

“Hi, my name is Tony.” He smiled one of the brightest he could muster.

The other boy smiled bashfully, revealing a set of pearly white teeth with one missing middle tooth.

Tony could feel his heart start to speed up and his cheek start to get hot. 

He questioned himself internally on it but, ignored it when the soft-spoken boy whispered out.

“Hi! My name is Clay.”