#allurance was so badly handled while it could have been so great

[astrum-aetherium]

lots of inappropriate thoughts surrounding a certain henry winter but the one that sticks out to me the most is cockwarming while he’s studying. can u imagineeee. he’s just a little too preoccupied to fuck you but he’ll let you sit on it as long as you stay still. this is, of course, a hopeless cause as you’ll grow squeamish but he’ll hold your hips to keep you steady for as long as necessary until boom! crazy hot sex

before i entertain this wondrous thought, i would like to extend the invitation for you to continue frequenting my inbox with prompts as great as this one. i’m jaw-dropped. goddd.

he would absolutely resort to a scenario such as this one due to his studies simply posing a greater priority — he’s too determined and work-oriented to succumb to allurements all too often. to you, however, that would translate as unbearable, however lasciviously so — he would mount you on himself, expecting you to simply still with him hot and snug inside you, giving hearty pulsations every now and again. you don’t know who on earth could handle this much whilst remaining motionless — you would have to count out each passing second in anticipation of your liberation. and unfairly, he would take his sweet time, too — reading, researching, writing, translating, and whatnot; occasionally giving stirs that would nudge his tip against places so sweetly pleasurable and so clandestine that you wouldn’t many options left but to issue agitated whimpers.

“everything all right?” he’d ask indifferently, and yet you’d be able to discern a note of thrill in his tone. he would be all too well-aware of your frenzied state as well as the effect each slight movement of his has upon you. in spite of it all, he would consciously divert his focus back to work anyway — even if you’d call out to him by name, pleading and whining for him to mercy you. you’d resort to shifting around in your seat, spurned on by him stretching you so amply and being situated so deeply you would simply prance along the realm of disintegration, entranced.

“behave, please,” he would request of you in response, kindly at first, though with the premise of becoming more stern upon another portrayal of misbehavior. after you’d settled back in to your rooted position, he’d reassuringly add, “soon.” he would free one of his hands, then, and attach it to your hips in order to retain you in place were you to disobey his orders again. his grip would be unflinching yet gentle upon your flesh, and you’d keep your arms hooked around his shoulders and legs drawn into yourself upon the chair, face sweltering from how flushed you’d become. it would be purely impossible to survive — pure torture.

until, of course, he would finally set an end to the cruelty of it all by concluding his studies. that’s when his other hand would shift upon your hips, and he would start guiding you — painfully slowly and nowhere near enough — up and down his length. you’d yelp for him to give you more, and he wouldn’t have many choices but to do so — he’d lift you into the air and carry you to the bedroom, where, according to this prompt, he would fuck you as hotly and as hardly as you had been fantasizing about whilst painstakingly waiting for him to find the right moment for it. he would call you sweet names yet simultaneously poke slight fun at your desperation; how badly you always seem to want him — without a single complaint or retort, you’d take him, grateful that you got to in the first place. after all that horrifyingly long dallying, it’s all you’d deserve and need.

[silverylion]

Can we talk about Lance for a bit ?

There is something that really bothers me in season 8. I mean everyone is kind of still recovering but I feel like I need to say it anyway.

They chose to heavily feature Allurance from episode one cause they planned to kill Allura. It's a fact. As much as I don't ship it, they make a really cute couple with adorable scenes that made me smile and support them and I could have got over my disappointment regarding who I wanted to end up with Lance if only Lance had shown a bit of happiness by being with her.

No manner how we look at it, he isn't happy ! Why is that ? He finally got what he always wanted so why did they depicted him like that ? I really don't understand and that's what makes me so angry about all of this.

He doesn't seem like someone in love who finally got the girl! He seems hurt! Why is that ??

I'm ready to ignore the messy plotline of this season, the inconsistencies and everything that is wrong because overall, what I really care about is Lance as a character.

He means a lot to me because he is so different from the characters we normally meet in this kind of stories. He began as an annoyingly flirty boy who was desperately searching for glory to calm the insecurities he only show to few people. He was talented but needed someone else to acknowledge it to fully realize it himself. He was defined by his loudness and his love for love. He was looking for validation and a special person who would love him as profoundly as he love others. He had big dreams, big expectations, a bright future ahead of him. He wasn't overly masculine, liked being pretty and throw terrible pick up lines. He was funny, adorable I fell for him as much as I identified with (even if we are so different). He wasn't perfect, far from it, but it's also why I love him.

For many - including me - he was also representation. Not only for another kind of complex character but also by being Cuban and supposedly bisexual, something that seemed to be heavily implied so many times but I won't even talk about it.

During the series he has grown to be more self assured through the missions he accomplished with his friends, the people he met but most importantly Keith who trusted him and relied on his abilities, which definitely shown him his worth. I'm not even gonna talk about Klance as romantic. Keith is an important person for Lance's character, a friend he needed by his side along the way and that still was there for him in season 8. Which is really great, by the way.

I'm not gonna talk about the 'first choice' thing or the 'someone he needs, not someone he wants' or even the 'endgame' aspect of his romance. But yeah, that was all lies.

On this photo, Allura seems calm and happy, she seems like she can finally see a future with Lance and it's great. What is not so great, though ? When I saw this particular part in the episode, I stopped and watched Lance's face for about 5 minutes to try to understand. I don't see a happy boyfriend, here. I see a guy kind of unsure of what he is doing. I see a guy who doesn't know if what he is having is for real or even if it's what he really wants. He seems quite uncomfortable, tensed. It's maybe just a projection on my part but I genuinely cant see happiness here no matter how long I look at it. But maybe I'm really biased and don't see what actually is, you tell me.

Throughout the season, he was here to support Allura on her journey and it's great, but I would have wanted her to reciprocate it in a way or another. It's what Lance always needed and he didn't got it.

And in the end, he cried. I feel like he never really believed that this relationship would stick, that for whatever reason, they would end up parting paths. And the crew chose to kill her... In all honesty, Allura is not a character I really care about. I thought nothing about her in s1 and in s2, I started disliking her with what happened with Keith. But even thought I don't really care for her, making her die ? For seemingly no reason ? It's tough. And once again, I'm not even talking about how they killed representation or how people in the fandom can feel crushed by that, betrayed, even. I'm only remaining on Lance's side.

He never really had someone to reciprocate his love, something confirmed by his mom. He fell for Allura, casually at first, really hard when the series continued. What he feels for her is genuinely profound and I really liked that he confessed to her but even then... why did he seemed so sad ?

Just look at him !

He probably never loved anyone as much as he loved her. He sees a lot in her but he never felt like he was on equal ground with her. She is an awesome gorgeous space princess. He is just a boy from Cuba. (An awesome funny adorable space ranger but what do I know...). He never felt like he had a chance or deserved her affection. What about that ? It wasn't mentioned even once and I think that this is the reason of his constant sad face while he confesses, while he kisses her, while he conforts her...

I just don't understand and it makes me sad to see him like that. I know, he is just a character, I know this is just a cartoon, I know this just a kid show. But seeing a character you so much love becoming this sad guy that only support without reciprocation, this guy that loved love and is betrayed by it ? I just can't feel anything else but anger and disappointment for the wasted potential.

He ended up losing the woman he loved. The only person who seemed to reciprocate his feelings and because of that I think that he will always be a little more cautious about it because he has always been disappointed. He shot for the stars and fell hard. I fell hard with him. And as someone that feel that love will never go both ways, it just makes me even more bitter about this.

About the altean markings I don't know what to think. Some people think Allura turned him altean, others think she just left him something to remember her by. In both cases, this is wrong.

If the first theory is true, then what? What does that mean beside the ridiculous impossibility to change race? Did she make him altean to 'level him up' from his human status because he wasn't a match for her? Because altean are so much better? Because there was no need for that! Alteans are not all dead so why? For all I know, it wasn't to make royalty knowing that he ended up farmer so... once again, why?

If the second theory is true, well... That's even worst. She wants him to remember her ? I think he has enough around him for that, the status, the commemorations, the legend that will follow her, stories, his friends that gather to talk about her and how they miss her and what she meant for them... Giving him this will only prevent him from moving on. And it's harsh. I personally think that he should have moved on a long time ago. She never loved him, she was annoyed by his flirty attitude, by his simple presence sometimes. He should have seen that blatant rejection and accepted that yeah, he wants her but cannot have her. Romantic love wasn't something she cared about for so long. And then she fell for Lotor who betrayed her. And I think she honestly still doesn't care about Lance this way.

I think Allura didn't fell in love with Lance. She was heartbroken because of Lotor, because of the altean, because of the crown she lost, because she saw everyone with families while she lost hers. I think Allura just wanted someone that would take care of her and lift her burden with her. Just someone that would remind her that she is not alone in the universe, a distraction from the pain she was feeling. Someone that would ground her to prevent her from losing hope. He was easy, he loved her, she just accepted it not reciprocated it.

I see this like that because there was no real build up for their relationship. It wasn't a slow burn. It wasn't even reciprocal. She was sad that Lance felt so strongly about her and accepted their relationship for her own balance and because she didn't want to see her friend so sad. It didn't solve the problem for him though. Plus when the vision of Lotor, her ex boyfriend, told her to go get the creature thing she did but when Lance, her current (well past cause well, she's dead) boyfriend told her not to because it was dangerous and he cared to much for her safety, she didn't listen to him... Great. That's love folks.

I really could have fell for their story but seeing Lance so sad, so taken advantage of... He was so dull, no charisma, no joke, no stupid lines, nothing. He wasn't himself. He wasn't the Lance we saw grow during six to seven seasons. He wasn't the hero, second in command, courageous sharpshooter we all know.

And the sword ? Was it to foreshadow his future encounter with Alfor and Allura giving him blue markings ? Well, that was unnecessary. They could have done that without making people think that something more exciting would happen, that he would actually use the sword.

And the game show ? If they were to be together why the fuck didn't Lance chose her ? Why the fuck didn't she chose him ?... Well, she didn't because she didn't love him more than she loved the other Paladins. But why Lance didn't? Why make Lance and Keith chose each other? If they didn't want to involve them in any romantic kind of situation (they totally failed), they could at least have made them hug. And an emotional scene to express how much they care for each other to justify being worth choosing the other over anyone else to leave and not spend eternity in the game show. Keith was there for Lance and Lance was too obsessed with Allura to even ask about him. Great, even in a totally no homo friends kind of look it was badly handled.

Can someone explain to me the reason of the sunset setting ? Or why Lance freaked out when Veronica asked him to "put in a good word for her" with Keith ? They are friends, now, there was no allusion to their past rivalry. There was therefore no need for that kind of reaction.

He didn't save Shiro, for absolutely nothing. They never talked about it again. They never gave him the opportunity to make up for how bad he felt about that. He didn't event get a conversation with Shiro. They never gave a closure to Lance's arc.

Why do I feel like they did all that to make everyone pay for the shippers that made the toxic reputation of this fandom ? Why do I feel like the writers hate Lance ? Why do I feel like they totally baited us ?

The guy so in love with the idea of love ended up a lonely farmer. That's a great message for kids : don't even think that life will live up to your expectations no matter how hard you work for it. Don't even think that you can find any kind of fulfillment in your life, neither in love nor career.

I've never been in a fandom while a series was still going but I engaged in the Voltron fandom. I discovered it quite late but fell hard for it, it brought me so much happiness, so much hope ! I will never do it again because I'm not sure that the sadness and disappointment I feel right now are worth it. I will never be mad at the theorists and meta writers, they are good people who saw the extraordinary potential of Voltron, they probably feel worse to have spent so much time and energy picking up clues that definitely existed and only served to bait us.

In conclusion, everything Lance did this season was in a way or another related to Allura, as if he forgot he was someone of himself. As if the writers forgot who this character was. And it's painful.

At least there are still the beautiful fan art and fanfictions that really make him justice.

[notchesandbullets]

Take it From Your Hot Neighbor Baby (Virgin!Sub!Midoriya x Reader)

Art credit: Heijiu Comics

Requested by anon: OMGGGGGG I love your writing, I was thinking If I can make a request on a smut with my baby Izuku Midoriya. Where he's so beautiful and innocent and the older neighbor next door from him likes him and basically targets him for sex which is the reader of course, and he likes her too. So then she totally doms him and invites him to her house and basically go at it as Izuku's innocent's self can't handle the pleasure the reader gives him!If you could do that I love your writing, If not it's cool!!!

Warnings: slight dumbification, precious bby izuku is 19, everything that happens here is consensual, unprotected sex, pet names, overstimulation, virgin!sub!izuku (mainly), Aged up!AU, filthy smut, dirty talk, cursing.

18+

A/N: Thank you for the request, I hope you like it!! i loved writing this :D (feel free to send me another to write, i’m already almost done with what i suspect is your other one xD)

Words: 4k

You grinned as the shared wall between you and your neighbor shook, signaling that the boy from next door was finally home. 

Midoriya Izuku, a passionate and utterly clueless broccoli-haired boy turned fresh pro-hero, sweet and sensitive, everything you ever wanted in a partner. That, and he was clearly too shy to approach you.

You had been neighbors with him and his mom for forever but only until recently, after his admission into UA did you start to see him in another light besides platonic. And it wasn’t until he graduated that he had completely dominated your interest in another way entirely.

It was no secret that he used to be a scrawny kid but since his high school days, he had bulked up considerably. 

Now, with the body of a tank and a soul bursting with positivity, you were completely hooked.

It really was astonishing to you how he continued to maintain that innocent personality after becoming a pro-hero. No one was that optimistic and oblivious all at the same time. 

You had started out with smaller hints, bringing him food once a week to make sure he was eating properly, taking care of him when he was sick or injured and just too stubborn to admit it and go to the hospital, you name it and you’ve done it.

What was extremely exciting at first to be interacting with him like this dulled the moment you realized this baby was so innocent that all your signals were completely going over his head.

The dumb baby. Your dumb baby.

He was fast approaching 20 but you were willing to bet he hadn’t even gotten laid yet. With the way he walked, it was as if he was still the same kid you had met ten years ago.

Your parents had long since moved out of the apartment, going closer to where your grandparents were since they were getting older and needed to be taken care of. You had politely declined their invitation to go with, asking if you could take over the lease on the place since they would no longer be living here.

As their only child, they had a soft spot for you and let you do as you pleased now that you were old enough to be living on your own. They even helped you out with the rent even though that was entirely unnecessary. 

Your day job paid enough.

An upbeat tune floated throughout your apartment and you danced along to the music in nothing but a thin cami and a pair of scarlet lace panties. Since it was so hot today, you had decided to forgo actual clothes. It was perfect, but you were definitely still sweating. 

Tapping a finger to your chin thoughtfully, you recalled how your adorable and hot neighbor’s mom was out working all day and wouldn’t be back until late. Plus, you knew that he had no hero work today, courtesy of the boy telling you himself via text when you checked up on him earlier this week.

Pulling an oversized t-shirt over your head so that it brushed just below your thong clad ass and fell off of your shoulders, you fluffed your hair, giggling to yourself at your reflection in the mirror. 

Today was the day you would make Midoriya yours. 

Grabbing a few cookies from the kitchen that you had made just last night because you felt like it at that moment, you flung open your front door, knocking on his a second later. 

Hopping in place excitedly, you couldn’t contain your enthusiasm. You hadn’t even bothered to message him that you were coming over, knowing that he would prefer it be a surprise. 

“Izuku!!” You cheered when the door opened, immediately thrusting the plate of cookies out towards him. 

He staggered a couple steps back, unprepared for your sudden attack but rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile, emerald eyes shining with gratitude.

Midoriya bowed gratefully. “Thank you, Y/N!!” 

It had taken literally years before he was comfortable calling you by your first name without any honorific attached to the end of it. But it was worth the wait as warmth sparked through your heart and a soft smile adorned your features before it was replaced with a mischievous one.

Bounding up to him, you pressed your chest against his purposefully, making it so that you almost lost your balance. You gasped in mock surprise when he instinctively wrapped his arms around your waist to catch you, relishing in how strong his arms felt around you.

Midoriya stuttered as your boobs were practically smushed against his face by how close you were to him. Were they always that big?!

It wasn’t like he masturbated to you everyday or anything. Definitely not.

He groaned, throwing his head back as your body heat encompassed him. 

Who was he kidding, he jerked off to you every spare second he got. He couldn’t help it though. Your beautiful smile always beckoning him over, those alluring eyes of yours enticing him closer and closer until he felt as though he could combust merely by standing in your presence alone.

Giggling, your teeth sank down into your bottom lip and you batted your eyes at him. A shudder ran down his spine and you bit back a smile at the blush that sat on his freckled cheeks.

“Do you want to come over for a little while?” You asked softly, feigning shyness and you rubbed your thighs together. “I have something I want to show you.”

The action didn’t go unnoticed and Midoriya’s mouth dried as the swell of your breasts peeked up over the low scoop of your shirt when he glanced down. 

“Uh, y-yes?” He uttered, voice shaking with uncertainty as he automatically agreed to what you had asked him without even thinking about it.

You giggled, eyes lighting up in excitement. “Great!!”

He stumbled after you as you dragged him next door to your apartment, losing his balance and falling on the couch as you pushed him inside. 

Your eyes shifted from playful to concern as he landed on his back with an ‘oomph’.

You were quick to cup his face, examining him closely. “Oh no, Izuku, are you alright?” 

“Y-Y/N!!!” He stammered out, face bright red at your proximity.

“Are you alright?” You repeated, uncharacteristically serious and seeing as how you were asking him more than one question, he nodded to both. 

You chuckled, leaning in close. His cheeks burned at your proximity and although you wanted so badly to tease him, you needed to get something straight first.

“You ever been fucked before, baby?” You cooed sweetly and a visible shiver shot down his spine.

He gaped for a moment, not used to you saying something so brazenly but shook his head wordlessly. 

You smiled, your tone taking on a gentle lilt as you sensed his nervousness. “Want me to be your first?”

This time he didn’t hesitate. 

“Yes.” He whispered, barely breathing as he finally confessed what he had been longing for ever since he turned of age. “Want you so bad.”

You didn’t outwardly show it, but your heart skipped a beat at his admission and the butterflies fluttered uncontrollably.

“Yeah?” You bit your lip to contain the wide smile. “Something tells me that you want to be played with, am I right?”

A whine bubbled past his lips and your smile turned wicked. Oh, you were going to have so much fun with him. You wondered how he would look when you played with his nipples, which you sure would be so sensitive it would have him hard in a heartbeat, or how he looked writhing under you when he was about to cum. 

Anticipation thrummed through your veins and you couldn’t believe that after all this time, you finally had the opportunity to give him that kind of pleasure. 

“Such a good boy.” You crooned softly and he audibly keened, stretching towards you desperately as you denied him a kiss. “What’s your safeword, baby?”

Midoriya’s head was spinning and his brain was short-circuiting from how unbelievably close you were to him. The sweet smell of your perfume flooded his senses and he swallowed thickly, very much aware of how little clothes you were wearing. You had yet to touch him and he was already a goner.

“S-Safeword?” He stammered out, his eyes shutting automatically as you threaded your fingers through his hair, a small moan breaking through the weighted silence as you scratched his scalp. 

You observed his every move, every flutter of his lashes as he fell under your spell without even trying to succumb. 

“Mmhm…” You hummed. “A word that you can use at any time and I’ll stop everything.”

A safeword was for both parties but you were fairly sure that you wouldn’t need it, being more experienced than him and aware of your boundaries. But just in case, you whispered that little tidbit of information in his ear so that he wasn’t left out of the loop.

“What if…” Midoriya gulped, restraining himself to keep his hands at his sides no matter how desperately he wanted to kiss you. He wanted to know if they were as soft as they looked. “C-Can’t I just tell you to stop?”

You frowned a tiny bit, not put off by his question but rather how fucked out he looked already. The poor boy was already straining in his pants, the bulge making your mouth water but you kept your head on straight. 

“You can.” You agreed. “If that’s what you want, we can do that.”

He glanced away from you, thinking hard. He wasn’t all innocent. He had watched porn before when dared to by Bakugou after one of the class movie nights at Heights Alliance back when they were at UA, and he was embarrassed how quickly he got attached to the videos that had bondage and overstimulation.

It always looked so enticing. He wanted to know what it felt like to be pinned down and overpowered until pleasure rode on every one of his senses. 

He wanted you to do that to him. 

“W-What about if I just used your name?”

Midoriya cringed as soon as he suggested it and took it back faster than you could react, another idea tumbling out of his mouth in a split second. 

“Black?” He whispered, avoiding eye contact with you. 

Baby boy blinked so nervously, worried you might refuse or reject him for any reason and you took his chin in between your thumb and forefinger, drawing his face close to yours. 

“Alright baby, that’s perfect.” You reassured softly. “Either one of us can use it and then everything stops, okay?”

He nodded, getting more excited as your breath fanned across his lips. 

“Need to hear you say it.” You demanded quietly. 

His green curly hair bounced as he nodded vigorously. “I understand!!”

Midoriya stiffened for a moment in surprise as you finally pressed your lips against his, sealing his first kiss and he swore his heart stopped beating. Then, he melted into putty as you moved your lips skillfully against his, coaxing him to return it with as much lust and passion as you were igniting within him.

You pulled away to lean in close to his ear, trailing a finger up and down his chest playfully.

“Let me take care of you, Izuku~” You cooed, slyly licking the shell of his ear, savoring in the shiver that shot down his spine as a result of your ministrations.

You continued down, planting hot and wet open-mouthed kisses along his jaw as he whined and wriggled beneath you. Trailing down his neck to his collar bones and then his bare chest as you ripped open his shirt in one swift movement, you pinned his wrists above his head.

A protest ripped from his throat at your display of dominance.

“Y-Y/N!! I wanted to—”

“To what?” You questioned smugly.

Midoriya whimpered pathetically and you smirked. 

He blushed, looking away. The boy was built like a bull but was an absolutely softie, innocent pure little bean at heart. He didn’t have what it took to take over. 

“You wanted to touch me?” You asked, laving your tongue around one of his sensitive nipples. “You wanted to be on top?”

His face scrunched up at the strange sensation, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out as you bit down on the tender flesh.

You licked your lips seductively, making a show of your tongue grazing over your teeth as you gazed down at him through hooded eyes. “Do you think you deserve to touch me after being such a bad boy?”

You heard him every night. The walls were thin in the cheap apartment complex you lived in. Too thin. 

“Don’t touch me until I say so.” You ordered.

You heard every wanton moan that bubbled past his pouty lips, such pretty little sounds that you wanted to hear all for yourself. You were jealous of the others in the vicinity that can undoubtedly hear him as well. The only thing that settled your heart at ease was the luscious cries of your name falling from his lips. 

And now, all your neighbors would know just who he belonged to.

Midoriya gulped nervously and you reveled in the adrenaline pumping through your veins at being in control and dominating him. Your shirt rode up as you straddled his hips, and he wriggled beneath you, wanting nothing more than to touch you.

You trailed a finger from his chest all the way to his navel, teasing the waistband of his pants. He whined as you wiggled your ass down to sit comfortably on top of his thighs. Deftly unbuttoning his jeans, your eyes flickered back up to him.

“Oh my, these look so uncomfortable.” You mock pouted, sneakily biting the zipper of his fly and pulling it down. “Do you want me to take them off for you?”

You grinned as he involuntarily bucked his hips up into your feather-light touch, tears collecting at the corner of his eyes in frustration. Slowly pulling down his pants and boxers together, your eyes bugged out as you saw what he was packing.

“Oh…” You mused. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

If you thought he was big, you were dead wrong. This boy was hung as a horse. Well endowed to the max, he was easily packing eight inches and you couldn’t even fit your hands all away around his thick girth. 

You stroked him as best as you could but judging by that guttural groan that erupted from his mouth, you’d say you were doing a pretty good job. 

“Please!!” Midoriya begged, practically sobbing as you teased him and it was like music to your ears. “Please, Y/N, make me feel good!!”

“Yeah,” You whispered, suckling on the vein that ran on the underside of his stiff member. “You want me to make you cum, baby?”

“Yes, please!!” He cried, fisting the fabric of the sofa, remembering your rule not to touch you yet. 

But it was killing him.

The foreplay had made you wet enough to take him and you weren’t keen on waiting another second longer.

Positioning yourself over his leaking head, the tip of his engorged shaft rubbed against your puffy folds as you pushed your thong to the side.

Midoriya’s eyes bulged out of his head as he saw the red lace and he couldn’t stop his hands from shooting to your waist as you threw your shirt up over your head, leaving you in that thin cami that left nothing to the imagination. 

“F-Fuck—” You cursed as you sank down on him, thighs trembling from the effort of taking him. “Izuku, baby, you’re so big.”

He was rock hard and pressing against your inner walls just right. It had been so long since someone had filled you up like this and now that you had him, no one even came close to any of those prior. 

Midoriya was huffing, moaning uncontrollably as the rush of pleasure he got by being encased in your tight heat so quickly. His hands gripped your hips, kneading the flesh of your ass as he started to rock you back and forth in his lap.

You completely ignored the fact that he disobeyed your order. 

“Dumb baby,” You cooed softly. “Does that pussy feel good around your cock? Huh? Tell me.”

“Yes— hhgh, I love it so much, Y/N, you feel so tight, ahh!!” He mewled, unable to think of anything else except how good your cunny felt fluttering around him.

His face was beautifully flushed, unable to tear his gaze off of where his cock had disappeared into you. The sticky wetness smeared against his hip bones made your arousal evident and he was impossibly turned on at the vision in front of him.

You threw your head back as he took over control, gyrating your hips for you before you were even adjusted to his massive length. A breathy moan tumbled out of your lips as his fingers knotted their way into your hair, yanking it back so that your hips canted into him with every thrust. 

“I-Izuku!!” You moaned loudly as he roughly and sporadically pounded into you. 

You squealed as he pulled you down to his chest to get a better angle, all the breath vanishing from your lungs as he planted his heels and fucked up into you so fast that you would’ve fallen off from the force if he wasn’t holding onto you with an iron grip.

“Sorry, Y/N!!” He broke off with a whine and burrowed his face into your neck as you clenched around him, his hips stuttering. “But I’m about to—”

You shrieked as he released inside of you, painting your walls with his thick, milky white cum. Chest heaving, you pushed him down and straightened up, clicking your tongue.

