#and chat is dreadfully empty

[kayzero]

Hey all, I’m currently trying to break through my writing funk by writing some Pokémon content—and right now I’m writing on a site that supports live-writing for the purposes of collaborative stories called Quests, which is a little bit like DMing for a group of people all controlling a single character.

The story, Project: Arceus, is still in its baby phase, despite it having been written almost two years ago. The protagonist, just called Protean, is the reluctantly-willing test subject of a nameless and faceless scientific organization conducting Pokémon experimentation for an unknown purpose in exchange for information about the unclear circumstances of a tragedy in their past.

If you’d like to join the quest and give me some ideas for various Game Mechanic bits and bobs based on Pokémon, the link is right here:

Project: Arceus

[notevenhayleyhart]

Red Lipstick - Yandere!Batfam X RichGirl

Preview: The party is dreadfully boring. Bruce is desperate to leave, until a certain family arrives, that is. Only chaos ensues, trouble in the shadow of the family. Not to mention, an odd girl has captured the attention of Bruce and the others.

Word Count: 4.4K

Pov: Bruce Wayne

Chapter One:

The party was boring at best. All these events are the same with smiles so shallow that these people make a puddle seem like an ocean. 

Bringing a glass of ginger ale to my lips, everything Tim was saying to me was completely going over my head. There was a dull throb in my temples and the room was just a bit too warm, shoes too tight, people too chatty, drink not enough, and I felt like I was a second away from snapping. 

Tim continued to ramble despite it all. “These upgrades will help the Robin suit become more durable. Why does Batman get bullet proof crap and the Robin suit has the safety of a stripper's outfit?”

“Have Dick look into it.” With one swing, I downed the rest of the drink. 

We were going unbothered by some miracle. For now at least. Usually, people would try to strike something up with me by now, useless deals for me that would only benefit the other guy. Wayne Enterprises is both a blessing and a curse.

Instead of being here, I could be out patrolling, put on the suit and be the symbol this city desperately needs. Not only the city. I need Batman. Without—I'm just a billionaire playboy. No different than the other sleazebags here. 

A whole lot of assholes is what they are. 

My eyes skim the crowd. Speaking of Dick. He has two women chatting him up, their revealing black dresses making me roll my eyes. He talks animatedly, that familiar smile is on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes. Then there's Jason behind him, not even sparing the woman a glance as his grey eyes glared at the tie he was tugging at.

The women of the family were missing at the event, along with Damian (who was too young and—who would frankly—pick a fight with anyone who looked at him a certain way). Stephanie and Cassandra opting for a girls' night. Originall,y I planned to come here with them. When I found out they wouldn't be coming, I dragged the boys along with me. 

Like I’d suffer in this hell alone. 

Tim suddenly went quiet and my gaze traveled back to him. 

He asked, “you're not listening to me, are you?”

“You’ll keep talking regardless.”

“Fair point.” And then he went on and on about details I wasn't in any mood to discuss. His innovativeness was a gift, but at the moment, I wished I hadn't brought him along.

A sudden buzz entered the air only seconds later. Searching for the source, I came up empty handed. My brows creased together and I grabbed another flute off a passing by waiter's tray, placing the empty one down. Tim was no different from me, I could tell from the look on his face he was alert. 

Force of habit. 

With our gigs though, it was a given to be aware of your surroundings. 

“They're coming . . . you see them outside don't you?” a woman whispered too loudly. 

A man muttered, “it's been months since they’ve been to an event.”

“Do you think the son will marry my daughter?”

“Bizarre lifestyle, couldn't be mine even if I tried . . .”

Then there was a baby crying. Who the hell brings their kids to this kind of event? 

Coming back into focus, I saw a confused Tim, you could all but see the gears turning in his head. Ever the detective, it didn't take long for him to figure it out. Under his breath he said, “ the MorningStar’s-”

The main doors opened and it was like floodgates to a dam were opened instead. Are these people that significant? The name MorningStar was only a blimp on my radar. They were up and coming years back, making splashes but not anything to do with me—so I disregarded them. Apparently, not many did the same. 

The family of five were surrounded by journalists and cameras before they could get through the doors. 

This time, I sought out Tim. “What do they do?”

Tim crossed his arms, smirk corked. “Do I look like google?”

“Tim.”

“Right.” He sighed, eyes unable to move from the people of the hour. “Oscar MorningStar was a pretty average guy in his early years. Nothing special about him as a dock worker. But then he came up with this ingenious design. Simple yet complex, honestly, I would kill to-”

“Don't even think about it,” I gave him a look. “Not now at least.”

“I like his designs! I’ve incorporated some of the mechanics into the batcave you know? It's just—it's not something you or I would think of—it almost like his work is intimate. His designs are so precise, I envy it.”

That got a snort out of me. He cleared his throat, put up a bravado. 

“Anyhow, that's his wife, Willow. Then he’s got three kids. Oldest to youngest, there's Pacifica, Prince, and Penelope, I believe.”

Out of the corners of my eyes I noticed Dick’s attention in the same place as ours. The two women were pouting, huffy about the attention being stripped from them. 

“Why do they catch so much attention?” I asked myself more than him. 

It was as if the rest of us were pests attracted to their honey. 

“Likely because they're just not . . . one of the rich. There's still a shine in their eyes, a lack of greed in their outlook. You can practically see that in Oscar's way of doing business.” For the first time in a long time, Tim Drake was lost for words. “You won't find anyone else like that in this room. Some hate that, are confused by it, or fascinated.” He looked at his father and narrowed his eyes. “I'm assuming you're the last one on that list.”

There was truth to his words. 

I found myself just as captivated by them, no different from the other pests. 

It wasn't like a group of common citizens walked into a room they weren't meant to be in. It was something different than that, far more different. Though they didn't exactly act like the other rich patrons either.

They looked at each other with sincerity, care. Tightly bunched together, finding comfort in each other's presence—so despite all the cameras in front of them—you would’ve thought they were in their home with how untense their shoulders were. Yet, with each camera shudder, there was a small tightening of brows here and a smile becoming falterier there. Oscar was protective of his family, my eyes landing on his hand wrapped around his wife's waist. Simply another show of their care. And in the center, who they were encompassing, was Penelope (or so I guess, as the youngest, it would make sense for her to be surrounded by the barrier of her family, protected from the circling vultures).

Penelope, she was an older teenger by the looks of it. She was the most uncomfortable, first to have her smile crack. She said something to her father that got the group to laugh. Without another moment passing, they broke free from the vultures and found a table for five. 

Dick came walking over to us, Jason in tow. There was a stupid lost look on the eldest's face. 

“The ‘MorningStars?’ Why is this the first time I'm hearing of them?”

Tim didn't miss a chance to mock his older brother. “What are you doing over here in the slums? I thought you were talking to Tweedledee and Tweedledum.”

He sent a glare Tim’s way. “Can it.” He looked to me. “Are they news to you?”

“Not necessarily.” I rubbed the scruff of my jaw, my eyes darting between Dick and the family. “They're rich, major players, just not in our industry. They don't make themselves known. I know of them, always have since Osacar made his big break. But they're  . . .”

“On the lowkey,” Dick finished. 

Jason narrowed his eyes. “They must be up to something.”

The three of us said in the same moment, with conviction, “no.”

They weren't suspicious, per se. They were just set apart—different. As if that fact hadn’t been emphasized thirty times in one night. I sighed and resisted looking back to them one last time. Suddenly, all thought of being Batman and wanting to leave were the farthest thing from my mind. Penelope’s tense face flashed behind my eyes. 

“You should go talk with them,” Dick told Tim with a sly smile. 

“What!? Why me?”

“Well, our options are between sir broods a lot over here.” Dick pointed his thumb in the direction of Jason. “Then there's B, who would probably scare them, since they look like such laid-back people.”

Tim raised a brow. “And you?”

“Well if it all goes to shit, I don't want it to be on me. At least then I can sweep in and clean up the pieces, giving me a perfect opening to talk with ‘em.”

Jason, meanwhile, was nowhere near on board with this scheme. I couldn't say I was all that agreeing either. “Why should we associate with them?”

My voice is gruff, “I agree.”

“Sure, they're sparkly and new, but it's not like we need any more attention. Even if you just want to make friends, we all know how loaded that is. Nothing good could come out of being in close relations with us.” There was more left unsaid, but his message was clear enough. 

Time frowned and looked at me. 

I was already shaking my head, eyeing the flute in my hand with still amber liquid. Taking a sip I didn't bother looking up. “Don't look at me. I agree with Jason.”

That snapped heads his way. 

A muscle in my jaw clenched. “I don't want to hear it. They're already different as it is among the rich; we’re set apart in our own way as well. Let's keep it that way. Besides, how interesting can they be? We have enough on our plates. We have no reason to associate with the MorningStar's-”

“That can be changed,” a charming voice said. 

Lost in their own bubble, they never realized the quiet presence of Oscar approaching. 

Four pairs of eyes blink at him, dumbfounded. The man's smile was genuine. Dick was the first to return it, extending his hand. 

Oscar shook his hand, a small scrunch in his brows. “Dick Grayson, right?”

“Right.”

At the affirmation, a fuller smile spread across Oscar's face. “Well, I’m Oscar MorningStar. It's nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine, Oscar.” Dick’s head lolled to the side, looking at me with a look that screamed ‘see? We can make nice.’

Tim piped up. “It's good to see you here, Mr. MorningStar.” There was an unmissable look of rare admiration in his gaze. 

That got a laugh from the older man. “Call me Oscar, you're making me feel old.” His eyes drifted to me but went back to my son slowly. “Honestly it's a miracle me and my family are here.”

“Yes, you rarely attend gatherings. Why is that?”

Oscar shrugged. “It's not really our thing.”

“But something here is your thing,” I said, “or else you wouldn't be here.”

“Guilty,” the grin on him goes bashful. 

Curious.

He’s rich, not as rich as me, but his company is making millions and his stocks are only on the rise. How does a man do that with a personality like that? He's not nervous, but not exactly the definition of confidence. The air surrounding him isn't exactly threatening either.

“In all honesty,” his hand rubbed the back of his neck, eyes unmistakably meeting mine. “I'm here because I wanted to talk business with you.” 

He's firm. To the point. Maybe that's what makes his methods effective?

Regardless, the request got a shit eating grin on Tim’s face. He took the stage. “You know, if Bruce doesn't want to work with you, I’d be more than happy to. I’d love to get my hands on-”

“Tim,” I said. 

The boy pursed his lips and turned away with a frown. 

“While I appreciate the offer, Mr. MorningStar, I don't believe our business would clash well.” A false smile pulled at my lips.

Oscar countered. “You do plenty of work in biotech and tech in general, manufacturing, shipping; I’m not such a fool as to approach a man for business without doing my reading on him.” He stood tall with his shoulders back, but there wasn't anything looming about him. “My tech will help yours. Improve upon the foundation you have already set. This way, people in Gotham will be working with a more efficient system. I won't get into the details now, but the effects of what I plan to accomplish with you will help your average worker. 

“We can put less strain on the people who are responsible for the clothes on our backs. Someone has to sit behind the sewing machine after all, why not give that person a little help? In the ways we can, at least.” 

Tim got one thing right. There was a lack of greed in him. His words were disgustingly genuine.

“Those are some high expectations. How can I be sure that your supposed plan will meet them?” Behind the mask, I was still a businessman. 

I could all but feel Tim and Dick glaring at me for trying to deter the man. They’ve made their cards clear; they wanted to see what this man was about. And here I was shutting him down so quickly. Jason was nodding approvingly. What none of us expected was the youngest MorningStar to take to the stage and tap a finger on the microphone. 

“Hello? Hear me? Check one, two, three?” Her voice has a bit of an edge to it, not what I expected from her appearance. 

The boys catch sight of Penelope on the stage and Tim's mouth falls open. An amused expression crossed Dick’s face while one akin to annoyance passed Jason’s. 

They're so distracted that they don't notice Oscar's soft groan. He rubbed a hand down his face, “idiot,” he grumbled behind his hand. 

A soft hum left me, I bought the flute to my lips. Based on his unreactive response, this wasn't all that new of a thing. 

Interesting. Just who are you, Penelope?

The most pressing thought on my mind was something along the lines of thinking her a fool. She would no doubt embarrass her father and make a scene. Here I was brushing her off as a reckless teenager, because clearly she fits the bill. So much for the MorningStar's being mysterious, their only human.

“So,” she said into the mic. “I want to make a small announcement, courtesy of my sister.” She effectively had the room's attention. A smirk was on her face while she gestured to the right wing of the stage.

Climbing the stairs to the stage was her brother, Prince I took it, carrying who must Pacifica. The girl was squirming and struggling to get out of her brother's grip, legs kicking. Prince winced when the stiletto stabbed his thigh, though his grip was unrelenting. 

Tim laughed beside me. Oscar tensed all the more. 

Penelope went on. “This is Pacifica. She is looking for a suitor.”

Prince leaned over—holding a feral young woman—and said into the mic, “preferably between the ages of 20 to 25.”

The youngest nodded, talking to the crowd as if they were on a game show. “She’s sorta rowdy. But there's no return policy, so if she steals your heart or you hers, no backsies. And she's . . . um . . . well she will make sure you're the most stylish man around. Shit, I forgot, she's into women too!”

The male leaned back over, “she’ll make you into the most stylish woman around.”

“She's also super nice and will cook you some good meals. Keep you in tip-top shape. But she is stingy and can be an ass sometimes. Newsflash, she doesn't like lazy people.”

A whole shit show was taking place right before my eyes.

And the crowd of drunken rich men and women were eating out of this young lady's palm. They laughed and I didn't miss the looks mothers and fathers sent to their children. Backs were patted, urged forward. 

The eldest sister protested, “I do not need you jackasses to set me up!”

Prince rolled his eyes. “Trust me. You do. Nobodies touching you with a ten-foot pole with that attitude.”

“My attitude is just fine! Let go! Your dirty hands are messing up my dress!”

“Dirty!?”

As her sisters continued to bicker in the background, Penelope stepped forward and blocked them from view (not that that did much). Her little red smile twitched. “Anyhow-”

“Nell!” A whole new woman came onto the stage. Based on the semblance, I assume that's Willow, the mother of the family. “Get the hell off the stage!” There was a symphony of whoops and hollers. Some shouting they should let the girl speak. To which the mother glared at those individuals, a look that pierced their souls no doubt. “I’ll have you assholes know that it's not above me to get my hands dirty.” 

“That's my cue,” Oscar said fast. Rushing through a crowd that parted for him, all to reach his wife and children. 

Ushering them off the stage, he was able to dismantle it all effectively. With one look at Prince, he got him to put down his sister. Though it did take a few words for him to get Penelope to give him the microphone. He looked sweetly into the crowd. “Well I'm so sorry for these people.” Without another word, he took his wife's elbow and escorted his family off the stage. 

I sighed, “if only I could wrangle you guys in like that.”

“Hey, we respect your orders B.” Dick said.

“Speak for yourself.”

Jason was sour, as he had been since I forced him to come along and skip patrol. “What the hell even was that?”

“Those MorningStars really are a whole bunch of characters, huh?” Tim said with a smirk. 

Dick rolled his eyes. “Look at your own family, idiot.”

Everything after that was fairly calm. Oscar didn't approach us again, likely thinking the deal was officially ruined given his family's behavior. If anything, it makes things easier. Though a part of me, a very, very small part of me, was curious to know what he was offering me. 

The night wasn't getting any younger, things truly began to get into full swing.

When I noticed how loud it was for the first time, I paused my motions. What happened to that damn headache that was haunting me? 

Weid. Likely, my body was aware that this would all be over soon. All I needed to do was stick around for half an hour more. 

The four of us now moved to the bar counter, I opted to stand while the others sat.

When the buzz about the MorningStar's died down and the drinks were passed around in full, that meant bold investors were approaching me. At least once every ten minutes. I promptly ignored Dick’s snickering as another man came my way.

He stumbled and began to blubber as soon as he was in earshot. “Mr. Wayne!” As if we were good friends. “Believe me when I say that you would be wise to invest in the future!”

The others (traitors) were ignoring him. Talking amongst themselves and leaving me to fend for myself. 

I don't even offer the man a smile. 

“Wayne, you need me and my company's goods. Without us, you'll find yourself missing something!” The only thing I felt myself missing was Oscar's approach when it came to proposals. Or literally anyone else. 

This was the sixth idiot of the night to approach me, possibly the worst one yet.

I inspected the drunken man in front of me, watching him go on and on. All the while, I haven't said a single thing. He kept going . . . on and on and on. 

My eyes droop. 

I could pretend to be in my own bubble for only so long. Truth be told, I was in a party surrounded by people who would like to leave me alone. I love this city, I wouldn't do what I do if I didn't. But social events are so much harder to bear when a point can't be found anywhere. 