“Such a selfish baby.” You crooned, controlling your breathing enough to put up a confident front. “I didn’t even get to cum yet.”

His eyes widened in horror at not satisfying you first. “Oh, Y/N, I’m so sorry, I didn’t— Gah!!”

His earnest apology was interrupted  as you began bouncing on him again, keen on reaching your high. His spent length twitched inside of you and he whimpered, eyes screwed shut at the pain.

“Y/N!! It… It hurts!!” Midoriya whimpered pitifully, his eyes screwed shut at the overstimulation.

“Aw,” Your smile was sadistic and you threw your ass back into his lap intentionally, causing him to throb within you. “Does it?”

“Yes!!” He cried out. “Fuck, please stop!!”

You pouted sadly, gyrating your hips faster. “But I haven’t even cum yet.”

It was too much. Your words spun with those sinful rocks of your hips was making a lethal mix of pain and pleasure shoot through his system and he whined, pawing at your hips. 

“Y/N, please!!” He begged, unsure what he was begging for at this point. 

It didn’t take long for him to get hard again. You weren’t sure if his short refractory period was a side effect of his power or the fact that he had just lost his virginity to you and wanted you again, but you were definitely going to oblige him either way.

Midoriya arched into your scalding touch as you leaned down to kiss him once again. Your soft lips and the hot cavern of your mouth distracted him as your tongues danced together and he almost forgot about the fact that he was balls-deep inside of you. 

Until you started to move again. 

His cry was muffled as you licked it out of his mouth before pulling away.

Your grin widened and you rocked your hips back and forth at a mind-blowing pace, reducing the blubbering boy beneath you into a whimpering mess.

But your confident façade soon vanished as his hands found purchase on your hips and bucked up wildly. 

The grin slipped off your face and you whimpered, fingers splaying on his bare chest for balance as he went wild, fucking up into you with abandon. 

You could do nothing else other than hold on and pray you wouldn't fall off of him as he took over.

Biting your lip, you desperately tried to regain control. “Izuku—” 

He gritted his teeth, ignoring you and your eyes widened as green lightning started to surround his body. 

Your eyes widened. “Wait—!”

He didn't. 

Your head tipped back and the loudest scream you've ever produced ripped from your throat as he used One for All to completely destroy your pussy. But to your disbelief, he didn’t stop, he didn’t even slow down when you contracted around him.

His hips slammed up into yours at a breaknecking speed and tears blurred your vision as you cried out, sobbing with pleasure as he finally made you cum.

“Y/N, you’re milking my cock so much!!” Midoriya blurted out with a raspy moan as another orgasm spiraled to you and you shrieked, this one hitting harder than the last.  

At some point, you blacked out.

When you came to, Midoriya was hovering over you worriedly, his green eyes glistening with concern as he called your name over and over again.

Sitting up with a groan, you realized that he had laid you down on the couch and covered you with a blanket.

“Y/N?” The boy asked, brushing the hair out of your eyes as he sat down by your side.

You offered him a smile, every bone in your body protesting as you sat up. Midoriya was helping you in a second, ignoring your feeble protests that you could do it yourself. 

The next minute, he played with his fingers awkwardly. 

“Was… Was it good for you?” He asked timidly, blinking his big eyes up at you. 

You cracked a smile at how earnest he was. Cutie. 

“Of course it was.” You murmured, planting a soft kiss on his forehead before staring straight into his eyes. “You know this means you're mine, right?”

Midoriya blinked his doe eyes, mouth parting slightly. “Eh?!”

You smirked. “Yup.”

“Really?!?!” He asked excitedly, leaning forward to stick his face close to yours and you giggled. 

Adorable. Simply adorable.

“Yeah, baby.” You whispered, cupping his face and pecking his freckled cheek. He was so sweet. So pure. 

You couldn’t wait to defile him more. Wait until he was exposed to the world of BDSM.

Licking your lips slyly, you smirked. “You’re all mine.”

Taglist: @katsukis-sad-angel​

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

Dark Shenanigans - Nandor x (f)reader

Summary: It’s Nadja’s something hundredth birthday, with that said, you’re on a mission to make it great.

Warning: fluff, general vampire nonsense

Masterlist

“Yeah being a half vampire half human does have its perks. I mean for one I can do all that cool vampire shit and I can go out in the sunlight...so that helps for when they’re all being really annoying.” You admit with a casual shrug to one of the documentary cameras before turning to an isle of party supplies. “So anyways we’re at this store.”

The camera shifts to the multiple arras of supplies and materials at the local supermarket in Staten Island that you and your vampire lover’s human familiar, Guillermo, currently are. Specifically on the hunt for birthday decorations for Nadja and ghost Nadja who’s possessed a strange looking doll for the time being.

Since the other four actual full vampires can’t shop for themselves at this time of day or really in general, you and Guillermo have been given such an honorable task in making Nadja’s birthday the best one yet. Considering she’s the most well balanced in the head out of the four of them and is the only other lady of the manor.

“Hey Y/N, how’s this look?” Wonders Guillermo as he holds up a bunch of Mardi Gras beads of yellows, purples, and greens. “Comments, questions, concerns?” He adds with a small smile.

Eyeing up the beads, your head shifts over to the other various colors, “Hrmm, G I’m feeling the vibe you’re going for this year and I like it, but let’s go with Nadja colors.”

Guillermo’s dark eyes light up at your positive suggestion, “Right! So the red and black ones then?”

“Yup. She’ll love that shit.” You state with a satisfied nod of approval, “Let’s get some black and gold confetti from over there and oh, those masquerade masks look cool as fuck.”

You pick up and test out various masks in the background as Guillermo adds some bits of dialogue for the documentary crew, “Um yeah she’s really cool isn’t she.” He says with a smile while glancing at you then back to the camera, “Which is kind of odd since Y/N’s been with Nandor since 1793 so you’d think she’d be a little more like them but no, she’s super chill and really nice.” Suddenly his face goes a bit serious as he leans in to whisper, “But she did kill a whole street gang once when they threw a slur at me so I wouldn’t mess with her. For your safety.”

The camera pans back over to an oblivious you who’s put on a masquerade mask and is swinging a plastic light saber around with a whole lot more accuracy and grace then would a normal person. The camera then pans back to Gullimero, “Um, I’m just gonna....make sure she doesn’t smack anyone.”

——

Arms full of groceries of food for you and Gullimero, as well as random party decorations for Nadja’s birthday tomorrow night, you use the bottom of your boot to skillfully open the door as the documentary crew and Guillermo follows suit. Guillermo now on the verge of falling over with the large heart shaped pillow in his arms that’s covering most of his body.

You don’t feel tired in the slightest due to your half vampiric abilities so this is nothing to you, “Alright.” You state, turning on your heel to face the crew and Guillermo, “They’re asleep so we gotta be extra sneaky now, I don’t want Nadja catching us with all this cool spooky birthday shit. Everyone to the attic!” You whisper yell before leading the charge to the attic.

They all follow as quietly and as quickly as they can and then soon enough in no time are you and Guillermo back outside in the sunny garden trying to figure out if you should blow up the giant sea monster pool floaty.

“I mean it would look cool as hell and no doubt out-do whatever the fuck boring thing Lazlo probably has planned.” You quip with a shrug while the two of you stare thoughtfully at the small gloomy dark pond. “He’s got no chance with us. I’ve won best decorator and card maker for two hundred years in a row.”

Guillermo side eyes you in honest amazement, “Wow that’s a lot of years. And cards.”

“I know. I was an artist in the 12th century but my no good terrible good for nothing piece of garbage trash sexist human husband, who I was forced to marry when I was only sixteen, took all the credit for my artwork in that era.” You confirm with a growl, “But it stings less because once I finally grew into my powers and strength at eighteen I simply made his untimely demise look like an accident.” You add with a smirk.

“Oh, wow.” Mutters the intrigued familiar.

“Precisely. The old fool was thrown off his horse because I told Philip, the horse, to throw him off. And he did. Which killed the idiot so I got the house and all of his money.”

“That’s......neat.” Mutters Guillermo as he shoots the camera crew from behind you and him a nervous look. “Uh the suns going down so I should probably help Nandor out of his coffin.”

Raising your head to the sky you immediately see how the sun has begun to paint the clouds in beautiful colors of oranges, reds, light pinks, and darkening purples. “Oh, how bout that. Yeah alright let’s get inside.” You nod to Guillermo before turning to walk towards the manor’s giant mahogany doors.

——

Turning the handle and walking a couple feet into the large main room that holds itself as a sort of crossroads for all the other various connecting hallways and staircases. You don’t make it even three more steps towards the left ascending staircase before you hear the highly recognizable voice of your one and only.

“Y/N! My lovely wife and favorite person still ever so lovely!” Announces Nandor loudly with a grand smile showing off his pearly white fangs, “How I have missed you and your morning kisses. Where have you been off to?” He wonders softly as you smile a big dumb love-struck grin right back up at him, you’d absolutely die to hear that accent one last time.

“I can’t tell you right now it’s a secret!” You whisper yell back, causing his thick dark brows to scrunch up in confusion.

“But I am your lovely strong puff dragon Y/N.” Whines Nandor adorably as you roll your eyes at the cameras before looking back up at him.

“Fine. Come here then.”

In an instant he’s at your side, excitedly awaiting what secretive news you will tell him, “Okay, so we know it’s Nadja’s birthday tomorrow right?”

“Yes. I remember because she hasn’t shut up about it.”

“Right. So me and Gullimero got some fun surprise birthday party decorations and they’re in the attic and we can’t tell Nadja.”

Nandor gives you a knowing look of affirmation as he leans in closer to you, his demeanor suddenly shifting into a more saddened one, “You went shopping without me?” He says quietly.

Leaning up to give him a quick peck on the cheek your hands instantly find his, “Just for a little while, but I still need to find more stuff so....you wanna come?”

Nandor’s big dark eyes light up with joy as you hand him a kind smile, “Yes! Let us go in search of unknown treasures for our lady friend Nadja so she will not be mad at us for terrible dull gifts of friendship.”

Laughing you give his hands a playful squeeze, “Come on I’ll race you to Party City!” You say before leading him past the camera crew and Guillermo who simply watches the two of you leave, glad to have an hour of peace.

“There’s a whole city for partying? Y/N why have we never been to this place?”

——

“Y/N there are no people partying here.” Whines your vampire lover in puzzlement as he follows you from the entrance to a side isle. “You said this was a city for partying.”

“That’s just the name of the store Nans.” You retort with a small chuckle as he looks from right to left at all the color coded party plates and napkins galore.

“Well the title is very misleading.”

“Agreed.”

Turning to the right you guide him towards the decretory pirate themed isle in search of something that will peak his interest. Also you wanted so badly to make it to this spot but Gullimero was a man on a mission so your intention was thwarted for when you had Nandor with you.

Speed walking down the pirate themed isle you quickly halt all movement as Nandor’s large body stops within less than an inch from your back. Smiling brightly you snatch the desired object in front of you and as swift as a cat turn to face him.

“Have you come for a dual my old enemy?” You speak slyly, eyes narrowed as you hold the foam sword right in front of his face. “I sense a nervousness about you. Tell me, are you ready to face your inevitable bloody end?”

Staring at the pointy foam, his dark puppy eyes shift over to you as an adorable fangy grin breaks out across his pale face, “Seems you have come prepared, oh radiant and alluring seductress. Well, so have I!” Shouts Nandor before grabbing two foam swords from off the rack and swinging them in both hands like a mad man.

Taking a cautious step back you hold your pathetic five dollar sword in both hands like a true warrior ready for battle, “Only one shall leave this place alive.” You affirm with a smirk, “And it’s not going to be you.”

“Arrrrrggg.” Bellows your lover as he charges you like the true conqueror that he once was. But all to soon do you swiftly duck under his arms and swat him over his stomach with a confident thwack sound.

He makes a puny little “oww” as you turn around to face him once again, “Y/N you hit me kind of hard.” He complains, looking rather defeated and genuinely hurt that you could have intentionally injured him on purpose.

Bringing the plastic weapon down to your side once again, your face suddenly softens as you walk over to him, “Come here you big baby.” You quip sincerely as he leans down so you can give his cheek a quick kiss.

Rising back to his full height, Nandor almost blushes as the corners of his eyes crinkle into a happy smile, “Actually it didn’t hurt at all I just wanted you to kiss me.” Reveals the vampire with a proud grin as you simply roll your eyes.

“Should have known.” You add before turning and snatching up four more plastic foam pirate swords for the others. “Alright let’s get outta here, follow me my love, to the checkout line we shall purchase our weapons of war and partying on the high seas.” You announce with gusto as Nandor stands proudly at your side, ready to follow you anywhere.

“Yes. To check out.”

——

Kicking open the unlocked door, Nandor bursts into the vampire residence with bags full of goodies for Nadja’s birthday party. You right behind him but less dramatically, “We’re back!” You shout to no one in particular as Colin Robinson suddenly appears from out of nowhere, looking ready to leave with his funny little hat and usual beige jacket.

“Oh hey guys,” He starts with a friendly nod, “I’m just heading out on the town tonight. I guess there’s a fair or something in the park and I wanted to test my skill at the ball toss. I’ve been reading up on the body mechanics and how the game is set up which seems pretty basic all in all. Also I really want to win a stuffed bear this time, it might add a little pizazz to my room. Welp see ya’round.” Adds Colin before walking past the two of you without another word and out into the night he goes with some of the camera crew following close behind.

Nandor turns to you with a look of annoyance, “Jeesh I thought he would never leave. Let’s go to your room I want to kiss you some more now.”

“Why my room?”

“Because since you are half vampire you get to sleep in a bed and because I am a full vampire I sleep in a coffin.” Inquires Nandor while looking at you with those big beautiful dark eyes of his, “And my coffin is too small for cuddles so your room will suffice.”

“Yeah that’s a fair point.” You shrug before following him to your room.

After many cuddles leading to other more rated R type activities that lasted until just about sunrise, you finally got some well needed rest while the sun shone high in the sky until she began her dramatic descend back into oblivion. Opening your eyes you slowly rise from out of your comfy bed, already missing the presence of your obsidian eyed lover.

He gets too nervous about your closed windows for fear that the sun might burn him which would be impossible because you black out the glass. But alas, he’s very cautious about these types of things and won’t risk it for anything, though he feels bad about leaving you in the morning, you understand.

Suddenly it dawns on you that today or perhaps tonight, is Nadja’s birthday and you completely forgot to set up any decorations. Shit, how stupid. Throwing the blankets off of you, your feet move quick as you speedily change yesterday’s outfit for something a bit nicer and more clean.

Racing out of your room and into the dimly lit manor hallway, you make a bee line for the attic but before you’re able to reach the steps, Guillermo runs into you, just about knocking you into a wall of various stolen ancient weapons. Sharp ones at that.

That was close.

“Y/N are you okay!” Worries the familiar as you quickly gather your bearings.

“Guillermo! The decorations! Nadja’s birthday!” You whisper yell as the human man simply smiles. “Why are you smiling, this situation does not call for smiles.”

“Don’t worry. While you were sleeping I set up all the decorations.” He replies with a shrug, “No problem.”

“What? But that must have taken you all day, you could have asked me for help. I would have come.” Your brows furrow as he shakes his head, though you still feel bad for not helping with anything.

“Well I did try, but um,” Gullimero awkwardly clears his throat, giving the camera a quick glance, “Nandor was with you and last time I asked for you while you and him where having alone time he threatened to carve out my eyeballs and force feed them to me.”

Pinching the bridge of your nose in annoyance you take a deep breath, “Sounds like him. Very creative when he wants to be, alright, well....where’s everyone?”

“Oh, they’re not up yet. I was actually on my way to get you. I made blood popsicles and the pool floaty is all done and in the pond.” He says with a sense of pride for his decorating skills. “I think she’ll like what we’ve come up with this year.”

-

Standing in the living room with your three fellow immortals you search a dresser for her card, “Oh shit where’s my card? I could have sworn I had it yesterday on my dresser but I don’t remember seeing it there in the morning. Maybe it’s in this one?”

“Witches!” Hisses Nadja as you huff in frustration, where the hell did you put that damn card?

“Oh, Y/N my love,” Intervenes Nandor with a gentle tug of your sleeve, “I took it with me when I left your room before sunrise because I wanted to put my name on it too so she would know it’s from us.”

“What?” Replies Lazlo dramatically, “Now hold on just a damn minute, this card competition is individually scored so I won’t be having any of this nonsense. I worked really hard on mine this year.”

“Oh lick a donkey’s arse, look here,” You retort with, quickly holding up the card for Nadja, “there are two separate drawings on ours so either way if one of us wins she gets both our pictures. So you better hope your drawing doesn’t resemble a night clubs bathroom wall.”

“Yeah.” Mutters Nandor, who’s hiding behind you while resting both hands on either one of your shoulders as you glare at Lazlo.

“Fine.” Agrees Lazlo begrudgingly, “And mine will be amazing, this bitch of paper took me a whole six months to plan and produce. Can’t get quality this good anywhere else I guarantee it.” Adds Lazlo with a firm nod of self approval as you glance at the nearby camera.

“Right, okay everyone sit it’s time for presents. I want to know what you all got me.” Beams Nadja excitedly as she smiles a fangy grin in delight, plopping herself down in one of the arm chairs. Lazlo quickly finding the other one while you and Nandor seat yourself on the large couch. Colin and Guillermo finding somewhere to sit close by respectfully.

“Well, all I can say is hold onto your socks my dear cause this is going to blow you away.” Smirks Lazlo as he pulls a small box from out of his jacket pocket.

“If it’s a self made business card that says invitation to sexy town I will puke.” You deadpan while Nandor laughs from beside you, causing Lazlo to lose his smirk as Nadja hides her amusement the best she can manage.

“He he, sexy town, nice one Y/N.” Mutters Nandor with a proud grin as you raise a brow at Lazlo who’s giving you a hard glare.

“Oh, my dear pumpkin pie love, don’t listen to Y/N I will love anything you gift me.” Encourages Nadja with a bright welcoming smile, no doubt immediately boosting Lazlo’s once irked mood.

Rolling your eyes you shift a bit to find yourself leaning into Nandor’s body as Nadja opens up the rest of the vampire residents various gifts. A joyous fangy smile gracing her pale features every single time, revealing this birthday party was a thrilling success.

After much more fun that just about lasts throughout the whole night, and some rare but hilarious attempts at dancing between the five of you vampiric individuals. You’re feeling rather sleepy and you can tell Nandor is ready for a trip to dreamland as well.

Swaying to the lowly playing record instrumental, you hold Nandor tight while simultaneously enjoying the feeling of him so close, him doing just the same as he keeps you firmly pressed against his chest. His long dark hair tickles your face as he presses his head to your cheek, doing his absolute best to keep the flow without tripping up.

Sensing his growing fatigue, you gently squeeze his hand, “My love the sun will be up soon, let’s get you to bed, yes?”

A small lazy smile tugs at the corners of his lips while he looks down to meet your gaze, “But my dark angel I’m not tired. I want to dance with you a little longer.” He whines adorably before failing to conceal a big yawn.

Giggling, you lean back to slowly lead him towards the door, “That yawn says otherwise.”

“That wasn’t a yawn Y/N, I was just smiling really big.” He protests, though he still follows your lead to the door.

“I’ve never seen anyone smile like that.” You add with a raised brow.

“Well maybe that’s just how I smile.”

Letting out a breathy snort, you pull away from him to at last take his one hand, “Come. I can’t have a single ray of that dreaded sun to get a taste of your precious skin. Not on my watch.”

Glancing at the closed front door, Nandor squeezes your hand, “Well um, now since you’ve mentioned the sun...I think I’d like to go to my crypt now.” He says, the flash of worry crossing over his face for only a brief moment.

“You sure? I mean a sunrise is pretty beautiful if I’m being honest and I know you never get to see them...”

“Not funny Y/N. And not fair, you know I can’t because I am full vampire.”

“And you’re missing out.”

“And I’d like to stay alive Y/N.”

“Aren’t you dead?”

“Yes and I am your only husband so I need to stay not burnt to a crisp.”

Chuckling, you follow him down the hallway, “Oh really? Don’t want me finding myself with another vampiric lover? Some new beast to sweep me off my feet and take me away into the night.” You tease.

Side eyeing you, he frowns, “No. Don’t I sweep you off your feet?”

Stepping into his crypt you stop him with your hand against his bicep, “Always.” You whisper sincerely with a quick wink, causing him to break out into a big fangy grin.

“Good. And if anyone would try and whoo you I would make sure there would be no more whooing again!” Exclaims Nandor, making the candles rise in flame for only a short second at his rise in emotion for how much he loves you.

“I don’t doubt they would fall by your blade. Not for a second.”

[oddaodd]

If you want to, I’d love a fic with reader deciding to go to Margate with Alfie once he tells her he has cancer, she knows it will be much healthier for him to be there so she tells him to finish up all his business in London and they leave. She tries to make each day memorable, she wants him to enjoy whatever he had left so she bakes with him, she reads to him while cuddling on the couch, she takes him on walks around the beach, she dances with him while the music plays on his record player, etc... but of course Alfie is a badass and yes, some days he’s too tired to move or eat but he still gets to live lol because I can’t handle too much angst, I need my fluffy ending :)

· Life In Margate ·

Author’s note: Ahhhh this request was too cute and I’m sorry it took so long, but I really wanted it to be perfect and sweet. I hope you like it and have a lovely day! ❤️

Warnings: bittersweet emotions.

·

The sea breeze hitting her face as the car neared Margate brought an immense feeling of calm she didn’t know she had been needing so badly. With each breath she took she became more and more convinced that deciding to come to Margate with Alfie had been the best idea she had ever had.

During the first few days there, Alfie was worn out and still recovering from being shot. Drug fueled hallucinations and strange pains tormented him for full days during which Y/n never left his side.

She would never tell him, but with each wince that fell from his lips, she felt herself dying a little. She remembered the exact moment she felt a timer being set on her own life when he told her he had cancer and each pain and medication served as a dreadful reminder that the unavoidable was coming. Creeping up on her neck slowly but steadily like a crocodile does on an unsuspecting zebra.

One morning Y/n woke up and felt immediately panicked when she didn’t see Alfie laying in bed.

“Elizabeth?” She called with an anxious voice to one of the maids.

“Where’s my husband?” She asked frightened once the young woman walked into the room in a perfectly collected manner.

“He’s having breakfast, madame” she said politely.

Y/n rushed downstairs “Alf?” She asked softly as she neared the terrace in which a nice table was set with an array of alluring foods in front of Alfie.

“I would have thought that me coming down for breakfast wouldn’t cause you an attack” he said lightly, a soft teasing tone lingering in his gruff voice.

“I  didn’t even hear you get up” she said drawing out a chair and sitting down next to him

“You seemed peaceful sleeping, waking you up seemed sacrilegious”

Y/n chortled a bit before helping herself to some toast and jam, her initial shock of waking up without him next to her, not having dissipated yet. She couldn’t shake off her own nasty voice telling her that it would always be like that some dreadful day.  

Alfie noticed it immediately and went to hold her hand in his.

“Im alright, treacle. Feeling much better today, maybe its all this fresh air”

Y/n smiled weakly and intertwined her fingers with his. “I told you it would do you good”

They finished having breakfast among joyful banter. The sound of Alfie’s voice, that day unburdened by tiredness made Y/n feel joy for the first time in a long time.

That night they basked into each other’s embrace as Y/n read to him on a couch adjacent to an open window. The sea breeze pouring from the window  along Y/n’s soothing voice and occasional caresses made Alfie feel he was in heaven.

“I love everything you bake for me, Alf, but really, you should know by now I’m dangerous in the kitchen” Y/n said when Alfie lead her to the kitchen one Friday evening.

“You just need some patience” he assured “plus it can’t go wrong when you have me here to guide you”

“Alright” she said giving in with a smile “but I refuse to take the blame if this pie turns out awful”

And so Alfie lead her through the whole recipe and when the pie was ready they remained in the kitchen eating it and fooling around till the first rays of sun began teasing the morning sky.

Life in Margate felt like life in an alternate universe. An universe that belonged entirely to Alfie and Y/n, in which the troubles and worries of the outside world couldn’t penetrate.

Between informal dances in the living room and tender kisses in the kitchen, Y/n was fast to ignore the cruelty of the real world.

It wasn’t till one day Alfie was too tired to get out of bed that Y/n was reminded that not even Margate’s magical air could make everything disappear. She stayed in bed with him that day, fed him soup and took care of him as he rested.

It took some days for Alfie to feel better again and when he did Y/n felt she could breathe again. When Alfie suggested talking a walk on the beach Y/n couldn’t help but be a bit worried.

“Are you sure?”

“I can manage a walk down the beach” he said tenderly.

And so they ventured to roam the seashore, which was something that always brought great peace to both of them. When they tired of walking they doped for sitting down to admire the sunset.  Holding hands Y/n let her head rest on Alfie’s shoulder with a soft sigh.

Days and then months flew by and had less and less days where he couldn’t get out of bed. His sick days seemed long gone, but Y/n refused to let herself dwell into that dream. She knew life wasn’t that perfect.

The sound of soft music began flowing through the small parlor one late evening as Y/n stood on the balcony looking at a ship sailing at a distance. Soon after, she felt Alfie’s rough hands take hold of her was it and softly turn her around.

She smiled up at him and threw her arms over his shoulders as he started swaying softly to the tune. Y/n followed along, giggling as she let him spin her around.

“You are a sight for sore eyes” Alfie’s voice rang through her ears causing a soft red tinge to paint her cheeks.

“You don’t look to bad yourself, Mr. Solomons” Y/n smiled in a teasing tone before letting her head rest against Alfie’s chest, which vibrated with a chuckle at her compliment.

“I love you, Alfie” Y/n confessed as she listened to the beating of his heart.

“I love you more, treacle”  

·

@nyotamalfoy @writeroutoftime

[bitch-for-a-rainbow]

So there's a blanddcheadcanons post that says that "Kara is the mortal avatar of Rao" and I really don't like it, especially in the context of SG 3x04 (The Faithful). At best, as was pointed out to me by a friend with whom I discussed this post, the House of El is likely blessed and somewhat sponsored by Rao, which probably doesn't do much but produce Krypton's greatest heroes, given what the word "El" **means** in Kryptonian. I'm interested in your thoughts on this (pls post your answer).