How do these people do it? Live a life so lost in booze and their own spending? Compounding their money whenever the opportunity presented itself. It was so devoid of any true meaning. Meanwhile, in the alleyway of this very building, there was someone probably getting mugged. Someone was shot somewhere. A family starved. A stray cat or dog is going without a home. 

My hand twitched by my side, jaw clenched as I glowered at the man in front of me. He was gabbing about how his oil rigs were some of the best around. How he could cut Bruce some of the profits if he did this and that. 

A small crash sounded in the corner. A jolt of something goes through my body. And before looking, I already know who it is. Can all but feel it on my skin. 

I looked above the man who was still going on, seeing the three siblings once more causing a ruckus. 

The idea that this is why they never come to social events takes root in my head and an unexpected, tremendously small, smile tugged at my lips. I wouldn't take them out either. Wasn't this the exact reason I never brought along Damein? 

Pacifica was taking this time to rebel against her sister, towering over wide-eyed Penelope, who had toppled over in her chair (the reason for the crash). Prince grabbed his sister by the arms and Pacifica waved to her as Prince dragged her to the grand Piano splat in the middle of the room. 

I had a strong feeling that roughhousing was a common thing in their home. 

Curiosity took hold of me. 

These siblings seemed to always be at the damn center of attention. Eyes always on them, and it was like they didn't have to try. 

Dick swiveled in his chair, glass half brought to his lips before his eyes widened, drink suddenly forgotten he nudged Tim. Jutting his head in the direction of Penelope, both boys' eyes settled on the impatient girl. 

She was glaring at her brother, insulting him is what I guessed she was saying from the fast movements of her mouth and accusatory finger poking into his chest. But he said one thing, and that's all it took for her body to go rigid and turn tight-lipped. 

I find myself leaning closer, as if that would allow me to hear. 

Seriously? Since when-

She huffed and faced forward in the piano seat. By now, many had stopped to stare. But she didn't seem to mind it. It rolled off of her and she looked off into space for a time, chewing on her lip. 

When something came to her, she took the lid off the piano and glanced around. Waiting to see if anybody would try and stop her. All she found was curious glances and her brother holding two thumbs up. 

At last I spoke to the drunken man. “Would you mind? I'm spending time with my family.” he suddenly stopped and looked at the others and sighed, waddling off, yes, waddling. 

Spending time with my family my ass. 

But she was about to start and I was too curious to hear it that I didn't want him talking my ear off simultaneously. 

What would she play? 

I observed her posture, the way she positioned her hands and began to tap her heel. She licked her red painted lips, and closed her eyes for just the briefest of seconds. 

A little wonder is what she is. 

Her fingers took to the keys, and her movements were comparable to a professional. Fingers gliding with such a smooth touch that it made sense the sound was so breathtaking. I recognized the song as Golden Hour as she moved further along in the melody. 

The shuffling of the party halted and she became the center. The beating heart. Her lips parted, eyes lost in the playing. Her brother looked at her with pride, but I barely registered him—unwilling to look away from her. 

The song made it to the chorus. I’ve never been the biggest fan or performances, but something about the heart she put into it made me want to listen to her do a dozen more songs. An essence was put into her movements, her soul laid bare for all to witness. 

How many could do that? 

How she did it wasn't something that could be taught. 

Regardless, how she moved just showed she wasn't simply raw talent. But truly put time into being good. 

God did it show. 

I didn't want any of it to be over: her moment, the moment, the song, even the feeling of curiosity I felt in my chest. 

Up until that moment, I was lumping her and her family into one thought, the ‘MorningStars.’ But looking at her, watching her like this, I found myself wanting to make her into more in my mind. What's her favorite color? What does she like? What makes her skin crawl? Her fears? Deep-seated desires? 

She was her own person, a spectacle that I needed to know. 

Never have I seen a girl like her. So bold yet on the lowkey. She’s human, as complex as the rest of us, but watching her play made her something other. My head tilted to the side as I watched her. I wanted to know her. She’s a mystery the detective in me wants to solve. 

Who is she? What is she? 

Reckless, clearly, from that speech given. Yet she has such an amazing capacity to be graceful, her performance adding kindling to that fire. 

I looked to the others and saw they were just as taken aback by her. She was something entirely different, new to us and this world. Jason was glaring at her with begrudged admiration. Dick had a full smile on his face. Then there was Tim who was recording the whole damn thing. 

Something told me he wasn't the only one. 

Her family was definitely making it into the paper, no doubt. But something told me she, in particular, would be mentioned separately in the conversation of this extraordinarily hectic night. 

If you want to read further ^^ -> Chapter 2 of Red Lipstick

[enyearns]

Bakugou Katsuki: All the Lovers in the Night

in which bakugou keeps you company (even though you never asked for it)

✧ genre: fluff ✧ cw: some swearing! (sorry! my hands are tied, bakugou is a swearer!); also a brief mention of sex (the characters don't do anything remotely promiscuous, it's just mentioned) ✧ wc: 2.1k

song for this read: Sunsetz by Cigarettes After Sex

a/n: i think, sometimes, we all deserve a tame bakugou. and, i believe that bakugou really can simmer down when he's with you. it's no wonder why you feel safe with him. (i am an avid fan of this kind of bakugou. very avid fan).

You usually fall asleep easily. Really, you could sleep just about anywhere, even if it were on some rocky surface, or even if people were yelling all around you; you would just need five minutes before you’ll completely clock off the world.

But tonight was one of the nights where your mind was needlessly bustling with thoughts. Your body was extremely exhausted, and your mind was at the brink of sanity, yet your spirit couldn’t commit to sleep. You were, frustratingly, tossing and turning in bed, chasing sleep that eluded you.

You were beginning to feel suffocated and dreadfully alone in your room, so you wrapped your fluffy blanket around your shoulders and grabbed two books, taking off downstairs to the common area. Here it was dark and (unsurprisingly) empty; all the lights had been long turned off and there was no chatter in any corner of the dormitory, but still you felt like you had space to breathe again. 

As you made your way quietly to the couch, you felt comfort in seeing the traces of your classmates scattered around. The cake that Sato had baked (which was beautifully spongy and amazingly sweet) was on the countertop, only a few slices left since you and the other girls had graciously helped yourself to some. On the tables were someone’s textbooks. It was probably Sero and Kirishima’s — you saw the two studying (and chatting loudly) together earlier.

Honestly, it were the little things that made you feel safe again.

You curled up on the couch, turning on the lamp by the edge, and for a few minutes you had deliberated on which book to read. 

On one hand, you could continue reading Crime and Punishment, a fantastic Dostoevsky classic, or you could finish off Olivie Blake’s Alone With You in The Ether. In the end, you decided to put the psychological crime novel aside and opted for the young adult fiction. Where you’re at in C&P right now is boring, what with the chapter centered around the insufferable Katerina Ivanovna. And, to be quite frank, where you’re at mentally isn’t capable of reading through Ivanovna’s self-wallowing dialogue at the moment. 

You don’t know how much time has passed, but you were pretty invested in the book, reading each line with a curious focus. You were now laying on your stomach, nose buried deep into the book as you kicked your feet and blushed and giggled to yourself. You were so immersed that you didn’t even notice that someone had come around. 

In fact, you didn’t notice until you felt a dip on the couch, making you look up curiously. Your eyes locked with a pair of strikingly crimson orbs, which were weary and slightly hazy.

Bakugou looked extremely tired, wearing just a black tank that showed off his biceps, and some plaid pyjama pants. He was holding onto a half-empty glass. “What you reading, nerd?”

You smiled remembering the scene that you’re on, but your cheeks also simultaneously burned. Hopefully Bakugou would not be able to make that out right now, since the lamp only dimly lit the space. “It’s nothing.”

He raised his brow, but he was too tired to pry, concluding the end of their quiet chatter (if this even counts as one). Bakugou made no move to leave. He was just sitting there and staring off into the distance, not saying a word. You, still lying on your stomach facing the boy, would sometimes look up to see what he’s doing, but you were met with the same listless and unreadable expression on his face. He was so uncharacteristically quiet that you were convinced that he was asleep with his eyes wide open. 

But you didn’t urge him to go back to his room to rest, nor did you ask why he was up in the first place. You didn’t want to prompt him to suddenly go away (knowing how easily his mood fluctuates). You enjoyed his company, and, as selfish as it was, you would hate it if he left. 

He eventually stood up (abruptly, to say the least), leaving just as quietly as he arrived. Before you could even let the disappointment stir within you, he came back again having refilled his cup. He had brought you a glass too. 

You gratefully took a few sips and placed the glass cup on the coffee table, mumbling a thank you, to which he just grunted. 

Instead of lying back down on your stomach, you took a risk (Bakugou is a flight risk, honestly) and rested your head on the boy’s lap. You could feel him stiffen under you, and when you looked at him curiously, it was only a moment later before he allowed himself to relax again. 

You smiled to yourself, only slightly, and began to read again. 

“So something’s botherin’ you.”

You lifted your eyes to look at him again. He was looking at you, his eyes still swirling with fatigue, but his brows were creased in concern. “I don’t want to trouble you.”

His frown only deepened. “Too late, ‘cause shit’s already troublin’ me.” You didn’t respond; you don’t really want to get into it right now. He quickly sensed that you weren’t going to tell him anything, so he just let out a soft sigh. “Still haven’t told me what you’re reading.”

You showed him the cover of your book, and he tilted his head to read the title. “‘Alone With You in the Ether’? Sounds corny as shit.”

You furrowed your brows and pouted unhappily, making the boy avert his gaze elsewhere, fighting back the pink that was crawling up his neck. You're cute. “It’s romantic, but it’s also cynical, and the characters are just so miserable…” your lips curved into a smile. “They’re so cute together.”

“You’re just not right in the head.”

“Hey!”

“So then? If you like it, it must be good. Read me a passage, the one you’re at right now, read it.”

You opened your book once more. The book, you were holding it up over your face, was obstructing his view of you, so he looked back ahead. He was ready to listen, in fact, he was listening for something, but he could only feel you fidgeting on his lap. Moments passed with you trying to start, but growing shy and stopping, again and again. Finally having had enough, he looked down at you, quirking his brows for a second time upon seeing you hide your face behind the pages.

“I– I can’t read it…”

Bakugou clicked his tongue and grabbed the book from you, skimming through the two open pages. He felt his body grow hot reading the words, albeit in a blur. It didn’t click for him immediately what you were reading, but it was definitely a… a you know what passage. 

And you got your damn head in his lap right now!!

“I-in my defense, okay, you caught me at a bad time! This is the only one– ugh! Olivie Blake writes it so romantically anyway, so what does it even matter!!” You were flustered beyond repair, and your friend being so obviously at a loss for words wasn’t making you feel any better. So you made a move to lift yourself off him, but Bakugou held your shoulder down. Instead, he reached over you and grabbed your blanket, placing it over your body.

“You’re gonna catch a damn cold. You’re always getting cold too, what are you doing not using your damn blanket properly? You wanna get sick? It’s like you wanna get sick!”

Seeing the boy trying to literally cover up for you, his neck, ears and face coated in a furious blush, it made you want to laugh. If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t have realised that he was just trying to divert his attention, trying to keep the flow going. You smiled up at him, thankful, and continued to read. 

From then on, neither of you exchange another word. He was tired, and he’s never usually up at this hour. He only woke up from his sleep because he suddenly needed to pee, and then he suddenly really needed a drink. It felt like the Sahara Desert in his damned throat. But then he saw you. You looked happy reading, but you were up at this hour, and he knows that that’s usually a tell that you were distressed. 

He felt the sleep starting to overcome him again. He was absentmindedly running his hand through your soft hair (he doesn’t even know when he started doing this), and his arm was propped up on the couch in a relaxed manner. 

Other than you sometimes squealing or gasping (he found it endearing, extremely endearing), it was completely silent. Before he knew it, he fell asleep in that same position, his hand still entangled between your locks.

You were also feeling calm and relaxed, especially under Bakugou’s surprisingly soft touch. Just being in his presence, you felt healed again. It was weird; in the past, you never thought that he would have this effect on you, but here you are now, quickly falling asleep because of his presence, even though sleep was hard to catch for the past few hours. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Bakugou was the first to wake. When he lifted his head (slowly), he immediately registered a dull ache in his neck. He was blinking his eyes, gradually getting used to the morning light that now filled the common area. 

He looked around precariously. The TV was on. Sitting somewhere else on the couch, some distance away, were Tokoyami and Mineta. There were also some of his classmates having breakfast in the kitchen. It’s probably somewhere between 7 or 8 right now. 

When he looked back down and saw that you were still sleeping, he felt his muscles relax again. You had curled up into him sometime in the night, your fingers loosely holding onto his shirt. 

It might be the fact that he’s too sleepy right now to fight back the smile muscles, but he couldn’t help the upward turn of his lips as he gazed at you with the fondest of fond expressions. He gently brushed your hair away, admiring your pretty, resting face. 

But of course, the moment’s too good to last. Too good when the other extras are around, at least.

“HE’S AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!!!!!!”

An irk mark appeared on Bakugou’s forehead just hearing the grapehead’s irritating screech. 

“HOW DARE YOU, BAKUGOU, HAVE A MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS WITH (Y/N)?! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE THE SACRED BODY OF (Y/N)!!!”

“Shut the fuck up, I didn’t do nothin’.”

“BAKUGOU’S AWAKE??” Pinky immediately came to the scene of the crime with a sly, sly, sly smirk on her face. She is too damn energetic for this hour, and Bakugou just pinched the bridge of his nose (which, now he realises slightly carries the scent of your shampoo). “WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU TWO????! TELL ME, TELL ME!!!”

“The nerd was reading some stupid novel.”

The others were also curious about the situation and started to crowd around the couch. They did (more or less) wake up to Bakugou and you sleeping together on the couch. How could they NOT be nosy, curious, and most of all, invested??

All this attention just irritated the ash blonde though. “Everyone shut up, she’s still sleeping!”

Mina cooed. “Awww, he cares so much for (y/n)!”

“I FOR ONE BE–”

“Shut the fuck up before I make you all shut the fuck up!!” he growled, lifting his hand menacingly. Sparks were coming out of his hand. It did work on scaring most of them, but Mina and Mineta were much too nosy to be threatened away.

The two were about to continue teasing Bakugou, but he felt you slightly stir, and this made his eyes widen in panic. He brought his hand back down to gently pat your head, all while glaring menacingly at Pinky and Grapehead, and oh, would you look at that, the rest of the Bakusquad were here too, looking at him with the same stupid ooh-la-laa expressions on their stupid faces. 

One more word and I’ll kill you.

“The affectionate petting is really undercutting your tone bro.” (Kirishima was the only one brave enough to point this out). 

“I fuckin’ know! Now scram, the nerd’s still sleepin’ so quit botherin’ us!!”

They eventually cleared because they adore you enough. Mina made a big deal out of it though, booing and showing him not one, but two thumbs down. Sero joined in, doing a i’m watching you gesture with his fingers.

Unluckily (or luckily…?) for Bakugou though, he was stuck in that same position for the next hour. Honestly, he could care less. All that mattered was that you were resting up and feeling safe, because it’s what you deserve. 

He’ll deal with the achy muscles some other time (and maybe he’ll just make you pay for it).

en's chitter-chatter: thanks so much if you made it this far! writing really does get my mind off things, so if this had helped anyone get their minds off things too, that would make me really happy! >//< also, i just want to share the books i've mentioned so far!

Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky) is a russian classic. it's a really good read on destitution, poverty, and the degradation of morality/sanity that the main character (Raskolnikov) experiences in the face of it.

Alone With You in the Ether (Olivie Blake) is a young adult fiction about the unconventional romance between Aldo, a PhD student fascinated by time, and Regan, a counterfeit artist. it's a really short read, and the way the words and dialogue flows is poetic. i really do recommend it! in fact, i can't recommend it enough! ^0^

finally, i'm not sure if anyone caught this, but All the Lovers in the Night is a novel by Mieko Kawakami! it's a japanese contemporary that follows the life of a lonely Fuyuko Irie, who has no one, and quietly grapples with the sudden realisation that she is, in fact, not okay with the absence of human company.

final note: i have a little Uncle!Aizawa thing in my drafts, but (to be truthfully) it stems from a bigger private piece that i’ve got going on. writing about Uncle Aizawa has been very enjoyable; it’s cute and personally makes me smile. i do want to post it, but my aizawa in my universe has a bit of an extra backstory. the family of the main character (aizawa’s niece) is well fleshed out, but i feel that aizawa’s character and backstory would be too OOC to be standalone fics ^^’’ anyways… if you guys are A-OK with a slightly different take on aizawa, i would be more than happy to share it!

until then, that’s all for now! please take care, stay hydrated, and remember to eat well <3

[mask131]

I was chatting with themousefromfantasyland about the Olympic Games and you know, I do have something to point out that people not in France might not know about.

More precisely we were chatting about the situation with the river Seine. Part of the reason Hildago's government focused so much on the Seine, outside of it being - you know - one of the emblems of Paris, is also tied to her project's of sanitizing the Seine. [Note: warning, I will throw it all at the head of Anne Hildago. Maybe there are other authorities beyond her and her city-government involved in this matter, but honestly I don't care, she is a very bad mayor and might have been one of the worst mayors of Paris in modern day, and I don't like the woman, and it isn't the first time she screwed up with poorly-thought if not idiotic plans. So she'll be my go-to culprit for the sake of this post]

Because the Seine, despite being THE most iconic river of France, the heart of Paris, such an important part of the city's culture, a crucial part of its tourism industry, and one of the reasons the city got its official motto - is also dreadfully polluted, and one of the most polluted bodies of water of France. Hidalgo, who was always involved in ecological concerns and in "making Paris great again", decided that for the Olympics the Seine would be cleansed - at least enough for the Olympic athletes to be able to swim in there. She even vowed that she would take a swim in it herself before the Olympics to prove how clean it all became.

Problem is, Hidalgo is the living embodiment of something that has been unfortunately very prevalent with left-oriented politicians in France: vapid ecology. Good intentions, well-meaning projects, but behind it, it is all just superficial and empty. And the Seine purification example is such a great demonstration of this: she literaly thought that by throwing enough money and machines at the Seine, she would be able to clean it up before the Olympics. We are talking of cleaning up in a few months DECADES AND DECADES if not CENTURIES of pollution caused by an enormous city. Hidalgo literaly thought "It's fine, we will just wipe this pesky little problem in a jiffy, and I am so confident that this pollution problem is not a big deal that I will bet France's international reputation on that".

Of course, I can tell you that Hildago did took her swim - but only at the very last minute because, as it turned out, cleaning the Seine took much more time, money and effort than originally planned... and it wasn't even done! First they realized it would take more time than planned, then there was the whole fight between the Paris town hall (which claimed the waters had been purified and cleaned) and the outside health organizations (who claimed the waters would still make people who plunged in them sick), and then of course the RAINS! We are living one of the rainiest summers France knew in a long time, and of course no matter how much Hidalgo's projects clean up the Seine, with each new rain it is polluted again and everybody has to start over. Everybody in France is joking about how the Olympic swimmers will grow a third eye.

That's what I call a "vapid ecologism" - because Hildago clearly never cared very much before about cleaning the Seine, now, did she? She was there for quite a long time but oh, turns out she only puts the big guns and the big money when the Olympic games are arriving. She literaly thinks that a problem that will require years and years of hard work can just go away in a few months? Because it is a very, VERY deep and systemic problem, this Seine pollution, that requires re-organizing PARIS ITSELF!

Right now, all the news are talking about how trainings and trials are currently being pushed back because the Seine waters are, again, polluted after the rain of the opening ceremony, and people are wondering if all the games planned to take place in the Seine (instead of an Olympic pool) won't be cancelled. As such, experts talk more and more about the why and how of this pollution that won't go away, and do you want to know the fun thing? One of the main reasons rains keep polluting the Seine is because the Parisian water-evacuation system is very flawed. There are many, many "wrongs turns", purposefully created or accidentally made, that mix together the evacuation of the rain water and the evacuation of the used waters. When Hidalgo's team decided to finally get their ass on the problem, they identified roughly 23 000 "wrong turns", and by the end of their operation they claimed to have treated 80 percent of them... But what their project and investigations revealed - and that's something so typical of Parisian businesses - that there were MUCH MORE wrong turns than everybody believed. How much? Oh just between 60... AND 120 000 WRONGS TURNS! The entire system is to be remade, and them fixing 80 percent of a meager 23 000 turns when there might be up to 120 000... Yeah it is a speck of dust in a pile of sand.

However I don't want to JUST speak about the Seine. The thing my discussion made me realize is that the Seine situation is just a repetition of EVERYTHING that has been happening with the Olympic Games, and I couldn't help but draw a parallel with another scandalous business related to the organization of these games, though a scandal that has been smothered by the actuality and likely will only pop back up once everything is over. The homeless scandal.

Paris is filled with homeless people. It is a fact, and that's one of the things I myself is always shocked by every time I go to Paris, the amount of homeless people I met. Or rather that I used to meet, because of course, with the Olympics arriving, the cities were "cleaned" up and the hobos removed! I hear you gasp in shock but don't worry, it was actually done in a quite nice and humane way! I mean it: there were empty buildings and vacant lots refurbished into lasting shelters for the duration of the Olympic Games. There were all those little flats prepared for the homeless people to live for free - very tiny, and with just the bare minimum to have a decent life, but you know, it is much better than just being in the street. It doesn't remove all of the homeless people and it doesn't solve their situation, but you know, at least it is an actual improvment and a humane gesture.

Now, take a wild guess: are they going to make it last beyond the Olympic Games? Come on, we are talking about Parisian government, and about Hidalgo's team! Of course not! Once the games are over and everything has been removed, all the homeless people from those buildings will be kicked back in the street, and the shelters will turn into something else. And they were told so the minute they entered their new little temporary homes. Because again, Hidalgo's point is all about cleaning up Paris before the entire world takes a look at it. Not solving Paris problem, just making it look good for the international event.

The Seine, the homeless people - it is all the same. It is a well-meaning project poorly thought by people not actually caring about it, it is a lot of excellent effort not made to last but just to impress, it is a deep and systematic problem that they think they can wipe out in a few months, it is just putting silk paperwall over a rotten, fractured stone ; it is just hiding the dust under the rug, empty humanitarianism, vapid ecologism, fake kindness motived by a good will so detached from reality it becomes as arrogant as absurd. Forcing athletes to swim in a polluted and diseased river because you can't force yourself to admit your town has a problem ; offering with hypocrisy a home to the poor only to plan to throw them back into their misery just because nobody will be looking anymore...

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 22 - Top Hat

The Railway is Prospering:

The railway was prospering. That was perhaps the first thing that the figure noticed. The books had been kind to the railway, in that they had drummed up hundreds, thousands of tourists who flocked to the island to ride behind the famous engines who worked there. The harbour extension at the end of Thomas’ branchline had made loading the stone from the quarry ever smoother, as they didn’t need to drag it all the way to Tidmouth.

And best of all, the engines were all still running.

Sir Topham Hatt wandered up to the ticket office at Wellsworth, spotting Edward collecting passengers for his afternoon train up to the Big Station. Even without a ticket, it was a little too easy to sneak aboard, finding an empty compartment and flopping down on the seats – only, they seemed to pass right through him.

Ah… right.

Instead, the figure of Sir Topham Hatt floated with his head out of the window, taking in the world around him in awe. There was Henry, speeding along with a fast freight train. His rebuild had truly done him wonders – thank goodness Sir William agreed to it, or Henry would… maybe not even be here. And over there was Gordon! He thundered by with the Express, whistling happily at Edward as the big blue engine drew alongside the old engine. They exchanged a fond greeting, and then Gordon was gone again, rocketing along.

James passed by next, grumbling dreadfully with a long train of tankers behind him. So… he’d not done so well with James – but he was still not only really useful, but reliable as well! And in spite of his grumbling, he was still pulling the trucks. As much as Sir Topham Hatt wanted to shout at the red engine to stop whining and get a move on, he recognised just how well the engine was doing.

Then, they passed through the Junction to Thomas’ branchline, and Sir Topham Hatt managed to spy all three of his former tank engines – Thomas, Duck and Percy – all shunting trucks together. It seemed like Duck needed a large order of stone, and the two other tank engines had brought it down for him. Furthermore, Toby stood nearby with Henrietta. All four looked healthy, happy and well-rested, a far cry from those dark days when the big engines refused to work. Then, Thomas, Percy and Edward had been forced to work day and night – nonstop – just to keep the railway open.

But now, they had time to slow down and chat, as well as spend time bantering. Sir Topham wondered just why Percy was talking about ghosts. He’d move closer to listen – but he didn’t want to lose Edward and his train.

Oh, Edward.

The blue engine looked so much happier now. He was running well; nary a clank in his motion. He smiled more too, happier than ever and so much brighter even though the day was cloudy. Sir Topham smiled wryly.

As much as he wanted to say his legacy was the greatness his engines felt now, he couldn’t honestly say it and be right. He’d done some admirable things for his engines, and he’d always been willing to stand up for Edward, or Thomas, or Percy – but at the same time… at the same time, it was clear he’d been far stricter than his son.

Maybe that was a good thing – the railway wouldn’t have survived the Great Depression without a firm hand to guide it. The entire railway had teetered on the edge of bankruptcy for so long, and he’d become so afraid of losing it all. He’d held on tight, almost strangling everyone as he nitpicked his way through every issue. He’d been harsh – harsher than he should have been.

Henry looked so much happier without him around.

But he’d done it for the railway! Being firm, strict and a little controlling was what the railway needed to see in each new year. He’d never scrapped one of his engines (the board, however…), even when they were unable to be really useful. Again, Henry was a testament to how much he hated to see potential wasted.

He’d fought against the LMS for years over the right to keep the railway open… but the LMS fell, and still the NWR remained. It… felt good to know he’d been so successful… even if most of the engines didn’t remember him so favourably.

With one last breath, he slipped away from Edward’s train, taking a moment to wander into his son’s office. He spotted a very familiar top hat resting on the coatrack. “That’s… my hat…” murmured Sir Topham, feeling just a little better.

Everything was going to be just fine.

With that, the almost ethereal figure standing in the Fat Controller’s office faded away.

Back to Master Post

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP, a straightforward person like you deserves a straightforward question.

No matter what you do with them afterwards, who would be the best in bed? That is, the one who would make YOU feel the best in bed?

***

Now...

I know we're all bored and dreadfully in need of entertainment, but what in the holy devil is this?

Not that I'm upset getting this kind of ask, (assuming you're not the same 'Anon' aka the empty account that's taken to sending me BTS feet pics in the last few weeks), but how can I possibly answer this honestly without incriminating myself?

The only solution I see here is to pull something of a smoke trick - to write in my honest answer surrounded by a bunch of dishonest ones. So Anon, the last thing you'll be getting from me is a straightforward answer, despite your straightforward question. :)

*

First, the honourable mentions:

Taehyung - He seems like the kind of lay you meet at a party, he'd approach first chatting you up for exactly 47 mins talking about nothing in particular but he'd sprinkle in oddly personal questions here and there, making sure to keep your glass always full. Just before you dip (47 mins is a fairly long time for a party chat), he'd ask you over to his place to have drunk, languid, lazy sex. For some people, one night stands allow them to become more uninhibited, more willing to try new things etc, and party drugs of various kinds including alcohol can help facilitate that sometimes. But alcohol-fueled, no strings attached, lazy sex hasn't really been my speed for years, so it's a pass from me.

Seokjin - He has a reputation of having a massive cock but much of what the fandom ascribes as BDE for him just seems to me like the typical air of authority anyone in his position would have given the age hierarchy in Korea. In my experience, big dicked Korean guys are significantly more obnoxious than anything we've seen Jin display, they're also really into fairly unusual kinks, for whatever reason, so since I don't get any of those vibes from Jin, I assume he'd be a decent lay but only that. For my tastes at least.

*

The smoke screen:

Yoongi - Getting the obvious suspect out of the way, I don't think Yoongi has the kind of stamina I'm looking for in a good fuck. Which is kinda tragic for me, as you can imagine. The cerebral connection would be there - a non-negotiable for me - and he seems like the kind to not mind a messy tangle on various surfaces if that's how things play out. But could he last longer than the time it takes to stream The Paradox album by Jacob Banks from top to bottom? I doubt it. But I'd be willing to test my hypothesis if given the opportunity.

Jimin - Now, stamina is not a problem for Jimin. I don't really read fanfic but I'm aware he's mostly taken to be the soft bottom in most pairings, maybe because people perceive him to be delicate and feminine especially during sex. While that could be true and technically isn't a hindrance for me, I suspect his natural undercurrent of intensity is brought to the fore during sex. Which I'd like. And that he's more of an equal opportunity kind of fuck. If you know what I mean. So not exactly a switch, and not exactly fully uninhibited but closer to that than the other guys maybe save Hoseok. He also seems like the sort to care more about the where, why, and how of the fuck, than any of the other guys, which I appreciate. But again, I'd be open to testing my hypothesis.

Namjoon - He's clumsy and can't seem to butter toast without everyone around him being worried for their safety and his, but I'm very certain that man knows how to lay pipe. He's been much too unguarded and explicit about it in the past for me to have any real doubts about his experience. I also suspect he's the sort to seek an emotional and cerebral connection with someone, buttering them up with loads of foreplay (somewhat and maybe adorably clumsily), before going in for the kill. Which I'd like. But out of all the guys, he'd be the first to catch feelings. I also think he's the most likely of the members to potentially lurk on Tumblr so Joon if you're reading this, we're both into trying experiments and my DMs are open so feel free to reach out but only after you've already had your rebound.

Jungkook - I think he's a lot more similar to Namjoon in this way than a lot of people think. I can't really go into detail explaining what I mean because well, no, but if stamina was my only requirement in a good fuck, JK would be the only option here. *insert any 'Seven and Jk is a bunny' joke of your choice here* He has this restlessness in most things he does that I find really sweet actually, and I don't think it will be absent during sex. But he'd temper it with being emotionally present, careful, delicate for the whole affair. I like that he's meaty enough to bite into, there'd be a lot of him to hold on to for dear life if we somehow end up on the wall or on a bridge.

Hoseok - He's the sort of guy who knows exactly what he wants and goes straight for it without taking any detours. I think. Not to say he's rough and callous, though I'm not exactly opposed to that depending on the situation, but I suspect he'd be the most likely to directly ask you about your needs, wants, and limits before bumping uglies. Which I'd like too because fully verbalized consent really is sexy. Afterwards though, I think he'd be a cuddler and the biggest one out of the seven. Which I'd like. But I also like to dabble in various things that I think he'd be hesitant to trying because he's conscious about his maintaining his physical health and 'purity'. Maybe. Not a dealbreaker but, you know. I wonder if this vibe I get from him will change after he's done with his military service though, in which case, again, I'd be open to verifying my assumptions with practical experience.

Lol, anyway, there you go, Anon.

[amberlide]

A Christmas gift

I know is kink-october, but I'm not good with kinks, so I made a fluffy smut single story about the first time between my beloved Garreth and Penelope from my fanfiction. They are aged up of course :)

As the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts were fast approaching, and the Gryffindor common room was almost empty, Leander decided to sleep in the sixth year dorm, leaving theirs empty as a gift to Garreth. He really hoped his friend would finally enjoy his night with Penelope...

Minor please stay away, only +18

Tags: first time sex, fluffy smut. Words count: 5.7K It's quite long! :O English is not my first language so there are few mistakes here, sorry AO3 link --> this version had been edited :)

“Do you think she’s… ready?” Garreth cast a nervous look at Leander while they were packing their things. Christmas holidays were almost here, and the dormitory was already empty except for the two of them.

A heavy sigh escaped Leander as he stowed all his clothes in his trunk, closing it with a loud thud. “Weasley, please…” he rolled his eyes and sat on the trunk, “it’s two days I’ve found you two snogging half naked on your bed, if trying to take off your shirt every afternoon for a week doesn’t scream ready, then I don’t know what else!” he exclaimed. 

It was exasperating to see his friend so uncertain about something that surely wasn’t.

He had reached the point where he dreaded entering the dormitory, fearing of what he might find or might not find in particular clothes on his friend…

“Listen, tomorrow we leave for Christmas holidays, so tonight is just us two. I’m going to sleep in one of the sixth year’s bed and I leave the dorm to you. Free, for one night. Ask Penelope to sleep with you and see for yourself,” he pointed one finger on the palm of his hand, “tonight, or never Weasley!” he underlined his words with a decisive look.

Garreth nodded while folding his uniforms, “Thanks Lee!” 

Leander rose to his feet and headed for the exit. "Do it!" he exclaimed, shutting the door behind him, already sensing doubt around his friend.

-----

“So…” Penelope settled onto the squashy sofa next to the fireplace, her body sinking into the crimson pillows. The warmth from the flames turned her cheeks a rosy hue. She had a particular fondness for the Gryffindor common room, perhaps even preferring it to the Hufflepuff one. However, the drafts from the tower always made her shiver whenever she ventured away from the fireside.