    I reject the headcannon solely because if it were true it would mean Coville was right and I fucking hate that bitch.

     In all seriousness, though, this is an idea I've seen a lot and I'm not a huge fan of. I don't know much about Raoism beyond what appears in the show and that which can be inferred off of the show. One thing I would point out though is that El in Kryptonian (while obviously being intended to mean God by the original comic writers) can mean Sun or Stars, and since the Kryptonians in the show are, as far as I can tell, monotheistic, and worshipped only one particular star, the El family is not necessarily named God. It would, however, signify their enormous prestige on Krypton and contribute to the famous El pride (or rather, arrogance). I’m not sure it would necessarily have to mean anything more than that-- that the Els are a respected house who have produced a variety of successful politicians, civil servants, and scientists. And (this time reaching a little bit) that they are perhaps so old and respected that their house name was once a title. 

      There is a certain allure to the theory, for sure. Kara is a paragon character. She always, always does what she thinks is right, regardless of the cost, personal or global, and regardless of what other people might think of it. She has a very direct moral compass, and there are only a handful of times when she doesn’t follow it, all of which involve saving Lena. Ship who you want, but it is notable that Kara routinely prioritzes Lena’s life over that of others given the rarity of that happening otherwise. She never even considered breaking Rick Thompson’s father out of prison when he kidnapped Alex, and all he’d committed was bank robbery. Kara has lines she does not cross (though murder is clearly not one of them). She is a character that has seen some of the worst that sentient life is capable of, has seen more death and suffering than most people could imagine, and she came out of it with an all-encompassing desire to protect others. She lives to give people hope. Plus, the humor of having Kara-- the one person most offended by the idea of being an Avatar of Rao-- turn out to be an Avatar of Rao is great.

       But, I would also say that having Kara want to do good because she is the avatar of a benevolent god is reductive and not particularly true to her character. It is true that helping and protecting people is a large part of the core of who Kara is. But there is a difference between altruism and the self-destructive, bordering of suicidal desperation to save absolutely everyone that Kara practices. And to anyone who doubts the suicidal bit, I direct you to the season 1 finale where Kara literally goes on a goodbye tour because she thinks if she goes out to fight Non she’ll die. She still goes because she has hope, but that hope is that she can at least save Earth with her life. She doesn’t fight because she is certain in the ultimate victory of good and justice. She does it because she more afraid to lose another family than she is to die. Kara doesn’t become Supergirl and risk her own life because she believes in good, she does it because she can’t stand to listen to people suffer-- because she has suffered. To use Alex’s words in 1x13 “You fight everyday to keep people from struggling like you have.” Notably also in 1x13, Kara wakes up from the Black Mercy and her first words are “Who did this to me?” and then she goes after Non in what could arguably be described as a homicidal rage-- a rage that is fueled entirely for personal reasons, not the greater good of Earth (though that comes as an added benefit), which is.... not very befitting the avatar of a benevolent god. 

     A major part of season 1 is Kara dealing with grief and rage. She nearly breaks a guy's arm in episode 6 because he screamed at her for damaging his car, to hell with the children he'd almost hit with it. In season 3's Midvale flashbacks we see her first put both hands through a lunch table, then attack Jake when she suspects him for Kenny's death. She gets better at controlling it as the seasons progress, but during Crisis she very nearly melts Lex. Also not particularly godly of her. 

     Then there is the fact that so much of who Kara is is shaped by fear: fear of the government, fear of humanity, fear of abandonment, and fear of herself. In her civilian life, Kara is, for the most part, unnoticeable. She's polite, soft-spoken, doesn't wear a lot of bold colors or styles, and is often a pushover. As shown by her encounter with Red Kryptonite, Kara would not dress or speak the same way to people without the pressure of hiding her identity (though much of her dialogue is purely the loss of her "don't be an asshole" filter, some of it is stuff she had every right to say before and just didn't). I have always found that episode to be very interesting purely for the fact that Kara doesn't actually seem to be seeking harm on others so much as seeking their attention. Her argument with Alex is almost entirely about how much she hates having to hide and pretend to be less than she is. Kara drops Cat off the balcony and then catches her. She attacks the police when they point weapons at her but doesn't kill or even hurt them that badly, instead of destroying the car they're using as shelter. Red-K removed her inhibitions, made her angrier, yes, but if her goal was to actually hurt people, she could have done so-- would have done so, and with great ease. She goes to a public bar and uses super strength to smash bottles by flicking peanuts. Why do that at a crowded bar? Why not just flick potato chips at the windows in her own apartment?

      This is Kara at her absolute worst-- but does she seek out the DEO agents who shot her out of the sky? Does she go after Maxwell Lord or Non? No. She tries to make people pay attention to her. Her most shameful and hideous desire is for people to give her respect. (Admittedly, respect gained through fear, but still.). Kara's a nice person-- much, much nicer than average-- but a lot of that "nice" is just her avoiding conflict to avoid attention.

      Kara is a good person. Kara inspires people. But that is because Kara gets up every day and chooses to be good and to inspire. It's one of the reasons I enjoy Non as a villain so much-- he and Astra are Kara's narrative foils. They also remember Krypton and grieve its loss. They also were trapped in the Phantom Zone. But where Kara had the Danvers to convince her that some good people existed and would risk themselves just to help others, Non and Astra had Alura sentencing them to eternal suffering rather than helping them save their planet (through the means they thought necessary) and then landed on Earth and found it headed on the same path as the planet they'd just lost. Kara had people to help her grieve. Non and Astra were surrounded by misery. They lost hope. Kara discovered it.

     Kara is the Paragon of Hope because she has been hopeless. Because she has suffered so much, seen so much, and because she chooses to believe in a better future. She didn't have hope her first time in the Phantom Zone. She didn't even have hope for a while on earth. From what we can gather, Kara's choice to start actually believing in the future was a gradual shift that occurred sometime after Kenny's death and has lasted her ever since. For Kara, hope is learned. She chose to hope and she won't let it go, and to assign that incredible victory off to her being a God is an insult to her growth and to her character. 

   Now I personally thought “The Faithful” handled this concept very well. 3x04 is one of my favorite episodes of television in general, let alone in Supergirl. Season 3 is my second favorite season, and that says a lot for its good episodes when the bad of season 3 is so, so very bad (To say nothing of the episode to episode production value, we have the waste of Argo, Mon El’s return as obviously he’s grown he has a beard Mon El, and whatever the hell was going on with Kryptonian genetic engineering eclipse causing witches). To this day I don’t know why Kara had magic dreams. The show did nothing to explain it and I can’t imagine up a reason. 

     But “The Faithful” works because it highlights the whole paragon part of who Kara is. When you realize that every person in the room of Coville’s cult is a person she has personally saved-- that hits hard. Especially since only a fraction of the people she’s saved would ever set foot inside that building with the totally not-creepy, entirely wholesome way they deliver the invitations. (“Your daughter is special. She has been chosen. As have you.”) It works because it focuses on how the average human must view Kara, the ones who don’t see her argue with her sister over potstickers and crush her phone when she gets mad. It works because of how desperately hard Kara tries to be a human. It works because the writers know that we, the audience, do not see Kara as anything but a regular person with irregular abilities: a kind and remarkably devoted person, but not a god. 

[mxtcha-tea]

Ruby Chocolate.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷Neither bitter, milky or sweet, but a tension of fresh berry fruitiness; 47.3% cocoa solids; doesn’t have a definite trait but rather seen as mysterious and unique.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷summary; looking for lost souls with the laziest person in campus is probably the dumbest idea your homeroom teacher can think of, or is it?

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷genre; one-sided enemies to lover, brief mentions of the afterlife and concept of souls and ghouls (non of it are true and is for plot purpose only), fluff and crack all mixed together at some point, slight angst but not too sed, dark academia au, reader being in denial that they love Suna, slight college au vibes but dark academia theme of course, [if there’s anything else I forgot to add, feel free to remind me :)]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷word count; 10k+ [of confusion]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷featuring; suna rintarou + gn!reader [they/them pronouns] [If they’re any parts that I miss, remind me mkay? :)]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷chef note; AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I don’t know if I like it, my brain kept saying pog at it i mean, sdksdhsk, just read it all by yourself :’) also I’m gonna let you all figure out the timestamps for each section break ;)

“I refuse,”

Those words left your mouth in an instant before the teacher could even finish her sentences. The person next to you took a glance at you before briefly shrugging. Your homeroom teacher looks between you and the male with a frown on her face,

“Don’t be like that [y/n], it’s only for a week. If you don’t have any reports about it, then we’ll get the higher grounds to deal with the case,”

“That’s, not the problem here, Miss Mochizuki. The ACTUAL problem that I have for this case though,”

You turned your head and glared slightly at the almost too familiar, fox-like eyes person with his hands messily tucked inside his jacket, “Is because he’s tagging along with me,”

Suna Rintarou.

One of the, no, the laziest person on the whole campus, might be even the entire land. There are a lot of reasons why you hated him. Suna’s always late to class and doesn’t even acknowledge the teacher nagging at him.

He always eats and sleeps in class whenever he can, not to mention that he’s absolutely irresponsible. You have a hard time trying to study, paying attention to what the teachers are saying with his figure draping over his desk from the corner of your eyes.

Or the loud and obnoxious sounds of him eating the chips he sneaked in. It’s driving you crazy every time, but that’s only the minor reasons.

The real reason you hold a grudge on this immature ‘Tibetan Sand Fox’ is because of that one freshman memory you had with him. Back when autumn already ended, you rolled onto the kingdom’s academies to pursue your career. But this man…

He really had to destroy your first impression in front of the whole academy. You’re on your way to go to your classroom to prepare for the ice breaking session, looking calm as ever.

Unlike this guy, he’s rushing to put his coat on and looks like he’s late for something. Suna at first glance, he looks like a pretty decent person and you’re going to admit that you did find him attractive at first.

The twinkling lights coming from his enchanting yellow irises and the mere look of his soft dark brown hair fits perfectly well with him. That’s what you thought before, until he bumped into you without looking and spilled the coffee in his hands to your shirt.

It stained the white material so badly and left a big spot right on your chest. Both of your eyes widened at that and caught each other’s eyes,

“Sorry,”

That was the last thing and only thing he said before walking away, leaving you to deal with the embarrassment alone. The surrounding students watched you with pity and whispered to each other rather than helping you clean up.

You can definitely feel your cheeks heating at the stares you’re getting, biting the insides of your mouth before quickly picking up the coffee lid that fell down from Suna’s cup and walking away to find the bathroom.

What’s even worse after that is you didn’t know where the bathroom is so you had to ask the students around, while still having the stain on your shirt.

Thankfully, it doesn’t take long for at least one of them to tell you the direction, giving you a nod of pity because of your condition now. You nodded at them back before speed walking towards the bathroom with your hand covering your face in humiliation.

At least you have spare clothes inside your bag and then after changing, you went on your way as if nothing ever happened before. But the memory still stuck inside your head like a magnet.

Now, you’re standing there with him besides you, because you got called by your homeroom teacher to ask you two for a favor.

From what she said, the lost souls from section 5 escaped and are now roaming the old academy’s library. And she had requested both you and Suna to find all 10 of them. Together.

Albeit knowing your situation with the male, she still pestered you to go with him as a ‘bonding’ moment to ease up the tension between you two. It annoys you, but Suna doesn’t seem to even care about it.

“I’d asked some other students from your class but they declined, and I can’t ask for your seniors because they’re preparing for an exam next month,”

You slightly massaged your temple in frustration, shutting your eyes while you’re at it. You can feel Suna’s stare creating a hole at the back of your head. You don’t really know what he’s thinking since you’re not a mind reader, but you can already tell that he’s looking at you as if you’re a fool in distress.

A groan escaped your lips before opening your eyes again and stare into Miss Mochizuki's eyes with a bored expression, “Fine,”

“I’ll do it,”

You can hear a slight cough coming from your left as you turn your head once again at the fox, “Correction, we’ll do it,”

His pupils shifted from you to your teacher while nodding a little. She clapped her hands in relief, the usual smile she has returning to her face, “Thank goodness, I hope you two stand by your statement and I better see your faces in the dining hall tomorrow,”

Before you can even respond, he cuts you off. Great, “No problem, and you can count on us of course,”

You scoffed, more like you’re the only one doing all the jobs. You nodded at your teacher for the last time before you turned on your heel and walked away.

The sounds of the footsteps behind you are getting louder and louder the more you try to speed walk back to your dorm. You stopped in your tracks and so did the footsteps of a certain person.

A glance was brought to Suna’s view before you fully turned your body to face him, slouching slightly with his terrible figure, “What do you want?”

“Aren’t we like, you know, supposed to find out how to catch these so called ‘souls’,”

“They already thought us how in the class session just a week ago,”

He tilted his head slightly, rubbing the back of his neck, “I didn’t hear what the teach says,”

Of course. You scowled at him before looking away, “Well, you can learn it again all by yourself before tomorrow comes-”

Before you can even walk away again, he got a hold of your wrist and spun you around to face him. His eyes stares into yours for a slight second before he opened his mouth,

“You know that I have trouble studying alone, so I need your help to teach me about these souls things or whatever,” “And why would I?”

You yanked your hand away from his grip, rubbing your wrist slightly. Suna sighed,

“Look, I may not know a lot about this, but catching one of ’em seemed like a tough job for only one person to handle, isn’t it?”

No responses from you, but you didn’t seem to deny it by the look on your face, so he continued, 

“If you can teach me how to catch these souls back to where they belong, it would’ve been easier and you don’t have to spend your precious time on me for too long,”

As much as you hate to admit it, he has a point. Suna always knew about your hatred towards him, whether it’s from your cold stares at him to you brushing him off every time he approaches you to ask a question.

It’s pretty obvious, since you always avoid him no matter what. He doesn’t take it to heart cause he had experienced it when he was a kid. But at some point, those indifferent you have towards him felt slightly painful.

As if he doesn’t really like it that you hate him, or the fact that he looks up to you. How can anyone not?

You’re enchantingly alluring not to mention one of the top students in his year. You never fail any tests and seem like a people magnet, always talking to everyone you come across to.

He felt small around you and to be paired in a case together? He thought you can just stomp on him like he’s nothing.

But, it’s a great opportunity too. Like what Miss Mochizuki said, it could be a bonding moment for the two of you. And for him to prove you that he’s not a bad person like what you see him to be.

Suna can feel his heart beating a million times an hour, locked in your unwavering stare before you shake your head, “After lunch break, we’re going to the library,”

He blinked in surprise and before he can react, you started walking away but stopped again, standing there for a second,

“Don’t be late,”

That’s the last thing you said before leaving him dumbfounded on his spot. He watches your figure fade away from his vision as he sighed. A small smile twitched upon his facial features,

“Can’t promise that,”

“This simpleton, I swear to god,”

You tapped your foot with impatience, looking at both your left and right trying to find the slouching figure of Suna Rintarou but he still hasn't come even after 13 minutes of you waiting inside the library.

The people inside quivers a bit at the dark aura radiating from you and literally anyone from a 5 miles distance can certainly feel it.

A chuckle can be heard besides you as you turn your head around to see none other than your friend from the same classroom,

“Still waiting huh?”

“That’s the problem here, Keiji!  He’s so irresponsible with whatever task was given. I told him to arrive after lunch break and yet, that fool still haven’t show his head anywhere,”

You ranted to him before going back to tapping your foot while having your arms crossed, huffing frustratedly. Akaashi Keiji, who is also one of the top students of the academy and your closest friend in the classroom,

“I think I saw him still being in the dining hall, talking with his friends from the other class,”

“HE IS?!”

Akaashi flinched at your sudden outburst, you realized what you had done and mumbled an apology before looking away. The male sighed, a small smile appearing on his face, “You shouldn’t go hard on him. I mean, this is the first time he had ever agreed to study,”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” you caught his eyes, showing a small glint of mischief, “What I’m saying is that Rintarou always decline my offer to have a study session with him,”

“Yeah, I know that it’s not surprising that he declined it since he’s not the type to study as you can tell. But what’s bizarre is that Rintarou asked you to tutor him without a second thought when the case was brought to you two, and without hesitating. Don’t you find that weird?”

You shrugged, “It’s good that he got that inside his head but to be honestly, it is kind of weird. Also, why did you even offer to tutor him in the first place, Keiji?”

The ravenette chuckled slightly, turning his head around to look back at you, “Well, did you actually know that-”

And before he can finish his sentences, the tall brunette that you had been waiting for arrived in front of you. Both you and Akaashi stopped your conversation to look at his panting form, probably from the running he did.

Suna quickly put his head up and looks between you and Akaashi before opening his mouth, “Hey,”

Without even hesitating you aggressively pull his collar shirt and drags him inside the library, nagging him for being late,

“You’re late, I told you not to but you didn’t listen to me and decided to hang out with your friends at the dining hall,”

“What, how did you know that I was there?”

“Don’t change the subject,”

“Geez fine, also i’m not really that late,”

“I’ve waited for 13 minutes,”

“Doesn’t seem too long for me,”

“Just go grab a book so that we can start already,”

“Yes, ma’am,”

Akaashi watches you walk away with the tall lad before snickering to himself, going back to finding another book to read.

You slam the book down as you can see the male’s figure flinched at your action from the corner of your eyes. You did nothing but give him a cold side eye, sighing and proceed to open the book.

Suna watches you flip through the pages, brushing your thumb on the title every second to check the words before finally finding the subject you’re looking for.

You slide the book to him to show the page you’re in, “Here it is. Go read it by yourself,”

The male looks at the book, then at you and then back to the book. He held onto the cover and scanned the words one by one. After reading for a minimum of 6 words, he puts the book down.

You confusedly look at him, “Why did you stop reading?”

“Too many words,” he can hear you sighing for the nth time before the pages of the book are squeezed up to his face, “There’s no way you can just catch the souls without reading what they are, just read it! It’s not that hard,”

“Pfft, yes it is. I don’t even like to read books in the first place,” both of you struggled with each other, him trying to push the book away from his face while you’re trying to smack on it.

He finally got a good hold on it and put it down back on the table, “I already told you that reading is no good for me, I literally can’t learn anything by just looking at words,”

You glared at him with a black aura coming from you. Suna shivers at that, sweat dropping before putting both of his hands up to show mercy. Your eyes then turn back to its original annoyed look as you rest your forehead on top of your palm.

His eyes stare at your figure, blinking a few times, “You know, you can just properly tutor me on how these souls work, explaining it or something,”

Suna flinched when you shot your head up and directly turn your pupils at him, “Yeah, sure, I don’t mind,”

But he did certainly saw you rolling your eyes, taking the book in front of him and scanned the sentences for only a few seconds before putting your eyes back at him,

“Do you have a notebook and a pen with you?”

“Am I seeing this right?”

Akaashi turned his head to his senior, resting his arm over the table he’s sitting at. Konoha stares at both of you and Suna’s figure talking about the subject in hand, and surprisingly enough, the brunette even has the energy to write what you’re explaining to him.

“Is the infamous Suna Rintarou is actually studying with the person who hated him the most?” “We live in a weird world, Konoha. Maybe this is god’s work to get them to be nice with each other,”

Konoha snickered before turning his head at a certain owl like person and after a few minutes, his face contorted into an annoyed look,

“Bokuto, how long are you going to pick a book??”

“Sorry! Wait, I think I found one!”

“Well, then hurry up,”

“No need to rush me out, I got this!”

A chorus of ‘shhh’ filled in the room as Bokuto sheepishly mumbled an apology before quickly grabbing the book. Akaashi sighed while Konoha shakes his head at his classmate’s antics.

Suna tapped his pen onto his notebook, filled with words that seemed like only he can understand and a few doodles, looking back at you explaining the concept of souls to him,

“Now you know what souls are?” The male nodded, briefly taking a glance at his notebook again,

“These souls are basically dead people from the past that didn’t make it through the barrier between this world and the afterlife. They’re harmless so it won’t be a problem for people to encounter them,”

You snap your fingers at his response, “Correct, and are souls and ghouls the same thing?” You asked again, “No, not at all,”

“A ghoul is more like an entity that robs graves and feeds on corpse, they’re pretty harmful so hafta avoid ‘em at all cost,”

A hum of affirmation and nod was sent his way as he sighs in relief, finally understanding the concept. And thought to himself, that you’re a pretty good tutor, not that he’ll admit it in front of your face though.

You read back the content inside the book while waiting for Suna to finish writing the remaining notes down. And to slightly collect your thoughts. Despite never hearing anything in class, he’s actually a quick learner and is a good listener when he tries to be.

Not to mention that he sometimes crack a joke or two to lighten up the mood, and unfortunate enough, he caught you snickering at one of his bad jokes,

“Are you actually laughing right now?”

“What are you talking about,”

“Oh playing dumb now huh? I didn’t know you’re that kind of type but you totally did laugh at my jokes,”

“No, I didn’t,”

“Pfft, yes you did, ma’am. There’s no need to deny it,”

You hit his head with his notebook with a small ‘oof’ in response, “Shut up and get back to work,”

And you’re actually...enjoying tutoring him right now- No, you’re only here to teach this idiot of a person about souls and how to catch it and that’s it. You have also tutored a few students before inside the library and at the same spot,

But why does it feel different with him?

“Now that we already covered that part, let’s get to the real point here; how to catch souls,”

You hold out your hand to him as Suna puts his notebook onto your palm, watching you take it and start sketching onto it. He leaned a bit from his spot to see you drawing out a picture of a gas lamp.

After finished sketching it, you show the book to him and started explaining again, “As you can tell, this gas lamp is the main tool of catching the souls,”

“Basically, when we light up the lamp, it’ll absorb any type of lights surrounding it which includes the souls. It’s confirmed souls are made out of lights so when exposed to any main source of lights, they’ll get trapped inside it, which is also the reason why…”

You waited a bit, averting your eyes at him. He does the same, but with confusion before it clicked right into him. His mouth turned into an ‘o’ shape, continuing your statement,

“-they roam at night, so that they won’t be exposed and absorbed by the sun,”

“Exactly,”

Suna nodded, feeling a little bit smart and it might be just him but he thought he saw your mouth twitched into a small smile just now. But it’s barely even visible so he won’t trust his brain this time, though he hoped that you’re happy that he’s finally understanding it,

“And that’s all,” “That’s all?” “Yep, tomorrow we meet up at the dining hall after dinner, then we can start preparing for the search,”

You close the book and put it back to it’s shelf, you hand him his pen back as he takes it from you. His cheeks tinged a bit at how briefly your fingers brushed his. He tried to not make it obvious but he can’t help but fluster at the mere touch,

“I hope you won’t be late this time…” He flinched at your tone to see you glaring at him, but it somewhat, a little bit toned down than what you usually do. Then again, he still nodded as your stare softened almost too quickly,

“Good, see you then,”

And then, something that he didn’t expect from you happened. You hold out your hand and wave at him before walking out of the library. He blinked, did you just wave him goodbye?

No, that seemed impossible coming from a person like you, the one that hated him the most. You didn’t care about him or even acknowledge him in the first place, you’re only doing this for the case. Or did you even hate him in the first  place?

Suna blushed bright red at that thought before hearing Akaashi said to him,

“Well, that doesn’t seem very [y/n] at all, don’t you think,” He turned around to see the ravenette smirking at him, taking a seat at where you previously sat at, “Do you know what that means Akaashi?”

“Hm, maybe they started getting comfortable with you, but you’ll never know right? Maybe you should watch them closely more often,”

The brunette looks down at his note, scanning your sketch of the gas lamp while brushing the thin lines with his fingers.

Do you even hate him?

You walked through the halls after exiting the library but then stopped next to the big glass window. You stood there, frozen as if you had turned into stone,

“[Y/N], WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS??”

You whispered yelled to yourself while lightly slapping your face to get your head back to reality. Sure, you do hate him right? You hate him so much because of the freshman memories and the way he’s just very ignorant in class.

And the way his lean body figure just draped over his desk, showing his toned muscles behind his tight white collar shirt. And the way he’ll just lean over you whenever he wanted to ask a question, his handsome face and beautiful eyes scanning your figure-

“NOOO, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???”

Your hand tugged the hem of your shirt, biting your lips at the thought as your face heated up. You scoffed, shaking your head before speed walking away from the halls with a hesitant smile on your face, truly believing that you hate Suna Rintarou.

It’s true that you hate him, you even admitted it to yourself and everyone else. You really hate him for the things he’s irresponsible for and the things he’d done to you,

So, why is it so hard to hate him now?

“DUDE, YOU WHAT??”

“TSUMU, STOP BEING SO LOUD, I’M TRYNA TO MAKE SOME FOOD,”

“WHY’RE YA EVEN MAKIN’ FOOD INSIDE OUR DORM IN THE FIRST PLACE,”

A pillow smacked into Atsumu’s face as he glared at Ginjima who threw it at him, “You both are too loud, quiet down or else we’ll get nagged again!” “Sheesh,” the blonde scoffed before launching onto his bed and throwing the pillow back at Ginjima,

“So, back to Mr.hated-by-[y/n]-[l/n] situation-” “-that name’s suck-” “-shaddup, samu- anyways, do y'all start going good or something? Hm?” he rested his head onto his pillow, looking into his friend’s eyes,

“Nah, we’re still on the bad side I think,” “Pfft, you think? Suna, we heard the news, they’re literally into you now that you show yer ‘cool’ side to them,”

Suna cringed at that before rolling his eyes and reading back the book in his hands, “Also, when did ya even start reading books all of the sudden? I thought you hated eating words,”

“Eating what?” Osamu looks at his twin brother with a confused expression, the bowl of rice in his hand was half eaten along with the omelette in front of him,

“That’s literally what Suna said when he read books for the first time,”

Ginjima snickered at that memory and looks at Suna, “Pfft yeah, he even said that it doesn’t taste good,”

All of them, except Suna, laughed at that while the brunette just scoffed before the door of their room was opened, “Omi-omi! How's the bath? Hm?”