After wrapping up a game of magic chess and chatting about holiday plans, the common room had emptied, leaving just the three of them.

“So…” Garreth scratched his head, shooting a look at Leander who appeared increasingly exasperated by his attitude. Packing the last chess pieces into a small velvet satchel and tucking the board under his arm, Leander announced, “I’m going to bed!” he rose his voice trying to give an hint to his friend, “It’s late, and I’ve got a long day tomorrow. We're visiting Aunt Sophie for Christmas, and trust me, it's going to be dreadfully dull. So, good night!” it wasn't truly that late, and so he might just curl up in bed and read something.

Garreth had insisted on lending Leander his novel, "The Adventure of Emerald Quill." Even though he showed genuine interest in the genre, his friend had inadvertently spoiled most of the plot, dampening his enthusiasm.

"Goodnight, Lee,” Garreth called out, raising a hand in farewell as Leander disappeared up the stairs of the tower.

Turning his attention to Penelope, their eyes met and she offered him a soft smile. Tilting her head, she reached out, her fingers gently brushing against his cheek. "Are you all right? You seem… nervous,” she murmured. Drawn to her, he settled next to her on the sofa, reveling in the gentle warmth of her touch. He really, really wanted to enjoy the whole warmth of her skin on his, but he felt too embarrassed to ask.

“Maybe you’re just tired, shall we go to bed?” he saw her trying to rise from the sank position on the sofa, he didn’t want her to leave, after all, Leander had made it abundantly clear that tonight might be his only chance.

He gently grasped her arm, pulling her towards him. Caught off guard, Penelope stumbled and ended up in his embrace. Their initial surprise melted away as they locked eyes, and Garreth tenderly leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips, avoiding her glasses in the process.

She felt Penelope relax beneath his touch, and she responded to his kiss without hesitation, parting her lips, brushing her tongue against his.

Its stomach twisted and turned.

He wanted her, and Leander was right, if she was willing to give, why not taking?

After all, he had prepared and taken that potion for three days now, so it was a waste of time and good resources not use it at his full potential. 

“Would you like to sleep with me tonight?” his voice was low, rougher than usual, as he sought to read her reaction to his proposal. She gave him an embarrassed smile, glancing towards the stairs behind him. "What about Lee?"

"He's in the sixth-year dorm," he explained. Leaning in, he brushed his nose gently against her ear. "Mine is free,” he murmured leaving a trace of goosebumps on her skin with his warmth breath.

Garreth felt Penelope stiffen. “Are you… sure?” she asked, but more than scared, she seemed intrigued by the prospective. She was fully aware of the consequences and a mischievous glint was sparkling her hazel eyes behind the lenses of her glasses. He raised his hand and brushed away a lock of soft brown hair from her forehead, following the strand and gently tucking it behind her ear, nodding as he lost himself in the tenderness of her gaze.

“Then why not?” 

He saw her jump up and extend her hand for him to take. Without wasting time, they soon found themselves chuckling nervously as they climbed the stairs leading to the dorm, trying to stifle their laughs at the prospective of breaking so many rules in such a short time, accomplices in yet another adventure.

They paused just before the door to the seventh-year dorm. Garreth's hand trembled on the handle. This was his moment, and he had to be ready to lead her, even if it was his first time he…

“Hey, you don’t really think to do this alone, do you?”

Surprise danced on his face; at times, it genuinely seemed as if she could read his mind. Without hesitation, she opened the door, leading him into the round room. The space, adorned with five four-poster beds, was dimly lit by a dying lamp on Garreth's nightstand.

The atmosphere was perfect, inviting almost. 

“It’s a first time for both, I’m not expecting it to be perfect. I’m also nervous,” she confessed, “but I’ll be fun, ‘cause your fun and I love you for this!” she raised on tiptoe and kiss him again, holding herself on his broad shoulders. “Come, let’s take turns!”

“Turns?” Garreth looked at her clearly puzzled by her words, following Penelope next to his bed, and watching her taking off her shoes, “Well, I’m not going to stay here and let you undress me,” she started, crouching while pulling the strings of her winter boots, “so I will end up naked and shivering. I want to enjoy the view too,” she smirked underlying her words with a playful wink.

He nodded, an intrigued glint in his green eyes. Penelope was always the one to take the initiative; she was far from meek, and that drove him wild. But her eagerness also helped relieve the pressure and lighten the mood. So, when she stepped closer and began to untie his tie, he didn't protest. Instead, he stood still, enjoying the delicate motions of her small fingers as they worked to undo the knot.

He stifled a chuckle at her focused expression, noticing the small furrow between her brows. She had never been good at adjusting her tie, at the beginning he thought it was just a way of pretending to be more boyish, to better disguised herself as a male student, but he soon realized that she really didn’t have a clue on how to do it.

“Let me help you,” he lowered himself and put an arm around her waist, dragging her closer, and planting a trail of soft kisses on her neck, “Garreth, please…” she pleaded, her voice already tinged with excitement and anticipation, but he didn’t care, with the other hand he loosened his tie, eager to move forward. He could clearly feel the warmth of her body calling him to temptation through the fabric of her clothes, and he really wanted to take off that fluffy jumper to expose the bust that was holding her breast. It would take hours to unlace it.

He took a step forward, leaning into her, and as predicted, she lost her balance. They both landed on his bed, a laugh escaping her throat. "You are a devil!" she complained, pulling herself up and finally removing his tie, proceeding then to unfasten the buttons of his shirt. 

This time she worked faster, and as soon as she managed to exposed his broad shoulders, she leaned forward and kissed his neck, grazing at the freckled skin of his chest, brushing the few ginger hair, inhaling his scent of lavender soap, inked parchment and what she recognized as wiggen tree bark with a hint of ginger. 

It was enough to stir her feelings, and she felt her heartbeat quickening, the warmth in her stomach growing, as well as the pulsing sensation between her thighs, forcing her to squeeze her legs. She felt his hand on her knee, the heavy textile of her stocking were not enough to keep the warmth of his fingers at bay, as it seeped though it. 

Garreth perceived Penelope breath caressing his ear, before her tongue brushed its lobe, and started to gently sucking it between her lips. She knew what she was doing, a soft sigh escaped his lips, feeling himself tensing under her touch, he needed a distraction or she would surely drove him mad. He started moving forward, slowly reaching up from her knee to her thigh, he felt her stopping in her endeavor and smiled to himself, but he didn’t stop. He continued sensing the warmth growing as he was approaching a much desired spot.

Penelope quivered, but she didn’t want him to win, so she removed his shirt completely admiring his pale skin, she wanted to kiss every single one of those soft brown spots… She moved her hand over his chest and absently brushed her finger over a little nipple. 

She heard him stifling a laugh, “Please Pen, you know that tingles,” he whispered, “Sure,” she answered with a glint in her eyes, “because what you’re doing is not…” “It would take ages to unlace your bust you know, at least give me something to look forward.” 

“Who said I’m wearing one?”

Garreth widened his eyes and lower his gaze from her face to her chest, he swallowed, the thought of her soft little breasts already free from that rigid trap under her bulky jumper made him twitch in his pants. 

“How…”

“Not that I don’t like wearing one, but after one year without it I feel more comfortable without, and I hoped nobody noticed under this,” she pointed to her jumper. 

He surely didn’t notice, but now that he knew, it was definitely his turn.

“Mmm… let me check…”

He retreated his hands from beneath her skirt and started to travel up her hips, intently gazing in her eyes, while admiring their soft glow and cloudy desire. Her skin was soft, a bit colder than her thighs, but he knew how to warm her up, he bent over and kissed her lips, this time hungrier and rougher than before, biting gently as he invaded her mouth with his tongue.

Her cheeks flushed, as she sensed his hands traveling slowly up under her jumper, she wanted to focus on that feeling, but Garreth kiss was too intense to ignore. She hold herself against him, sensing her glasses askew on the bridge of her nose, she surely needed to remove them.

His tongue was eager, demanding almost, searching for her, he never kissed her that way, and she liked how he was putting aside his nervousness to please and arouse her.

His hands found her breast, covered only by a light cotton blouse, he knew very well that was the only barrier between her skin and his hungry touch, but it was okay for now. He cupped both little breasts in the palm of his hands, appreciating their round tender forms and immediately feeling her nipples hardening to his assault. 

It was not the first time he had touched them, he knew very well how she liked it, but he never dared to ask her to take off her clothes, so he was eager to admire them in full, open air, even if the light was dimming in the dorm. 

Still, he wanted to take his time, savoring the moment, despite that devilish wool that was starting to itch the skin of his arms. He started pinching lightly the sensitive tips, and he felt Penelope whimpering in surprise while still locked in their kiss, trying to distance herself to fully enjoy that torture, but he didn’t want to let her go, so he moved a hand on her waist and gently pushed her towards him so she couldn’t escape. 

He took a small tip between his fingers, brushing it with his thumb, and pull. She moaned, his smiled widened, and he felt her hands clenched on his shoulder, her fingertips digging in his skin. He broke the kiss, now he wanted to check her face, see her mouth quivering with pleasure, her eyes pleading for more, her breath starting to grow heavier with every little pull. 

As soon as he did it, he felt Penelope head leaning on his shoulder, he stopped, realizing how overwhelmed she were, he started to be afraid that it was just too much for her to bear. After all, they had reached this point in just a few hours, when it had taken nearly a year for them to start feeling comfortable with each other bodies to the point where kissing was merely enough. 

He didn’t want to push her boundaries. 

He took his hands out from beneath her jumper.

“Penny, are you okay?” he brushed her hair, whispering lightly in her ear, he saw her nodding, “I’m so…” “No, don’t be,” she interrupted him, before raising her head, her cheeks were a deeper shade of pink, her eyes glowing with warm pleasure. 

“I’m fine. I didn’t expect it to be so…” she swallowed hard, “good,” she exhaled, the heat between her leg was almost unbearable now and she could feel a wet spot forming on her underwear. 

“You know we can just slip under the cover and go to bed…” he proposed, not that he wanted, and if she did, well, a short visit to the toilet was in order before snugging in with her. 

She laughed, “Not a chance!” she exclaimed, they were already too far to stop, “Is that ginger that I smell?” Garreth blushed and nodded averting his gaze and passing a hand on his neck, “I had to, you know…” her grin widened, “I know that brew takes ages to prepare, so no, we are not going to waste all your effort,” she mocked him and with a glint in her eyes she took off her jumper, leaving a flurry of static-electricity sparks in the process.

The admiration in his eyes was evident as he took in the sight of her chest, barely covered by the half transparent shirt, her plump and hard nipples tearing the soft fabric, poking out and almost teasing him to move forward. 

No, Penelope was definitely ready for that, maybe more than him.

“So, it’s still my turn?” he joked twitching his eyebrow, “Barely, you still have few minutes,” she replied casting a look at the decorative hourglass on the nightstand, a gift from their shared past.  With a wink she turned it over.

She had just the time to take off her glasses that Garreth was already kissing her neck, brushing his nose against her sensitive skin, biting softly and traveling up her hips once again. She squealed in surprise when they both landed on the bed, flat, against the pillows, she didn’t have time to recover, her shirt was fast half-unbuttoned and her breasts were free in the chilly air or the dorm.

Surely, it wasn't the drafts from the windows causing her cheeks to flush and her nipples so hard, most likely the hungry gaze of Garreth on top of her. 

“Sorry, so much to do and so little time,” he smirked before lowering on her and start kissing her stomach, traveling slowly up. Penelope shivered, trembling in anticipation and when his mouth reached one of her tips, she couldn’t trap the whimper in the back of her throat and let it escaped, igniting Garreth desire. 

She lock her hand in his ginger curls, arching her back, offering herself while his tongue was brushing, swirling, teasing, and slowly biting her. She felt so wet and messy, desperate for keeping a semblance of composure, she closed her eyes, but it only amplified the sensations coming from her hot skin and his eager licks. 

Her nipple was growing harder and harder between his lips and before moving to the other, he stopped for a moment to admire its deep crimson hue again the white of her skin, glinting wet from his saliva, he swallowed, it was almost too much for him as well. But Lee gave him only that night, so he had to press forward. He started to travel down again, ready to take off her skirt, when Penelope turned abruptly on her side. 

“Not so fast Brewsley,” she teased him, he let out a resigned sigh and raised on the covers, barely resisting the temptation of lowering his mouth again to give another lick, she always called him Brewsley when she wanted his full attention. He’d always pretended not to like that nickname, but it was a fun pun indeed, and Lee quickly grew jealous for not having thought of it first.

Penelope grinned, “My time,” the surety in her voice, was betrayed by the slightly trembling of her hands, he followed them until they reached the buckle of his belt. He tried not to smile at the sloppy attempts to unfasten it, not that she didn’t know how to do it, but she was evidently nervous and despite her goodwill, he could sense her trepidation and fear. 

Once she managed, he quietly rose to his feet, the bulge between his legs was evident, and he stood silent, giving her space and time to decide how she wanted to proceed. Surely, she had felt it countless of time before, against her thigh, her belly, the back of her hand, maybe once also against her butt, but that was uncalled for and totally unexpected. 

He blushed remembering how once she saw him half naked diving and swimming in the river with his brothers, but she was pretending to be a boy at that time so he didn’t realize how much embarrassed she must have been. 

This was a totally different story.

The air between them tensed, as Penelope slowly unfastened the first button of his trousers carefully avoiding touching more than she could handle. Her fingers moved to the second button, than the third, as she was holding her breath longer with each one. Finally, she reached the last one and in a burst of courage, she grasped at the side of his trousers and pull them down. 

He wanted to say something funny to lighten the mood, but he held back, Penelope was surely mustering the courage to continue and he didn’t want to press her or give her the impression of being impatient or even making fun of her. So when she stood and ask for a kiss he didn’t expect her hand to travel from his stomach to his underwear gently feeling him. 

He kissed her softly, holding her against his bare chest, feeling the warmth of her skin and her exposed breasts, realizing she was just trying to distract herself, making that mechanical gesture more intimate, and participated. 

Garreth closed his eyes, as her hand kept stroking him from over the fabric, gently assessing his length, his width, his firmness… He felt a warm drop escaping from his tip, gushing out, and he faltered, hoping she would not retreat disgusted by something he wasn’t able to control.

But he heard her chuckling, against his lips, “You’re almost as wet as me,” she joked, and with that she plunged in the depth of his underwear, this time without any hesitation or shame. 

Her hand felt the warmth of his skin, she briefly travel up and down, than in the back, squeezing his buttcheeks with a giggle, before deciding she had enough and proceed to remove that last piece of clothing leaving it dropping down together with his trousers. 

He stepped out of his clothes.

Now he was completely naked and she was half dressed. 

“Do you think it’s fair?” he mumbled opening his arms as she stepped back taking in his figure, he noticed how her eyes were desperately trying not to look down, but she was undoubtedly attracted by his virility. The idea made him even more excited.

Penelope sank in the bed, and hit her cheek with her index finger, faking a thoughtful expression, “Yes, for now. Come here, I haven’t finished yet,” she smiled patting the spot on the covers next to her. Garreth promptly obeyed, as soon as he did it, she leant and took him in her hand, keeping a steady and intense gaze, drinking in his green eyes.

His heart jumped in his chest at that sudden move, he didn’t expect her to be so direct after the time she took it before. He felt her hand moving up and down his shaft, then her thumb followed one of the biggest bluish veins until it reached the tip, he hold his breath.

She exposed the soft skin under it, it was a nice shade of crimson and glistening with his juices. She rolled her thumb on it, feeling him tensing under her touch, she had never seen one before, so she was eager to explore his body discovering his full potential. 

“Does it hurt? Stop me if it does,” she murmured, her voice faint with worries, he shook his head unable to answer, he passed an arm around her and moved her closer, just a simple gesture to let her understand how much he was appreciating her efforts, especially when she started to move her other hand between his thighs, grazing at his balls. It was definitely too much to bear and he didn’t want to sink in his own pleasure before giving her hers.

“Can we… can we move forward?” he pleaded, feeling the gentle thugs becoming more rushed and the increasing pressure around its tip, if she continued that way, it was surely going to come. 

Penelope released him at once, her cheeks hot, she knew what was coming, and after feeling so at ease with her exposed chest, she was confident that getting fully undressed would not be so difficult.

Still, the thought made her nervous, and Garreth read it in her eyes, as he kissed her again, gently moving his hands up her skirt, “Shall we remove this stocking first?” he suggested against her lips, she nodded trying to relax under his touch, she was quivering lightly, “Are you cold?” he was definitely not cold, not after what she did, but maybe she wasn’t as excited as him…

“A little bit,” she admitted. He took a moment to lower the canopy of the four-poster bed, providing them with a sense of intimacy. The soft light from the lantern on the nightstand, glowing in the darkness, created the perfect atmosphere.