“Shut up, Miya,” Sakusa spite at him as he can see Osamu looking up from his bowl of rice with an offended look, “ The blonde Miya,” and with only that, he softened up and went back to chewing his food.

Komori followed him from behind before plopping down onto his bed, which is next to Sakusa’s. He then looks at Suna with a mischievous smile,

“Heard the news Rin, is it true though?” “It came from Akaashi, of course it’s true,” Atsumu answered for him, having his hands behind his head while staring at the top bunk, where Ginjima sleeps at,

“Well, technically and no, I wanna hear it from the man himself,”

“Am I seriously getting interrogated right now,”

“Apparently,” Ginjima shrugged, turning his body around to look at Suna. The latter sighs before quickly closing the book he’s reading, “I don’t want to answer more stupid questions so, good night!”

He turned off the only lamp switch, that is miraculously next to him as the room turned dark. The sounds of the groaning and slight screams of frustration can be heard inside as they complained,

“SUNA, TURN ON THE LIGHT BACK ON, I’M NOT FINISHED EATING YET!”

“THAT’S WHY I TOLD YOU TO EAT OUTSIDE, FOR GOD SAKES,”

“RIN, IT’S NOT NIGHT TIME YET, OPEN THE LAMP BACK ON,”

“SHUT UP, TSUMU. I EAT WHEN I WANT TO,”

“Rintarou, open the lamp,”

“WHY THE HELL DO YOU ALWAYS DO THIS RIN??”

“YOU’LL GET YOUR STUPID RICE EVERYWHERE ON THE FLOOR,”

“THEN, HOW ABOUT YOU BE A USEFUL THING AND CLEAN IT UP,”

“WHAT?! NO, THAT GROSS,”

“IF NONE OF YOU SHUT UP, I’LL CALL MR.OYAMA TO YELL AT YOU ALL!”

The sound of their senior’s voice shuts them up in an instant as Suna quickly turn the lights back on and pretend to read the book he’s reading just now, though it’s upside down,

“This is why I propose that I’m the one who should sleep next to the lamp switch,”

“Oh, shut up you would literally do the same,”

“NO, I WON’T,”

“YES, YOU WOULD,”

“WHY’RE YOU TWO EVEN ARGUING ABOUT THIS, OH GOD-”

“WHAT DID I JUST SAID?!”

And then they’re back to silence. Sakusa sighed, opening his notebook to study back the last session.

You walked through the dark halls, lighted up with only candles as you turned to the right to head towards the dining hall. And much to your surprise, Suna’s already there.

Leaning against one of the pillars while lightly tapping his foot. Then he caught your figure and hold out his hand to greet your arrival, “Hey, you’re late,”

You scoffed at that, standing in front of him with your hands on your hips, “I just came right on time, so I wasn’t late. But you came earlier than last time, did your friend just ditch you?”

He hold up a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended by your words, “Ouch, at least compliment me for being earlier than you,” Which earns an unamused sigh from you as you look around the halls,

“Whatever, do you have all the preparations?” “Yep,”

The male patted the bag wrapped around his shoulder as he lifted up a gas lamp from his other hand, “Good. Now, should we get going?”

“Obviously, but do you actually know where the old library is?” “Of course,”

You motioned him to follow you as you walked towards the end of the dining hall room, a door was placed at the very corner as you searched through your coat’s pocket and pull out a key,

“How come I never saw this door before,” “I didn’t notice too at first, but I think the more you look around, the more you notice things,”

The lock let out a click as you removed the lock from the door before opening it as the fresh night air hit Suna’s face. He shivered slightly, shaking his head a bit and started following you out from the door.

And just like that, the view of the old academy’s library came to his view as he looked up at the tall building. The sound of the crows can also be heard, a murder of it can be seen resting on one of the tree’s branches.

It’s a full moon today so it gave both of you enough light to see around the dark and lonesome night.

It was mere silence between you two as you walked through the plain grass towards the library’s main gate, looking rusty as ever. You tried opening the metal gate but unable to by how rusty it became after years of abandonment, “Let me,”

Suna put a hand up to try to open it and you let him, retreating a bit. But you didn’t know that his method of opening is this.

Without a second thought, he kicked the metal door open as the ear screeching sound echoed through the skies, making the crows fly in fear, “You idiot,”

You smacked his shoulder as he groaned in pain at the surprisingly hard smack, rubbing his shoulder while he’s at it. You went inside the gate without sparing a glance at him and walked straight towards the library’s entrance.

Suna quickly follows from behind and stares at the big and gloomy door. You did the same, you knew that these souls were absolutely harmless and had no way of hurting both of you.

But you truly can’t deny the eerie feeling by just the look of the door, “What, you’re scared?”

You flinched at his statement, turning your head around to see a small smirk plastered on his smug little face. You scoffed at that and shook your head, “Good riddance,”

Why’re your heart beating faster right now? Is it because you’re actually that scared with what’s about to come? You had come this far from tutoring him to trying to find the right tools and yet, you find yourself in a slightly shivering form.

Or is it because you’re nervous that you would be truly alone with this brunette. You hated him, so why would you be nervous to be around him all alone. Hated…

How weird. You tried to calm down your beating heart and wonder if Suna’s actually feeling the same thing-

‘No, [y/n] focus, now’s not the time,’ you thought, shaking your head a bit.

Little did you know though, the person next to you is feeling the same emotions as yours. Finally, alone with only you and himself, he’s quite nervous isn’t he? Awfully obvious, he can already hear Atsumu mocking him for that,

Oh well, at least he had to be ready for what’s about to come.

“Hey, we’re going to turn on the lamp now, you’re ready?”

“Always has been,” Suna said almost too quickly while still staring at the library’s door.

You look at him with surprise at his quick response. Why’s he suddenly confident with all this? But you took it no mind as you just nodded and pulled out your lamp and a box of matches. You light one of it before gently burning the rope inside the lamp.

You did the same with Suna’s before taking a deep breath. You look at Suna for one last time as you get a nod of affirmation from him. He slowly opens up the door as it creates a terrible screek before hitting the wall.

And the last thing you hear from the male is a chuckle with a smirk on his face,

“This is gonna be interesting,”

It was silence. Only silence and the sounds of your footsteps roaming around the lonely and empty library. The insides of the building are horribly dark as you can see books scattering all over the place with the only lights coming from the lamp.

Torned up completely. Suna takes the lead, shining every corner of the room you’re in to try to find a familiar white light floating around, “Hey, you found anything?”

The male stopped on his tracks before turning around to look at you, shaking his head as in he hadn't found anything. You sighed, moving the lamp in your hand around a bit more before finding a stack of stairs heading to the second floor,

“Let’s check the next floor,”

Suna just nodded and headed towards it. He checked for any cracks or holes before confirming that it’s safe. He sent a nod at you as the two of you started going up stairs.

And at that moment, he remembered back what Akaashi said to him back at the library. Why do these unimportant flashbacks always happen during the baddest time? He sighs quietly to himself as he recalled what the ravenette had said;

“If you really want to impress them, show them that you’re responsible for any kind of situation, no matter what. I know that you’re a very lazy person but at least put some effort in making yourself look good to them,”

“Also, I think you should just tell them the truth when you get there, It’s better than keeping it a secret no matter how painful you felt admitting it,”

At that exact moment, he can instantly hear a crack spreading and in an instant turns his head towards you, catching a glimpse of your face contorted into fear. Without any hesitation, Suna quickly grabbed your wrist and pulled you towards him as the staircase collapsed underneath you two.

Both of you tried to catch your breath from the sudden event, sweating profusely but thankfully, you’re safe without a scratch. When you finally collected your minds, you realized the situation you’re in with him,

You’re awkwardly on top of him, with your legs in between his thighs and your head rested on his shoulder, his hand is on top of your head while the other is still gripping your wrist.

A blink before you quickly stand up from that position and look for your lamp. Thankfully, the glass didn’t shatter but Suna’s though…

“Sorry, uh, wait, where’s your lamp?”

He sat up, rubbing his head at the impact it had with the floor before looking at you and turning his head to his right, finding the lamp shattered as the pieces scattered all over the floor with the flame died out.

A sigh escaped his lips before standing up and dusted himself, “I guess we had to use yours now huh,”

“Unfortunately, c’mone, the more we find it, the less we had to spend our time here,”

Suna nodded at that, but tilted his head a bit when your figure’s still standing there in front of him, “Hey, you okay? Do you want to take a rest? We can like, I don’t know, maybe sit here for a bit then we can-”

“Suna,”

He froze when he heard his name rolled off from your tongue as he watched your back with his eyes widened. You never said his name before, it’s always ‘you’, ‘idiot’ or ‘Tibetan Sand Fox’, for some weird reasons. But now that he really heard his name,

His real name coming from you, he felt weird but it’s...nice,

“Thanks for just now. For me to say that I was surprised, was obvious but you do have fast reflexes so, yeah, thanks, I guess,”

You can feel his stare at the back of your head as you bite the inside of your cheeks and start walking away to the room in front of you.

He still stood there, completely dumbfounded with the change of behavior that you’re having right now. But it’s fine, he might get used to it, the more often he stay in this old library with you-

“SUNA! HURRY UP!” His mind got cut off before slapping his face slightly, “Coming!”

“Are we seriously going to be here all night…?”

Both of you sat on the wall near the now 3rd floor, you covered your face with your hand in frustration while the latter searched through his bag and pulled out a bar of chocolate.

He opens up the wrapper, cutting the bar into two but accidently making it uneven. He hummed, looking at both of the pieces before shrugging and handing you the bigger piece.

You look at the chocolate before hesitantly taking it from his hand. The chocolate looked slightly bizarre than the ones you had seen before, the color is not typically chocolate like all chocolates should be,

But rather in a pretty shade of pink, “Where did you get this?”

Suna looks at you while taking a bite of his chocolate, “Well, one of my friends is a good cook so we made this inside the dorm,” “Inside the dorm??”

He can see the confusion plastered on your face as he chuckled, “Yeah, he’s hungry all the time so we do this often inside our room. Got nagged a lot by seniors but all's well. Also, if you’re wondering, we’ve actually put some berries inside it, got a bit of a fruity taste,”

You look back at the chocolate with suspicion before going to take a bite. Your eyes widened as you bite the piece off and started munching on it,

“This...tastes pretty good,”

“I know right? He’s a bit of a weirdo tho but means well,”

You coughed at his statement and let out a laugh. Suna stopped mid biting the chocolate, watching you laugh your heart out as he could feel a slight pain to his chest.

The laugh soon died down as you turned your head at him with confusion, he quickly looked away with hot red cheeks, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,”

You watch him biting off his chocolate rather aggressively with a frown on his face, and now red cheeks. Thankfully, the room is dark enough to cover the redness spreading across his face,

“Don’t lie to me, idiot. You thought my laugh was ugly didn’t you? So much for me to finally warming up to you,”

“I didn’t say that- wait, what,”

Why’s everything happening so fast for him to comprehend. You averted your eyes at him while eating your chocolate, you realized what you had said before blushing a bit, “Uh, I didn’t mean that, no, wait- the point is that,”

He watches you looking away from his view while crumpling the wrapper, “I, think I enjoyed spending my time with you, no matter how truly impossible it is to believe, I actually...”

Your beautiful eyes stare into his as a small smile plastered over your face, “..don’t hate you anymore, in fact, I, really wanted to be by your side all the time after that stupid, problematic study session that we have that I started realizing,”

He swallowed down the saliva collecting up on his throat as he can feel his heart is about to beat out of his chest, he’s afraid that you might hear it too,

“But I still won’t forgive you for that terrible freshman memory,” and just like that, your smile fades away as if it’s never there in the first place. Suna frowned at that as he recalled the old memory,

“Oh, you mean that time I spilled my coffee onto your shirt?”

“Obviously, and it annoys me anytime I think about it,”

Your tone was back to how it was, like how you used to talk to him before. You stand up from the floor and dust yourself, grabbing the lamp that was next to you. But this time, you’re giving him a hand as he, without a doubt grabs it and stand up as well,

“Well, I’m sorry about that but can you, actually hear my part of the story?” You tensed up at that,

“Your part?”

He merely nodded before opening his mouth,

“Sorry,”

Suna said with panic lacing his voice as he looked around for a brief second and walking away from the direction you came from. He jogged slightly, finally deciding to throw the coffee cup away and try to find-

He stopped in his tracks before finding a box of tissue near the canteen. He grabbed a few of them before jogging back to where he left you. But you’re nowhere to be seen, only a puddle of coffee left on the floor as the students tried to avoid stepping on it,

“Oh god,”

“YOU REALLY ARE AN IDIOT, AREN’T YOU??”

He flinched a bit when you smacked his shoulders a couple of times after he explained, “You could’ve just help me clean up and not walk away trying to find tissues,”

“I was late for my class and I was panicking okay?? I wasn’t thinking straight and again, I’m sorry!”

You huffed, smacking for the last time before speed walking away towards the 4th and last floor with Suna trying to catch up to you, “Honestly, on second thought, I think I can go back to hating you,”

“What do you mean by that?? You already told me that you didn’t hate me anymore,”

“I take it back, not only you’re irresponsible but you’re truly unable to make the right choices at a given time,”

“Oh c’mone, how many times you’re going to say that-”

His footsteps stopped as he stood there frozen in his tracks and eyes widened. You heard him get cut off by himself as you hesitantly turned your body around to face him, 

“Suna?”

He, can hear them. It’s been years now, but now that he heard them again, it felt awfully strange. His ears started ringing a terrible high pitched scream before it turned into silence again with your voice calling him out,

“Suna! What’re you still standing there? Hurry up, we need to finish this-”

The male grabbed your wrist that was holding the lamp, opening the glass’s cover and blow the flame out as only pitch black welcomed you two,

“SUNA! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?? NOW WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE 4TH FLOOR AND EXIT IS! WHY’RE YOU LIKE THIS-”

“Just shut up and follow me,”

You immediately stopped your yellings and shivered slightly at how close his voice is next to your ear. You wanted to deny that and just start nagging him again, but something in his voice says that...he knows what he’s about to do.

You nodded slightly and let him drag you around. His hold on your wrist is still there, squeezing it in reassurance before he slowly walked towards the right side.

Both of you walked for what felt like an hour with only silence surrounding you two as he came across another staircase. Suna released the grip on your wrist, wrapping his hands around your back to guide you up,

“We’re gonna go slowly, okay?”

You nodded, and with that, you two started going up the stairs one by one. He gave you a small push from the back as a sign you’re going up the stairs. And when you two finally came to the 4th floor, you could see a small light coming from the corner of your eyes.

And there you finally see it. All of the 10 souls roaming around the library. It’s sad and lonesome faces look around everywhere and their liquidity like body twitched every second,

“Stay right here,”

You shot your eyes at Suna before he let go off his grip from your back and walk towards the souls. What is he doing? Both of you have no light source right now so it’s impossible to catch them with mere hands-

“Hey,”

The brunette started, looking at the white entity as it’s body slowly turned around to face him. The two of them stare at each other for a bit before Suna started talking again,

“You are? Huh, don’t worry, you’re safe with us,”

He wrapped his arms around the soul and, it didn't go through. Your eyes widened at that, did he really just...touched one? But it’s impossible for a mere mortal to just touch a dead being just like that,

“Almost every single human can’t touch a soul because of its non-existent matter since they’re basically dead. But there are rumors going around that there’s at least 1 in each kingdom that can touch a soul, and while they’re at it, they can also-”

“Suna, you can talk to souls?”

He turned his head around to look at you, watching him petting the soul slowly before stopping. The soul that he hugged looks at him, as a statement on why he stopped before looking at you,

You flinched at the eye contact but softened when it tilted it’s head in confusion. Suna takes a deep breath before looking at you with an unwavering stare,

“Yes, I, in fact, can talk to souls, and even touch them. I’m that 1 person in this kingdom,”

He hated that he had to admit it to you. He wasn’t so fond of this so-called ‘skill’ that he had since birth. He can totally admit this to anyone but to you? He’s back to feeling small, feeling like he holds no purpose in this world at all once you figured it out.

The male closes his eyes and expect the worst as your response,

“Don’t play with us, you don’t belong here,”

“I bet his only friends are those ghosts things,”

“What, you’re gonna cry? What you’re gonna do now huh? Cry it out to your dead friends?”

“Oh my, your son can talk to...dead beings…”

“Yes, and I’m planning on leaving the kingdom and him behind, he’s so lazy too so I don’t think I need him anymore,”

“I hope you have fun talking to yourself,”

“When he reaches the age of 13, I’ll leave him behind with the house. It’s his now and his other...friends,”

“I hate you, we all hate you, don’t even think of coming here again,”

“Don’t you-”

His mind got cut off when he felt a painful punch to his guts as he let out a scream in pain and kneel down, clutching his stomach. The soul that was next to him flinched and it’s face contorted into fear.

He looks up at you, glaring at him with tears staining your eyes,

Wait.

Before he can process his thoughts, you embrace him into a hug as you hold him tightly as if he’ll go away. He just stayed there, letting you engulfing him into the hug as his hands released his stomach.

Twitching a bit as he hugs you back, slowly gripping on your coat hardly while fighting back the tears that’s about to spill out. Unfortunately, you let go of the hug but then make eye contact with him.

Your tears stained eyes stared into his glossy ones before you opened your mouth,

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I could’ve just forgive everything you had done all those times,”

His breath hitched at the close proximity between you two. But he felt like he’s at home, a better one, “I’m...afraid that you’ll try to avoid me when I admit that-”

“Stop it stupid, I won’t avoid you for that. I was actually looking for you,”

Looking, for him? Suna watches you wiping the tears that fell down and continued, “I heard about that one person in the kingdom from an old friend of mine, they said that this person live in the same town as me,”

“I was, really intrigued that there’s actually someone that can talk and touch souls, I tried doing it on my own but failed every time, that’s why I was trying to find someone like that, to say that I think they’re incredible for something a mere person can’t do. But then again, I thought that, maybe they’re having a hard time trying to fit in by their unique trait, being an...outcast,”

An outcast huh? He had heard that name for him a lot of times,

“I personally don’t think that THAT person was an outcast just because they’re different from the others. I think that they’re special, they deserved better, they deserve every love they can get and yet…”

You bite your lips, “They still treat them differently. It’s not fair and will never be. So I tried searching for that person all around the kingdom when I was still in the age of 12, but I couldn’t find them,”

“But I did now, but I didn’t think that it would be you…”

What’re you trying to show him right now? Pity? Amazement? He didn’t know, your eyes just showing too many emotions at a time yet, he can still understand it.

And he thought, how should he react? After what you said just now, maybe he know what,

“What I wanted to say is that…”

You scoffed, but not in a hateful way like you always done and with a smile,

“You’re amazing Rintarou, and will always be. You’re never an outcast, cause you’re just the same like all of us, only…more special,”

Suna can feel your hand caressing his cheeks as he unconsciously let out a tear slide down. Your tears started spilling again as you hiccuped, trying to steady your breathing and brain,

“And, I’m sorry...for everything I have done to you, I’m...hah...so stupid…”

You let out a shaky laugh as the brunette hesitantly put a hand on the back of your head, letting you rest on top of his chest while he lay down on the floor. The souls surrounded you two in curiosity but you both paid it no mind and just enjoying each other presence,

“You’re not stupid, you never are. What you did to me all those months, was not stupid, but resonable,”

He bite the inside of his cheeks and let out a weak smile,

“And I had forgiven you a long time ago,”

And now, the only thing filling in the library is silence and the sound of both of your breathing, peaceful and unbothered.

You walked out from the dressing room and buttoned up your white collar shirt, fixing the jetblack coat you're wearing before looking around,

“Hey, has anyone seen my tie?”

“Oh, here!”

You turned to your right and smiled at Akaashi, taking the tie from his hands. You loosened up the zip and put it around your collar before zipping it back up, nice and tight.

Flattening it a bit before looking at your appearance on the mirror, “You already look dazzling, [y/n]. No need to pose in front of the mirror,”

“Oh shut up will you,”

You playfully yelled at Mai, who’s wearing the same kind of outfit like yours but with a knee length skirt.

Today’s the day, the time for your graduation. After a max time of 6 years surviving the academy, you’ve finally made it to graduation. It all felt so fast now that you think about it,

All those memories from the first day to the last day of the exam and now, here you are. And you’re going to admit that, it’s really hard not to feel emotional, after all that time spent with your friends and...lover.

You shake your head at that title, blushing a bit as you can feel a slight tap to your shoulder. You turned around to see none other than Suna,

“[y/n], help me put on this tie,”

“Why can’t you just put it on yourself?”

“I can’t tie a tie,”

You snorted, “Did you seriously just say a pun?” he shrugged, “Maybe,”

A sigh escaped from your lips as you took the tie from his hands and started tying it around his collar. And from the corner of your eyes, you can literally see Akaashi smirking at you along with the other 2nd years, who’s now seniors of the academy,

“Woah, Rin, didn’t know you’re the advantage taker type,”

“Yeah, are ya up to something Suna~?”

Both Atsumu and Komori snickered as the latter sigh, rolling his eyes in annoyance but you can definitely see the slight pink on his cheeks.

You finished tying his tie and patted it lightly, “There,” “Thanks,” “Anytime,”

“Haha, aren’t you two gonna kiss or something?” Ginjima pried in at the two of you, before almost everyone inside the room laughed with Suna’s cheeks turning red as he walks away to cover his face away from the crowd,

“We’re graduating now, aren’t we?”

You then looked at Eri as you two sit on the chair next to each other, Mai joining in to your other side, “It certainly is, I honestly can’t believe that 6 years had passed since we first started arriving here,”

“True, and I did remember the time Eri first arrived during our 3rd year, she’s so cute and shy~”

Eri blushed and huffed at Mai, who giggled at the noirette cute pout. You laughed along with them, watching Tanaka and Noya pestering Suna to tell them what’s going on between you two.

Ginjima and Atsumu join in on them, talking almost too loudly and you can tell that the teachers that’s out from backstage can hear them too.

Komori just watches them while his cousin just rolls his eyes at their antics, Osamu’s struggling to put on his tie as Ennoshita helped him out with it.

Kyoutani is actually having a relaxed conversation with Aone, which seemed very odd but very interesting to look at. Kenma’s just cramped up at the corner of the room with Fukunaga sitting comfortably next to him.

Yamamoto’s now joining in the Suna banter and you swear that the room gets noisier and noisier, much to Sakusa and Kenma’s dismay. Taichi and Shirabu are going through the script since both of them are going to give a speech later for the whole class.

And the others seemed to fix their appearance and clothes. You sighed, a small smile creeping up on your face. This all feels so nostalgic and heartwarming and you can’t help but feel pained that all of you had to separate from each other.

And it honestly felt like you have done wrong to them now that you reminisce the memories all at once. In a second, you clapped your hands loudly as it takes the attention of the whole room, their eyes and attention are now at you.

You missed this. You've been assigned to be the class monitor in the 4th year of the academy and they’ll always put their attention on you when you do this. You cleared your throat before opening your mouth, smiling as wide as you can,

“Now, that I have your attentions, I think I should make the last class meeting,”

Class meeting. It’s when all of you discuss anything regarding the class situation whether it’s about the exam or the class condition or upcoming events.

And the event now is to say goodbye to each other,

“First off, I wanted to say that, I’m sorry,”

All of them flinched at your words with surprise lacing their facial features as you continued, “I may haven’t realized it yet during our academy years but I think I’ve done at least something bad to every one of you, no matter how small or big it is, I do think it’s my responsibility to apologize, and I hope you all can forgive me,”

Then, you shrugged, “Or not, I don’t mind being someone you hate, you know,”

Your eyes caughted Suna as he did nothing but stare at you with disbelief, as if you said something terribly strange, “What’re ya saying, you never did anything wrong to us, [y/n],”

Atsumu started, having a frown on his face as you chuckled at his expression, “Maybe, but I just think that, since this is the last time we’re gonna be with each other, I think it’s best for me to apologize, even if I did nothing wrong, so, again,”

You bowed in front of all of them before sitting straight on your seat with a smile,

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I had done,”

Suddenly, you feel a heavy weight crashed into you as you widen your eyes at the impact and see who it was,

Suna Rintarou.

“Stop apologizing, stupid,”

Ah, the old name that you addressed him in. It felt nostalgic for a moment, and a little ironic. Because you remember doing this to him back when you still hate him,

The man you once hated.

“WHY’RE YOU GUYS ARE BEING SO EMOTIONAL THIS EARLY?? I CAN’T-”

Yamamoto cut off his own sentences and ran towards yours and Suna’s direction and hugged you two. And then one by one, everyone else inside the room started hugging you and started forming a group of hugs.

It takes a while for Fukunaga, Taichi and Aone to pester Kenma, Shirabu and Kyoutani to hug you but they did. Cause they also think you did nothing wrong and doesn’t need to apologize,

Is now the man you cared for dearly.

“Has everyone finished changing into grad clothes?”

You heard your homeroom teacher say from the outside of the backstage as all of you let go of the hug before looking at you, every single one of them while having a small smile on their face.

A quiet sigh escaped your lips as you wipes out the tears that had fallen before mirroring their smiles back,

“Let’s go,”

“And I hope…”

Shirabu stopped in his reading, steading his breath a bit as his eyes started watering, much to his dismay and continued on quietly and shakily,

“...we all can meet again in the nearest future,”

Everyone clapped their hands loudly as Taichi hugged Shirabu while guiding him back to the bench. You can see everyone you had met before, from the teachers of the whole academy, a few retired teachers that make it to the ceremony, to the old 6th years who were once your seniors and all of your juniors from 5th year.

They’re all here, to celebrate all of your 6 years of being here together. You bite back the tears but it’s no use as it falls down on it’s own.

Bokuto and Konoha cheered from their seats while Washio just lightly clapped his hand along with Yukie and Kaori. Miss Mochizuki, who’s sitting next to you all too clapped her hands while fanning herself from the tears that escaped.

The principal, too, is clapping his hands and even shows a small smile on his face no matter how strict he is. It all felt so heartwarming but it doesn’t stop the pain in your heart that you’ll be separating after this and going back home…

‘Going back home…’ that mere thought echoed through Suna’s head as he can feel like he’s the only one there, in the darkness. His mouth is turned into a straight line as his thought was suddenly interrupted by Atsumu, who’s now sobbing while leaning against his shoulder,

“Sunaaaaa, I’ll miss you! Don’t forget me okay??”