“Better, thanks,” she whispered laying on the covers ready for whatever he had in mind. If she thought Garreth would be more decisive than her, she was surely wrong, despite his eagerness he still felt a bit embarrassed and once he took out her stockings, his hands became more unsure around the strip of her skirt.

She felt it and gently asked him to lay next to her, she looked him in the eyes, admiring the shimmering of his green irises under the warm glow of the lantern. She brushed his hair, taking a moment to let her heart slow its beat while stroking the soft silk of his ginger curls, wrapping one around her finger. She caressed his cheek, trying to count the myriad of freckles on his faces. They  stood still for a moment, then Garreth moved forward and kissed her once again, intrigued by the gentle gaze of her slightly almond-shaped eyes, an inheritance of her grandmother, and the inviting curving of her pink lips. He wanted her so badly… 

The kiss deepened as his hand travelled once more from her shoulder to her hips, brushing her nipple in its journey to her thigh, he raised the fabric of her skirt with renew purpose, moving it up. Her skin, now exposed, was cold, so he bend one knee and covered her with his thigh; the feeling of their naked body pressed together, released more sparkles, especially because he knew she must feel it pressing on her stomach. He kept moving, reaching her underwear, then creeping under them, one centimeter at a time, feeling the warmth increasing at the tip of his fingers the more he was digging into her secrets. 

He felt a tuft of hair and saw Penelope widened her eyes gasping, before closing them again, relaxing and hiding in the nook of his shoulder, “Shall I…?” he noticed her nodding, still hidden, so he continued, feeling her legs tensing up. He stroked her lips gently, almost asking for permission before plunging in. He felt her wet folds and brushed his knuckle against them, sensing her little clit tightening, while his hand was becoming more and more slick with her juices. 

She wasn’t joking, she was wet… and just from the little teasing moment they had.

He moved his thumb up, pressing it gently on her nub, she quivered and whimpered, he could hear her heart pumping against his chest, furiously. He desperately wanted to see the look on her face, check her eyes, but he didn’t dare to ask, so he kept stroking with little gentle movements, assessing her reactions. Was she liking it?

He felt her hand grappling at his arm once again, a soft moan escaped her throat, while her fingernails dug in his skin leaving red marks, yes, she was definitely liking it. He increased the pressure, eager to slip a finger inside her, savoring every part of that warm aroused body, when he finally did it, she tensed once again. 

“Don’t… don’t stop. Please,” he heard her, almost pleading, he didn’t. He kept stroking her gently, circling her clit with the tip of his thumb while lightly pumping his finger inside her, sensing her tight walls clenching. A wet sound escaped form her intimacy, and she heard her whining, 

“It’s okay, Pen, don’t be ashamed,” he whispered, fearing she was too embarrassed to enjoy the moment.

Penelope raised her head, the heat coming from Garreth’s chest was becoming almost unbearable, her stomach was turning and she started to feel the waves of what she believed was one of the most powerful orgasms she had ever experienced. But of course, she wasn’t sure, caught up in the moment as she was, she barely remembered how to breathe.

She just knew she trusted him as she had alway done, and that he wasn’t disappointing her.

The pressure increased between her legs, his fingers were moving faster, steadier, bringing her on the verge of the abyss, closing her eyes, her let herself go. She had waited that moment for months, so she just clenched her fist and let a moan escape her lips as the center of her pleasure started to pulse, the contractions becoming closer and closer. 

If this was just the beginning, what was coming next?

Almost losing her mind in the intensity of the orgasm, she soon tried to recompose herself.

Quivering lightly she closed her legs and Garreth understood that she had enough, but as soon as he retread his finger, now slicked from her juices, he felt Penelope pushing him away.

Taken by surprise, fearing he did something wrong, he rolled on the bed with his back on the covers, he didn’t have the time to understand what was happening, or even ask her what was going on, that she was on top of him, her warm and wet entrance pressed against the tip of his shaft. 

He widened his eyes, puzzled, what was happening?

He glanced up at Penelope, her face hidden by cascading hair. Gently brushing the strands aside and tucking the longest tresses behind her ears, he caught a mischievous smirk gracing her lips, “Do you really think I was letting you do all the work?” she mocked him, lowering herself and pinning her hand on his shoulder while gently moving herself up and down along his length, making it slippery and wetter with every stroke. 

He almost choked, while tying to swallow hard, his exposed and sensitive tip was prodding her entrance, sending him shivers whenever she rocked her hips. 

She truly was something.

In his desperate attempt to distract himself, as he was sure he was going to explode sooner or later, as the sight of her clit brushing against him was too much, he raised his arms, his hands searching for her breasts. He had just the time to stroke her nipples, that Penelope grabbed his wrists, “Not a chance,” she murmured and taking his hands off of her, she lower herself pinning him to the bed, with her nipples caressing his chest, but that was exactly what lead her to her doom.

She was clearly in a precarious position as she was stretched all the way down and in the attempt to keeping him in place, she was loosing her grip on him. Despite her clenching her thighs, it took no effort from Garreth to turn his hips and flip her over.

Penelope sinked on the mattress as a soft cry escaped her lips, Garreth quickly moved his knee between her legs to prevent her from closing them, “I think it’s time to end this little game,” he whispered, his voice rough and coarse, and lowering his body he gently pressed it against her, he felt her spreading her knees inviting him to continue, while nodding, she had enough as well.

They lock eyes for a brief moment, while Garreth stroke himself again against her drenched folds, parting them and gently pushing, feeling her entrance tightening. “We don’t need to do it,” he reminded her, he wanted to give her a last chance to back up before it was too late.

She didn’t answer, but she extended her hand and gently caressed his cheek, before raising and kissing him again, he knew it was his cue, still locked in the kiss he lower his hips and slowly started to make his way inside her. Pushing and retreating, little by little, he managed to finally get his way in, she was warm, tight and slippery, she was perfectly wrapping him, like a soft embrace.

He heard her whimper, and when she land on her back breaking the kiss, her eyes were closed, and the muscles on her neck tense. She was surely trying to resist for his sake. He almost wanted to pull out, if it had to be painful for her, he wasn’t interested anymore.

But after a few seconds Penelope opened her eyes, the tears glistening in them were pushed away by her tender smile, “Do you mind? I can’t move,” she tried to joke, and he nodded starting to gently rock his hips, leaving her room to adjust to the new feeling with every push.

Penelope inhaled sharply as the pain in her belly subsided, leaving behind a new feeling, she was full and ripen, her body ready for that new experience. She grapple at Garreth hips and start to gently move with him, the warmth in her stomach deepened as the sensation between her legs grew sharper and more intense with every move. 

She find herself transported into a new whirlwind of stimuli, she wasn’t sure how to define them, but she surely liked them, her body at least was. As Garreth pleasure grew more intense with every pump, she also felt it, he was loosing his composure and his eyes were faltering, his focus on a totally different spot. 

As he plunged deeper into her, she arched her back, widened her eyes in surprise, was that supposed to be so… intense? She didn’t expect it, she couldn’t keep the grip on his hips anymore, so she just grabbed the cover of the bed and closed her eyes feeling his breath growing more heavier with every movement.

Garreth knew he couldn’t last longer, she was already tensing under him, her walls tightening once more, but when she bend her knees making herself smaller, it was then that he completely lost it. “Pen…” he whisper desperately, “I know, I’m fine,” a soft reassuring smile danced on her lips, her eyes full of pleasure and untold desire, even if she wasn’t coming yet, they knew there was still time to enjoy themselves. 

He bit his lip, pushing once more, basking in the beauty of the girl behind him, completely spread and undone for him. He sense a drop of sweat forming on his forehead, but his thoughts were all for the turning and churning in his groin. He was almost there, he reached the verge with a last thrust moaning and almost cursing under his breath.

When he finally finished, releasing himself in her, he tried to keep his balance, but finally toppled over landing on his back beside her. Penelope rolled over him, resting her head on his chest, she was exhausted. 

“I definitely have something to look forward now after my holidays,” she joked, and Garreth chuckled ruffling her hair, still catching his breath. 

“I don’t know if Leander would agree with that, but this was surely a nice gift from him,” they both laugh, sweaty and happy.

They both knew that was jus the begging of a total new adventure.

[leonisdumbasallhell]

👩‍⚕️ for Leon if that's okay 👀

👩‍⚕️ Sadistic doctor seeks to hurt - :3

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

Leon had been awake for a while. He had no idea how long because the room was pitch black, which told him very little. It was also very quiet, which told him even less. Straining his hearing gave nothing, though the fact there was no echo when he shouted told him it was sound dampened. Which he didn't like, particularly.

What he liked even less was the fact he was strapped semi nude to a metal table. Leather cuffs on his legs and arms, and across his chest, throat, thighs, the whole shebang. It felt dreadfully unnecessary.

Touch and smell where his last remaining senses of much use to him (Well technically taste as well, though he doubted there was anything he could reach to lick, nor anything he wanted to lick) And touch told him it was cold, either refrigerated or just very high AC. His skin prickled, leaving him shivering. It smelled hospital clean, clorine and bleach and other sorts of cleaners, all masking the distinct undertone of old blood rotting.

Sooooo some sort of medical facility. Seems about right. Lat he remembered was exploring some dingy old lab. Guess it hadn't been quite as empty as he'd been lead to believe. Great. What the hell did they want with him.

Nothing good, if this was how they liked to entertain guests.

Lights flashed on with a snap, and his eyes stung, flinching away from the blinding with a gasp. He shook his head, blinking tears as his retinas got used to the sudden bright. It was blurry to start, as his pupils shrunk to a more useful size. And he was right. Some sort of medical room. A very dirty, horror movie medical room, complete with blood stained tiles and gurneys and rusted euipment on rusted tables. Oh this looked like all kinds of fun for him.

Someone cleared their throat, drawing his attention to a set of double doors, where he could see a mousy woman standing somewhat awkwardly. She cleared her throat again, looking anywhere but at him.

After several seconds of silence, Leon's annoyance got the better of his startling. "You wanna tell me what this is about?"

The woman spooked, clearing her throat again like she had some sort of a cold, but Leon felt it was probably a nervous habit. "Right, Right, yes of course. My apologies, Mr. Kennedy. I hope it's all right if I call you that, I read through your documentation. Best to know the details of one's patient before setting to work, you know."

She skittered into the room, truly moving like a mouse as she looked over her tools at one of the tables, and setting down the bundle of things he hadn't notices she had. And he frowned, once she moved away. It was his gear.

"RIght. Well uh. You know I don't think it's standard proceedure to strap your 'patients' to a table, so if you could just let me go I'm sure we could have a nice chat."

The woman glanced over her shoulder apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Kennedy, but I'm afraid I can't. Not until I'm done."

She picked up a nasty looking scalpel, squirting some kind of cleaner on it before wiping it on a dingy cloth. Leon started to squirm more aggressively. "I don't think that's clean."

The woman turned back to him, scalpel ready, and smiled shyly. "Oh, don't worry, it won't matter."

She grinned wider, readying the blade against his right shoulder. "Let's begin!"

And she did, giving Leon a very good idea of why the room was so well sound proofed.

[morri0127]

Yumi In Wonderland (My vocaloid n25 oc) (Fanfic,Read below)

Chapter 1: Down The Rabbit Hole

The empty landscape of empty sekai was as quiet as ever,Yumi had been bored out of her mind.Luka was too busy bothering Meiko,whom she couldn't cling to either due to the latter issue. Kaito? She wouldn't dare. Rin? Too shy. Len? He's too scared of me. Miku? She's with the girls. The only person she could chat with as of now was her mirror counterpart:Yuki . "Yuki! Yuki! I'm so bored!" She said. "Hm?...Yumi? I'm not really in the mood for chitchat..why don't you take a nap instead?" He suggested. "Nap??..NAP!? No! That's too boring!" Yumi said,Really offended. "Then I have no clue. " He said,turning away. Yumi pouted. "..hmph! I don't want to nap..I guess I'll try though..."Yumi lay on the floor,she shut her eyes. She immediately opened them when she heard the pattering of feet on the floor. "H-Huh is someone..running..?" She thought. Her red eyes widened as she saw something odd. "I-Im dreadfully late.." A voice said. Yumi gasped as she saw ..Miku!? But..she didn't look like her. She had gray bunny ears and a fluffy gray tail,she was carrying a pocket watch that was a silver color. "M-Miku!? Miku! What's wrong!? And why do you look like a bunny!?" She shouted the best she could. "I-I can't talk.." she said as she jumped down a glowing hole. "Miku..." Yumi said. Yumi was quite curious on what Miku was worried and late about,so crouched down and took a look at the hole. "Hm..It's really bright...maybe if I just looked a little bit closer..then...." Yumi slipped ."AHHHHHHHHH!" she shouted as she fell down. She shut her eyes and braced herself for an impact but to her surprise,there was none. She heard the odd flapping of fabric. "Huh..that doesn't sound like my dress.." she thought. She looked in surprise when she saw her new outfit. She wore a blue frilly dress with white socks and black mary janes. She also had a black bow. "What a weird tunnel.." she thought as she fell down. She noticed many books,a bookshelf and a lamp. Many weird things as well. "My outfit changed..and I'm in this odd tunnel...What kind of a SEKAI is this...." she thought. She thought she was floating for eternity until she landed with a thud. She noticed the Miku bunny running down the hall. "Miku wai-" she stopped as she noticed a long row of doors and Miku was gone. "This..really is an odd SEKAI.." Yumi thought.

[senor-plume]

Imagining Her (as I stroll)

took a walk this morning with an empty palm

no sweet sneakers gliding alongside of me

no lipstick chatting into my needy ear

and there she sits with boredom hours and sober minutes

waiting

for me? I’d like to think so

her lips are all I desire now… maybe she’ll have a cracker crumb right on the corner

I’d lick it if I could

and I think she’d allow me

but here I am with my very own boredom and a longing in my chest

nice little reminders that I love her

her voice which I can conjure up at anytime speaks to me as the rough automobiles files past me on the New York streets

she’s telling me to slow down my pace and even though I am dreadfully alone I break my long strides and kind of scuffle on the sidewalk

as we need this to go on …longer…

I cruise slowly to my favorite park and if she was beside me (as she should…as she would) I’d help her down below my most cherished tree

Place her adorable bottom to the shirt I laid out so no dirt or leaves will stick to her

I’m nice that way

and we’d talk gab chatter jabber

until it becomes far too much and I’d lean in for the greatest first kiss

I imagine her often and even though she is a real deal lady I cannot caress her

hell, my nose will never breathe her scent in

my palms which yearn for her breasts will remain deserted within my jangly pockets

and although she is so far away she always has a place within me and I take her spirit with me everywhere I go

and if you knew her you’d do the same

[sohelish]

Emptiness. Heavy emptiness was weighing down her shoulders as if forcing the woman towards the ground. Somehow, she found the strength to stand up nonetheless. She could have sworn there were people around her just a moment ago. The booming of their combined chatting filled the air and made it difficult to concentrate on the text before her eyes. What could have happened to suddenly erase all the traces of presence? All except for the remaining plates and cups.

How odd was it, for some must have been holding objects in their hands, yet she heard no signs of crashing. In fact, everything suddenly became… absence. Of noise. And smell. The whole space felt sterile, and at the same time, it definitely was not.

Frankly, it resembled one of the graphic nightmares Helena would have experienced. But this one felt painfully, dreadfully realistic. Could she trust any senses now?

Nevertheless, the woman urged herself to move. Leave the dining hall and enter the corridor, only to find… nothing.

Nothing, where masses would pass by seemingly indefinitely, making their way to other destinations, there was absence again.

Hel opened her mouth to ask: anybody there? But she hesitated, worried that she would not hear the sound of her own voice. That was when she noticed the steam forming as her breath met the cold. The temperature dropped significantly.

[humblequestvinyl]

blindsided

BLINDSIDED, EDDIE DIAZ X FEM!READER

APART OF THE ‘ROLLING UP THE WELCOME MAT’ WRITING SERIES

SUMMARY: entering back into the city that holds the most memories, y/n plays a song for her best friend, holding all the secretes of her former marriage.

inspired by blindsided by kelsea ballerini

previous chapter | next chapter

lowercase is intentional! wc: 1.3k

warning: MAJOR fighting, talks about fertility/wanting kids, marriage problems, fighting, alcohol, & major angst

a/n: ERAS TOUR ERAS TOUR ERAS TOUR!

IT WAS ALMOST A WEEK LATER,

and the ending show of y/n’s tour, leaving her in the one place she didn’t want to be.

los angeles california.

so she sat in her dressing room, dreadfully getting ready for her show when she heard a knock on her dressing room door, which soon opened revealing one of the only people she was willing to see in LA.