“Geez, yeah I won’t,” he hiccuped, “forget you, idiot,”

“Yeah, do you even think he would do that?” Ginjima said on his right, wiping away his tears and putting on a small smile while biting his lips, “Of course you won’t right?”

The brunette laughed before hugging them, along with Osamu whose breath is ragged from the excessive crying he did,

“It’s hard to forget you all anyway, so I won’t, we’ll see each other again, and that’s a promise,”

He patted their backs as his eyes wandered around the crowd to his classmates, and friends from other classes and then,

Suna caught your eyes, staring at him back. Both of you give each other a smile and nodded,

That’s a promise.

The sound of the train engine can be heard miles away as Suna covered his ears at the loud sound, chewing his cake. They packed some of the food from the graduation party to be eaten inside the train since it’s going to be a long ride before they separate at the main town hall.

Smokes came up from the top as the conductor gave them a welcoming smile, hearing the news of the graduation while briefly congratulating all of them.

You nodded, thanking the conductor before he went back to his spot to let all of you come aboard. Kenma’s the first to go up the staircase as he picked a comfortable spot near the seat railing.

And then, one by one, the others started climbing up the staircase, some of them holding the railing for support until it’s your turn to climb up but stopped near the doorframe of the train.

You look down, making eye contact yet again with Suna before holding your hand out. He briefly snorted and gladly took in as he started going inside the train too. As Eri and Mai finally got into the train, they closed the door before tapping the walls of the it.

The conductor understands the signal and lets out the horn sound coming from the train before starting the journey back to the main town, away from the academy and near to home.

You’re seated comfortably next to the seat railing with Suna next to you. And apparently, only you two. You glared at Atsumu and Osamu when they smirked at you but then your attention at them got cut off,

“So you’re going back home now?”

Suna asked, biting the last bits of his cake before closing his food container and putting it inside his bag,

“Yeah, I had one of the seniors to build me a place to stay when I get back home thankfully,”

“Is that so,”

Then, it’s just silence between you too as you started opening your mouth again,

“Do you want to come with me?”

He froze at that and looks at you with a bewildered look while you just smile at him, “I mean, if you’re comfortable staying with me, it’s fine if you decline-”

“Yeah sure,”

You blinked at his quick response and just sighed, “That’s good,” You fidgeted with your fingers while still holding onto your graduation paper, softening the hard edges before a tap to shoulder breaks you out of your thoughts,

“Hey, [y/n],”

“Yes Suna?”

His breath hitched when he heard you calling his name again, it never gets old and it always make his heart beating a lot louder, “Come closer, there’s something I need to tell you,”

You stare at him for a bit with curiosity, leaning in to his face as the gap between you two is almost non-existent. You hummed, asking what he’s going to say.

And in between that moment, Suna holds up his graduation paper to cover both of your faces and close the gap between his lips and yours. You squealed slightly in the kiss, blushing heavily at the action and just like that, he pulled away with an affectionate smile and red cheeks on his facial features,

“I love you,”

[kimnjss]

falling for you | knj

⤑  series: falling for you

⤑ pairing: university student!namjoon x university student!reader (female)

⤑ genre: fluff, slightest bit of angst

⤑ word count: 2.5

As the sun went down, it had cooled down a significant amount. The two piece skirt set you had on earlier had been swapped with a pair of washed jeans and a random tee. Seconds before leaving the house, you had decided on grabbing Joon's sweater. The scent instantly making you smile.

The football field was less than a mile from your house, a ten minute walk. You found Joon leaned up against the goal post, the light from his phone emulating his face. Thick lips tucked into his mouth, his dimples on full display.

His hair laid messily at the top of his head as if he had been running his fingers through it constantly, he seemed to be concentrating on whatever he was staring at and before you could wonder what it was, your phone dinged in your pocket.

[joon

you're still coming, right?]

There was no way, absolutely no way you'd get use to how adorable this boy was. Was he really worried that you would stand him up? That you'd even think about doing something as stupid as leaving a great guy like him hanging?

His long fingers tapped against the side of his phone as he stared. Joon's teeth scraped against his lower lip as he waited. If you didn't know any better, you'd guess that he had feelings for you and that's why he was acting like this.

Did he have feelings for you? He would've made some sort of move by now if he did, right? That's how guys were, right? When they saw something that they liked, they took it. He saw you nearly every day and never did anything about it... so he didn't think of you more than a friend, right?

A grumbled left your lips, the rush of confusion frustrating you just like it had done a million times before. Kim Namjoon was an enigma. Although, you weren't shouting your feelings at the top of your lungs, it had to be at least a little obvious that you were interested... so why wasn't he doing anything?

Why wasn't he complimenting you... and crowding you... and trying hard like all the other guys that were interested in you. Were you wasting your time coming here? Thinking that maybe this would blossom into something more, seeing each other late at night like this.

Did you think...

“Is that you, yn?” Joon's voice pulled you from your racing thoughts. Your eyes focusing on his squinted expression. That's when you noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses. You had only seen him without them one other time and he looked just as cute without them, if not cuter.

Raising a hesitant hand, you offered a small wave in his direction. “It's me!” You called, jogging over to where he stood. Being this close to him now, you were able to see how different he looked.

The dim lights from the football field paired with the moonlight did wonders with highlighting his features. Without the large round glasses, you were able to see a lot more of his face, too.

The slight heart shape of his face. The dimples that appeared when he smiled or talked, you wanted so badly to dip your finger in their deepness.

His almond shaped eyes, housing those pretty brown eyes of his. The same eyes that you'd often times catch staring at you or that would glare from behind the thick rim of his glasses as he read.

And those full lips that you had imagined kissing more than once. Inwardly, you cursed Jungkook. If it wasn't for him not being able to handle his liquor you wouldn't have to wonder what it would feel like to have Joon's lips against yours.

“You're wearing my sweater,” He pointed out, a smile lingering on his lips. Your hands pulled at the hem of it as you nodded up at him. “I told you it was comfy. Your not wearing your glasses,”

He laughed, reaching up to push his hands through his hair. Must be a nervous habit. “You noticed.” His tongue jutted out to wet his lower lip, slowly pulling it in to nibble at. You watched the movement of his mouth closely, trying to keep yourself from drooling.

“I take them off before I go to bed... which is right around the time I texted you. I forgot to grab them on my way out,” You laughed at his forgetfulness. Awkwardness settling between you two as the laughter died down.

“...There's, uh... just around the corner, there's a pond...” Joon was always so shy around you. It both intrigued you and confused you. You wanted him to feel comfortable around you but at the same time his shyness made you wonder. What was the reason why he couldn't relax while you were around.

“Wanna go sit by it?” You were suggesting since he had left he sentence hanging in the wind like that. He laughed once again and nodded, before leading the way to the pond.

It was larger than you had expected. Sleeping ducks floating in the water, creating soft ripples. The moonlight reflecting into the navy pool. There was a bench a few feet away from the water. You sat, Joon taking space beside you.

“Did you want to talk about something? I mean... you asked me out to talk about something, right?” You prompted, hoping that this would encourage him to bring up the almost kiss.

“Uh... no? Kinda. I half just wanted to see you, you know? I like being around you.” Fingers through his hair. You smiled brightly up at him.

“I like being around you too.” Hearing him say that was exactly the courage you needed to bring up that night. If he had regretted grinding and almost kissing you than he wouldn't be saying in the same breath that he liked spending time with you, right?

Right?

“I wouldn't have minded if you kissed me. That night at the bar, before Hoseok... I wanted you to kiss me,” There. You were as honest as blunt as you could be. Now the ball was fully in his court. He just had to pick it up, toss it, kick it. Hell, he could even pop it, he just needed to do something.

Joon was taken aback by your sudden confession. Eyes wide and mouth going dry, all the moisture seemingly rushing to his palms. “You? Are you sure?” Did he really not have a clue? No way he hadn't picked up on your obvious crush? Did he really not notice?

“Yes, I'm sure. I wanted you to kiss me then. I sometimes want you to kiss me while we're studying. I want you to kiss me now.” Your heart was doing boxer kicks against your chest. Breaths coming out in heavy pants. But you couldn't stop the word vomit.

“Now?”

“Yeah,”

Joon stared at you for a long while. You couldn't read his expression and that was a thing about him. You could never read him, could never guess what he was thinking. That's why this was so hard.

You liked him so much, though. At first, it was just simple attraction. You thought he was cute and felt stupid for acting the way you did when you realized that it was him you were stuck with. But as the weeks went on and your daily sessions shifted from endless work to endless conversation, you started to fall.

How couldn't you? He was smart, funny, down to Earth. God, that boy cared about people and you never thought you'd ever find that as alluring as you did when you noticed it about Joon. He also had a way with words.

You could listen to that boy talk for hours on end. About anything. If he was explaining a certain theory or going on about the meaning behind the lyrics he liked to scribble in the corner of his text books. He was so passionate, about everything.

That's why you were so nervous right now. This boy was everything, everything that you could dream up and he was sitting right next to you. Looking at you with that seemingly bored expression, leaning in close and you couldn't breathe.

You couldn't breathe because you knew what was coming next. What this would lead to, the way everything would change after this. This... this was going to be big. Yet, you didn't move. Didn't bother to stop him as he brushed his lips over yours, even nodded when his gaze shifted up to your eyes to check if you were still into this. He was always so cautious, always checking, always making sure. You liked that.

Every last bit of awkwardness melted away when his lips covered yours fully. A strong hand rested at the side of your neck, holding your head steady as he kissed you. His lips felt better than you had imagined, thick but so soft, wrapping around yours with such delicacy, as if you'd break.

You kissed him sweetly, your fingers curling in his messy hair. It felt soft between your fingers. No wonder he was always jostling it around. Joon was pushing his tongue into your mouth, at the same time dropping his hand down onto your hip and pulling your body into his.

Fuck, this boy could kiss.

He navigated through your mouth skillfully, his long fingers drawing invisible patterns against your skin. It tickled and you had to do your best to suppress the giggle fighting it's way to your lips.

When his hand reached the small of your back, his fingers continuing their tracing you couldn't help the giggle that slipped past your lips. Joon was pulling away, a dazed smile on his face, dimples and all.

“That tickles.” He leaned down to kiss your smiling lips, his hand sliding before behind you. He was quick to wrapping your fingers together, leaning back to look up at the night sky. A sigh of contentment coming from him.

“I can't believe that just happened...” It seemed as if his words weren't meant for you to hear, but he was speaking out loud, so...

“What? Kissing me?”

Joon nodded, his eyes never dropping to meet yours. “Yeah. You probably know this, but... I've had a crush on you since, I don't even know how long. And being paired up with you, I thought would only make things worse because there's no way you'd like me, but... I guess I was wrong.”

He paused for a moment, dropping his head to meet your gaze. “I was wrong, right?” You laughed. After kissing you the way he had and now holding your hand he was still unsure? Only Joon would overthink this much.

Your arms wrapped around his arm, palms resting on his shoulder. “You were very wrong,” You planted a small kiss to his cheekbone. “I like you. Probably more than you like me,”

He shook his head. “Impossible. My affection had years to resonate. You're a newbie.” Joon flashed you a sideways grin that you couldn't help but giggle at. You leaned up to kiss him, loving the way his lips puckered moments before making contact with yours.

“I like your lips.” The words left your mouth, as soon as he pulled back from it.

“Yeah?” You hummed your response, “I like yours too,” He placed a chaste kiss over your lips. “And your cheeks,” Two soft kisses on either side of your face. His fingers tilted your head back, exposing the length of your neck.

His list was short there as he dropped his head into the crook of your neck, his pillow-y lips, gently caressing your skin before he was leaving a trail of wet kisses down toward your collarbones.

Joon palmed at your waist, pulling your body tight against his as he explored your neck. Your fingers easily twisting around his strands of his hair, using your grip to hold his head steady against your skin.

You could feel the wetness of his tongue, the suction of his lips, the gentle scrap of his teeth. An obvious hickey forming just inches above your collarbone. What had gotten into him?

His mouth felt so good against your warm skin. It was like you couldn't think straight, just sit there and moan as he marked you. All too soon he was pulling back, staring up at you with his dark hooded eyes. He grinned before leaning down to press his lips against yours again, the tips of his fingers reaching up to brush against your wet skin.

“I gave you a hickey,” He chuckled, the pad of his thumb brushing against it. You couldn't help the laugh that left your lips as you nodded your head. “I felt that,” As you spoke, you lifted your body to straddle his lap.

Your arms wrapping around his waist and your chin resting on his shoulder. Tilting your head up, you examined the night sky above you. It seemed as though there were more stars out than normal. The moon looked a lot larger too.

“The sky looks so pretty,” You pointed out. The shift of his body moved you a bit, Joon was soon leaning back on his hands as he stared at the sky.

“This is what the sky looked like when we had our first kiss,” His words were the cause to the growing smile on your lips. A comfortable smile fell over you. He held you close as the sky moved silently.

Being in Joon's arms felt comfortable, safe, familiar. You could definitely get use to that. Quickly, you were becoming keen to the feeling of his strong arms around your body and the heat of his chest against yours.

All you could feel was him. Literally, surrounding you and you didn't want to have it any other way. It didn't register how long the two of you were sitting out there, until you found yourself dozing off.

Not more than an hour had passed, right? Pulling back, Joon's attention was still on the night sky. Brows furrowed, as if he was thinking hard about something. Reaching your hands up, you grasped his cheeks, turning his head down to yours.

“What you thinking about?”

He grinned. “When did you start liking me?”

“Hm. I always thought you were cute, even before we met. I think I started liking you a little bit more each day that we were together. You know how smart you are, Joon? You're like a genius. And I liked hearing you talk and explain things. Then you'd talk to me about your passions and the things that you liked. I love he way your face lights up when you go on a tangent. Plus you care so much. You're a great guy. So of course I had to start liking you,”

Joon's laugh woke up the butterflies in your belly. “I still can't believe it,”

You rolled your eyes at him, leaning up so your face was level with his. You leaned forward to place your mouth over his. You kissed him sweetly, pulling back to press a few pecks to his lips.

“Well you better believe it, buddy. There's no getting rid of me.”

— by chance you are paired up with, kim namjoon. he’s everything a dream guy should be: smart, funny, handsome. it doesn’t take long for feelings to develop, and that’s when things take an unexpected turn.

prev masterlist next

⤑ taglist: @bookoffracturedescapes​ @biaisezabini​ @sunrisemcp​ @imajiningseokjin

[haikyupid]

Frequently used emojis:

👍🤡🎂✅👌😃😚😘😊😆😩🤠😀😱😭😔🧙‍♂️😫😉😡🙁🤔🙃😗❤🥰😎😤 I hope these suffice I’m submitting over mobile because I dont know how to emoji other wise.

Why follow:

First and foremost I saw you write cute prompts with cute guys and I thought the request system was pretty neat. And correct me if I’m wrong because it wasn’t explicitly stated in the order but you don’t seem to mind making a fic Gender neutral or even doing a fic for male!characterxmale!reader which is something I really appreciate.

Reasons to start and stay:

I can’t for the life of my remember where I first saw Haikyuu I know I heard of it before watching it. It was probably as simple as earnest sport boys are hot so watch this anime. Still reeling on a single reason I stayed since so many of the guys are just so pretty or hot or both.

Why them:

Full disclosure I had no one in mind when I started writing this submission so most of my brain power is thinking of my favorite character right now. There is so many to choose from but upon further consideration it is Bokuto koutarou (as I typed his last name his first came up in the suggestion bar lol) he is so energetic and screenshots from the manga make him BEEFY he has my heart in his hands. I’m trying really hard to put to words what else is great about my sweet owl boyfriend something about his hair probably.

Letter to you:

You run a very cute blog and I respect your positive attitude even when you’re a user of this hell site. Hopefully it’s not presumptuous that you male x male reader inserts although it would be a lie if I said I don’t care if you do. I hate to seem rude but I hope I actually qualify for this lol I’d feel silly if I didn’t hop on this train soon enough.

I hope this is both sufficient and legible ‘cuz right now I want to thirst a bit over the runner ups for the KING of my heart. To gush a bit more on Bokuto I love art when his shorts ride up and the knee guards have some uncovered skin showing as I have a weakness for thighs TBH. I love the fukurodani boys Akashi and Bokuto are both beautiful, Nekoma has Kuroo the smug sexy noodle boy and Yaku who was this close to catching my heart. I’ll put an end to this here and I hope and pray this all makes sense English is my first and only language but I am not a smart man if I am to be honest.

NOW PLAYING ◃◃   ❙ ❙ ▹▹ CHANGE MY MIND

for bokuto — when his heart long for yours. when your laughter and words evoke a feeling so foreign, yet he welcomes it as the flutter in his stomach continues to intensify. when thoughts of you cloud his mind, leaving him staring blankly at the ceiling of his bedroom wondering if you’re doing the same. when he screams into his pillow at 2 in the early mornings, as the feelings overflow and threaten to burst at any given moment.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Perhaps it’s the glow of the sunset that makes your features stand out with a tint of gold that makes it hard for me to look away from you. Maybe it’s because of my tendency to want to be surrounded by loud noises that I end up intently listening to you speak, as the two of us walk along the quiet neighborhood with only the muffled sounds of sputtering engines accompanying your voice. It could be that your smile is contagious, and I find myself laughing along with you every time.

But there has to be a reason why I always find myself wanting to be near you- no, to be with you. But what is it? Why am I always longing for your presence?

“Bokuto.”

My eyes go wide from your sudden call of my name. I gulp, and I hope you don’t notice the nervous lump on my throat. “Yeah?” I curse myself as the word comes out in a tremble.

You tilt your head. That’s all you do, but my heart feels as though it’s intoxicated by you, and it suddenly hurts. My heart thumps louder than ever before.

“This is me.” You gesture at the familiar front of your house.

I find myself paralyzed. I can’t move — I refuse to move. I need to hear the words I’ve been longing for you to say to me; for you to say the word ‘stay’ with your lips no longer curved into a smile of farewell, but one that invites me in.

I feel my fingers twitch in an attempt to grab a hold of you and beg you to explain the feelings that continue to beautifully haunt my every waking moment. You should know, you’re the cause of it.

Please, tell me to stay. Then tell me that you crave my presence like I do with yours. That your soul feels lost when you’re not with me. That you want me to hold you in arms while I confess the foreign feelings that I have for you.

“Stay,” I say all of sudden. Shit, shit, shit! Please don’t think I’m weird. Damn this mouth of mine that never shuts.

Silence dawns upon us. It’s awkward, at least for me it is. I can’t bare to meet your eyes — I don’t know if I’ll be star-struck like before, or become too flustered and run far away from where we stand.

You finally break the silence with a: “so, are you going to say something?” You end the sentence with a lighthearted chuckle. You always knew how to lighten the mood, to lessen the awkwardness that I seem to always bring between us. Maybe it’s one of the reasons why you draw me in, like a tidal wave that leads you to a sea of happiness— and I wish for nothing but to be pulled in.

It’s now or never.

I huff in, my chest puffing out as it would in confidence, except I’m doing my best to feint mine. “Please, ask me to stay!” I don’t mean to scream, but the feelings that bubble up inside continue to intensify. I’m afraid that I can only speak ‘shouts’ at this point.

Please, please, please say the word. I need to know if you feel the same. I don’t think I can handle this foreign feelings any longer — I’d burst. So please, say it. Say that you want me to be with you a little while longer. Ask me to stay with you, and tell me… that you love me.

I search for a sign that blatantly tells me that my thoughts are wrong; but as you smile at me differently — one no longer meant for farewells — I find the gears that connects through my heart and mind finally working, and I now know— I now realize that these ‘foreign’ feelings are derived from the love that I feel only for you.

“Stay, Koutarou.” My heart finally bursts.

NOW PLAYING ◃◃   ❙ ❙ ▹▹ NEVER ENOUGH

for bokuto — when his lips linger on yours just for a split second longer than usual, and his mind is suddenly clouded by you and you only, disregarding everything else that was, and comes to mind. when his arms wrap around your waist like a man starved of your presence, but gentle enough as though he wants to protect and cherish you being in his grasp for as long as life allows him; and when his expression perfectly conveys the pure love and adoration that he feels for you, because to him, words are simply not enough to describe it.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

“Koutarou…”

Your voice puts me in a hypnotic haze, one that I want nothing more but to be surrounded by, every second of the day. It doesn’t matter if it leads me to danger, if the true meaning behind your words hide behind a sweet facade, you could coax me to do just about anything with those words and tone of yours.

“You need to leave now.”

Everything except that.

I feel the strings of my heart tug harshly from one direction to another. How is it that your voice, so sweet and alluring like pure honey, is able to produce words that elicits nothing but hurt from within me?

My heart agonizingly aches, yet your smile — that damned smile of yours that I’ve loved and yearned for years — shows nothing but amusement. How?

Do you not love me enough? Am I not worth your time? Do you want me to leave that badly? Have I done something wrong to make you say those—

“Kou,” your hands find itself on each side of my cheeks, cupping it in the most gentle caress only you can convey, “if you don’t leave now, you’ll be late. Akaashi and the team will start worrying, and they’ll end up spamming my messages.”

Oh.

The cooling relief that rushes through my racing heart and mind greatly contrasts the rising heat that climbs from my neck to my flushed cheeks. Can you see the effect you have on me?

Could you possibly blame me for reacting this way? I love you too much. I wouldn’t mind having my heart ache like this if it means that you’re the cause. I won’t have it any other way.

“I’m sorry.” My eyes close, and I instinctively kiss your lips. I hope that through it, you’ll feel the love that overpowers every other emotion that I’m meant to feel. Every responsibility other than deeply loving you being disregarded in mere seconds.

For once, I let my lips linger longer on yours. You don’t pull back, and I hope you never do. If only time will allow it — could we stay like this forever?

My lips are close enough to feel the small tug on the corners of you lips, indicating a small smile is forming. This is familiar, as it’s often followed by a gentle push by your hands that rest on my chest and a “go, you’re going to be late” — but no; this time, you close the gap in a rushed and delicate kiss.

It doesn’t even last a second before you pull away. I long for more. “Please,” I beg you once more.

“No,” you chuckle and suddenly, everything in my vision becomes much brighter and colourful, “you’re going to be late for practice. Just go, and I’ll give you more when you come back.”

“You promise?” I know you always uphold each one, but hearing you say it makes it that much more meaningful to me. A reassurance that I’m the only person to make these kinds of promises with you.

The sides of your eyes crinkle as you grin at me. “I promise,” you say with a honey-like tone. It evokes a different feeling from earlier, this time, it’s warmth.

A breath of relief, one I didn’t know that I’ve been holding in, leaves my body. And as my chest heaves down, I feel the grin only you can make appear decorate my face, and suddenly, I feel like everything’s going how I want it to; as if the world’s on my side.

I love you. I promise to, for as long as the universe lets me. I’ll never get enough of you, in this life and in another.

0 : 00 ──────────♡─ E : ND

bwahahahhaha, i can tell that you most definitely write better than i do even if i haven’t seen an example — but, hopefully you still liked this one. i’m not good at writing at all and i’m not used creating them, but hopefully this was at the very least decent enough for you. forgive me if it’s not…

you’re so nice 🥺👉👈 also, ik we haven’t talked much like at all, but your personality, i love it! the ‘oh, howdy’ had me wanting to talk to you more 🤣 i haven’t been greeted like that in so, so long, i missed it so much. and you do not seem rude at all! ik i haven’t explicitly said that i’m open to writing for every gender, only bcause i thought it was supposed to be common sense? clearly i was being quite ignorant, so i’m really and deeply sorry about that. but yes, i try to cater my content for all genders, unless the requester explicitly asks for their gender/pronouns to be used.

THIGHS FOR LIFE, HECK YEAH! i loooove that akaashi scene where it’s angled from under him and we get a view of his toned thighs and i’m just like 🤤💛💛 yeah, so now i simp for kuroo and akaashi bcause i’ve seen their beautiful thighs; but when i tell you that i’m willing to do anything to get a peak of bokuto’s bare thighs from under those knee guards, i mean it ahahahaha!

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/69812202

Chapter 44

Morrie didn't try to steal Norbert's Joy again and endured his high lover in silence. Norbert didn't hold a grudge against him either. Right after the gig, he insisted that Morrie stayed with him for the night. "You can't sleep in your room, you don't have a door!" He claimed that he regarded it as return service for demolishing said door, but it occured to Morrie that Norbert had no idea about what really happened. Still, he stayed with him and enjoyed his lover's efforts to comfort him. Then he told himself that it wasn't that bad after all, since Norbert's affection for him remained unabaited, although more superficial than before. In addition, he was still hopeful to find another solution for his lover's Joy-problem. He thought if Norbert needed a nerver so badly, they could at least get something that wasn't a drug. The next day, he and the band sweeped the town for an alternative. At the pharmacy, Morrie asked for professional advice and was taken aback that the only remedy, the salesman presented him as most tolerable, was Joy, of all things. The responsible pharmacist refused to recommend anything else. When Morrie urged him, he even had the cheek to offer him a probe, because he found him bad-tempered.

Empty handed and indeed moody, Morrie left the shop to try another. But at the end of the day, Joy seemed to be the entire town's only way to handle things. When he met the other band members, he soon found out that they had had the same experiences. "What if we consult a doctor and let him prescribe some real medicine?", Morrie suggested then. "Nick isn't ill", Matt insisted, shaking his head. "He only has the jitters." Morrie understood that it would be an exaggeration to run to the doctor because of stage fright. However, he was frustrated. "So, we give up?" "Well find another way", Chris quickly soothed him.

His hope was soon shattered when some days later he found his lead guitarist high on Joy. Shocked, he grabbed him by the collar and shook him heavily. "What the hell were you thinking?", he scolded. Chris held up his hands in defense. "Calm down, will you? I had a bad day, everyone can have a bad day, not only Nick." "We planned to get rid of that stuff! Do you remember?" Chris gave him a sleek grin. "Wrong, buddy. You planned to get rid of it.  But in the end it's the best medicine we have." "You took that probe they gave you, right? Without hesitation!" Morrie couldn't believe it. Chris shrugged. "Why, it was free. And it's completely harmless, my friend." Morrie, who knew that it was helpless to debate with someone on Joy, let him go.