“buck!”y/n exclaimed as a smile spread across her face as the firefighter walked into the room, and wrapped the girl in a hug as she sat in her chair, “i’ve missed you!”

“missed you too shorty.”he joked, causing y/n to roll her eyes before her stylist continued to curl her hair for the show, “you excited to perform tonight?” 

“only because you’re here.”she told him, and he chuckled, “speaking of, did chris join you tonight?” buck shook his head no, knowing the girl had been trying to see him for at least a month but with her tour schedule and eddie refusing to communicate with her, she hadn’t been able to.

“eddie’s excuse this time was that it’s a school night and he didn’t want chris to be late tomorrow.”buck explained, causing the girl to hum, knowing he was right, “chris wasn’t too happy.”

“i mean i wouldn’t be either considering eddie refuses to answer any of my calls to try and talk to chris, and the only time i do see him is over facetime with you.”y/n explained, causing bucks face to go sour, knowing how much the girl hated it, “i’ll drag him back to court if i have to, but i don’t want to put chris through that.”

he nodded, before the two chatted for a few minutes, before y/n’s face lit up and she scrambled for her phone, “i wanna play you something i wrote!’

“did you record it?”buck questioned and the girl nodded, going into her files and loading up a voice memo she had of it, “it’s called lost on me for now, but i might change it.”

the girl hit play before the song started to play, before her voice started to ring through bringing back all of the memories of their relationship,

“were you on the other line, or driving in your car?”

—-

(AUGUST 29TH 2019)

“EDDIE WHERE ARE YOU?”

y/n asked as she leaned up against the kitchen counter of the diaz’s home, and she could hear cars passing by in the background, “its almost time for dinner, chris wanted all of us to eat together.”

“i’m out.”eddie stated plainly, and y/n glanced down the hall, hearing chris playing video games with buck, “you guys eat, i’ll grab leftovers.”

“eddie-”was all y/n could get out before the line went dead, causing her to drop her phone by her side, completely defeated. her head snapped up as she heard chris’s bedroom door close shut, seeing buck walk down the hall, with a wide smile spread across his face.

“did eddie say when he was going to be back?”buck questioned as he walked towards the girl, immediately noticing the defeated look on her face, “don’t tell me,”

“he said for us to eat, and he’ll grab leftovers,”y/n repeated, avoiding bucks eyes, “again.”

“he’s gotta stop doing this.”buck muttered, before going towards chris’s bedroom so the three could eat, knowing chris had his first day of school the next day. a small tear fell down the woman's face, before she went to set the table, leaving one empty plate on the counter for her husband.

this was wrong. all of it was wrong. 

from her husband not coming home and letting their son down, all of the secrets he would be hiding from her, pretending that nothing was wrong, just to prove that he was right.

it was wrong, and she absolutely hated it.

was he just blind from all of their problems? thinking if he pretended that everything was fine, their marriage would be as well? 

the h/c woman was broken out of her thoughts as soon as she heard laughter quickly coming down the hall, and she forced a wide smile onto her face for the boy she considered her child, thinking if she pretended that if everything was fine, he would be too.

“where’s dad?”chris questioned as y/n dished up a plate for the group, and she glanced at the boy with a fake smile. before she could even come up with a reason, buck spoke up with a slight chuckle.

“captain nash was short handed because there’s a bug going around the firehouse, so he needed your dad to go in for work.”buck explained, and y/n felt relief wash over her, knowing she didn’t have to figure out an excuse to give to chris. 

y/n gave buck a ‘thank you’ look, before she walked over to the two, with plates in her hand for all of them, “tonight's dinner is chicken parm with pasta and garlic bread.”

“thank you.”the boys exclaimed, before digging in, and y/n sat at the end of the table, with her plate in front of her, but her appetite completely gone.

was eddie pretending that everything was fine, or was he just blind?

—

(NOVEMBER 12TH 2019)

“I SERIOUSLY DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO Y/N,”

eddie told the singer as the two stood in her nashville apartment, the night before the cma’s that y/n was supposed to sing at the next day.

“i want you to be there, not drunk and be happy for me eddie!”she exclaimed, feeling the cheap ass rose they had been drinking running through her veins, “i want you to come home every night and spend time with your family!”

“i do spend time with my family!”eddie tried to argue, and y/n rolled her eyes, causing the firefighter to give her a look, “i’m not the one whos constantly in the studio, constantly on tour!”

“bull-fucking-shit! i’m in the studio trying to make an album to provide for this family because god knows you don’t!”y/n exclaimed, seeing eddie getting furious, “maybe that’s why you’re never home is because you cannot handle the fact that i’m the breadwinner in this house!”

“i’m never home because anytime i try and bring up kids you brush me off like it’s nothing.”eddie stated lowly, and tears pricked at y/n eyes knowing how many times they had this conversation, “i want more kids y/n, and the fact that you keep brushing me off like it’s nothing is why i’m never home.”

“i’ve told you so many times i don’t want any kids eddie,”the h/c choked out, with baby hairs sticking to her tear stained cheeks, “its not news to you, you’ve been in this fucking conversation so many times.”

eddie shook his head, before storming to their bedroom and slamming the door shut, leaving the girl sliding against the wall, sobbing knowing that was their biggest fight of their entire relationship.

she could feel everything crumbling beneath her, and she absolutely hated it. she hated everything about it. she was losing control of everything she had and y/n hated it.

he wasn’t blind, he was just pretending everything was fine.

–

“I KNOW THE TRUTH WAS HARD TO HEAR, YOU’VE GOT YOURS AND I’VE GOT MINE BABY,”

“were you blindsided, or were you just blind?”the recording faded out, and y/n looked over at buck who had been listening intently to the song itself, knowing how much that meant to her.

“so you’re making an album from the divorce?”he questioned, and a small smile was spread across the girls face as she nodded.

“i’m making an ep about the divorce.”

[nattspencer]

Let me take care of you

Missy x Reader

Summary: Missy gets hurt while doing maintenance in the TARDIS and a sad reader comes to help.

A/N: English is not my first language, I’m really sorry for any mistakes. It has been a long time since the last time I wrote any story, I'm just trying to get back to my hobbies and strugling a little bit now, anyhow, I really wanna get back to doing this, but in my own time, so if you have any ideas and want me to write them, it would be a pleasure, just send me a request o/

Warnings: tiny mention of torture, tiny mention of grief, lots of fluffy and soft!Missy.

Word count: 2.7k.

The GIF is not mine.

          God you missed your granny. She would definitely know what to do, what to do with all this feeling for a certain time lord, all this self loathe, and even if she didn’t know exactly how to help, at least you would have your person to talk about, to cry if you have to, you just needed to take it out of your chest.

          Don’t get me wrong, you absolutely love Bill and Nardole, but the fear of their judgment it’s just not something you would have when you talked with your granny, she was just your person, she was the one to love you, to care for you when the world didn’t even acknowledge your existence. She was the one to stand for you when all you parents did was beat the living shit out of you and tell you how useless you are and how you stole their lives and freedom. 

          Nightmares definitely weren’t a strange thing to you, had them since you were a child, and by now, for the most part, you can handle them pretty well, sometimes you were able to even stop them without having the trouble to wake up, but not this one. This one was particularly different, particularly cruel. 

          You could handle being chased, being beaten, tortured, see the most important people in you life telling you how much they despise you, but there’s one thing that was just too much. You couldn’t bear to watch Missy being tortured, torn apart, you could handle anything, except seeing the woman you love being hurt, in any way. Yes, she is a murderer, yes, she probably tortured someone sometime, but still, she is not that person anymore, she has changed, and you saw her changing. 

          When you first glanced at Missy in the vault, all you could think was how she looked just like you before granny stepped up, so hurt, so resentful, so trying desperately to feel something other than pure misery, but also trying so despairingly to seem okay, to seem like you need no one else other than themselves. You saw you in her, and you couldn’t help but do exactly what you so dreadfully one day hoped someone would, you cared. You cared for her. 

          One day you saw her hiding her bruised knuckles from you and Nardole’s view in one of your visits, so on the next one you found some excuse to bring a punching bag with you, alongside with some boxing gloves, so she could hit on something without hurting herself. On another occasion you saw her eyes a little swollen, so little that you doubt that Nardole would ever suspect it were ever that way. Thereupon you made another excuse to quickly go home and make a bottle of your better mix of milk and honey, granny’s recipe for when you were feeling down, just to unfortunately “forget” the full bottle inside the vault, unnecessary to say that it was empty the very next day.

          Little gestures like that, that’s what caught Missy’s attention. She began subtly to be a little less wry towards you, and little by little, your conversations lengthen and you two started to get along with each other. There were nights that you two just layed comfortably alongside each other and watched your favorite tv shows, others you just sat together each one reading your elected books with a pleasing silence between you two. Sometimes you just chatted about some random subject until the tiredness of the day got you, some other times you just spent the whole night bantering The Doctor and talking about his mannerism. And just like that, you fell in love, just to now, be punished by your bad dreams.

          Sometimes you wonder if your nightmares weren’t just your mind showing you the fears you so desperately try to forget. In any case, you were just too shaken to go back to sleep now and for that, you knew exactly what place you needed to go to find your serenity once again. The TARDIS’ beach has been your hide spot almost since you moved into the ship, it was quiet, had a gentle breeze and most of all, you could confess and tell everything you wanted to your beloved machine without the risk of anyone listening to it. 

          Your feet already knew the way by now, but the ship always made the room closer than it should when you needed it the most. You never thought you would love a machine as much as you love this one, all the sounds, all the lights, dimming and brightening in rhythm, but nothing compares to the lovely humming, that ladies and gentleman was the sound of home. The Doctor doesn’t imagine, but you’ve recorded it and put it to play every night you spend outside the ship just to lull you to sleep. Your mind would probably keep drifting about the wonders in the machine if the sound of something falling didn’t catch your attention. 

          “Bloody hell!” You heard from a tiny room ahead, there was no doors and the place filled with technological timey wimey stuff such as wires or metal plates, one of the later was resting in the ground “You should be in a fucking junkyard by now you useless shit” Missy hissed to the TARDIS.

          “Don’t talk to her like that! It’s not her fault that her driver is a little too neglectful towards maintenance” You said taking the ship’s side.

          “A fucking metal plate just fell on me so I think I get to call her whatever the fucking hell I want” Missy said clearly pissed. You were about to say something else in favor of the ship when you noticed a thin sharp redline in her forearm.

          “Shit, your arm, we really should go to the medbay” There was concern in your voice.

          “Oh this? It’s just a scratch poppet, you don’t have to care so much for little old me” Mockering was dripping from her words.

          “It's not a scratch, it's bleeding” The sight of her dark red blood made the scenes of your nightmare scream painfully in your head “Just… please, let’s get it clean before it gets infected” Your tone was shaken and the tiredness dripped over sorrow.

          “Well, if it calms your sentimental heart off we go then, there’s lots of things to fix and it’s really easier to do so when you all are not drifting around the time vortex” She said already walking outside the room. You didn’t say a single word, a tight knot was placed in your throat, all you managed to do was follow her steps. 

          The sound of her heels clicking rapidly echoed around the machine’s corridors. You could feel her eyes burning on you, but not a single word fell from her mouth. The route was brief but it felt like an eternity, memories of early flooding your mind while you try to pretend outside that nothing was happening. As soon as you enter the medbay you finally said, trying to sound as natural as possible: 

          “Um… you can sit on that stretcher, I’ll gather some supplies, wait a sec” You said, avoiding her gaze and trying to find what could be useful to clean and bandage her wound. 

          “You know I wouldn’t really throw a functioning TARDIS in a junkyard right?” She broke the silence “Also, I’m quite sure The Doctor it’s a little too attached to this particular one, so throwing it away wouldn't exactly help me get his friendship back” 

          “Yeah, I know, don’t worry” That was all you managed to say while you sat in front of her, starting to clean her cut, trying your very best to push the hurtful images to the back of your mind.

          “Did I say anything wrong, pet? Have I done anything wrong?” She tried to keep her usual tone but you could hear a hint of concern in her words “See, I’m little new on this being good thing”

          “Don’t worry Missy, you haven’t done or said anything wrong or bad or anything like that, it’s okay” You assured her.

          “Then why are you like this?” Her eyebrows furrowed.

          “Don’t worry, It’s nothing important” It was a paper thin lie, but still, you tried.

          “Well, the thing is, it is important” A deep sigh fell from between her lips “Look, I’m new to this kind of stuff but you once said you took care of me because it was all you ever wanted when you were down, having someone to care without the need to ask for it, so please, I know I’m way far from being the best person or the deserving person to do it but just for this once, let me take care of you”

          “You remembered” It was ages ago when you told her that, and she still remembered it, just the way you said. A smile crawled on your lips and your eyes brightened.

          “Of course I do remember, kitten, some of the things you say resonate you know” She said as if it was obvious. Your smile grew wider and your eyes started glistening.

          “Damn, you are truly amazing, you know that right?” There was true admiration in your words

          “Well, I’m just making my part of the deal. How was it again? You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed? I’m responsible with my pets, especially with my favorite one”

          You just couldn’t hold your tears back anymore, sorrow and pain, happiness and fondness was all mixed within you, all too much to contain. Missy then stood up and gently scooped you into her arms in a warm embrace, mildly stroking your hair. You never imagined she could be so tender, so warm, and more than any moment, she felt like home, it felt like you had your person again, and it made you cry even more. 

          She patiently waits for you to get it all off your chest, letting you wet her blouse as much as you want to, as much as you need to. Her other hand drew weightless incomprehensible circles on the small of your back trying to lull you into calmness. Your face was bared in the crook of her neck, her familiar scent invaded your nostrils and reminded you of the days you slept together in the vault in your movie nights, those were good nights.

          “Don’t worry, I’ve got you” She said in a tender tone.

          Good minutes drifted through the clock until you finally cried all you needed, the grief from your grandmother, your unrequited love for Missy, your nightmares, your fears, all gone now in the form of tears. 

          “Better?” She broke the silence carefully when you pulled slightly away from her embrace.

          “Better”

          “I just want you to know that if you want to talk to someone, about anything, even about earth’s history, I’m here for you okay? Little old me is never out of duty” Her eyes flooded with truth and tenderness.

          “Thank you” No word in the would could express the gratitude, the feelings you had now “I suppose talk about it wouldn’t hurt, I trust you Missy” When you said it so honesty a hit of surprise hit her face, followed soon by joy “So I think it would be fair enough to show you my hideout”

          “Hideout?” One of her eyebrows arched.

          “Well, when I get some really bad nightmares normally like to wander around, so in one of these walks the TARDIS showed me that room, since then whenever a need a safe place I just go there and talk to my machine friend” 

          “Machine friend? Might have to throw her in the junkyard after all” She said in a mockering tone.

          “Missy!” You said with a small laugh.

          “What? That’s my name dearie, don’t wear it out, ohh” Her brain finally realized something “So that’s why you took her side earlier, naughty naughty” She smiled showing her canines.

          “There’s enough room in my heart for you two, it is bigger on the inside” 

          “I very much like exclusivity, pet” 

          “Will you go with me or not?” You fake annoyance.

          “Follow a pretty girl to an unknown location in the middle of the night? Seams safe enough, off we go?”

          “You’re unbelievable” A genuine laugh fell from your lips.

          Your hands instinctively enclosed hers in a perfect puzzle as soon as you started to walk, a comfortable silence between you two in the brief road, iIt was really strange how things were really closer than the usual, actually you could bet the TARDIS purposely made this way, in fact she might have arranged it all. She knew you loved Missy. Anyhow, in no time you were standing on the beach’s door. 

          When you opened it and instantly you felt a pleasant light breeze on your face, the sea air filling your lungs, and the sun perfectly clouded, not too hot, not too gloomy. You took a glance into Missy’s face and a light sound smile painted her lips. In no time you took off your shoes and put your toes in the sand, dragging your honor guest with you.

          “Oh nono, no boots in the sand, take your shoes off” 

          “Sand it’s awful to clean”

          “My place, my rules, please” Pleading painting your eyes.

          “Fine, but don’t take pictures of my feet and post it online, I know they are pretty”

          “For the love of God woman” You couldn’t help but to laugh. 

          A towel laid carefully placed in the sand, close enough to the ocean but not too close to get wet, still holding hands you two sat comfortably on it, and you laid your head on her shoulder. Glancing at the waves you started to talk.

          You told her about your granny, how you missed her, told her about the nightmare that bothered you early this night, told her pretty much everything, except that she was the one you loved. Missy attentively listened to all the things you said, always making some witty comment to make you laugh. It was peaceful, among all the chaos, it was peaceful.

          She then told you about her childhood, her friendship with the Doctor, and in the end you just were chatting literally about anything that would come to mind. Talking with her was easy, was natural, and you wished it would go on forever, but now, with your head on her lap, a stubborn yawn slipped between your lips.

          “Sorry, did I bore you sweetie?” She played.

          “Shut up”

          “Naughy, but you really should get some sleep, I don’t know much about humans, but I do know about your daily semi-coma thing” Her hands were dancing blissfully between your locks.

          “I should, but I don’t want this to end” Sincerity flooded your words.

          “I don’t have anywhere else to be pet, quite imprisoned I would say” 

          “Still, I don’t want you to leave, also, I don’t want to have that nightmare again” Your face contorted to the thought of that.

          “Well, if that’s the problem I suppose I could sleep with you then, those nasty nightmares won’t bother you anymore, furthermore I will still be by your side”

          “That sounds nice” Butterflies danced in your stomach.

          “But just for the records, if I fill your bed with sand that’s totally your fault” 

          “Blame is on me then, off we go? I can borrow you one of my pjs” 

          “Little old me, in your room, light clothes, you really will have to sleep, you know that right?” A mischievous smile danced on her lips.

          “Yes, I do know that” You rolled your eyes with annoyance to mask a light shade of pink in your cheeks “Off we go?” You said getting up and extending your hands to her.

          Missy gently took your hands and stood up too without saying anything, just her pale blue eyes locked in yours. All the way to your room your hand didn’t leave hers and you thought you really could get used to this, you felt safe. And after all she has done today you could tell you were really important to her too.

[dakogutin]

DAY14/24 of @dzaddyjamespotter‘s advent calendar prompts:

CHRISTMAS TREE / DECORATIONS

(read my other christmas prompts here!)

All things considered, Sirius was used to being injured.

It was the price of adventure, he always said. A bruise from falling from a great height, a cut on his knee from running too fast… and stinging hexes from his mother’s admonishments. Perfectly healable, all of them, anyway. Kreacher may glare daggers into him for this but the elf still mended every single one of them. 

What he was not used to, was being sent to St Mungo’s for it.

“Sirius carelessly played with his mother’s wand,” was the reason submitted on Sirius’ behalf. It was all lies. He was never the one holding the wand.

Regulus didn’t want to leave– that miserable softie. But it didn’t take long for Sirius to be left alone in a wide and empty room of white walls, a sad flower vase, and a painfully sturdy mattress. Still, Sirius could get used to the idea of spending his Christmas here. It was new.

Except it was dreadfully boring.

The first thing Sirius did as soon as he was left there, was to go to the activities centre in the children’s ward. Surely he’s not the only child admitted in the Hols.

No and yes. If not babies, they were toddlers.

He couldn’t even roam around the entire floor as he was very closely monitored thanks to the solitary status of his age. He slowly began to feel how this was a fitting punishment for him.

Until when he returned later that evening, knowing he could at least have the room to himself. Fairylights glowed softly and revealed the few changes. 

There was a Christmas tree.

And a boy.

His age, it seems.

“Oh.” Sirius couldn’t contain his surprise.

The boy turned to Sirius. Round brown eyes blinking cautiously, long skinny limbs littered with plasters and bandages, and a mop of brown hair.

Apparently, the boy was decorating the tree. A box containing the ornaments was nearby and he held a bauble in one hand. His other arm was wrapped in a cast. “Hi,” Sirius said, approaching. 

“Hi,” the boy replied, voice small.

“I’m Sirius.” He stretched out his hand. 

“Remus.” 

They shook hands, and saw Remus smile a bit at that.

“Can I help?” 

“Okay.”

Suffice to say, Sirius was eager for conversation. Anything, really. Kreacher does the decorations at home, so he found himself excited at the prospect in a way Remus was natural about it. Maybe Remus was a halfblood... “How long have you been here?” he asked.

Remus took a deep breath. “Since I was four.” 

For a moment Sirius thought he had offended Remus with the question. But after that response, Sirius had a feeling they both shared a certain dread in answering questions about their… circumstances. “Oh, well, I got here this morning.” 

“I thought you looked new,” Remus said in a musing.

“What do you do for fun? It’s so boring here.”

“I usually wander around,” Remus said excitedly. “Visit other rooms, or just hang out here. There are loads of stuff they put here for us. Like, well, this.” He waved the bauble in his hand before hanging it on the tree.

Sirius reached in the box to retrieve an elf toy bauble, chuckling at its appearance and hung it as well. “Yeah. I’ve actually been here the whole day. Just me, which made it boring. Where were you?”

Remus swallowed thickly. He hid his face from Sirius’ view with the branches. “I was asleep.”

“Oh,” Sirius said simply and didn’t push. “I couldn’t sleep at all. My bed is awfully stiff.”

“Mine too,” Remus smiled.

“Yeah?” Sirius smiled back. “It’s great that we found each other, then. And this tree. This wasn’t here earlier. At least now we have something to do.”

They continued hanging more ornaments, chatting about how ridiculous some look and planned the arrangements of it on the tree. Sirius would catch Remus wincing, no doubt from his broken arm, but he decided not to prod. 

Until, they managed to empty the box.

“Do you need help with that?” Sirius nodded to the star in Remus’ hand.

With a glance at his own broken right arm, Remus made his decision. He offered it to Sirius.

Sirius stared at it meaningfully before he shook his head. “You do it. Here.” He dragged a small stool and gestured at Remus.

“Why let me do it?” Remus said, hesitating.

Sirius shrugged. “Because you want to.” 

Remus beamed. With Sirius gripping the stool to help the balance, Remus stepped on it and placed the star on top of the tree.

“We’ll call it Regulus,” Sirius declared.

Remus scrunched his face and laughed. “The tree?”

“No,” Sirius followed with his own laugh. “The star.”

“Oh. Why?”

“That’s my brother’s name.”

Remus didn’t prod, just like Sirius didn’t, and simply said,  “Regilas, it is.”

This prompted another wave of laughter. “Regulus,” Sirius said.

“That’s what I said.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“You can’t prove it.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

They fell silent as they stood there, simply admiring their work on the Christmas tree. It was clumsy, thanks to Remus’ stubborn touch of grouping similar-looking ornaments instead of scattering it like what Sirius did. But it was their work. And it was perfect.

“I like you, Remus,” Sirius eventually spoke, a hum in the tranquil air.

“I like you too, Sirius.”

Although he never did get to properly say goodbye to Remus, he kept the star. And only gave it back to Remus years and years later. In their own flat. During their second Christmas together and only with each other.

[random-imagines-blog]

Crimson Day {Unfriended: Dark Web Oneshot}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 4292 Summary: The aftermath after the events of the movie. Warnings: Mentions of death.

Trauma is hell on earth. Trauma resolved is a gift from the gods. - Peter A. Lavine.

You knew a thing or two about trauma. You’ve been living through it for months now. Looking over your shoulder at every turn, avoiding all electronics, living off of the grid and in hiding. Four months ago, life had been absolutely normal. Almost dream-like compared to now. You were just a regular twenty-something year old, living in the city. Your main concerns, like many other people your age, were finding your purposes, and having enough money to cover the essentials and maybe some treats every once in a while. A University graduate, but you had to work two jobs in order to keep affording rent in your small studio apartment over a convenience store. Working, working, working, job searching for something better, keeping your space clean, and once in a while, hanging out with friends. Up until Damon moved to London, anyway. Then it was a mix of seeing your friends around and hanging out with them online. Video chats. Game nights. The worst part was supposed to be maybe the internet lagging or someone not being able to make it or missing your friend who was ‘across the pond’. It wasn’t supposed to come to this. It was someone else’s plan but it certainly hadn’t been yours.

That dreadful night when you lost five of your friends in one foul sweep. A secret organization that was kidnapping people, killing them. Setting up other people to take the fall. You were supposed to be dead. The organization tried hard enough. You barely escaped with your life. A concussion and different scrapes was getting off dreadfully light compared to your friends.

Amara had been shot. It had been a bad one, but it just managed to miss her heart. It dug into her shoulder, and it stayed there. Luckily, a security guard had heard the gunshot and called it in. The security guard didn’t survive when he went in to see what the noise was, but the police that came after arrested the shooter, and Amaya was taken in an ambulance to the hospital. It took hours of surgery to get all of the bullet fragments out. To remove the pieces of shattered bone, put the arm back into it’s socket, and stitch the wound shut.

Matthias had it worse than that. He had been hit hard by a car on an otherwise empty road. Many broken bones. Fractures. A concussion. The ambulance, taking a shortcut to the hospital with Amaya on the back, almost ran him over for the second time, but they managed to stop in time. Called in a second ambulance. The car that hit him was gone. His cellphone was gone. They had a hard time bringing him back, the damage was so extensive. It took a couple of days for him to be lucid enough to get visitors.

Not that he was allowed any.

But you were there nonetheless. Every single day, you sat in a waiting lounge of the hospital, warm drink from the cafeteria in your hands though you hardly drank it. The police questioned you, questioned Amaya, questioned Matthias over and over and over. They didn’t believe you. Who would? All traces of the conversations, the videos, the entire Skype call, was gone from your computer. Matthias’s was never recovered. There was a kidnapped girl in Matthias’s apartment. Damon’s fake confession about what they had done to all of those missing and murdered girls. Matthias was handcuffed to his bed at all times. He had an officer with him if he wanted to get up and use the bathroom once he was able to get onto his feet.

The police wanted to take you to the station but you protested, panic attacks coming in waves. “There’s too many cameras there, I can’t,” You said, shaking your head. The Circle - they must have heard that you had survived. They were probably watching you. A hospital had cameras, but not as many, it wasn’t as heavily watched as the police station would be.

Your heart raced to the point where the doctors advised that they keep you, despite not having any external injuries. They had you on a heart monitor. The police had you in handcuffs nonetheless, but you accepted this without argument. You just wanted to get your story told and then get out of there. In prison, you might be safer, if they didn’t listen and did choose to arrest you.

There was a single detective that took you seriously. You, Matthias, Amaya and your friends all had verifiable alibis during Erica’s abduction. The Circle couldn’t wipe that away. And it reminded him of another case, a few years back. Almost identical details - except no one survived. The ‘murderer’ had committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. There were two witnesses that said he had been pushed, but the police ignored that. The evidence being on computers, the friends of the murderer dying under strange circumstances.

Detective White was the only one that was on your side. While the police wanted to officially arrest you and bring you in, he’s the one that hunted down your alibis, got statements that showed you were nowhere near Erica’s home when she was abducted, and secured at least some freedom for you. It was far from over. It felt like a hollow victory getting those handcuffs taken off of you. But at least it was a victory.

Detective White was the one that wheeled Matthias out of the hospital. Policy, they insisted. He could walk with a limp, but they still made sure to treat him like a victim until they reached the detective’s personal vehicle. He had taken the GPS out, at your urging. It could be easily hacked, or tracked. Since he was taking you to the safe house, the only place that you, Matthias and Amaya could agree on, you couldn’t risk a damn thing.  

You gave him handwritten directions to your parents place. It was outside of the city. A long drive. He took a couple of backways when he could, going past farmlands and through small towns, rather than the major highways, for even they had cameras on them. Neither you nor your two friends dared to get out of the car during the one and only gas stop, opting for hoods up and heads down. Even though Marrhias had to pee, he didn’t dare, just in case a camera caught his face while going in to use the bathroom.

It was a quiet ride. Detective White kept asking questions, and he even knew a little sign language so was able to somewhat understand Amaya when she would answer. But mostly, it was just the forced silence. Any little noise made you and Matthias jump, causing Amaya to worry. Anytime that a car seemed to follow for longer than ten minutes, your heart started to beat quickly again, and you couldn’t breathe until it finally made a turn, or you did. A dark van in a driveway nearly sent Matthias into hysterics. He had to lay his head down on Amaya’s lap, be comforted until the panic attack passed. You dug your nails so deep into your palms that they started to bleed.

The traffic grew more and more sparse, until it was just Detective White’s car on the road. That’s when you felt like you could relax for the first time. You rolled your window down - actually having to use the crank because the car was an older model, and let yourself enjoy fresh air for the first time since all of this happened. It blew in, caressing your face, drying out your eyes. It smelt of trees - evergreen and pine.  

The reason why this was a safe house was because it wasn’t actually under your parent’s name. They had an apartment in the city that was, where they’d spend time when they had to come in for work, usually just on the weekdays. But this - this house, the place that they poured love into, turned into a home - it technically belonged to one of your father’s friend’s from college. He had inherited it but it was too far from the city, so he just let his friends take it over. It was all paid off, and your parents would send money to pay the property tax and other bills.

It was as off the grid as it was possible to be. Your father was one of those doomsday preppers. It was coming, he always said. The apocalypse, the robot uprising, the government shutting down, whatever it was, he was prepared. You used to be embarrassed about it. The teenager that followed him through Costo as he bought stacks of Cream of Mushroom soup. But now you were thankful for it. This was as off the grid as it was possible to get these days.

There were a few technological appliances, thankfully. A microwave, a fridge, an oven, and a working bathroom with plumbing so you didn’t have to go the old fashioned way, out to an outhouse. But apart from that? There was no computer, no laptops, no gaming systems, no internet for you to connect to. You didn’t get service on your phone out here, but there was a landline that worked if the weather was clear enough. There was a small TV with rabbit ears that got a news station and a cartoon chanel - as long as the weather was clear enough, again. Bored? There were decks of cards. There were books. Go for a walk. There were a few Disney films on VHS that you could watch over and over for the nostalgia.

It wasn’t ideal. But at least it was safe. After Detective White left, you went around checking all of the windows and the doors to make sure that their locks worked. Matthias double checked after you did, holding onto Amaya’s hand throughout it all. The two were inseparable since the hospital. She had slept on his shoulder for most of the drive. He hadn’t complained once about it. There was still love in these traumatic times. Their relationship was closer than ever. You were the odd one out. The lonely one out of the bunch. But at least you were with your old friends. You weren’t totally alone in this.

Amaya brought a book about ASL. She taught you and Matthias so that there was no miscommunication anymore. Matthias was more eager to learn now than he used to be. Now that there was no program that he could make to try to make it easier for her to understand him. Now he could understand her. You all could understand one another, bringing you closer, as if sharing the same house didn’t do that for you.

--

It was a beautiful day. The sort of day where it’s all that people could talk about. They’d greet each other in the shops with a nod, a smile, and a ‘Beautiful day isn’t it?’ The kind of day where bosses panicked because people called in sick, but they knew full well that their employees were going to take a fishing trip that morning or take their families down lakeside for a bit of fun. The dog parks filled up and the air was filled with the sound of happy yips and barks.

However, you, Matthias and Amaya weren’t a part of that. The windows were closed, the white and gauzy curtains pulled over, blocking out the light breeze and the sunlight. It was stiflingly warm inside but the anxiety caused you to triple check the windows every time you got up, despite not unlocking them since the day that you got there. No, the three of you were sitting on the ground in front of the couch, the television on the news channel, playing The Game of Life.

You were laughing at how corny Mattias was being throughout it. It was only in the last week that you were able to start finding things funny again - after a couple of months being here. To start smiling and start laughing. You attention span, thanks to the lack of social media, was growing longer and longer, so these games had become one of the most fun things you could do together. Matthias was making a big show of naming the pegs when he was putting them inside of his ‘car’. He signed Amaya’s name when he stopped and got married, carefully picking a pink peg and putting it inside of the car. He was in the lead, already having a son, whom he would consult Amaya on what to name, before either you or Amaya made it to the marriage piece.

‘What about Steve?’ Matthias asked, spelling out the name with his fingers. You wrinkled your nose and stuck your hand out, giving it a thumbs down. Amaya shook her head, her ponytail flying wildly behind her. Matthias thought, tapping the top of the blue peg. ‘Matthias Jr?’

‘In your dreams’ Amaya said, making you really start to laugh. Matthias grinned goofily and nudged her with his elbow.

‘I’m putting my foot down,’ He signed, and made a show of it, tapping his against the ground. ‘Our son is named ... Elliot.’

‘That’s way better than Steve’, you signed, and Amaya nodded showing that she agreed. The game went on. Your little car stopped at the marriage spot, and Matthias and Amaya bugged until you finally gave your husband a name, just throwing out one of the last person that you had a crush on. Amaya reached the spot last, and to the surprise of both you and Matthias, she gave you both a mischievous grin.

‘Zac Efron’ she signed, coyly.

Matthias jumped up to his feet, his words moving quickly with shock and outrage. You wrapped your arms around your stomach, falling to the ground with laughter coming out of you. A deep one from your stomach that felt like the greatest release. Tears came into your eyes and you couldn’t see what Matthias and Amaya were signing to one another again but it didn’t  matter because it ended up with the three of you all laughing and grinning at one another. Even Matthias, who signed that he would let this slide just the one time, but she better name his kid Matthias or there was going to be a car crash. You never expected him to say the last bit, considering what had happened but that felt like letting go of the past too. It was just a good feeling all around.