A few seconds later, he found Matt on Joy. It was obvious, that typical way of strutting with the nose up in the air, that didn't suit him at all. "And I thought you're the reasonable one", he said, highly disappointed. "It's just a test", Matt tried to play it down, but Morrie didn't like the way his pupils were narrowed. "And what to you think of it?", he asked with his voice full of doubts. "I feel fantastic!", his friend exulted with arms wide open. "You should try it, Morrie! Why don't you take your probe?" "I don't have one", Morrie stated. "Oh...ok, I give you one of mine. No problem." After rummaging around in his pockets he offered a yellow pill to Morrie, who was aghast at the fact that he really expected him to take it. For a second he considered it. "Thanks, but I pass." he then said coolly. Matt shrugged. "It's your joice."

When he found Brad he wasn't surprised anymore.  He only said "Not you too." "Don't worry, I don't feel any different", the drummer assured him,  but also, he patted his cheek and wafted away with a spaced out look in his eyes. Norbert didn't seem to notice that he wasn't the only one on Joy anymore. Instead he seemed to wonder why everyone was such a good company all of a sudden and then went on as normal. Morrie in contrast suffered agonies. The next gig they played was the worst he had ever gone through. Not because they failed. It wasn't even a bad performance. But the way everyone had turned into unpredictable freaks stressed him out. He never knew if anyone of them would have a bad trip all of a sudden. And that dampened his own performance, and it made him even more frustrated. In a band, they had to count on each other and Morrie couldn't count on anyone but himself anymore.

When all the fuss was over, Morrie went to bed early again. The others celebrated themselves and he felt very alone. He saw that the others had let him down and left him only two options: play along and take Joy or endure it all in a sober state, what would mean more horrible concerts.

Soon, he didn't even endure his own thoughts anymore and longed for Norbert to knock at his new door. He lived for these moments. Norbert eventually did him the favor. "Hey there, lone wolf", he purred, again giving him the impression that there was a happier world he could enter whenever they were together. "Do you mind some company?" "Not at all. But be careful, I could take you for a lamb", Morrie was persuaded to joke around. He had no idea how much his nonchalant grin seduced Norbert, who walked into his room and made a shocked face. "So, you would eat me?" "Most likely", Morrie whispered and wrapped his arms around his prey. He smelled the faint waft of vanilla when he hugged Norbert from behind and greedily bit his shoulder. Norbert gasped loudly. "In this case...I confess. I'm a lamb." It was nights like these that kept Morrie going.

The Joy-problem was now permanent. After the so-called testing phase the band considered the pills to be harmless, so they abandoned Morrie's plan. They also kept offering this stuff to him, whenever they found him moody. But Morrie intended to never lay a finger on it. And so they went on with their lives. They kept throwing parties, and Morrie could only watch Norbert collect his fans and flirt with them and never looking back at him. At these happenings he just didn't exist for him. Considering everything he knew about Norbert on Joy so far, he wasn't surprised anymore. However, when he found him making love to a fan, he felt like someone pulled the rug from under his feet.

He vented throroughly, to ruin this moment entirely for both of them. He yelled at the two traitors, pulled the girl away from Norbert, scared her so much that she broke out into tears and ran away. Norbert's horrified face was a slight consolation. At least he had wiped that stupid smug grin from his face, that he had to watch all day. When Morrie decided that it was enough, he left the room himself. He noticed that Norbert stumbled after him, playing the puzzled and innocent lover.  Sick of that game, he ignored all of Norbert's cries and continued to walk through the house. The noise allured the fans. It was another moment of consolation for Morrie when they saw their great idol begging and pleading. Morrie didn't listen, all he wanted was to flee from the noise. His ears already rang because of Norbert's cries. When he had reached the studio, the only room that was noise-insulated, he already had his hand on the doorknob when the urge to turn around got the better of him. He just didn't have the heart to leave like that.

When he turned, he saw Norbert who had to support himself against the wall, because he couldn't stand upright by himself. His face was all wet and swollen, his eyes red and his breath carried the smell of alcohol into his direction when he said: "I don't love you any less..." Morrie now wished he had saved himself the sight. Disgusted, he locked himself into the studio, while Norbert was too weak and too slow to stop him. He still had some strength in his lungs to cry, but Morrie only heard a muffled noise. After putting on some earphones, even that was solved. He found a bottle of brandy, that Norbert had probably left there, and although he wasn't a fan of drowning his problems in alcohol, he found that he deserved a drink.

Sitting around like that, with earphones on and a glass in his hand, he thought he looked ridiculous. And it hurt because he had never wanted to look so ridiculous. He had never wanted to be in such a situation. Thinking back, everything had started so beautifully...his relationship that had been gently forced upon him, the band that had asked him to join them...But at the end, nothing had turned out the way he wanted. In a pathetic way, he thought, he faced the ruins of his dreams, and all he could do was hiding and holding onto a glass. Embarassed and helpless, he began to cry.

He spend some time cramping and sobbing into the silence, until he was fed up with listening to his own sobs. Instead he played a tape. A song they were working on. It had a calm, soothing melody. Wrapped up in this, and with a soft sting in his throat from the brandy, he dropped off to sleep.

The next morning, he woke up with a slight headache and an unpleasant taste in his mouth. The earphones had slipped from his head, revealing that there was no sound outside. Morrie was sure that Norbert had already pleased himself with another dose of Joy and was totally clueless about the bygone incident. When they met again, they would simply chat about some trivia and go on with their lives. And Morrie was sure he would play along. He knew nothing else, after all. He needed Norbert. Leaving the studio, he was quite surprised that he found Norbert lying on the floor. He was asleep, looking like he had spend the entire night like this. Because he couldn't just abandon him there, Morrie knelt down and slightly shook him, until he opened his eyes. Then he got up and made his way up the stairs. He didn't have to escort Norbert to his room after all. However, he stopped when he heard Norbert call his name. At first quietly, with a raspy voice, then louder, more desperate. "Please, wait for me!"

Norbert began to run after him, with his hands palpating the wall to support himself. His face was white as chalk. In fact, he looked like he was about to faint. When he reached Morrie he suddenly stopped as if he didn't dare to come any closer. He staggered and sobbed. Morrie, who feared he'd pass out, grabbed him and carefully led him upstairs, where he entered the kitchen and sat him down on a chair. Hoping that his favorite morning drink would bring him back into shape, he busied himself with the coffee machine. Norbert's tears had dried by now. He sobbed and didn't move. When Morrie placed a mug of steaming coffee in front of him, he promptly accepted it, clutching at it as if he'd fall from the chair otherwise. Also Morrie needed the hot drink, so he sat down at the table as well. He watched Norbert out of the corner of his eye, just to make sure he won't secretly faint. This way, they quietly drank their coffee together.

Time passed, and Morrie acknowledged that Norbert wouldn't say a word. He himself had something he wanted to say before Norbert would enter oblivion again. "I'm sick of  this", he said bluntly, no matter if Norbert would listen or not. "All your flings...all that flirting with everyone in sight...I never wanted this." His voice sounded husky and it bothered him. He wanted to sound more collected, more determined. But he had to admit it sounded much better than the faint whine that escaped Norbert's throat. "I...I told you..." The tears came back and he started shivering so much that he had to put down the mug in order to not spill the coffee. What was left of his voice failed again and he sank down, turning back into that picture of misery that Morrie had found on the floor. Morrie inwardly scolded himself for destroying all the progress. He felt no pity though.

"You told me you'd only kiss", he said in a sharp tone. "If anything", he added bitterly. "And still, I'm not surprised." His anger left him already, and he stared sadly into his coffee that had a hard time cheering him up. Norbert sobbed more. "Do you mean you don't want me anymore?", he rasped. Morrie made a face and turned away, alarming Norbert. "Why not? I still love you!", he cried, sounding very desperate. "Yes, me!", Morrie shouted, "And a lot of others too!" Thereafter he heard a thud, that caused him to turn his head. Norbert's chair was empty all of a sudden. In one moment of shock, Morrie thought that Norbert had passed out again. Then something touched his knee.

It was Norbert, who knelt in front of him, hands folded, as theatrical as only he could do it. "Please don't leave me, Morrie! I can't live without you!", he pleaded. Morrie pressed his eyes shut and sighed. "It's true!", Norbert urged him, still shaking and sobbing. "Look, I might be their god, but you are mine! You're my muse, my world, my everything!" Morrie watched him, unable to move or speak. Norbert broke in front of him, frantically begging for an answer. "My heart is yours! If you'd cut it out, you'd find your name engraved on it!" Morrie couldn't bear it any longer and stood up, fleeing the immediate closeness, if only for a few steps. Norbert got up too, and to Morrie's horror he took a knife from the counter. Instead of threatening Morrie, he held it out to him, the blade directed at his own chest.

"Come on, cut it out!", he cried. "Let that go", Morrie demanded, reached out and pulled at the knife. Norbert weeped louder. "Kill me, Morrie! If you leave me, you can just as well kill me!" Finally, Morrie had ripped the knive out of his hands. Bereft of his weapon, he backed away and huddled up again, leaning against the counter. Morrie stared at the knife and his own tense face reflecting in the blade. He believed Norbert. He believed that he, in his eccentric way, loved him.

"Only one thing, Norbert", he said firmly. His lover raised his head. His hopeful gaze was something Morrie wanted to remember forever. "No other men", he decided. "I understand the press is spreading rumors if you shun all the girls, but no one will ever force you to sleep with a man. That would be your choice alone. Do you hear me?" Norbert's face lit up. "Yes, Morrie, I swear...", he began, but Morrie cut him off. "Don't swear, just don't do it." "Okay...", Norbert said quietly and nodded. Morrie sighed heavily. Now he felt he was about to faint himself. "Alright, So you can go back to doing whatever you want to do", he dismissed Norbert with a gesture.

His lover, instead of leaving, made a few steps into his direction. "I want to spend some time with you. Don't you want to see me at all today?" His voice sounded so sad and unsure that it broke Morrie's heart. He'd loved to spend some time alone to think, but then again it was a perfect opportunity to keep Norbert from taking Joy, at least for today. "I need some fresh air", he stated. "Why don't we go out for a walk?" They didn't have this big park built around their residence for nothing after all. It was the only place they could enjoy without someone bothering them. Norbert went along with bright eyes.

[shyvioletcat]

For the firefighter au, Aelin notices Rowan's back is bothering him from sleeping on the couch and offers to let him sleep in the bed! 😉

First of all, a short letter

Dear Anon, Thank you for submitting this. I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to get to this point and you paved the way. So who ever you are, thank you. You’ve done me a great service.

Secondly, @highqueenofelfhame and @galyxsy this is for you guys. Hope it makes you smile. Also for you @tangledraysofsunshine. You know why.

Masterlist

~~~~~

Rowan was definitely miserable.

Aelin had noticed that his back had been progressively getting worse the longer he slept on her couch. She remember the conversation they’d had two nights ago about his fitness test coming up and she was feeling guiltier as the days went on. There was still a week and a half until the landlord got back and from Rowan’s foul mood it seemed like he hadn’t been able to move the date of the test. He’d been sullen each night when he trudged into he apartment, practically slamming the lock into place.

Tonight was no exception. He came through the door already dressed in his pyjamas, blanket and pillow in hand. Aelin watched from where she was eating a slice of chocolate cake at the kitchen counter. There was a hobble to his walk, just ever so slight, but Aelin picked up on it. She couldn’t help flinching as he continued his routine by slamming the door and sliding the lock into place.

“Hello sunshine,” Aelin called. Rowan didn’t answer just threw his bedding onto the couch. “Look at you, such a joy to have in my home.”

“Not now Aelin,” Rowan grumbled as he sat down.

Aelin wasn’t letting up. “I said you can go home Rowan.”

“Not happening,” Rowan bit out.

“If you lose your job just from being a stubborn –”

“I won’t lose my job!” Rowan said he stood and whirled to face Aelin. “I’ll just get demoted. I’m 2IC at the station so if I perform badly I’ll just lose that, not my job entirely. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Aelin retorted back.

Rowan ran his hands through his hair, a habit Aelin noted he did when he was frustrated or nervous.

“What’s not fine is that I was an idiot who broke down your door and did a half-assed job of fixing it. What’s not fine is that my half-assed job left you in danger and someone broke into your house and you could have been hurt.”

Aelin was a little taken aback by not just his words but how distressed Rowan was while he spoke them. She hadn’t realised he had actually cared that much.

Aelin crossed her arms over her chest, “You saw that I could handle myself.”

“But you shouldn’t have had to,” Rowan sat down again and Aelin heard him audibly wince.

Aelin made the decision right then. She walked over to where Rowan sat and stood in front of him, hands on her hips.

“Alright, if you’re going to be a stubborn bastard here’s the deal. You sleep in my bed to save your precious body for your precious job.”

Rowan looked up her, surprise written all over his face. “And you sleep on the couch? No way.”

“I’m not sleeping on the couch,” Aelin said simply and couldn’t help the smirk that spread across her lips at the slight flush that crept over Rowan’s face.

“I… What?” He stammered.

“We’ll both be comfortable and refreshed for work. It’s a king sized bed, you won’t even have to touch me,” Aelin explained. “We’re both adults. I’m sure we can manage sleeping in the same bed without any trouble.”

Now Rowan rubbed at his face. Debating if he should do as she said.

“Look, you’ve got your blankets and pillow. I’ll sleep under mine, you put yours on top. Ta-da we’re not even under the same bedding, keeping our virtues intact,” Aelin waved a dismissive hand.

Rowan still didn’t say anything.

“Well, I’m going to bed. Feel free to join me.”

Aelin went to the kitchen and finished the last few bites of her cake before putting the plate in the sink. She didn��t even look at Rowan as she then went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. But she did look at him when on her way to her bedroom though. All she could see of Rowan was he feet propped up on the arm of the lounge as he lay down.

“Suit yourself,” Aelin said and went into her bedroom.

~

Rowan didn’t want to know how long he’d been lying there on the couch going over what Aelin had offered. It made sense. They both had jobs they needed to be their best for. And they were both adults, not hormone fuelled teenagers. There was no reasons for him not to.

With a sigh Rowan threw off his blankets and bundled them up, and then grabbed his pillow. Aelin had graciously left the door ajar and Rowan pushed the door open with his foot.

Aelin lay under only a sheet, her golden hair loose and catching the faint moonlight shining through the window. She wore a silky nightgown of midnight blue and the strap had slipped off her shoulder, making the neckline drop dangerously low. Rowan closed his eyes reminding himself that he was not a hormone fuelled teenage boy and no matter how alluring and beautiful Aelin was he could do this without complicating the situation with… feelings.

Maybe this was the one reason he shouldn’t do this. Bed sharing felt too intimate, too close. Just over a week ago the’d been ready to rip each other’s throats out. They’d come to to some sort of truce since the break in, but they still weren’t friends he supposed. More like unwilling allies. Maybe that was his protection in this situation. Their indifference.

Rowan bit the bullet. He pulled off the pillow from the left side of the bed and replaced it with his own. Then lying on top of Aelin’s bedding he arranged his blanket over him and laid back. This bed sharing, it was nothing. It was a means to an end. Rowan would be able to keep his position and once that was sorted he’d be back on the couch until the landlord got back. Holding onto that thought Rowan drifted into sleep.

~

Aelin woke up to a heavy weight draped across her waist. She blinked her eyes as she tried to figure out what the weight was. As she rolled over she startled at the sight of Rowan asleep beside her.

It was his arm across her waist.

She looked at him, his face looked softer, younger, in sleep. It made him look heartbreakingly handsome. Knowing he’d be mortified if Rowan woke up to find he’d cuddled up to her in his sleep Aelin slipped out of bed a smoothly as she could, letting him arm fall softly on the bed.

Aelin looked at him again and Rowan sighed heavily, as though he was subconsciously missing the contact of her body. A small smile worked its way onto Aelin’s lips. Maybe she could get used to waking up next to a handsome man, even if was just to take in his handsomeness while he slept. Aelin laughed at herself and decided to make breakfast before she turned into a full blown creep.

~~~~~

Tags: @tangledraysofsunshine @nalgenewhore @fucking-winchester-trash @literary-licorice @http-itsrebecca @highladyofthesith @aelinfire-bringer @soup-that-is-too-hawt @sleep-and-books @3am-reading @average-girl-at-best @but-she-was-aelin-galathynius @rowaelinforeverworld @alifletcher2012 @westofmoon @tswaney17 @mydarlingfireheart @rowansfirebringer

[abigailnussbaum]

The Umbrella Academy, S2

I was pretty underwhelmed by the first season of The Umbrella Academy, and if it weren’t high summer with hardly any new TV to be seen, I might not have bothered with the second one. But to my surprise, season 2 of The Umbrella Academy is a massive - and, to my eyes, deliberate - improvement on the first. It’s not great TV by any stretch, but it’s engaging and fun to watch, and you find yourself caring about the characters and wanting to follow along with their story, all things that the dour first season failed to achieve.

My fundamental problem with the first season of The Umbrella Academy is that the show failed to convince me that its core family was worth saving. The basic premise of the show - seven superpowered children raised by an abusive tyrant who saw them purely as instruments to be deployed, and played psychological games intended to grind down their independence and prevent any chance of their feeling a stronger loyalty to one another than to him - is obviously a rich and evocative one (albeit also one that requires a depth and complexity of writing that very few superhero shows evince). But the premise of the first season - the surviving Hargreeves children, reunited at their father’s funeral, have to find a way to overcome their differences and move past their difficult upbringing or the world will literally end - kept bumping up against the simple fact that I didn’t want this family to endure. The Hargreeves were so mean to one another, and seemed to have so little affection for each other, that I couldn’t make myself believe they wouldn’t be better off just going their separate ways.

The show itself seemed to realize this, because it ended the first season with the Hargreeves’ dysfunction and inability to honestly address how badly they’d mistreated one another ultimately being the cause of the apocalypse, and with the siblings deciding that their only possible course of action was to reset their lives and rebuild their relationships from the ground up. It was the show tacitly admitting that the Hargreeves family was unsalvageable, and while that’s a bold storytelling choice, the writing just wasn’t there to support it. I finished the first season feeling rather fatigued with both the story and the characters, and uninterested in watching them relive their lives.

The second season feels like a soft reboot of that premise. The trip through time on which the first season ended is retconned - instead of sending their consciousnesses back to their childhood selves, the Hargreeves instead end up as their own adult versions in the early 1960s. The apocalypse they fled 2019 to avoid and were hoping to prevent by reliving their childhoods and repairing their relationships from first principles is essentially forgotten. Instead the Hargreeves focus on preventing a different, new apocalypse scheduled for November 25th 1963, and once they succeed at that, 2019 is altered in unspecified ways that prevent the end of the world from happening.

Most importantly, the Hargreeves suddenly feel like a family. A dysfunctional family, to be sure, whose members have to figure out how to relate to one another now that the abuser who shaped and poisoned their relationships is finally gone. But there is a suddenly a lot of affection between the siblings, even if most of it is expressed through teasing and needling at one another’s weaknesses. In S1, the Hargreeves felt like people who genuinely had no interest in knowing one another. In S2, they feel like people who don’t know how to relate to each other, but want to figure it out.

You see this in a lot of other things that the second season does to respond to frequently-voiced complaints about the first season. In S1, everyone hated how domineering Luther was and how badly he treated Vanya, so almost the first thing he does in S2 is apologize to her for his failings as a brother, and acknowledge that a large portion of the fault for her breakdown falls on him. Everyone was a bit weirded out by the Luther/Alison ship, so it gets barely any play in S1 (though with a bone thrown to the shippers right at the end). Everyone was charmed by Klaus and Diego, so they both get major storylines (and Diego, in particular, is softened and made more vulnerable, the better to take advantage of David Castañeda’s charisma). Everyone wanted more of Ben, so he becomes more vocal and even gets to interact with characters besides Klaus. Everyone got tired of Alison namechecking a daughter that we had no intrest in, so she barely comes up even though Alison is not only separated from her by a distance of sixty years, but last saw her in a world that was being destroyed by a meteor impact. And everyone came away from the first season saying “no way Vanya is straight”, and lo, she is not straight.

It’s an approach that you see in other Netflix shows - Stranger Things, in particular, is practically defined by its responsiveness to audience complaints, with each season overcorrecting in the direction of whatever reaction was most loudly expressed over the previous one. Ideally, you’d want showrunners to have a strong enough sense of their characters, story, and world that they don’t need the audience to function as a cowriter, but in the case of The Umbrella Academy, these changes are mostly to the good. I might have liked the darker story the show seemed to be telling in the first season, about a group of abused children who genuinely don’t like each other but also can’t relate to anyone outside of their family, but the writing wasn’t there for it. The lighter, softer version of The Umbrella Academy delivered by S2 actually works, so the show should stick with it.

It certainly helps that the second season shoulders several topics that I wouldn’t have expected the show to be able to address with any amount of grace. I have to admit that I cringed when I realized that Alison, trapped in the South in the early 60s, had joined the civil rights movement, because superhero stories do not have a great track record dealing with social justice, much less real-world movements. But the handling of this issue ends up being smarter and more effective than I could ever have hoped. It’s still a side-story to the main event of preventing the end of the world, but in the scenes and episodes that do place it front and center, the show is unflinching. The depiction of the lunch counter protest that Alison and her group organize, and of the vicious hostility they encounter for such a small, simple demand, is unsparing. It establishes both the depth of the hatred and violence that the protest arouses, and the impossibility of resisting “peacefully” against a system the views any assertion of your humanity as an act of violence.

I was also a bit concerned over the placement of Alison, in particular, at the center of a story like this. Obviously, as the only black member of the Hargreeves family, her experience in the 1960s would be unique, but she’s also a character who has been established as being too powerful for her own good, and having abused her power in order to dehumanize others. Placing her in a situation where she is being dehumanized because of her race felt like creating a fruitless tension, where Alison might feel reluctant to use her powers despite the fact that she is all-but powerless against the greater system of white supremacy. But again, the season manages to thread the needle, showing both the allure and the limitations of Alison’s mind control abiliites in the context of Jim Crow. I didn’t love the implication that Alison would almost immediately start misusing her powers once she decided to use them to open doors that racism had closed to her, but the show also makes it clear that her anger is justified, and her targets deserving.

By the same token, I heaved a great sigh when the season introduced Harlan and I realized that he was neuroatypical, because it felt almost inevitable that some aspect of the strangeness that follows the Hargreeves around would result in him being “cured”. But that didn’t happen! The season treats Harlan like a valuable and loved person who doesn’t need to become more “normal” for his life to be worth living. And though he does end up needing to be cured, it’s not of his autism, but of whatever Vanya does to him when she saves his life. I kept expecting the the moment when Harlan would turn to his mother and start speaking, and the fact that the season kept refusing to go there feels almost miraculous.

So yeah, the whole thing feels like a breath of fresh air, and as if the people at the helm are thinking a lot more deeply about their story, what works in it and what needs to be changed for it to work, than I would have said at the end of the first season. It’s still not an amazing story (part of the reason we’re able to spend so much time on subplots like Vanya’s romance with Sissy, Klaus’s cult adventures, Alison’s activism, or Diego and his conflicted relationship with Lila, is that the spine of the season is fairly perfunctory) but it does enough with the characters that I found myself genuinely interested in their relationships and eager to see how they would develop. I’m not used to shows rebuilding themselves like this, and it’s refreshing to see that even in the streaming era, that can still happen.

[imagine-loki]

Alluring whispers, Chapter 20

TITLE: Alluring whispers CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 20 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki has the tesseract again and is captured by The Avengers. Where he discovers they have an omega who has healing powers living with them. He’s an Alpha and he wants her,badly. She is the epitome of all things good, and trying her best to avoid his seductive advances. But it’s not easy due to their instincts and biology. The Avengers do their best to keep the omega safe, but Loki is on the hunt and is hungry for her. RATING: M

Hope woke up one morning to Loki’s head between her thighs, his lips latched onto her clit while his tongue was flicking determinedly over it.

‘Oh… Oh god!’ She gasped and arched her body, head flying back as she closed her eyes.

Loki hummed, sending delightful vibrations through her most sensitive little nub, he wasn’t letting go and he didn’t plan to anytime soon. His tongue was like a machine, it kept going and going. Even when she started cumming, repeatedly, he didn’t let up. Just lapped up what she had to offer him as his licks became broader, gathering everything up while still licking over her clit.

He had her screaming loudly as she reached down and gripped his hair tightly. They were both glad that they were in the middle of nowhere or people would think he was murdering her.

‘LOKI!’ She screamed, unable to breathe properly because her clit was so sensitive now. But he kept pushing her through into unbelievably mind-blowing pleasure, constantly.

Hope tried to push his head away from her, but he was having none of it. His eyes were full of a dark hunger as he clamped his arms around her thighs, pinning her wide open for him to continue feasting upon her.

‘STOP! L… LOKI!’ She was starting to feel fuzzy, her body tiring from all the orgasms that tore through her body. He was giving her no respite, at all. It was starting to become too much.

Loki glanced up, watching her entire body convulse under his silver tongue. Her breathing was rapid and she let go of his hair, unable to hold on for any longer. Her eyes started fluttering shut, she was about to pass out when Loki finally stopped.

He let go of her with a lewd popping sound from his lips from all the wetness. He licked his lips and crawled up over her body with a predatory look about him, making Hope’s stomach do somersaults. When he hovered over the top of her she weakly reached up and put her arms around his neck. She tried pulling him down close to her, but her arms felt like jelly.

Loki chuckled and leaned down, kissing her firmly on the lips. When he thrust his tongue into her mouth, she was a little startled about tasting herself on his tongue. But the way he moved it against hers soon had her forgetting about the slight taste of herself that soon disappeared anyway.

When he nestled himself between her legs, she parted them even more for him so he could press his cock into her in one smooth motion.

He took her languidly, never changing pace until the very last moment when he thrust quick and deep into her, forcing his knot inside her too just before it started swelling.

She let out a yowl of pleasure, she absolutely loved the feeling of being so full of her Alphas cock and knot.

The two lay together while connected. Loki had rolled them onto their sides, so that he wasn’t putting any pressure on her stomach. Even though she said she was fine and wasn’t that far along yet anyway, he still didn’t want to take any risks.

‘I love you, my darling Hope.’ Loki whispered, stroking her back softly.

She was surprised to hear that, but her heart soared so high. She looked up at him and smiled. ‘I love you too.’

-

It had been almost a week since Loki and Hope had moved into the cabin. There had been no sight or sound of Owerfos or Thanos. But Loki was getting edgier every day, not able to settle as easy. Hope tried to keep him occupied, but it wasn’t working too great. Until he couldn’t handle it any longer.

‘What are you doing, Loki?’ Hope asked when she saw him putting his Asgardian armour on one morning.

‘I need to go and speak to Owerfos. To try and get him to reconsider the plan.’ Loki said, though even he knew that wouldn’t happen. But he couldn’t just sit around for any longer, waiting to see if they would come for him. If they would come for her…

‘You can’t! Loki, you can’t do that. He will kill you or not let you leave. You can’t leave us here!’ Hope said in a panic as she rushed to him and grabbed his arm tightly.

Loki could smell her panic and anxious pheromones in the air. His inner Alpha instincts were demanding him to stay and protect his omega.

He sighed and held her face in his hands. ‘I don’t know what to do, love. I need to keep you safe.’ He pressed his forehead to hers.

Hope put her hands over his. ‘There is something we could do…’ She said quietly.

Loki leaned back and looked at her with an eyebrow up, wondering what she meant.

‘We could ask The Avengers for help.’ She suggested bravely, knowing it would no doubt get a frosty response.

‘No. Absolutely not. Not happening!’ Loki said firmly, shaking his head.

‘Why not? They could help us. They’re strong and will no doubt be fighting against Owerfos anyway when he puts his plan into motion. If you team up with them, you’ll be at a huge advantage over him. You know it makes sense, Loki.’ Hope pleaded with him.

Loki started pacing, his hand on his chin. ‘No way. I am not teaming up with those imbeciles.’

-

‘I can’t believe you’ve dragged me here.’ Loki grumbled as he looked up at the Avengers tower.

Hope just grinned cockily, rather glad she got her own way over her Alpha.

[heeres-suffering]

Be More Alluring: a Personality Swap AU

[pic description and source will be at the bottom of this post, under the read more]

Start of summary:

“You need to be more alluring.”

"... don’t you mean attractive?”

“I do not. Your attractiveness is adequate, Brooke; if you want to mask your apparently latent queerness, you have to make them want you straight. Isn’t that why your step-father defended you?” 

Brooke Lohst is a loser.

But you know what? That was okay.

She always knew she was a weird one. The intensity of her affection for puppies, picture books, and near-constant daydreaming has lasted well-past a normalcy she can’t seem to grasp; when coupled with her inability to befriend anyone (besides the similarly self-identified loser Michael Mell), it’s not a surprise the rest of her peers have left her behind.

However, there were... ah, worse things in her life to worry about then some mild bullying. She liked her passion well enough, and all of her true insecurities went largely unnoticed, so any insults or weird looks rarely lingered in her mind. It’s not like she was a constant target either, which helped a lot. All in all, she just planned to hunker down, wait out the awkwardness of High School like everyone else, and move on to the rest of her life... 

Except.

When Brooke develops a crush on a girl she’s never talked to, after years of avoiding fairy tale romance and trying not to think about the inevitability of marriage (or how finicky her attraction to boys is in the first place), it feels like her whole world is about to cave in. She’d do anything to make sure her parents, especially daddy, never find out... including buying an edible super computer from the loudest, tiniest guy in school.

End of summary.

Alright!

Hi, hello, it’s Mod Seb, and here’s an AU I’ve been rolling around for a few days! You are free to do with this concept whatever you want, but I wanted to introduce it with a good chunk of the info I’ve already worked out in my head.

So. As the CWs are... too numerous, I’m going to go with a blanket “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” label and encourage you not to read the rest of this if you have any big darkfic triggers that could be upset by mere mention; this isn’t a fic tho, so descriptions of anything awful won’t last long. 

Although, I will mention upfront that Brooke isn’t a binary lesbian. I know the description might read like I’m setting her up to be 100% homosexual; she’s bi with a strong preference for girls, and anyone who presents soft enough in gender or appearance. If it wasn’t for the end-game pairings, her unfamiliarity with smaller details/history of the LGBTQ+ community, and general “gay newb” status, she’d likely ID as a bi lesbian!

(ships and everything else under the Read More)

Okay. That out of the way, there’s quite a number of pairings; I’m pretty sure it’s a super polyamorous and sexual AU, though you’re free to change this list as much as you’d like:

[bolded are end-game ships. italics physically hook up at least once. strike-through means they were in a relationship but break-up in some way before the ending. (H) stands for healthy, while (T) is toxic and/or noncon. underlined characters are pining for the other and may never confess their true feelings]

Brooke/Christine (H), Brooke/Rich (H), Brooke/Jenna (H), Brooke/Michael (H), Brooke/Chloe (T), Brooke/her Daddy (T), Brooke/Squip (H), Brooke/Jeremy (soft T at first bc of mirrored canon-compliant manipulation, H later on), Brooke/Squip/Jeremy (H), Brooke/Squip/Jeremy/Rich (H), Rich/Moses (H), [insert every form of Rich/Mo/Squip/Jeremy here] (H), Jeremy/Chloe (T), Jeremy/Michael (H), Michael/Christine (H), Michael/Christine/Mr. Heere (H; no, seriously), Madeline/Brooke (H)

This is, of course, a role swap AU where Brooke and Jeremy trade places based on my personal lore for their home lives. I always have some pretty fucked ideas as I don’t imagine MB is a great place with great adults, and I pick and choose which parts of canons I use and which I don’t. 

There is no definite ending planned in mind as this isn’t an outline; it’s meta (or an imagine or w/e) for an AU that you’re free to do whatever with. 

So,

The big difference is that Brooke was picked by Michael, while Jeremy was picked by Chloe. Jeremy is trans and hadn’t come out yet; if Chloe had known he was a boy, she wouldn’t have grabbed him. In contrast, Michael’s never gave a shit about potential friends genders.

Jer and B’s personalities... are altered some. Not ALL the way, but kiiinda fusing into their roles, kinda tweaked (I'll get back to that).

The main point of this for me was Brooke/Squip/Jeremy, with B/Jer having a MUCH stronger focus than in canon, and a really bad Chloe acting as one of the major villains.

Michael gets roped into Chloe’s shit, even tho he's still generally a good guy here, bc he's worried about B and thinks she can't properly take care of herself.

While B DOES have a strong crush on Christine, she’s the opposite of the Squip’s “goal”; that’s (obvs) masking, or making passably digestible, her queerness.

Her Mom and step-’Daddy’ have reacted to her friendship w/ ‘openly gay moms, also very flamboyant and GNC’ Michael... poorly.

Michael thinks the solution has to be “act as aggressively yourself as you can, and if they reject you, you know me and the mom’s have a space for you”. This works for him bc he’s permanently hyper-visible, what with all of his own marginalized identities. But, not only has she flied under the radar in comparison to him for years, he doesn’t know everything about her life.

In fact, he doesn’t know most of it. She’s very good at hiding things.

Meanwhile, Jeremy, one of the more popular ‘boy... ish’ (we’ll get to this, too) people in school, is mid-psychosis and self-destruction. He actually has schizo-affective disorder--as is the case with all of my versions of Jeremy--which he needs medication for. Combined that with so many bad influences and trauma, he can no longer fully control himself or his life.

The way he handles this (badly) is to ‘whore around’--which, besides being Chloe’s pet, is kinda why he’s so popular. Nobody respects him, but he’s viewed some form of favorably.

Jeremy is in a relationship with Rich, but he won't let him get as close/protective as Rich wants; Mo and Rich were doing their own man-whoring (but healthy, just droppin’ panties and making dudes and chicks swoon--yeah, Rich is out as bisexual, this is a very ‘the Squips are a good thing’ AU) to gain their standard reputation, but in the course of that, they got together with Jeremy and it became... complicated. Both of them are very "nnn" about how bad his life is for Jer.

The way that their personalities are altered is... okay. To explain this, I have to talk about my characterization of canon-Brooke and Jeremy in relation to this, starting with Brooke:

I imagine B as just a liiittle below the line of "all the way there" for sorta-similar reasons to Jeremy here: trauma, and Chloe (which is why that’s what Jeremy gets in this, it’s just WAY worse when compounded by everything else). She’s also--like me, and like almost every character I write as a result--autistic, in a near-permanent state of “not enough accommodations” and over-stimulation. This leads to a lot of dissociation and a very wandering mind, as well as being perceived as a bimbo or dumb blonde or w/e misogynistic bullshit is projected onto her by the boys she dates (she’s also much more down the middle bi outside this AU).

So, going back to how she is for this AU: she's actually not super nerdy, despite the close connection she and Michael have. Honestly, it’s their general neurodivergent weirdness that bring them together, and so she’s mostly adopted her nerdy interests through him, whether directly a thing he likes, or finding a whimsical variant that fits her tastes.

Obviously, unlike Jeremy, she doesn’t mind being called a loser. She does any insinuation she might be queer. This including anyone who calls her gay or a dyke.

She has too much Cis Male Trauma (unlike canon, where it comes from both cis angles) to really entertain the idea of a Traditionally Male Partner. This means she skews HEAVILY towards hard GNC guys at the very least, and generally finds herself most interested in the idea of enbies and women. she's also not super into butches tho, bc her trauma mixing with her sexuality has latched on to Strong Masc People Are A Threat. 

An expansion on her interests, in canon and otherwise: animals, ASMR/sensual service work (including massages and stuff), spending hours just sorta sitting by herself and letting her imagination wander, fairy tales, and YA-and-under fantasy books.

(Here, she tries to avoid het or f/f romance... except that, this past year or two, she’s started really like m/m stuff--esp after getting REALLY into drag shows, which she could enjoy safely since girls like Chloe have gotten into them too; in canon, she’s a romance fanatic)

Now... this is one of the really darkfic element; she's fucking her step-dad. 

She does this so that he doesn't walk out on her, her mom, and her little sister*. Her mom has a good-enough job as a standard office woman, but he makes enough to pay the rent on their nice townhouse and all the bills she can’t. So, after he expressed interest in Brooke and then casually mentioned he could always just leave if she wasn’t comfortable, she reluctantly entered a relationship with him

(* = her sister is currently know as her brother; he’s like 12 or 13, and started showing signs of trans/queerness which have been Heavily Discouraged. Brooke worries about him a lot)

((I didn’t use she/her pronouns bc I’m not entirely sure he would change them? This is an OC Oli created at the beginning of our interest in BMC, and we haven’t worked on him at all since, so how his characterization will be is up in the air))

Canonically, Brooke's "in love" with her daddy, which is a self-imposed delusion; if she actually addressed it, she’d says she’s well aware that’s not true, but it's so much easier to pretend when you’re cornered like that. Brooke’s life blows.

She’s a lot more honest to herself about hating him here; still, she tries to be as polite and generally-friendly as she can, doing what he says whenever he wants.

OKAY, THAT’S BROOKE. If any of that is badly described or potentially-offensive, it’s just bc I glossed over SO MUCH DETAIL, even in that amount of it!

So. Jeremy.

I don’t have to go over him much and we’re all mostly aware of how I feel about him and also I don’t have the energy to do this again--

(just... read my fics The Devil at your Door or hello yesterday or something... eyyy actually do that, my ao3 username is Sedusa, blah blah blah ANYWAY)

--but basically: He's still very nerdy, like, he’s super into film as well as video games (which is another constant for me), but after being largely ignored in elementary, he's been trailing behind Chloe at her orders since they were in 6th grade. As a result he isn't very open about... any of his interests.

In 7th grade, he came out as trans to everyone. Chloe was furious, but at the same time, intrigued; this was around the time Chloe gets her own... ah shit I gotta go into that too--

--yet another hc of mine is that Chloe gets a Squip on accident around this time at a party (there was one in a “”candy bowl””), and from there, she claws her way up the ladder. I... will not go into that much, but her Squip was crippled by the drugs and alcohol in her system, and therefore largely at her mercy. She’s used his power to manipulate certain things about herself and to sharpen her focus on popularity to the point she’s full-blown Alpha Bitch.

Man, I’ve had to go on so many tangents, I apologize.

Anyway, she drags Jeremy around as a punching bag. She constantly mocks Jeremy's transness, even though she usually calls him by his correct name and pronouns.

This has made the rest of the school follow her lead, hence why I said “boy-ish”; he’s popular, he’s technically ‘well liked’, but nobody really takes him seriously. This is compounded by Chloe’s refusal to let him dress in 'dorky' casual clothes, and, as he’s both too poor to afford designer clothes and also generally hates popular guy fashion, he has to wear the hyper femme clothing Chloe specifically tells him too/

As such, people call him a boy but largely see him as either an idiot, a slut, an attention seeker, or all of the above.

So of course, in Brooke's place, his neurodivergence is more prominent than ever; every day he slips further into this psychosis and self-infantilization haze, as his his mom leaving, his dad severely depressed, Chloe's sexual violence, and other repressed trauma (see: my fic hello yesterday on ao3) all weighing on him. This makes him INCREDIBLY regressed, like, all the time by Junior year.

And then Brooke's Squip (IE: canon Squip) falls in love with Jeremy extremely fucking hard. He pushes her to date him as a way to compromise on her queer desires, since Jeremy is technically a boy, and certainly a few other straight-ish girls have hooked up with him in the past.

WHEW. That is a fucking lot. To wrap this up, lemme go over the interpersonal relationships not already mentioned, and what directions I think it takes.

First off, Madeline has a more prominent role, as I quite like her tbh; she’s a sex worker, she has her own Squip, she’s one of Chloe’s most hated enemies, and she gravitates towards both Brooke and Jeremy. She’s also Actually French, Chloe’s just weird.

(Anyway she prolly sees through Brooke’s straight act and asks her why she’s pretending to be a good little cishet. It rattles Brooke.)

Chloe is scum. This bears repeating. She DEFINITELY rapes Brooke at the Halloween party, and becomes obsessed with her, along with already being obsessed with Jeremy and Jake. 

Jake, by the way, has a lot of regressive behavior and impulsiveness bc he’s been in an abusive relationship off and on with Chloe for years now.

Speaking of Jake, moving on to his best bro: Rich doesn’t set himself on fire. He’s having a good time with his Squip.

But.

He IS set on fire at the Halloween party.

Instead of the Smartphone Hour being about Rich's instability, it's actually about the mystery of Someone Did It To Him But No One Saw Who It Was, They Were Disguised.

The answer relates to the fact that Rich and Brooke are ALSO hooking up, after she’s already with Jeremy, bc he Properly introduces her to him and the three of them hit it off really well.

(She initially wasn’t interested, but while Rich is loud and still kinda abrasive, his Squip doesn’t drive him to act like a bully--and in private, his nerdiness is really obvious and he’s extremely gentle with her and Jeremy. Add to that that he’s bi and trans*, when Brooke connects best w/ queer men over cishet one, and it off-sets his masc-ness enough to make him an Exception.

* = I always imagine him as trans. See: all of Vanceypants fics.)

Sooo... the culprit is actually Brooke's daddy, who sees her with this obvious heartthrob and Cannot let that be.

Chloe convinces Michael that the Squips are Very Very Bad and has him team up with her to force Brooke into drinking Red, with the intention to convince him to kill himself after to get him out of the way, bc she’s really going nuts at this point.

Eventually, he snaps out of it when he and Christine get together (he’s thought he was Full Homo all of his life, but Christine’s prolly genderqueer-ness makes him realize “oh shit, I’m bisexual”) and she starts to question why he’s acting the way he is towards Christine.

He also definitely has a crush on Jeremy and during his time with Chloe he kinda tried to flirt a little but couldn’t really... he’s not up for dating someone as sexually active and a push-over as Jeremy is in this.

However, when he snaps out of Chloe’s manipulation, he and Christine approach Mr. Heere to convince him to straighten up and help Jeremy and also bc they really need an adult to successfully fight Chloe.

This requires a month+ of Christine getting him to see her psychiatrist (the one who prescribes her ADHD meds). Jeremy spends the majority of his time staying with Chloe, and very rarely comes home to gather things or to make sure his dad is eating/still alive, as much as he can remember to in his own haze of mental illness. Anyway, point is, he doesn’t know Christine and Michael are there often... not that, in the course of growing close to Mr. H, they both fall for him hard and it becomes one of my stranger OT3s.

(God, Jeremy goes through a lot of shit in this, tho.)

Pre-Squip, Jenna was kinda-sorta Brooke’s friend--or, well, friendly. However, she’s actually full blown “oh my God she’s wonderful” in love with Brooke.

Brooke isn't aware of that, esp since Jenna tries her not to be around her a lot. She's also trying to hide her own queerness, bc she’s a trans woman and she knows Chloe finding that out would be extremely dangerous.

Eventually, Chloe succeeds in making Brooke take the Red months after canon usually ends, w/o Michael’s help. If you’re curious, Red doesn’t affect her normal Squip bc she’s had him too long and a lot of his receptors and stuff are damaged, so it’s the second one she gets in canon that turns off.

This plan backfires, however, as Brooke’s Squip comes back with a physical body w/ help from Rich and also-bodied-now Moses.

With a body, and shenanigans, Mo and Squip take out Brooke’s daddy too. His life insurance more than makes up for the loss of his income, as it’s a sizable amount. Now that Brooke feels more empowered and strong, she overrides her mother’s neglectfulness and takes control of the household w/ her boyfriends*, comes out as queer, helps her sister transition, and begin to heal from all of this trauma.

(* = Rich and Mo move in, as does Jeremy eventually, after graduation; Jeremy gets a psychiatrist and a therapist and prolly has to go through some intense outpatient care and possibly a stay in the hospital, before finally making major breakthroughs and looking like himself again. The five of them are now happy and in love.)

Chloe, after her arm gets twisted by the Squip’s protective presence so thoroughly, gives up on Jeremy and Brooke to focus on Jake. This too gets abandoned when Rich and Mo help him cut her off, and so she stays in her own popularity bubble, bitter, until graduating and going to a community college in a different state.

All in all, things work out well in the end, but getting there is a long, difficult process. This AU fascinates me immensely and feels like a great way to examine some of my really dark headcanons about MB, as I think it’s a town similar to Derry in Stephen King’s IT--as in, just chronically The Worst Place Ever, with this, like, miasma of low-key despair around it. People adjust and don’t question it, which is why so much of BMC is this flippant dark humor in the face of some highly questionable shit.

I’m so sorry this post is so long (I’ll be uploading it to AU under my usual Sedusa account, as metas like this are more than allowed), but I really adore these characters and the way they can be twisted around, so I had a lot to say!

Thank you for reading <3

-mod Seb

image description: virtual-like stairs pointed forward and bathed in neon yellow and blue to represent Brook and Jeremy, which I’ve modified from the original blue-only design.

source: x (link description: a free Wallpaper Flare image that I found off Google Image’s “filtered by ‘labeled and reuse with modification” feature) 

[chikabiddy]

In winter it's a marshmallow world

This story was written for the LoVe Gift Exchange for @nicemom93 

It was incredibly nerve-wracking to write for you because your stories are always perfection. But I hope you enjoy it!

It is Part One of the (hopefully) three-part story titled In Winter, It’s A Marshmallow World (based on the Christmas song A Marshmallow World).

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22021237

Veronica scanned the flight information board for the third time since sitting down in the gate waiting area. Rolling her neck and shoulders to ease the building tension, she relaxed into her seat and closed her eyes. There was an hour to go before her flight to Neptune. As bored as she was, she was grateful this was a connecting flight and she didn’t have to go through security again.

The security at JFK had been a nightmare. Literally, a nightmare. Nothing like fighting through thousands of rushed, angry, screaming people to get you into the holiday spirit. She didn’t like crowds on the best of days, but the holidays were infinitely worse.

She wouldn’t even be here if her dad hadn’t bought her tickets without actually asking her first. Her initial reaction was disappointment. The allure of an empty campus and the library to herself, so she could study without distraction, was nigh irresistible. But when she heard the excitement in her dad’s voice after he told her his plan, she changed her mind. If it made him happy… well, she was all about making him happy these days, why not add this to the list.

Logan couldn’t believe he was going back to Neptune again. Dick all but begged him. Logan had declined, initially. But he hadn’t seen Dick in almost a year and so here he was, struggling his way through the airport crowds to catch a last-minute flight back to Neptune.

He made it to his gate just before the first call to board. A personal worst. I’m never traveling this close to a holiday again.

Scanning the crowd reflexively, his eyes caught on a shade of blond hair he’d never forget. He thought he must be seeing things, willing into reality what he’d had so many fantasies about. It’s never been her before.

He turned away, looking for an open seat, but his eyes kept drawing back to the blond. The curve of her neck, she shape of her shoulders - it felt so familiar and he couldn’t look away.

He stepped towards her involuntarily, desperate to know for sure, then shook his head and turned away. Get a hold of yourself and stop acting like a hormonal teenager. Whoever that is doesn’t need you being creepy. Then he heard her sigh and watched her stretch her arms over her head.

It wasn’t a fantasy, it wasn’t another case of mistaken identity, she was here. Veronica. The name alone was reserved only for his dreams. Until now.

Rubbing the back of his neck and adjusting his carry-on back to his shoulder, he debated what to do. Should I approach her? Leave her alone? It had been so long. Perhaps she wouldn’t appreciate seeing him as much as he was desperate to see her.

The call for priority boarding shook him out of the anxiety-driven haze he’d been caught in, and he realized it was now or never. If he didn’t at least try, he’d regret losing this chance forever. Five years is a long time, maybe long enough that she’ll have softened towards me.

_______________________________________________________________

The din of airport noise stirred Veronica from her half-slumber. Ignoring the call for priority boarding, she rubbed her eyes to dispel the last of her sleepiness.

“Veronica?”

She froze and didn’t dare look up. She had to be imagining it, that voice. She’d heard he joined the Navy, surely he couldn’t really be here. But the light hand on her shoulder, followed by another-

“Veronica?”

-told her she hadn’t imagined anything. Now if only she could get herself to look him in the eye. Cowboy up, Mars. It’s not like you haven’t been dreaming about this exact moment for years. She didn’t realize how long she’d been silently still until the hand left her shoulder and that voice, soft as a whisper, said:

“Sorry, I thought you might not want to see me. I’ll leave you alone.”

“No!” She found the strength to move, flipping around and reaching for his retreating hand. The tightness in her chest and throat released only when he stopped and looked back, hand clasped in hers.

“Logan,” she managed to breathe out.

His trademark smirk flashed across his face before settling into the most beautiful, genuine smile she’d ever seen. God, I thought I imagined how good he looks and here he is, aged like a fine wine.

They stared at each other far too long, hands still linked until the next boarding call broke them both from the trance they were under. Their hands fell, Veronica’s to her lap and Logan’s to his side.

Veronica managed words first. “What are you doing here? Are you on this flight?”

“Yeah,” Logan affirmed. “It’s my first holiday not stuck in a tin can, and Dick practically promised me his firstborn if I spend it with him.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good deal for you.”

“Well… you take what you can get.”

“So.” She hated the stilted awkwardness overshadowing their conversation and tried to break the ice, so to speak. “You were coerced into holiday celebrations too, huh?”

“I take it returning to Neptune wasn’t your idea?”

Veronica returned his knowing smile. “All my dad. He booked the flight without even asking. So I really couldn’t say no.”

“You’ll have to thank him for me.”

The conversation stalled. Veronica was a little unsure of what to say, or where she stood with Logan. Just say something. Ask him about the Navy!

“So, the Navy...”

It was still hard to wrap her mind around Navy Logan. She’d heard, of course, but she’d always struggled to envision it.

Logan hesitated a moment, eyes boring into hers with an intensity that made her want to avert her eyes. Don’t you dare look away, Mars.

“Yeah, it’s been a lifesaver. Gives me a direction when I was pretty adrift before.”

Veronica swallowed the guilt, responding with all the enthusiasm she could muster, “That’s great!”

He probably saw right through her. He always had before. But she kept the facade up, willing him not to look too close and realize how responsible she felt for his feeling lost. For feeling like he needed something to save him.

He broke her out of her guilt-spiral.

“So, where are you sitting?”

Veronica realized how empty the gate seating had become. Shit. How did I not notice that? Luckily, there was still a bit of a line waiting to board so their chance meeting wasn’t holding up the flight.

“Uhm, C34.”

“Window seat, huh?”

“My dad knows me well.”

“Well, hey… what if…” he trailed off a moment, scrunching up his face. “I could upgrade you.”

He spoke so fast he nearly stumbled over the words and it took a couple seconds for Veronica to register what he said.

“Upgrade my seat?”

“Yeah. I could get you in first class. We can keep catching up.”

Veronica wanted to say yes. She wanted so badly to say yes and spend the next hour and a half getting to know Logan as he was now. God, do I want to say yes. But, though she’d done a lot of work on herself and truly tried to be more open and willing to ask for help, she still couldn’t handle feeling like a charity case.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Is it really you letting me when I offered? I’m glad to do it.”

“Thank you, Logan, really.” She shook her head. Why am I saying no, again? Oh, yeah. Pride. As mad at herself as she was for passing up a first-class upgrade with Logan as her companion, she couldn’t accept the offer. “But I can’t.”

Rather than getting upset, which was what she was expecting, Logan smiled slightly. “I thought you might say that. Well, another time then?”

“Final boarding, flight D224 non-stop to Neptune.”

“I think that means us.” Veronica stood as she spoke, draping her bag over her shoulder. “But yes, definitely. Another time.”

Logan followed her to the gate and down into the plane. As they stepped up into the narrow hall, Veronica realized it might be years before she saw him again. She stopped just before showing her boarding pass to the flight attendant and made an awkward turn in the cramped passage.