Once the laughter died down and the game continued, the sound of the television caught your attention. You left it on for background noise, just for you and Matthias, just a little something to get rid of the overwhelming silence, but some of the words actually made you pause and stare at the small and fuzzy screen. It wasn’t one hundred percent clear, but the reception was better today than it usually was. You tapped on Matthias’s shoulder and motioned towards the television. Amaya stopped moving her red car and turned to look at it too, reading the lips of the newscaster.

“- and we are recommending that if you have any children, to ask them to leave the room or to change the channel. What we have to show you is very disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.”

You felt your stomach rising to your throat. What was on the screen was pulled right out of your memories, a sight that you could not forget, never, as long as you live. The choice that Serena had to make. Your face on the screen, Matthias’s face on the screen. Amaya watched with rapt horror, for this was her first time actually seeing this footage. She hadn’t been in that skype call. She only heard what had happened afterwards. You didn’t know what was worse, seeing it for the first time or for the second, both of it a surprise. An assault.

Your friends cries. The machine beeping as the heart monitor came to a stop. Lexx being pushed in front of the train. You couldn’t look anymore. You turned your eyes downcast, but that didn’t stop you from hearing it. The next, you assumed, was Damon being hung. It was a quiet one, and when you thought that it might be over, you turned your eyes back. No, there was an open word document and it was typing. Exactly like you had seen that night.

‘Why are they showing this?’ Amaya asked, not being able to look any longer. You were wondering the same thing. Was it actually on the news or did The Circle manage to hack this small TV? Could they do it through the small rabbit ears?

The screen went back to the news anchor who looked unsettled to say the least. It actually took a couple of seconds for her to regain control of herself. “Those are the videos that lead to the arrest of an underground group that call themselves The Circle. It’s an organization with surprising members from parliament, the entertainment industry, and corporate leaders, that play so-called games with innocent people using hacking skills, and in-person violence-”

Matthias was signing all of this to Amaya as the words were being spoken, since it was hard to read the lips during those long words. The landline started to ring, making both you and Matthias jump. You excused yourself to get it, hoping that it was who you thought it was. Only four people knew the number to this house. You didn’t even get spam calls or telemarketers here. If the phone rang, it meant that someone important was trying to get ahold of you. Your parents, Your parents friend, or Detective White.

You answered the phone with a little hmm, trying not to give away the fact that you were shaking. Please - please - please let this be real - you never wanted anything more -

“Is this you, y/n?” Detective White’s familiar and tired voice came from the headset.

“Yes - I’m watching the news. Is this real? Or are they hacking us somehow?” You asked, your voice rushed. Panicky.

“I’m pleased to say that it’s real,” He said. Matthias and Amaya were both staring at you, and you signed the good news, and who it was on the phone. Neither of them could move. Truth be told, neither could you. “I didn’t want them to play the footage that we got from one of their laptops, but the media specialist suggested it, something about making sure that the public was turned against them.”

“What, because hearing that they’re a bunch of kidnappers and murderers wasn’t enough to do that?” You asked, pinching the bridge of your nose. For the last while, you managed to escape from the past. You were still looking over your shoulder but not actually expecting to see them. “And you couldn’t have called to give us a warning? We just saw that on the television and-”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Detective White cut you off. “I’ve been dealing with tracking down the others, but we got the leaders, including the ones that had physically attacked you and your friends. It’s a lot of paperwork as you can understand.”

The leaders, and the ones that physically attacked you. You were tunnel visioned on those words right now. Repeating them over and over inside of your head. You tucked the phone as best as you could between your chin, jaw and shoulder so that you could sign everything you were hearing towards your friends. Amaya started to hyperventilate. Her face was turning darker and Matthias put his hands on her shoulder to try to help her breathe. They stared at one another, breathing together. He was the only one who could touch her like that. She even flinched from you sometimes. But from Matthias? Never.

“It’s over. It’s really over.”

“We’re hoping so. We’ve already got a long list of names, connecting with police forces around the world to make sure we get these bastards.”

“The world?” You asked, turning your back on your friends to look at the wall. Matthias could still hear you, of course. But you didn’t want Amaya to read your lips. Not when she was already panicking like this. “They’re all around the world?”

“This is bigger than just America,” Detective White grunted. “Japan’s been trying to get these guys for years. The UK too. But we’ve got it. We’ve got them. That’s the good news. Now I have to give you the bad.”

“Oh god,” You gasped. “What’s the bad?”

“I’m not going to be able to expend anymore resources on keeping you three safe now that they’ve been caught. I tried arguing for it, that there could be retaliation though I don’t think that will be the case, they’ll all be busy running for the hills. So you’re going to have to get a legal address again, get back to normal.”

It was bad news.  Detective White had been right about that. But it wasn’t as bad as you thought that it could be. You could still live here. You were sure your parents would let you. And your friends too. You’d break the news to them in time.

“Okay, that’s not too bad,” You sighed. “I think we can handle that. Is there anything else that we have to do? We don’t have to erm - come in and ... you know, testify?” The nerves started to shake up again at the idea of being in the same room as those monsters. At your friends getting attacked.

“No,” Detective White said, squashing all of that down. “We’ve got more than enough evidence. You can if you want to, but just from the video footage alone, the things found on their computers, they’re going to get life. At least. Probably multiple life sentences.”

“Good.” You said, and you meant it. They should spend the rest of their life in an uncomfortable jail cell. No, worse than that, they should have to spend their lives in the conditions that they put other people under. The fear. The small rooms where they kept their kidnapped victims until they were planted in someone innocent’s apartment. All of it. This didn’t feel like enough of a win. But you had to admit that it was a win nonetheless.

After a few short minutes more of conversation and a promise that you’d get back to him once you figured out what you were going to do, you hung up the phone and joined the group hug with your friends. Amaya seemed to have regressed a few steps back after seeing what had happened on the television. Even though they were caught, it was still a heavy trauma. The weight hadn’t been fully lifted from your shoulders quite yet. It wouldn’t be until after the trials. Who knew how long they would take though.

‘It’s all my fault that this happened in the first place’ Matthias signed, also seeming to have taken those steps backwards. You were holding strong in your position, shaking your head.

‘It’s not,’ You signed back shaking your head. ‘They made the choice. It would have been us or someone else, and they might not have gotten out alive like we had.’

It took a whole week for it to sink in. The news was playing the footage over and over again, so you had kept it off. You didn’t need the background noise anymore, you craved the silence. Your parents came back to see you, to promise to help you and your friends look for another place. Together. You’d been living with one another for so long, it felt wrong to be apart. You were bonded now, for life.

You made your first trip into the city after two weeks. You went straight to the police station to see Detective White in person, sunglasses covering your face, attempting to keep low-key but everyone inside of the precinct seemed to remember exactly who you are, all eyes on you the moment you walked through that door. It took time to get used to being around people again. To the attention. You were the first to brave it, then Amaya and Matthias came the second time, holding onto one another. Anyone so much as brushed by Amaya, she flinched, but that was going to take a lot of time to get over. If ever. Eventually though, eventually you might be able to make it to a normal life.

Eventually, Matthias and Amaya would get married. You acted as interpreter during the wedding, saying aloud the vows which the couple signed to one another. The crowd wasn’t as large as it should have been. Your friends should have been there, and it hurt so much that they weren’t. It was one of the most bittersweet days of yout entire life, and you were sure that your friends thought the exact same.

The tragedy was rounding out to a close. You had the scars. You had your traumas. But you survived. Nothing more than that, you survived through it and that meant that you were going to keep on living because there wasn’t much of a choice in the matter. Keep going for Nari, Serena, AJ, Damon and DJ. Getting back to where you had been before, settled in with friends, working, back in school  - life continued, but not as if nothing ever happened. But because everything had happened. A new appreciation for every second, for every friend, for every new experience. That’s how you were living from then on. From now, until forever.

[jayeray-hq]

How He Shows You Affection: Ushijima Wakatoshi

This is a another repost to get this one to show up in the tags! Thank you to everyone who found it through the masterlist! You all are amazing! Notes: 72

Post Time Skip/Manga Ending Spoilers!

Warnings: None all fluff!

How He Shows You Affection Masterlist - Character Masterlist

He Does Little Things to Make Life Easier for You

            You woke up feeling a bit groggy, unsure just how or when exactly you’d fallen asleep. However, once you’d gotten your bearings a bit you quietly cursed yourself for allowing to happen, glancing at your phone and wincing as you registered what time it was. You’d had a lot to get done today and now more than half the day was gone. You’d only meant to sit down for a second and rest your eyes as you waited for the dishwasher to finish, but you must’ve accidentally dozed off.

In hindsight it probably wasn’t that surprising you’d fallen asleep. It had been a really long week at work, you’d been putting in extra hours, and had come home almost every night exhausted. It meant you’d been putting off your chores, all of which you’d meant to do today, on your only day off. The laundry in particular had been incredibly important as your clean clothes situation had become rather dire, but you’d fallen asleep before you could get to it.

            Even worse you’d wanted to get it done early because your boyfriend was going to be home later, and you desperately wanted to be able to spend your evening relaxing with him. Unfortunately, it looked like that wasn’t going to be happening now.

            Heaving a sigh, you stood, figuring there was no use crying over spilled milk, and that you might as well get to work. Especially if you wanted to have that nice dinner done you’d planned for when Ushijima got home. Only to pause in surprise as something fell away from your shoulders.

            You stooped and picked the familiar fabric off the ground, and immediately recognized it as your boyfriend’s Adlers jacket, the same one he’d worn out of the house that morning which meant…

            “Wakatoshi?” you asked curiously, as you cradled the jacket to your chest.

            “I’m here,” the low deep rumble of your boyfriend’s voice was both familiar and incredibly soothing, and you couldn’t help the smile that broke over your face at the sight of him, clearly recently showered, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt.

            “You’re home early,” you told him crossing the room eagerly to wrap your arms around him, burying your face in his strong, warm chest.

            “Coach let us go early,” he explained accepting your embrace with ease and folding you into his arms.

            “Did you have a good practice?” you asked, slowly pulling away from him after taking a few minutes to just soak up his warmth and presence.

            “It was adequate,” he told you, which you assumed meant yes, his eyes fond as his large hands lingered gently on your hips, not letting you pull away entirely just yet.

            “I was just going to start dinner for us,” you informed him with a smile, “Just let me finish up a few things and I’ll get right to it.”

            “Is there anything I can do?” he asked gently.

            “No, no I’ve got this,” you assured him firmly. After all the two of you usually split chores fairly evenly, and he’d already done his, it wouldn’t be fair to ask him to do yours as well.

            However, when you went to check your hamper, all your clothes were gone, and a quick peek showed that there were loads of laundry in both the washer and the dryer, both running. The bathroom was also cleaner than you remembered it being that morning, and the dishwasher had been emptied, the dishes put away.

            Your heart melted as you realized your boyfriend had apparently taken it upon himself to do it for you, and when you returned to the kitchen and found him quietly pulling out some of the things you’d need to make dinner you couldn’t help yourself diving back into his arms.

            “Is everything all right?” he asked, clearly a little concerned.

            “It’s perfect,” you assured him affectionately, feeling like a weight had lifted you’re your shoulders, “Thank you.”

            “You’re welcome,” he told you pressing his cheek to your hair and cradling you close, making you sigh contentedly. You really did have the best boyfriend.

 He Makes Time For You

            Despite your feelings you’d managed to keep your perfect customer service smile pasted to your face throughout the party, nursing a glass of wine you hadn’t even bothered to touch, but held on to, to keep anyone from trying to get you another drink. It had been a rather horrid night, and you definitely didn’t want to be here, especially since, for the first time in a long time you’d had to come alone.

            Normally at these mandatory office parties you at least had your boyfriend with you. Ushijima, with his strong, calm presence and a stoicism and intimidating mien that managed to keep all but the most determined or familiar away from you, was a blessing at times like this. Unfortunately, he’d had a game, which while fairly close by was still over an hour away, and he wouldn’t be back until later that night.

            You honestly missed him dreadfully. Just his reassuring presence always helped to take the edge off your anxiety at times like these. Still he had his job, one that he truly loved with all his being and you’d never want to take him away from it, especially not for something as silly as an office party.

            Still you couldn’t help your grimace as one of your male coworkers, who’d been giving you the eye all night, and who regularly stood just a little too close, and lingered by your desk just a little too long slowly approached you. You braced yourself, fully ready to face the unpleasant conversation and hopefully send him on his way politely.

            However less than a few feet away from you his eyes suddenly darted to something behind you, and he quickly made a beeline around, clearly pretending he’d never been heading in your direction in the first place. You frowned in confusion, but were quickly jolted out of it, by the feeling of a large, warm hand on the small of your back.

            You turned, a frown on your face, ready to tell off whichever jerk dared put his hands on you, that you had a boyfriend and to leave you alone, only to find your boyfriend there looking down at you with a soft look on his face.

            “Wakatoshi?” you asked a little disbelieving, blinking several times to ensure he wasn’t an illusion of some kind, dreamt up by your wishes for his presence, but no he was still there, his hand warm and grounding, “What are you doing here?”

            “I always come to your office parties,” he told you a slightly puzzled frown on his lips.

            “I know,” you assured him an amused smile tugging your lips, “But didn’t you have a game?”

            “It’s finished,” he affirmed, then added unnecessarily, “We won.”

            “I know,” you told him with an amused smile, “I watched what I could of the game before coming. You managed to finish before I had to leave. I sent you a text.”

            “I saw,” he assured you a fond smile tugging slightly at the corners of his mouth, his eyes soft, “Thank you.”

            “You’re welcome,” you told him a bit bemused, “But that still doesn’t explain how you’re here. The game was over an hour away.”

            “I left right after,” he explained casually.

            “Wakatoshi you didn’t have to,” you exclaimed startled, especially since you knew leaving right after meant he’d skipped the victory celebrations with his team and gotten a cab back instead of taking the team bus.

            “I wanted to,” he stated firmly, in a way that left no room for arguments, “I never miss your office parties.”

            The sentiment behind the words honestly made your heart melt. Ushijima wasn’t the best with expressing his feelings verbally, but at times like this, when he even cut his volleyball activities short you could almost palpably feel how much he loved you, to put you over his favorite activity, even if it was only a little bit, it honestly meant the world to you.

            “Thank you for being here,” you told him, figuring there really was no other response, at least none that would be appropriate in this setting, though you made a note to show him how much you appreciated it when you got home.

            “Of course,” he answered firmly, as if there had never been any doubt, as if there was nowhere in the world he’d rather be then right by your side.

 He Buys Little Things That Remind Him of You

            “Oh Ushiwaka whatcha lookin’ at?” Tendou asked curiously peering over his friend’s shoulder so he could see the display that the large former Ace of Shiratorizawa was studying so intently. His lips quirked in amusement as he saw what had captured the stoic man’s attention, a rather adorable display of plush toys

            “Are you expecting?” he asked eagerly.

            “I’m not expecting anything,” Ushijima told him a slight frown on his face, clearly perplexed by the question.

            “No, no, no I mean is your girlfriend expecting?” he tried again shifting eagerly from foot to foot.

            “No, she never expects anything,” his friend and former captain told him completely honestly, his face softening at the mere mention of his beloved who was back home in Japan while he and his team were in France for a game, “But these are very cute.”

            “They are,” Tendou agreed nodding sagely, he never would’ve expected the man to be so sentimental and to think such things about toys like that, but well, you learned something new everyday.

            “She is also very cute,” Ushiwaka murmured more to himself than to Tendou, before nodding firmly and making his way into the store, clearly intent on buying one for his girlfriend, leaving a dumbstruck Tendou behind wondering if he should stop him or not but in the end decided to let the man make his own mistakes.

            Several days later, back in Japan you opened another package from your boyfriend and stared at its contents, more than a little dumbfounded. These little gifts from Ushijima had been arriving nearly every day since he left, nothing too big or expensive, mostly small interesting things that he claimed in his daily chats ‘reminded him of you.’

            However staring at this latest gift you had to wonder if maybe he was trying to send you a message of some sort. After all was there any other reason to have sent you what was admittedly, a rather adorable plush baby toy, with a tag in the ear whose French you’d painstakingly translated into “congratulations it’s a boy!”

            It left you rather dumbfounded, however, luckily you didn’t need to ask more than why he’d bought it for you for him to explain, and you never had to tell him that he’d given you a baby toy of all things. However, the small gift did find its way into your daughter’s crib several years down the line, so it certainly never went to waste.