“It was great to see you again, Logan.” She stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him like she wanted to cling to this moment. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered. Dropping her arms, she gave a mock salute. “Catch you later, sailor.”

________________________________________________________________

Logan hadn’t felt this unsteady in years. The therapy and coping techniques he learned were supposed to keep him from feeling like this again. But he wasn’t too surprised. Veronica always had a way of destabilizing him.

“Boarding pass?”

The flight attendant’s clipped tone told Logan he’d missed the first, and probably the second, time she asked. He moved to hand it over when he had an idea.

“I’m in first class,” he told the attendant. “But that woman I walked on with? She’s an old friend. I’d like to see if the person sitting next to her wants to take my first class seat so I can sit with her.”

The raised eyebrow of the attendant betrayed her suspicion. “You want to downgrade to economy? Why don’t you just upgrade her?”

“I already offered,” Logan sighed. “But she declined.”

“She declined?” Her piercing stare made him feel he was being judged. “Well, maybe that means she doesn’t want to sit with you.”

Logan sighed out his frustration. “Did the hug she gave me look like she was dying to get away from me?” He took another anger-expelling breath. “Can you just go ask the person sitting next to her if he or she would like to upgrade?”

“I guess.” The attendant didn’t manage to hide her skepticism.

“She’s in seat C34,” he called to her retreating form.

Logan tapped his feet, leaning against the flight attendant seat while he waited. He’d run through five relaxation techniques before the flight attendant returned, a greasy old man following close behind.

“This is the gentlemen,” the inflection on the word said she thought Logan was anything but, “who would like to trade seats with you.”

“Trade to first class?” The man looked to Logan, a hint of understanding in his eyes. “I never could resist a blond, either.”

“She’s an old friend,” he said back, voice stoney. All the therapy tools in the world would never get him to feel less protective of Veronica. “So, you’re willing to trade?”

“Gladly.” He rubbed his hands together and turned to the flight attendant. “Lead the way.”

The attendant rolled her eyes but turned towards first class. “I’m assuming you know where to go?” she shot back over her shoulder to Logan.

“Yeah, I’ve got it.”

But they had already disappeared through the dividing curtain. Logan made his way to row 34, near the back of the plane. He spotted Veronica staring out her window and smiled at the sight. Five years. It changed nothing and everything.

“Excuse me.” He slipped past a girl, who looked barely old enough to fly on her own, sitting on the aisle seat.

He’d settled in his seat before he felt Veronica’s eyes on him. He waited for the confrontation he knew was coming.

“What are you doing back here?”

His eyes widened then he frowned slightly. “What, you disappointed? That guy I traded seats with did look like excellent company.” He broke into a grin, unable to hold the ruse any longer. “Though I’m not sure I could pull him away from the luxury of first class to get him back for you.”

“Aww,” Veronica replied in her trademark Amber voice. “You remembered how much I love sleazy old guys!”

He chuckled, taking satisfaction as she played along with him.

“For real, though. You traded seats? Did you at least get a refund?”

Logan scoffed. “Of course not. Do you think Mr. Grease was going to fork over the seven hundred dollar difference between his seat and mine?”

“Losing seven hundred dollars just to sit by me? If I didn’t know better I’d think you have a crush on me.”

Her fluttering lashes, her lightly flushed cheeks, her teasing smile. It was all he could do to not kiss her right there. He shook his head slightly at the ridiculousness of that thought.

“So you’re not denying it?”

Veronica snapped him back to the present. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so scattered. He’d need a double session with his therapist to help him unravel his jumble of emotions.

“Sorry,” he quipped. “That’s classified information. Top secret. You have to have special clearance to access it.”

“And how does one get this special clearance?”

Is she flirting? This feels like flirting. But he had a tendency to see what he wanted to see when it came to Veronica; he’d have to wait for something more concrete before making any assumptions.

“That is also classified.”

“Then how does anyone get clearance?”

“You don’t get clearance, clearance gets you.”

Veronica laughed and his whole body felt light and warm. He missed this so much, having someone to banter with, someone to understand him in a way no one else could.

He and Veronica continued chatting about everything small and unimportant. Though the conversation paused as Veronica prepared for take-off. She clutched the armrests tightly until the plane leveled out.

After a few minutes of neither of them knowing what to say, Veronica broke the silence.

“So,” the trepidation in her voice was overt. “Direction from the Navy? How’d that come about.”

Chuckling at her not-so-subtle dig for information, Logan took a moment to consider what she was really asking him: What changed you so much that you joined the military? The answer was too heavy for a first reunion plane ride. The diluted version will have to do.

He pulled his hand from the armrest and rubbed the back of his neck. Three years in the Navy wasn’t enough to purge him of this particular nervous habit.

“You remember what I was like our first year of college?” He started off simple, trying to ease into what would be a difficult conversation, watered-down or not.

“Brooding? Tortured? Drifting?” Her soft shoulder bump, and all the time he put into building his confidence in himself, took the sting from her assessment.

“Basically. All of the above.”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes glistened ever so slightly and he had to look away. I don’t want her reading me like I am her. Not yet.

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “You can only drift for so long before you get lost. The Navy was like a life raft for me. It came unexpectedly, but when I needed it most. And it’s no exaggeration to say the Navy literally saved me, mostly from myself.”

Veronica’s reassuring grip on his arm helped him lift his gaze back to hers. The space between them crackled with an energy that was so familiar, almost like no time had passed at all.

________________________________________________________________

Veronica felt the familiar spark of energy and excitement that always seemed to permeate the air whenever she was within fifty feet of Logan. She realized, much to her delight, in five years nothing had changed. Logan’s ever-pulsing magnetism had only strengthened in their time apart. The difference now? The current warmth cast in stark relief the devoid meaningless of life without him.

And she never wanted to feel that emptiness again.

The realization hit her like a freight train.

You don’t want to live without him… so what are you going to do about it, Veronica?

She knew how she felt, knew what she wanted, but would Logan want the same? Was their turbulent history too much to overcome? Have I pushed him so far I can’t ever get him back?

There were only so many things she could control and guaranteeing Logan would feel the same as her wasn’t one of them. But she could control herself and make sure she did everything possible to try.

Her mind went into overdrive, thinking of how she could make up for the past, how she could convince him she was a safe bet to place. I have to show him how much I’ve grown.

Veronica hoped Logan would see and appreciate her resolve and progress. She had a feeling this would be their last chance to make it work.

Logan was still staring, and she was still clutching his arm. He seemed open and vulnerable in a way she’d rarely ever seen. Her heart swelled at the man Logan made of himself.

When Logan offered no further commentary on his life change, Veronica decided it was time to start talking herself up. Nothing like presenting yourself interview-style to show your progress.

“Well.” She pulled her hand back to her lap, giving him her most mischievous smile. “You’ll never guess what I started doing three years ago.”

Her inability to trust had always been a sticking point for Logan. She hoped voluntarily going to therapy would show him she was actively working on it.

Logan rubbed his chin, eyes lifted in mock contemplation. “Mmm, pole dancing? No. Drug smuggling. Or, maybe working as a hitman?”

Veronica laughed as she shook her head. Same old Logan. “Don’t I wish. I could have paid off my bachelor’s degree, my law school debt, and probably had money to spare!”

He leaned closer, one elbow now propped on their shared armrest supporting his head in the classic Toddlers in Tiaras pose. “Well, if it isn’t about money I have to know.”

“Not all of us have had a trust fund from birth,” she scoffed, waving his words away like nagging flies. “Though I’m assuming most of that sits in an investment account while you live off your salary.”

“Right on both counts. But we were talking about you.”

“Were we? I can’t seem to remember now.”

“Oh, I’ll get it out of you, one way or another.”

“Logan,” she mock-scolded in a growling whisper. “We are in a very public setting right now.”

He crinkled his eyes, adopting his brooding look. “Sorry, Bobcat, you make it impossible to resist.”

Veronica’s heart fluttered with excitement. He called me Bobcat. That has to be a good sign, right?

“Okay, okay. If you stop looking at me like a kicked puppy I’ll tell you.” She steadied herself with a deep breath, then blurted out before she could reconsider: “I’ve been going to therapy.”

Logan’s mouth popped open and his eyes went wide. His chin almost slipped from its perch on his hand. Does he believe me? “So… yup. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

“Veronica.” His voice choked with emotion. “That’s really amazing.”

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, unclenching her hands from their death grip.

“I’m really proud of you.”

Her cheeks flushed. He’s proud of me. She didn’t predict how much she longed for his perspective, his approval.

She grinned, hope blossoming. “Thanks.”

“I actually started therapy a few years ago as well.”

She hadn’t been expecting that. Though, it’s not surprising given his history. It might have even been mandated.

“That’s great!” she managed through her shock. “That’s really great. I mean, if therapy was made for anyone, it was probably us.”

He chuckled at her quip, understanding the truth of the words and the need to make it a joke.

“It’s really helped me, anyway.” She settled herself back, half leaning against the side of the plane and halfway still in her seat. “After a year I was able to date without resorting to planting trackers or phone stalking.”

Please understand me. Please realize I’m trying so hard to be open with you. Please understand how much I’ve worked on trust.

Logan lifted one side of his mouth, giving her his classic half-smile and nodded. “It’s been years since I last broke someone’s nose. I’d say we’re both doing pretty good.”

She noticed how he kept himself laid bare, never moving to cross his arms or shy away. Of course, he always wore his emotions on his sleeve.

“We sure are!” She lifted her hand and he chuckled as he reciprocated her high five. “I even went out all on my own and made friends. As in, multiple friends.”

See? I’m not shutting everyone out.

“I’m impressed. Bobcat of old was always more of an ice queen.”

“I guess I’ve thawed out a little. I even told my dad and Wallace all about therapy, and making friends, and what I’m hoping for the future.”

I can’t be blamed if my future plans have changed a little since we last talked. The universe obviously wants us together. There is no other explanation.

“That’s really great, Veronica. I’m really happy for you.”

She reached towards him, ready to share the sentiment, when one of the flight attendants announced their impending landing and the need to, “Make sure your tray tables and electronics are stowed away and fasten your seatbelts.”

Perfect timing, as always. She huffed and rolled her eyes, even though she knew it wouldn’t matter. Not to the pilots and definitely not to the universe. I just hope I told him enough.

She positioned herself back into the proper seating position and snapped on her buckle. Logan followed suit, casting glances at her every few seconds.

“The plane hasn’t landed yet, Logan. I’m not going to evaporate.”

She offered a knowing smile and fidgeted to get more comfortable in the seat. Twenty minutes to prepare for landing and then it would be over in a second.

This time, as they went in for landing, Logan reached over and squeezed her hand. Thank you, Logan. You always know exactly what I need. She gripped his fingers tightly.

Deboarding and luggage collecting passed in a haze of “I’m so glad to see you again” and “we have to meet up while we’re both in town” and crowded hallways and the ever-present airport noise.

They were past the gate, moving towards the arrivals before she thought to ask how long he would be around. He was due to fly back in a week, just before New Year’s. She wouldn’t be leaving until closer to the start of her next semester, mid-January.

Spotting her dad in the crowd, and unfortunately Dick who stuck out like a sore thumb, Veronica turned back to Logan. If ever there was a time for you to read my mind, it would be now. She repeated her quick hug from earlier but caught and held his gaze as she pulled away.

“It was really good to see you, Logan.”

________________________________________________________________

Logan stared after Veronica, watching as she greeted her dad and then she was gone.

Pinpointing how he was feeling wasn’t possible. The short two hours since he’d reconnected with Veronica were more emotional than he’d experienced in years. But he did have one prominent, crushing thought: She’s doing good, really really good. Without me.

He never imagined Veronica would voluntarily go to therapy. Of anyone he knew, she was one of the last he would have pegged to go. Though he supposed the same could be said for him. She seemed to be flourishing away from Neptune. Away from him.

Logan was pulled from his ruminations by a shake to the shoulder.

“Dude, was that Ronnie?” Sarcasm and surprise warred in Dick’s voice.

Still recovering from the whirlwind that was Veronica Mars, Logan barely managed a “yeah” in reply.

Dick was more astute than most gave him credit for and let the subject go while they made their way to his beachfront bungalow. Though he couldn’t help but mention the multiple parties with very available women that he planned for them to attend during Logan’s visit.

Logan gave noncommittal responses; not saying no, but also showing no enthusiasm. And Dick kept up his pestering until, settled in his room, Logan had enough.

“Hey man, thanks for the ride and the invite. I’m exhausted from traveling, so we can talk more tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah, dude. Sleep, so we can party hardy tomorrow.” He exited the room with a hip thrust.

Sighing at the conversation he knew was going to have to happen in the morning, Logan readied himself for bed and settled himself on the soft, silky sheets.

Veronica is doing great. She got away from Neptune… and me… and now she’s doing better than ever.

He rubbed his palms into his eyes, dispelling the dew gathering there. If Veronica was better off without him, he would let her go. He had hoped… but it didn’t matter. What was best for her, that’s what mattered. And maybe we can still be friends. I can keep her in my life, even if it isn’t the way I want.

He drifted into a fitful sleep, thoughts of Veronica and what was and what might have been plaguing his dreams.

[pocminiseries]

At Midnight

➵❤︎ Pairing: Jackson Wang x OC ➵❤︎ Warnings: Mature, Adult Content, Explicit Language, Gang Relations, etc ➵❤︎Genre: Romance, Fanfiction, Smut, Interracial, Urban, Non-Kpop Related. ➵❤︎Synopsis: We always seek the forbidden things we know aren't good for us but to deny what your heart truly deserves is the real tragedy. And for Imani, her savior came in the form of someone who was tainted, a man with a past who did violent acts simply for the joy of it. To be unfaithful was a sin but how could one stay away from what they truly desired, regardless of the consequences?

"11:11-Listen"

____

"...Imani? Did you hear me?"

Tearing her gaze from the passing buildings, Imani turned her focus to the man beside her, a cloud of sadness shadowing her eyes. "Yes, Jayden, I heard you." She answered, giving him a small smile.

"Is everything ok baby? You've been quiet since this morning," The concern in his voice almost made her believe he truly cared. She began to question if he ever did.

"Yeah, I'm good, just a little tired," Imani lied smoothly. Trying her best to put on the fakest performance she could. This was the last place she wanted to be - anywhere near him. She could barely look him in the eyes anymore.

She had to fight the urge to not snatch her hand away when he reached for it, placing a kiss on the back of it. "You look beautiful tonight," He softly cooed, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles as his eyes admired her frame in the sexy but classy number she chose to wear for tonight's event.

"Thank you," She whispered back just when their limo pulled in front of the venue. Both a sense of relief and dread washed over her at once simply because she didn't know how she was going to get through this night, especially with how she's been feeling.

Once Jayden had stepped out, Imani took a deep breath in an attempt to get her emotions in check. She rathered be somewhere in her bed, crying out her frustrations, not here plastering a fake smile across her face as she displayed false happiness in front of people she could really give a fuck less about. Not to mention on the arm of a man she could no longer stand to be around.

They were barely inside of the ballroom for ten minutes when that familiar warm floral scent filled her nose. "Mr. Reyes." A soft voice greeted in that same seductive tone she always used whenever she was around him. Imani glanced up at Jayden seeing him smile brightly as anger began to run through her veins.

She was just a good friend he told her, that they've been close since their middle school days - and since trust was key in any relationship, Imani blindly believed him, no questions asked.

However, Imani always caught the way he looked at her. The sparkle in his eyes whenever she was around and the neverending smile that graced his face when she spoke, which he was proudly showcasing now.

"Faithe, it's good to see you," He beamed, letting go of Imani to pull Faithe in for a hug, leaving Imani standing there awkwardly to look at an embrace she knew was more than just a friendly greeting.

As if she had just noticed Imani standing there, Faithe finally acknowledged her once she pulled away from Jayden. "Oh, Imani...that dress on you is everything," Faithe complimented her, showing off that perfect smile of hers.

It was the fact that she could stand there and smile in front of Imani's face after what she's done was crazy. Imani wanted nothing more than to knock this bitches teeth crooked. "You look great too, Faithe,"

Sporting a red bodycon dress that showed a little cleavage, Faithe looked good, it was something Imani couldn't deny her and neither could the man she called her fiancé either. His eyes have been looking her up and down like she was a piece of steak.

"Thank you," Faithe nodded before turning her attention back to Jayden. "There are some people here who want to meet you to discuss the Bellmore project. You mind meeting them?"

With no hesitation, Jayden wrapped an arm around her small waist as if Imani wasn't standing right there. "Lead the way," He replies, his eyes had been fixated on her the moment she showed up and Imani wondered if he had forgotten she even existed.

"Imani, you don't mind if I steal him away do you?" Faithe questioned, causing Jayden to finally snap from his daze and look towards Imani.

Shifting her eyes between them, the level of hurt and betrayal she felt as they stood there in front of her...was too much. The images of them lying naked while wrapped up the sheets, sound asleep in a bed that she has shared with Jayden for three years hit her hard. "Go ahead, I'll be fine," Imani nodded, forcing that fake smile back on to her face.

Watching them walk away, Imani wanted to break down and just fall to her knees. Instead, she grabbed a glass filled with champagne and headed straight outside. She needed fresh air and a place to cool herself down before she truly lost it.

Stepping out into the cool night, Imani walked towards the balcony that was only occupied by a few others. Taking a sip from her glass, she looked over the massive backyard, taking in the lush green grass and angel water fountain that sat directly in the middle. She tried to force her thoughts elsewhere but she couldn't.

All the signs were there from the beginning.

The receipts she would find in the pockets of his pants when she washed his clothes. Hotel and restaurant visit that she was never invited to or knew about because maybe...just maybe he forgot to mention it.

But Imani wasn't naive, her gut has never failed her.

When she had become suspicious of his ways, she started to dig. He always handled the bills, paying everything because in his words, 'A man is supposed to take care of the woman he loves'. So she called the bank, requesting them to email her a copy of their statements, and what she found clarified her worries.

The five-day business trip he had informed her about wasn't to New York like he had said but Greece instead, Imani has never been to Greece. And the gorgeous diamond necklace he had purchased that she had come across in the bottom of his draw wasn't a gift he for her but instead for the beautiful woman on his arm who was currently wearing it around her neck.

A part of Imani had given him the benefit of doubt and thought that maybe it was a gift he had given to her out of friendship but once more, Imani knew better.

It was all for Faithe.

Being the good woman Imani was, she chose to stay in hopes that he would see what he already had in front of him but she realized that she didn't even hold a candle to her. Especially when she was everything he has always wanted.

Even if she wanted to leave, she knew that Jayden would simply call her parents and anyone else he could, make up some bullshit lie that they'd believe and drag her ass back to him once they gave her a good talking to.

They were so brainwashed when it came to him...everyone was.

Imani wanted to scream at the top of her lungs from her frustrations. She deserved so much better.

She wondered why she was even feeling hurt, their relationship wasn't something based off of love to begin with. An engagement that was somewhat forced upon them by their meddling parents. And while he was out being unfaithful, she was left to suffer in silence.

Although Imani was a strong woman who had endured a lot, there was only so much she could take.

Too many emotions hit her at once as she stood there staring at them from the balcony. She wanted so badly to run across the room and beat both their asses at that moment but she refrained. They would get theirs, she would make sure of it.

"You're too pretty to be crying,"

Imani tore her gaze away from the happy couple inside, to the person standing not too far from her. His sweet, benevolence tone catching her attention immediately. It was the type of voice that soothed her aching heart just a bit from those few words alone.

And as she stood there openly staring at him, her fingers had never itched so badly to touch a face quite like his before.

Her mind felt as though she was imagining things. She was witnessing an angel that had to be sent from up above and no one could tell her any differently.

"Am I?" She sniffled, seeing no reason in hiding her pain.

The handsome stranger gave her a sad look, reaching his hand to wipe away the fallen tears from her face. "He's a fool," He commented, observing her confused face until he softly grabbed her hand where a shiny engagement ring adorned her finger.

Imani glanced at the ring that was supposed to bring pure happiness whenever she looked at it, now though, she wanted to toss it into the depths of the nearest ocean because of the anger it now ignited inside of her.

Blinking back her tears, she tried to hide behind her hair only to have him softly grip her chin and turn her to face him once more. Those dark brown eyes seemed to look through her, searching deeply into her own. Imani wondered if he could hear how rapidly her heart was beating inside of her chest. His touch causing goosebumps to break out on her warm skin.

"I can fix it..." He states as his thumb lightly brushes across her plump bottom lip. His words holding a double meaning, one much more of a sinister than she realized.

"Fix what?" She asked confused. This isn't where she should be, much less allowing a man she didn't know to touch her like this. But there was just something so alluring about this man that pulled her in.

"What he has broken inside of you," Whoever hurt her had messed up...badly. Allowing Imani to freely walk into the madness of Leo Rén was a mistake.

Imani looked over him curiously, not knowing how to take in his offer. She wanted to slap herself for even considering it. She didn't even know his name for fucking sake. If he was any other man speaking to her like this she would've been walked away. Maybe it was the way he looked at her or the way his words caused her to fall deeper into his trap.

Infidelity wasn't something Imani wanted to participate in, unlike her fiancé. No matter how physically pleasing this man was, she refused to allow herself to become a cheater. It wasn't in her character to do so, even if she had the right to.

"I can't..." She denied, taking a step back. "I don't even know you,"

He smirked at that, understanding her hesitance. "Leo," He introduced himself, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"Imani." She whispered, sliding her hand into his, ignoring the tingles she felt when they touched. Fearing that if she acknowledged it, she'd have to admit she didn't want their mild contact to end. His face, to the sound of his voice and the way those dark eyes stared back into her own almost had her weak in the knees.

For the first time in forever, Imani was entranced by someone. A stranger that she truly felt was not entirely real. Maybe her imagination was playing a cruel trick on her. Could no one else see this perfect specimen but her?

"Stop..." She suddenly mumbles, slipping her hand from his to rub down her shoulders as the wind blew around them.

Tilting his head to the side, he gave her a knowing grin. "Stop what?" Imani seemed to lick her lips at the husky tone of his voice. It affected her more than she would like to admit.

"Looking at me like that," She answered, shivering from the dropping temperatures or maybe something else...she wasn't quite sure herself.

Leo looked away briefly, laughing softly through his nose before focusing on her once more. "If you knew what I see when I look at you, you'd understand my reasoning,"

His words tugged at something deep within her chest, sparking a new wave of emotions she didn't know how to handle. This wasn't what she needed right now, not in her vulnerable state. Her mind wasn't thinking clearly. To even think of him in the manner that she was shouldn't be considered but lord knows how badly she just wanted to know what his arms would feel like wrapped around her body. To lose herself in his warm embrace and bask in that masculine scent of his.

Imani even wondered what his lips would feel like against her skin...and in other places as well.

Quickly shaking her head, she turned her attention towards the backyard. "Tell me something Leo, do you know what it's like to be betrayed by someone you love?" She asked, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"More than anyone," He replied, placing his hands inside of his pockets.

Imani nodded, holding up her hand to look at the diamond ring that adorned her finger. "She's pregnant with his child, you know?" She began to laugh bitterly as she squeezed her hand into a fist. "They think I don't know about them but I have for a while now." Biting into her bottom lip, she tried to blink away her watery eyes, hating that she was still crying over them.

Leo remained silent as his eyes looked at the beauty in front of him, wanting to reach out and pull her close and cross a line he knew he shouldn't. Someone like him didn't deserve to touch someone so precious, not with the things he has done, or because of who he was.

Turning to face him completely, Imani took a step towards him under his curious gaze. "I don't believe in being unfaithful...it's bad karma but..." She paused and looked towards the marble floor for a few seconds. "What's a sin to the brokenhearted?" If Jayden could do his dirt, then why couldn't she do the same in return.

"Tell me what you want Imani," He gently says, placing the ball in her court. Whatever happens between them will solely be up to her.

Biting her lip, she went to reach out for him only to pause, hearing someone call her name. "Imani? Have you seen Jayden? A few people are asking for him," Looking towards the voice, Imani spotted one of Jayden's business partners and good friend, Marcus, walking towards her direction.

Dropping her hand, Imani lightly smiled, pretending as if she wasn't about to commit the ultimate sin. "No, I haven't. Wasn't he with Faithe?" She asked him, catching the look Marcus had sent in Leo's direction.

"I believe so but I can't seem to find either one," He answered, his eyes going back and forth between her and Leo.

"I see. I'll go find him for you then," She informed him, taking a step to leave only to feel a warm hand grab hers. Those familiar tingles shot up her arm from his touch as she turned to face Leo. Imani could feel her heart thump wildly once their eyes met before he leaned in, his lips brushing softly against her ear.

"When you need me, come find me," He whispered, pulling away to give her a final look.

Imani swallowed, forcing herself to step away and hastily walk Marcus who she had temporarily forgotten was there, barely sparing him a glance. It wasn't until she made it inside that she felt something in her hand. Lifting the card, she read his Leo's name written in cursive gold across the matte black design, his contact info at the bottom.

The small smile that formed on her face was quickly removed when she realized the mistake she had made. What the hell was she thinking? In a moment of weakness, she was willing to do something she knew better of and with a man she barely knew at that. Gripping the card tightly in her hand, Imani headed towards the first floor, searching for Jayden.

There was a funny feeling in her gut that something was up. Faithe was missing and so was he. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure what that meant. Still, she continued to search until she wandered down a hall when she had heard it. A soft giggle coming from somewhere in the seemingly vacant area. Slowly, Imani moved forward until she reached a corner, pausing to peak around it just as Faithe leaned up to kiss her fiancé in a manner that was nothing short of passionate.

Imani wanted so badly to do something, to say something but instead, she turned on her heels and headed straight for the entrance. She didn't want to be there any longer, not when she ready to tear shit up out of frustration.

Finding the limo that they had arrived in, Imani informed the driver that it would only be her and to take her home. Clearly, Jayden could find another way home.

Sitting in the backseat, Imani eyed the ring on her finger through blurry vision. It wasn't fair. She had done everything right or as best she could. Catering to him. Loving him. Taking care of him and still, he does her like this.

Angrily wiping away her tears, she began to think of a way out. Away from Jayden, Away from her strict parents and the only life she has ever known.